News

FRANKLIN, TN – With the goal of shining a light on one of the most pivotal events in the city’s storied history, the Franklin Theatre announced several special presentations for November to commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Battle of Franklin.
 
The events kick off with Robert Lee Hodge’s Emmy Award-winning documentary The Battle of Franklinon Sunday, Nov. 2.  Preservationist and New York Times best-selling author Robert Hicks presents his A Guitar And A Pen radio show on Nov. 13 followed by Seeds for The Garden on Nov. 14, a benefit for the Carter Hill Garden Park.  The concert features Alison Brown, Claire Lynch, John Cowan and Forrest O’Connor.
 
The final event is a star-studded musical showcase on Nov. 28 of The 1861 Project’s third volume: The Battle of Franklin. Artists slated to appear include Bobby Bare, Kim Richey, Maura O’Connell, Sierra Hull and more.  The music includes songs inspired by actual events surrounding the Battle of Franklin in 1864.
 
“It’s important for us to observe and reflect on the significance of this defining time for our community and let live music and film draw on the stories and emotions that help us relate to our history,” says Franklin Theatre Executive Director Dan Hays.
 
Tickets for all events are available by calling the Franklin Theatre box office at (615) 538-2076 or online at www.franklintheatre.com. Advance ticket purchases are strongly encouraged due to high demand.
 
SCHEDULE

• Sun, 11/2    The Battle of Franklin  (film)
• Thur, 11/13 A Guitar And A Pen (radio show with Robert Hicks)
• Fri, 11/14     Seeds for The Garden (music with Alison Brown, Claire Lynch, John Cowan and Forrest O’Connor)
• Fri, 11/28     The 1861 Project (music with Bobby Bare, Kim Richey, Maura O’Connell, Sierra Hull and more)

 
For further information, contact:
Brian Solomon
brian@franklintheatre.com
615-538-2079

MARCIA BALL CELEBRATES NEW RELEASE WITH PERFORMANCE IN FRANKLIN!

“Rollicking roadhouse rave-ups and soulful Gulf Coast R&B.” –USA Today

Texas-born, Louisiana-raised pianist/vocalist/songwriter Marcia Ball celebrates the release of her new Alligator Records CD, THE TATTOOED LADY AND THE ALLIGATOR MAN, with a live performance on Thursday, October 30, 2014 at The Franklin Theatre in Franklin. Ball’s groove-laden New Orleans R&B, heart-wrenching ballads and driving Gulf Coast blues have made her a one-of-a-kind favorite of music fans everywhere. Her music mixes equal parts simmering soul fervor and rollicking Crescent City piano. THE TATTOOED LADY AND THE ALLIGATOR MAN is her sixth release for Alligator. Four of her previous five releases received Grammy Award nominations. Ball received the 2012 Blues Music Award (BMA) for the Pinetop Perkins Piano Player Of The Year. She has now won a total of nine BMAs and has received a whopping 42 nominations. Ball received a 2014 Living Blues Readers’ Poll Award for Most Outstanding
Musician (Keyboard) and now holds seven Living Blues Awards in all. She was inducted into the Gulf Coast Hall of Fame in 2010 and into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2012. Concert information is as follows:

Date: Thursday, October 30, 2014
Venue: The Franklin Theatre
Address: 419 Main Street
City: Franklin, TN
Phone: 615-538-2076
Showtime: 8:00pm
Ticket price: $35 classic / $40 balcony / $45 cabaret
Website: www.franklintheatre.com
*Also appearing: Gary Nicholson
*Cabaret tickets include an exclusive VIP meet and greet with Marcia Ball

Please click on the link to access digital press kit (bio, full album stream):
www.soundcloud.com/alligator-recs/sets/mb-ttlatam/s-7Jkaw
*Please do not publish or distribute this link.

Marcia Ball has earned worldwide fame for her ability to ignite a full-scale roadhouse rhythm and blues party every time she strolls onto the stage. Her groove-laden New Orleans boogie, deeply soulful ballads and rollicking Gulf Coast blues have made her a one-of-a-kind favorite with music fans all over the world.

On THE TATTOOED LADY AND THE ALLIGATOR MAN, Ball draws listeners deep into her music with instantly memorable melodies and imaginative imagery. Her songs paint vibrant musical pictures, richly detailed with characters, flavors and scenes straight out of Louisiana and Texas. With raucous horns punctuating Ball’s legendary piano pounding and emotional, melodic vocals, the new CD mixes Ball’s New Orleans R&B, swampy Louisiana ballads, and jumping, Tex-Mex flavored zydeco into a one-of-a-kind musical gumbo, a sound she has been perfecting over the course of her four-decade career.

From the poignant Just Keep Holding On to the fresh start of Clean My House to the surprising and timely The Squeeze Is On to the southern warmth of Human Kindness, Ball has delivered a set of songs so well written and so well performed, she’ll astound and delight her longtime fans and give newcomers plenty of reasons to join the party. Featuring her stellar, road-tested touring band, with help from friends Delbert McClinton and Terrance Simien and production by Grammy-winner Tom Hambridge (Buddy Guy, Joe Louis Walker, James Cotton, Susan Tedeschi), THE TATTOOED LADY AND THE ALLIGATOR MAN is happy, moving, joyful, stirring, thought-provoking, danceable and fun.

After a 1978 solo LP for Capitol and a successful series of releases on Rounder, Ball joined the Alligator Records family in 2001 with the release of the critically acclaimed Presumed Innocent. The CD took home the 2002 Blues Music Award for Blues Album Of The Year. 2004’s So Many Rivers, 2005’s Live! Down The Road, 2008’s Peace, Love & BBQ and 2011’s Roadside Attractions all received Grammy Award nominations as well as critical and popular acclaim.

The New York Times says, “Marcia Ball plays two-fisted New Orleans barrelhouse piano and sings in a husky, knowing voice about all the trouble men and women can get into on the way to a good time.” Living Blues declares, “Her originals sound like timeless classics and southern soul masterpieces that no one else can imitate.” Of the new album, Ball says, “I don’t make a record until I have something to say, stories to tell, messages to impart. I try to make records that are true to me,” she continues, “and this one couldn’t be truer.”

###

Thursday, September 4th at the Franklin Theatre

Franklin, TN — On Thursday, September 4^th Exile returns to the Franklin Theatre to benefit SAFPAW and release the live DVD and album that was recorded at the Theatre last year during their 50^th anniversary tour.

Exile has notched 11 number ones and a host of top 10’s hits through the years including: “I Don’t Want To Be A Memory,” “Give Me One More Chance,” “She’s A Miracle,” “Crazy For Your Love,” “Hang On To Your Heart,” “I Could Get Used To You,” “It’ll Be Me,” “She’s Too Good To be True” and “I Can’t Get Close Enough.” With three gold albums, two Greatest Hits CDs, several multi-platinum singles and thirteen award nominations from the Academy of Country Music (ACM) and the Country Music Association (CMA), the band has solidified its reputation in the world of country music.

SAFPAW is the Southern Alliance for People and Animal Welfare (SAFPAW), a non-profit organization in middle Tennessee helping the homeless community face the daily challenges of living in poverty with their pets.

The Franklin Theatre encourages fans to celebrate new music from an iconic group and help raise awareness and financial resources for a remarkable organization. During the event SAFPAW will be conducting auction activities for some special one-of-a-kind items during the evening.

Tickets ($30-$35) are on sale to the public at the Franklin Theatre box office (419 Main Street, Franklin, TN), online at www.franklintheatre.com/tickets/music/ or by calling 615-538-2076.

###

June 9, 10, 11 at Franklin Theatre

Franklin, TN – Sheryl Crow has enlisted an “A-list” roster to join her in concert next week at the historic Franklin Theatre to benefit New Hope Academy. Several friends – including Brad Paisley, Amy Grant, Darius Rucker, Eric Pasley and Charlie Worsham – were recently announced to join Ms. Crow on successive nights.

June 9th – Darius Rucker

June 10th  – Brad Paisley and Charlie Worsham

June 11th  – Amy Grant and Eric Paslay

“It’s amazing to live in a community with so many creative people that support one another. We’re blessed to have an institution like New Hope Academy dedicated to providing extraordinary educational opportunities while including a diverse student base, including the underprivileged,” says Ms. Crow. “These shows are one way I contribute personally and also invite my fans to help foster their success.”

New Hope is a unique non-profit school in Franklin promising an excellent, classical education with a special mission for the underprivileged. This is Ms. Crowe’s third series of shows to help raise resources and awareness for the school.

Crow has released eight studio albums with sales in excess of 35 million around the world. She has performed duets with a diverse list of luminaries such as Sting, Loretta Lynn and Mick Jagger and her most recent album, Feels Like Home, captures the sound of a great and established artist enjoying a kind of fresh start. It features songs on which Crow collaborated with her longtime guitar player and frequent co-writer Jeff Trott (with whom she co-wrote such past Crow classics as “If It Makes You Happy,” “My Favorite Mistake” and “Every Day Is A Winding Road”), as well as great Nashville songwriters such as Chris DuBois, Luke Laird, Natalie Hamby and Chris Stapleton, among others. Crow now counts a Top 20 solo country single to her long list of accolades and her current single, “Callin’ Me When I’m Lonely,” is Top 40 and climbing.

Sheryl has expanded her talents with film and television appearances, as a book author and, most important, as mother of two sons (Wyatt and Levi). Her family now makes their home in the Franklin area.

Tickets ($125 and up) are on sale to the public at the Franklin Theatre box office (419 Main Street, Franklin, TN), online at www.franklintheatre.com/tickets/music/ or by calling 615-538-2076.

***

For additional information contact:

Brian Solomon, Franklin Theatre Marketing & Public Relations

615-538-2079

brian@franklintheatre.com

Music Fills Region Highlighted by “Cross-County Lines” Festival

Venues and community leaders in Franklin, Tennessee have come together to create the Americana Experience, ten music-filled days featuring more than 50 acts performing throughout the area’s restaurants, theatres and music venues.  Events begin on Thursday May 22^nd and are highlighted by the Americana Music Association’s “Cross-County Lines” Festival (presented by Nissan) on May 31st.  The “Experience” was created to shine a light on the distinct-but-connected genres and places that make up the roots of Americana music.

For most, the term “Americana” evokes images of small towns and Norman Rockwell scenes and, more recently, has become a banner under which various styles of American roots music have found a home.  From the delta blues to bluegrass as well as Cajun, jazz, soul, country, rock and gospel…Americana is a contemporary celebration of the sounds which history helped define in the triangle roughly framed by New Orleans, Memphis and Nashville.

“We tip-off with Grammy winning Cajun artists, BeauSoleil from Lafayette, Louisiana,” says event chairman Aubrey Preston.  “And then take a musical cruise through places like Muscle Shoals, Alabama with members of the legendary Swampers, to Clarksdale, Mississippi and authentic delta-blues acts like the colorful “Super Chikan Johnson, 81 year old Leo Bud Welch and 15 year-old prodigy “Kingfish” Ingram.  We’ll wrap up on Sunday (June 1) by inviting the entire county to an unplugged gospel sing-a-long near a beautiful creek in Leiper’s Fork.”

A variety of venues have joined the festivities, including Puckett’s Grocery (both Leiper’s Fork and Franklin locations), the Lawnchair Theatre (Leiper’s Fork), the Franklin Theatre, Music City Roots (Loveless Barn), The Factory (Franklin), Grays on Main (Franklin), Kimbro’s (Franklin) and more.  A detailed schedule follows and will be updated as more events are added at www.AmericanaExperience.com. Some events are free and others are ticketed. Those events that require tickets can be purchased directly from the venues.

The crescendo of the Americana Experience happens Saturday, May 31^st with the Americana Music Association’s “Cross-County Lines” Festival featuring Patty Griffin, John Hiatt, Ashley Monroe, Brandy Clark, Joe Pug, Parker Millsap and Luther Dickenson.   This ticketed event will be hosted at The Park at Harlinsdale Farm, on Franklin Road located across from the Factory at Franklin.  For more information or tickets for the Cross-County Lines Festival, go to www.ticketmaster.com or visit the Franklin Theatre box office.

“We’re fired up about the Americana Experience and expect, in highlighting the Americana Music Triangle and the growth of the Cross-County Lines Festival, it will become a signature event for the region,” says Franklin Theatre director Dan Hays.  “There will be amazing music everywhere and a chance to see friends from around the world.”
Visit www.AmericanaExperience.com for the latest information on all shows and venues.

A New Catalyst for Creativity and Charity

Since being reinvented in 2011, the Franklin Theatre has become one of the most important cultural catalysts and social gathering places in middle Tennessee.  The historic venue reports almost 700 events were hosted last year and it has helped raise more than $1 million for area charities since reopening.

“The Franklin Theater has exceeded every dream we could imagine when we first took on the project to save it,” says Mary Pearce of the Heritage Foundation of Franklin & Williamson County.  “We continue the tradition of movies on Main Street, but the rehabilitation has added a new dimension of entertainment as it becomes better known for the world-class live music, social and charitable events.”

The caliber of talent for live music events surprises many as the 300-seat theater hosts award winning artists as diverse as The Glenn Miller Orchestra and Switchfoot to Smash Mouth and Booker T. Jones.  Sheryl Crow has become a regular (6 concerts with 3 more scheduled for June) and the iconic Art Garfunkel recently chose the venue to re-launch his singing career.  With such a high level of talent the theater boasts a 92.5% average ticket sales rate which means live shows are routinely packed.

Thanks to an investment in technical capabilities and the theater’s aesthetics, a growing number of concerts are also being filmed and recorded for worldwide distribution and national broadcast by artists like John Hiatt, Travis Tritt and David Phelps.  The space was recently used for the prime-time television series “Nashville.”

The Franklin Theatre averages around two events per day and, in addition to live music and movies, is honored to work with schools, students, police and fire departments, senior groups, press conferences, merchant groups, medical societies and major corporations.  “When you want to host a social, educational or corporate event, it’s a very engaging place.  We like to think of it as Franklin’s family room,” says theater director Dan Hays.

Professional theater company Studio Tenn has built a loyal audience in Williamson County and, while it will move to new space in The Factory this year, its growth was fostered by a relationship with the Franklin Theatre with over 50 live performances last year.

In total, more than 65,000 patrons were ticketed for events in 2013 and generated an estimated $3.5 million economic impact.  Almost 12% of patrons were visitors from outside of middle Tennessee, representing growth of 70% in that category over the prior year.

Attendees are the theater’s greatest champions as over 96% say they are “extremely” or “highly likely” to recommend events hosted at Franklin Theatre to others.  In surveys, 95% rate the quality of programming as “above average” or “excellent.”

The theater recently created a new board governance structure and recruited high profile area business and entertainment professionals to shape priorities and oversee new opportunities.  According to new board president Wendell Moore, “The theater has a compelling future and while we continue to seek out sponsors and financial support, it’s on solid financial footing.  We’re exploring new opportunities to expand on the community’s dreams and are proud of its role in reshaping the creative and social landscape of our community.”

Details about upcoming events, arrangements to rent the facilities and how to make a contribution can be found here on the theater’s website or by calling 615-538-2076.