News Category: Radio Bristol

Starting Wednesday, May 3, 2017 Radio Bristol will begin airing Sound Sessions from Smithsonian Folkways each week on the broadcast station’s WBCM 100.1 FM channel. The channel is available over the air in the Bristol area, online at ListenRadioBristol.org, and through the station’s free multi-channel app. The program will air weekly on Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. EST and again on Sundays at 4:00 p.m. EST.

“We are thrilled to add Sound Sessions into the Radio Bristol program schedule,” said Radio Bristol producer Kris Truelsen. “As a Smithsonian affiliate, Radio Bristol is always searching for ways to celebrate our affiliation through programming. Sound Sessions from Smithsonian Folkways could not be a better fit for the station. The program offers a unique perspective contextualizing the history, cultures, and identity that helped to shape American roots music. We look forward to this great partnership with Smithsonian Folkways and seeing how it will grow in the coming years.”

Sound Sessions is described as “an audio journey into the rich, eclectic, and sometimes eccentric Smithsonian Folkways archive. Host Sam Litzinger and curator Jeff Place comb the stacks for music and stories about this historic record label for monthly broadcasts that feature newly digitized audio, including rare outtakes, interviews, and never-before-heard recordings. Programs cover American folk icons, emerging artists who are continuing and transforming musical traditions around the world, and the sounds of our everyday lives, from the natural environment to the office desk. Interviews with Smithsonian Folkways staff and the artists bring a fresh, behind-the-scenes perspective to a record label that preserves a national musical treasure, documents ‘people’s music’ from around the world, and connects people to their own and others’ heritage.”

Radio Bristol broadcasts from the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate, in Historic Downtown Bristol. At 9:30 a.m. on May 3, Kris Truelsen will preview Sound Sessions during an interview with Jeff Place on the station’s weekday morning show On the Sunny Side.

“For years I have always worried that vast quantities of amazing audio exist in the Smithsonian archives that are not being heard,” said Place. “We created Sound Sessions so we could share it with you — old interviews, field recordings, commercial albums, and interviews with some of the amazing musicians who pass through our offices. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed making them.”

Radio Bristol’s daily programming dusts off an array of rare and diverse recordings seldom explored in the soundscape of contemporary radio. From daily shows produced in-house like Over The Waves with Lee Bidgood, Honky Tonk Hit Parade with Bailey George and Farm and Fun Time, to syndicated programming like Across the Blue Ridge with Paul Brown and Born in the Mountain with Ivy Sheppard, the station specializes in programming that carries on the musical influences of the Appalachian region and culture and continues to add more shows to its airwaves. For more information on Radio Bristol and it’s programming, or to listen to the station online, visit ListenRadioBristol.org.

A verse to Ed Snodderly’s song “The Diamond Stream” is permanently etched upon the wall in the Hall of Honor at the Country Music Hall of Fame, yet the legacy of this multi-talented musician, songwriter, playwright, and actor extends far beyond the carefully crafted lyrics in his impressive catalogue. Among Snodderly’s gifts to our region — and beyond — is a small listening room in Johnson City, Tennessee, known as The Down Home. Established in 1976, Snodderly’s esteemed venue has served as a sacred rite of passage for musicians and a trusted source of consistently good live music for audiences who prefer the band to be front and center instead of background noise. The intimate stage has hosted iconic talent such as Townes Van Zandt, Lucinda Williams, Newgrass Revival, and Alison Krauss, to name a few, and it remains one of the most respected venues in our region.

On Friday, May 5, 2017 at 7:00 p.m., Ed Snodderly ventures to Bristol to share his own music — songs from his latest release, Record Shop — in another intimate space: the Performance Theater at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. This concert will air simultaneously on Radio Bristol.

“Radio Bristol Premieres is an avenue for artists to showcase new music and discuss their inspiration for creating it,” said Kris Truelsen, Radio Bristol producer. “Ed Snodderly is one of our region’s most gifted and enduring songwriters. Radio Bristol is honored to host him at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum.”

Snodderly’s songs have been recorded by artists such as Sam Bush, Missy Raines, Jerry Douglas, and John Cowan, and his music continues to draw from the deep well of traditional, Appalachian influences. His thoughtful lyricism and skilled musicianship paint mesmeric landscapes of a distinctly southern panorama. A highly engaging entertainer, Snodderly is a modern classic whose music goes down as smooth as Tennessee Tea.

To be part of the studio audience for Radio Bristol Presents: Ed Snodderly, tickets are available for $20 online at BirthplaceOfCountryMusic.org and at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. Doors to the show open at 6:30 p.m. Listeners may tune into Radio Bristol at 100.1 FM in the Bristol area, online at ListenRadioBristol.org, or through the station’s free mobile app.

PURCHASE TICKETS

Radio Bristol will feature Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers and the Helen Highwater Stringband, comprised of revered acoustic musicians David Grier, Missy Raines, Mike Compton, and Shadd Cobb on the next Farm & Fun Time Thursday, March 9 at 7:00 p.m.

The live radio show is fast becoming a regional favorite among concert-goers looking for something more than just great music—it’s a full-on variety show experience that’s part humor and part poignant storytelling, garnished with great musical performances.

Tickets to be part of the studio audience are on sale now for $25 and usually sell out quickly.

Click here for more on the bands and to purchase tickets.

The Birthplace of Country Music is proud to announce that our very own Kris Truelsen, producer at Radio Bristol, has been accepted into the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Leadership Bluegrass program.

“Leadership bluegrass is designed to pull together a cross section of people with exhibited or potential leadership qualities into a network of learning and communication. The results will foster a broad-based understanding of the total needs of the bluegrass community, which will help participants better prepare to determine goals of the particular organization, company or group in which they serve.”

Professor Lee Bidgood, host of Radio Bristol program Over the Waves and faculty at the East Tennessee State University Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music program, will also take part in this year’s Leadership Bluegrass program.

Congratulations, Kris and Lee!

Visit www.ibma.org to learn more about the International Music Association’s Leadership Bluegrass program.