Jimmie Allen, Shy Carter, Jason Mraz and SiriusXM Hits 1 host, Nicole Ryan, among those coming together
LEVL UP Fest has announced the first wave of artists in the lineup that will livestream from the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on Wednesday, December 16th at 8:30 pm EST. This “festival of music and stories of life on and off the road” will feature performances from artists and entertainers who are lending their talents and speaking up in honor of all those who help them “go live.”
Nicole Ryan, co-host of SiriusXM Hits 1 The Morning Mash Up, will host live on stage at The Ryman. “When my management team approached me to host, it was especially impactful because I’ve spent the last 14 years on air and in person, interviewing top artists whose careers I’ve not only watched grow, but I’ve gotten to play a hand in on radio which helped ignite and widen their audience reach,” says Ryan. “Now witnessing the rippling effects of COVID-19 suspend the artists’ ability to tour, all crew members across the world unemployed and on an indefinite pause with little to no income coming in, as an industry and as a society moved by music constantly in our everyday livelihoods, it’s our responsibility to step up.”
The initial list of artists stepping up includes Jason Mraz, The War And Treaty, John Rzeznik from the Goo Goo Dolls, Michael Ray, Indigo Girls, Dispatch, Keala Settle, Mt. Joy, Augustana, Lucie Silvas, Annie Bosko, Bre Kennedy, Public, CJ Hammond & Sloan, Veridia, Shy Carter and Jimmie Allen. Earlier this week, Shy Carter was revealed as one of MusicRow Magazine’s 2021 Next Big Thing Artists. Jimmie Allen, CMA New Artist of the Year Nominee, will also be performing with his full band live at The Ryman on December 17th, just one day after LEVL UP Fest. Additional announcements will be made next week for both performances and special appearances.
While the LEVL UP team wants to celebrate the power of music, they also want to take viewers behind the scenes of entertainment and events to tell the story of the people we don’t see. The average concert requires more than 500 people to produce; and the group says that none of them have worked since events were shut down in early March.
The festival’s Music Supervisor, Keith Levenson, knows this all too well. The long-time composer/conductor for The Who shares, “I was on the way to the airport to join The Who for the start of our concert tour in Europe when I got the call to turn around and go home. The tour was being postponed due to the pandemic. Like so many millions of people in the events industry, I had no idea that I would still be home at this point. I’m honored to be working in support of them during these difficult times.”
LEVL UP Fest will be a free virtual event and featured on NoCap Shows and Twitch – both of which are part of the growing list of supporters for LEVL UP Fest.
The LEVL UP Fest team says their top priority is to support the people behind live events. They also feel the lessons learned in 2020 demand that they pay attention to coming back stronger, more resilient and more diverse than they were before. To achieve this, they’ve named three beneficiaries for funds raised by the festival. MusiCares and The Roadie Clinic are two of those organizations whose focus is on critical assistance in times of need and mental health and wellness support. With an eye on the future, LEVL UP Fest named the Country Music Association Foundation (CMAF) as their third beneficiary with funds to be used for the CMA EDU program, supporting LEVL UP’s goal of strengthening and diversifying the industry through outreach, education and job placement. Donations can be made at any time now through December at liveeventsliftup.org. The LEVL UP Fest team will also launch their merch store this week on their website. East Wind Screenprint has partnered with the LEVL UP Fest to design merchandise and will donate 50% of the net proceeds back to the Festival.
