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Music festivals in tennessee

Must-see music festivals in Tennessee for all types of music lovers.

Bonnaroo Music Festival

A young festival, Bonnaroo has enjoyed great success and fame since its beginning in 2002. Held on a farm just outside Nashville in Manchester, Tennessee this festival has been home to bands like Dave Matthews, Bob Dylan, and Widespread Panic. The four day festival brings crowds nearing 100,000 and has been covered in music publication such as Spin, Rolling Stone, and Billboard. This is a must see festival for music lovers of all kinds with its emphasis on grassroots rock. It s been called the American rock festival to end all festivals . Check out this year s dates and lineup and don t miss Bonnaroo this summer.

Sewanee Summer Music Festival

Sewaner Summer Music Festival is a festival for musicians and music-lovers alike. The five-week even features music workshops, classes, and big names in the industry joining together on this beautiful college campus. Look for the festival in July.

Beale Street Zydeco Festival

Held on Beale Street in Memphis this festival is a must for Cajun lovers. The primarily accordion music has a distinctly spicy sound and the cost of this festival is very reasonable. Held in February, it s a great way to beat the winter blues.

Country Music Marathon

Running and country music join together at this Nashville festival held each spring. Live country music from well-known bands provide a backdrop to the races which include a marathon, half marathon, and kids run. The day ends with a huge concert at the Coliseum.

Fan Fair

Another Nashville favorite, Fan Fair is home to beloved country music stars and their fans. Held in June, this event attracts thousands seeking photos, photographs, or just a little live music. The four day party is proceeded by the Country Music Awards (CMA).

Tin Pan South

Tin Pan South is a festival that celebrates songwriters and their songs. Named after New York s Tin Pan Alley, the festival features over 70 shows at venues around Nashville during a week long event each spring. Songwriters workshops and lectures are also part of the fun. See you favorite musicians at clubs like 12th & Porter, Loews Vanderbilt Hotel, Bluebird Caf??, and many more.

Legacy Bluegrass Spring Fest

Held in late April, early May this festival features the best of Appalachian bluegrass. Beautiful Crossville, Tennessee is home tot he festival which also showcases gospel and bluegrass jams.

Bluegrass in the Smokies

As the name implies, the Bluegrass in the Smokies Festival is held in the heart of the Smoky Mountains in beautiful Sevier County, also home to Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, and Dolly Parton. See major bluegrass artists perform to an audience nearing 3,000. Held every fall against the backdrop of autumn colors.

Dumplin Valley Bluegrass Festival

You won t want to miss this bluegrass celebration held on a farm outside Kodak, Tennessee. With over 4,000 in attendance, down home bluegrass takes over the September weekend event.

Rhythm & Roots Reunion

Held in Bristol, Tennessee near the border of Virginia, the downtown festival features hundreds of musicians, crafters, artists, and food vendors. Estimated attendance is 40,000

Raccoon Valley Bluegrass Festival

Held in Powell, Tennessee this festival celebrates live music and Appalachian culture.

Americana Folk Festival

Held every October in Dickson, Tennessee the Americana Folk Festival is an up & coming event celebrating folk music, art, and down home roots.

Written by Beth Ward -

What is drum and bass?

A look at how drun and bass is becoming part of our culture without us even realizing it.

Many musical genres have long since taken their baby steps before the general public tends to notice them. Rock and roll was already coming into it s own before Alan Freed dubbed the famous moniker. Rap was long the voice of the street in New York before the Sugar Hill Gang took the Chic bass line from Good Times and gave us Rapper s Delight. So long before David Bowie became entranced with drum and bass, it was the new hip music playing in the clubs in New York and London.

Drum and Bass is a form of dance music in which the name is taken from the part of the song where the music breaks down to just the drums and the bass. It is a relatively new genre of dance music. It is really fast, usually around 140-170 beats per minute. The oddity here, though, is that a lot of the singing and music in a drum and bass track plays at half of this speed, so usually only the drums are moving this fast. This gives almost a Coltrane-type of feeling to this genre, a sense of chaos and freedom that before was not felt in the confines of electronic music.

Though started in the London club scene in the early 90s by Fabio and Grooverider, it has spread rather quickly. It is not uncommon to hear drum and bass in Volkswagen commercials and during movies. In the last couple of years, soundtracks to Senseless, Pi, The Jackal, The Saint and Lost Highway have all contained tracks that could be considered drum and bass. David Bowie completed an entire electronic album in 1997, Earthling, which included quite a bit of drum and bass. That same year, Roni Size s first major label album, New Forms, won the Brit Award for Album of the Year. It is a very encompassing genre, because just as easily as it can be fierce and manic it can be lush and soothing. Drum and Bass is one of the most creative, innovative, and flexible genres of music today.

It s good for people to be exposed to something before they know what it is. It helps to ease it into their minds. Drum and Bass is strange enough at times that many people would not even give it a chance had they not already been exposed. At times, it is almost like the science fiction of musical genres, like something we enjoy seeing but turn our heads at the most graphic point. It is not for everyone, but if interested in exploring a bit more, here is a list of wonderful drum and bass albums to get you started:

-Roni Size/Reprazent New Forms

-Alex Reece So Far

-Goldie Timeless

-Various artists This Is Jungle Sky,vol. 2

-Various artists Logical Progression, vol. 3

-Various artists Jungle: Sound of the Underground

-David Bowie Earthling

If this peeks your interest a little more and you want to find some more examples, here are some good places to go and look:

-Spin, Urb, Mixmag, and Revolution magazines

This should be enough to send anyone on a drum and bass journey, but if not, then you can always ask your local record store clerk or look in small, independent record stores. These tend to always have more of a broad range of music and most actually now have a drum and bass section.

Have fun!!!

Written by Thaddeus Wright -

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