THROUGH THE LENS: A Community Comes Together for the Americana West Music Festival

After the pandemic had mostly subsided, the Americana West Music Festival began in 2022 as a way to bring the West Coast Americana, country, and roots community together again after the long hiatus. Presented by Blackbird Record Label, the fest did not start from scratch: the well-attended and highly regarded California Country Show, a fixture during AmericanaFest in Nashville each fall, served as a springboard. To get it off the ground, Blackbird’s Eric Craig and Manda Mosher, along with Deb Morrison of Prickly Pear Presents, partnered with a who’s-who of the area’s roots music promoters to make it an even more expansive experience.

This year’s Americana West, held June 21-22, presented more than 40 acts on two indoor stages at Los Angeles’ Hotel Café. Located on an alley off Hollywood’s Cahuenga Boulevard, the café opened in 2000 as a coffee shop with a space for aspiring singer-songwriters to present their work. While a wide variety of well-known performers, from Lucinda Williams to Katy Perry, have appeared there, the café remains primarily a venue for the yet-to-be discovered — as well as a place film and TV music scouts come to find songs for their projects. You could call it the Bluebird Cafe of the west, without the tourists. 

Our California correspondent Liza Orozco caught one of the fest’s two days. She told me that she saw an astounding amount of talent for the first time, I think nearly all of whom will also be new to ND readers — which is, of course, the point. Her highlight was 2024 Ameripolitan Awards nominee Cristina Vane. Liza’s photos are in the gallery below.

Click on any of the photos below to view the gallery as a full-size slideshow.