Press release: Coronavirus response

 

March 13, 2021

We have recently noticed a rapid upswing in positive COVID cases throughout Nashville this week. While our safety and cleaning measures are still heavily in place, and we had a viral decontamination of the club last week, we are not willing to risk the safety of the public, bluegrass musicians, or our staff. We are taking a proactive role and cancelling our show tonight (Saturday, March 13) and Monday (March 15). This will allow our staff to do another deep clean of the club and have all of our staff test negative before returning to work. We are aiming to reopen on Tuesday, March 16, assuming we can provide a safe environment for patrons. Please continue to watch the COVID announcement on the Station Inn website (http://stationinn.com/press-release-coronavirus-response/) and Station Inn Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/stationinn1974) for continued updates.

If you are planning to attend a show, please see our cleaning standards and guidelines for entering the club.

– Daily cleaning of all surfaces and high traffic areas
– Daily temperature checks of staff and performers
– HEPA-grade air filters in all of the ventilation systems
– Periodic medical-grade viral decontamination
– Required masks of all staff, performers while not on stage, and patrons while not seated at the table. “If your feet are moving, your mask is on.”
– Monitoring of any symptoms from anyone inside the building. If anyone is showing any symptoms, we ask them to go home.
– Immediate quarantine of anyone who has tested positive and has had any contact with the club.
– If someone is exposed to a person who has tested positive for COVID, we require at 10 day quarantine away from the club, or presenting a negative COVID test. This includes all performers, staff and fans.

Please reach out to us music@stationinn.com with questions. Our mission for the last 47 years has remained the same, keep the music alive. We appreciate all of the support of the fans in continuing to help us achieve this and look forward to another 47 years. Continue to watch for more updates, and thank you for bearing with us through this crazy time.

 


 

November 2, 2020

To our Station Inn Community: We have become aware that one of our customers who attended a show last week has subsequently tested positive for COVID-19. While we can’t be sure whether or not this person was positive while at The Station Inn, the priority of safety is high enough that we need to act. Beginning tonight, November 2, through Wednesday, November 4, we have cancelled the shows and will be closing the club temporarily. All active staff members are being tested for COVID-19 and The Station Inn will have a deep sanitization of surfaces and trafficked areas. We are also bringing in industrial professionals to perform a viral decontamination treatment to remove any viral particles from the venue via Advanced Structural Drying Technologies.

Some are asking about restreaming shows, but our broadcast operators are part of our community. They also need to isolate and get a test, to ensure their safety. This move comes out of an abundance of caution, but we believe it is the right thing to do since the safety of our performers, our staff, and our fans is our number one priority. We are aiming to open again on Thursday, November 5, but this will be dependent on test results and our ability to provide a safe place for all to enjoy bluegrass music.

What can you do? PLEASE support the bands. On Station Inn TV, watch recent performances from our stage. Online tickets are still available On Demand and you get access to the show forever. The full list is available here: https://www.stationinntv.com/products.

We are thinking of you all often. We miss our fans and thank you so much for all of your support over the last few months. We’re in this together, and we’ll be back with you again soon.

 


 

September 14, 2020

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s finally time. After six months, and 268 broadcasts online, The Station Inn is reopening to the public. We’ve been in touch with the city government and medical professionals about the best way to open and keep all of the fans, performers and our staff as safe as possible. We’re ready. And we hope you are ready as well. The first live public show will be Saturday, September 19 at 8pm with the one and only Brennen Leigh at the Prairie Love Letter Album Release Event.

So things may look a little different, but we’re still the same old Station Inn. Here’s how it’s going to work from now until we are open at 100% (Phase V) in Nashville. You can look at our Events Calendar (stationinn.com/events) or the events on Facebook (www.stationinn.com/facebook). We will list for ALL live shows if the event will be open to the public or not. All restreams are prerecorded and will not be available to the public, since there’s nothing to see. 🙂 All live shows will be broadcast online to Station Inn TV until we are open to 100%, just like now. Doors open at 7pm, virtual doors open at 7:30pm. All viewers on site and online will enjoy two 45 minute sets and a 15 minute intermission. We will do the best we can to have as many shows open for you guys as possible, and your support will make the biggest difference. If you can, please come and support the bands. The modified phase 2 allows us to have up to 25 patrons, and that’s not a lot of beer sales. We’re doing this for you, and we’re doing this for the bands. So come to support them and come support the music. We need you now more than ever to keep bluegrass music alive.

Station Inn Website: http://stationinn.com
Station Inn Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stationinn1974/
Station Inn TV (streaming): https://www.stationinntv.com
Sign up for emails: http://stationinn.com/newsletter/
Sign up for Station Inn TV: https://www.stationinntv.com/checkout/subscribe/purchase
Nashville city COVID-19 updates: https://www.asafenashville.org

 


 

August 4, 2020

Hi all, here is a quick update on The Station Inn, Nashville, and how we’re still persisting through the pandemic. On July 2, Nashville moved back into a modified Phase II because of the rising case counts in the city. At this point, the mayor has guaranteed that we will remain here until at least August 16.

The Station Inn is committed to bringing the music. So we’ve entered the Reopening Series. We promise you that you will have music from us every single day. Live if we can, restreamed if we must. We are continuing to book bands. On days that we have a band booked, you can watch that show on Station Inn TV, Station Inn Facebook or Bluegrass Today’s Facebook. If we do not have a booked band that day, we will restream TWO previously recorded shows. We believe the music is crucial in a time like now, and are so grateful for all of you who have tuned in so far. If you are able to watch one of our live broadcasts, please consider supporting the bands. All of their earnings have been stripped the last few months and we do these shows for them.

What about attendance? While Nashville is still in Phase II, we will be closed to the public. The DAY that we move to Phase III, we will be open to the public that very night. Please note that there may continue to be social distancing measures in place during this time.

And for your safety, all band members and staff are temperature checked when they enter the club. Any fans during Phase III, and eventually Phase IV, will be observed for any symptoms, and encouraged to stay home if they feel sick. Anyone who has previously tested positive for COVID-19 must pass contact tracing and be cleared by a doctor in order to return to The Station Inn.

The absolute best way to stay in the loop is to tune in for shows! We always have someone from The Station Inn on the shows to answer comments and questions. You can also follow us on Facebook and sign up for email notifications. We promise, once we can open the doors for you, we’ll be screaming it from the rooftops. You have to make sure you are near the right roof. We’re linking some additional helpful links below. Feel free to explore to your own desire and again, with all that we have here at The Station Inn, thank you for being a fan, and for being part of our little family.

Station Inn Website: http://stationinn.com
Station Inn Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stationinn1974/
Station Inn TV (streaming): https://www.stationinntv.com
Sign up for emails: http://stationinn.com/newsletter/
Try SiTV for 14 days free: https://www.stationinntv.com/checkout/subscribe/purchase
Nashville city COVID-19 updates: https://www.asafenashville.org

 


June 15, 2020

We are thrilled to announce the partial reopening of live music at The Station Inn. Many of you have been waiting for this for months. We can’t wait to have you back. The city is allowing The Station Inn to open with up to 50% capacity with social distancing measures in place. Because of the layout of the club, we will have 10 tables available, each for parties up to 8, to come in and enjoy the music. Our first live show (we’re so excited to be talking with you about this) will be Thursday, June 18 with Jed Clark, and continues Friday with Sheriff Scott & The Deputies. Through June, showtime will be 8pm and we will resume 9pm shows in July. Tickets for these nights will be $15 at the door, first come first served, as usual.

If you can’t make it to the club, we will continue broadcasting live online to Station Inn TV and Facebook, with a suggested ticket donation of the door for the band. We hope, either way, you will join us, as we celebrate the coming end of this pandemic and the return to normal life.

For those of you who have made merchandise purchases, or joined the Lockdown Club, we’re processing orders now and plan to have everything shipped before the end of this week. Thank you for your patience while we keep our staff safe, and also push out what we can, when we can. Your support has kept us afloat during this time and we appreciate you greatly.

Please keep in touch. There are lots of changes, naturally, and we’re keeping you informed as much as we can. Here is where you can continue to participate:
Support the club: stationinn.com/lockdownclub
Receive email updates and announcements: stationinn.com/newsletter
Watch more than 250 shows online, and live shows every month: stationinntv.com
Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/stationinn1974

Thank you again for being with us through this. It’s been a long run, unprecedented in the club’s 46 year history. And because of your support, we were able to do more than any other venue in the country, and keep the music alive. From all of us at The Station Inn, thank you.

 


 

May 28, 2020

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time. We’re so incredibly excited to announce The Station Inn reopening plan. During the last few months, we’ve successfully broadcasted more than 135 times for all of you who stayed home to remain safe during the spread and decline of the COVID-19 virus. There were some amazing moments with lots of amazing fans around the world. To all of you who tuned in AT ALL, thank you. To all who supported via the Lockdown Club, GoFundMe or by watching any of our streams on Station Inn TV, thank you so much for all of your support. Your love of bluegrass has helped to keep The Station Inn open during one of the largest interruptions of our generation.

The city of Nashville (and state of Tennessee) has granted The Station Inn the explicit permission to begin with live music on stage, broadcasted to our fans. Beginning in June, we will again broadcast live music from our stage with no live audience, directly to your living room with full bands and great bluegrass. We will do this every day moving forward at 8pm CST. The second that the city allows venues to open to 50% capacity (currently scheduled for June 22) we will open and allow as many people inside as possible as determined by the Metro Fire Department. All of our live music reopen broadcasts during the final phase of the quarantine will be free and available to the public on Station Inn TV and our Facebook Page. Until we can reopen at 50%, The Station Inn will remain closed to the public.

How can you participate? Check the schedule! We are updating frequently as we book new bands. As long as we do live music reopen broadcasts, you can watch online. For those of you local to Nashville, we will publicly announce when we are able to open at 50% capacity, and we hope that you’ll consider coming out for a pizza, a Yazoo beer and some great live music. If you can’t, we invite you to join us online. Sign up for email announcements and like our Facebook Page to be sure to see those updates when they go live. And please consider supporting the club. We are still closed, and during the broadcasts will still not be earning any revenue. We truly appreciate all support in keeping the Station Inn legacy alive.

For those of you who ordered merchandise, and are getting limited edition merchandise through the Lockdown Club, we have received and signed the posters, and our staff is now getting back into the club. For those who have not already, your stuff will be shipping soon!

We did the best that we could in order to keep the music alive while humanity went through something that we pray we never see again. Hopefully you were enriched by the music, and found some new artists that you didn’t know you enjoyed. For those who’ve seen us for the first time from these broadcasts, welcome to the family. And to all of you, thank you for staying with us, and we’ll see you soon.

 


 

April 1, 2020

For more than 46 years, the mission of The Station Inn has remained the same: bring the best bluegrass music in the world to as many fans as possible. This is why we kept live shows open in February and March for as long as we could, for anyone who was willing to come listen. And on March 14, when the Mayor of Nashville passed the Safer at Home Order, we worked with the city and with medical professionals to keep our guest performers and staff as safe as possible. 

Yesterday, the White House released projections that with the current rate of spread of the COVID-19 virus, the US will conservatively see fatalities rise to levels that simply sink the heart. To quote the president, “We are in for a very difficult couple of weeks.”

With this new information, and the reality of what we are going through, we can not put any musicians or staff in any sort of exposure that could threaten their health. We are “turning the lock” on Station Inn fundraiser broadcasts, effective immediately, through April 30. We will then look at our environment and reevaluate what we can do. 

Our mission, though, has not changed. The management team is speaking often via phone to creatively think of any possible ways to continue the music. For the next thirty days, we are going to “restream” shows daily. These are shows which were played at The Station Inn recently, and broadcasted live for you the fans. Please watch the event calendar (www.stationinn.com/events) for information and show schedules. This means that tonight’s restream of the Becky Buller Band for Station Inn TV subscribers at 6pm will continue, and McKay & Leigh donation fundraiser will be replaced with the Junior Sisk Band restream at 8pm, free and available to the public.

If you would like to support: We have a Station Inn COVID donation page set up here (https://www.gofundme.com/f/station-inn-covid19-fundraiser-broadcasts) to assist with the lost revenue and to help with additional expenses that remain while we are closed. Merchandise orders from the website (www.stationinn.com/store) are also greatly appreciated and help us get through the lockdown. We will also announce new developments soon for those who are interested in helping. Fans can also share content from our social channels, recommend the page to friends, and gift Station Inn TV subscriptions to friends and loved ones, all in a pushed effort to Stay at Home and enjoy bluegrass. 

Station Inn TV subscribers: your subscription will remain active, and you will receive exclusive access to some of the restream broadcasts. With more than 250 videos in the on-demand archive, you have the opportunity to see shows that you never noticed before. Also, we want to give you more preferences on how you receive emails. We will send an email at the beginning of the week with the schedule of the videos you have free access to as a subscriber (weekly announcement), and an email on the day of the show, reminding you of the performance you can see that day. Please click this link (http://stationinn.com/sitv-email-preference-update-request/) if you would like to opt out of the weekly or the day of emails. 

For those who have/will purchase Station Inn merchandise: Please have patience while we are locked down. We are not asking staff to leave their home to pack and ship merchandise, but instead will fulfill all orders at the end of the lockdown. The virus can be transferred on postage containers and on fabric, so for your safety and ours, we will not ship orders during the pandemic. But please feel free to place the order now, and we will ship it as soon as we are able at www.stationinn.com/store.

For our fans in Nashville: The doors of The Station Inn will be locked at all times. We are just as concerned for your safety as we are for ours. Please do not come to the club. We will all celebrate together with a pizza and Yazoo once this virus has been contained. Please continue to support us online via Station Inn TV and our Facebook restreams. 

If you have visited The Station Inn in the last 90 days: There are no active cases from anyone, as far as we can tell, who has been to the club. This is a preemptive action for safety, and we will continue to check in and monitor those who were recently here. 

We have other announcements and good things planned, and information about this will be coming soon. Thank you all so much for your understanding and incredible support over the last few weeks. This is unprecedented, and we’re all doing what we can to get through this. And we will. Let’s do it together, and keep the music (and our bluegrass community) alive.

 


 

March 24, 2020

From the mayor’s office in Nashville: “Nashville is known for the live music scene and while our current circumstances are keeping us off Broadway, we are still the same Music City. From their homes to yours, Nashville artists and local music venues are livestreaming concerts so you can still feel the music – safely at home.”

After research and verification from the city, The Station Inn has decided to continue broadcasting live music from a closed venue, free to the public, effective as soon as possible. The Station Inn is in complete accordance with the Safer at Home Order and is taking more precautions than required to ensure the safety and protection of the performers and staff present. We are operating these broadcasts with as few people on site as possible (band, broadcast operator, sound engineer, and cleaning staff) and always have 10 people or less in the building. 

Please watch the Station Inn event calendar and Facebook Page for updates on our next performances, which will be announced as soon as we are able.Thank you again to everyone for your support, and we look forward to seeing you online.

COVID-19 Response: http://stationinn.com/press-release-coronavirus-response/
Station Inn Donation to help with costs: https://www.gofundme.com/station-inn-covid19-fundraiser-broadcasts
Support other bands who have played: http://stationinn.com/shutdown/

 


 

March 22, 2020

 

Today, the Mayor of Nashville has passed the Safer at Home Order, limiting all business operations in Nashville and Davidson County to necessity operations only (medical, food, etc.) Unfortunately, our only available option is to close the doors, even to the livestream shows we have been doing since the shutdown began last week. This order is in place for 14 days.

Our commitment to Station Inn fans is to bring the music for as long as we’re able. Beginning Tuesday, March 24, Station Inn will begin re-streaming previously recorded shows live to our fans. Some of these shows will be streamed exclusively to our Station Inn TV subscribers, and some will be open and available to the public, via Station Inn TV and Facebook. We ask also that you take this short, 3 question survey about what kind of broadcasts you would like to see. The survey will be available Sunday, March 22 and Monday, March 23 only. Take the survey here.

Show announcements will be coming over the next few days, as well as how to watch each show. The best way to stay informed is to like our Facebook page and receive email announcements. To all of our fans who have supported us through the years, especially in the last week, thank you. We look forward to rejoining you all at The Station Inn again soon.

For those who have asked about support, you can donate to The Station Inn fund here. Please also consider supporting the bands who played this last week. They went through great sacrifice to bring you amazing music, which you can still enjoy today. See who played here.


 

March 20, 2020

After further discussion, and taking the temperature of the nation, The Station Inn has decided remain closed to the public until April 1.

We are currently streaming broadcast fundraisers each night, raising money for bands who have completely lost their ability to earn money from public performances. All Station Inn fans and visitors are encouraged to visit the events calendar to see the schedule, and to support the bands with your donation, your viewership, or your social sharing. Every little bit helps.

Further updates will come soon, and we encourage you all to stay safe.

 


 

March 17, 2020

“Good songs are needed now more than ever.” “I hope musicians can continue to contribute their talents.” “Most of the bluegrass artists I know have incomes that are largely based on shows.” “We will keep watching.” These are all statements voiced to us by fans in the last 48 hours. And at The Station Inn, we feel exactly the same way. We have been working diligently for our musicians, who have lost their ability to earn money and perform during this international quarantine, while also being wise to the advice of the World Health Organization and local health officials.

Two years ago, The Station Inn installed a broadcasting system with multiple cameras, high quality audio, and streaming technology. This was intended to take the music from our stage, and make them available to our fan base that could not physically be in Nashville. But we see a much greater need right now. We have before us a great opportunity to help musicians in Nashville. We believe that music is important in dark times like this to help us all pull through as a community. We want to continue to bring the music.

Beginning today, March 17, The Station Inn will be broadcasting closed shows, completely available to the public online. All shows will be available free online via the band’s Facebook page, Station Inn TV, Station Inn’s Facebook Page, and other bluegrass partners. Each show will be posted with a fundraiser link for that band to raise money to help them financially survive this quarantine.

While we are excited about our unique ability to help our local musicians, we are also taking extreme steps for the safety of our staff and the bands during these shows. Today, before any musicians enter the building, we are doing a full deep clean and sterilization of The Station Inn. Between each performance, microphones, stands, wires, and equipment will be cleaned. Also, the number of people in the club will be limited to the performers, essential production people, and a staff person who will be cleaning equipment, tables, etc immediately after use. We will have fewer than 10 people on site at all times. The Station Inn will remain closed to the public during the shutdown.

Please watch our Facebook Page (www.stationinn.com/facebook) and our email announcements (www.stationinn.com/newsletter) for updates about performances and watch locations. Please consider supporting our local musicians.

 


 

March 16, 2020

Due to growing health concerns and the recommendation of the Nashville Health Department, The Station Inn has decided to close until March 22, 2020. It is difficult to deny the music to anyone who wants to hear it, but we have to think of the health and safety of our staff, performers and the fans. 

Our management team is continuing to discuss the best course of action, and continual updates can be expected. Please watch The Station Inn Facebook Page (www.stationinn.com/facebook) and email announcements (www.stationinn.com/newsletter) for continued updates.

To all our fans, please stay safe. We look forward to joining you again with great music soon.

 


 

March 13, 2020

To our amazing fans, 

As our communities continue to feel the increased impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19), we feel it is important to share with you what we are doing to help keep people safe and healthy. Please be assured we have protocols in place and are working diligently to keep The Station Inn safe, and continue to create a fun, healthy place for bluegrass, roots and americana music. 

As part of our protocols, our venue has heightened our cleaning and disinfecting procedures to maintain a healthy environment for our staff and fans. We ask that anyone who is not feeling well, or showing physical symptoms to please stay home and self-treat, for the safety of others. 

To our customers, both to The Station Inn and subscribers to Station Inn TV, we are committing to keeping the music playing as long as possible. It will require government action (quarantine or curfew) to close our doors. Even then, we have discussed options to continue streaming music to Station Inn TV, as long as possible. We are talking with our scheduled performers often about travel plans and contingencies through this unpredictable time. The best ways to stay informed are to subscribe to our email announcements (www.stationinn.com/newsletter) and watch our Facebook page (www.stationinn.com/facebook). 

As the situation evolves, we may implement additional preventative measures to ensure staff and customer wellbeing, including staffing or service modifications. We provide and heavily use cleaning wipes, sanitizer and frequent table cleaning of crumbs and empty plates and bottles, during the shows.

In addition, we ask that you please care for yourselves. If you are feeling any of the Coronavirus symptoms, fever, cough or shortness of breath, please stay home and monitor. Most of our shows are streaming on Station Inn TV (www.stationinntv.com). Please reach out to our staff if you have difficulties with this. 

Thank you in advance for your patience as we navigate this challenging situation one day at a time and determine how best to continue serving our communities, while maintaining our focus where it belongs: on making great music for the world to enjoy.

 

Sincerely,

Jeff Brown, Marketing Director