In 2010, Alan’s wife Denise was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. “That rocked my world, as I’m sure it does every person who gets a cancer diagnosis,” she explains. “That really brought to my attention the CCA and what the organization does, and more specifically what our local Blue Note Fund does for the Nashville area.”

Click the image above to enter-to-win a pair of tickets to the sold out Ed Sheeran concert on January 22 courtesy of Nissan.

Photos by Steve Lowry, Ryman Archives

Setlist:

1. Making Mirrors
2. The Only Way
3. What Do You Want?
4. Easy Way Out
5. Eyes Wide Open
6. Smoke and Mirrors
7. State of the Art
8. Thanks for Your Time
9. Dig Your Own Hole
10. The Only Thing I Know
11. Night Drive
12. Giving Me a Chance
13. Bronte
14. Somebody That I Used to Know
    (with Missy Higgins)
15. Save Me
16. Heart’s a Mess
    Encore:
17. Seven Hours With a Backseat Driver
18. I Feel Better
19. Learnalilgivinanlovin

Tonight, catch The Shins on Conan O’Brien on TBS at 10:00 p.m. central. They are set to take our stage on Sunday, October 7.

Tuesday, October 2 David Byrne & St. Vincent come to the Ryman for a performance after the release of their newest album, “Love This Giant.” Recorded over two years largely at Water Music in Hoboken, NJ, the album is a collaboration in the truest sense of the word, with Byrne and St. Vincent (aka Annie Clark) co-writing ten of the album’s twelve tracks, and each artist penning one song individually. The album centers around an explosive brass band and is propelled by John Congleton’s drum programming. Byrne and Clark met in 2009 at the ‘Dark Was the Night’ benefit at Radio City Music Hall and were approached shortly after by the Housing Works Bookstore to collaborate on a night of music. They began composing remotely, trading song ideas and structures online while Clark toured and it quickly became apparent that they had more than just one night of music in them. Byrne performed with Clark at her ‘American Songbook’ show at Lincoln Center in 2010, and Clark contributed vocals to Byrne’s ‘Here Lies Love’ album, released the same year. Tickets are on sale here and enter to win the Hatch Print here.

On Wednesday, October 3, Gotye makes his Ryman debut. Gotye’s most recent offering “Making Mirrors” has already sold nearly two million copies internationally. The album is described as “pop at its most precise, but also electronic music at its most emotional.” The breakout hit, “Somebody That I Used to Know,” featuring Kimbra, has been number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven consecutive weeks. The song’s music video recently crossed the 200 million mark on YouTube, making it one of the most-viewed clips ever. You can still get tickets here and enter to win the Hatch Show Print here.

Emanating from the Ryman Auditorium during the spring and fall season, Opry Country Classics features performances of the country music the world knows best performed by legends of the genre as well as the rising stars the legends have influenced. Get your tickets to this Thursday’s show here.

This Friday, October 5,  Mary Chapin Carpenter, whose music has been described as “an unclassifiable hybrid of pop, folk and country,” will play on the Ryman stage. She has recorded 12 albums and has sold over 13 million records in her career. With hits like “Passionate Kisses” and “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her,” Carpenter has won five Grammy Awards (with 15 nominations), two CMA awards and two Academy of Country Music awards for her vocals. Her songs speak to the most personal of life’s details and the most universal. Recently, Carpenter was honored with the Americana Association’s esteemed “Spirit of Americana Free Speech in Music Award,” which recognizes artists who have used their work to raise awareness and promote free speech. Carpenter’s newest album, “Ashes and Roses,” has already received high praise from critics and it’s been said this one holds “some of her most interesting and intimate work yet.”  Two days after her Ryman appearance, Carpenter will be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in Nashville. Enter to win the exclusive Hatch Show Print  here.

Also on Friday, Oct. 5,  a third Amy Grant & Vince Gill Christmas at the Ryman show will go on sale. The show will be on Thursday, Dec. 18. This marks the sixth year the couple – who celebrated their twelfth anniversary this year – has performed the holiday special. “Christmas audiences are special,” Amy says. “They tend to involve the whole family, and their emotions are a wonderful mix of anticipation and reverence. It’s a thrilling experience for both of us.” The set will feature traditional holiday songs, as well as some of Amy and Vince’s biggest hits. For more information please visit their show page.

On Sunday, The Shins return to the Ryman for a performance. Formed in 1996 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, The Shins are an American indie-rock band originally created as a side project for lead vocalist, James Mercer. Songs from the critically-acclaimed first album, “Oh Inverted World,” were featured in movies such as “Garden State” and “A Guy Thing” and television series including “The OC” and “Gilmore Girls.” The band relocated to Portland, OR in 2001where they released their second album, “Chutes Too Narrow” and later released the third album “Wincing the Night Away” in 2006, which debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart. In 2012, The Shins announced their extended tour in North America where they will perform hits from their previous three albums and their newest track, “Simple Song.” You can get tickets here and enter for the chance to win the Shins Hatch Print here.

1. Artificial Nocturne
2. Youth Without Youth
3. Speed the Collapse
4. Dreams So Real
5. Empty
6. Help I’m Alive
7. Synthetica
8. Clone
9. Breathing Underwater
10. Sick Muse
11. Dead Disco
12. Stadium Love
13. Monster Hospital
14. Gold Guns Girls
15. Gimme Sympathy
    (acoustic, Emily & James)

Nashville’s own Old Crow Medicine Show will once again play the historic Ryman Auditorium, this time to ring in 2013.  This is the third year that Old Crow has celebrated the New Year on the Ryman stage, in the past bringing the audience to their feet with such hits as “Wagon Wheel” and “Caroline.”  After the first hsow was over, fans immediately began asking to make it an annual event, and they’re finally back!  Singer and fiddle player, Ketch Secor, has said: “Playing the Ryman is like coming home.  Having the chance to play that historic stage is always a humbling and inspiring experience.” Old Crow released their newest album, “Carry Me Back,” on July 17th of this year.  Pokey LaFarge & The South City Three will open the show.

Tickets go on sale Friday, September 21 and are available here.

The annual Americana Music festival brings more than 100 official performances throughout Music City and last year more than 12,000 fans enjoyed the festival’s musical events. In addition, the conference will offer daily seminars, panels and networking opportunities at venues around the city.  For more information, visit Americana Music’s website. Check your local listings, the event will also be carried live on AXS-TV.

Click here to enter to win a limited Hatch Show Print created especially for the event.

Other upcoming award shows this season include the Academy of Country Music Honors hosted by Dierks Bentley featuring Luke Bryan, Ashley Monroe, Kellie Pickler and Dailey & Vincent on September 24 (tickets here) and the International Bluegrass Music Association Awards on September 27 (more info here.)

We have two on sales happening this Friday, September 14 –  Chris Young (Nov. 15) and Ray LaMontagne (Nov. 29) both at 10:00 a.m.

November 15 will be Chris Young’s headlining debut at the Ryman.  Openers on the concert include Thomas Rhett and Joanna Smith.  Young made the announcement about the show to his fans via YouTube.

Entertainment Weekly precisely predicted the baritone-voiced Chris Young to have a “long, lucrative future ahead of him” and by all indications, the predictions are true! The ACM Male Vocalist nominee and Middle Tennessee native has scored five consecutive #1 singles, including recent chart-toppers “Tomorrow” and “You,” and all of these are certified Gold or Platinum by the RIAA. He won Breakthrough Artist of the Year and Single of the Year at the 2011 American Country Awards and has made nine national TV appearances since the release of his acclaimed third record, “NEON.”  Tickets and more information can be found here.

Also on sale Friday at 10:00 a.m. we have Ray LaMontagne (Nov. 29). LaMontagne is a folk rock-style American singer-songwriter who has been compared by critics to The Band, Van Morrison, Nick Drake, and Tim Buckley. He has cited Stephen Stills, Richard Manuel, and Rick Danko as his strongest musical influences since he began his career in 1999. LaMontagne has produced four successful albums, and his songs have been featured in many television shows and movies such as “Rescue Me,” “One Tree Hill,” “She’s The Man,” and “27 Dresses.” During his career, LaMontagne has won several awards, including a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album and a Pollstar Concert Industry Award for Best New Touring Artist.

Tickets for Ray LaMontagne are available here.  Also, don’t forget to enter to win a limited edition Hatch Show Print created especially for this concert here.

The evening of Friday, September 14 the Ryman welcomes Metric. The band is on tour as their fifth full-length studio album, “Synthetica,” was released in June 2012. Metric has been on the cutting-edge of rock and roll since the independent, worldwide release of “Fantasies” when, without the help of a label, the band managed to earn multiple radio hits throughout the world. The album sold over one million singles and 500,000 albums. Since then, Metric songs have been featured in two major films, “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World” and “Twilight Saga: Eclipse.” Their newest album is true to the band’s sound with sonically futuristic vibes; it’s a creative culmination of music made by Metric in the last ten years. The album reads like a biography of the bands musical history, with tracks ranging from suspenseful story-telling in “Artificial Noctune” and “Synthetica” to examining the fraying social state in “Youth Without Youth.”

Tickets are still available here. Ticket buyers will receive a digital download of first single “Youth Without Youth” within a week of purchase. You can enter to win the exclusive Hatch Show Print here.

Quick preview of next week: Monday 09/17 Ben Folds Five, Tuesday 09/18 Grizzly Bear and 09/21 Umphrey’s McGee.  Check out a stream of the new Grizzly Bear album “Shields” on NPR.

Make sure you’re following us on Twitter @theryman for all the latest info – concert announcements, giveaways and more!

Tickets go on sale on Friday, September 14^th at 10AM Central and are available via the Ryman box office, ryman.com, Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com, or by calling 800-745-3000.

While Young has played the Ryman as part of the Grand Ole Opry, this historic show will mark his headlining debut on the celebrated stage. Born and raised in Murfreesboro, this momentous occasion holds a special place in the heart of this middle Tennessee native.

“The first time I set foot on the Ryman stage was an unbelievable experience,” says Young. “I am so grateful for the support of my hometown crowd all of these years and saying I can’t wait for this show is an obvious understatement.”

1. Children of the Sun
2. Anabasis
3. Rakim
4. Kiko
5. Lamma Bada
6. Agape
7. Amnesia
8. Sanvean
9. Nierika
10. Opium
11. The Host of Seraphim
12. Ime Prezakias
13. Now We Are Free
14. All in Good Time
15. The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove
16. Dreams Made Flesh  (This Mortal Coil cover)
17. Song to the Siren  (Tim Buckley cover)
18. Return of the She-King
19. Rising of the Moon