Roots Radio WMOT 89.5 FM has a new outpost in East Nashville, and Program Director Jessie Scott gives us a preview
WMOT has a new studio space at Riverside Revival. As I contemplated how to categorize it, I started thinking back on all the times in my life that I have experienced what I call the “Clubhouse Effect,” when the door opens to a scene inside that is instantly welcoming.
I must’ve been about 14 years old when I stumbled down a country lane into an (ahem) ‘establishment’ that had been a speakeasy during prohibition. The Mar-Keys song “Last Night” played, making me want to dance. However, I had to learn how to do the latest fad, The Slop, having possessed no skill beyond the white glove waltzes, cha-chas, and fox trots de rigueur in the ’60s.
This “Clubhouse Effect” has happened so often that I can’t count, but you never forget a feeling. The first time I was welcomed into the green room at Riverside Revival was on the night of The High Hawks’ debut there. I felt the spirit then for sure, and have on many subsequent nights at Riverside Revival during intimate sessions for WMOT’s monthly members concert series “Wired In.”
Inclusion is a delightfully warm feeling; nothing is better than being part of a community where we share each other’s gifts and presence. That is true whether in person or virtually, through the magic of the airwaves.
Many of you are likely aware that WMOT is headquartered at MTSU in Murfreesboro and that, for several years, we have been looking to add a space in Nashville to make it easier for artists to come to see us. I-24 is hard to navigate at rush hour, and getting musicians back in time for their evening gigs has become increasingly difficult after visiting us on air in the afternoon.
The studio was born as a partnership with the Boedecker Foundation, and it fit the bill perfectly for WMOT to have a “clubhouse” in East Nashville. So many artists have already shared that they live ‘around the corner,’ ‘walking distance,’ or ‘five minutes away.’ Our studio is a calm oasis in a community of creatives. So many folks we play at WMOT call East Nashville home. One of the best things is that our clubhouse is a state-of-the-art audio and video studio, so we don’t keep the coolness to ourselves.
Radio has been part of my awareness from my earliest days, and through my decades-long career, it is an ongoing love. We paint pictures with sounds to provide a soundtrack for you no matter what you are doing or where you are. A case in point: we just got a sweet note from a new listener in Australia, who said, “I have just found my spiritual radio home.”
People listen to WMOT locally, across the United States, and even worldwide, so we get to wrap our arms around the music and share it with like-minded folks everywhere. Our streaming numbers go up every month, as friends tell friends. We couldn’t be prouder of our growth during our eight-year tenure, as we have become the premier Americana radio station in the country. We wouldn’t be seeing this interest without the remarkable music produced in the American Roots realm.
Does Americana have an audience? You bet it does. People are thirsty for real music made by actual humans. We like to say it’s not for everyone, but if you yearn for meaningful music with emotional depth, you will find it — from the sublime to the ridiculous — at WMOT. And you will find us creating long-form shows, spinning records, weaving stories, and providing room for artists to tell tales and share their music in our new digs. We get to bring it to the world from this beautiful new space.
WMOT’s mission is to honor the past as we usher in the future. We can’t wait for you to visit us for a “Wired In,” an artist session, or a listening party, and who knows what else we might conjure up. And thanks for listening on the radio in over 40 counties in Middle Tennessee, online, or on the WMOT app. We’ll keep it coming. That’s a promise. And yes, we still play The Mar-Keys “Last Night.” (Of course we do!)
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