October 21, 2019 – Nashville, TN – On the second Thursday of October, Nashville residents and music fans celebrated the return of Dancin’ In The District by doing exactly what the event’s name suggests: dancing. The Riverfront rocked with Leftover Salmon, JoJo Herman & Slim Wednesday, Space Capone, Alanna Royale, and Tennessee Muscle Candy, along with Nashville Legends Jam featuring Pat McLaughlin, Rodney Crowell, The McCrary Sisters, and Joe Bonamassa. And in true Nashville fashion, the house band—Kenny Greenberg on guitar, Michael Rhodes on bass, and Chad Cromwell on drums—was legendary, too. The mission of Dancin’ has always been to reconnect locals and the music scene to Nashville’s famed Lower Broadway district. Founder, Tom Morales, puts it this way, “As Nashville begins to face another identity crisis we felt the revival of such an event as Dancin’ in the District would be a perfect opportunity to remind locals, especially those new to Nashville, that Lower Broadway was once a platform for music discovery. This free community event brought music back downtown and we’re working hard to do it again.”
Dancin’ was the first of many events to be produced by Acme Radio Company, the newly established 501(c)(3) non-profit arm of Acme Radio Live. Carl Gatti, Acme’s Director of Entertainment, expounds, “From day 1, Acme Radio has focused on the discovery and preservation of Nashville. As the city grows, we have gained a better understanding of just how important our original mission statement is. To continue our focus, we launched the Acme Radio 501(c)(3) to expand upon discovery and preservation opportunities throughout the community and allow other like-minded businesses, brands, charities, artists, and individuals help us accomplish this goal.”
This year’s event supported the work of Music Health Alliance (MHA), a non-profit organization whose free advocacy services help protect, direct, and connect members of the music community with healthcare and financial solutions. Dancin’ raised $10,000 and presented MHA with a check on Oct. 18, Heal The Music Day. Morales comments, “Music Health Alliance shares the same mission as Acme Radio Company and Dancin’ in the District which is supporting the authentic music community here in Nashville. These musicians are living with a day job and a dream, and MHA makes sure they don’t have to worry about how they’re going to receive healthcare while they’re doing it. The partnership was an easy choice and we couldn’t be more honored to present them with this check.”
with a check on Oct. 18, Heal The Music Day
Pictured left to right: Carson Bedenbaugh (Dancin’), Lauren Morales (Dancin’), Shelia Shipley Biddy (MHA), Tom Morales (Dancin’), Tatum Allsep (MHA), Tricia Higbee (Dancin’)
Shelia Shipley Biddy, Music Health Alliance COO, and Certified Senior Advisor echoes the sentiment. “We are blessed to have the continued support of Acme Feed & Seed. Standing on the stage at Dancin’ and staring out at a huge crowd listening to music made me proud that Music Health Alliance was named a charity partner for the evening,” says Biddy. “Many of the band members and performers that night were persons helped by one of our MHA advocates. Our efforts to keep the music playing helps those who not only play the music but those who love the music as well. What an honor to be part of this special evening. This donation will support us so that our services can always remain FREE to those who need them.”
For more information on Music Health Alliance, please visit https://www.musichealthalliance.com/.
