Blake Shelton

Blake Shelton already knows how to charm a television audience through his work as a coach on NBC’s The Voice and his previous stints as a co-host on the Academy of Country Music Awards, so he’s certainly got the live television experience to tackle his next television challenge.

Shelton has been confirmed as a host for the Jan. 24 episode of Saturday Night Live. This marks Shelton’s first time hosting SNL, and he will be the first musical host of the show’s 40th season. He will double as musical guest, promoting his new Warner Music Nashville project, Bringing Back the Sunshine.

Nashville’s Entrepreneur Center has revealed the eight companies accepted as finalists into Project Music, a 14-week music tech business accelerator.

The program launches Jan. 18 in partnership with the Country Music Association. Each of the eight companies involved in the program will receive $30,000 in funding. Google is also a sponsor for the program.

The eight companies accepted into Project Music are as follows:

DART– an online distribution platform for classical music creators
EarIQ– an app that promises to improve sound quality of any headphone device in under two minutes
HiVolume Media– a web/mobile app intended to provide an interactive environment for users who enjoy the karaoke/bar/club experiences
Jammber– an open collaboration platform and digital record label that aims to “digitize A&R” with built-in talent development
On The List– a company that provides exclusive perks for fans to enhance their event experience
Ripple Music– a cloud-based social network that provides users a monetization model for music and sound contributions through collaboration
RMXHTZ– a digital platform/interface and service that allows users to remix recordings to create derivative works for exploitation
What’s Hubbin’– an online platform that highlights the essentials in a city’s music scene

The Noshville building, with the brick building in the background which housed Manuel’s former shop. Screen shot of Google maps. Image capture: April 2014, copyright 2015 Google.

A new development consisting of a hotel, and residential and retail space is in the works in Midtown Nashville, near Music Row, according to The Tennessean.

The more than 100-year-old building which was the longtime shop of clothier Manuel is being demolished to make way for the development. Nearby on Broadway, the building which houses Noshville delicatessen will likely be torn down so the project can plow ahead. In 2013, Manuel’s shop relocated to downtown Nashville. Noshville is seeking a short-term lease in a nearby location with plans to move into the new development once it is complete.

Land Development.com, led by real estate investor Ardavan Afrakhteh, is behind the 24,500 square foot redevelopment project, reports The Tennessean.

Other projects coming to Midtown include the Hill Center Broadway, and 1812 Broadway.

Approximately one mile away, in Hillsboro Village, more commercial developments are coming. The Nashville Post reports a late 2015 groundbreaking for Village 21, pending the necessary government approvals.

Brentwood-based GBT Realty Corp. is working on the development at the northeast corner of 21st Avenue and Wedgewood Avenue, which is currently home to Regions Bank. According to The Post, the new four-story building will feature 103 apartments, about 17,740 square feet of retail space, and a parking garage. Like Noshville, Regions will eventually move into the new construction.

Last week Hillsboro Village institution The Sunset Grill ended its 24 year run, unable to profit in a changing neighborhood. It followed the noteworthy closing of Village staple eatery Boscos.

These are the latest developments happening near Music Row. In 2014, Virgin Hotels announced its first Nashville location on the Music Row roundabout, and construction began on buildings on Demonbreun across from The Tin Roof, and 21st Ave. near Acklen Ave. Historic RCA Studio A on 17th Ave. S. was going to be leveled for another development, but was ultimately saved by a group of preservationists. Even The New York Times recently examined Nashville’s gentrification.

Members of First Edition: Then and Now

Kenny Rogers and the original members of First Edition will participate in a panel discussion at The CMA Theatre inside the Country Music Hall of Fame on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 2 p.m. Central.

The band’s original lineup includes Rogers, Mike Settle, Terry Williams, Mary Miller, and Gene Lorenzo.

The First Edition was best-known for the singles “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In” (1967),  and 1968’s “But You Know I Love You.” Later billed as Kenny Rogers and the First Edition, the group hit the Top 10 on the country charts with 1969’s “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love To Town,” a tune penned by Mel Tillis.

Rogers, of course, would later go on to a successful solo career, and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013.

This program will be streamed live at countrymusichalloffame.org. It is included with museum admission and free to museum members. There will be limited seating and a program pass will be required.