MTSU rendering

Middle Tennessee State University has announced that a newly renovated live entertainment venue on the MTSU campus will be named the Chris Young Café to honor the multi-Platinum entertainer’s continued support of his alma mater.

The newly named Chris Young Café, located in a standalone dining building and surrounded by residence halls, will be a teaching and practice space for student performers and technicians during the day and a performance venue at night for music, radio broadcasts, comedy and other entertainment. At a celebratory event on Tuesday (July 9), MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee thankedYoung for lending his name for the venue—and for giving $50,000 for renovations.

“The Chris Young Café will encourage our students to dream bigger,” McPhee said. “Chris studied at MTSU and then launched a successful music industry career, so every time they see his name on the café, their aspirations will seem a little more obtainable if they follow in his footsteps and work as hard as he has.”

Chris Young, a former MTSU student (right, back), looks on as President Sidney A. McPhee and other university officials unveil the concept rendering for the Chris Young Café, a live performance venue on the Murfreesboro university’s campus. Photo: J Intintoli for MTSU

Young, who attended MTSU in 2005, is a member of the Grand Ole Opry and has earned 2 billion on-demand streams, 12 million singles sold and 11 career No. 1 singles. He has two Grammy nominations, as well as award nods from the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music awards.

A global ambassador for country music, Young has maintained his ties to the Murfreesboro campus, funding an annual scholarship for recording industry students beginning in 2016 and donating a selection of his touring audio equipment in 2012.

“MTSU will always hold a special place in my heart,” said Young. “It helped me launch my music career and I’m glad for the opportunity to give back to the University.

“I’ve been in that building before when I was still on campus,” Young said with a smile. “The fact that it’s going to turn into an incredible space for students to learn and perform, I am jealous that that is going to exist and I’m also very honored to be a small part of it.”

Chris Young talks about his decision to support the creation of a new live performance venue on the Murfreesboro university’s campus, as President Sidney A. McPhee looks on. Photo: J Intintoli for MTSU

Located in the Woodmore Building and formerly known as the Cyber Café, the facility has 3,200 square feet of community and dining space with two raised platform stages. The College of Media and Entertainment assumed management of the performance space last year, when faculty from the Department of Recording Industry began work to ready the café for shows.

Media and Entertainment Dean Ken Paulson said the college was “grateful to Chris for giving our students this hands-on opportunity to learn.

“When you’re teaching students how to manage, book and promote a concert hall, club or theater, having a working venue on campus is invaluable,” Paulson said.

Recording Industry Chair Beverly Keel said Young’s support “means so much to the university, faculty and students.

“His generosity will allow our students to gain real-world, hands-on experience in performing and live sound,” Keel said. “He is a wonderful role model for our students, not only because of his success, but because of his desire to continually give back and help others.”

Pictured (L-R): Beverly Keel, Recording Industry Chair; Sidney A. McPhee, MTSU President; Chris Young; Ken Paulson, Media and Entertainment Dean. Photo: J Intintoli for MTSU

In a conversation after the announcement, Keel and Young talked about his time at MTSU, and the potential of the Chris Young Café.

“The Chris Young Café means that our audio production students will get live sound experience, the students that want to be songwriters and artists will get performance experience, our music business students will get experience in booking and promoting shows and then also, it’s going to have that sense of community where everyone can come together in support. What would that have meant to you if you had had that during your day?” Keel asked.

“I mean, we did have a lot of that,” Young replied. “That’s what’s really cool about MTSU. [The Chris Young Café] is really focusing it and giving it a place to exist. It always existed in one form or another. We were always going to somebody, saying ‘Hey, I’ve got to play a show, do you know anyone that can run sound? Do you know anybody that’s an audio engineer?’ So a lot of those things already existed, this will hopefully just help students grow exponentially faster at whatever their craft is.”

Chris Young talks with Recording Industry department chair Beverly Keel about his continued support of his alma mater. Photo: J Intintoli for MTSU

“A lot of what was impressed upon me [at MTSU] is to know as much as you can about everything that’s involved in your career, because it’s never going to hurt. Just try everything out. By that I mean, even if it’s not going to be your focus, get a chance to see all facets of your career. Go ask somebody what they have to do to run lighting at a show, go ask somebody what they have to do to run front of house, if you’re a stage manager, what do you do, or a set carpenter. There’s so many different facets of a career.”

When asked about Young’s advice for current students, he said: “No matter what you want to do, not only should you work as hard as you can but also just understand as many of the facets of your industry as possible because you never know when that’s going to come in handy. Just knowing as much as possible about what you’re going into.”

Pictured (L-R, back row): Adam Romaine (Tvm Creative Director/Tour Manager); Tyler Hubbard (Florida Georgia Line/Tvm Co-Founder); Brian Kelley (Florida Georgia Line/Tvm Co-Founder); (L-R, front row): Leslie T. Dipiero (Tvm General Manager); Blake Redferrin; Emily Peacock (Tvm Creative Director)

Tree Vibez Music has signed writer Blake Redferrin to its roster.

Redferrin, a native of White House, Tennessee, first began exploring music when he received a guitar his father brought home from his job at Nashville’s Gibson Guitar plant. However, riding and racing dirt bikes was his first love during his teen years and he went pro at age 18. He later joined the national Arenacross circuit, while also serving as Editor-in-Chief at Motoplayground Magazine. But after a crash knocked Redferrin unconscious and broke his arm, coupled with the unexpected loss of his mother in 2017, he decided to try a different career path.

He had already met Florida Georgia Line member and Tree Vibez Music co-founder Tyler Hubbard through a mutual friend and bonded after riding at Hubbard’s private track, and was then introduced to TVM Creative Director/Tour Manager Adam Romaine.

“Signing with Tree Vibez is a dream come true,” says Redferrin. “I can’t thank everyone enough for giving me a chance to write songs for a living. I’ve grown in so many ways in the short time I’ve been a part of the TVM family and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for all of us.”

“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome our newest writer to the Tree Vibez family,” shares FGL’s Hubbard and Brian Kelley. “Blake has grown as a writer faster than we could have ever imagined and we look forward to what’s ahead for him,” says Kelley. Hubbard adds, “Not only is Blake the man in a writing room but he’s also one of the best guys you’ll ever meet, and it’s easy to see why everyone loves being around him. Big things ahead for this guy.”

TVM General Manager Leslie T. DiPiero agrees, “Everything about Blake is fresh, unique, and fearless. His songwriting has a distinctive style that you can hear in any song he is a part of. From the moment he was signed, we all felt like we knew him forever.”

Redferrin joins a team that also includes Corey Crowder, James McNair, RaeLynn, Daniel Ross, Jordan Schmidt, Canaan Smith, Ernest K. Smith, and Jared Mullins.

“Photo courtesy BRC | Grand Ole Opry; photo by Matt Blair”

The Grand Ole Opry has unveiled the latest upgrade to its daytime backstage tour, a new immersive film and newly custom-built theater, The Circle Room. The new film, hosted by Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, takes viewers through a behind-the-scenes journey of artists who have performed at the Opry. The film features archival footage of more than 100 artists.

In the film, Brooks and Yearwood stand in the Opry’s famous circle which moved with the Opry from the historic Ryman Auditorium to the Opry House more than 40 years ago and reflect on their first memories of the Opry, their Opry debuts, member invitations and inductions and more. The 14-minute film highlights artists from DeFord Bailey to Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, Chris Young and Luke Combs, recalling memorable performances and Opry inductions.

The Grand Ole Opry Premieres New Immersive Film for industry guests in the state of the art custom-built Circle Room as part of the new backstage tour experience. The film was followed by a panel Q&A discussion about the creation of the 14-minute film. (L to R: Scott Bailey, Opry Entertainment President; Bill Cody, Opry announcer and 650 WSM AM host; Barbara Schaetz,VP Business Operations for Grand Ole Opry House; Colin Reed, Chairman and CEO for Ryman Hospitality Properties; Mark Wills, Opry member; Brad Shelton, BRC Imagination Arts Creative Director)
© Grand Ole Opry, Photo By: Chris Hollo

The new film is shown in one of the Grand Ole Opry’s newest additions, The Circle Room, a culmination of a $12 million expansion and renovation project at the Opry House, aimed at enhancing the guest experience. Other recent upgrades included a new retail store, added food and beverage options, a new parking area and plaza upgrades.

By day, the 1,500 square foot Circle Room serves as the starting point for Opry tours. By night, the room serves as a VIP lounge or a small live performance space. The Circle Room includes a theatrical LED lighting system, as well as a custom 23.1 surround sound audio system, with hidden speakers in the ceiling, walls and set pieces to allow audio engineers and designers to place sound anywhere in the show space. The space also allows for lighting changes to be made and for leaded crystal chandeliers to lower from the ceiling at the touch of a button to help instantly transform the space with a lounge feel. The new Opry Circle Room was designed and produced by BRC Imagination Arts, which has also worked with the Ryman Auditorium, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and more.

“Photo courtesy BRC | Grand Ole Opry; photo by Matt Blair”

“For nearly 100 years, the Grand Ole Opry has offered fans a unique way to discover and connect with country music’s new stars, superstars and legends,” said Colin Reed, chairman and chief executive officer for Ryman Hospitality Properties. “ As visitation to Nashville and the Opry has continued to rise in recent years, we have seen unprecedented demand from guests for more ways to connect with artists through the Opry and its amazing story. This magnificent film is designed to immerse fans in the Opry experience from an artist-centered point of view to give them a glimpse into why playing the Opry has been described by so many as the pinnacle of their careers.”

Brandi Carlile is set to perform three shows at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium next year, with shows running from Jan. 14-16, 2020. She will welcome special guests including Kim Richey, Lucie Silvas and her HighWomen cohort Natalie Hemby opening each respective show.

Tickets go on sale Friday, July 12 at 10 a.m. CT.

Carlile is nominated for Artist of the Year at September’s Americana Music Association Honors and Awards, which will also be held at the Ryman Auditorium. Her album By The Way, I Forgive You earned Grammy wins earlier this year; the project was produced by Dave Cobb and Shooter Jennings, and recorded at Nashville’s RCA Studio A.