Pilgrimage Festival co-producer Kevin Griffin.
When Kevin Griffin decided to go for a run down Franklin Road four years ago, he didn’t know he was setting out on a Pilgrimage. But as he looked at beautiful Harlinsdale Farm in his adopted hometown of Franklin, Tenn., the longtime Better Than Ezra frontman envisioned his next journey: a music festival.
Fast forward to 2017, where Griffin and co-producers Brandt Wood and Michael Whelan are a week away from the third annual Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival, set for Sept. 23 and 24 at Harlinsdale Farm. Next week’s forecast is sunny—for both the weather and the experience.
The event has grown tremendously since it debuted in 2015, and now operates as a full-time enterprise with an office in Franklin. Griffin says it has “exceeded our wildest dreams.” Daily attendance doubled from the first to second years, and is growing again this year, when about 30,000 fans will be grooving to the sounds of Justin Timberlake, Eddie Vedder, Ryan Adams, Fitz and The Tantrums, The Avett Brothers and more. Griffin says the property can easily handle attendance of 60,000.
He attributes excellent word-of-mouth to the growing numbers, noting that the musical line-up for the first year was arguably stronger than the second year, and attendance doubled anyway. That is because so much attention is given to the ease of getting in and out of the festival grounds, convenience of purchasing food and drinks, creating a cool artisan marketplace and unique vibe.
Whelan says, “The guest experience is very important to us, as well as the overall brand and what it represents to the community. We are proud of that and it’s something we work very hard at. It’s not just about the music. It’s about the experience for everybody, from the time they decide to come to Pilgrimage to the time they leave. We spend a lot of time curating the line-up and have a healthy debate internally about the music and food programming and everything that goes with the brand. Our goal long-term is that the festival always have a boutique feel to it.”
Griffin agrees, “We want people this year to have as good of a time as the first two years. With this festival, we’ve wanted to walk before we run, and grow at a pace that we can handle.”
This year the grounds will include a new Americana Music Triangle Experience, featuring musical storytelling and décor curated by American Pickers. Also new is the Farm to Turntable area, offering food trucks in a horse paddock. “With the larger crowd this year, we wanted to expand the footprint because there is so much space out there,” says Griffin.
After that healthy debate about the musical line-up, Pilgrimage organizers turn their wish list of performers over to longtime talent booker Jay Sweet.
This year the festival has its biggest artist to-date—Timberlake, a Franklin-area resident who is co-producing the event as well as headlining on Saturday night.
“Justin’s been a great partner since he signed on over a year ago,” continues Whelan. “Obviously with him performing this year he’s very engaged with what Pilgrimage looks like, the line up, what his set will look like. The exposure he’s brought (has been amazing) and his involvement is not just about this year, it’s about the growth of Pilgrimage moving forward. He’s a global superstar who appeals to high school kids, grandparents and everybody in between.”
By design, Pilgrimage attracts all ages. Griffin says, “It’s the kind of festival the Nashville area was missing—a multi-genre festival that represents all the great music and food from the area, merchants and artisans. A Middle Tennessee cultural experience for the whole family.”
Pilgrimage Festival Producers Balance Growing Event With Boutique Feel
/by Sarah SkatesPilgrimage Festival co-producer Kevin Griffin.
When Kevin Griffin decided to go for a run down Franklin Road four years ago, he didn’t know he was setting out on a Pilgrimage. But as he looked at beautiful Harlinsdale Farm in his adopted hometown of Franklin, Tenn., the longtime Better Than Ezra frontman envisioned his next journey: a music festival.
Fast forward to 2017, where Griffin and co-producers Brandt Wood and Michael Whelan are a week away from the third annual Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival, set for Sept. 23 and 24 at Harlinsdale Farm. Next week’s forecast is sunny—for both the weather and the experience.
The event has grown tremendously since it debuted in 2015, and now operates as a full-time enterprise with an office in Franklin. Griffin says it has “exceeded our wildest dreams.” Daily attendance doubled from the first to second years, and is growing again this year, when about 30,000 fans will be grooving to the sounds of Justin Timberlake, Eddie Vedder, Ryan Adams, Fitz and The Tantrums, The Avett Brothers and more. Griffin says the property can easily handle attendance of 60,000.
He attributes excellent word-of-mouth to the growing numbers, noting that the musical line-up for the first year was arguably stronger than the second year, and attendance doubled anyway. That is because so much attention is given to the ease of getting in and out of the festival grounds, convenience of purchasing food and drinks, creating a cool artisan marketplace and unique vibe.
Whelan says, “The guest experience is very important to us, as well as the overall brand and what it represents to the community. We are proud of that and it’s something we work very hard at. It’s not just about the music. It’s about the experience for everybody, from the time they decide to come to Pilgrimage to the time they leave. We spend a lot of time curating the line-up and have a healthy debate internally about the music and food programming and everything that goes with the brand. Our goal long-term is that the festival always have a boutique feel to it.”
Griffin agrees, “We want people this year to have as good of a time as the first two years. With this festival, we’ve wanted to walk before we run, and grow at a pace that we can handle.”
This year the grounds will include a new Americana Music Triangle Experience, featuring musical storytelling and décor curated by American Pickers. Also new is the Farm to Turntable area, offering food trucks in a horse paddock. “With the larger crowd this year, we wanted to expand the footprint because there is so much space out there,” says Griffin.
After that healthy debate about the musical line-up, Pilgrimage organizers turn their wish list of performers over to longtime talent booker Jay Sweet.
This year the festival has its biggest artist to-date—Timberlake, a Franklin-area resident who is co-producing the event as well as headlining on Saturday night.
“Justin’s been a great partner since he signed on over a year ago,” continues Whelan. “Obviously with him performing this year he’s very engaged with what Pilgrimage looks like, the line up, what his set will look like. The exposure he’s brought (has been amazing) and his involvement is not just about this year, it’s about the growth of Pilgrimage moving forward. He’s a global superstar who appeals to high school kids, grandparents and everybody in between.”
By design, Pilgrimage attracts all ages. Griffin says, “It’s the kind of festival the Nashville area was missing—a multi-genre festival that represents all the great music and food from the area, merchants and artisans. A Middle Tennessee cultural experience for the whole family.”
Nashville AIMP Chapter To Host Third Annual Songwriter Series
/by Lorie HollabaughThe Nashville Chapter of the Association of Independent Music Publishers will host its third annual Songwriters Series on Monday, Sept. 25 at The Country from 4-6 p.m. CT. The series will feature six new-and-noteworthy independent songwriters in writers’ rounds.
The series was created by a committee of industry professionals and is headed by SMACKSongs’ Michael Baum and Wrensong’s Ree Guyer, and launched in 2015 to showcase some of Nashville’s standout songwriters and bring the Nashville independent publishing community together for a night of celebration.
The Class of 2017 was chosen from more than 50 submissions and voted on by a committee of industry professionals. The six songwriters chosen for this year’s class are Hannah Ellis, Ross Ellis, Michael Hardy, Ashley McBryde, Daniel Ross and Sarah Turner, who each represent different independent Nashville-based publishers.
Writers of the last two years’ classes have continued to receive cuts and acclaim within the industry including current charting singles, ACM nominations, and number one songs.
Previous songwriter classes include:
Class of 2016: Brinley Addington, Ash Bowers, Dustin Christensen, Erik Dylan, Jeffrey East and Josh Jenkins
Class of 2015: Maggie Chapman, Luke Dick, Jameson Rodgers, Matt Rogers, Hailey Whitters and J.P. Williams
Alabama To Offer Up Christmas Cheer On First Holiday Album In 21 Years
/by Lorie Hollabaugh“To all our fans: Christmas is a special time for Alabama. We hope it is for you. From our hearts to you, we give you this Christmas gift. Thank you for the love and support, all these years,” said Jeff, Teddy and Randy, “Merry Christmas!”
The album will be available at Cracker Barrel and other retailers and online digitally at Amazon, iTunes and Spotify and other outlets.
BMI And Dualtone Celebrate Lumineers Day In Nashville
/by Lorie HollabaughPictured (L-R): BMI’s Vice President of Writer Publisher Relations Jody Williams, BMI’s Executive Director of Strategic Partnerships & Events Mason Hunter, Jeremiah Fraites and Neyla Pekarek of The Lumineers, Dualtone Co-Founder and CEO Scott Robinson, Wesley Schultz of The Lumineers and Dualtone President Paul Roper
It was Lumineers Day in Nashville on Thursday (Sept. 14) as the group’s successes were touted by Dualtone at a special celebration at BMI. The group was presented with plaques during the event honoring the successes of their triple-Platinum self-titled debut album and certified Gold follow-up album Cleopatra.
Their three platinum singles – “Ho Hey,” “Stubborn Love,” and “Ophelia” – and two gold singles – “Flowers in Your Hair” and “Cleopatra” – were also recognized by BMI’s Vice President of Writer Publisher Relations, Jody Williams, who presented the group with MillionAir awards in recognition of 3 million radio performances.
The special ceremony concluded with a surprise from Williams: a proclamation declaring September 14, 2017 “The Lumineers Day” in Nashville signed by Mayor Megan Barry.
BMI’s Jody Williams, The Lumineers and BMI’s Mason Hunter pose after the award presentations
Weekly Chart Report (9/15/17)
/by Alex ParryClick here or above to access MusicRow‘s weekly CountryBreakout Report.
ASCAP To Donate $25K To MusiCares Hurricane Relief Fund
/by Jessica NicholsonASCAP will donate $25,000 to MusiCares and its hurricane relief fund, supporting members of the music community, including the tens of thousands of ASCAP songwriter, composer and music publisher members affected by the recent devastation of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
“Our hearts go out to our members who must now recover from these catastrophic storms,” said ASCAP President and Chairman Paul Williams. “ASCAP has always believed in harnessing the strength of our collective community to build a stronger future for music creators. In that spirit, we are pleased to join forces with our friends at MusiCares in helping to rebuild a future for those members of our community who need our help putting their lives back together.”
“ASCAP has more than 75,000 members who live in Texas, Florida and other communities hit hard by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma,” said ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews. “In seeking the most effective and efficient way to provide assistance to our affected members, the choice was easy. As our longtime ally in supporting music creators, MusiCares has the experience, infrastructure and resources to provide essential assistance to our members. We know our donation is in good hands.”
To donate to the fund, visit musicares.org/donate and choose “Hurricane Relief” in the gift designation drop-down menu.
Zach Williams Releases Deluxe Version Of ‘Chain Breaker’ Today
/by Jessica NicholsonSinger-songwriter Zach Williams will digitally release the deluxe version of his breakthrough Chain Breaker album via Provident Label Group/Sony Music today (Sept. 15). The physical version of the deluxe album will be available Nov. 3.
The deluxe version features 15 songs, including new additions “Home,” “Freedom,” a live recording of “Washed Clean,” “Promised Land,” and a cover of the Allman Brothers Band classic “Midnight Rider.”
Williams’ debut single “Chain Breaker” topped the Christian singles charts for 15 consecutive weeks, and also entered the Top Rock Songs chart. His followup, “Old Church Choir,” is in the Top 10 on the Top Rock Songs chart.
Chain Breaker: Deluxe Edition
Promised Land *
Song Of Deliverance
Chain Breaker
Old Church Choir
Survivor
To The Table
My Liberty
Fear Is A Liar
Everything Changed
Revival
So Good To Me
Home *
Midnight Rider *
Freedom *
Washed Clean (Live) *
*denotes new songs
Memorial Service Set For Jessi “Zazu” Wariner
/by Jessica NicholsonJessi Zazu. Photo: Daniel Meigs
The life of Nashville singer-songwriter and former Those Darlins frontwoman Jessi “Zazu” Wariner will be celebrated during a memorial service on Sunday, Sept. 17, beginning at 3 p.m. at Fort Houston (2020 Lindell Ave., Nashville).
Wariner died Tuesday, Sept. 12, following a public battle with cervical cancer. She was 28.
Those Darlins, which formed in 2006 out of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, also included Nikki Kvarnes and Linwood Regensburg and rotating players after Kelley Anderson left the band in 2012. The band would release three albums, including a self-titled project in 2009, followed by Screws Get Loose in 2011 and Blur The Line in 2013. The band broke up in early 2016 shortly before Wariner announced her diagnosis.
A fund has also been set up to aid in paying for remaining medical expenses at youcaring.com.
The Oak Ridge Boys To Explore Uncharted Territory On Second Dave Cobb-Produced Album
/by Lorie HollabaughPictured (L-R): Joe Bonsall, Duane Allen, William Lee Golden, Richard Sterban, Dave Cobb, Peter Cooper. Photo: Jon Mir
The Oak Ridge Boys announced this week they will release a project with producer Dave Cobb in the first quarter of 2018.
At a listening event this week during the Americana Music Association AmericanaFest at Nashville’s RCA Studio A, where the album was recorded, the Oaks previewed some songs from the yet-untitled project. This will be the group’s second album with Cobb, who produced the Oaks’ acclaimed The Boys Are Back album released in 2009.
Cobb’s vision for the Oaks on this new project was to dig way back into their gospel music roots. “Everyone has heard the Boys sing gospel, but nobody has heard it quite like this,” said Logan Rogers, founder of Lightning Rod Records. “Under Dave Cobb’s direction, they touch on unchartered territory—and for a long-tenured act like The Oak Ridge Boys, that’s saying something.”
The album will be released on Lightning Rod and distributed by Thirty Tigers.
Rodney Atkins Raises Funds For Nashville’s W.O. Smith School
/by Lorie HollabaughPictured (L-R): Jordan Morrison (W.O. School), Greg Hill (Hill Entertainment Group), Melony Wilson (MCGB,LLC), Jim Ed Norman (Curb), Rodney Atkins, Chrysa Kovach (W.O. Smith), Jonah Rabinowitz (W.O Smith), Lynn Adelman (W.O. Smith), Becky Gardenhire (WME), Josh Hunter (Hill Entertainment Group)
Rodney Atkins visited Nashville’s W.O. Smith School, whose mission is to make affordable music instruction available to children from low-income families, on Sept. 14 to donate money raised from his annual “Music City Gives Back” concert.
This year’s seventh annual MCGB on June 6 was headlined by Kip Moore and brought together artists Brett Young, Granger Smith, Cole Taylor and duo Walker McGuire to play the official Nashville hockey tailgate ahead of the Stanley Cup Finals game and to kick off the CMA Festival week’s events all while raising money for a good cause.
W.O. Smith’s Development Coordinator Chrysa Kovach, Program Coordinator Jordan Morrison, Executive Director Jonah Rabinowitz and Assistant Director Lynn Adelman welcomed Rodney to receive the $20,000 check.