Zac Brown Band’s Southern Ground Music & Food Festival will descend on Nashville’s Lawn at Riverfront Park for the first time Sept. 21-22. Zac Brown Band & Friends will offer nightly super sets with special guests including Gregg Allman. Also set to perform are Amos Lee, David Gray, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Jerry Douglas, The Lumineers, Los Lonely Boys, John Driskell Hopkins & Brighter Shade, The James Arthur Band, Coy Bowles & The Fellowship, and Southern Ground Artists including Sonia Leigh, Nic Cowan, Blackberry Smoke, Dugas, Levi Lowrey, and The Wheeler Boys.

The line up was revealed this morning (8/2) by Mayor Karl Dean, President of Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau Butch Spyridon, and Outback Concerts’ Kate Dore and Andrew Farwell at a press conference at the event site.

The festival, which debuted last year in Charleston, is curated by the band and focuses on offering fine food helmed by Southern Ground Executive Chef Rusty Hamlin.

Charleston’s Blackbaud Stadium will again host the event Oct. 20-21, where ZBB will lead the bill with nightly performances. Also on the schedule are The Avett Brothers, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, and many of the artists who will play in Nashville.

VIP offerings include Front Porch Stage Boxes with a four-course gourmet meal and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. For more information visit www.southerngroundfestival.com.

Nashville songwriter Paul Sikes recently got the opportunity of a lifetime after doing what writers typically do: play a round at the Bluebird.

The Nashville native gained national renown after NBC’s Today Show co-host Hoda Kotb discovered him at the Bluebird and invited him to play on the show. Following his July 13 appearance and performance, the song he performed, “My Epitaph,” was the No. 2 downloaded song on iTunes’ singer/songwriter chart. See the performance here.

Sikes chalks it up to being in the right place at the right time. He played the round at the Bluebird back in May and noticed Kotb among the audience members. Days later word spread that she had raved about him on the show and even played a video clip of his performance. NBC producers contacted him via Twitter to extend the performance invitation.

Sikes still considers himself a producer and songwriter first. He says he has “never really chased the road of being an artist, but has enjoyed playing songs at smaller venues around town.” His independent album Craft was released to iTunes July 9.

Musicians Corner will kick off the first of nine fall music events on Sat., September 1 in Nashville’s Centennial Park. Performing the kick off event are The Blind Boys of Alabama, a Nashville Symphony quartet, Karen Elson and Jeremy Lister.

The fall season will take place Saturday afternoons from 3-6 pm through October 27 with artists including Sam Bush, Karen Elson, Regi Wooten & Friends, Ashley Cleveland, Matthew Perryman Jones, Phil Keaggy, The Farewell Drifters, Shannon Whitworth, Yarn, The Steel Drivers, Shannon Sanders, and The Vespers.

The free weekly event includes over 60 free multi-genre musical performances, the Lightning 100 Acoustic Stage, Beer & Wine Garden, Mobile Food Court, Mix 92.9 Kidsville activities, Dog Of The Day, local vendors, and giveaways.

“Musicians Corner is one of the best gathering places for the Nashville community and our visitors to spend an afternoon enjoying free music in a beautiful metro park setting,” said Mayor Karl Dean. “Musicians Corner events continue to serve as a fine showcase for why we are Music City.”

The Blind Boys of Alabama will also take part in a symposium titled “The Influence of Music on The Civil Rights Movement” prior to the Musicians Corner event on (9/1) in partnership with Fisk University.

Acoustic Stage performers were selected through an open submission process in partnership with AmericanSongspace.com. A complete fall season schedule is available here.

Country artist Dierks Bentley has been tapped to host the 6^th annual ACM Honors, scheduled for Sept. 24 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. The evening of musical tribute performances and presentations celebrates the non-televised award winners from the 47^th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, which were held earlier this year in Las Vegas.

This is Bentley’s first time hosting the event and the third time the ceremony will be held at the Ryman Auditorium.

“I’m really looking forward to helping recognize this year’s ACM honorees,” said Bentley. “Country music has so many talented artists, songwriters and people working behind the scenes. I’m flattered that I’ve been asked to stand on stage beside them.”

“Dierks’ incredible passion combined with his respect for and overwhelming knowledge of the country music genre, both as a renowned artist and songwriter, make him an ideal host for ACM Honors,” said Michelle Goble, ACM’s Senior VP, Membership & Industry Relations. “We look forward to his contribution to the show, as we pay tribute to those who helped forge country music into the outstanding genre it is today.”

Click here for a list of the awards recipients and winners.

Tickets start at $37 and will be on sale at Ticketmaster.com and the Ryman box office starting August 17.

Bentley is busy making plans to toast the end of summer with the release of a four song EP titled Country & Cold Cans available Aug. 21 on iTunes which will kick off his limited Country & Cold Cans: Back To College Tour.

Mac Powell, front man of the Atlanta-based Christian band Third Day, will release his self-titled debut Country album on August 21.

The CD features twelve songs from the songwriter including his first single, “June Bug,” which he released last month through his Twitter account. The full digital CD is currently available on his website as a pre-release limited pressing.

Powell worked with producer Jason Hoard, who has been touring with Third Day since 2010. Hoard contributed to the songwriting credits along with Brett James.