NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A new concert and events venue is coming to Madison is different from any other site in Middle Tennessee.
The Roots Barn is under construction now and is scheduled to open in the spring of 2022. It will be a 600-seat state-of-the-art site that is located behind the historic Amqui station.
It is part of a campus that will include a new free-standing “green room” building where artists can prepare for shows, a public park, and a tree-lined Madison Station Boulevard.
"We’ll be able to actually have a beautiful civic space that people are able to access just a block off Gallatin Pike," said Nancy VanReece, Metro Council Member for District 8. "You see this momentum of music returning to its home base. I’m excited about it."
The facility is being built using 100-year-old wood sourced from across the country. It is modeled in part on the legendary Barns at Wolftrap in Maryland. The barn will be designed for idea concert audio for both electric and acoustic music.
The Roots Barn will also provide a permanent home for Music City Roots Wednesday night shows. The show launched in late 2009 and has become a fixture in Nashville and in the national roots music scene.
"The idea is now not just once a week, but seven days a week we can do things the way we always envisioned they would be done," said John Walker, Executive Producer of Music City Roots. "We are open to all kinds of music. We want everyone to feel welcome here."
Besides Music City Roots on Wednesday nights, The Roots Barn will host ticketed shows. Next to the barn, a separate building will house a studio for WMOT Roots Radio 89.5 FM, the 100,000-watt Americana-format public radio station out of Middle Tennessee State University.
There will be a free community event at the site Saturday, July 10 starting at 4:30 p.m. It will feature music by The McCrary Sisters. The Roots Barn will also host an old-fashioned barn-raising event on Thursday, August 5 to celebrate the Spring 2022 venue opening.
To learn more about the development, visit therootsbarn.com.
