Charles Wesley Godwin and Stephen Wilson Jr. shook Skydeck on Broadway in Nashville, Tennessee, during a Big Loud showcase on Wednesday afternoon. 

A cool breeze blew through the Skydeck, and giant roses decked the microphone stands on stage as fans milled about the open room, preparing for a boot stomping showcase featuring Wilson, Godwin and an array of other Big Loud acts. 

Godwin rocked the skydeck with a rowdy showcase; members of his band left the stage to run around in the crowd of fans as they clapped and stomped along to Godwin’s new and old songs. 

Earlier in the afternoon, fans browsed merchandise and took advantage of the bar, string lights hung overhead and American flags blew just outside when the first artist began his set.

Coleman Jennings took the stage in a brown pearl snap button-down and a cowboy hat. He sat center stage on a stool and strummed a few notes on his guitar as the crowd pulled closer. 

Jennings soothes the crowd with a mix of unreleased original songs as well as songs from his 2024 EP “Wildflowers and Tears.” He entertains the crowd with just his voice, whistling a tune and belting his heartfelt lyrics to unreleased “Ocean” and recent releases like “All My Life,” which played on the mouse speakers shortly before Jennings’ time on stage began.

He softly strums his guitar, and his vintage-sounding voice rings through the open room when he plays the last song of the set, “I will lead you home,” and is cheered off the stage by fans. 

After a short break following Jennings’ performance, Zandi Holup, accompanied by only a violin, picks up her guitar and belts about heartbreak. Holup opens her set with “Gas Station Flowers” from the new album “Wildflowers,” which was released in August. 

“So to the next person that tells me I’m too much, I’m really sorry, but you’re gonna have to go find less,” Holup said, introducing her song “Go Find Less.” She smiles behind the microphone with white blonde framing her face as she begins to play the single released ahead of her 2025 album. 

The married couple, Makenzie Porter and Jack Ethridge, performing under the alias Thelma & James, opened their set with an original “Chainsmoking Memories,” and continued to introduce the crowd to more original music like “Canaries in a Coal Mine” before starting a sing-along to “You’re the One that I Want” from the musical, “Grease.” 

The duo made music separately for years, naturally being creative in different genres, with Porter falling into country and Ethridge taking a more indie route with his music, but they closed the set with the song that began their musical journey together, “Happy Ever After You.”

As one of the showcase’s headlining acts, Wilson entered dramatically, waking up the afternoon crowd as the first artist of the showcase to be accompanied by a full band. The high energy of the band draws the crowd closer as Wilson jumps and runs around on stage.

“My colleagues used to call me a hillbilly; it was not a compliment,” Wilson said, “so I’ve tried to deconstruct that word, hillbilly.” After the brief introduction to the song, Wilson’s band tore into “Billy.”

He wipes sweat from his face between songs and introduces his band before playing “Patches” from his 2025 album “Son of Dad.” Wilson ends his time with a cover of Nirvana’s “Something in the Way,” which he released his own version of on a cover album in August.  

To end the afternoon at Skydeck, Godwin, backed by a five-piece band, was met with cheers and applause. They took the stage around 2:40 p.m., greeting the crowd with new songs like opener “Hallelujah High” and saying they’ve been spending time in the studio leading up to their AmericanaFest performance. 

He bounced rhythmically as he strums his Gibson, his signature bandana tied around his head, coming to the front of the stage to clap his hands over his head, the crowd joins in, keeping time with the band as they tear into “All Again” from his 2023 album, “Family Ties.”

He entertained the crowd with songs like “Better that Way,” “I Caught the Sunrise,” and “Another Leaf,” which ends in Godwin on the floor and a runaway bass and banjo player, making their way through the crowd as the room gets louder and louder with cheers and applause. 

“Big Loud is a great family to be a part of,” Godwin said, “it’s been a pleasure.”

After thanking his family at Big Loud Records, Godwin and his band played the title track  from the 2023 album, “Family Ties.”

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