Crowdfunding Campaigns from 2018 AmericanaFest Showcase Artists

Another year of the Americana Music Festival is in the books and, if you’re like me, that means you have a bag full of merch table albums and a much emptier wallet. But what about the AmericanaFest showcase bands who unveiled new material but didn’t yet have the album out for purchase? For a few of those bands, you can preorder their new material and snag some extras via current crowdfunding. I’ve already featured AmericanaFest performers Will Kimbrough and Will Hoge in past columns. Here are three more AmericanaFest 2018 Showcase artists with active campaigns.

Mandy Barnett – Strange Conversation
Mandy Barnett quite literally grew up in country music, signing her first label deal at age 12 and coming to mainstream prominence taking on the role of one of country’s pioneers in Always… Patsy Cline. Now, with Strange Conversation, her first album in five years, Barnett is branching out, taking on songs from Ted Hawkins, Tom Waits, and even Sonny and Cher, duetting with John Hiatt for the latter. Strange Conversation hits stores Sept. 21, but you can preorder it now on PledgeMusic. Backer rewards include the usual signed copies of the album on both CD and vinyl, a copy of Barnett’s out-of-print debut album for Asylum Records, and a doll handcrafted and signed by Barnett.

The Black Lillies – Stranger to Me
The ancient Chinese saying “May you live in interesting times,” while neither ancient nor Chinese, is a pretty good descriptor for The Black Lillies over the last couple of years, which have brought some significant lineup changes, most notably the addition of Sam Quinn, late of The Everybodyfields. Now the Knoxville band and No Depression Spotlight act is readying their fifth album and the first in their new incarnation. Stranger to Me releases Sept. 28 and is currently available as part of a successful PledgeMusic campaign. In addition to a signed copy of the album, you can also pick up passes to a private backer show at the 2019 Rhythm and Blooms Festival in Knoxville, a mystery box of “stuff from the road” that promises to be “useful, funny, and just plain odd,” and a journal with handwritten art from Quinn.

Carson McHone – Carousel
Austin’s Carson McHone is a year removed from being crowned a “Country Artist You Need to Know” by Rolling Stone, and she’s celebrating by pushing the country boundaries of her sound with her third album, Carousel, which releases Oct. 26 and is available for preorder now on PledgeMusic. Working with producer Mike McCarthy, McHone has penned new songs but also given a few from her debut album, Goodluck Man,a modern makeover. Backer rewards available in addition to signed copies of Carousel on CD and vinyl include a download of acoustic demos from the album, a personalized postcard, and a disposable camera filled with photos taken by McHone.