Some of Nashville’s most talented students will perform during the Country Music Association‘s fifth annual Keep The Music Playing All Stars Concert, slated for Tuesday, Jan. 28 at 6 p.m. The event will be held at the CMA Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and will be hosted by EMI Nashville artist Eric Paslay.
“CMA’s support of music education is so important and I am honored to be part of this special event,” said Paslay. “Music was such a huge part of my childhood and I was lucky to have teachers and family who encouraged me. I can’t wait to see these talented students perform.”
The event will feature performances from five Nashville school groups including Hillwood High School Wind Ensemble; Hull-Jackson Montessori Strings; Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet and Martin Luther King Academic Magnet School Strings; John F. Kennedy Middle School Choir and Concert Band; and the McGavock High School Capital Sounds Show Choir.
“This concert is all about celebrating the next generation of musicians,” said Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “It is a special night made possible by the hundreds of artists who performed at the 2013 CMA Music Festival for free. These children are able to enjoy a first-class music education program because of the generosity of our artist community and the commitment of The CMA Foundation to support music education in our schools.”
Since 2006, proceeds from CMA Music Festival have been donated to Keep the Music Playing to provide Metro Nashville Public Schools with musical instruments and music labs. CMA has donated more than $7.6 million to Keep the Music Playing, which includes $6.5 million sent directly to Metro Nashville Public Schools.
Watch Eric Paslay’s Keep the Music Playing announcement below:

Nashville has welcomed Uber car transportation service, which offers curbside pickup. Users of the UberX or UberBLACK services download the Uber app to their smartphones, create an account and use it to order a ride and to pay for the pickup with a credit card. Within minutes, a vehicle with a personal driver arrives to transport users to their destination. Riders do not pay money directly to the driver, who collects from Uber after the company deducts a 20 percent commission.
UberBLACK, which has been used by music industry executives in New York and Los Angeles, allows riders to get curbside pickup in a black sedan.
Mayor Karl Dean, Chairman Ronnie Steine, and the Nashville Metro Council adopted changes that eliminate the $45 minimum fare and a mandatory 30-minute wait time for sedan rides, allowing for the new service to take root in Nashville. The price cuts allow for rate comparable to taxi rides.
Sample rates include:
12South to LP Field: $12
Vandy to Green Hills Mall: $17
Ryman Auditorium to Opryland: $33
The base fare for an UberX car is $2.19 plus .20 per minute. Minimum fare is $4.80 and there is a $10 cancellation fee. Sample cars include Toyota Camry, Dodge Grand Caravan, and Honda Accord.
The base fare for an UberBLACK car is $5.95 plus .30 per minute. Minimum fare is $13 and there is a $10 cancellation fee. Sample cars include Lincoln Town Car Signature, Chrysler Aspen, and Infiniti M35X.
For more information, visit uber.com.

“Honk (If You’re Tonky),” the debut solo single from Steel Magnolia’s Joshua Scott Jones, will make its radio debut on Sirius XM’s The Highway on Saturday, Jan. 11.
Jones, who wrote many of the tunes for Steel Magnolia’s debut album, co-wrote “Honk (If You’re Tonky)” with songwriter Josh Alford. Jones’ debut solo album, titled The Healing, will release later this year. The project is a personal and emotional account of the singer’s journey since he and Steel Magnolia partner Meghan Linsey won CMT’s music competition Can You Duet in 2009.
“Honk (If You’re Tonky),” is available for purchase at iTunes, Amazon, eMusic, Rhapsody, Zune, Spotify, Google Music, and other online outlets.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfv5ikbvP5w&feature=youtu.be

On Jan. 17-19, the 30A Songwriters Festival will feature more than 150 songwriters and more than 200 performances at 20 venues along Florida’s scenic Highway 30A in South Walton, Fla.
This year’s event will feature Kristian Bush (Sugarland), Jeffrey Steele, Jerry Douglas, Jim Lauderdale, Loudon Wainwright III, Ani DiFranco, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Richard Thompson, Shawn Mullins, John Oates, Rusty Young (Poco), Jonathon Edwards, Jesse Harris, Craig Fuller (Pure Prairie League), John Gorka, Mary Gauthier, James McMurtry, Bob Schneider, Glenn Phillips Band, Matthew Sweet,  Jimbo Mathus (Squirrel Nut Zippers) and Tinsley Ellis.
Highlights of the festival include two days of headlining concerts at the outdoor amphitheater at Gulf Place, VIP dinners at WaterSound Beach Club (with Chef Joe Truex of Watershed and singer-songwriter Bush), Grayton Bar & Grill (with Chef Steven Satterfield from Miller Union and singer-songwriter Mullins), a full schedule of in-store appearances and CD signings at Central Square Records, and more.
Festival weekend passes are now available for $190 and can be purchased at 30asongwritersfestival.com, or locally in South Walton, Fla. at the Cultural Arts Alliance office and at Central Square Records in Seaside, Fla.