by Taylor McKnight | Oct 25, 2020 | Arts and Entertainment, News, News Slider
In a normal October, the red carpet would be rolling out and leading into Allen Arena for the Gospel Music Association’s Dove Awards. This is not a normal October. The 51st GMA Dove Awards will not be hosted at Lipscomb; in fact, there will be no venue hosting the Dove Awards, as the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the awards show to be completely virtual, with planners trying to package it differently than a typical awards show. The gospel awards show has taken place in Lipscomb’s Allen Arena for the past seven years, and the organizers hope to be able to come back to Allen Arena in 2021. Doves producer Justin Fratt said organizers wanted to take a different approach for this year’s awards to stand out from other virtual awards shows and to maintain the relevance and power of this event. “When planning, we were thinking about what would be different, but still very compelling,” said Fratt. “We didn’t want to do it like others — we’ve seen awards shows utilizing Zoom. This will be a musical feature that celebrates the music and the message.” The planning started in the spring, and the show was recorded in mid-September at TBN studios in Hendersonville. It took three weeks to record the show, said Fratt, adding there are performances and interviews with artists, who will share stories of faith and how gospel music has gotten them through these trying times. As far as the Dove Awards’ plans to return to Lipscomb next year: it looks like it’s a go. “As long as we can, we would love to gather again at...
by Camryn Given | Oct 13, 2020 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Have you been missing the movies lately? Well good news, there’s going to be a drive-in this Friday (October 16th) at Woodmont Hills Church. With Regal just announcing the closing of all their in-person theatres until further notice, this event couldn’t come at a better time. There are five different options for what movie will show on Friday. The choices are “Knives Out”, “Little Women”, “Zootopia”, “Jumanji: The Next Level”, and “Ratatouille”. Students can find the Google Form to vote for their favorite on the weekly email from the Office of Student Life. The chosen movie will be announced either this Wednesday or Thursday. There’s only room for the first 100 cars, so be sure to get there early. The lot opens at 7:30 pm and the movie begins at 8 pm. Bring your student ID with you in order to get a spot. To get to Woodmont Hills Church just turn right onto Woodmont Blvd, drive a little over a mile, and then turn right onto US-31. You’ll see the church on the left after you turn. Thanks to OID, SAB and SGA, you and your friends can spend your Friday night under the stars with a great movie and no cost. It will be a great event so make sure you check it out. If you have any more questions you can send an email to studentlife@lipscomb.edu or swing by their office on the first floor of...
by Camryn Given | Sep 7, 2020 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Nashville–home of the Grand Ole Opry, country music and the Predators–is a big city that keeps getting bigger, which is great unless there’s a global pandemic that’s currently putting a stop to life as we know it. According to asafenashville.org, September 1st marked the transition into Phase 2 of the reopening plan for Nashville. While businesses and mask mandates remain relatively unaffected by these most recent changes, restaurants and event venues are now allowed to expand their capacity, provided that social distancing and outdoor availability are followed. It’s no secret that Nashville has been called out for its lack of attention to these protocols, and downtown Nashville bars have been exposed as doing a particularly poor job. Lucky for you, here’s a short guide of things to do in the huge city of Nashville that won’t get you on the news for being part of the problem. First things first–the outdoors. In an article from The New York Times, Lindsey Marr, an engineering professor and aerosol scientist at Virginia Tech, was quoted as saying, “I think outdoors is so much better than indoors in almost all cases.” So if you’re anxious to get out and want to stay as safe as possible, try a hike. AllTrails.com lists Radnor Lake State Park, Beaman Park and Long Hunter State Park as some of the top hikes in the Nashville area. Another option is going to Cheekwood, a botanical garden with plenty of flowers to see and activities to do. However, before you visit any of these parks, just be sure to check each park’s website for closings and information. Although quarantine allowed for...
by Mckenzi Harris | Jul 8, 2020 | Arts and Entertainment, News, News Slider
Charlie Daniels, who died Monday at age 83, used his stardom and energy to help veterans’ causes, including helping provide the educational costs for veterans attending Lipscomb. Daniels, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, died after suffering a stroke. The funeral for the Grand Ole Opry member, best known for “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” and with his Charlie Daniels Band helping to define the “Southern Rock” genre, is at 11 a.m. Friday at World Outreach Church in Murfreesboro. Sellars Funeral Home in Daniels’ adopted hometown of Mt. Juliet will host a visitation from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. Thursday. The singer played a part in Lipscomb’s Yellow Ribbon scholars program, which — along with the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill and Veterans Administration — funds the education of Post 9/11 veterans. For five years, Daniels put on a concert at Lipscomb for the Copperweld Charlie Daniels’ Scholarship for Heroes to raise funds for Lipscomb University’s Yellow Ribbon Enhancement Program. The first installment of the Copperweld Charlie Daniels’ Scholarship for Heroes concert was held in spring 2010. “Charlie Daniels was a talented musician, a man of deep conviction and principles, and a patriot,” said Lipscomb President Randy Lowry. “But most of all he was a compassionate person who tirelessly invested his time, talents and resources to make the lives of others better.” Daniels was best known for his crossover hit from 1979, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” which remains a staple on country and classic rock radio stations. The song made it to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won Daniels the Grammy for...
by Ashley Bingham | Apr 10, 2020 | Arts and Entertainment, COVID-19, News, News Slider
The COVID-19 pandemic proved fatal for one of Lipscomb’s storied spring traditions: Singarama. It would have been the 57th edition of the show — which was scheduled for April 2-2 — for which students and their clubs work hard to stage. The fact that all that work — preparations, rehearsals, etc. — had been put in and the show was folded before its premiere troubled many students. “Hearing that Singarama was canceled was the thing that was probably hardest for me to process, just because that’s what I was most looking forward to for senior year,” said Hannah Jones, who was choreographer for “Short Sighted,” one of the three performances, all set around the theme of “20/20 vision.” The other two were titled “The Eye of The Hurricane” and “A Fresh Pair of Eyes.” Although the shows could not be performed, they were staged together for one night only, so all involved got the opportunity to see what they had been working toward. That staging in Collins came the Thursday before spring break, which also turned out — because of the virus — to be the final day of on-campus classes. “Singarama is really about community,” said senior Ally Whiting, assistant director of “Short Sighted. “It’s worth it for the community no matter what happens. “The reason I continue to be a part of the creative team is just getting to build relationships with people, because you definitely get to know people that you would not have known otherwise,” she said, adding that the one-night staging was both “goofy” and “fun.” She said the relationships made during Singarama “are...
by Taylor McKnight | Apr 9, 2020 | Arts and Entertainment, COVID-19, News Slider
COVID-19 has pretty much eliminated the month of June for music festival goers in Middle Tennessee and around the country. And the rest of the summer is in question as well. Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, the massive four-day celebration of all forms of music and entertainment had been scheduled to take place June 11-14 down at The Farm in Manchester. But this year, because of the pandemic, the festival was moved to September 24-27, in hopes the virus will have run its course by then. Tickets for the festival, which generally reaches near-sellout (80,000 or so proportions), will be honored for September’s new date. “Please continue to radiate positivity through this uncharted time in our world. Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to seeing you on The Farm (the pastureland where the annual festivities are held) this fall,” reads a message posted on the festival’s web site. Even more disastrous to Nashville economy and for fans of country music is the news that the annual CMA Fest was canceled completely for this summer, ending a 48-year run. “As the world is still greatly affected by the spread of COVID-19, we cannot in good conscience risk the health and well-being of our fans, artists, staff and country music community,” is the statement from the Country Music Association. More than 40,000 fans annually attend each of the four nights’ “big concerts” in Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. But there are many other fans who come to the city and fill up hotel rooms and honky-tonks for affiliated activities —...
