Ryman benefit featuring Emmylou Harris, Dave Matthews, Patty Griffin, Buddy Miller and more

Here is the press release for the Music Saves Mountains benefit at the Ryman

The Messina Group/AEG Live and the Ryman Auditorium Announce

Line-up for NRDC Presents Music Saves Mountains

NRDC Presents Music Saves Mountains Featuring Emmylou Harris, Dave Matthews,

Patty Griffin, Buddy Miller, Patty Loveless, Kathy Mattea plus special guests

NASHVILLE, TN (February 26, 2010) –The Messina Group/AEG Live and the Ryman Auditorium are pleased to announced the star-studded line-up for Natural Resources Defense Council Presents Music Saves Mountains concert.  This fundraising concert will be held May 19^th at 8:00 p.m. at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium. Featured performers include Emmylou Harris, Dave Matthews, Patty Griffin, Buddy Miller, Patty Loveless, Kathy Mattea plus special guests.  Tickets will go on sale Friday, March 5^th at 10:00 a.m. by phone, the Ryman box office, www.musicsavesmountains.org and ryman.com. Ticket prices are $45, $75, $95.  Fifty premium seat tickets will be sold via online auction at ticketmaster.com starting Friday, March 5^th at 10:00 a.m., with a minimum of $300.  NRDC also has a VIP ticket package including premium seating, back stage VIP cocktail party, artist meet and greet, limited edition concert poster and gift bag. For VIP packages please contact Jessica Esposito, jesposito@nrdc.org or 212-727-4523.

The Music Saves Mountains concert will serve as a fundraiser for NRDC’s campaign to end mountain top removal in Appalachia.  Net proceeds will be put directly back in to efforts to pass strong laws that bring an end to this destructive practice. 

Two of Music Saves Mountains biggest supporters, Emmylou Harris and Kathy Mattea, have both covered Utah Philips’ “Green Rolling Hills”, a song about the mountains of West Virginia.  “The mountains of Appalachia are responsible for countless folk, country and bluegrass songs. Now, the home of that rich tradition is being destroyed,” Harris told The Tennessean last year.

Today, the Appalachians are being ravaged by the most destructive form of coal mining ever devised. Companies are blowing up entire mountaintops to get at the thin seams of coal below. Already 500 peaks have been leveled, wide swaths of forests have been clear cut, miles of streams have been destroyed or polluted, and countless communities have been harmed by this devastating practice.

“The Appalachian Mountains are where country music was born,” said Frances Beinecke, President of NRDC.  “NRDC is proud to be banding together with musical artists to raise national awareness of mountaintop removal and mobilize millions of Americans to end the most ecologically and culturally destructive strip mining on earth.”

The Music Saves Mountains concert is an important step in the effort to enlist singers, songwriters and musicians in the cause by bringing much-needed attention and resources to bear on the issue.

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About Ryman Auditorium A National Historic Landmark, Ryman Auditorium was built as a church in 1892, served as the home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1943-74, and was completely renovated in 1994. The Ryman is open as a museum during the day and at night continues its more-than-100-year music tradition by offering the best in live entertainment. The Ryman Auditorium is owned by Gaylord Entertainment (NYSE: GET), a Nashville-based hospitality and entertainment company that owns and operates Gaylord Hotels and the Grand Ole Opry. For more information, visit www.ryman.com

About The Messina Group/AEG Live  The Messina Group (TMG) is a partner of AEG Live, one of the top live entertainment companies in the world which produces world tours featuring internationally renowned artists and regional concerts and festivals.  TMG/AEG Live is recognized throughout the industry for its artist-friendly approach and commitment to quality.

For more information on NRDC please visit www.nrdc.org, or www.musicsavesmountains.org.