The Station Inn again this year will be hosting it’s annual Homeless Benefit this Sunday evening. The concert is designed to raise money, and awareness, for Room In The Inn, a homeless shelter in Nashville, TN.

The Station Inn asks that those attending the show bring items that can be donated to the shelter. Suggested items include: soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, razors, shaving cream, combs, pocket-sized tissues, socks, underwear, washcloths, sewing kits, pens, pencils and small notebooks.

The money raised by the admissions will also be donated to Room In The Inn.

Performers slated to appear include:

• Jesse McReynolds
• Larry Stephenson
• Randy Waller
• Tim Graves & Cherokee
• Roland White Band
• Jimmy Bowen & Santa Fe
• Leroy Troy
• The Stringdusters Trio
• The Jackson Gang
• Ben Hall
• Terry Comer

The show takes place this Sunday, December 9th, at 7 PM. A donation of $15 dollars is asked for admission.

Some time ago a documentary film about the Station Inn was produced by a friend of mine in Nashville. That film has yet to find it’s way to DVD, but it is in the process. Nathan emailed me yesterday to let me know he had posted a trailer for the documentary online at YouTube.com.

He is still seeking some financial backing for the DVD release, but said he hopes to release the project soon, and eventually even see it broadcast on PBS.

The video features a great many bluegrass performers including appearances by Vince Gill, Del McCoury, Tim O’Brien, Peter Rowan and Vassar Clements. If you’re interested, take 4 minutes and give it a watch.

Here’s an interesting story that I missed while I was out of town last week. CMT.com put up a nice feature last Wednesday on Nashville’s long-time bluegrass headquarters, The Station Inn.

Since the club first began promoting bluegrass shows in the early 1980s, it has been the unquestioned hot spot for bluegrass fans and artists in and around Nashville. Even mid week shows at the unassuming night spot can find well known bluegrass luminaries on stage, or in the audience.

“I had heard about that place as a kid, and I remember the first time I went — on a Sunday night,” says Alison Krauss. “I was 13, and all the pillars of that community were out that night. It’s the place where everybody wants to go play. I don’t even know how many times we’ve played it as a band, but it was a really big deal to get to play there.”

Read the full article at CMT.com.

Any time you head to Nashville, it’s worth checking The Station Inn calendar and heading over for a nosh and some tunes. You never know who you’ll see!

This Tuesday and Wednesday nights will see quite a gathering of bluegrass talent at Nashville’s legendary Station Inn, assembled to benefit the Autism Society of Middle Tennessee. Their goal is to help raise awareness of this serious neurological condition, as well as donations for the work of the ASMT.

April 10 will feature performances by The Grascals, Ronnie Bowman & Friends, The Infamous Stringdusters, The Steel Drivers, The Roland White Band, and Chris Jones & The Nightdrivers. The following night will see Larry Cordle & Lonesome Standard Time, Jerry Salley & Breakin’ New Ground, The Mark Newton Band, Cordle, Salley and Carl Jackson, The Mashville Brigade and a special surprise appearance by one of bluegrass music’s top acts on stage at The Station Inn.

This benefit was organized by two Nashville veterans, both of whose lives have been touched by youngsters with autism. Journalist and musician Jon Weisberger (who also serves on the IBMA Board) has a son with the disorder, and singer/songwriter Jerry Salley has a neice who suffers from autism.

April is promoted as Autism Awareness Month, and Nashville has long hosted a similar benefit each April at The Bluebird Cafe. Weisberger and Salley approached The Station Inn about hosting a bluegrass event as a benefit, and it was the club that suggested that they take two nights.

Admission is based on a $20 suggested donation, and the shows will begin each night at 8:00 p.m. (CDT).

Readers outside of Nashville can contribute to the Autism Society of Middle Tennessee online.

This post is a contribution from Casey Henry, who writes from Nashville. It was initially posted in The B.

This week’s issue of the The Nashville Scene is the annual Best Of Nashville issue. They scour the city looking for the best of everything, and I mean everything. Our very own Station Inn garners recognition as “Best Urban-Development Holdout.”

It is praised for holding its own against the upscale establishments going up around it, and they point out that the Station just leases the building it is in so, theoretically if the owner decides not to renew the lease, that could be it for our favorite Nashville landmark. The Time Jumpers, who play at the Station every Monday night earned “Best Monday Night Music” (I can’t find that one on their webpage just at the moment) and Edgar Meyer rated “Best Classical Musician.”