Twangfest is back in a reimagined way. After its 25th anniversary in 2023, Twangfest called it quits on its signature event. The cost of putting on multi-day concerts and bringing in national acts has skyrocketed over the years, so Twangfest pivoted its focus to more local and regional, single-day concerts these past couple of years. But the tug of a larger event never left.
A mere two years later and Twangfest volunteers figured out how to bring it back, to the delight of devoted fans of the Americana scene.
The four-night festival has been trimmed down to three nights , and the number of acts performing each night has also been pared down, but the quality remains the same.
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The first night of Twangfest 26 kicked off at its familiar stomping grounds at Off Broadway on Thursday night with Ryan Davis and the Roadhouse Band opening for John Moreland. The pair of stellar songwriters and lyricists was a dynamic way to begin the multi-night event.
Hailing from the Louisville region, Ryan Davis and the Roadhouse Band brought an hour of music that ranged from bare-boned lilting duets such as “Monte Carlo / No Limits” to folk tales to country-tinged Americana rock that left the crowd wanting more.
Oklahoma-based John Moreland more than lived up to the hype. With just a chair and a guitar on stage, the introspective singer/songwriter kept the audience’s rapt attention throughout his set. After a brief glitch with his pedalboard early on, Moreland made light of the flub, which garnered a chuckle from the crowd. The remainder of the night he was down to the business of singing his heart out and making everyone ponder life’s big questions.
Shows continue on July 25 and 26. Check out the full festival lineup for details.
See more photos from Night One of Twangfest 26 at bit.ly/Twangfest26cz25.
