WNXP and Nashville Public Radio Present a New Series Highlighting the Unsung Heroes of Nashville’s Music Industry
Music Citizens to premiere on June 20
Free celebration concert to take place on June 21 at The End
NASHVILLE, TN – May 30, 2024 – WNXP, Nashville Public Radio’s music discovery station, is excited to announce the launch of a new series that shines a long overdue light on the unsung heroes of Nashville’s music industry. Music Citizens launches its first episode (“The Lifer,” featuring The End’s Bruce Fitzpatrick) on Thursday, June 20, on 91.1 FM, at wnxp.org, and through all podcast outlets. Following the premiere, WNXP will host a free launch party and concert at The End (2219 Elliston Place) on Friday, June 21, featuring performances by Jason Ringenberg, Pujol, and Brennan Wedl. More information can be found at wnxp.org.
Furthering WNXP’s commitment to developing programming representative of its community and telling historically under-represented stories, Music Citizens spotlights local behind-the-scenes heroes of the music industry. Music Citizens tells the stories of everyone from longtime indie venue operators to HBCU opera directors, interviewing a local industry professional while explaining the crucial aspects their roles play.
“The folks featured in Music Citizens are often well-known within their worlds but largely uncelebrated outside of them, and since Nashville has the highest percentage of music business workers of anywhere in the world, there is no better place to tell these stories,” said Jason Moon Wilkins, Program Director of WNXP. “While so much of the discourse around the music business focuses on bad behavior of high-profile figures or corporations, we know that the vast majority of those who dedicate their lives to music do so because they love it, and their day-to-day contributions can be easily overlooked and underappreciated.”
The series’ first episode, “The Lifer,” profiles The End’s longtime venue owner/operator and local legend Bruce Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick has been a supporter of Nashville various music scenes for decades – from punk rock to hip hop to EDM. For more than 40 years, Fitzpatrick has been a reliable connector between bands and fans dating back to his time at Murfreesboro’s short lived K.O. Jams or as the longtime booker for the Exit/IN (where he served a then-unknown Red Hot Chili Peppers Thanksgiving dinner on the venue’s bar). Since 1999, The End has been a go-to venue for all ages shows or the first stop for major musicians on the rise, from The White Stripes to Paramore.
To celebrate the launch of Music Citizens, WNXP is partnering with The End for a free concert featuring multiple artists whose voices are featured in the episode. Happening June 21 – which also happens to be Fitzpatrick’s 81st birthday – the celebration features performances from Jason Ringenberg (of Jason & the Scorchers, who played their first-ever show on a bill Fitzpatrick booked in the 80s), Pujol (frequent performer at The End since the 2010s), and Brennan Wedl (rising star in the Nashville signed to the legendary indie label Kill Rock Stars).
Future episodes and launch parties to be announced at a later date.
Music Citizens Launch Party
Friday, June 21, 7:00 PM
The End, 2219 Elliston Place
Ticket Price: Free
Music Citizens Production Credits
Created by: Jason Moon Wilkins, Program Director, WNXP
Lead reporter: Justin Barney, WNXP
Lead editor/producer: Emily Siner
Additional production: Michael Pollard, WNXP
With contributions from multiple members of the WNXP and WPLN staff
Music Citizens is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Tennessee Arts Commission, Metro Arts Thrive, and the First Horizon Foundation. To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.
About Nashville Public Radio:
Nashville Public Radio serves Middle Tennessee by providing trusted in-depth news, engaging music and unique cultural programs on 90.3 FM WPLN News, 91.1 WNXP Nashville’s Music Experience, Nashville Classical Radio, WPLN International, and online at nashvillepublicradio.org. For more than 50 years, listeners have turned to this community-supported service for programming that inspires conversation and curiosity, educates, and entertains.
