News Category: Radio Bristol

Historic Downtown’s Premier Concert Series Celebrates 17 Years

Celebrating 17 years in Historic Downtown, Border Bash—Bristol’s premier spring/summer concert series—is back for another amazing season starting May 20, 2016! Hosted by Believe in Bristol, the Birthplace of Country Music, and the Cities of Bristol, Virginia and Tennessee, Border Bash is about fun, family, great music, and creating memories to last a lifetime.

“Border Bash is a tradition that showcases everything that makes Downtown Bristol special, and that includes great live music,” said Christina Blevins, Executive Director of Believe in Bristol.” Bristol’s downtown is definitely a hub for a wide variety of food, unique shopping, community events, and an all-around great place to come together with friends and family. This year Border Bash will introduce audiences to a whole new roster of talented, emerging acts that cross a wide range of genres.”

“We look forward to Border Bash every year,” said Leah Ross, Executive Director of the Birthplace of Country Music. “It’s a great kick-off to festival season, and it gives residents and travelers alike an added incentive to enjoy everything Historic Downtown Bristol has to offer.”

2016 Border Bash band lineup:

• May 20 – The Carolina Catskins (ragtime, Appalacian swing) | The Tennessee Stifflegs (old-time, Western swing)

• June 3 – The Dirk Quinn Band (funk/jazz improv) | Elliot Root (alt-rock)

• June 17 – Abbie Gardner & Jesse Terry (Americana) | The Midatlantic (folk-rock, newgrass)

• July 4 – Front Country (Americana) | Rob Nance (Americana)

• July 15 – The Comet Conductors (rock) | B R U N S (rock)

• August 5 – The Grand Shell Game (prog-Americana) | The Kodiak Brotherhood (southern rock)

Border Bash takes place on State Street in Historic Downtown Bristol. Vendors and activities set up at 6:30 p.m. and live music begins at 7:00 p.m. Border Bash is a free community event supported by the Cities of Bristol, Virginia/Tennessee, Anne and Ben Cowan, Bank of Tennessee, Blackbird Bakery, Blakley-Mitchell Co., Brown, Edwards & Co., Camellia Digital, Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Express AV Productions, New Peoples Bank, Renasant Bank, Revolution Curbside Recycling, Strongwell Corporation, The Bristol Hotel:  McCall Capital, LLC, Tom and Barbara Smith/ Merrill Lynch, Tri City Tent and Event, Walling Distributing, Wells Fargo and media sponsors Bristol Herald Courier, WBCM Radio Bristol, 99.3 The X, Electric 94.9 FM, WCYB-5, and WXBQ 96.9 FM.

The Birthplace of Country Music Announces 5-Year Partnership With Farm & Fun Time

The Birthplace of Country Music (BCM) is proud to announce an exciting new partnership with Eastman Credit Union (ECU) that will help fund the Radio Bristol Presents: Farm & Fun Time show over the next five years.

“Eastman Credit Union has been a great community partner to BCM over the years, and we are very grateful for their support and generosity.” said Leah Ross, Executive Director of BCM. “Their commitment to sponsor Radio Bristol’s Farm & Fun Time helps us create a quality program that ensures the show’s success for years to come. It also helps us further our mission of outreach in preserving the rich music heritage of our region.”

ECU presented a check in the amount of $100,000 to the Birthplace of Country Music during a special announcement at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum just prior to the Radio Bristol Presents: Farm & Fun Time live show on Tuesday evening. ECU will be the presenting sponsor for Farm & Fun Time, committing $20,000 annually over the next five years.

“Eastman Credit Union is delighted to support the Birthplace of Country Music and Radio Bristol’s Farm & Fun Time show,” said Olan O. Jones, President and CEO of Eastman Credit Union. “For more than 80 years, ECU has served local families, preserving our foundations of extraordinary service and constantly seeking new opportunities to better serve our members. That’s why it’s an honor and privilege to assist BCM in preserving the local heritage that makes this region great and combining that with forward thinking that supports economic growth and drives tourism.”

Radio Bristol Presents: Farm & Fun Time is a revival of WCYB radio’s Farm & Fun Time show which broadcast live from a studio inside the General Shelby Hotel in downtown Bristol. In the 1940s and the 1950s, Farm & Fun Time was an important program in the history of early bluegrass music and helped to establish the careers of legendary performers including Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, the Stanley Brothers, the Osborne Brothers, Jim and Jesse McReynolds, Mac Wiseman, The Sauceman Brothers, and Curly King & The Tennessee Hilltoppers.

Radio Bristol Presents: Farm & Fun Time live radio show was introduced to audiences during the Grand Opening of the Birthplace of Country Music Museum in August of 2014. Performed and recorded before a live audience, the one-hour variety show was co-hosted by WCYB broadcasting veteran Johnny Wood and featured legendary Farm & Fun Time alumni Dr. Ralph Stanley and Jesse McReynolds. During the show, McReynolds wielded an antique fiddle that was originally played during the 1927 Bristol Sessions. One year later, WBCM Radio Bristol signed on to the airwaves from the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. Tuesday evening’s program was the first Radio Bristol Farm & Fun Time production to broadcast live on the air.

In keeping with the tradition of the original, Radio Bristol Presents: Farm & Fun Time featured lively performances by renowned old-time act The Foghorn Stringband, Corbin Hayslett, and Bill & the Belles. Hosted by Radio Bristol’s producer Kris Truelson, the one-hour program featured segments including “The ASD Farm Report.” In cooperation with Appalachian Sustainable Development, “The ASD Farm Report” segment will continue in future shows, and will focus on music, family, food and farming in the region.

Radio Bristol Presents: Farm & Fun Time will broadcast live before a studio audience monthly on WBCM Radio Bristol 100.1 FM in the Bristol area, online, and through the station’s free mobile app.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO RADIO BRISTOL

Friday, February 26, 2016 | 10:00 a.m.
WBCM Radio Bristol 

Radio Bristol’s morning show “On the Sunnyside” with Kris Truelsen and Jamie Collins is not your average morning radio program. Each show offers intellectual nuggets of roots music trivia combined with the occasional live musical guest and artist interviews.

This Friday, Feburary 26, Radio Bristol will rebroadcast last week’s interview with rockabilly singer/songwriter and band leader Chris Isaak about his latest album First Comes The Night.

“On the Sunnyside” airs each Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. on the air at 100.1 FM in the Bristol area, online, and on the WBCM Radio Bristol mobile app.

Radio Bristol’s morning show “On the Sunnyside” with Kris Truelsen and Jamie Collins is not your average morning radio program. Each show offers intellectual nuggets of roots music trivia combined with the occasional live musical guest and artist interviews.

This Wednesday, Feburary 17, Radio Bristol will rebroadcast their interview with multi-faceted entertainer Steve Martin at 10:00 a.m.

“On the Sunnyside” airs each Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. on the air at 100.1 FM in the Bristol area, online, and on the WBCM Radio Bristol mobile app.

Click to listen online.

The Birthplace of Country Music Announces New Strategic Partnership

Bristol, VA/Tenn. (January 12, 2016) – The Birthplace of Country Music (BCM) is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with AirPlay Direct, a web-based artist marketing, promotion, education, and advocacy platform that delivers premium digital services, and Collective Evolution, an entertainment and media consulting firm.

“Over the past several years, the Birthplace of Country Music has grown tremendously with the opening of the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, celebrating 15-years of Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion music festival, and launching Radio Bristol, a collection of three radio stations, this past fall,” said Leah Ross, Executive Director of BCM.  “This partnership with AirPlay Direct and Collective Evolution is exciting as it will allow BCM to work with industry experts at AirPlay Direct to build an innovative strategy to help establish and sustain Radio Bristol, as well as expand our reach into more national markets.”

The strategic partnership will focus on business strategy and brand development, as well as creation of new marketing and programming initiatives.

“This is a very exciting time in the entertainment industry,” said Robert Weingartz, Chairman of AirPlay Direct / Collective Evolution.   “The Birthplace of Country Music is a wonderful, historic musical brand, they have a ‘super-talented’ executive team, and their musical and historical assets are world-class.  I look forward with great anticipation to announcing the special projects and programs we are currently developing together for launch in 2016.”

The Strategic Partnership was signed at Eddy Arnold’s Office at Plowboy Records in December.

 Eddy Arnold’s Office @ Plowboy Records   
Robert & Lynda Weingartz, AirPlay Direct, R. Shannon Pollard, President – Plowboy Records, & Leah Ross – Birthplace of Country Music

“This new Strategic Partnership Agreement was inked in the historic Brentwood, Tennessee office of the legendary Mr. Eddy Arnold, on the very same conference table he signed all of his professional agreements,” said Lynda Weingartz, CEO of AirPlay Direct.  “The sense of history and relevance in this office was inspiring and most exciting.”

For more information about AirPlay Direct visit http://AirPlaydirect.com or contact Lynda Weingartz at lynda@AirPlayDirect.com, and for more information about the Birthplace of Country Music visit http://www.birthplaceofcountrymusic.org.

About AirPlay Direct
AirPlay Direct is a global, web-based artist marketing, promotion, distribution and education platform / eco-system that allows artists, record labels and music publishers to securely deliver “broadcast-quality” music and Digital Press Kits / DPKs to radio stations and music industry professionals worldwide.  AirPlay Direct’s system allows, radio programmers and film / TV music supervisors globally to receive and also ‘discover’ new music, create music calls, browse top downloaded artists and immediately download music and related artist information.  AirPlay Direct also provides their artist / label members genre-based APD Global Radio Indicator Charts, which track the download activity that their members’ music receives from our worldwide radio panel.  AirPlay Direct has a national and international reach of 10,000+ radio stations and programmers in 90+ countries.  www.AirPlayDirect.com

About Collective Evolution
Collective Evolution is a boutique, high-end entertainment and media consulting firm.  Our clients include recording artists, record labels, record producers, management companies and radio promotion / PR firms.  Collective Evolution offers creative consultative services and customized business solutions to our clients based upon their specific needs and goals.

About the Birthplace of Country Music
The Birthplace of Country Music (BCM) was established to preserve and promote the rich music heritage of our region. Through the Birthplace of Country Music Museum and its mission, the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion music festival, Radio Bristol, and a multitude of community and educational outreach programs, BCM’s vision is to promote Bristol, Tennessee-Virginia as the Birthplace of Country Music. For more information about the Birthplace of Country Music visit birthplaceofcountrymusic.org or call 423-573-1927.

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WBCM Radio Bristol is a proud media sponsor for January Jams at the Barter Theatre in historic Abingdon, Virginia. Presented by the Abingdon Music Experience, the 4th annual event showcases intimate concerts with music legends—and rising stars—each Friday and Saturday during the month of January 2016.

The lineup is as follows:

Jan. 8 – The Dirty Dozen Brass Band w/ Major & The Monbacks
Jan. 9 – Bettye LaVette w/ The Broadcast

Jan. 15 – Anderson East w/ Annabelle’s Curse
Jan. 16 – Ricky Skaggs w/ Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley

Jan. 22 – Johnnyswim w/ Amythyst Kiah & Her Chest of Glass
Jan. 23 – Joe Pug & Horse Feathers – Special Double Headlining Show

Tickets can be purchased online at www.bartertheatre.com. Ticket packages are also available. The doors open at 7:15 p.m. each night and shows start at 8:00 p.m. For more information visit the Barter’s website or call the box office at 276-628-3991.