WMOT-FM 89.5 is moving from jazz and classical music to Americana music next month, becoming Middle Tennessee’s only radio station devoted to roots music. The switch will take place on Sept. 2 at 11 a.m.
The weekly Americana music program Music City Roots will also be heard on WMOT, which is operated by Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.
PBS program and radio show Bluegrass Underground, which is recorded in Cumberland Caverns in McMinnville, Tennessee, will be broadcast on WMOT as well.
Listeners can expect live radio hosts, including veterans of roots music broadcasting, from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays. Jessie Scott, the first roots music director on satellite radio and a founding board member of the Americana Music Association, will direct the musical programming.
John Walker, an executive producer of Music City Roots will host morning drive. Grand Ole Opry veteran Keith Bilbrey will handle midday, tapping his expertise in country music. Whit “Witness” Hubner will work early afternoons.
Walker and Todd Mayo, also an executive producer of Music City Roots, have partnered with the station to provide a Nashville-centric perspective on Americana.
“This will give our students the opportunity to work and learn in a vibrant professional environment and provide greater interaction with the music industry,” said Ken Paulson, dean of the College of Media and Entertainment, which operates the station. “Among Nashville artists charting with Americana albums in recent months have been Sturgill Simpson, the Mavericks, Elizabeth Cook, Darrell Scott, Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell and many more.”
WMOT-FM will continue to serve as a training ground for MTSU students who are integrating audio editing and narration skills into their multimedia portfolios, which include television, social media, print and website management.
WMOT launched in April 1969. Its 100,000 watts reach north to Bowling Green, Kentucky, and to the Alabama border in the south.
In 2009, the station moved to an all-jazz format. MTSU’s jazz station will move to the MTSU Jazz Network on WMOT’s HD channel on Sept. 2, as well as its FM signals 104.9 in Brentwood and 92.3 in Murfreesboro.
The station will remain the flagship for Blue Raider Athletics and will continue to air MTSU On the Record, a 30-minute public affairs interview program highlighting the university community, as well as regular area news updates.
“Imagine, in our neck of the woods, a radio station with real people playing music they actually care about, even love,” said artist Rodney Crowell, recipient of the Americana Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting. “WMOT is bringing Middle Tennessee real music when we need it most. Miracles happen.”
A special public kickoff celebration will be held on Friday, Sept. 2 at 11 a.m. at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
Music City Roots also airs nationally on American Public Television; its fourth season will launch Oct. 28.
Artist Updates: Tucker Beathard, Steven Tyler, The Bass Brothers
/by Craig_ShelburneTucker Beathard Plans Second Overseas Tour
Tucker Beathard
Tucker Beathard will return for a second time this year to play three headlining dates in the UK and Ireland. The “Rock On” singer will perform solo shows with only his guitar. He will begin his headlining stint on Dec. 3 in Dublin, followed by London on Dec. 4 and Glasgow on Dec. 5.
“When I went over to Europe for the first time a few months back, I really didn’t know what to expect and if the audiences would ‘get’ me and what I’m about,” said Beathard. “I never really felt like I fit in growing up, until I found music as an outlet to connect and express myself. It was honestly an awesome surprise the way that the audiences over there really seemed to listen and engage with the songs. I just felt like something cool was happening and I knew I had to come back as soon as possible.”
Steven Tyler Will Headline PBR Championship Week
Steven Tyler will perform during Professional Bull Riders (PBR) championship week on Nov. 5 in Las Vegas. Tyler’s song “Hold On (Won’t Let Go)” is the new anthem of the PBR, an organization that was acquired by WME/IMG in 2015. Tyler’s performance will be featured on CBS’s PBR event coverage for the championship. Tyler is signed as a solo artist to Dot Records, an imprint of Big Machine Label Group.
The Bass Brothers Visit CMT
Pictured (L-R): David Huff, producer; Nate Bass; Mark Bass; Leslie Fram, CMT; Stacey Cato, CMT; Kieran Bass
London trio The Bass Brothers performed for the staff at CMT this week following a summer spent in Nashville. The brothers have just completed their EP produced by David Huff and Dann Huff.
Kelly Clarkson Named Grand Marshal Of Nashville Christmas Parade
/by Jessica NicholsonKelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson will serve as Grand Marshal for the 63rd annual Piedmont Natural Gas Nashville Christmas Parade presented by Tootsie’s.
The parade will be held in downtown Nashville on Saturday, Dec. 3, beginning at 9 a.m. at the intersection of 8th avenue and Broadway. The parade will head east down Broadway to 2nd Ave. N., cross the Cumberland River, and end at the base of the Woodland Street Bridge.
“I love our city of Nashville and couldn’t be more proud to be the Grand Marshal for this year’s Christmas Parade,” Clarkson said. “See y’all there!”
“Piedmont Natural Gas is thrilled to have Kelly Clarkson, the nation’s first American Idol, to be our Nashville Christmas Parade Grand Marshal this year,” said Stephen Francescon, community relations manager for Piedmont Natural Gas. “Our parade is one of Nashville’s favorite holiday traditions. We are working hard to make this year’s event our best one ever, and having an artist with Kelly’s talent and career achievements as our Grand Marshal only adds to the excitement.”
Some of the proceeds from this year’s event will benefit a four-floor expansion of Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
Additional proceeds will go toward Share the Warmth, Piedmont Natural Gas’ energy assistance program that helps local low-income families pay their energy bills at any point during the year, regardless of their energy source.
Kings Of Leon Enlist New Producer For Upcoming Album, ‘Walls’
/by Jessica NicholsonKings of Leon
Nashville rockers Kings of Leon will release their seventh studio album, Walls, on Oct. 14, via RCA Records.
Rather than recording in Nashville, the four-time Grammy winners recorded much of the new project in Los Angeles, and teamed with new producer Markus Dravs, known for his work with Mumford & Sons and Arcade Fire. The band had enlisted producer Angelo Petraglia for their prior six albums. Their hits include “Sex on Fire,” “Use Somebody” and “Radioactive.”
The release will mark the follow up to their 2013 project, Mechanical Bull. Band members are brothers Caleb, Nathan and Jared Followill and their cousin Matthew Followill.
Meanwhile, Kings of Leon are among the producers of Music City Food + Wine Festival, along with chef Jonathan Waxman, Vector Management’s Ken Levitan and Andy Mendelsohn, and Austin-based C3 Presents. That event will take place in Nashville on Sept. 17-18.
Track List for Walls:
1. “Waste a Moment”
2. “Reverend”
3. “Around the World”
4. “Find Me”
5. “Over”
6. “Muchacho”
7. “Conversation Piece”
8. “Eyes on You”
9. “Wild”
10. “Walls”
Thomas Rhett Plans Acoustic Benefit Concert For Oct. 4
/by Craig_ShelburneThomas Rhett will host an acoustic concert on Oct. 4 to benefit the organization 147 Million Orphans. The show will take place at The Old School in northwest Nashville.
The night will offer intimate acoustic performances in an outdoor barn setting by Thomas Rhett and special guests Dierks Bentley, Walker Hayes and Shane McAnally.
A limited number of tickets are available to the event. Tickets will be auctioned off to the public Saturday (Aug. 27) at 11 a.m. CT.
The event will also feature a farm-to-table dinner, specialty cocktails, limited edition merchandise, a post-show s’more roasting and a chance to meet Thomas Rhett and Lauren. More artist and songwriter guests will be announced in the coming weeks.
“If anyone follows my wife Lauren or me on social media, they probably already know how important 147 is to us,” Rhett said. “We’re getting asked all the time by friends and fans about what they can do to help, so we wanted to put something together to help support all the work 147 is doing for orphans around the world. I can’t think of a better group of guys to help kick this off than Dierks, Walker and Shane and am looking forward to a couple other surprises we’re working on for the night.”
147 Million Orphans was established in 2009 to provide food, water, medicine, shelter, and education to vulnerable children in the name of Jesus, so that they may thrive through sustainable care.
Production Underway In Nashville For ‘American Supergroup’
/by Craig_ShelburneA new series titled American Supergroup is now in production and filming in Nashville.
Executive Producer Barry Josephson has announced a premiere on Pop (a CBS – Lionsgate joint venture) on Oct. 11 at 8 p.m. EDT, MTV Live on Oct. 13 at 8 p.m. EDT and MTV Classic on Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. EDT/PDT. The series will run for nine weeks on all networks and will include eight one-hour episodes and a 90-minute finale.
Josephson is joined by executive producers and co-creators Gary Wayne Bridges and Kevin Wayne Waldrop of Wayne Brothers Entertainment, along with producers Anastasia Brown and Irina Lucena. CAA is the exclusive worldwide agent for the show and international format rights are available.
American Supergroup is described as “a music competition program showcasing the creation and evolution of the best new band in the country.” Guided by a panel of music experts, 25 finalists from a variety of genres will be selected to form five groups of five members each—best guitarist, best drummer, best bass player, best keyboards, and best vocalist. Audiences will interact with, and vote for, contestants and bands via social media and an exclusive ASG app.
MTSU’s WMOT Switches To Americana Format, Adds ‘Music City Roots’
/by Jessica NicholsonThe weekly Americana music program Music City Roots will also be heard on WMOT, which is operated by Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.
PBS program and radio show Bluegrass Underground, which is recorded in Cumberland Caverns in McMinnville, Tennessee, will be broadcast on WMOT as well.
Listeners can expect live radio hosts, including veterans of roots music broadcasting, from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays. Jessie Scott, the first roots music director on satellite radio and a founding board member of the Americana Music Association, will direct the musical programming.
John Walker, an executive producer of Music City Roots will host morning drive. Grand Ole Opry veteran Keith Bilbrey will handle midday, tapping his expertise in country music. Whit “Witness” Hubner will work early afternoons.
Walker and Todd Mayo, also an executive producer of Music City Roots, have partnered with the station to provide a Nashville-centric perspective on Americana.
“This will give our students the opportunity to work and learn in a vibrant professional environment and provide greater interaction with the music industry,” said Ken Paulson, dean of the College of Media and Entertainment, which operates the station. “Among Nashville artists charting with Americana albums in recent months have been Sturgill Simpson, the Mavericks, Elizabeth Cook, Darrell Scott, Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell and many more.”
WMOT-FM will continue to serve as a training ground for MTSU students who are integrating audio editing and narration skills into their multimedia portfolios, which include television, social media, print and website management.
WMOT launched in April 1969. Its 100,000 watts reach north to Bowling Green, Kentucky, and to the Alabama border in the south.
In 2009, the station moved to an all-jazz format. MTSU’s jazz station will move to the MTSU Jazz Network on WMOT’s HD channel on Sept. 2, as well as its FM signals 104.9 in Brentwood and 92.3 in Murfreesboro.
The station will remain the flagship for Blue Raider Athletics and will continue to air MTSU On the Record, a 30-minute public affairs interview program highlighting the university community, as well as regular area news updates.
“Imagine, in our neck of the woods, a radio station with real people playing music they actually care about, even love,” said artist Rodney Crowell, recipient of the Americana Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting. “WMOT is bringing Middle Tennessee real music when we need it most. Miracles happen.”
A special public kickoff celebration will be held on Friday, Sept. 2 at 11 a.m. at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
Music City Roots also airs nationally on American Public Television; its fourth season will launch Oct. 28.
Savannah Rae Schmidt Scholarship Established At MTSU
/by Jessica NicholsonSchmidt, who died May 19, had just completed her junior year at MTSU, where she was studying public relations following in the footsteps of her mother, highly-respected publicist and owner of Schmidt Public Relations, Jessie Schmidt. Savannah’s father is professional keyboard player Joey Schmidt.
The Savannah Rae Schmidt Scholarship, funded by private donations, will be managed by the MTSU Foundation and awarded to a student pursuing a degree in public relations in the music business within MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment. The goal will be to award the first Savannah Rae Schmidt scholarship award to a deserving student in the fall of 2017.
Those interested in making a donation to the scholarship should contact Abby White, Development Director at MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment, at 615-473-1962 or abby.white@mtsu.edu. Online donations can be completed at mtsu.edu/support/Savannah.
The Time Jumpers, Charlie Worsham To Play Free Nashville Concert For CMA, CMHoF
/by Jessica NicholsonThe Time Jumpers
The Time Jumpers and Charlie Worsham will headline a free Nashville concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of both the CMA Awards and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Vince Gill will perform as part of The Time Jumpers and Patty Loveless will make an appearance during the band’s set.
Titled Forever Country Live presented by Southwest, the music begins at 4 p.m. on Sept. 25 at Walk of Fame Park near the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
The event will also offer food trucks, a pop-up exhibit detailing 50 years of the CMA Awards, opportunities to play instruments as part of a musical petting zoo, and other family-friendly activities. Additionally, the Country Music Hall of Fame will offer $5 off admission.
Charlie Worsham
“The museum opened its doors in April 1967, almost 50 years ago,” said museum CEO Kyle Young. “That same year the very first CMA Award for Entertainer of the Year was presented to Country Music Hall of Fame member Eddy Arnold. With a shared mission of preserving country music’s history and advancing its cultural importance, it is only fitting that we partner with the CMA to celebrate our half-century milestones with an evening of timeless music.”
“This free community concert underscores the rich traditions upheld by both organizations,” said Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “We hope guests will leave this event inspired by our shared legacy and excited about the future of Country Music.”
The event is the official launch of Country Music Month, celebrated in October. Festivities culminate Wednesday, Nov. 2, with the live, national broadcast of The 50th Annual CMA Awards on the ABC Television Network. The concert also kicks off the museum’s initiatives to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2017.
Industry Ink: The Recording Academy, Warner Music Nashville, Songkick
/by Jessica NicholsonBobby Bones Visits Nashville’s Grammy Chapter
Bobby Bones And The Raging Idiots, comprised of Bobby Bones and Producer Eddie from iHeartMedia’s The Bobby Bones Show, paid a visit to Nashville Chapter of The Recording Academy on Thursday (Aug. 25). Joined by singer/songwriter Nikita Karmen, the Black River Entertainment recording artists offered an acoustic set that included “When I Grow Up” and “If I Was Your Boyfriend.”
Pictured (L-R): Eddie Garcia; Nikita Karmen; Courtney White, Project Coordinator, Nashville Chapter; Susan Stewart, South Regional Director, Membership & Industry Relations; Debbie Carroll, Senior Executive Director, MusiCares; Ashley Ernst, Manager, Administrative Operations, South Region; Bobby Bones; Laura Crawford, Membership Manager, Nashville Chapter; Alicia Warwick, Executive Director, Nashville Chapter; Christina Scholz, Admin Assistant, MusiCares; Nathan Pyle, Admin Assistant, South Region/Nashville Chapter; Bri Buchanan, Chapter Assistant, Nashville Chapter.
RaeLynn Featured At Warner Music Nashville’s Pickin’ On The Patio Series
RaeLynn performed at the Wednesday (Aug. 24) edition of Pickin’ on the Patio at Warner Music Nashville, where the singer-songwriter performed her current single “Love Triangle” and a cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.”
Pictured (L-R): Kristen Williams, VP, Promotion, WMN; Scott Hendricks, EVP, A&R, WMN; Kerry Hansen, Big Enterprises; John Esposito, Chairman & CEO, WMN; RaeLynn; Peter Strickland, CMO, WMN; Jenn Witherell, Big Enterprises; Lisa Ray, VP, Brand Management, WMN.
Songkick Acquires $15 Million Investment
Songkick, a leading artist-ticketing and concert discovery platform, has announced a $15 million additional round of funding by Access Industries. In addition, Songkick is announcing the expansion of its West Coast office; the hiring of its new VP of product, Lydia Goldberg; and a new VP of design, Lee Martin. Songkick has offices in London, Los Angeles, Nashville and New York.
Nashville’s New Year’s Eve Concert Leaving Lower Broadway
/by Jessica NicholsonNashville, courtesy Nashville Convention and Visitor’s Bureau
Nashville’s annual New Year’s Eve Concert will be held at the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park for the first time this year. The move from Lower Broadway accommodates the growth of the event and enhances security.
Now the traditional Music Note Drop and accompanying fireworks display will be visible against the backdrop of the State Capitol building and Nashville skyline. The celebration is also being renamed as Jack Daniel’s Music City Midnight: New Year’s Eve.
“Our famed New Year’s Eve event has grown exponentially over the last few years, resulting in the need to expand the footprint,” said Beth Seigenthaler Courtney, NCVC board chair and managing partner and president of DVL Seigenthaler. “This move also allows us to enhance security for all who attend, giving much more room for event revelers, vendors, emergency personnel and others to move conveniently and securely throughout the celebration.”
The Bicentennial Mall location is being considered a temporary location for now, though it could become permanent.
Butch Spyridon, NCVC president and CEO, noted that event growth, heightened security and reduced footprint space collectively provided challenges to the traditional Lower Broadway location. The traditional Lower Broadway location will be equipped with a large screen to display the concert and the Note Drop, along with a secondary fireworks show across the Cumberland River. Shuttles will run between locations to allow partygoers to enjoy both locations.
“Our mission is always to provide the highest quality event while planning for future growth,” said Spyridon. “While we loved the traditional site, this decision reflects our success, and we will continue to include Broadway to showcase more of Nashville. We have worked with security officials to ensure everyone’s safety and to provide the best concert viewing experience.”
Other advantages of the new location include more convenient, accessible and better secured entry and exit points and availability of state parking lots surrounding Bicentennial Mall to provide additional convenient parking.
The New Year’s Eve event has drawn crowds in excess of 100,000 in recent years, with the 2015 event boasting 150,000 revelers on Broadway and surrounding downtown streets.
“Nashville’s New Year’s Eve celebration is one of the events that makes Music City unique, and it’s an opportunity to shine the spotlight on our great city to a massive audience,” said Mayor Megan Barry. “We want to continue to grow this event and give visitors a chance to enjoy Nashville in the safest manner possible. The location change will allow safety to remain a top priority while also highlighting another marquee site in our dynamic city.”