HAVE FUN, DO GOOD: The non-profit music and event space known as Riverside Revival is part of the Boedecker Collaborative Campus in East Nashville, Tennessee. (Elizabeth Wiseman)
Housed in a 73-year-old former church, Riverside Revival is a music venue with a mission.
The independent, non-profit music and event space is operated by the Boedecker Foundation and part of the greater Boedecker Collaborative Campus in East Nashville, Tennessee, which launched in 2020. The project was developed by Crocs founder George B. Boedecker Jr., with the guiding principle of “Have fun, do good.”
On the fun side, with newly updated sound and lighting, the 400-capacity room has hosted musical performances by Brittany Howard, Margo Price and Country Music Hall of Famer Emmylou Harris, among others.
On the good side, revenue from weddings and private events help fund the mission of the Boedecker Collaborative Campus, which provides below-market rent and grants to 20 nonprofit partners having an impact on the community including There with Care of Middle Tennessee, Nashville Food Project, Nashville Public Education Foundation, Songs for Sound and Thistle Farms.
The philanthropic mission of merging music and community flows directly from Boedecker, a singer/songwriter whose love for live music is equal to his commitment to making the world a better place to live.
“For the BOE Foundation there has always been an intersection at philanthropy and the arts in general – music being one that our founder, Mr. Boedecker, is particularly drawn and talented in,” said Brianna Healy, executive vice president of the Boedecker Foundation. “We want to make sure we have a space where everyone is welcome to enjoy the arts, and that includes music. Open the doors for people to have that high-touch, high-end experience with music.”
On Aug. 7, public radio station WMOT-FM opened a satellite studio for broadcasting and live events at Riverside Revival. The 100,000-watt station, which is the largest Americana broadcaster in the U.S., is owned by Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, 30 miles away. Having an 800-square-foot studio for on-air shifts and in-studio performances closer to Music City was a longtime goal according to Val Hoeppner, executive director of WMOT Roots Radio.
“It will allow us to be where the artists are,” she said.
Riverside Revival features a spacious greenroom and newly updated acoustics and lighting package with a production team under the direction of Brian Wagner, who was the original in-house promoter at Mercy Lounge and Cannery Ballroom and longtime exec at Ryman Auditorium. Healy didn’t disclose the cost of the upgrades, but said it was “significant.”
“We knew that to not necessarily compete but to be able to provide a venue that has incredible sound and production value that rivals some of the other great venues in town – to be able to provide that for our non-profit partners to host their fundraisers – that we had to put a little cash behind that,” Healy said. “We wanted our partners to have a high-end space that rocked.”
Riverside Revival has old bones, a new soul and a flexible footprint at 2,295-square-feet with room for 400 general admission, 340 theater style and 192 seated at tables. Booking is handed by Keisha Bailey and the in-house catering program is led by chef Nick Govrik
“Everything is top of the line,” Healy said. “Our food is incredible. Our staff is incredible. And now, our sound is impeccable. We’ve worked so hard to optimize the space’s sound quality. We pride ourselves on attention to detail.”
True to its “high touch” mission and goal of making people feel valued and accepted, Riverside Revival also offers an accessible space for guests and artists with disabilities. The venue features an elevator inside as well as wide entrance ramps, with an upstairs balcony that adds additional space and viewing opportunities.
“We’ve always prided ourselves on being a place where everyone is welcome,” said Healy. “We really are doors open. Come see us.”