What, exactly, is happening with Metro Arts?  Nashville’s Metro Arts Department plays an integral role in our city’s prospering arts community, but controversies continue to plague the agency. Plus the local news for May 29, 2024 and this week’s edition of What Where WhensDay.  Catch up on Char Daston’s Metro Arts reporting here. Credits:This is a production of Nashville Public Radio Host/producer: Nina Cardona Editor: Miriam Kramer Additional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez, Rachel Iacovone, LaTonya Turner and the staff of WPLN and WNXP Listen and follow via: Apple Podcasts ..read more

Metro Arts director Daniel Singh has agreed to resign after less than two years on the job. Singh presided over a chaotic grant funding cycle where artists and arts nonprofits waited months to receive the money they were promised. Singh’s resignation was approved by the Metro Arts Commission at a specially-called meeting on Friday. In return, he’ll receive a $200,000 settlement payment from the city government. More: Arts funding debacle intensifies as Nashville Metro Councilmembers take stand against city finance director That settlement will prevent Singh from suing Nashville, Metro Legal D ..read more

The Justice Department sued Ticketmaster and its parent company Thursday, accusing them of running an illegal monopoly over live events in America and asking a court to break up the system that squelches competition and drives up prices for fans. Filed in federal court in Manhattan, the sweeping antitrust lawsuit was brought with 30 state and district attorneys general and seeks to dismantle the monopoly they say is squeezing out smaller promoters, hurting artists and drowning ticket buyers in fees. Ticketmaster and its owner, Live Nation Entertainment, have a long history of c ..read more

Elvis Presley’s granddaughter is suing to stop the planned foreclosure sale of his compound Graceland, alleging that the company involved not only forged documents, but doesn’t actually exist. Actress Danielle Riley Keough became the owner of the Memphis property following the death of her mother — and Elvis’ only child — Lisa Marie Presley in January 2023. The 14-acre compound is a popular tourist destination as well as the final resting place of several of Keough’s family members, including Elvis and his parents, as well as her own mother and brother. Keough, who goes by Riley, filed a compl ..read more

The Tennessee Renaissance Festival is back in action each weekend this May. Listen to the audio postcard above to hear voices of the festival’s performers, from historical figures to mythical creatures. Each May, the grounds of Williamson County’s Castle Park are set up to become Covington Glen, a medieval village complete with a marketplace and jousting arena. This year is the 38th edition of the festival. Magnolia McKay WPLN A knight rallies his supporters on the tournament field. Magnolia McKay WPLN Fairies frolic in the wood of Covington Glen. The official map is crucial for festivalgoers ..read more

With some help from artificial intelligence, country music star Randy Travis, celebrated for his timeless hits like “Forever and Ever, Amen” and “I Told You So,” has his voice back. In July 2013, Travis was hospitalized with viral cardiomyopathy, a virus that attacks the heart, and later suffered a stroke. The Country Music Hall of Famer had to relearn how to walk, spell and read in the years that followed. A condition called aphasia limits his ability to speak — it’s why his wife Mary Travis assists him in interviews. It’s also why he hasn’t released new music in over a decade, until now. “W ..read more

The vast majority of bands that start in a college dorm room — playing the likes of dive bars and keg parties — don’t last past graduation. Rainbow Kitten Surprise, formed on the campus of Appalachian State in 2013, has defied those odds for over a decade. And that has more than a little to do with the group dynamics its members have cultivated. Though RKS has weathered profound change and even come close to calling it quits — particularly in the years leading up to new album Love Hate Music Box — its willingness to evolve musically, and make room for its members to evolve personall ..read more

Pope Francis has appointed Rev. James Mark Beckman as Bishop of Knoxville, Tennessee, almost a year after the previous bishop resigned under pressure following claims he mishandled sex abuse allegations. The Vatican announced the appointment in its Tuesday noon bulletin. As is usual, the announcement made no mention of his predecessor or the circumstances under which he left the post. Bishop-elect Beckman is a priest of the Diocese of Nashville where he has served as pastor of Saint Henry parish since 2015, according to the announcement. He earned his master’s degree in religious studies from ..read more

Where can a big act go to prepare for a major concert tour?  A look at plans for a North Nashville campus to serve the music industry’s behind-the-scenes needs. Plus the local news for May 3, 2024, an update to our sales tax primer and Buddhist monks in Murfreesboro perform a ritual rarely experienced in the United States.    Credits:This is a production of Nashville Public Radio Host/producer: Nina Cardona Editor: Miriam Kramer Additional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez, Rachel Iacovone, LaTonya Turner and the staff of WPLN and WNXP Listen and follow via: Apple Podcast ..read more

United Methodist delegates repealed their church’s longstanding ban on LGBTQ clergy with no debate on Wednesday, removing a rule forbidding “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” from being ordained or appointed as ministers. Delegates voted 692-51 at their General Conference — the first such legislative gathering in five years. That overwhelming margin contrasts sharply with the decades of controversy around the issue. Past General Conferences of the United Methodist Church had steadily reinforced the ban and related penalties amid debate and protests, but many of the conservatives who had pre ..read more