Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion makes Virginia Living Magazine’s Best of Virginia 2012 issue, placing third in the online reader’s poll as one of Southwest Virginia’s “Best Large Music Venues”.  Floydfest, another Affiliate Partner along The Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail, placed first.

“It’s a great honor because it was voted on by the public,” says BCMA/BRRR Executive Director Leah Ross, “and we are thrilled for the folks at Floydfest.  They shattered attendance records last year and always put on a quality event.  We’re in great company here in Southwest Virginia!  A sincere ‘thank you’ to everyone who voted!”

Folk Soul Revival and Susan Brown & Friends placed second and third among the issue’s “Best Local Bands”.  At Bristol Rhythm 2011 Folk Soul Revival was voted “Favorite Virginia Band” by the folks at Virginia is for Lovers; both acts will perform at Bristol Rhythm 2012.

Virginia Living’s Best of Virginia 2012 is out at newsstands, or can be purchased online.

The festival as a whole received the Pinnacle for Special Events in the Cultural Arts Classification.  A second trophy was achieved for Multi-Media Advertising & Promotions, Cultural Arts Classification, for their “Stateline” Viral Video released on Bristol Rhythm’s YouTube Channel last year.

Click here to watch Bristol Rhythm “Stateline” video

The video, produced by WCYB News 5 Creative Services producer Richard Greene, is a two minute music montage of photographs taken by Virginia Intermont College Photography students & staff during Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion.  The song chosen for the video, “Stateline”, was written by Clay Prewitt and performed by his band These Undowners, a popular, locally-based Americana group that will be performing at this year’s festival.

Bristol Chamber of Commerce Convention & Visitors Bureau shared a Pinnacle with Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion and Birthplace of Country Music Alliance in the category of Public Relations, Hospitality Organization, the for an episode of Music Voyager travel series entitled “Bristol as the Birthplace of Country Music”.

Of the 17 Pinnacle trophies awarded, six of them came home to Bristol:

City of Bristol, TN, Department of Community Relations, Advertising & Promotions Category, Municipalities, State Street Farmer’s Market 2011 Poster Series – “Bristol by the Bushel”.

City of Bristol, TN Department of Community Relations, Public Relations, Municipality, “50 Years of BMS History”.  They also won a merit award in this category for “Viking Hall 39th Anniversary Celebration”.

Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion and Birthplace of Country Music Alliance humbly thanks Northeast Tennessee Tourism Association for their recognition, and congratulates our friends at the City of Bristol, TN Department of Community Relations on their well-deserved Pinnacle honors!

The free concert series many regard as a “little Bristol Rhythm & Roots” returns this Spring/Summer to State Street in Historic Downtown Bristol, TN/VA with scorching live music, food, arts & crafts, and fun for the kids. For 13 years Border Bash has been bringing music and families together in Downtown in an effort to help establish State Street’s identity a good place to live, work and play. The first Border Bash was little more than a small, monthly block party with less than 100 participants.

“Since that time, our event has grown to eight separate events, with children’s activities, food, arts and crafts vendors and between 750 to 1,000 participants each time,” says Believe in Bristol Executive Director Christina Blevins. This growth is due in part to the collaborative efforts of Believe in Bristol, Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, The Birthplace of Country Music Alliance and the Cities of Bristol.

Border Bash happenings are the first and third Fridays of each month, May through August. The first Border Bash of the 2012 season lands on Friday, May 4th. Children’s activities start at 6:00pm, live music begins at 7:00pm. State Street will be closed off at the 800 block, near the Downtown Center, for both May events.

Atlanta’s The Whiskey Gentry and Nashville’s JP Harris & The Tough Choices are slated to kick off Border Bash May 4th. Both bands are also scheduled for May 5th in Wise, VA at Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion’s Concert Series @Big Glades.

The Whiskey Gentry: If Alison Krauss & Union Stage had an edge, they might be something like The Whiskey Gentry. Irreverant storytelling, traditional with a twist, The Whiskey Gentry kicks off this year’s Border Bash in true Bristol Rhythm fashion. Paste Magazine raves, “…the band effortlessly marries old country and new grit, carrying you along into the Appalachians with the pull of a landslide.” Want to see what a Whiskey Gentry live show is all about? CLICK HERE!

Listen to The Whiskey Gentry live on WETS FM 89.5 Studio One with Dave Carter Saturday, May 5th at 1:00pm. The show will also stream on WETS-HD-1 and wets.org.

JP Harris & the Tough Choices: Before the words “new” or “pop” were ever associated with country music, there was good ole fashioned honky tonk. That’s where JP Harris & The Tough Choices live. Keep it country, keep it simple, that’s the motto. Like George Jones and Billy Joe Shaver, JP Harris’ songwriting is the real deal, and his sound is as true as the words he puts to them. CLICK HERE to check out this awesome video shot by Live & Breathing during Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion at the Train Station.

You can see JP Harris & The Tough Choices live on WCYB News 5 at Noon Friday, May 4th. They’ll post performance on wcyb.com after broadcast.

Also see The Whiskey Gentry and JP Harris & The Tough Choices at Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion in September.

Border Bash would like to thank our community Sponsors for helping us bring our show on the road! AACA, Bank of Tennessee, Bristol Herald Courier, Bristol Virginia Utilities, Blakley-Mitchell Co., Campbell Printing of Bristol, Citizens Bank, City of Bristol, TN, City of Bristol, VA, Coca-Cola Distributing, Cranberry Lane, Cumulus, Dent K. Burk Associates, Edward Jones Investments, Rob Simis, Express AV Productions, First Tennessee Foundation, Inari Wines, J.A. Street & Associates, Kerr-Boswell Inc., Kil’n Time Ceramics, Merrill Lynch, Nash & Powers Insurance, Penn Stuart, Serendipity, Spiegler Blevins & Company, Strongwell, Tom & Barbara Smith, Tri-City Tent & Event, Wal-Mart, Walling Distributing, WCYB News5, William & Brenda Johnstone.

In 2009 Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion set out to expand their concert series to the underserved region of Wise, Virginia, working through a partnership with The University of Virginia’s College at Wise. The series, housed on the UVa-Wise campus, has now changed location to the beautiful new Big Glades Community Square on East Main Street. Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion’s Music Committee Co-Chair, Dave Stallard, was instrumental in bringing the series to the town.

“This is one of the most exciting seasons we have ever had over here in Wise. We are at a brand new venue – Big Glades Community Square, right in Downtown Wise – and we are bringing in our best, and most eclectic, line up to date. We have country, bluegrass, jazz, and rockin’ Americana,” Stallard explains.

“Our goal is to offer the bands coming to Bristol for the Reunion in September some extra exposure. It’s good for everyone involved – the bands get to showcase their music, we bring great live music to the mountains, and we remind everyone just how great these bands that fly outside the mainstream really are. It’s going to be a great season of live music here in Wise!”

Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion’s Concert Series @Big Glades wouldn’t be possible without the support of our community Sponsors. Much thanks to our friends Alpha Natural Resources, Walling Distributing Company, Town of Wise, Cavalier Pharmacy, Pro-Art, Dr. William C. Horne, Jr., DDS, The University of Virginia’s College at Wise, The Inn at Norton.

The Birthplace of Country Music Alliance and Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion is rolling up their sleeves-and hoping you will, too!-for Marsh Regional Blood Center.

The Blood Mobile will be parked at 416 State Street, Bristol, TN on Friday, April 6th, 2012 from 11:00am to 4:00pm. Each donor receives an in-stock t-shirt of choice, $5 off a 2012 Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion Weekend Pass and a chance to win a pair of Weekend Passes to BRRR 2012.

All donations stay in Bristol, you could help save a neighbor’s life! To sign up call (423) 652-0255 or (423) 573-4898. Walk-ins welcome!

Saturday, March 31st – Bentley (Jared & Vanessa Bentley) @Machiavelli’s-8:30pm

Friends of 1927 are 1,927 people giving $520 to raise $1 million for the Birthplace of Country Music Cultural Heritage Center.  A large plaque featuring the names of these founding Friends will adorn the halls of the center once it is built.  The music community in the Bristol area deserves the honor of being among them.

As it sometimes goes with “starving artists”, verbal support is often easier than the financial part.   So the BCMA is helping them raise the money to become an Artist for 1927 by using their gigs as mini-fundraisers so their fans can give them that gift.

The fundraisers will continue through May.  Any artist who wishes to host a fundraiser should contact Charlene Baker at 423-573-4898.