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Iconic Nashville-based station WSM Radio, heard on 650 AM and around the world at WSMonline.com, today announced that recording artist Chuck Mead will launch a new monthly radio program called Face the Music.
Mead and his studio guests — country legends, Americana stalwarts, cosmic cowboys, music business impresarios and hillbilly hellraisers — will spin records and swap intimate behind-the-scenes stories that only seem to come out when it’s artist to artist.
Face the Music will debut on both WSM and WSMOnline on Friday, June 14, with special guest Carlene Carter. The show is sponsored by legendary Nashville honky-tonk Robert’s Western World.
The WSM debut comes a week prior to the release of Close to Home, due for release on June 21, 2019. The 11-track collection, on Nashville independent label Plowboy Records, is the follow-up to Mead’s first Plowboy release, 2015’s Free State Serenade. Recorded at the historic Sam Phillips Recording Studios in Memphis, Tenn., the album was produced by acclaimed Memphis recording engineer and producer Matt Ross-Spang.
The album will be celebrated with not with a single “album release show” but rather a multi-date “Honky-Tonk Tour of Nashville.” The week will kick off on Honky-Tonk Tuesday at the American Legion Hall on June 18, The 5 Spot on June 19, Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge June 20, The Nashville Palace June 21, and Robert’s Western World June 22. (Mead has a long history with Robert’s: the first BR-549 release was a live EP recorded there, which not only helped to launch the band’s career, it also brought droves of artists, fans and industry types down to the gritty side of town. Nashville’s lower Broadway has exploded in the last decade.) Also on June 22, prior to the Robert’s show, Mead will make a guest appearance on the Grand Ole Opry — his 139th!
According to Mead, “It’s extremely exciting to me to delve into radio and I’m honored to be a part of the long WSM history. With Face the Music, I get talk to people artist-to-artist about the records that influenced them and shaped their own work. Of course we have a little fun along the way. The fact that the show premieres the week I have a record coming out and I’m playing all my favorite honky-tonks in Nashville makes it all that much sweeter.”
“We’re constantly looking for new ways to stay engaged in an ever-changing listening environment, and we believe adding Chuck Mead’s Face the Music to our programming line-up on both 650 AM and WSMonline.com feels like a natural fit. Chuck and his guests will provide audiences both near and far with engaging conversation, industry insight, and those much sought-after artist stories from the road. We can’t wait to hear Chuck’s voice and style on WSM,” said J. Patrick Tinnell, WSM Program Director.
