|
|
Writers'
NIghts.
The
real Nashville music scene.
by John
Haring
There are a few “must
see’s” when you come to
Nashville and even I’m guilty of doing the
“tour” when someone visits from out
of town. You’ve
got to go to the Grand
Old Opry, you have to hit the downtown honkytonks and you have to go
the
history route and visit the Ryman Auditorium and the Country Music Hall
of
Fame. But unless
you’re staying in a
hotel that hosts one, you probably don’t even know about the
rich sub-culture
that is the Writers’ Night.
They’re held all over
town, usually free and featuring
famous hit songwriters alongside the not so famous, in the cushy hotel
lounges
and the hole-in-the-wall dive bars.
But
they all have one thing in common.
When
you go to a writers’ night, you’re hearing
authentic Nashville, not the cover
bands of lower Broadway, not the polished hits being played at the big
ticket
events.
Doing what I do, I get to take in
the work of these songwriters
on a daily basis, the well known and accomplished, the up and comers,
the
brilliant and the not so brilliant.
But
all of them have one thing in common.
They not only enjoy and live for the process
of writing songs for you,
but more than that, they enjoy performing them out in the little clubs. And you, as the listener,
get to hear songs
that you hear on the radio every day, done the way that the songwriter originally intended and sometimes with
lyrics or extra verses that weren’t on the big time recording. Hearing hit writer Chris
Wallin doing his
version of the Montgomery Gentry hit, “Speed,” as
he did for an audience on my
radio show, was great enough, but when he added his
“special” extra verse,
“Pee’d,” he brought the house down. And
hearing Carrie Underwood’s “Before He
Cheats” performed by one of the guys that
wrote it is a special, although creepy moment.
But, more than just the hits, you
get to hear songs
that you’ve never heard before, performed by writers that may
never make a cent
doing it. And the
record companies don’t
want me telling you this, but many times, the songs that
you’ll hear are better
than the ones on the radio.
So, if you’re just
visiting or if you’ve lived in
Nashville for years, take in a writers’ night. You’ll not only
get hooked on the experience, but you’ll be helping to
perpetuate a time honored tradition in Nashville.
Music of many of the writers that
you hear around town
can be found at www.nashvilleim.com.
You can get CD’s and downloads
of many of their great songs as well as Chris Wallin’s
“special” version of
“Speed,” available nowhere else.
John
Haring is the president of Nashville
Independent Music, an online source for independent music. He is also the president
of Random Music
Group, Inc., a Nashville-based artist management and publishing company
and
executive director of ProMusicU, a provider of on-site music business
and
performance seminars.
Here
are some writers’
nights you might enjoy. They are generally free. This is the 615 area
code if
you are calling from out of town.
Sunday:
Crescent Café 416 21st Ave S.
across from Vanderbilt. Great sound and great music downstairs in the
Voodoo
Room, good oysters and Cajun food. 9pm. n/c 321-2522
Bluebird
Café, 4104 Hillsboro Pike, 383-1461 band at 6, n/c; writers
night at 8, n/c;
Monday:
3RD
& Lindsley, Write on Writers Night
Bluebird Café, Open Mic, 6pm n/c
French
Quarter, 823 Woodland St.
in East Nashville,
227-3100
 French Quarter
Tuesday:
Commodore, 2613
West End Ave.,
inside the Holliday Inn, writers night 6:30, open mic later, n/c,
327-4707
Douglas Corner, 2106 8th Ave S, Open Mic Writers Night 298-1688
 Commodore
Wednesday:
Crescent Café, Songwriters Anonymous Presents: The Hump Day
Hang, 7pm, n/c
Limelight,
201 Woodland St, 6pm, n/c, 513-4665
5 Spot, 1006 Forrest Ave in East Nashville, Old Time Jam, 8pm, 650-9333
Thursday:
Bobby’s Idle Hour, 1028 16th Ave S,
as local as it gets,
writers night, 6pm
Music City Bar and Grill, 2416 Music Valley Dr, 7pm
... 883-2367
 Idle Hour
Friday:
French
Quarter, Writers Night, 6-10, n/c
Saturday:
Bluebird Café, all styles original music.
Commodore, writers show, 7pm
23rd
Psalm Café: 2203 Buena
Vista Pk., Open Mic, 7 pm, 259-2323
Most
nights:
Hall of Fame Lounge, 1407 Division St. 615-256-4255 Inside the Best
Western on
Music Row; Country music 7 night a week, 7ish ‘till 12ish.
Edgehill
Café, 1201
Villa place, usually starts at 6:30 or 7. 974-5184
Commodore is near
Vanderbilt, also starts early.
Bluebird
Café
always has great music, you should call for reservations. 383-1461
The French Quarter
is pretty cool, in East Nashville,
convenient
to the interstate and downtown.
|
|
