The Birthplace of Country Music Hosts Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, Concerts, Workshops, Films and Museum Day Live! in September

BRISTOL, TN/VA – September is definitely the month to plan a visit to Bristol, the Birthplace of Country Music, as the calendar is packed with concerts, songwriting workshops, two film screenings, and the award-winning 17th annual Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion. In addition, patrons will also get to experience free activities and admission to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum during the 13th annual Smithsonian magazine’s Museum Day Live!

Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion

Sept. 15-17

This September 15–17 more than 130 acts will perform across 20 stages around State Street in Historic Downtown, Bristol, TN/VA. Throughout the three-day festival, experience performances from the following acts: Dwight Yoakam, Judah and the Lion, Jerry Douglas Presents The Earls of Leicester, Son Volt, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Deer Tick, Will Hoge, The Infamous Stringdusters, Chris Knight, Lonesome River Band, The Dustbowl Revival, Mandolin Orange, Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys, Mark O’Connor ft. the O’Connor Band, Amanda Shires, The SteelDrivers, Folk Soul Revival, Amythyst Kiah, and many others.

Attendees will also be presented with a 90th Anniversary Celebration performance honoring the 1927 Bristol Sessions on Sunday, Sept. 17. Screenings of Born In Bristol, the docudrama starring Dolly Parton, Vince Gill, Eric Church, Emmylou Harris, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver and more, will be held at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum during the festival. The film tells the story of the 1927 Bristol Sessions and its vast influence on the soundtrack of today. Considered the most influential country music recordings in history, the 1927 Bristol Sessions are listed among the 50 most significant sound recording events of all time by the Library of Congress.

In addition, Radio Bristol will host its Farm and Fun Time live variety show with house band Bill and the Belles and special guests The Earls of Leicester and The Cactus Blossoms. Three-day festival passes are currently $85 with day passes starting at $40.

Friends of 1927 Concert featuring Mike Farris

7:30 p.m. ET Sept. 7

Birthplace of Country Music Museum

The September Friends of 1927 Concert Series features the Grammy Award-winning artist Mike Farris. In 2015, Farris became the first artist to receive a Grammy Award for “Best Roots Gospel Album” for his release Shine for All the People. Known as a powerhouse vocalist with blue-eyed soul, he has also earned Americana Music Awards and Dove Awards. This Friends of 1927 Concert is a unique concert experience where fans have the opportunity to interact with the artists in a relaxed setting over drinks and hors d’oeuvres, all included in the ticket price. Tickets can be purchased by clicking here.

Songs Come Apart: A Workshop with Ed Snodderly

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET Sept. 9

Birthplace of Country Music Museum

During the Songs Come Apart workshop, renowned songwriter Ed Snodderly will pull apart one of his songs to delve deep into the songwriting craft – looking at the ways lyrics come together, the harmony of the words used, and the way a song changes from inception to final cut. To really get the full benefit of the workshop, participants are encouraged (but not required) to bring their own works in progress, giving you the opportunity to take apart your song and put it back together with Snodderly’s guidance. Places are limited to 16 people.

Film Screening: May It Last: A Portrait of The Avett Brothers

7 p.m. ET Sept. 12

Marquee Cinemas – Pinnacle 12

From longtime fans Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio and filmed with extraordinary access over the course of more than two years, May It Last is an intimate portrait of the acclaimed North Carolina band The Avett Brothers. The film charts their decade-and-a-half rise while chronicling their present-day collaboration with famed producer Rick Rubin on the multi-Grammy-nominated album True Sadness, which was released on American Recordings/Republic Records. With the recording process as a backdrop, the film depicts a lifelong bond and unique creative partnership, as band members undergo marriage, divorce, parenthood, illness, and the challenges of the music business.

Museum Day Live! featuring a Screening of American Experience: Tesla

10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET Sept. 23

Screening at 1 p.m. ET

The Birthplace of Country Music Museum

The Birthplace of Country Music Museum will open its doors free of charge on Saturday, September 23 as part of Smithsonian magazine’s 13th annual Museum Day Live! Participating museums across the United States emulate the spirit of the Smithsonian Institution’s Washington DC-based facilities, which offer free admission every day, and open their doors for free to those who download a Museum Day Live! ticket.

The PBS Documentary American Experience: Tesla takes a look at Nikola Tesla who came to be seen by many as a tragic figure. This visionary engineer died impoverished and largely forgotten, eclipsed by names such as Edison and Marconi. A tireless inventor who registered numerous patents and developed many working prototypes, Tesla would become most famous for dazzling demonstrations of his innovation and creativity. His technology helped drive the electrical age in the 20th century, and his vision imagined the wireless world of today. American Experience: Tesla chronicles the life of a man whose ideas revolutionized his time, and ours. This free film screening is companion programming for the current special exhibit Things Come Apart.

Things Come Apart Special Exhibit

Now through Oct. 8

Birthplace of Country Music Museum

Through extraordinary photographs, disassembled objects and fascinating videos, the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service’s Things Come Apart exhibit reveals the inner workings of common, everyday possessions. Images of dozens of objects explore how things are designed and made and how technology has evolved over time.

Things Come Apart embraces key STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) concepts and provides an ideal environment for hands-on experimentation, tinkering, and creative makerspaces. Through support from the Smithsonian Women’s Committee, the exhibition includes three hands-on Activity Kits created by the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation’s SparkLab.

Things Come Apart is an exhibition organized by Todd McLellan and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.

For tickets and more information, visit www.birthplaceofcountrymusic.org.

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