Category Archives: Events
Wiz Khalifa & MUTEMATH to Headline Annual Rites of Spring Music Festival
This is always such a fun event! Vanderbilt is gearing up for their annual Rites of Spring Music Festival. Wiz Khalifa and MUTEMATH will headline the festival which will also feature Sleigh Bells, Fitz and the Tantrums, Gloriana, Wick-It the Instigator, Tyler Hilton, Chancellor Warhol, and Beaker Street Blues Band. The fest will be held April 20 and 21st, tickets go on sale this Tuesday. You can check out my pics of last years event HERE!
Johnny Cash Museum coming to Music City
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A new Johnny Cash Museum will open later this year on Third Avenue between Demonbreun Street and Broadway in downtown Nashville.
Nashville Mayor Karl Dean joined members of the Cash family and museum founder Bill Miller Tuesday to unveil details of the facility.
Slated to open this summer, the museum will feature never before seen historical documents, letters, awards, costumes and instruments, uniting the acclaimed collection of Miller, longtime friend of the Cash’s and founder of the official Johnny Cash Web site, and pieces from Cash’s friends, colleagues and family members including his children and siblings.
“We intend on making this the best single celebrity museum anywhere in the world,” Miller told Nashville’s News 2.
John Carter Cash, Johnny’s son said the family is looking forward to adding to the collection.
“I’m excited for the world that they will be able to experience that connection in a different way, in a new way, in a way that hadn’t been possible before. I know my parents would be very excited to see that a Johnny Cash museum is happening and that it’s going to come about. It furthers their spirit and what they believe in and who they are as people.”
Phase I of the museum will consist of a museum store, permanent exhibits and a multipurpose venue for performances, special exhibits and other events.
Phase II will both ground and top floor expansions bringing the total square footage of the museum to 18,000 square feet.
Plans include an additional exhibit space, enlarged performance area, onsite food venue and more.
If you don’t see the video above click click HERE!
Keith Urban & Richard Marx celebrate #1
Friday night Keith Urban will be among the last performers to play on the current Ryman stage. I caught up with the country super star for Yallwire as he and Richard Marx celebrated the success of their number one song, “Long Hot Summer.” Keith and Richard talk about how this song was extra special to them because it represented a rekindling of their friendship. Check it out!
Music City studio helps Super Bowl halftime show become reality
NASHVILLE, Tenn.- The Super Bowl halftime show is talked about just as much as the game itself and this Sunday, some of what viewers will see was created in Music City.
LMG Design Studio in Nashville has spent the last eight months working to make Madonna‘s performance dreams a reality.
Industry veteran Ken Gay heads up the local studio.
“Super Bowl, for me, is about eight months of my life played out in 12 minutes,” he said.
Gay has worked with artists like Cee Lo Green, Drake and Dolly Parton in the past year alone.
The studio on Broadway is designed to provide a hands-on environment for clients to brainstorm and discuss creative ideas with the latest live entertainment technology.
If you don’t see the video above click HERE
Keith Urban & Richard Marx perform at #1 party, Keith’s 1st since vocal surgery
Keith Urban and Richard Marx finally celebrated the success of their number one song, Long Hot Summer Tuesday night at Cabana in Nashville.
Keith recently underwent vocal surgery and had to keep silent for 3 weeks. He talked to the media about how hard it was to keep his silence, especially around his daughter. The country star even toted around a white marker board to write on throughout his recovery.
Keith & Richard performed “Long Hot Summer” for the small crowd, with the help of two fans he found on Youtube.
Keith will make his official come back February 3rd the Grand Ole Opry.
Keith and Richard shared that this song was extra special regarding a rekindling of their friendship. Marx expressed his love for both the song and Keith. He jokingly said, “Keith’s not a bad kiss, for a guy.”
I will have more from the party on Yallwire. Stay tuned!
Water & Snow park coming to Nashville~
Wow big news for Music City. I am sure Opryland lovers are stoked!
NASHVILLE, Tenn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Two of the biggest names in Tennessee tourism are teaming up to bring a major family entertainment zone to Nashville. Gaylord Entertainment (NYSE: GET) and Dolly Parton’s Dollywood Company have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for a 50/50 joint venture to develop a 114-acre family entertainment zone adjacent to the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center. The Dollywood Company will serve as the operating partner. Phase one of the project is a yet unnamed approximately $50 million water and snow park, the first of its kind in the United States. A late 2012, early 2013 groundbreaking date is expected with the park opening slated for summer of 2014.
“Music City has become a travel destination unlike any other in the country”
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Nashville Mayor Karl Dean joined Dolly Parton and Colin V. Reed, chairman and chief executive officer, for Gaylord Entertainment at today’s announcement at the Grand Ole Opry House at Gaylord Opryland.
“Tourism is the second largest industry in Tennessee, generating more than a billion dollars in tax revenue annually and employing more than 170,000 Tennesseans,” Haslam said. “This project will be a welcome addition to the wide variety of attractions and destinations across our great state, and I applaud the collaboration and spirit that has led to this announcement.”
“Music City has become a travel destination unlike any other in the country,” Dean said. “The addition of this family entertainment complex near Opryland adds a critical missing piece to our tourist offerings. It provides a unique leisure attraction that will further enhance our already booming hospitality industry, which is one of our city’s top private sector employers.”
The water and snow park will anchor the project which offers room for future expansion. The park will provide a mix of high energy water activities for the summer season and designated snow activities for winter play. Once open, first year attendance is projected at 500,000, a large portion of which will come from out of state, bringing in substantial tourism revenue to Tennessee and Nashville. Dollywood expects to employ 450 full- and part- time employees.
This proposed attraction furthers Gaylord’s focus on growing the leisure side of its business and continuing to drive revenue through its top-notch entertainment attractions throughout the year. The Dollywood Company is responsible for managing Dolly Parton’s Dollywood and Dollywood’s Splash Country in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee, as well as her dinner theatre attraction, Dixie Stampede. Annually, these attractions attract approximately four million visitors and have won some of the industry’s most coveted awards including “world’s best theme park” and “America’s most beautiful water park.”
“I’m so excited about this opportunity,” Dolly Parton said. “I am confident that partnering my Dollywood Company with a great company like Gaylord will create something truly special. We’re all working on new types of entertainment to do in the daytime and nighttime for the whole family so we bring new folks to the area year round.”
“We are thrilled by the prospect of bringing to Nashville a family focused entertainment center with one of the preeminent theme park owners and operators in the country,” said Colin V. Reed, chairman and chief executive officer, for Gaylord Entertainment. “I am confident this proposed attraction, which will be a destination not only for our hotel guests but also for the entire Nashville community, will meaningfully enhance our transient and leisure strategy by providing a fun, family environment at the doorstep of the Opryland Hotel. With Dolly Parton’s country music legacy and strong ties to Nashville, we can think of no better partner for this venture than Dolly’s Dollywood Company.”
“We hope that some other developers with great ideas will join us for phase two of this project. We’re saying the water and snow park are the first phase, but who knows, if we see some great ideas we could be developing the entire zone by the time the snow and water park open. Wouldn’t that be great for Nashville and the state,” Parton said.
“We are in the early stages of planning and will make certain that any project we pursue is done so under the appropriate economic conditions and provides adequate returns for our shareholders,” said Reed. “We are reserving approximately 35 acres for expansion and complimentary regional attractions and we have been working closely with state and city officials to ensure we have the proper infrastructure agreements in place for the project to move forward. We are looking forward to working on the next steps of this project and to it becoming a valuable part of the Nashville tourism community.”
Kenny Chesney, Jason Aldean, George Jones and more talk Grammys
Nashville Grammy nominated artists were recognized Tuesday night with a soiree at Loew’s Vanderbilt hotel downtown. Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney and George Jones were among the stars I caught up with on the red carpet.
It’s a big deal. Winning a Grammy for an artist, I don’t think it gets any bigger than that,” said first time nominee Jason Aldean.
Country legend George Jones is scheduled to be honored with a lifetime achievement award.
“I feel very honored, especially at my age it’s good to be remembered by such a great organization,” Jones said.
The 53rd annual Grammy Awards will be held in Los Angeles on February 12.
If you don’t see my video above click HERE!
Keith Urban makes 1st stage appearance since surgery~
Good news from Keith’s Camp!
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – (January 12, 2012) –Country superstar Keith Urban will appear on the Grand Ole Opry on Friday, Feb., 3, his first performance back on stage since successfully undergoing vocal cord surgery late last year. His appearance will take place at the historic Ryman Auditorium, where the Opry will be concluding its winter run. The Opry will return to the Grand Ole Opry House the next day.
Urban is also confirmed to be among those playing the Opry Fri., March 9 at the Opry House.
Photo By: Chris Hollo
Yelawolf talks country in Music City~
I caught up with Yelawolf at his show in Nashville for Blastro.com. The southern rapper, who once lived in Antioch, talks about how much he loves Music City. We chat about working with Eminem on his album Radioactive, as well as his passion for country music. Who would he like to collaborate with next? Well Kris Kristofferson of course! That would be interesting.
