CMT Blog: Archive

Saturday night (Sept. 19), as the Americana Music Conference drew to a close, Buddy Miller performed a set at Nashville's Cannery Ballroom. Two days after winning just about every award at the Americana Music Association Honors and Awards show, he took the stage and said simply, "It's been a pretty good week." I'd never seen Miller before, but was told this was a classic, self-deprecating, Buddy-ism. Later in the show, during a technical difficulty, he stopped the band and apologized to the crowd, saying, "I guess we could act like professionals and plow through, but we're not professionals." This from the newly-crowned artist of the year, standing next to Patty Griffin and steel guitarist Greg Leisz!

I learned that one of Miller's most striking talents, apart from his guitar skills and warm, wise voice, is as a bandleader, and he can seemingly bring the best out of any group of musicians. When Leisz came out and politely took his seat, the band started into "Wide, Wide River to Cross." Leisz joined in with the kind of steel guitar that blends so seamlessly with the emotion of the song that you hardly even notice it -- until Miller finds the perfect spot for him to shoot daggers through your heart. Some might have confused the feeling for a mild heart attack.

Then there's Patty Griffin. She kept her cool through my personal favorite, "Worry Too Much" and the sweetly-sung "Dark End of the Street," but by the time she and Miller finished up "Gasoline and Matches," she was bouncing around and smiling ear-to-ear -- as was the audience. They clearly had worked out some kind of musical understanding on the Three Chicks and Their Buddy tour with Emmylou Harris and Shawn Colvin. Then it was on to their song of the year winner, "Chalk," and a quick finish to the set. It could have been longer, especially considering the outcome of the awards show, but in retrospect, even the king sometimes needs a rest. I just can't believe that I was actually on the fence about going.