I believe one of the main goals in life is to enjoy our work. If you’re in a dead-end job, find another. Plenty of people disrupt their own livelihood and others with their dissatisfaction at work. That’s not the case here in Kingsport (at least most of the time).
Not only do we get to work with cool people and companies who make a difference in the mountains of East Tennessee, but this past week we launched an exciting, fun entertainment website for the Bristol Rhythm and Roots Festival. Now in its seventh year, this event has quickly become one of the most popular regional music festivals in East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia – all right here at the Birthplace of Country Music – Bristol, Tennessee.
This weekend, over 200,000 fans will descend into Bristol for the Food City 500. We’re proud of Food City‘s continued support of this incredible stock-car race at the modern-day Roman coliseum – The Bristol Motor Speedway and as usual, this NASCAR event has been sold out for months in advance.
There’s another important event later in the year that’s gaining the attention of thousands though that love great American music, particularly Americana, Bluegrass and Country Music. The Bristol Rhythm and Roots Festival, is certain to set attendance records again this year as it continues to attract the attention of artists, fans and supporters from around the world.
My staff at The GoTriCities Network are thrilled to be working with their event organizers on a new design and architecture for their website. We’ll be shining the spotlight on a number of concerts this year and working with these enthusiastic and music fans to manage their website with the use of our custom software.
They refer to Bristol as the Bethlehem of Country Music because one important event. In the summer of 1927, Ralph Peer with the Victor Talking Machine Company came into town and compiled early recordings from local musicians like Jimmie Rogers, The Carter Family, Ernest “Pop” Stoneman and others. In all, 19 artists recorded 76 songs and most scholars refer to this event as the “Big Bang” of Country Music. Once Victor released the recordings, Country Music spread from there to become what it is today.
The city of Bristol will shut-down State Street for three days, September 14-16th and feature hundreds of artists including Grammy award winners, legends, up and coming stars, regional favorites and more. If you’ve never been, plan to attend. Thousands of people enjoy music from over 12 stages in a relaxed mountainside downtown with a street that bisects Bristol, TN and Bristol, VA. You can actually stand in the middle of the road with feet in both states.
Names like Marty Stuart, Bella Fleck, Alison Kraus, Acoustic Syndicate, Junior Brown, Donna and The Buffalo, Jim Lauderdale and more. Crowds are easy-going and there’s plenty of food, crafts, art and musicians walking the streets and involved in jam sessions on every corner. The downtown merchants stay open late and you’ll find gourmet shops, nightclubs, pool halls and more in the spirit featuring live music for a price that’s outstanding at only $15.00 per day! You can buy your tickets now too by clicking here.
Our new website will be evolving each month with the event to include new announcements, press releases, an online store, photo galleries, audio, video and interactive stage and a whole lot more. The folks at Bristol Rhythm and Roots are particularly happy because we are providing our new content management software that allows them to easily update the website from any location and so far they are doing a great job as we train them with their new tools.
Throughout the year, you’ll see special concerts happening each month somewhere in Bristol and this year, you can look forward to names like Acoustic Syndicate, Tony Trishka, Gillian Welch, Carolina Chocolate Drops and others. I can hear the pickin’ now and it’s going to be something else to be proud of here in the mountains of the Appalachias.