Header

James Harrison and Jody Stevens are experiencing what thousands of Nashville-based musicians hope for but never achieve: singing their chart-making song on tour.

The two, who make up the new country duo Fast Ryde, will perform their single “That Thang” and more songs on Friday, Sept. 25, at the sixth annual Pellissippi State Hot Air Balloon Festival. Fast Ryde is festival sponsor WIVK’s main stage artist this year.

The balloon festival—a Pellissippi State Community College event that supports new programs, technology, equipment and scholarships offered through the Pellissippi State Foundation—is Friday the 25th, 4-9:30 p.m. and Saturday the 26th, noon-9:30 p.m. on the Pellissippi Campus on Hardin Valley Road.

“That Thang” debuted in July at No. 57 on the Billboard country singles chart and has since broken into the Top 40. The song was reviewed by CMT.com blogger Alison Bonaguro as “catchy rocker.” She went on to describe Fast Ryde as a band breaking “through the glass ceiling of country radio.”

Harrison and Stevens have signed with new label Republic Nashville, a combination of powerhouses Big Machine Records and Universal Republic, which in 2007 worked together to promote country pop singer Taylor Swift. Not bad for two young musicians who write and produce all of their own songs, do their own vocals and play their own guitars.

Both Harrison and Stevens now call Nashville home, but each arrived there after paying their dues elsewhere. Harrison’s route began in Central Florida and took him through Knoxville, and Stevens landed in Tennessee from West Virginia.

The two describe themselves as “what happens when a vocal scholarship meets a degree in audio engineering.” Their music is fresh, edgy and fun. Before their show in Knoxville, they will have taken that fun on the road to Michigan, Arizona, New York and North Carolina.

Additional musical performances over the two-day event include Homer Hart, J. Luke Cochran, Kata and the Blaze and Dishwater Blonde. Fast Ryde takes the WIVK main stage on Friday at 7:15 p.m.

Festival attendees also will enjoy children’s activities, arts and food vendors and, weather permitting, hot air balloons (including the world’s tallest, the Energizer Bunny Hot Hare Balloon).

Admission is $10 per day per vehicle. Admission is $5 per day per spectator for those who choose to park off site and walk onto the campus. Some activities, including the tethered balloon rides, have on-site fees.

For a complete list of attractions and activities, visit www.pstcc.edu/balloons or call (865) 694-6400.