Tag: Chuck Mead

Mountain Tough concert to help Gatlinburg

 in Americana Music, Festivals, WMOT Roots Radio

Americana Music News – We’re proud that our friends and colleagues at WMOT and Music City Roots are playing major roles in this Saturday’s “Mountain Tough” fund-raising concert  in the wake of the devastating fires in Gatlinburg. The official announcement:

WMOT_rev2All week, artists and radio stations have been signing on to support Mountain Tough, an all-day, free musical celebration and fund-raiser in Gatlinburg on Saturday, Dec. 17 from 10:00 am until approximately 9 pm. The event is being produced by Yee-Haw Brewing Co., Ole Smoky Moonshine, Music City Roots and the Gatlinburg TN Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Donations are all going to the Sevier County Community Fund.

The full show will be carried all day by flagship broadcaster WMOT / Roots Radio, 89.5 FM serving Middle Tennessee from the College of Media and Entertainment at Middle Tennessee State University. Other stations committed to broadcast or stream Mountain Tough include: Knoxville country powerhouse WIVK, Knoxville indie/Americana station WDVX, Nashville public radio station WPLN, University of Tennessee stations KUTK and WUOT and Chattanooga’s WUTC.

In addition, NPR Music affiliated World Café and the VuHaus digital music video service will host the video stream of the show produced and served by Music City Roots of Nashville.

Most importantly, the talent lineup continues to take shape. Nationally renowned duo The Secret Sisters signed on in the last 48 hours. Other artists committed include: Sam Bush, Jason D. Williams, Derek St. Holmes, Jim Lauderdale, Chuck Mead, Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley, Shannon Whitworth & Barrett Smith, Sarah Potenza, Firewater Junction, Greg Reish, Chelle Rose, Carl Anderson, R.B. Morris and Mo Pitney. Zac Brown Band will take the stage last at about 7:50 pm.

Chuck Mead goes “Back to the Quonset Hut”

 in Reviews

One of the coolest sites in Nashville is rarely seen by the public. The legendary Quonset Hut was once the most prominent studio on Music Row, the home of such recordings as “King of the Road,” “Crazy” and “I Fall to Pieces.”

In the ‘80s, it was converted into office space, a disturbing fate for what was once a magical space. Thanks, though, to funding by Mike Curb, the studio has been refurbished and is now used to teach production skills to Belmont University students.

Chuck Mead, a solo artist and former member of BR5-49, revisits the studio’s storied past with his upcoming album Back at the Quonset Hut, due in early 2012. It’s a collection of classic country music with great musicians of multiple eras.

The line-up includes Quonset Hut studio veterans Harold Bradley, Hargus “Pig” Robbins, Bob Moore and Buddy Spicher, plus guest appearances by Bobby Bare, Old Crow Medicine Show and Elizabeth Cook.

Chuck Mead took a few minutes recently to talk about the project, which includes the album and documentary:

listen to ‘Chuck Mead’ on Audioboo

Americana party: Chuck Mead, Garland Jeffreys, Nikki Lane, Amy Speace

 in Americana Music Festival

Thirty Tigers threw a closing night party at the Americana Music Festival in Nashville, showcasing a remarkable line-up.
After a strong opening set by Amy Speace, Nikki Lane, a retro country singer with a rock edge, followed, previewing songs from her new “Walk of Shame” album. You just know Lee Hazelwood would have loved to produce her.
Then came the highlight for the record geeks in the audience (and I am one.) In the mid-’70s, Garland Jeffreys was a fresh new voice, and his “Wild in the Streets” was as big a radio hit as you could get without actually having a hit. Over the years, he’s released smart and topical records, but the commerical breakthrough never came. I’ve been waiting 30 years to hear him play “Wild in the Streets” and 35 Millimeter Dreams.” I was not disappointed. His new album is “King of In Between.”
Raul Malo was up next, but cut his set to two songs because of loud conversations in the bar. Shelby Lynne is the only other performer I’ve ever seen do that.The Malo fans were not happy.
Chuck Mead then closed the show with an entergetic and entertaining set, including his salute to engagments, “She Got the Ring, I Got the Finger.” The show was just three blocks from where Mead and BR5-49 first rocked lower Broadway, and a reminder of just how dynamic a performer he has always been.