NASHVILLE UNLIMITED
"Nashville Unlimited" is a term coined by Dave Pomeroy to describe the amazing diversity and strength of Nashville's music scene and the ability of a unified community to effect positive change in our city and the world with the positive power of music. Idealistic yes, but if we can't dream, what could ever be accomplished?
A radio show, an annual Christmas concert for the homeless, and much more.. this is "Nashville Unlimited".
THE “NASHVILLE UNLIMITED” CHRISTMAS CONCERT: an Earwave holiday tradition - raising funds for the Nashville's ROOM IN THE INN homeless program.
Every
year at Christmastime, Bassist/Producer Dave Pomeroy pulls together a dazzling
array of the finest singers and players in Music City for his annual holiday
concert benefiting Nashville’s Campus for Human Development’s “Room In The Inn”
homeless program. Past performers
have included John Prine, The Fisk Jubilee Singers, Tim O'Brien, Emmylou
Harris, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Maura O'Connell, Sam Bush, Suzy Bogguss, and
Ashley Cleveland, just to name a few. Since 1992, Pomeroy’s holiday concerts
have raised over $100,000 for the Room In The Inn program.
The 11th Annual "Nashville Unlimited" Christmas Concert will be held Wednesday, December 15th, 2010 at 7 p.m. in the beautiful sanctuary of Christ Church Cathedral at 900 Broadway in downtown Nashville. Performers already confirmed include Emmylou Harris, Buddy Miller, Three Ring Circle, Music City Baroque, The Duffy Jackson Big Band, Vinnie Vidivici, Nashville Mandolin Ensemble, and as always, some special "Mystery Guests". Hosted by Dave with singer/songwriter Don Henry, the concert is free, with a suggested minimum donation of $20. All proceeds go to Room In The Inn.
Last year's "Nashville Unlimited" Christmas Concert was one of the most successful ever, raising over $7,000. However, the noble work of Room In the Inn is never done. We hope you will join us in celebrating the season with great holiday music while raising much needed funds and increasing Nashville's awareness of the great acts of love, kindness and understanding done for our community by Room In The Inn over the past 20 years. For more info, contact Dave Pomeroy at 244-9514 x 223 or Room In the Inn at 251-7019.
Here's some history on the development of the "Nashville Unlimited" concept...
"NASHVILLE UNLIMITED"
While Nashville, Tennessee may be best known for its country music, it is also home to an unprecedented abundance of virtuoso instrumentalists, vocalists, and songwriters working in every genre of contemporary music, from bluegrass to jazz, pop, folk, blues, R&B, rock, and beyond. Enter Nashville Unlimited, a radio show and concert series that explores the total spectrum of Music City’s constantly evolving musical landscape.
What is "Nashville Unlimited"? it's a musical concept embracing the idea that Nashville's musical community is one of the most talented and diverse to be found anywhere on the planet, and that it should be celebrated and shared with the rest of the world. Bassist/Producer Dave Pomeroy is one of the spearheads of this movement, and under the "Nashville Unlimited" banner, he has created a"live in the studio" radio show, a stellar concert series, and a TV show in the making.
"Nashville Unlimited" aired as a 13 week Public Radio series in 1999 and 2000, and a series of bi-annual "Nashville Unlimited" concerts began at the Summer NAMM convention in 2000, as well as an annual NU Christmas Benefit Concert for the ROOM IN THE INN homeless program that also began in 2000. The Christmas concerts in particular have been a huge success, resulting in raising well over $25,000 from 1999 to 2004 for this most deserving charity as well as spawning NU radio specials that have aired on various radio stations locally, including Nashville Publice Radio, Radio Lightning and The Phoenix.
The latest result of the "NU experience" is a the Nashville Unlimited Christmas CD, which is a non profit venture to raise money for the ROOM IN THE INN homeless program. This limited edition CD features highlights of the first three Christmas Concerts, with performances from John Prine, Maura O'Connell, The Nashville Mandolin Ensemble, Suzy Boggus, Riders In The Sky, The Gypsy Hombres, Darrell Scott and many other wonderful performers, recorded live in the beautiful Christ Church Cathedral in downtown Nashville. Please go to the Earwave CD store on this website to purchase this special CD, while you can!
THE RADIO SERIES - 1999/2000
The creator, producer, and host of Nashville Unlimited is respected studio musician Dave Pomeroy, whose diverse musical background, extensive knowledge of the Nashville scene, and comfortable stage presence make him a natural host and interviewer. Grammy Award winning songwriter Don Henry (Where’ve You Been) is a witty and enthusiastic co-host, and versatile percussionist Sam Bacco joins Pomeroy as the house rhythm section.
The shows are taped "live in the studio" in front of a small audience, combining the intimacy of a living room setting with state of the art digital recording technology. Exciting live performances and insightful interview segments take listeners on a fascinating journey into the heart and soul of the real "Music City". The informal atmosphere is an ideal setting for unusual artist collaborations and "jam sessions", lending an air of unpredictability to the proceedings.
The first series of 13 shows featured 39 world class performers, including legendary guitarist Duane Eddy, Texas songwriting icon Guy Clark, "Newgrass" pioneer Sam Bush, mountain bluesman Aashid Himons, Americana favorite Tim O'Brien, contemporary Christian guitar wizard Phil Keaggy, Native American performer Bill Miller, hit songwriter and recording artist Gretchen Peters, and many more. With such a huge talent pool to draw from, these initial guests are just the tip of the iceberg.
While it is based upon the classic concept of the live radio show, Nashville Unlimited is also positioned on the cutting edge of today’s rapidly evolving music scene. As we move into the 21st century, the continued success of Nashville's music will come from the strength and variety of all of its components working together. The future is - unlimited!
Here's what a few of our listeners are saying...
"I am so glad to see a quality show about the contemporary music scene in Nashville. Nashville has such an incredible resource in its music community, right now - today. It's one of the best kept secrets in broadcasting. In a few years, music historians will be doing programs about Nashville in the late 20th century, when everybody who was here is dead and gone. Why wait? I am really excited about "Nashville Unlimited" and I look forward to many more juicy issues like the ones that have aired so far. Keep up the good work!"
"This show provides excellent access for people to discover the diversity of Nashville-area talent in an appealingly clear, conversational, and often funny context."
"I'd like to throw my two cents worth of endorsement for Dave Pomeroy's Nashville Unlimited. This is an interesting and diverse effort showing of some of the remarkably gifted talent in the Nashville area that, while not always in the commercial mainstream, is truly worthy of being heard in a bigger forum than local clubs. I sincerely hope this program will be given the opportunity to stick around. It's worthwhile to all of us."
"A big plus on Nashville Unlimited! It's amazing the depth and variety of talent that is in the Nashville area. There is no other venue that gives us a way of finding that out."
"This is a unique opportunity to showcase the depth and diversity of Nashville's music to the rest of the world", says Dave, who offers many thanks to the local community's positive response to the show, and everyone whose efforts have made Nashville Unlimited a reality. Listed below are the guest lineups for the first 13 shows. The weekly one hour show began airing locally in July 1999, and went out via satellite uplink to the rest of the world in November 1999. Call your local public radio station for more details. We will give out national broadcast information as it develops.
Earwave is currently seeking local and/or corporate funding for more shows. We are also looking into making all of these shows available for listening/purchase via the Internet in the near future, and is also compiling a "Best of" CD. Watch this space for further developments!
The First Season's Shows:
- Gretchen Peters, Del McCoury Band, Victor Mecyssne.
- Jamie Hartford, April Barrows, Tim O'Brien
- Jeff Black, Jonell Mosser, Guy Clark
- Butch Baldassari Trio, Angela Kaset, Bill Lloyd
- Carl Jackson/Larry Cordle/Jerry Salley, Bee Gee Adair, Craig Fuller
- Clive Gregson, Allison Moorer, Blue Healer
- Bone Pony, Phil Keaggy, Bill Miller
- Swan Dive, Wendy Waldman, Brent Mason (Recorded at Caffe Milano)
- Aashid Himons, Jellyroll Johnson w/Verlon Thompson and Fred Knobloch, and Kirby Shelstad
- Kami Lyle, Dana Cooper, Duane Eddy
- Stacey Earle, Daniel Tashian, Andy Tubman, Sam Bush w/Jon Randall.
- Jim Lauderdale, Ruby Amanfu, Greg Trooper, and Duane Jarvis.
- Highlights from the first 12 shows, and an exclusive interview w/ Chet Atkins.
Stay Tuned...