The challenge: create a ticketed event that will expand the demographics of a 50-year-old nonprofit arts organization on a budget of $14,000 and a timeline of just a few weeks. No other parameters were given.

The solution: a three-day roots music festival in the heart of the city, utilizing a mix of historic theatres, storefronts, warehouses, sweaty rock clubs, gardens, and a parking lot under a viaduct for good measure. The mix of venues provides audiences with a unique opportunity to see acts in intimate settings as well as with a few thousand of their closest friends. It’s not unusual for fans to rub elbows with artists in venues, as the laid-back vibe and top-notch artist hospitality result in happy, relaxed musicians who feel comfortable wandering out into the event.

In an effort to showcase the quality of the area’s music scene, approximately 1/3 of the artists featured each year have ties to the local community (including one “local headliner” annually). The festival has become known as a hotbed for emerging acts on the cusp of stardom due to Brackeen’s keen eye for talent. Similarly, Brackeen’s definition of “roots music” is broad - because what is roots music in Detroit isn’t the same thing as roots music in the hills of Appalachia, the beaches of Southern California, or the streets of New Orleans.

Rhythm N’ Blooms has grown from very humble beginnings to a powerhouse regional event attracting 20,000 attendees annually and selling out in advance.

From the inception, Chyna Brackeen has been charged with the visioning, creation, talent curation, programming, branding, event management, artist relations / hospitality, ticketing, and sponsorship management of the event.

Highlights:

• Brackeen’s talent lineups were recognized for their diversity and inclusion by national publications including music industry stalwart Pollstar and popular magazine Teen Vogue. In 2019, 55% of the acts on the festival lineup were female-fronted, 35% were people of color, and 17% identified as belonging to the LGBTQ+ community.

• Recipient of two National Endowment for the Arts grant awards

• Early booker of then-little-known artists such as Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, The War & Treaty, Tank & The Bangas, Amythyst Kiah, Allison Russell, Tyler Childers, Langhorne Slim, and Shovels & Rope.