McCrary Sisters

Spring break at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (CMHoF) will include two Easter Brunch seatings (March 27) in addition to a slew of family fun (March 19-April 3), including free admission for K-12 Cheatham, Davidson, Robertson, Rutherford, Sumner, Williamson, and Wilson Counties (with school ID or apparel). Accompanying adults will receive $10 off.

The McCrary Sisters—Alfreda, Ann, Deborah and Regina—will headline the museum’s inaugural Easter Brunch with two family-style seatings, 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the museum’s upstairs Event Hall. Included in the $60 price for adults ($25 for kids 6-12 and free for kids 5 and under) are a performance, Easter Bunny, museum admission and meal prepared by museum executive chef Bobby Hammock. Brunch will feature waffles and scrambled eggs made to order, apple-cider-brined pork, braised Swiss steaks, mushroom-and-herb-stuffed chicken breast, shrimp and lobster Newburg and much more.

“In the same spirit as our holiday Deck the Hall concert series, we wanted to create an annual spring event to bring Nashville friends and families together,” said Sharon Brawner, Sr. VP of sales and marketing for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. “This Easter Sunday, we are excited to share the museum galleries, engaging programming and the unmatched views from our Event Hall with the local community. What better place to enjoy soul-stirring gospel music and good Southern cooking than at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.”

Museum event spaces such as the Taylor Swift Education Center will feature hands-on music-making, songwriting, and art programs, including:

Saturday, March 19
10:30 a.m.–11:30 a.m. Preschool Program—Song and Story Time: Bluegrass
11:30 a.m.–12:15 p.m. Songwriter Session: Gretchen Peters
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m. Family Program—Songwriting 101: In the Style of Dierks Bentley

Sunday, March 20
11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. Creative Zone: Honky-Tonk Hankies
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m. Bluegrass Demonstration: Belmont Bluegrass Ensemble

Thursday, March 24
11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. Spring Break Creative Zone: Make a Medallion

Friday, March 25
10:00 a.m.–Noon Family Program: Group Guitar Lesson
11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. Spring Break Creative Zone: Make a Medallion

Saturday, March 26
11:30 a.m.–12:15 p.m. Songwriter Session: Steve Dean and Bill Whyte
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m. Family Program: Beginner Mandolin Workshop

Sunday, March 27
11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. Creative Zone: Honky-Tonk Hankies
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m. Western Swing Fiddle Demonstration: Megan B. Lynch
Chowning and Tyler Andal

Thursday, March 31
11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. Spring Break Creative Zone: Make a Medallion

Friday, April 1
10:00 a.m.–Noon Family Program: Group Banjo Lesson
11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. Spring Break Creative Zone: Make a Medallion

Saturday, April 2
11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. Spring Break Creative Zone: Make a Medallion
11:30 a.m.–12:15 p.m. Songwriter Session: Erin Enderlin and Alex Kline
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m. Family Program: Perk Up Your Pictures

Sunday, April 3
11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. Creative Zone: Design Your Record Label
Noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. Family Programs: Make Letterpress Art with Hatch Show Print
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m. Western Swing Demonstration: John England

Kacey Musgraves and new Sony Music Nashville signings LANco and Maren Morris will perform at the Spotify House at South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival in Austin, Texas, on March 16.

Musgraves will perform on the main stage at 6:15 p.m. after a set by Nashville musician Rayland Baxter at 4:30 p.m. Mexican pop duo Jesse & Joy will perform their first-ever set in English at 3 p.m., following early afternoon sets from Morris at 1:30 p.m. and LANco at noon.

Americana artist John Moreland will also take the side stage that day at 3:45 p.m., followed by Lucie Silvas at 5:30 p.m.

The Spotify House will be held from March 14-18, with performances across all five days. Other confirmed artists include CHVRCHES, Miguel, Vince Staples, The Kills, St. Lucia, and many others. RSVPs may be submitted at SpotifyHouse.com.

Sam Hunt, Big Sean, and Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale teamed to announce the winners of Hyundai and The Recording Academy’s fourth annual Grammy Amplifier program.

Chosen from about 4,000 entrants, the winners are hard rockers American Bombshell, R&B artist Kirby Maurier and Blake Shelton team member on season two of The Voice, Adley Stump. Each win one of three prize packages: a studio recording session with a Recording Academy producer, a live performance showcase series opening for a noted artist; or the filming of a music video with a celebrated director.

Maurier’s first album Doing The Most was released in July of 2015 and was featured by iTunes and Apple Music during its first week of release. It was one of the highest selling indie R&B albums in the South Atlantic Region for 2015.

Five-member rock band American Bombshell recently released the video for “No Regrets,” and are working on a full-length album by the same title.

Stump auditioned for season 2 of The Voice on a dare and secured a spot on Blake Shelton’s team. Her latest two musical releases have been in the iTunes Top 40 Country Chart and she contributed to the book “How They Sell Music.” Stump is currently recording in FAME Studios in Nashville.

“It takes a whole lot of passion, commitment and conviction to put yourself out there, to enter a competition and to be judged,” said Hunt. “There is no formula for making it in this business, but American Bombshell, Kirby and Adley have been given a tremendous opportunity to learn and grow as musicians. There’s absolutely nothing that gives us more pleasure than to be a part of an initiative like the Grammy Amplifier program, that gives these aspiring talents opportunities that will help them to develop their crafts.”

“It’s a privilege to be a part of a program that at its core provides young artists the opportunity to develop their artistry and share their passion with others,” said Dean Evans, CMO Hyundai Motor America. “GRAMMY Amplifier is a platform of discovery and mentorship, powering the creative genius within new artists to help them feel inspired, activated and focused on making their musical dreams a reality.”

Nashville, courtesy Nashville Convention and Visitor’s Bureau

New Year’s Eve in Nashville in 2015 set a record for direct visitor spending at $22.2 million, up 28 percent from the record set in 2014 at $17.3 million. The Jack Daniel’s Bash on Broadway: New Year’s Eve in Music City also set a record with 24,346 hotel rooms sold, the most ever on New Year’s Eve and a sell-out for the city.

The event was the largest production ever for New Year’s Eve in Nashville. It included two stages, seven bands, the Music Note Drop and the longest fireworks show. As previously announced, an estimated 150,000 attended the Bash on Broadway.

Some 60 percent of visitors surveyed on New Year’s Eve said they were drawn to Nashville by the New Year’s Eve celebration on Lower Broadway. The event generated $1.02 million in national advertising equivalency with 42.4 million national media impressions.

Kings Of Leon headlined the Bash and were joined by Chris Stapleton, Kelsea Ballerini, The Whigs, Sugar & the Hi-Lows, Wild Cub and LANco.

“In seven short years, the Bash on Broadway has grown into a world-class event and the biggest New Year’s Eve celebration in our time zone,” said Ken Levitan, Board Chair of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp and Co-President of Vector Management. “Record-breaking visitor spending, attendance and rooms sold underscore that this event is a major economic driver for the city during what is typically a slow time in the hospitality industry. We couldn’t do it without the support of Mayor Megan Barry and the help of Metro departments. In a way, the strong partnership with the City is as big a story as the success of the event itself.”