Reviewed by: Emily Phillips
Grammy winners Ben Lovett, Kelvin Wooten lead music industry workshop
As a key feature in Huntsville Music Month, the Huntsville Music Office will present its Career & Artist Development Workshop Sept. 28 featuring Grammy Award winners Ben Lovett and Kelvin Wooten.
Lovett and Wooten will share their thoughts about and experiences in the music industry as panelists at the workshop, taking place at Lee High School. Here are some more details:
Building a music city
Huntsville music officer Matt Mandrella was brought to Huntsville to establish a vibrant music scene in Huntsville, and orchestrating Huntsville Music Month is a key element to that goal.
Mandrella and Lucia Cape, senior vice president of economic development for the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce, are hosting the workshop next week in an effort to help local musicians learn the ins and outs of the music industry and therefore build the city’s local music scene.
Cape, who will moderate the workshop, has lived in music hotbeds Athens, New Orleans and Nashville and believes Huntsville has the key ingredients to join the ranks of those music towns.
“The talent is here, and the City is proving that they want to make this happen. Just like every engineer creates jobs in finance, human resources, management and administration, every musician creates other opportunities for people to work in this field. This workshop will help show the bigger picture of a music economy and what that means for Huntsville. I’m pinching myself that I get to be a small part of it.”
Lucia Cape, senior vice president of economic development for the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce
About the panelists
Kelvin Wooten is an acclaimed musician and producer, while Lovett is a member of Mumford & Sons. Both musicians have won Grammy Awards.
In addition to producing artists as diverse as H.E.R. and Eric Clapton, Wooten is the founder of WoodaWorx, a production company. Lovett’s company, tvg hospitality, operates The Orion Amphitheater at Apollo Park, recently featured in Rolling Stone magazine.
Mandrella said both Lovett and Wooten were perfect for the panel because of their experience from all sides of the music industry spectrum – writers, performers, producers and business operators.
“It really is an incredible opportunity and a bit of luck that we were able to get both these talented artists together at the same time for this workshop. Kelvin is held in such high regard by so many amazing musicians, which is evident by the caliber of artists who want to work with him. Ben has a wealth of knowledge because he’s not only a musician, songwriter and performer, but he’s also CEO of a successful venue company.”
Matt Mandrella, Huntsville music officer
How to attend the workshop
The Career & Artist Development Workshop, as we said, will be Wednesday, Sept. 28 at the Lee High School theater (located at 2500 N. Meridian St.) starting at 6PM.
The workshop is free to attend, and Mandrella urges attendees to arrive early as seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. He anticipates informative discussions that will provide a wealth of knowledge for newcomers as well as seasoned musicians.
“If you’re a musician, songwriter or working behind the scenes in the music industry, this is really a must-see event,” Mandrella said. “Even better, the only thing it costs is your time.”
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