Singer-songwriter Jim Lauderdale co-hosts Music City Roots: Live from The Loveless Cafe, a radio program and HD webcast offered for pubTV broadcasts by APT. (Photo: Anthony Scarlati)
Music City Roots: Live from The Loveless Cafe, a weekly radio show and HD webcast featuring roots, alt-country and Americana music from Nashville, is heading to public television as a 13-episode series showcasing performances from its 2012 season.
The show will be released for pubTV broadcast Sept. 5, presented by Nashville Public Television and distributed by American Public Television. Carriage commitments from 75 stations so far includes major markets such as WNET in New York and WGBH in Boston.
In each episode, emcee Keith Bilbrey — a former Grand Ole Opry announcer — welcomes musicians to a 600-seat barn at the Loveless Cafe, built in 1951 and locally famous for its homemade fried chicken and biscuits. Co-hosting is singer-songwriter Jim Lauderdale and music journalist Craig Havighurst, who interviews performers following their appearances. The self-distributed radio show is in its fourth season.
The first 12 television episodes feature performances by music legends including Bobby Bare, Leon Russell, rockabilly star and Fleetwood Mac guitarist Billy Burnette, alt-country’s Elizabeth Cook and bluegrass band Della Mae. The 13th episode will be an overview of the 2013 season.