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.
“We built a little back studio and we didn’t tell anyone about it,” says WMOT Program Director Jessie Scott. “It was a closed session. We didn’t have anybody watching. So they’re intimate performances where you get to be up close and personal in a serene space.”
Next week, we start sharing this music on the air and on our various social channels as The Mansion Sessions. On Sept. 3, our 7 pm Tuesday Night Special will feature songs from all eleven of our Mansion Sessions artists. And a week later, on Sept. 10, we’ll do it again with eleven more songs from the same lineup. Meanwhile, on Friday, Sept. 6, we’ll start rolling out the video performances - two songs each - from the lineup described below. First up, friend of the station Chuck Mead. We’ll play the audio at 11 am each week, while simultaneously posting the video performances to Facebook, Instagram, and our relatively new YouTube Channel.
Complicated? A little. But if you want the simple takeaway, here’s the full video release schedule with quick takes on all of the Mansion Sessions artists!
9/6 – Chuck Mead - He’s the fountain of modern twang in East Nashville, the founder of BR549 and kingpin of the 1990s Lower Broadway Revival. This summer, his WMOT appearance was part of introducing the new name of his well-traveled trio, now The Stalwarts.
9/13 - Chloe Kimes - WMOT's own Chloe Kimes (social media and events) is a talented songwriter traveling the road paved by John Hartford and Tom T. Hall. Her witty song "Coors Light" went viral this year and she's been touring more than ever.
9/20 – Chatham County Line - The NC band launched as a suit-wearing bluegrass band, and their evolution over 25 years has been smart and enriching, resulting in 2020’s lovely Strange Fascination and 2024’s exhilarating Hiyo. We visited with the band here.
9/27 – Jaime Wyatt - This California songwriter lived a stretch of outlaw life before pulling it together and becoming one of the standout outlaw singers of her time. She broke out in 2020 with the Shooter Jennings produced Neon Cross and garnered acclaim for its followup Feel Good, released last November.
10/4 – Sarah & Shannon - It’s a powerhouse duo bringing together “breathtaking” songwriter Shannon LaBrie with multi-instrumentalist Sarah Holbrook, founding sister of the fascinating Colorado string band SHEL.
10/11 – Mary Gauthier + Jaimee Harris - Here’s another special collaboration, born in love. Mary Gauthier is of course one of the greatest and most empathic songwriters of our time. Jaimee Harris has broken out recently with her wonderful Boomerang Town LP. They have been a couple for years, and they do frequent duo shows. We were lucky to experience this one.
10/18 – Denitia - This Houston native makes a “sonic world” with emotionally connected songs at the core. She’s a Black Opry alum who made 2024’s CMT Next Women Of Country list and debuted on the Grand Ole Opry this summer. Her latest album is Sunset Drive.
10/25 – Devon Gilfillian - Almost a decade ago, Devon’s self-released EP earned him industry buzz and a major label deal with Columbia. Now on the Concord Fantasy label (with Allison Russell), he seems in his element. His 2020 cut-by-cut cover album of Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On was a stunner. He’s been touring recently behind his year-old album Love You Anyway.
11/1 – Farmer Jason - The eternally scorching Jason Ringenberg loves to step away from his rock and roll self and give back to families and the next generation of music fans and makers with his charming Farmer Jason shows.
11/8 – Darrin Bradbury - Darrin, an iconoclastic East Nashville songwriter and prose stylist, was one of our “buskers” this year who strolled through the crowd with plenty of soul but no amplification.
11/15 – Elizabeth Cook - Our series wraps the same way our June ROTR did, with the smart, sometimes snarky songwriting of Elizabeth Cook, one of the architects of Nashville's alternative country scene in the 2000s. Her most recent album Aftermath is her most daring and surprising yet.