 Nashville:
An Opinionated Guide to Music City
by Joyce Harrison
Nashville - I met Ed at the Sutler. Small, smoky, crowded and noisy
that hot and sweaty Saturday night. You have to walk in front of
the stage to get to the john. I’d found a seat at the bar and didn’t
dare leave it. Ed squashed into an imaginary space next to my stool
and ordered another drink. Tall, lanky, blonde.
"I’m from Ohio," he shouted. "Is it always like this?"
I nodded.
"Hey, I’m never going to leave," he said. "Nashville rocks!!"
Ed is right.
The Sunday paper lists 58 clubs akin to the Sutler in Music City.
The week-long listing takes a whole page. From karaoke at the Outer
Limit to songwriters in the round at Douglas Corner (Ed laughed
about everyone being a songwriter – he’s right about that, too).
There’s blues at 3rd & Lindsley and rock at the Exit/In, the Vanderbilt
University watering hole.
And all that doesn’t even take downtown into account.
The scene is not concentrated like the Village in New York or the
strip in Austin. It’s not a drive-and-try-to-find-a-place-to-park
like in Los Angeles. It’s not like Rush Street in Chicago, which
is bar with music rather than vice-versa. Nashville clubs are generally
sans neon. Jeans or casual chic are the fashion of choice. Cowboy
hats are the signature of an out-of-towner. Cover charges range
from cheap to none; typically five bucks for the late show (9) and
free for early showcases (6). Though it should be said that nothing
starts on time.
Want to showcase your band? You’d better good. The musicians here
are killer players, the unsigned singers awesome. You want to be
a songwriter? You’d better be fantastic and still ready to work
years in a day job to support your demo habit. Low pay is the only
kind of pay and the cost of living is comparable to Chicago (where
I came from), except for maybe gas and cigarettes.
Music, film, and video have brought a load of talent from both coasts.
Natives are hard to find in these circles. But the vibe is unmistakable:
Many come, Few rise. Still, if music is in your soul, you’ll find
soulmates by the thousands in Nashville.
10 Clubs Worth Visiting:
Bluebird
Café.
This club’s been in the movies. Touristy. In a strip mall in the
Green Hills area. A lot of big-name songwriters do in-the-round.
Small bands are fine. Auditions needed. Always a waiting list. (615)
383-1461
Broken
Spoke and Courtyard
Café.
Two clubs for up-and-comers. Weekly writers’ nights. Very casual,
good meeting places. Songwriters don’t have to be vocalists. Both
clubs away from downtown. Broken Spoke: (615) 226-3230. Courtyard
Café: (615) 731-7228.
Douglas
Corner.
Favorite for Music Row showcases. Bands, newly-signed artists, publisher
songwriters. A stone’s throw from the Row across from Zanie’s Comedy
Club. (615) 298-1688.
The
Sutler.
Blocks away from Douglas Corner. Eclectic mix of rock, roots, country,
pop. Squeezed between a shooting stage and a bowling alley/pool
hall. Look for the writer and Ed. (615) 297-9195.
Exit/In.
Rockers and pop artists for the most part; a lot of out of town
bands. Occasional feature: Femmes Qui Rock. On Elliston Place where
there are shops that sell vintage, mags, stage clothes, pizza (even
a soda shop). Near Vanderbilt. (615) 321-4400.
3rd
& Lindsley.
Lots of blues bands plus some showcases. Near the world’s biggest
Adult Bookstore (so the sign says) and not far from downtown. (615)
259-9891.
Radio
Café.
Coffee house atmosphere. Tiny stage for singer/songwriters of high
caliber. East Nashville somewhere between a lot of hills and curving
streets. (615) 262-1766.
12th
& Porter.
One block off Broadway, the main drag. Band-friendly. Alternative
anything. Rare showcases these days. (615) 254-7236.
Outer Limit.
A brand new multi-room dance club that’s not yet listed. One room
does feature live rock bands. (615) 310-2623.
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