Not every community has a hearty pirate in its midst, so if you’re lucky enough to have one, remember to appreciate him, because one day the pirate could be gone, and you’ll realize how much you lost. The East Nashville music scene lost its pirate on Aug. 31, when singer, songwriter, actor and bandleader Tom Mason passed away in his home town of Minneapolis after a battle with cancer at the age of 65.

Formed in Dallas in 1992, Old 97’s became one of the seminal bands of the alternative country movement, alongside Whiskeytown, Son Volt, the Bottle Rockets and BR549. At its heart was the longtime friendship of bass player Murry Hammond and guitarist/songwriter Rhett Miller. Remarkably, across 13 albums and millions of miles, Old 97’s remains the same quartet that broke out on Bloodshot Records three decades ago. They’re still having fun and keeping company with their large base of lifelong fans. Craig made a field trip to Lexington, KY this summer to catch a show and sit down with Miller to talk about the long road and the newest album American Primitive.

Many of you have joined us for Roots On The Rivers, our boutique summer festival at the historic Two Rivers Mansion. For three years running, we’ve welcomed slates of exceptional artists from across the Americana spectrum to play nice, long sets on a great-sounding stage. The setting - the grounds of a 150-year-old antebellum home built by one of Nashville’s founding fathers - is relaxed, shady and ideal for our community to gather, converse, listen, and meet the artists. But what you don’t know, dear radio friends, is that behind the scenes at this year’s ROTR, on June 1, while the likes of Elizabeth Cook, Devon Gilfillian and Chatham County Line rocked the main stage, our crack audio/video crew produced a parallel, private concert.