Pass the Mic: Creating a Stage for Change

For this episode of Pass the Mic, we talked to Knoxville-based musician Andrea Kukuly Uriarte   (they/them). Andrea performed with their band Rica Chicha at the 2023 Big Ears Festival, which was described by   Oxford American   as "one of the most quietly earth-shattering, subtly luminous festivals the world over. Rica Chicha's sound is inspired by psychedelic Peruvian cumbia groups of the 1960s,...

For this episode of Pass the Mic: Creating a Stage for Change, we sat down to chat with two Knoxville based jazz pianists: Donald Brown and Taber Gable. These two talented musicians represent different generations, yet share some common experiences and a passion for nurturing others in their East Tennessee communities through the arts.   Donald Brown is an accomplished pianist, composer, and produ...

For close to a century, the Grand Ole Opry has been at the heart of country music. Despite country music's roots in African American culture and traditional African instruments, Black musicians only represent 1% of the Grand Ole Opry…but the Black Opry is changing that. In this episode, we sit down with Holly G, the founder of the Black Opry, and East Tennessee's own Kelle Jolly to learn more abou...

GRAMMY-nominated Allison Russell joins the Tennessee Theatre on this special sneak peek episode. Allison discusses her work on Love Rising, recent gun violence that has impacted Nashville and the entire country, as well the role arts can play in making changes. Allison Russell is a Canadian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, poet, and activist. She released her first solo album, Outside Chi...