Talent Overwhelms Americana Music Lovers at Analog

By Wil Comstock

MCAU Contributing Writer

Analog at the Hutton, Friday Evening (Sept. 18, 2026)

     Arriving as Michaela Anne was finishing up her soundcheck, we spotted a table near the front with two empty chairs.  Tom, our new friend, was seated alone.  He recently retired from the University of New England with years in administration. He and his wife now live in Fairview, Tennessee.

     Michaela Anne is a little alt-country and a little indie pop-rock.  Her lyrics are honest and open. Giving us a window on her own life, caring for a mother recovering from a stroke, and her own challengers with early motherhood.  I was hooked by the second number, “Will You Still Love Me with a Broken Heart.”  Her warm, down-home vocals and easy going delivery reminded me of the artists I loved from the ‘70s.  Other favorites were “Desert Rose” and “These are the Days.”

     By the time Benmont Tench (Benjamin Montmorency Tench III) took the stage, there was standing room only. Benmont was born in Gainesville, Florida.  He met Tom Petty when he was 12 years old.  They later formed the band Mudcrunch, which morphed into The Heartbreakers. Besides playing keys with Petty, he is an in-demand session player for the likes of Stevie Nicks, Bob Dylan and Aretha Franklin.  He and Petty penned several songs together for the band.  Tench also had his songs recorded by other artists, including the gut-wrenching “Unbreakable Heart,” my favorite.  He told us he had gone through reconstructive surgery for his jaw and tongue due to cancer, saying it gave him a lisp. But honestly, I couldn’t tell.  Highlights were “Under the Starlight” and “Waddle.”  Watching his set, I was very much aware I was in the presence of a musical songwriting genius.

     Be on the lookout for Abigail Rose!  This Nashville native has presence, a powerful voice, and her first album coming out next month.  I thoroughly enjoyed this indie folk artist’s enthusiasm for each song she forthrightly delivered.  Favorites were “Run Girl,” “Dying to Live,” and the beautiful “Heaven,” written on a trip to Angel Island in the San Francisco Bay.  

     Nicole Atkins grew up in Neptune, New Jersey, listening to her parent’s recordings of the Ronettes, Beach Boys, and Johnny Cash.  She went to college in Charlotte, North Carolina, for illustration and soon became involved in the local independent music scene.  She has never looked back.  With seven albums under her belt, and working with artists like Chris Isaac, Elvis Costello, and Tommy Stinson, this seasoned performer presented a great set, treating us to her new album “Drama” track by track.  I particularly enjoyed “ Trippin on Teardrops.” Like a Stranger” and “Cue the Symphony” a duet with her producer, Pat Sansone, of Wilco.

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