University co-sponsors events
featuring Americana music
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — MTSU made its presence
known in Southern California Friday, reconnecting with area alumni and
sponsoring the first of two Americana concerts before the Grammys.
The Bluegrass Situation,
a Los Angeles-based organization that creates Americana music events, and
MTSU’s WMOT-FM Roots Radio co-sponsored a show Friday night at The Hotel Café
in Hollywood, headlined by genre Grammy nominees Carla Morrison and Mark
O’Connor.
Jessie Scott, WMOT’s
program director and afternoon drive-time host, was the emcee of the concert,
which was taped for broadcast later on the campus radio station 89.5 FM.
Proceeds benefitted a local charity to bolster music education in area schools.
“Friday’s show is the
first time we brought WMOT’s BGS Radio Hour to a live audience and we’re
thrilled to do it at one of our favorite L.A. venues, The Hotel Café,” said Amy
Reitnouer, co-founder and executive director of The Bluegrass Situation.
Enjoying the show was
MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee, who, along with faculty and students from the
College of Media and Entertainment, has traveled to the Grammys for the last
four years to celebrate the award nominations of alumni and touch base with
industry leaders.
“It’s a joy to partner
with The Bluegrass Situation and bring some of our Southern California alumni
to such a great show,” McPhee said. “Tonight, and everything we do this
weekend, underscores MTSU’s deep connections to the music business.”
College of Media and
Entertainment Dean Ken Paulson called Friday’s concert “an ideal launch for
MTSU’s Grammy outreach.”
“It brings together our
Recording Industry program, our new Americana format for WMOT and the highly
respected Bluegrass Situation for a singular evening of talk and talent,” he
said.
McPhee, Paulson and
Beverly Keel, chair of MTSU’s Department of Recording Industry, hosted a dinner
for about 30 alumni before the concert, which kicked off the university’s
series of pre-Grammy events for 2017.
Saturday night, the MTSU
College of Media and Entertainment will co-sponsor a second Americana concert
at the legendary Troubadour Café in West Hollywood. The concert will be
produced by the Americana Music Association.
A pair of former MTSU
students and a recent graduate are among the nominees for Sunday
night’s 59th Grammy Awards, along with an alumnus who
executive-produced a special film about the Grand Ole Opry.
Chris Young’s No.
1 single, “Think of You,” which he co-wrote and which features
singer Casadee Pope, is a nominee in the best country duo/group
performance category. It was released in January 2016.
Hillary Scott of
Lady Antebellum, who recently branched out into contemporary Christian music
with her group The Scott Family, was nominated for a pair of Grammys in her new
field: best contemporary Christian album for “Love Reigns,” and best
contemporary Christian music performance/song for “Thy Will,” which she
co-wrote, off that album.
The Scott Family includes
Scott’s parents, country singer Linda Davis and songwriter-musician Lang Scott,
and her younger sister, Rylee.
Brad King, a 2015 MTSU
recording industry graduate specializing in audio production, is competing with
Scott in the best contemporary Christian album category for his
engineering work on the team that recorded “Poets & Saints” by the
group All Sons & Daughters.
Pete Fisher, the Opry’s
former longtime vice president and chief executive officer, is part of a
team that created “American Saturday Night: Live from the Grand Ole Opry,” a
concert film released in theaters in December 2015 and a nominee in the
best music film category.
The Department of
Recording Industry, for the third straight year, is part of an international
list of acclaimed music schools praised by The Hollywood Reporter that includes
Juilliard, Berklee and London’s Royal College of Music. It ranked No. 18 on the
“Top 25 Music Schools 2016” list.
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