Nashville Scene 1-18-24

STREET VIEW:

JANUARY 18–24, 2024 I VOLUME 42 I NUMBER 50 I NASHVILLESCENE.COM I FREE

NDOT’S PLAN TO MAKE NOLENSVILLE PIKE SAFER

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THE 2023 JIM RIDLEY FILM POLL

>> PAGE 6

>> PAGE 37

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Taking a look at the state of country music now and in the year ahead with Brothers Osborne, Black Opry, Abby Anderson and more cover_1-18-24.indd 1

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CONTENTS NEWS 6 Street View: NDOT’s Plan to Make Nolensville Pike Safer With $13 million in federal funds, the We Are Nolensville Pike project aims to improve one of Nashville’s most dangerous roadways

BY LENA MAZEL

6 Pith in the Wind This week on the Scene’s news and politics blog

7 Election Cycle Tests New Lobbyist Ethics Code Confusion, ambiguity and differing interpretations follow updated reporting requirements for Metro lobbyists

BY ELI MOTYCKA

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COVER PACKAGE: COUNTRY MUSIC ALMANAC

Brothers Osborne photographed at Tiger Bar • PHOTO BY ANGELINA CASTILLO

9 This Is Livin’ Refreshed and reinvigorated, Brothers Osborne expand their horizons on their self-titled fourth LP

12 For the Record

CRITICS’ PICKS

FOOD AND DRINK

Artist advocacy organization Black Opry prepares to launch its label, Black Opry Records

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NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD AND THIS MODERN WORLD

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MARKETPLACE

31 Once More Again

BY RACHEL CHOLST

16 sometimes overlooked restaurants to keep in mind when you’re ready to dine out

14 Feeling Fearless Again Talking with singer-songwriter Abby Anderson about her musical evolution and her determination to listen to herself

BY CLARA WANG

BY MARGARET LITTMAN

BOOKS

16 Passing the Mic

ON THE COVER:

35 The Bewilderment of Memory

In our survey, journalists weigh in on the present and future of country music

Characters can’t escape the past in Jill McCorkle’s Old Crimes

COMPILED BY STEPHEN TRAGESER

BY MARIA BROWNING; CHAPTER16.ORG

18 Artists to Watch From Autumn Nicholas to Megan Moroney to Brit Taylor and beyond, our writers have 10 new picks to keep an eye on

BY BY EDD HURT, MATTHEW LEIMKUEHLER, STEPHEN TRAGESER, RON WYNN AND JACQUELINE ZEISLOFT

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The Cher Show, Tool, Abortion Access Benefit, Amelia White and more

BY BRITTNEY MCKENNA

Brothers Osborne Photo: Angelina Castillo Photo Assistant: Mary Louise Meadors Location: Tiger Bar (@tigerbar_nashville)

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FROM BILL FREEMAN

WHO WE ARE

HONORING MLK: THE CALL FOR NONVIOLENT CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE IN TODAY’S AMERICA JAN. 15 MARKED Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the United States, a day when our nation collectively reflects on the profound impact of a man who stood as a beacon for change. MLK Day serves as a reminder that one individual can ignite transformation, paving the way for a more just and equal society. Following that recent commemoration, I thought it important to talk about the essence of Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy, particularly his unwavering commitment to nonviolent civil disobedience — a philosophy that still resonates and beckons us toward a more compassionate and just future.

King, a visionary leader, not only advocated for civil rights but embodied the principles of nonviolent civil disobedience. His commitment to this philosophy extended beyond rhetoric — it became the cornerstone of his activism.

Nonviolent civil disobedience centers on individuals refusing to obey laws for moral or philosophical reasons. For King, this approach wasn’t merely a tactic but a way of life. He preached that change could be achieved by challenging oppressive systems without resorting to aggression.

In this journey toward justice, MLK found a kindred spirit in the Rev. James Lawson. Their profound friendship was cemented by a shared commitment to nonviolent activism. In a 2023 interview conducted by Lee Camp on his No Small Endeavor podcast, Lawson speaks of being influenced by his faith and following the teachings of Jesus Christ. In doing so, he believed — and still believes — that violence had no place in their pursuit of justice. His dedication to nonviolent communication and civil disobedience mirrored MLK’s principles.

Together, they envisioned a nation where transformation could occur without bloodshed or hatred.

Lawson says in the interview: “I do not know how many times King and I conferred by phone.

I do not know how many times King and I took walks, at Penn Center or in Georgia at our staff retreats, our board retreats, when he and I would take walks for the purpose of talking. … [He would share] with me where he thought things were, and [wanted] me to bounce against it so that he could feel that he was moving in the right direction.”

The connection between MLK and Lawson ran deep, rooted in the belief that nonviolent means could bring about substantive change.

Their partnership and the strength of their shared vision was in the acknowledgment that true change could arise only from a commitment to nonviolence. Lawson was with his friend MLK only hours before the iconic leader was assassinated. It was a great loss — not only for Lawson, of course, but for all of us who believe in the dream shared so powerfully

by MLK.

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As we reflect on the teachings of these great leaders, it is disheartening to see the current state of our nation. The Rev. Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., recently warned that we are at a critical juncture, “witnessing unprecedented loss of human life” and escalating racial injustices. Despite her continued dream of a more compassionate world, the reality is that we seem to be straying from the path envisioned by her father and the Rev. Lawson. She added in a Jan. 4 speech that the study and practice of her father’s philosophy of nonviolence could teach people how to live together peacefully — and reminded us that we all have a choice in “whether we will continue to diminish and devastate humanity and the earth or if we will become co-conspirators to shift the cultural climate throughout our nation and world.”

The Rev. Lawson’s perspective also sheds light on the depth of the challenges we face. As he explains on No Small Endeavor, despair still grips him as he reflects on the assassinations of five remarkable individuals in the 1960s — President John F. Kennedy, Sen. Robert Kennedy, Malcolm X, Medgar Evers and King. Lawson’s despair emanates from the recognition that these assassinations disrupted a transformative movement, halting the collaboration between King and Malcolm X, preventing a more profound impact on the nation. Lawson adds, “It did some transformation anyway, but didn’t do all that it could have done and would’ve done.”

As we assess how far we have come, there is also a perceivable sense that the journey is far from over. The Rev. James Lawson, echoing MLK’s sentiments, reminds us that while progress has been made, forces opposing transformation still persist. The visionaries of the past laid the foundation for change through nonviolent means, advocating for a society where justice prevails without the need for violence or aggression.

Let us reflect on the words of King Jr., who once said: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” The enduring message is clear: The path to real peace and security lies in adopting the principles of nonviolent civil disobedience. It is a call to action, urging us to learn from the wisdom of those who envisioned a world where justice triumphs through the power of love and nonviolence.

Bill Freeman Bill Freeman is the owner of FW Publishing, the publishing company that produces the Nashville Scene, Nfocus, the Nashville Post, and The News.

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NEWS: STREET VIEW PITH IN THE WIND

NDOT’S PLAN TO MAKE NOLENSVILLE PIKE SAFER With $13 million in federal funds, the We Are Nolensville Pike project aims

PHOTO: HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS

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to improve one of Nashville’s most dangerous roadways

BY LENA MAZEL Street View is a monthly column taking a close look at development-related issues affecting different neighborhoods throughout the city.

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NOLENSVILLE PIKE AND WELSHWOOD DRIVE phasis on pedestrian safety, those populations that are limited to walking and public transit especially benefit. Making all forms of modality as safe as possible helps facilitate a better quality of life for everyone.”

Nolensville Pike represents a structural challenge for Nashville. A 2017 joint study from Conexión Américas and Transportation for America calls it a “stroad” — a street/road hybrid that isn’t really suited for either use. Nolensville Pike is a wide arterial highway connecting Nashville’s downtown to its suburbs, but it also contains traffic lights, residential areas and other features of a street. Because of this, the study argues, it “does a poor job of either efficiently connecting two distant places or serving as a framework for creating lasting value and encouraging local trips.”

While Johnston tells the Scene Nolensville Pike — a state road — wouldn’t look different if the city owned it, Sepulveda believes otherwise.

“If we purchased Nolensville Road we could design it with the community and safety in mind,” she says. “Can you imagine the 12South design on Nolensville Road? We’re talking about protected bike lanes, more bus shelters, safer pedestrian crossings — heck, we can also address language access when it comes to transit while we’re at it. The sky’s the limit.”

Nolensville Pike is also in what policymakers call a “vulnerable area,” meaning people facing discrimination and social disadvantages are more likely to live there. A Vision Zero case study found that people living in the Nolensville Pike area are more likely to be “renters, people of color, Hispanic, [or] live below 200% of the federal poverty line” than Nashville’s averages.

Nearly all over the city, Nashville’s most dangerous roads and intersections disproportionately affect vulnerable people. The Vision Zero study found that more than 30 percent of all dangerous and deadly collisions occur in vulnerable areas, despite these areas making up just

20 percent of the city’s population. These are figures for all modes of transportation, but for pedestrians, the numbers are even more striking: The same study notes that pedestrians walking near a bus stop in highly vulnerable areas are eight times more likely to be killed or severely injured than someone walking in another part of Nashville.

The area around Nolensville Pike is beloved for its diversity and culture. It’s central to one of the largest Kurdish populations in the United States as well as many of Nashville’s Latinx residents. Community groups like Conexión Américas have been advocating for improved local road infrastructure for years, arguing that a better Nolensville Pike would boost the local economy and make life around the road safer for everyone.

For some Nashville residents, the We Are Nolensville Pike project will make life easier: With better streets, taking a bus or walking to work or the grocery store will become more convenient and less dangerous. But better infrastructure ultimately benefits all Nashvillians. Relying less on cars means less stress on Nashville’s roads, fewer accidents, less traffic and better air quality.

Nashvillians overwhelmingly support the kind of infrastructure improvements the USDOT grant promises too — more than half of the respondents in Metro’s Vision Zero study supported strategies to make walking and biking safer.

While the timeline for improvements to Nolensville Pike has not yet been released, NDOT documents shared with the Scene show a proposed four-year strategy, with design and planning happening from 2024 to 2026, and bidding and construction planned for 2026 to 2028.

Whatever is in store for Nolensville Pike, USDOT’s grant will help Nashville’s infrastructure keep up with its growth. This change can’t come soon enough. When safe infrastructure happens sooner, fewer people die in preventable car accidents. ▼

The Tennessee General Assembly opened business for 2024 last week in Nashville, marking the start of several months of meetings at which lawmakers are expected to debate legislation related to education, taxes, abortion and artificial inteIligence. Gov. Bill Lee’s priorities this year include expanding the voucher-like education savings accounts currently on offer in Davidson, Shelby and Hamilton counties and reforming the state’s franchise tax on businesses. Meanwhile, Democrats will continue a quest to weaken the Tennessee abortion ban. Protesters at the Capitol are still calling for gun control measures, though Lee and the Republican supermajority have made it clear they don’t intend to consider new restrictions on guns. Visit pithinthewind.com to stay up-to-date on our coverage of the latest developments from the state legislature.

17-YEAR-OLD JENNIE LEE SPEAKS ABOUT GUN REFORM AT THE CAPITOL

PHOTO: HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS

PHOTO: ERIC ENGLAND

JUNIOR GARCIA WORKS at an auto shop on Nolensville Pike, and he’s been living nearby for most of his life. “This street is my bread and butter,” he says.

Like many people who live and work near Nolensville Pike, Garcia says he sees one to two car accidents on the busy road every week. That isn’t surprising. Nashville’s 2022 Vision Zero Action Plan named Nolensville Pike one of nine streets in its “High Injury Network,” a collection of the city’s most dangerous roadways. According to one estimate, 48 crashes on Nolensville Pike resulted in serious injuries or fatalities between 2017 and 2021. Thirty-seven of those crashes involved pedestrians at night.

But that could soon change. In December, the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded Nashville a $13 million grant to improve Nolensville Pike. The funding will go toward the Nashville Department of Transportation’s We Are Nolensville Pike initiative, a plan to improve a 2.5-mile stretch of Nolensville Pike between McCall Street and Haywood Lane. According to the USDOT funding website, the grant will help build new sidewalks, easier crossings, better lighting, safer bike lanes and improved bus stops.

Having grown up near Nolensville Pike, Garcia says he’s used to dangerous drivers. Crossing the road’s busy lanes is no problem for him, though he says it would probably be daunting for a newer Nashville resident. “Nolensville Pike is pretty much known for everyone driving crazy,” he says. “But I mean, I do feel safe. Growing up around this area, I’ve gotten used to it.”

But for others, it’s not as easy. Metro Councilmember Sandra Sepulveda represents District 30, which borders Nolensville Pike and contains part of the USDOT grant area. When asked how the current road design affects her constituents, she brings up John Bull, who is visually impaired and regularly volunteers with the unhoused community. Bull rides the bus every day, Sepulveda says, and is “acutely aware of how dangerous certain intersections can be.” Sepulveda references another constituent as well: Christian, a teacher and “avid bike rider” living in District 30. “He feels that it’s too dangerous to walk the 0.2 miles from his house to the bus stop because of the lack of sidewalks to Nolensville Pike,” Sepulveda says.

Metro Councilmember Courtney Johnston represents District 26, which also borders Nolensville Pike and contains a portion of the USDOT grant area. “This project is important to all communities,” Johnston says. “But with the em-

TENNESSEE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Also this week, the Metro Council returned after a long holiday break. On the agenda, among other things: considering the confirmation of Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s five new nominees for appointment to the Metro Arts Commission, which is responsible for making decisions on which arts organizations receive grant funding.

Following a brutal 2023, which ended with multiple departures and multiple Metro Human Relations Commission complaints against the body alleging discrimination, Metro Arts has barely enough members to make a quorum.

NASHVILLE SCENE • JANUARY 18 – JANUARY 24, 2024 • nashvillescene.com

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NEWS

ELECTION CYCLE TESTS NEW LOBBYIST ETHICS CODE

Confusion, ambiguity and differing interpretations follow updated reporting requirements for Metro lobbyists

BY ELI MOTYCKA NASHVILLE’S LOBBYIST REPORTING code faced its first campaign season last year after undergoing comprehensive updates in 2020 by former Councilmember Kathleen Murphy. Initial filings reveal a split on whether to report campaign contributions — among the biggest and most direct categories of financial transfers made by lobbyists to government officials.

Murphy’s efforts targeted the city’s scant reporting requirements, which had remained relatively untouched since the early 1990s. A former lobbyist herself (Murphy was registered with the state of Tennessee from 2007 to 2022), she wanted to bring the city’s anemic regulatory framework closer to the state’s. Tennessee bans campaign donations from lobbyists, for example; Murphy included a similar provision in an early draft of her legislation, termed the “Metropolitan Nashville Lobbying Act,” but she struck it after being told by Metro lawyers that she’d need enabling legislation from the state legislature.

Before that could happen, she intended that lobbyists report campaign contributions in ethics disclosures.

“It was shocking how many people would lobby me and not acknowledge that they needed to be registered,” Murphy tells the Scene. “It’s not fair that neighborhoods don’t know who they’re up against, whether it’s a zone change or the stadium deal. We need to know who’s talking to councilmembers and who’s speaking at meetings and who’s paid and who’s not.”

Murphy attributes ongoing confusion to a lack of resources concerned with ethical government conduct within Metro. Legal interpretations fall outside the scope of the Metro clerk, for example, leaving lobbyists to follow their own reading of the Metro code.

“We have regulatory bodies that track, follow and verify this type of transparency-seeking at the state level — Metro doesn’t have that,” says Murphy. “That was my vision for next steps: more enforcement and funding for transparency. I think this council and Mayor O’Connell need to pick that up and carry it forward.”

As of mid-January, some lobbyists have reported their election season spending. Other disclosures, signed and dated by their clients, don’t include individuals’ campaign spending. Lobbyists who spoke with the Scene intend to supplement these client reports with their own individual reports before the month is up, an additional and potentially unnecessary step not stipulated by the Metro clerk.

Metro Clerk Austin Kyle, who receives lobbyists’ filing disclosures, says reporting campaign donations is not required because those are already reported to

the state. “If they’re reported elsewhere, they’re not required to be included in this report. Before 2020, old lobbyist reports did ask for that list.”

During the 2023 election cycle, candidates’ financial reports were dotted with donations from registered lobbyists identified under professional metonyms like “attorney,” “public relations,” “communications,” “government relations” and “lawyer.” During one six-week period from late July to early September, lobbying giant Holland & Knight was associated with more than $12,000 in donations to Freddie O’Connell. Its attorneys include Catie Lane Bailey, James Weaver and Quan Poole, a trio who lobbied for more than 25 clients in 2023.

“Sorry, I can’t help with your story,” Poole tells the Scene, citing a firm policy that requires approval before talking to the media. In September 2020, Poole, then a Metro attorney, attended a Metro Board of Ethical Conduct meeting that initially reviewed today’s updated reporting code.

Today, reporting includes four categories: gifts and expenditures by a client to the legislative branch (Schedule A) or executive branch (Schedule B) on behalf of a lobbyist, and gifts and expenditures to the legislative branch (Schedule C) or executive branch (Schedule D) by a lobbyist in an individual capacity.

David Kleinfelter, an attorney at Reno & Cavanaugh and a former councilmember currently registered as a Metro lobbyist, disclosed $2,500 in campaign contributions to now-Mayor O’Connell.

“I just did what the form said,” Kleinfelter tells the Scene. “I wasn’t aware other people weren’t doing this.

I expect there’s some weird interpretation going on.”

Several other lobbyists who spoke with the Scene shared similar analysis, agreeing that they were required to report campaign contributions made during 2023. Many are attorneys who built careers on reading, interpreting and arguing ambiguous bureaucratic language.

“The law requires anyone who’s a registered lobbyist who makes a political contribution to provide the amount and the date and to whom they made that donation,” lobbyist Joe Hall tells the Scene. “I don’t see an alternate approach where you don’t. I made personal donations to a number of candidates that I will also have to disclose. I’m registered for nine clients, maybe 10, and I will provide the disclosures for my activity on all those clients too.”

Disclosures for lobbyists like Hall, whose firm Hall Strategies contracts with multiple clients, come to Metro piecemeal. Bristol Motor Speedway reported nine lobbyists (including Hall) registered with Metro in 2023; the same group reported 10 lobbyists to Metro for 2024, excluding Kimberly Faye and adding Rob Mortensen and Maxwell Johnson. For each lobbyist, Bristol submitted the front half of a disclosure, detailing any gifts or expenditures from the company to elected officials (all were blank), leaving the back half for lobbyists’ individual filings. Metro’s files are full of blank pages from multi-lobbyist entities like Axon (TASER vendors) and the Titans.

Murphy says she’s spoken with current councilmembers to finish work she started in 2020.

“I spent a lot of time drafting it and floating it around and getting feedback,” Murphy tells the Scene. “It’s disappointing it hasn’t done what I intended it to do.” ▼ NASHVILLE SCENE • JANUARY 18 – JANUARY 24, 2024 • nashvillescene.com

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LOCALS PAY WHAT YOU WANT

The secret is out: Daily pay-what-you-want Museum admission for residents of Davidson and bordering counties—and with complimentary parking for late-night programs on Tuesdays, it's something new to hear in the new year. Now through January 31. above: Brenda Lee in front of the Parthenon in Centennial Park, 1960, with (L-R) Owen Bradley, Dub Allbritten, and John Denny. photo: Elmer Williams

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JANUARY 18 – JANUARY 24, 2024 • nashvillescene.com

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Taking a look at the state of country music now and in the year ahead with Brothers Osborne, Black Opry, Abby Anderson and more As 2024 gets moving, we at the Scene are proud to bring you our third annual Country Music Almanac, a look at the state of Music City’s biggest cultural export now and in the year to come. In this issue we sit down with Brothers Osborne about refreshing their approach, catch up with Black Opry’s Holly G and Tanner Davenport about their soon-to-launch record label, and talk to Abby Anderson about establishing her career on her own terms. We also recommend 10 artists to watch, and in our survey, journalists and historians weigh in on work they love and the extensive work that still needs to be done to make the industry work better for everyone. Pull up a chair and dig in.

TJ (LEFT) AND JOHN OSBORNE

This Is Livin’

PHOTO: ANGELINA CASTILLO PHOTO ASSISTANT: MARY LOUISE MEADORS LOCATION: TIGER BAR (@TIGERBAR_NASHVILLE)

Refreshed and reinvigorated, Brothers Osborne expand their horizons on their self-titled fourth LP

BY BRITTNEY McKENNA

BROTHERS OSBORNE, the self-titled fourth studio album released in September by the beloved country duo, opens with a fitting message. The aptly titled “Who Says You Can’t Have Everything” sonically captures the relaxed-but-rowdy vibe TJ and John Osborne have established over the years, with lyrics that reflect the most fulfilling period of their career yet: “I’m alive and kickin’ / Laid-back and living the dream / Who says you can’t have everything?”

The brothers have risen dramatically in popularity since their 2016 debut fulllength Pawn Shop. But the period between their third album — 2020’s Skeletons — and now has seen the two truly come into their own as artists and as individuals. For TJ, that meant publicly coming out in 2021 as a gay man. That’s still a rarity in country music despite widespread acceptance in most other genres. As for John, he’s spoken candidly about his struggles with anxiety and depression,

NASHVILLE SCENE • JANUARY 18 – JANUARY 24, 2024 • nashvillescene.com

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pair made lightly, but one that wound up being exactly what they needed to hit reset and kick off a new era.

“He’s the nicest guy ever,” John says of Elizondo. “He’s a very confident person, but he has no ego about it.”

“We haven’t achieved as much as he has, although we’ve done enough to where I feel like we’re not in a place where we need to necessarily prove ourselves,” TJ adds. “We’re just very relaxed now, into what we’re doing and what brings us joy, and who we are as people. Working with Mike, it felt very much the same way.

It kind of felt like we’ve known him our whole lives or something, like an old high school buddy.”

As Elizondo recalls in a separate conversation, Silvas introduced him to the brothers sometime around 2009. Years went by, and he started to hear about an exciting new duo with an incredible vocalist and ace guitarist, and he connected the dots.

“From record one, I was just totally enthralled with the musicianship and the lyrics and the whole vibe,” says Elizondo. “And I was just so happy to watch their rise, with every song, with every record. I’m just a fan of great musicians at the end of the day.”

The three would run into each other over the intervening years, seeing more of one another once Elizondo moved to Nashville in 2019. Having written together a bit before then, Elizondo and the brothers gradually developed a friendly creative relationship that would eventually lead to collaborating on Brothers Osborne.

“They just came up with the crazy idea to ask me to work on this record,” Elizondo says. “Like I said, I was already a longtime fan and was well aware of what they’re capable of doing. … Any time something like that happens, it’s just like, ‘Wow, how did our paths lead up to this moment?’ I’m very grateful. And on top of it, they just couldn’t be two nicer people. So that’s always a bonus. It’s one of those rare things where I feel like it evolved past the work relationship.”

TJ and John had already amassed a collection of demos as potential material for the record.

They played it for Elizondo before the three of them made the call to try writing together just for the hell of it. That turned out to be a fruitful idea, with songs like “Goodbye’s Kickin’ In” coming from moments of experimentation and playing around.

“That was one of those songs where we just got together and wrote,” Elizondo says. “We had what we felt was enough for an album, but this was just like, ‘Hey, let’s just see what happens.’

It started as more of a tempo and a groove. We were trying to see if we could get something.

I went to play something really simple on the bass. But then John comes in with this riff, and you’re just like, ‘Whoa,’ because it does sound like Brothers Osborne, but it’s not a vibe that I’d heard them do.”

That drive to keep growing, to keep trying new things, is at the heart of what sets Brothers Osborne apart from many of their peers in country music. There’s an alchemy at play — one that takes an abiding passion for music, a deeply

PHOTO: ANGELINA CASTILLO PHOTO ASSISTANT: MARY LOUISE MEADORS LOCATION: TIGER BAR (@TIGERBAR_NASHVILLE)

which factored into the pair canceling a string of dates in 2019. He also became a father last year, welcoming twins with his wife, singer-songwriter Lucie Silvas, in March.

This is, of course, on top of the career milestones the brothers have notched in recent years, including two nominations at this year’s Grammy Awards: Best Country Album for Brothers Osborne and Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Nobody’s Nobody,” marking their 11th and 12th career nominations. And they took home Vocal Duo of the Year at November’s CMA Awards ceremony, their sixth win in that category.

It’s fair to assume that TJ and John Osborne are riding high. During a sit-down with the Scene at new East Nashville watering hole Tiger Bar, that translated to a palpable sense of contentment from both brothers. They make it readily apparent they aren’t taking anything for granted, particularly following the period of uncertainty wrought by the pandemic.

“We recognize this has been, really, kind of the first year since all the [pandemic] shitstorm that it’s felt back and feeling good again,” TJ says.

One listen through Brothers Osborne and you can feel that sense of reinvigoration. “Nobody’s Nobody,” the tune that’s up for a Grammy, is the duo at their best, with a casually confident vocal from TJ and a tasty if understated guitar solo from John. Lyrically, the song cleverly makes the case that we’re all someone and no one, and that ego distracts from the real work of treating others compassionately. While the pair is rightfully celebrated for TJ’s unrivaled baritone and John’s virtuosic playing, their lyrics, as in “Nobody’s Nobody,” are a breath of fresh air in a genre whose hits sometimes sound like hastily tossed-off MadLibs: A “girl” here, a “truck” there, find two things that rhyme with “beer,” and you can call it a day.

“We’re all writing songs — we’re trying to make it work, but there aren’t many rhymes with the word ‘girl,’” John says, laughing.

“Ninety percent of the time it’s going to be ‘world.’ Luke Bryan did ‘squirrel’ and I was like, ‘You know what? Amen for changing it up a little bit.’”

Speaking of changing it up, longtime fans of the brothers will notice an array of new sounds on Brothers Osborne, like the sultry soul of “Goodbye’s Kickin’ In,” the Fleetwood Mac-esque pop of the Miranda Lambert collaboration “We Ain’t Good at Breaking Up,” and the disco-funk fusion of “Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That,” on which TJ sounds delighted to use different modes of his voice, and John shows off his rhythmic prowess.

A major piece of the duo’s refreshed sound is that newfound sense of freedom each brother feels in the wake of opening up about who they are. There was no hiding in the writing room or the studio, and that extra energy makes its way into the music.

Another crucial part of switching things up was tapping Mike Elizondo, the Grammy-winning polymath producer who’s worked with everyone from Dr. Dre to Nickel Creek, to helm the album. This marked the brothers’ first time working on a full-length record with anyone other than Jay Joyce. It wasn’t a decision the

held commitment to craftsmanship and a sense of playful openness and makes something bigger than the sum of its parts. (There’s some perfectionism in the mix too, as John admits he’s rarely able to listen to any of their old music.)

Their sound is instantly recognizable and fully their own. That’s rare in any genre, but particularly so for an act that’s been able to find success within the homogenous institution that is commercial country radio.

“They definitely made it known that they just wanted to start a new chapter,” Elizondo says.

“And I think they were just literally looking at it as a clean slate almost. Not to turn their back on what they had done, but the process could be different, the production could be different, just all the choices from top to bottom. They didn’t put any parameters on it.”

Elizondo credits this recent leveling-up to both brothers’ immense talents, of course, but even more so to TJ’s and John’s strong senses of self.

“I feel like what Brothers Osborne represents is just this sort of honesty, like, ‘Here’s who we are. We’re not ashamed of who we are, and you shouldn’t be ashamed of who you are, as well.

Everyone’s welcome to the party,’” he says. “I’m just grateful for who they are and what they represent in music. I’m honored to be a part of it.”

TJ echoes this sentiment when discussing the fight for diversity within country music. “I really

came out for my own personal reasons, my own personal health, with a beautiful byproduct being if it does help the genre, if it does help someone,” he says. “Ultimately, at least for us, we want our shows to be a place where people feel like you can be whoever you are, whatever you are — you can come to our show and just forget about it all and have a good time.”

In late March, the brothers will kick off their extensive tour called Might as Well Be Us, its name a play on another LP standout, the groovy and confident “Might As Well Be Me.” They’ll tour through the summer with acts like the similarly minded Cadillac Three and rising star Madeline Edwards joining the proceedings.

Both are eager to bring this new music to life, while also keeping in mind that their jobs as musicians are just one piece of their ever blossoming lives.

“Back to 2023 being a year of change, we played four shows as a way to restructure our live performance and our live shows,” John says. “And it’s laid the groundwork for our tour in 2024. [We have] some new lights, new production, some new musicians out on the road with us. We haven’t even started rehearsals for it yet. And I, frankly, hate rehearsing. But I’m so excited to get in there and get the wheels moving again. Everything’s just a forward march, you know — but maybe with a new hat.” ▼

NASHVILLE SCENE • JANUARY 18 – JANUARY 24, 2024 • nashvillescene.com

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NASHVILLE SCENE • JANUARY 18 – JANUARY 24, 2024 • nashvillescene.com

11

For the

Record

BY RACHEL CHOLST IF YOU CAN’T find what you’re looking for, you may just have to make it. Black Opry has taken that principle to heart since Holly G launched the collective in early 2021 with the intent of creating platforms for Black artists in country music and Americana. During AmericanaFest that year, the organization made headlines by hosting a space for Black artists and allies to gather at The Black Opry House. The collective has grown rapidly since, hosting Black Opry Revue shows at clubs and festivals far and wide, organizing or co-organizing expansive benefit shows, working with Philadelphia’s NPR music station WXPN to host a Black Opry residency and more.

In the fall, Holly G and co-director Tanner Davenport announced their next venture: Black Opry Records, an imprint backed by label and artist services juggernaut Thirty Tigers, set to make its debut this summer. Fueled by energy drinks, the pair took a break from their busy schedules to tell the Scene what to expect from the label this year.

What would you like people to know about Black Opry Records?

Holly G: As far as my research goes — I don’t want to make an absolute statement because so much history gets lost — I cannot find another Black-owned or queer-owned label that specifically caters to country music, much less Black [country] artists. So we get to be — I don’t want to say the first — the first in people’s consciousness, which is really, really important to me. We have signed the first artist, and we’ve already wrapped up the record. We’re super excited to announce that sometime this summer.

It’s some of my favorite music that I’ve heard.

It’s really fucking cool to not only be a part of country music, but to be a part of making it in the way that I wish that it existed in the mainstream. Having the support of Thirty Tigers really gives these artists an opportunity to compete with — maybe not mainstream, but some of the more midlevel artists in this space, which is something that we have not been able to do on our own, because everything comes down to resources. Having the backing from the machine that is Thirty Tigers allows us to do that.

Where did the idea to start a label come from?

HG: I was at a space last year where I realized we had to figure out the next branch of Black Opry. I didn’t really know what that was. I ended up talking with [Thirty Tigers president] David

12

Macias. He had reached out to me just to chat.

We discussed my passion for artist development, and he said, “Well, you can either do artist management, or you can start a record label.”

As soon as I heard “artist management” I almost kicked him out of my house because I hate managing artists. I tried it. I didn’t like it. I was really bad at it. So we started talking about labels.

Honestly, all it took was one conversation.

It seems like “record label” is a nebulous concept these days. Thirty Tigers is not a record label, but they do a lot of things a label traditionally does. What will this partnership offer to artists?

HG: Any artist that you see signed to Thirty Tigers has to set up their own record label, like an imprint. The biggest advantage that we have right now is the power of the Black Opry brand.

I’m by no means under any delusion that we’re a major brand, but we have created a lot of goodwill with the press and the industry. The name opens up doors.

Our focus is on developing artists. We’re leaning toward artists that don’t have a team, might not know the business as well. Artists that are really, really talented and maybe don’t know how to — or want to — handle the business side of their career and need help with that. We have the opportunity to redefine what it looks like to work with a record label and do it in a way that is more artist-forward and artist-friendly. Thirty Tigers has been at the forefront of that, and we want to continue that legacy and make it something that works for Black artists that consider themselves country, whatever that means to them.

Once you hear this first record, I think it’ll really articulate what it means to be free within the genre. It all sounds country, but it’s also rock and pop and just saying, like, “Hey, we see you as a country artist.”

Tanner Davenport: We want to give them the freedom to let them do their interpretation of what country means to them. The music is insane.

HG: If you look at the way that the mainstream genre operates, there are not the same restrictions for white artists. If you look at the success of Florida Georgia Line and Sam Hunt — and more recently, Jelly Roll and Ernest — these artists are not making straightforward country music. We want Black artists to have the opportunity to do the same without being shut out.

Both of you have entered the music industry relatively recently. What has the learning curve been like?

HG: I’m really good at saying no. I think the label was a really good exercise in learning when to say yes — even when you don’t know what that looks like, or what that means. I can’t imagine having missed out on what we’re cre-

HOLLY G

PHOTOS: KAI LENDZION

Artist advocacy organization Black Opry prepares to launch its label, Black Opry Records

TANNER DAVENPORT

BLACK OPRY AT THE TOGETHER IN ACTION SHOW ating if I had said no to that opportunity just because I thought it was something that I wasn’t interested in.

TD: I’ve been doing some artist management myself [in addition to Black Opry] since June. My biggest learning curve is accepting and understanding that truly nobody knows what they are doing. I’ve learned to be OK with that, because I’ve always been someone who prepared instead of jumping into something. Holly G saw something within me that immediately pulled me into this. It allowed me to believe I could make a career in music. Six months ago, I was selling iPhones at Green Hills mall — like, dreading every second of the day because I knew that’s not what I was intended to do. Now I’m just more open to opportunities and open to what’s going to be brought my way.

What are you most excited for with the label?

TD: Recently we’ve paid less attention to mainstream country. We know the same awful things that are going on in the industry where no Black artists are getting showcased, no Black

artists on the radio. We understand that is an ongoing thing, but we’ve not made that our sole focus because we’re creating something outside of it that’s going to be so much bigger than what’s happening. … The mainstream and the industry itself will have no other choice but to look in our direction. This will show that Black Opry is not a fad. We’re here to make long-term impact in the industry. And these records, I think, are going to be mile markers of how far we’ve gotten.

HG: I’m fucking excited to have such a running start, being able to really have an impact on what country music looks like. I’m not naive enough to think that the mainstream country music industry will change, but I think that we are really on a good pace to build something new and something different. I don’t want to say “an alternative to,” but definitely something that’s competitive with what the mainstream is doing. You can’t meaningfully infiltrate a system that was built to work against you, but you can work outside of it and build something new and build something better. ▼

NASHVILLE SCENE • JANUARY 18 – JANUARY 24, 2024 • nashvillescene.com

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NASHVILLE SCENE • JANUARY 18 – JANUARY 24, 2024 • nashvillescene.com

13

Feeling

Fearless

Again

Talking with singer-songwriter Abby Anderson about her musical evolution and her determination to listen to herself

BY CLARA WANG BORN TO A Mexican American mother and a Caucasian father, Southland, Texas, native Abby Anderson moved to Nashville in 2015 at the tender age of 17, with just a guitar and a lot to sing about. Anderson grew up in a big family that loves music; the second-oldest of seven children, she describes an environment with “lots of music, lots of women, lots of noise [and] inspiration around every corner.” She began playing classical piano at age 5 and toured around Texas, but gravitated toward musicians with powerful voices, fantastic stage presence and heartfelt songs, from Merle Haggard and Ray Charles to Whitney Houston and Elvis Presley.

By 2017, she had landed a deal with Black River Entertainment, was recognized by Pandora as a Country Artist to Watch in 2018 and was featured on CMT Listen Up’s 18 for 2018 list. In 2018, Anderson had a big year: Her single “Make Him Wait” was getting millions of streams on Spotify — its current tally is more than 23 million — and she released her debut five-song EP I’m Good. By the summer of 2020, Anderson found herself feeling boxed-in and stuck with the impossible task of creating music for maximum airplay rather than for herself, leading her to leave the label.

In 2022, she released her Sugar Spice EP independently. Last year, she opened several dates for Stevie Nicks and toured extensively with Hunter Hayes. Her EP First to Hit the Road, released in September, is in many ways a coming-of-age story of a young woman who finally found her feet. It feels as fearless as the teenager who believed in herself enough to strike out on her own. And it’s connecting with fans — lead single “Heart on Fire in Mexico,” which tells the story of her mother’s family in heartrending detail, quickly went viral, with hundreds of thousands of TikTok likes and more than a million streams on YouTube.

Anderson recently signed to Walk Off Entertainment/Virgin Records, and she’s about to hit the road again. The Scene spoke with Anderson about her evolution as a songwriter, her musical inspirations and celebrating her Mexican heritage as a country singer.

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When did you start writing music? I wrote my very first song when I was 9, on the guitar. After that, I told my piano teacher, “I don’t want to read piano music, I want to write my own.” And he told me that for every classical piano song I memorized — like classical Beethoven, whatever — he was gonna help me write my own stuff and teach me the theory behind actually composing music. So I started composing little hymns and little jingles, and a lot of it was rearranging the hymns I grew up singing. I would rearrange those and sing my own little rendition in church. And that got my musical theory background built up.

How did you make the huge decision to move to Nashville, and what was it like being on your own at such a young age? I did not graduate high school. I made the decision to homeschool at 15.

I realized from a young age that this was what I wanted to do. I told my dad — I was like 15 — “I don’t want to go to college, I want to do music.

This is what I want to do. I want to write, I want to sing.” I was so dramatic, I was like, “I’m an artist. I want to be seen and heard.” [Laughs] And he told me I could do whatever I wanted to. I don’t think he thought I would take that to heart, but I moved out to Nashville when I was 17. Just kinda decided, “It’s time to go.” My mom drove me out; we drove down one day, dropped me off at a family friend’s place, said goodbye the next morning, and then I was on my own. I was scared as hell.

Sometimes I look at my little sisters now — ’cause they’re 15, 16, 17 — and there’s no way I would let my little sisters move to a city alone.

Very thankful my parents had the faith in me to

do it, but it was pretty crazy, looking back now.

So much musical growth is evident on First to Hit the Road. Some big life events happened — COVID-19, leaving your old label, getting married. What are some ways your music reflects those changes? I feel like I’m that 17-year-old fearless girl again, who moved to Nashville and just thought she was the shit. But she just believed in herself, and she was fearless, and she was making music that people didn’t know what to do with. I think for a minute there, I got scared. And I started listening to people around me, and everybody’s doing their best — everybody’s just trying to keep her job and do their job, you know. [But] I noticed it started to reflect in my music; it didn’t feel fearless anymore. And it didn’t feel like anything I cared to say or wanted to, I was just trying to write what I thought would get a lot of streams or get radio play. And that’s a pretty dangerous game to play.

love them, it’s saying, “I love you so much that I’m telling you, I can’t do this anymore.” … The reason that we hold onto anything that hurts us — that we know we should quit.

“Heart on Fire in Mexico” tells the story of my mom, who was born in El Paso, and her family is from Juarez. I asked different people in my family about this story. And in the stories that match up, Pee-Paw [her mother’s father] gets Yolanda [her mother’s mother] — who was working at a bar in Juarez at the time — pregnant unknowingly, and goes back to Texas. My mom grows up not knowing her father for the first decade of her life, and then makes it to Texas, finds him, and finds this whole new family she never knew she had. I was just thinking about the tenacity that a 10-year-old little girl could have to travel all the way across Texas.

The best songwriting translates individual experiences into universal emotions. Two of the songs that really stuck with me were “The Reason I Stay” and “Heart on Fire in Mexico.” Tell me more about the inspiration for these songs. “The Reason I Stay”

Country music is very popular in the Mexican American community as well as in Mexico and parts of South America. We’re seeing the country music industry — which is still extremely white and conservative — trying to capitalize on it. What role has your Latino heritage played in your music? Have you ever felt any pressure to downplay it? Honestly, until “Heart on Fire in Mexico,”

is actually about someone in my life that I love so much. But it’s someone who I realized, like, I can’t be there for them in the way that they want me to be. I saw so many other people go through the same thing, trying to love someone who struggles with mental illness in a really, really tough, unhealthy way. And I think anybody who has someone like that in their family or in their friend group understands how painful it is.

You protecting your peace isn’t saying you don’t

I never really thought about it. I’ve never thought about it in the sense of consciously downplaying anything. I grew up in Southlake, my mom was Mexican, we hung out with a lot of Mexican women, we ate the food, but I never spoke the language. Culturally, it was just what I was around a lot. However, I do feel like this year it’s been fun to go back to that and start wearing [Tejano fashion] again, and owning it. ▼

NASHVILLE SCENE • JANUARY 18 – JANUARY 24, 2024 • nashvillescene.com

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NASHVILLE SCENE • JANUARY 18 – JANUARY 24, 2024 • nashvillescene.com

15

Passing the Mic

In our survey, journalists weigh in on the present and future of country music

Americana suburbs have deprived us of for decades. —DAVID CANTWELL Bella White, Among Other Things; Bella White, “The Way I Oughta Go” —AMOS PERRINE

COMPILED BY STEPHEN TRAGESER

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE COUNTRY SONG AND COUNTRY ALBUM RELEASED IN 2023?

Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves, “I Remember Everything”; Jason Isbell, Weathervanes —TOM LANE

Elle King, “Tulsa”; Tanner Adell, Buckle Bunny —STEACY EASTON

Jobi Riccio, “Whiplash”; Jason Isbell, Weathervanes —KELLY McCARTNEY Roberta Lea’s “Small Town Boy” is a stunning womanist rejoinder to white-boy fantasies and a rollicking anthem to independence. Her album Too Much of a Woman is astonishing.

—CHARLES L. HUGHES

Ashley McBryde, “Learned to Lie”; Sara Petite, The Empress —RACHEL CHOLST Parker McCollum, “Handle on You”; Jordyn Shellhart, Primrose; Stephen Wilson Jr., Son of Dad —CHRIS PARTON Tyler Childers, “Luke 2: 8-10”; Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Weathervanes —JAKE HARRIS Megan Moroney, “Kansas Anymore”; Jess Williamson, Time Ain’t Accidental —AMANDA MARTINEZ I was completely won over by the first song I heard from Jobi Riccio’s Whiplash, “For Me It’s You” — a heart-piercing country weeper about unrequited love that stubbornly refuses to have a happy ending. —STACY CHANDLER Jelly Roll’s “Son of a Sinner” and Whitsitt Chapel —RON WYNN Tyler Childers, “In Your Love”; Brandy Clark, Brandy Clark —AMANDA HAGGARD Tyler Childers, “In Your Love”; Jobi Riccio, Whiplash —MARISSA R. MOSS Sunny Sweeney, “A Song Can’t Fix Everything”; Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Weathervanes —DAN MACINTOSH Tyler Childers’ “In Your Love” is best song, elevated by writers Silas House and Jason Kyle Howard’s music video. Jason Isbell’s Weathervanes for best album. —SARA A. LEWIS Tanner Adell’s Buckle Bunny hit me like it was delivering everything — sex and jokes and beats most of all — that mainstream country and its

16

WHAT COUNTRY SONG OR ALBUM DISAPPOINTED YOU THE MOST IN 2023?

“Try That in a Small Town” by Jason Aldean.

It’s everything wrong with the “small town” song in country music: nostalgia for a time and place that never existed in America, made by people who have never lived in the small towns they sing about, in order to pander to people who wish they lived in a romanticized version of those small towns. Meanwhile, the people who actually live in small towns are forgotten.

—JAKE HARRIS

Hailey Whitters’ early work had a sharp edge and a humorous observance of everyday life.

That edge was seriously blunted on her latest, I’m in Love. Not long after its release, she signed on to tour with Jason Aldean. That doesn’t mean she agrees with the guy’s politics, but it sure seems like she’s turning more toward commercialism and leaving some of the things that made her stand out behind. —RACHEL CHOLST I’m not surprised anymore, and I am more sad than anything — but the whole Jason Aldean/ Morgan Wallen thing shows no signs of abating; the fact that it got Aldean a No. 1 makes it even worse. In a slightly less political direction, the flop sweat and anxiety found in Dolly’s album this year — she’s always been rock ’n’ roll, and rock ’n’ roll is a bullshit designation anyway.

—STEACY EASTON

WHO WAS YOUR FAVORITE COUNTRY ARTIST WHO FLEW UNDER THE RADAR IN 2023?

Nick Shoulders’ anti-fascist country traditionalism on All Bad is absolutely thrilling. I also adored Stephanie Urbina Jones’ countrypolitan mariachi epic Manuel’s Destiny, and Justin Hiltner’s 1992 deserves all the roses.

—RACHEL CHOLST

The message of Jessye DeSilva’s Renovations is so urgent in this vicious and hateful moment, but DeSilva isn’t giving us audio homework. They’re using a range of acoustic textures and a sweep befitting their musical-theater training to make striking and rich music. —CHARLES L. HUGHES Jordyn Shellhart is an incredibly candid lyricist who doesn’t sound like anyone else, with a way of shaking moments down to their essence while still being catchy. —CHRIS PARTON Allison Russell, at least in terms of commercial country radio. —RON WYNN Jason Hawk Harris’ Thin Places album is a

TYLER CHILDERS masterful work that highlights grief in all of its anger and absurd moments. —JAKE HARRIS It seems like Margo Price’s Strays didn’t get quite the attention her previous albums received. —AMANDA HAGGARD Jordyn Shellhart, O.N.E. the Duo, Jobi Riccio, Will Carlisle —MARISSA R. MOSS Logan Ledger —AMANDA MARTINEZ Lori McKenna, Caitlin Canty, Alice Gerrard —STEACY EASTON

Sunny Sweeney —DAN MACINTOSH Ashley Monroe —SARA A. LEWIS Harper O’Neill —KELLY McCARTNEY Jaime Wyatt —TOM LANE Jon Byrd — a regular at Dee’s and many under-the-radar clubs in Nashville, who continues to play “what used to be called country music.”

—AMOS PERRINE

WHO DO YOU HOPE WILL MAKE WAVES IN COUNTRY IN 2024?

Whitney Rose and Karen Pittelman (of Karen & The Sorrows), both of whom had serious health issues in ’23, but still released some great music. —AMOS PERRINE Brittney Spencer’s debut solo album is coming out Jan. 19. After she’s been in Nashville a decade, I’d love to see her get her due.

—AMANDA HAGGARD

There are so many artists leveraging country music to make statements about their identities as Americans in really interesting ways: No-No

PHOTO: JIMMY FONTAINE

WE’VE INVITED A broad lineup of journalists and authors who focus on country music to share their takes on the present and future of the genre. Here’s a sampling of their responses on topics from 2023’s best country releases to the biggest roadblocks to important changes in the industry in the year to come.

BRITTNEY SPENCER Boy’s records about the Vietnamese American experience, Stephanie Urbina Jones and Mireya Ramos’ triumphant explorations of mariachi and country, Jake Blount’s Afrofuturist epics, and Hurray for the Riff Raff’s upcoming exploration of their intersecting identities as a queer Puerto Rican New Yorker. —RACHEL CHOLST Lainey Wilson has already done a lot. But with an Entertainer of the Year title behind her, even more creative doors will open — and she’s got the goods to step through them in style. —CHRIS PARTON Flatland Cavalry have a strong following in Texas, but I’m just waiting for the day they break through to a national audience. —JAKE HARRIS Black Opry Records —AMANDA MARTINEZ Willi Carlisle —DAVID CANTWELL Charley Crockett —RON WYNN Margo Cilker, Jaime Wyatt —TOM LANE Margo Cilker —STEACY EASTON Jobi Riccio —KELLY McCARTNEY

RESPONDENTS:

David Cantwell: author; co-founder, No Fences Review; critic, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone Stacy Chandler: assistant editor, No Depression Rachel Cholst: editor, Rainbow Rodeo; contributor, Nashville Scene, No Depression Steacy Easton: author, Why Tammy Wynette Matters; critic Amanda Haggard: co-editor, The Contributor; contributor, Nashville Scene and Chapter16.org Jake Harris: audience editor, Fort Worth StarTelegram Charles L. Hughes: co-founder, No Fences Review; writer; teacher Tom Lane: author and editor, Tom Lane’s Music Blog

Sara A. Lewis: executive director, Oxford American Dan MacIntosh: writer, Country Standard Time, RoughStock Amanda Martinez: historian, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Kelly McCartney: Apple Music Country’s Record Bin Radio Marissa R. Moss: journalist and author; co-founder, Don’t Rock the Inbox Chris Parton: Nashville Lifestyles, Nashville Scene, The Bluegrass Situation Amos Perrine: No Depression Ron Wynn: Tennessee Tribune, Nashville Scene, The Bluegrass Situation

NASHVILLE SCENE • JANUARY 18 – JANUARY 24, 2024 • nashvillescene.com

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PHOTO: MADISON MILES

JOBI RICCIO and support humans seem determined to try.

—STACY CHANDLER

JESSYE DESILVA Charlie Worsham, Lola Kirke, Lauren Watkins

—MARISSA R. MOSS

Sunny Sweeney —DAN MACINTOSH WHAT WAS THE COUNTRY INDUSTRY’S BIGGEST MISTAKE OF 2023?

The continued embrace of hateful, exclusionary politics under the guise of being an “outlaw,” “telling it like it is” — or, even worse, “We’re all one big family.” —CHARLES L. HUGHES I think 2023 showed that mainstream country music’s recent promises to be more inclusive and less homogenous were just lip service. Some good folks are working toward change, but the traditional powers-that-be — radio in particular — seem determined to stick with their truck songs, because those are what their listeners are comfortable with. —STACY CHANDLER I was most disappointed to see a lot of (white, female) artists hitting the road with (white, male) bigots. You’re not going to crack the code by appealing to those fans and getting on the radio — and does any honor come anyway with being the only woman in the room?

—MARISSA R. MOSS

The country industry’s job is to preserve itself — it’s gonna make all the money it can. And like most capitalists, it doesn’t have a lot of energy to stop any of the usual misogynist/transphobic/ racist shit. I think that on my side of the fence, the error was thinking that Americana was anything different. —STEACY EASTON WHAT IS THE BIGGEST ISSUE FACING COUNTRY MUSIC IN 2024?

The continued lack of opportunity for BIPOC/ LGBTQ+ country musicians, who continue to make an outsized share of the genre’s best music yet don’t receive either the opportunities nor the support of their cis white counterparts, especially men. Luke Combs’ hit with Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” isn’t the issue — it’s the fact that so many artists (including some who’ve covered “Fast Car” previously, to equal or better effect) would never get the chance to have such a hit with it. —CHARLES L. HUGHES Country music’s strength is connecting people through shared emotion and experience, and artificial intelligence can’t replicate that.

But corporate interests that see a money-making opportunity that cuts out the need to pay

We’d be doing well just to avoid the kind of turds we got in 2023. Less encouraging folks to be violent in their hometowns, please. —AMANDA HAGGARD Mistaking the current “country boom” via three white guys with guitars having success as a recipe for longevity. —MARISSA R. MOSS WHAT IS THE BIGGEST HURDLE TO MAKING IMPORTANT CHANGES IN COUNTRY IN 2024?

White men —KELLY McCARTNEY The continued entrenchment of exclusionary politics and practices, both within country music and in the country it claims to represent.

—CHARLES L. HUGHES

Admitting you’re wrong! My AmericanaFest reporting in the Scene shows that even industry leaders who make supporting DEI a part of their identity — dare I say brand — are not willing to make things right when they fall short. We are all human, and stuff happens. But if we always double down when we make mistakes, no progress will ever be made. —RACHEL CHOLST We continue to see the country music business have little incentive to support anyone other than white male artists. 2023 was a huge year for the likes of Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs and newcomers like Zach Bryan and Jelly Roll. In spite of critical acclaim, artists of color, queer artists and women continue to face huge barriers to commercial success in country music. —AMANDA MARTINEZ Songs that pander to political extremes will be rewarded in this election year. Meanwhile, real songs about things that really matter — the real heart of country music — might not get the attention they deserve. (Of course, well-written protest songs not meant to pander can definitely fall into this “real songs” category.) —STACY CHANDLER A tie between the restrictive programming practices of country radio and the backward views of those who confuse historical perspective, the celebration of tradition and love for a classic style and song with resistance to change and hostility to artists of color. —RON WYNN The way country music is covered — and the ways that it isn’t engaged at all. National writers and publications only drop in for the latest controversy to confirm their prejudices and make fun of the rubes. Most of the country-dedicated music press, meanwhile, is devoted to amplifying industry game plans and echoing performer “brands.” —DAVID CANTWELL ▼ NASHVILLE SCENE • JANUARY 18 – JANUARY 24, 2024 • nashvillescene.com

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1/12/24 5:28 PM

Artists to Watch From Autumn Nicholas to Megan Moroney to Brit Taylor and beyond, our writers have 10 new picks to keep an eye on

an impressive stadium tour opening for Kenny Chesney. JACQUELINE ZEISLOFT

PHOTO:LYZA RENEE

EVERY YEAR, there’s a wealth of rising country talent that deserves your attention. To help you keep up, we’ve picked 10 artists who are heading into 2024 with excellent songs, outstanding voices and vital perspectives to share.

AUTUMN NICHOLAS Autumn Nicholas hasn’t released a ton of recorded material yet, but everything they play leaves an impact when you hear it. And you had lots of opportunities to hear them around town last year, from the Love Rising benefit for LGBTQ rights organizations and the Together in Action benefit (that Nicholas co-organized) for anti-gun-violence group Moms Demand Action, from Bonnaroo to Nashville Pride Fest to opening at the Ryman for Jason Isbell. “Made Yet,” a ballad released in August, is about resisting the pressure to conform in a way that precious few country songs are — if you want to talk about pushing back against oppression and celebrating freedom, their work is a great place to start.

STEPHEN TRAGESER

CHARLEY CROCKETT Singer-songwriter Charley Crockett has already hit the ground running in 2024. His sparkling duet with Willie Nelson, “That’s What Makes the World Go Around,” was released at midnight Jan. 1. Lyrically, its storyline about a young woman struggling to attain big-city riches without losing her small-town identity and sensibility is as traditional country as it gets,

18

MEGAN MORONEY Georgia native and University of Georgia grad Megan Moroney is an exciting kind of hitmaker.

Her heartbreak songs showcase her twangy, lush voice and vulnerability, but she’s most entertaining while dishing bravado and sass on her 2023 album Lucky. With writing credits on every song on Lucky, she showcases her emotional intelligence, giving the impression that she’s the one who friends would go to in times of crisis. Moroney is cool and confident — I’d take advice from her. Lucky is an album with no skips, songs from which she’ll be showcasing on

upcoming LP she’s announced called Kentucky Bluegrassed. MATTHEW LEIMKUEHLER

ELVIE SHANE Elvie Shane and producer Oscar Charles have a deft way with the country-to-rock synthesis on Shane’s 2021 breakthrough album Backslider.

Shane grew up in Kentucky, and he and a brace of co-writers explore the limits of Southern identity — and Southern maleness — on Backslider tracks like “County Roads” and “Love, Cold Beer, Cheap Smoke,” which use Rolling Stones guitar licks and power-pop tricks to put his message across. Backslider comes with a built-in self-critique that suggests Shane could be the rare mainstream country artist who manages to be both commercial and hard-edged. He writes about the joys of being a stepfather in the song that brought him to the attention of the country audience, 2020’s hit single “My Boy,” and Backslider doesn’t falter even when Shane is at his most reflective, as on the post-Dan Fogelberg love song “Rocket Science.” Shane has a new album, Damascus, set for release April 19. EDD HURT

BRIT TAYLOR Last year, Brit Taylor emerged as one of the latest in a long line of six-string storytellers from Eastern Kentucky — a club that includes Patty Loveless, Chris Stapleton and Tom T. Hall, to name a few — to capture her corner of the world in country songs. Taylor released Kentucky Blue in early 2023, an album of foot-stomping romps and heart-stopping ballads co-produced

by Grammy-winning artist Sturgill Simpson and Nashville studio ace David Ferguson. And she’s already doubling down on her Kentucky roots with “Saint Anthony,” a new single fully drenched in bluegrass influence, a preview of an

PHOTO: 353 MEDIA GROUP

PHOTO: LAURA SCHNEIDER

while the powerful vocals from both Crockett and Nelson — who still sounds strong at 90 — reinforce the tune’s authoritative edge and feel. The prolific Crockett, a fixture in country and Americana since 2015, has a dual musical consciousness that incorporates influences from both New Orleans and Texas. Hopefully, this is the year he finally gets the mainstream success more than justified by his talent. RON WYNN

DENITIA After several years in New York, Denitia returned to Nashville last year, bringing her gentle voice and songs that pull no punches. One standout in her jam-packed catalog is “I Want to Live,” a lilting tune about her desire to live and grow a family in peace and safety on her own terms — something that is far more complicated than it should be due to the creeping stain of racism on our culture. That song is from her 2022 LP Highways; while she released music videos for songs from that record through last summer, she put out a jaw-dropping cover of Garth Brooks’ “What She’s Doing Now” in December, setting the stage for a busy 2024. STEPHEN TRAGESER

MATTHEW KILLOUGH Guitarist and singer Matthew Killough grew up in Georgia before moving to Denver, where

NASHVILLE SCENE • JANUARY 18 – JANUARY 24, 2024 • nashvillescene.com

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WITNESS HISTORY This Nudie’s Rodeo Tailors cowgirl outfit was designed for actress Gail Davis, star of the 1950s TV Western Annie Oakley, but never retrieved from Nudie’s shop—until it was purchased and worn in the 1970s by Emmylou Harris.

From the exhibit Western Edge: The Roots and Reverberations of Los Angeles Country-Rock, presented by City National Bank artifact photo: Bob Delevante

RESERVE TODAY

NASHVILLE SCENE • JANUARY 18 – JANUARY 24, 2024 • nashvillescene.com

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1/12/24 11:32 AM

LIVE MUSIC | URBAN WINERY RESTAURANT | BAR | PRIVATE EVENTS

1.27 PHOTO: DAVID McCLISTER

1.26

CHRISETTE MICHELE

AN EVENING WITH

CREED BRATTON

EARLY AND LATE SHOWS

1.31

ELI RALLO

I DIDN’T KNOW I NEEDED THIS LIVE

2.01

RUMORS ATL

A TRIBUTE TO FLEETWOOD MAC

2.07

2.09 SOUL FOOD POETRY CAFE PRESENTS

LIV WARFIELD

LOVE LETTERS VOL. II DRE THE POET, ZACARRA HEATH, ELVIE WILLIAMS

1.18 THE MOLLY RINGWALDS IMPROV COMEDY 1.19 NASHVILLE PRESENTS: NEW YEAR, SAME IMPROV 1.20 DRAG BRUNCH ROCKSTAR CLANTON - SHADOW WORK EP 1.20 SARAH RELEASE PARTY 1.20 ALICIA WITT 1.21 ANDY BRANTON WITH SHAWN BYRNE 1.21 JONATHAN COULTON 1.25 AARON CRAWFORD 1.27 AN EVENING WITH TRACE BUNDY NASHVILLE BEATLES BRUNCH 1.28 FEATURING FOREVER ABBEY ROAD AND FRIENDS 1.28 WAYLON 1.28 HELLO FROM THE HILLS

1.30 THE SIXTIES SHOW JOHN LOMAX 1.31 THE LOMAX ON LOMAX SHOW RAINY EYES WITH JOSHUA RILKO BLUEGRASS BAND 2.1 FEAT GEOFF SAUNDERS & OLIVER CRAVEN OF SIERRA FERRELL’S BAND AN EVENING WITH AJ GHENT 2.2 & HIS SINGING GUITAR ELLISA SUN: ALBUM RELEASE SHOW 2.3 (WITH JULIA CANNON) THE PIANO MEN: 2.3 TRIBUTE TO BILLY JOEL & ELTON JOHN 2.4 ANNIE LEPPERT 2.6 DALEY 2.9 BAWDY STORYTELLING 2.11 CHANTE MOORE 2.12

SOLD OUT - JOIN WAITLIST

1.29 ADAM CONOVER

he lived for 12 years. An adept of singers like Roscoe Holcomb, Townes Van Zandt and Incredible String Band guitarist Robin Williamson, Killough made the move to Nashville in 2018.

Killough sings in a voice that registers as stonecold country, which means he sounds both ancient and modern on his 2023 full-length Oh, Siloam. Killough’s precise style of guitar accompaniment supports an approach to songwriting that connects Killough to, say, Tyler Childers or Zach Bryan — Killough’s melodies are austere and deeply modal, and he explores how memories shape the present on the album’s “Calcimine Blue.” Oh, Siloam is progressive country that owes a debt to the groundbreaking ’60s and ’70s work of English folk-blues guitarists Bert Jansch and Nic Jones. Killough’s songs are subtly turned, and they have the potential to appeal to fans of thoughtful modern folk — not to mention country music itself. EDD HURT

CHARLES WESLEY GODWIN If you are the company you keep, then Charles Wesley Godwin’s doing pretty good. A country-folk singer who can spin a story that leaves listeners misty-eyed and asking for more — you know, the sad-songs-make-me-feel-good type — Godwin plans to spend much of 2024 on the road, headlining gigs between shows supporting some of the most sought-after singers holding court today, like Jason Isbell, Turnpike Troubadours and Luke Combs, as well as a spot on the Bonnaroo lineup. This comes after 2023, a year when Godwin inked a deal with heavy-hitting Nashville label Big Loud and headlined a two-night run at the Ryman Auditorium. Digging into his music for the first time? Spin Family Ties, his September LP. MATTHEW LEIMKUEHLER

JANUARY

20 & 27 • 12PM PORTION OF PROCEEDS GOES TOWARDS

ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION

Book your event at city winery! weddings • private dinners • galas corporate events • birthdays • and more!

12:00 PM to

5:00 PM Wednesday thru

Taste • Learn • Discover

Saturday

609 L AFAYET TE ST. NASHVILLE , TN 37203, NASHVILLE , TN 37203 @CIT Y WINERYNSH / CIT Y WINERY.COM / 615. 324.1033

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SHE RETURNS FROM WAR CRYSTAL ROSE Crystal Rose, who came to Nashville from Kansas City, is a dynamic performer who wowed Music City audiences throughout 2023. She brings a strong blues influence to songs like “Mad Black Woman,” a tune about being constantly judged and underestimated. That song impressed the crowd at the Black Opry Records launch party and was a runner-up in NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest. She’s making preparations for her debut LP — whether it arrives in 2024 or not, expect a lot more great music soon. STEPHEN TRAGESER

I saw a lot of benefit shows for good causes in 2023; sadly, the occasions were about raising money to act against a state legislature openly hostile to the LGBTQ community and unwilling to do much of anything about gun violence.

There was a slew of great performances, but one of the most enthusiastic responses was at City Winery — to South Carolina songsmith She Returns From War, who sang fan favorite “Swamp Witch” unmiked with Fancy Hagood.

Her November LP Ruthless features intensely vulnerable songs and pushes and stretches country in fascinating ways. STEPHEN TRAGESER ▼

JANUARY 18 – JANUARY 24, 2024 • nashvillescene.com

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This week in...

L CONCERT

UPCOMING SHOWS AT THE CMA THEATER

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

More info for each event online & on our instagram!

Museum members receive exclusive pre-sale opportunities for all CMA Theater shows.

Learn more at CountryMusicHallofFame.org/Membership.

BOOKED BY

The Blue Room for your holiday party!

224 REP. JOHN LEWIS WAY S • NASHVILLE, TN CMATHEATER.COM • @CMATHEATER

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See you soon!

Rent out

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The CMA Theater is a property of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

COMEDY NIGHT

hosted by CORTNEY WARNER

SATURDAY

with THE SEWING CLUB

Museum members receive exclusive pre-sale opportunities for all CMA Theater shows.

FRIDAY

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

MOLLY MARTIN & GLOOM GIRL MFG

INEBRIATED SHAKESPEARE

1/27

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS STEVE MORSE BAND

(SOLO)

1/25 THURSDAY

DIXIE DREGS

SATURDAY

APRIL 18

CLUB NITTY GRITTY

1/26

GEOFF TATE & ADRIAN VANDENBERG

1/20

MARCH 5

with WNXP

PARKER MILLSAP & ROBERT ELLIS

FRIDAY

CAT POWER SINGS DYLAN: THE 1966 ROYAL ALBERT HALL CONCERT

MUSIC TRIVIA NIGHT

1/19

CAT POWER

1/18 THURSDAY

BANNED BOOK HAPPY HOUR &

FEBRUARY 25

@THEBLUEROOMNASHVILLE

623 7TH AVE S NASHVILLE, TENN.

1/12/24 12:07 PM

NASHVILLE SCENE • JANUARY 18 – JANUARY 24, 2024 • nashvillescene.com

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2023/24 SEASON

NASHVILLE SYMPHONY COME HEAR EXTRAORDINARY S THI EEK! W

S !

THI KEND WEE

JAN 18 & 19 | 7:30 PM

JAN 20 | 7:30 PM & JAN 21 | 2 PM HCA Healthcare and Tristar Health Legends of Music

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN:

DEAD MAN’S CHEST IN CONCERT Nashville Symphony Jonathan Rush, conductor

JAN 26 | 7:30 PM | LOW TICKET ALERT

VIDEO GAMES LIVE

KRISTIN CHENOWETH

Nashville Symphony Emmanuel Fratianni, conductor

Nashville Symphony Rob Berman, conductor

COMING SOON TO THE SCHERMERHORN FEB 2 & 3 | 7:30 PM Classical Series

CLYNE, MOZART, AND PROKOFIEV with the Nashville Symphony

FEB 8 TO 10 | 7:30 PM FirstBank Pops Series

PATTI LABELLE with the Nashville Symphony

FEB 22 TO 24 | 7:30 PM Classical Series

MAR 1 | 7:30 PM Jazz Series

ELGAR’S ENIGMA with the Nashville Symphony

THE DUKE ELLINGTON ORCHESTRA Presented without the Nashville Symphony.

The Lawrence S. Levine Memorial Concert

FEB 7 | 7:30 PM Special Event

LUNAR NEW YEAR with the Nashville Symphony

THANK YOU TO OUR CONCERT PARTNERS

FEB 14 | 7:30 PM Special Event

ROMANCE AT THE SYMPHONY: CINEMA’S ICONIC LOVE THEMES with the Nashville Symphony

FEB 25 | 7:30 PM Presentation

LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO

WEST SIDE STORY AND HARLEM with the Nashville Symphony

Presented without the Nashville Symphony.

The Ann & Monroe Carell Family Trust MOVIE SERIES PARTNER

FAMILY SERIES PARTNER

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BUY TICKETS: 615.687.6400

Guerrero, director 22 Giancarlo JANUARY 18 – JANUARYmusic 24, 2024 • nashvillescene.com

MAR 7 TO 9 | 7:30 PM Classical Series

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WITH SUPPORT FROM

CRITICS’ PICKS: WEEKLY ROUNDUP OF THINGS TO DO

PHOTO: MEREDITH MASHBURN PHOTOGRAPHY

Visit calendar.nashvillescene.com for more event listings

MUSIC

THEATER

[BELIEVE]

THE CHER SHOW

At 77 years young, Cher has been dazzling audiences for more than six decades.

This weekend, you can celebrate the music of this fearless artist as Tennessee Performing Arts Center welcomes The Cher Show for two performances only. As with last season’s Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, this uplifting jukebox musical features three different actors playing the title character at three different stages of her career — there’s early years “Babe,” pop sensation “Lady” and the self-assured icon “Star.” Audiences can once again look forward to Bob Mackie’s stunning costumes, which earned the famed designer (and longtime Cher associate) his first Tony Award in 2019. But let’s face it — the real star of this non-Equity tour is sure to be the music itself, including irresistible hits like “I Got You Babe,” “VAMP,” “Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves,” “If I Could Turn Back Time,” “Believe” and more. AMY STUMPFL JAN. 19-20 AT TPAC’S JACKSON HALL 505 DEADERICK ST.

BETH ANNE MUSIKER: TAKING MY CHANCES PAGE 24

WALKER BURROUGHS PAGE 26

SUNSQUABI FEAT. 5AM PAGE 28

FRIDAY / 1.19

[BAND OF BROTHERS]

THE PISAPIA JANUARY RESIDENCY

There are two weeks left in the Pisapia January Residency at The 5 Spot, featuring multi-instrumentalist-vocalist Joe Pisapia and his Joe, Marc’s Brother bandmates — brother and drummer Marc Pisapia and bassist James “Hags” Haggerty. For those not familiar with Joe, Marc’s Brother, the band had a buzz around town in the mid- to late ’90s, releasing a pair of EPs and two full-length albums. Joe, who has also released several solo albums, is probably best known these days as a producer, helming records by Ben Folds and Ben Folds Five, k.d. lang, Chuck Mead, The Silver Seas and Guster, among others. Over the final weeks of the residency, acclaimed keyboardist Jen Gunderman will be sitting in with the band, and they’ll be performing material from both JMB’s records and Joe’s solo albums. “Over the weekend, my project was [to see] which songs we haven’t played in a minute that we should play,” Joe tells the Scene. Because Joe, Marc’s Brother almost never plays live anymore, the next two Thursdays offer a rare opportunity to see the band in person. DARYL SANDERS 6 P.M. JAN. 18 & 25 AT THE 5 SPOT 1006 FOREST AVE.

[I’VE GOT A JAR OF DIRT!]

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST FEAT. LIVE ORCHESTRA PERFORMANCE FILM

THURSDAY / 1.18

FRIDAY, JAN. 19

The Schermerhorn’s live scoring of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl last year — when the Nashville Symphony re-created Klaus Badelt’s score while the movie played on the big screen — was a sold-out hit last year. And so the Nashville Symphony is keeping it going with the 2006 follow-up Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. Honestly, they could’ve stopped at the first one. Let’s keep it real here: Those Pirates sequels aren’t very good. The 2003 summer-blockbuster version of the Disney theme-park ride — which made star Johnny Depp, who gave an Oscar-nominated turn as seafaring agent of chaos Captain Jack Sparrow, an A-lister — was such a surprise smash, Disney immediately came up with a couple of back-to-back installments that are really just incomprehensible spectacles. (At least 2007’s Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End features a cameo from Keith Richards — Depp’s obvious inspiration for Sparrow — as Sparrow’s old man.) But hey, if you’re a fan of Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer (who scored Chest, End and the fourth film, Pirates of the Caribbean:

NASHVILLE SCENE • JANUARY 18 – JANUARY 24, 2024 • nashvillescene.com

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1/12/24 12:52 PM

CRAIG D. LINDSEY

[ANNIE GET YOUR SLEDGEHAMMER]

FILM

JAN. 19 & 23 AT THE BELCOURT 2102 BELCOURT AVE. [WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING HERE?]

CREEPSHOW

When I was growing up and discovering all the wonderful things cable TV had to offer, Creepshow became a recurring premiumchannel offering for me. It’s still my favorite Stephen King movie adaptation, since the horror-novel icon adapted two of his short stories (and starred in one of them) and came up with three others for this scary/silly 1982 anthology salute to the EC horror comics of the 1950s, directed by scary-movie legend George A. Romero. (As always, the Night of the Living Dead director filmed the movie in and around his hometown of Pittsburgh, mostly at an empty school.) King and Romero clearly had a gleeful, gruesome time rounding up acting veterans (Hal Holbrook, Leslie Nielsen, E.G. Marshall), horror-flick regulars (Adrienne Barbeau, Tom Atkins) and some fresh-faced future stars (Ted Danson, Ed Harris) to appear in these blackcomic vignettes. Considering how most of these episodes are about assholes who ultimately get their comeuppance, this horror hodgepodge also serves as one big cautionary tale. The message: Don’t be a gotdamn douchebag!

CRAIG D. LINDSEY

7 P.M. AT FULL MOON CINEPLEX 3455 LEBANON PIKE

24

KRISTIN CHENOWETH WITH THE NASHVILLE SYMPHONY

You probably know Kristin Chenoweth best for her work on Broadway, from her Tony Awardwinning performance as Sally Brown in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown to originating the unforgettable role of Glinda in the musical megahit Wicked. But this versatile artist — and recent Nashville transplant — also has enjoyed tremendous success in television, film, voiceover and publishing. (If you’ve somehow missed seeing her in Apple TV’s hilarious comedy series Schmigadoon!, you seriously need to add it to your binge list.) Now this dynamic Tony- and Emmy-winning star is back with the Nashville Symphony for “a night of showstopping selections and gorgeous orchestral arrangements.” Featuring the full orchestra under the baton of conductor Rob Berman (an amazing Emmy- and Grammy-winning conductor and music director in his own right), it’s sure to be a fabulous evening of music, stories and more. AMY STUMPFL JAN 20-21 AT THE SCHERMERHORN 1 SYMPHONY PLACE [ROOM FOR ONE]

TORRES

Though Mackenzie Scott — better known as Torres, the longtime moniker of her indie-rock project — hasn’t been a Nashville resident in some time, we’re still lucky to claim her, even if it’s just a little. Raised in Georgia, Scott attended Belmont University and was part of Music City’s flourishing rock scene before relocating to Brooklyn roughly a decade ago. Since then she’s released an eclectic array of LPs and singles, adding synth-pop elements to her rich folk-rock sound and earning comparisons to similarly introspective rock contemporaries like Mitski, St. Vincent and fellow former Tennessean Sharon Van Etten. This month Torres releases her sixth full-length record, What an Enormous Room, via venerable indie label Merge. Early tidbits from Enormous Room showcase what is

D. PATRICK RODGERS

7 P.M. AT THE BASEMENT 1604 EIGHTH AVE. S. [NOISE, ORGANIZED]

ABORTION ACCESS BENEFIT FEAT. SOCCER MOMMY, BRIAN BROWN & MORE MUSIC

[POPULAR]

perhaps Torres’ most interesting, brooding work yet — you might detect hints of Trent Reznor’s influence in the sparse arrangement and distorted electronic drums of “I Got the Fear.” On Saturday, Scott will return to her old stomping grounds when Torres headlines The Basement in support of the new album. Violinist and singersongwriter Aisha Burns will appear in support.

It’s still a bit jarring to have to write “Roe v.

Wade was overturned about 18 months ago,” and the need for access to safe care has not diminished. And it isn’t likely to do so any time soon. Launched in 2017, Noise for Now is a group working on a national scale to help musicians and other entertainers pool resources to benefit organizations that support abortion access in their areas. In partnership with booking agency Ground Control Touring, Noise for Now is putting on a suite of benefit shows, all to be held Saturday in several cities around the U.S. Along with Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and Philadelphia, Nashville will host its own event at East Side all-ages spot Drkmttr. Between 3 and 11 p.m., look for a solo set from Soccer Mommy’s Sophie Allison as well as performances from stellar rapper Brian Brown and artful ensemble Crystal Egg, among lots more. Kinetic punks Snooper, inventive shoegazers Total Wife and To-Go Records co-founder and The Blue Room talent booker Megan Loveless are some of the folks doing DJ sets. Tickets are sold out, but you can still make a donation via the ticket link at Eventbrite. STEPHEN TRAGESER 3-11 P.M. AT DRKMTTR 1111 DICKERSON PIKE [LOST TRANSLATOR]

MIDNIGHT MOVIES: FOOTPRINTS (AKA FOOTPRINTS ON THE MOON AKA LE ORME) FILM

KIM BALDWIN

SATURDAY / 1.20 MUSIC

Every December there’s a meme that gets circulated online about how Misery is the best Hallmark Christmas movie of all time, and listen, it’s not wrong. Hear me out. A fancy New York writer crashes his car and finds himself trapped in a small Colorado town, unable to escape back to his glamorous life in the big city. A modest townswoman with an extensive turtleneck collection takes him in under the guise of nursing him back to health so he can return to his life, and more importantly, back to his writing — she is his No. 1 fan. Psychological high jinks ensue. Do they ultimately fall in love and decide to start raising chickens together?

No. Does she tie a leather strap around his calves, put a 2-by-4 between his legs and break his ankles with a sledgehammer? Yes. Yes, she does. All jokes aside, this movie is terrifying. Ask any horror and/or Stephen King fan about their favorite movies and Misery will likely be at the top of that list. As part of their Winter Classics series, the Belcourt Theatre is screening Misery Friday and Tuesday in 35 mm. So put on your favorite turtleneck/shift-dress combo and learn about America’s original stan, Annie Wilkes.

PHOTO: DANIEL TOPETE

WINTER CLASSICS: MISERY

MUSIC

FILM

7:30 P.M. JAN 19-20 AT THE SCHERMERHORN 1 SYMPHONY PLACE

The last theatrical release of Italian director

Luigi Bazzoni before he got out of the featurefilmmaking game, the 1975 giallo Le Orme (which has been given several alternative titles, including Footprints, Footprints on the Moon, even Primal Impulse) is practically a textbook example of how psychological thrillers rolled during the ’70s: incessantly moody, beautifully shot, baffling as fuck. Brazilian actress/model Florinda Bolkan plays a translator who discovers she can’t remember the past few days. Her mission to find out what the hell happened has her visiting an idyllic beachside resort town where the inhabitants (including a creepy little girl played by Nicoletta Elmi, the go-to child actress for creepy little girls in giallos back in the day) know her by another name. All the while, she keeps dreaming about a space movie where a hella dubbed Klaus Kinski plays the villain. The true star of this flick is the stunning cinematography from the iconic Vittorio Storaro, who hits you with many visually impeccable moments in this blazingly batshit film. CRAIG D. LINDSEY MIDNIGHT AT THE BELCOURT 2102 BELCOURT AVE.

SUNDAY / 1.21 THEATER

SOCCER MOMMY

[COME TO THE CABARET]

BETH ANNE MUSIKER: TAKING MY CHANCES

Beth Anne Musiker has built an enviable career as an actor, singer, music director and arts educator. The Chicago native spent many years working with various Broadway tours, doing regional theater and performing overseas.

More recently, Musiker has been seen locally onstage with Nashville Rep, Pipeline-Collective and Woven Theatre. She’s also a teaching artist with TPAC, and founder of StageSmart Teaching Artists. But whether she’s onstage or in the classroom, Musiker has a unique way of connecting with those around her, using music to tell a story that’s all her own. This weekend, you can check out Musiker in her solo show Taking My Chances at The Barbershop Theater.

Presented as part of Street Theatre’s popular cabaret series, Taking My Chances promises a wide range of musical styles and genres, including songs from Brandy Clark, Adele, Patty Griffin, Bette Midler, Meghan Trainor and more.

AMY STUMPFL

7 P.M. AT THE BARBERSHOP THEATER 4003 INDIANA AVE.

MUSIC

On Stranger Tides) and you wanna hear the symphony put some stank on his swashbuckling work, then you’ll have two chances this week.

[SISSI THAT WALK]

SISSI AT EASTSIDE BOWL

What if I told you there’s a live drag competition in Nashville once a year where you can not only see up-and-coming drag entertainers perform but also help decide the outcome? You would go, right? Let’s all go!

SiSSi returns to Eastside Bowl this weekend for its sixth cycle. Founded by Vidalia Anne Gentry and hosted by Vidalia and Cya Inhale, SiSSi is “an elimination-style live competition featuring a collection of the Midsouth’s most sickening queer performers.” There are three rounds in

NASHVILLE SCENE • JANUARY 18 – JANUARY 24, 2024 • nashvillescene.com

criticspicks_1-18-24.indd 24

1/12/24 12:52 PM

We’re putting out a new record, and we mean business. It’s time to party. Never buy tickets online? Neither do we.

But if you do this time, a free gift awaits featuring performances by:

The Weird Sisters Ken Sable & David Bermudez analog visuals powered by “THE REAL TOM”

Saturday February 3rd, 2024 8pm The Vinyl Lounge 1414 3rd Ave S Nashville TN

NASHVILLE SCENE • JANUARY 18 – JANUARY 24, 2024 • nashvillescene.com

25

7PM Ryan Harris Brown • Julie Lavery 9PM Ronny Criss and the New Town Sound • Damn Lonesomes

sat 1/20

7PM Great American Canyon Band • Mary Richard • Matt Boyer 9PM Golden Everything • Texino • Jesse Noah Wilson

mon 1/22

7PM Kat Hil • Kat & Zach 9PM Hailey Dawn • Leah Crose

tues 1/23

7PM Soul Vibes Writer’s Night w/ Jai Ayers • Mandy Moon • Faith Lindsay 9PM Pony Up Tuesdays hosted by Jason Erie

wed 1/24

7PM Karaoke Wednesday w/ Meg Gehman

*Closed Tuesdays

EAST NASH V I LLE THU 1.18 GLEE CLUB 6-7:30

CHER Singalong 7:30-9 PIANO KARAOKE 9-12 w/Katie Pederson

FRI 1.19

PIANO KARAOKE 6-9 w/Dani Ivory PIANO KARAOKE 9-1 w/Kira Small

SAT 1.20

ANNA LEE PALMER 7-9 PIANO KARAOKE 9-1 w//Benan BRADY BEARD ALBUM RELEASE 7-8 PIANO KARAOKE 8-12 w/Kira Small

SUN 1.21

MON 1.22 SHOW TUNES @ SID’S 7-9

PIANO KARAOKE 9-12 w/Krazy Kyle WED 1.24 HAGS REEL TO REEL HAPPY HOUR 6-8 BURLESK 8-9 ($7) PIANO KARAOKE 9-12 w/Paul Loren

*available for private parties!* 3245 Gallatin Pike • Nashville TN 37216 sidgolds.com/nashville • 629.800.5847

Saturday, January 20

Saturday, January 27

SONGWRITER SESSION

SONGWRITER SESSION

Victoria Banks

Jenna LaMaster

NOON · FORD THEATER

NOON · FORD THEATER

Sunday, January 21

Sunday, January 28

MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT

MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT

Rob McNelley

Danny Rader

1:00 pm · FORD THEATER

1:00 pm · FORD THEATER

Tuesday, January 23

Sunday, February 4

PERFORMANCE

MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT

Stephanie Urbina Jones

Natalie Murphy

With The Honky Tonk Mariachi

6:30 pm · FORD THEATER Wednesday, January 24

1:00 pm · FORD THEATER

SONGWRITER SESSION

Carter Faith NOON · FORD THEATER

Curious Circumstances

Sunday, February 18

5:00 pm · HALEY GALLERY

MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT

Terry Crisp 1:00 pm · FORD THEATER

WITNESS HISTORY

Museum Membership Receive free admission, access to weekly programming, concert ticket presale opportunities, and more.

1/3 Page_PrintAd_01.18.24.indd 1 26MKTG_Scene JANUARY 18 – JANUARY 24, 2024 • nashvillescene.com

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SUNDAY SUPPER: MY DINNER WITH ANDRE

The strangest thing about My Dinner With Andre is the fact that it works at all. Aside from a few lines of prologue and epilogue, the entire run time is spent at a table with the titular Andre in conversation with his old friend Wally, played by a spry 38-year-old Wallace Shawn. That’s it — that conversation is the whole film. Still, you can’t look away. That’s largely thanks to the two leads, who were real-life friends and colleagues, but director Louis Malle’s contribution can’t be overlooked. The elegant restaurant setting and tight shots of the actors’ expressive faces are somehow just as captivating as their words.

Side note: The film’s set was modeled after the legendary Upper West Side restaurant Café des Artistes. That now-closed establishment opened in 1917 on the street level of the swanky Hotel des Artistes tower, because those apartments didn’t have their own kitchens. Residents included Ellsworth Kelly, Mike Nichols and Isadora Duncan, to name just a few. Marcel Duchamp used to hang out there. Just as notable is how well-received the film was in its time: Robert Ebert called it the best film of 1981, and Gene Siskel agreed, saying: “This is what I want films to be like.” Same, Gene. Give me shawlcollar sweaters and grimy but elegant subway station vistas all day long. This screening is part of the Belcourt’s excellent Sunday Supper series.

Bring your own potato soup. LAURA HUTSON HUNTER 7 P.M. AT THE BELCOURT 2102 BELCOURT AVE.

Saturday, February 10

EXHIBIT OPENING RECEPTION

Marilyn Murphy

[ANDRE 3000]

FULL CALENDAR

[IN THE GARAGE]

VERA BLOOM

Garage rockers in the 1960s took their cues from the ground-zero work of bands like The Kingsmen, The Kinks, The Leaves and The Rolling Stones. Because it’s much harder to play like The Rolling Stones than it is to imitate The Kinks, garage rock in the ’60s usually stayed at an intermediate level that was somewhere beyond the apprentice stage. Nashville rocker Vera Bloom moved to town in 2018 after spending time around Seattle, where the influence of alt-garage bands like The Vaselines and, you know, Sex Pistols helped create grunge nearly 40 years ago. I hear hints of The Vaselines and The Buzzcocks throughout Bloom’s two Nashville-recorded EPs. I prefer the tunes on her 2023 EP It’s Me over the songs she came up with for her 2021 self-titled release, but Bloom hews to the orthodoxy of pop punk on both of them. Because we’ve had 60 years of garage

MONDAY / 1.22 MUSIC

fri 1/19

6 NIGHTS A WEEK!

rock to reference and absorb, you might hear Bloom’s music as well-made pop — despite her theme of self-determination and plenty of gently abrasive guitars, Bloom comes across as musically conservative with a keen ear for catchy melodies and hooks. Opening for Bloom on Sunday at 3rd and Lindsley is Nashville rock band BadCulture, who released an interesting self-titled EP in 2023. EDD HURT 7 P.M. AT 3RD AND LINDSLEY 818 THIRD AVE. S.

[BREATHE EASY]

WALKER BURROUGHS

One could easily fill one’s schedule showing up to gigs for former American Idol hopefuls in Nashville. (Our Nov. 30 cover story explored the extensive community here.) Walker Burroughs, a 2019 top-eight finalist and Belmont University alumnus known for his R&B covers, is putting on a solo show following the November release of his single “Breathe.” Burroughs’ personal style is much more singer-songwriter. “Breathe” is a mellow guitar ditty that swells midway through to a triumphant feel-good track. He released another single in 2022, “For the Good to Come,” and two singles in 2019, “Made to Be” and “The Moon Song.” He hasn’t released much original music yet in total, so the singer-songwriter is sure to share some never-before-heard tracks and fun covers, too. It’s worth getting there early for Luisa Marion, an MTSU alumna and fiddle player who plays original songs with an earnest and ethereal quality. Her latest release, “Your Friend,” is a nice one on the yearning side of things. HANNAH HERNER 7 P.M. AT THE BASEMENT 1604 EIGHTH AVE. S.

TUESDAY / 1.23 MUSIC

4PM Open Mic Night w/ miss lonely 9PM Ellie Stone • Elizabeth Davis • Sydnee Conley

MUSIC

thur 1/18

FILM

Live Piano Karaoke

the competition, which — if you are anything like me — gives you a built-in reason to leave the house and have fun THREE TIMES during the height of your seasonal affective disorder. Cycle Six kicks off on Jan. 21, with events following on Feb. 4 and Feb. 25. Turn off your SAD lamp, put on your fleece-lined caftan and meet me at Eastside Bowl. Tickets and more info at linktr.ee/ sissinashville. KIM BALDWIN 8 P.M. AT EASTSIDE BOWL 1508A GALLATIN PIKE S.

[RIGHT FOR THE JOB]

TOOL

Wonky time signatures! Cryptic frontman shenanigans! Mind-melting graphics! It must be Tool time in Nashville. The prog-rock mainstays — known for lengthy, layered tunes, kaleidoscopic live shows and a fevered fan base willing to go to bat for each eccentric groove — return to Music City for a one-night show at Bridgestone Arena, nearly four years to the day since last headlining the downtown Nashville venue. Frontman Maynard James Keenan and company aren’t touring a new album — the band’s last album, Fear Inoculum, took 13 years to hit record store shelves — leaving more room for Tool to take a headbanging nostalgia trip. Stops along the way will likely include “Stinkfist,” “Schism,” “Forty Six & 2” and the other songs that for years have helped make Tool an unassuming fixture in arena rock.

Massachusetts rock band Elder opens the show.

MATTHEW LEIMKUEHLER

7:30 P.M. AT BRIDGESTONE ARENA 501 BROADWAY

1/12/24 10:41 AM

1/12/24 12:52 PM

818 3RD AVE SOUTH • SOBRO DOWNTOWN NASHVILLE SHOWS NIGHTLY • FULL RESTAURANT FREE PARKING • SMOKE FREE VENUE AND SHOW INFORMATION

917 Woodland Street Nashville, TN 37206 | thebasementnashville.com basementeast thebasementeast thebasementeast

3RDANDLINDSLEY.COM GREAT MUSIC • GREAT FOOD • GOOD FRIENDS • SINCE 1991

THIS WEEK 1/24 the record company w/ jesse ahern

1/26 traveling wilburys tribute ft. ruston kelly, andrew leahey, grace bowers, & more!

1/27

THU

SAVANNAH BURROWS with 7:30 MOLLY FORBES & MAURA STREPPA

FRI

WMOT Roots Radio Presents Finally Fridays featuring THE CLOSE, THE MONTVALES & HEAVYDRUNK

1/18

town mountain w/ Logan Halstead

1/19

2/2 luthi, travollta & boogie+

2/4 holding absence w/ Casey, Capstan & Acres

3/6

JUST ANNOUNCED

yola

leahey, ruston kelly, grace bowers, paul mcdonald & more!

jan 27 town mountain w/ Logan Halstead jan 30 YEP Rewind: 90s Country feb 2 LUTHI, Travollta & Boogie+ feb 3 ok computer - a tribute to radiohead feb 4 holding absence w/ Casey, Capstan & Acres feb 5 squid w/ Water From Your Eyes feb 6 militarie gun w/ Pool Kids, Spiritual Cramp & Death Lens feb 8 joe derosa feb 9 deap vally w/ sloppy jane feb 10 Athena w/ Joe Pacheco feb 15 jaime wyatt w/ joshua quimby feb 18 destin conrad w/ amaria feb 19 ryan beatty sold out! feb 20 juice w/ shallow alcove

oct

feb 21 Meet Me @ The Altar w/ Honey Revenge, John feb 22 feb 23 feb 24 feb 25 feb 26 feb 29 mar 1 mar 2 mar 4 mar 5 mar 6 mar 8 mar 9 mar 10 mar 11 mar 12 mar 14 mar 16 mar 18 mar 19

Harvie & Elliot Lee

Bertha: Grateful Drag Silent Planet w/ Thornhill, Johnny Booth & Aviana marc broussard sold out! marc broussard blonde redhead lola kirke & the watson twins w/ kassi valazza Kolton Moore & The Clever Few Evan Honer w/ theo kandel sold out! eric bellinger w/ zae france chelsea wolfe w/ divide & dissolve yola flyana boss lucero enjoy w/ cowgirl clue beach weather w/ Phoneboy & Rec Hall matt maltese Tanner Usrey w/ Kat Hasty jonathan richman ft. tommy larkins on drums mclusky Em Beihold

1604 8th Ave S Nashville, TN 37203 | thebasementnashville.com thebasementnash thebasementnash thebasementnash

1/20

1/23

torres

mary bragg

Upcoming shows jan 18 Corey Harper w/ haffway (7pm) jan 18 drake freeman w/ rob langdon (9pm) jan 19 Southghost w/ Natalie Duffy (7pm) jan 19 no control - a bad religion tribute (9pm) jan 20 Torres jan 21 Hothead Wave jan 22 Walker Burroughs w/ Luisa Marion jan 23 Mary Bragg jan 24 georgia webster (7pm) jan 24 Leah Belle Faser, Patty PerShayla & The Mayhaps, and Pump Action (9pm) jan 25 fritz hager (7pm)

jan 25 clear the benches (9pm) jan 26 the deltaz w/ heavydrunk (7pm) jan 26 six one tribe (9pm) jan 27 highway natives w/ The Damn Shames & Jack McKeon jan 28 McKay, Karson Leighton, Riley Whittaker, Otlo jan 29 Marble Jets, Jacob & The Dazey Chain (7pm) jan 29 Mickey Commodore w/ Drugstore Cowboy & Danny Pynes (9pm)

jan 31 Carson Beyer, Dan Harrison + Special Guest (7pm) jan 31 Matthew McNeal w/ Dillon Warnek & Texino (9pm) feb 1 Karlee Metzger w/ The Centennials feb 2 Kat & Ned Sing Songs

THE EAGLEMANIACS:

SAT

1/20 The Music of Don Henley & The Eagles 7:00 VERA BLOOM with BADCULTURE SUN 1/21

THE EAGLEMANIACS: 8:00 The Music of Don Henley & The Eagles

Upcoming shows jan 18 anees jan 19 dylan leblanc w/ airpark jan 20 the emo night tour jan 23 Grunge night 10 jan 24 the record company w/ Jesse ahern jan 26 3rd Ann. East Nashville Tribute to The Traveling Wilburys & Solo Songs ft. andrew

12:30

8:00

Backstage Nashville! Daytime Hit 12:30 1/20 Songwriters Show featuring EARL BUD LEE, TRENT TOMLINSON, JORDAN WALKER with EMILY ANN ROBERTS + GARRETT BRADFORD

8:00

THE TIME JUMPERS

MON

1/22

7:30

TUE ANDREA ZONN & JOHN COWAN 1/23 are The HercuLeons with JODY NARDONE, TOM BRITT, ANDY PEAKE with Special Guest RODNEY CROWELL

7:30

RED WANTING BLUE with IAN HARRISON

SAT

WED

1/24

FEATURED

1/31

2/4

MATT STELL WITH BOOMTOWN SAINTS & GEORGE SHINGLETON

AUSIN GRIMM (OF ROOTS OF A REBELLION) WITH MELD

2/27

3/3

5/3

LOVE JADE PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS ELTON JOHN REIMAGINED

MONKEYS ON A STRING - A TRIBUTE TO DAVE MATTHEWS AND TIM REYNOLDS

LARRY CAMPBELL & TERESA WILLIAMS

2/23

JIMMY HALL AND THE PRISONERS OF LOVE

COMING SOON 1/26 OCIE ELLIOTT WITH JOSHUA HYSLOP SOLD OUT! 1/27 YACHT’S LANDING + THE HEART OF ROCK AND ROLL 1/28 CODY BROOKS & CO 1/29 THE TIME JUMPERS 1/30 THE HERCULEONS WITH SPECIAL GUEST JONELL MOSSER 2/2 SIXWIRE & FRIENDS 2/3 MIDNIGHT RIDERS + JOHNNY NEEL 2/5 THE TIME JUMPERS 2/6 THE HERCULEONS WITH SPECIAL GUEST MIKE FARRIS

2/7 2/8 2/9 2/10 2/12 2/13 2/14 2/15 2/17 2/18

EMILY WEST JACKOPIERCE WITH RACHEL LOY RUBIKS GROOVE VINYL RADIO THE TIME JUMPERS THE HERCULEONS WITH SPECIAL GUEST DAN PENN VALENTINES DAY WITH WENDY MOTEN EDDIE 9V WITH MYRON ELKINS + BEE TAYLOR THE LONG PLAYERS - THE SONGS OF NEW YORK IN THE 60S & 70S RACHEL BAIMAN WITH LEON MAJCEN

2/20 CARBON LEAF 2/21 JAMIE FLOYD WITH CASSIDY DANIELS 2/24 JAMES MCMURTRY WITH BETTY SOO 2/25 JAMES MCMURTRY WITH BETTY SOO 2/29 STICK MEN FEAT. TONY LEVIN, PAT MASTELOTTO & MARCUS REUTER 3/2 ERIC GALES 3/6 EMILY WEST 3/7 TEDDY THOMPSON PRESENTS MY LOVE OF COUNTRY 3/16 WORLD TURNING BAND 3/19 THE FRENCH CONNEXION

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NASHVILLE SCENE • JANUARY 18 – JANUARY 24, 2024 • nashvillescene.com

27

THU 1.18 • EXLEY • MILES CONNOR • KEEP THE ELEVEN FRI 1.19

• LEE SYATT

SAT 1.20

• BOOK NOT BROOKE • MASSIE • HERLY BERLY • YUCKS

SUN 1.21 • HEXPROOF • THE ATOMIC AGE • ALL POETS AND HEROES MON 1.22 • GARDEN • RUBY CHAFFER • MAX LANGLINAIS TUE 1.23

•ULTIMATE COMEDY • FREE OPEN MIC COMEDY

WED 1.24 • WILD PARTY • COUSIN SIMPLE • MODERN DAY MIRACLE THU 1.25 • CALI WILSON • WHITNEY FENIMORE • MADDIE LENHART

@THEEASTROOM

STORY OF THE YEAR

The emo-rock revival rages on this weekend with Story of the Year celebrating 20 years of the band’s cornerstone album Page Avenue at rock club and bowling hall Brooklyn Bowl Nashville. The St. Louis-bred post-hardcore band hit paydirt in the early-2000s emo boom largely behind the aforementioned Page Avenue, an album produced by Goldfinger’s John Feldmann that hit heavy rotation on MTV and alt-music cable channel Fuse. (Holy shit, who remembers Fuse?!) Thanks in part to “Until the Day I Die” — a still-catchy Emo Nite DJ go-to — the band now celebrates two decades of the heart-spilling Page Avenue songs by playing the album start to finish on a coast-to-coast tour. Along with Page Avenue, Story of the Year also promises to dig into cuts from other albums, including 2023’s Tear Me to Pieces, the band’s first studio effort in six years. We the Kings (of “Check Yes, Juliet” fame) will provide main support; Youth Fountain opens the show. MATTHEW LEIMKUEHLER 7:30 P.M. AT BROOKLYN BOWL 925 THIRD AVE. N.

MUSIC

2412 GALLATIN AVE

[UNTIL THE DAY THEY DIE]

[HERE COMES THE SUN]

SUNSQUABI FEAT. 5AM

Something that electronic music and jam bands have in common: People who aren’t deeply engaged in the music or culture around it will likely have no clue who a given artist is, even if they have a substantial fan base.

Mostly instrumental Denver trio SunSquabi bridges both those worlds. In a feature story for the group’s hometown alt-weekly Westword, writer Ben Wiese described SunSquabi’s 2019 LP Instinct as capturing their “dynamic blend of funky synth lines, soaring guitar sounds, horn samples and booming beats,” while “the band flexes its ability to shape-shift through genres while having a ball on stage.” The hardtouring group has been around for more than a decade, and their catalog includes a live album recorded at Red Rocks in 2018. On Jan. 24, they and producer-performer Sam Andrus (aka 5AM) will play the inaugural show at Row One Stage, the smallest of the three venues at Cannery Hall.

It’ll be the first time there’s been a show open to

the public in the complex formerly home to the Mercy Lounge venue suite, which shuttered in May 2022 after the longtime management and new property owners couldn’t come to terms on a new lease. The calendar is already filling out for the winter and spring — including a Feb. 17 show from hometown hero Lilly Hiatt — but this’ll be your first opportunity to see and hear the new space. STEPHEN TRAGESER 8 P.M. AT ROW ONE STAGE 1 CANNERY ROW

MUSIC

MUSIC

WEDNESDAY / 1.24

[BIG PAYOFFS]

AMELIA WHITE W/THE COAL MEN

What made the old-school East Nashville music scene special was the relationship of the scene’s practitioners to rock music. Recent records by artists associated with the East Nashville style have been syncretic affairs that only lightly touch upon country music. You can hear this approach on, say, Elizabeth Cook’s great 2020 album Aftermath and Todd Snider’s foray into funk, 2021’s First Agnostic Church of Hope and Wonder. Wednesday’s bill at Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge features artists who continue to fly the flag of indie-folk-rock as it was conceived somewhere in the vicinity of Five Points. Amelia White is a veteran singer-songwriter whose 2022 album Rocket Rearview sports a mildly rocking title track she co-wrote with songwriter and spoken-word master songwriter Minton Sparks, and White references David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” for good measure. White has a new album, Love I Swore, set for release in February. The record’s first single, “Something New Comes,” is Celticflavored rock. Meanwhile, guitarist, producer and songwriter Dave Coleman has been leading his rock band The Coal Men since the late ’90s.

Tracks like 2016’s “Depreciate” remind me of a Nashville version of the sleek, minimalist music you hear on albums by bands like The Sea and Cake or Luna, and Coleman’s oeuvre includes a trenchant song about the pressures of the Nashville music scene, “The Payoff,” also from 2016. The Coal Men are set to release their fulllength Everett — the band’s first album in nearly eight years — in March. Rounding out the bill will be the duo of steel guitarist Paul Niehaus and singer Katja Raine. EDD HURT 8 P.M. AT DEE’S COUNTRY COCKTAIL LOUNGE 102 E. PALESTINE AVE., MADISON

BUY TICKETS THUR 1.18

FRI

1.19

SAT 1.20 Scan the QR for tickets and info.

SUN 1.21

FT Live and Great Performances Sponsored by

615.538.2076 | FranklinTheatre.com 419 Main St., Franklin, TN 37064

28

WED 1.24

5PM THE MOTONES FREE

8PM ONE SOUL SOUL, ROCKSTEADY

& REGGAE DJ PARTY 4PM MAC LLOYD & DEADHORSE RIDER FREE 4PM SPRINGWATER SIT-IN JAM FREE

9PM FUGU DUGU & ROCKY BOTTOM

5PM WRITERS @ THE WATER OPEN MIC

115 27TH AVE N. OPEN WED - SUN 11AM - LATE NIGHT

AMELIA WHITE

JANUARY 18 – JANUARY 24, 2024 • nashvillescene.com

criticspicks_1-18-24.indd 28

1/12/24 12:52 PM

A N A L O G AT

HUTTON

HOTEL

PRESENTS

THE KARAS COMMITTEE

26

JAN

The Karas Committee is an exciting music collective led by up-and-coming keyboardist Josh Karas. The group performs highenergy jazz/funk fusion similar to artists like Snarky Puppy, Weather Report, and Lettuce.

DOORS: 7 PM SHOW: 8 PM GA: $15 RES: $25

ANALOG BLUEGRASS JASON CARTER BAND

As a fiddler, Carter has been featured on albums by Steve Earle, Ricky Skaggs, Dierks Bentley, Charlie Daniels, Vince Gill, Asleep at the Wheel, and many more, all in addition to his tireless touring and recording with Del as well as the Travelin’ McCourys. This time, though, Carter is singing lead.

JANUARY 19

FEB

ANALOG SOUL ANALOG SOUL

FEB

FEB

JASON SINGER (OF MICHIGANDER)

SUPER FELON

FEB

02 04 11 13 14 18

FEB

DOORS: 7 PM SHOW: 8 PM GA: $10 DOS: $15

SOUTHERN ROUNDS

FEB

FEB

01

ANALOG SOUL

UPCOMING

LADYCOUCH

FEBRUARY 18

SUNDAY SERVICE

BLACK HERSTORY AGES 21+ ONLY

06

DOORS: 7 PM SHOW: 8 PM GA: $20 DOS: $25

20

FEB

JOHN MAILANDER’S FORECAST

FEB

MARCH 2

DOORS: 6 PM SHOW: 7 PM GA: $20

ALL SHOWS AT ANALOG ARE 21+ 1808 WEST END AVENUE, NASHVILLE,

TN

NASHVILLE SCENE • JANUARY 18 – JANUARY 24, 2024 • nashvillescene.com

29

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JANUARY 18 – JANUARY 24, 2024 • nashvillescene.com

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FOOD & DRINK

ONCE MORE AGAIN

16 sometimes overlooked restaurants to keep in mind when you’re ready to dine out

ANATOLIA TURKISH RESTAURANT 48 White Bridge Road The city has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to Turkish restaurants, and Nashvillians count Anatolia among them. The family-owned restaurant, open more than two

PHOTO: MICHAEL BUNCH

SINCE SINEMA OPENED in 2014 in the historic Melrose Theater, it has garnered a reputation as a restaurant with selfie-worthy bathrooms, a rare whiskey list with more than 100 options, cozy velvet booths, and a menu befitting its Old Hollywood vibe.

A decade after opening, Sinema is making some changes, says co-owner Q Taylor. This month, thanks to new executive chef Shelby Briggs, the restaurant unveiled a new menu.

It features dishes inspired by Briggs’ experiences studying in Italy, Thailand and Vietnam.

It uses fresh herbs and produce in dishes that are flavorful and fit the Sinema vibe, but aren’t over-the-top or heavy-handed — such as perfect potato pierogi topped with crispy garlic, and the agnolotti in roasted miso butter. It all tastes like you’re dining at a friend’s house (albeit a very talented friend).

“The culture of the city has changed — the city has evolved in a lot of ways, and the expectations over the years have gotten higher,” Taylor says of Briggs’ hiring. “People are coming from a lot of places, and they have eaten in a lot of places in the world, so you have to evolve.”

Taylor knows that many locals love Sinema, coming in to celebrate special occasions. And folks who live in the neighborhood love to wander in for its first-rate happy hour. Visitors flock to its Bottomless Brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. But Taylor knows the restaurant isn’t necessarily reaching those who have moved to town recently or those who aren’t looking for the booze-heavy evening they had in Sinema’s booths a decade ago. He thinks Briggs’ menu and approach will help expand the restaurant’s audience.

Taylor and Sinema are not alone in their goal.

Nashville has a lot of shiny new objects, and it’s very easy to get distracted by what’s gleaming and new. There are so many good new restaurants — Noko, iggy’s and Kisser, to name three — it can be easy to forget about solid favorites that have been around since before the phrase “it city” was uttered.

As business slows down for restaurants in January (when people tend to pull in the reins on both extravagant spending and lavish eating), this is a good time to give a second thought to some favorites that may have been forgotten.

Instead of doing the dance to set a calendar reminder to jump on Tock or Resy when reservations open for those new restaurants, consider checking out one of these 16 time-honored spots instead.

PHOTO: DANIEL MEIGS

BY MARGARET LITTMAN

DUKE’S decades, serves flavorful meat and vegetable dishes, plus pastries in crispy phyllo dough.

Lunchtime salads are particularly well-priced.

Don’t miss the rose petal jam. Anatolia, which is located in Lion’s Head Village, is open for dinner seven days a week and for lunch on weekdays.

BUTCHERTOWN HALL 1416 Fourth Ave. N. Restaurateur Terry Raley has been busy opening new places, including Mercado by Butchertown, Ramones Citrus Club and Cherries on Dickerson Pike. Butchertown Hall is Raley’s reigning OG spot in Germantown. The idea is a modern barbecue with tacos made from meats and vegetables smoked on an open-hearth fire.

While many traditional barbecue spots are short on aesthetics (if long on deliciousness), Butchertown Hall has Raley’s signature sleek, modern design along with the good-tasting tacos and cocktails.

CAFFÉ NONNA 4427 Murphy Road For 25 years, tiny Caffé Nonna has been one of Nashville’s beloved Italian spots. With just 900 square feet (and only 200 of those in the kitchen!), Nonna was the pasta favorite before there was iggy’s and Frankie’s and Il Forno and Luogo and Yolan and Pastaria and so many

other options. Late last year, Will Spiva, previously of Taqueria del Sol and elsewhere, purchased Caffé Nonna, becoming the third owner in the Sylvan Park eatery’s history. Spiva is in the process of updating the menu. But the cooks have more than 29 years of combined experience in the kitchen of Caffé Nonna alone, so they will be sure to keep some longtime favorites, such as the Seafood Angelina. He plans to focus on Nonna’s neighborhood vibe, attracting more locals than visitors, and keeping that friendly, cozy feeling — befitting a restaurant of its size.

Nonna is just down the block from Park Café, another longtime favorite with a solid American menu and a popular happy hour.

CHATEAU WEST 3408 West End Ave. Perhaps you’ve noticed the unusual roof line next to the Dairy Queen near the I-440 and West End Avenue intersection. That’s not exactly the typical introductory line to an item about a fine-dining restaurant, but everything about Chateau West is a little unexpected. The menus at both lunch and dinner have lots of French and French-American favorites, including escargot in garlic butter, quiche, croque monsieur and croque madame, and boeuf bourguignon.

It’s also a quiet enough space to have a conversation with your dining companion.

CITY HOUSE 1222 Fourth Ave. N. Germantown’s plethora of restaurants makes it hard to visit all of them — even if you limited yourself just to the neighborhood. And if you’re expanding your culinary tour to the whole city, it’s easy to see how a few Germantown places get forgotten. (See also: Butchertown Hall, Henrietta Red and Monell’s.) But no one should ever forget how chef Tandy Wilson transformed Nashville’s culinary experience. He’s still making beautiful food with local ingredients that change with seasonality and availability. December featured gems such as a cauliflower satsuma dish, plus the selection of pizzas for which City House is beloved.

DUKE’S 1000 Main St. This East Nashville bar doubles as one of the city’s best sandwich spots. Build your own with Boar’s Head meats or Be-Hive vegan seitan or choose a Duke’s deli signature. The owners are also the team behind Babo Korean Bar, a laid-back, also oft-overlooked spot on Riverside Drive.

GOJO ETHIOPIAN CAFE AND RESTAURANT 415 W. Thompson Lane This South Nashville restaurant offers beef

NASHVILLE SCENE • JANUARY 18 – JANUARY 24, 2024 • nashvillescene.com

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stews, vegetarian and vegan combos and other Ethiopian dishes that you eat by scooping them up with a piece of sticky injera bread. The end-of-meal coffee service is a presentation in and of itself. The staff loves to help first-timers navigate the menu, and they welcome regulars back again and again.

HATHORNE 4708 Charlotte Ave. This West Side restaurant is located inside what was once a church fellowship hall, and that directs its community-focused vibe. Even the name is a hat-tip to its efforts to bring people together. In Irish folklore, the hawthorn tree is a symbol of love and protection, and it’s used in the restaurant’s logo. It is spelled without the “w” after owner John Stephenson’s grandmother, Mary Ruth Hathorn. Show up for “Joyful Hour” (aka happy hour), weekend brunch or dinner. Tuesday night is burger night.

HENRIETTA RED 1200 Fourth Ave. N.

PHOTO: DANIEL MEIGS

Nashvillian Julia Sullivan cultivates a menu

of ethically sourced meats and seafood for her restaurant in Germantown. Dining at Henrietta Red feels like being seated in a jewelry box, with pretty gems popping up on the table and on the walls. Check out the happy hour Tuesday through Sunday, the weekend brunch or dinner any time you crave oysters.

LOU 1304 McGavock Pike From a small white house in Inglewood’s Riverside Village, Lou takes its food, but not itself, seriously. The vibe is French, but the ingredients are of the American South. The menu is crafted from ethically and sustainably sourced ingredients, with an emphasis on natural wines and shared plates. As a result, the menu changes with the seasons, and includes options such as braised cabbage, winter lettuces and trout from Bucksnort Trout Ranch.

MIEL 343 53rd Ave. N. Few people have been as active and outspo-

MONELL’S

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PHOTO: ERIC ENGLAND

ROY MEAT SERVICE ken about reducing food waste and looking at sustainability through a holistic lens as Miel owner Seema Prasad. For 15 years Miel has served ingredient-forward food in a quiet, intimate space just steps off of Charlotte Avenue.

In addition to its thoughtful meals, Miel offers wine classes to help students learn about various fruits of the vine.

MONELL’S 1235 Sixth Ave. N. Family-style meals with hot vegetables, fried chicken and Southern classics are passed around the table at this mainstay. But it’s not only for meals that are appropriate for bringing Grandma. Starting at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday night/Sunday Morning, the Germantown restaurant is open until 3 a.m., so you can feast on a big, possibly hangover-preventing breakfast after a night on the town.

ROY MEAT SERVICE 605 S. 19th St. It’s a meat market, a convenience store and

SINEMA

an East Nashville lunch spot. In recent weeks it’s become public knowledge that owner Jeff Roy has been battling a neighbor over concerns about property lines, signage and even the smell of smoked meats. The business has been on 19th Street since 2008, so locals know it as a great place for a tasty sandwich with smoked turkey, salami, ham or other meat and a side of friendly conversation. Other dishes include meatloaf (a Roy family recipe), quesadillas, brisket chili, burgers, pulled pork and cherry cobbler for dessert. Plus, if you are a fan of Jim’s Spaghetti Sauce, this is the place to pick it up on the East Side.

SINEMA 2600 Eighth Ave. S. The Melrose restaurant offers American cuisine from inside a stylish old movie theater. “As soon as you walk in the front doors, it is Old Hollywood,” says executive chef Shelby Briggs. “It is exciting, so I think the food needs to match.” Her dishes, inspired by her travels, are available at lunch, brunch and happy hour. ▼

PHOTO: ERIC ENGLAND

PHOTO: ERIC ENGLAND

GOJO ETHIOPIAN CAFE AND RESTAURANT

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Living Well

fresh perspec tives to live your best life in 2024

80 ACRES FARMS

Mike Zelkind & Tisha Livingston An interview with 80 Acres Farms co-founders.

Mike Zelkind, CEO and co-founder, 80 Acres Farms Tisha Livingston, co-founder, 80 Acres Farms, and CEO, Infinite Acres (a wholly owned subsidiary of 80 Acres Farms) How would you describe 80 Acres Farms to someone who hadn’t heard of it before?

80 Acres Farms is a vertical farming company. We’re on a mission to change the way the world eats, using fewer resources.

What kind of products are you able to grow year-round?

Tisha: We can grow anything in our farms, and over the years, we’ve experimented with a lot, from peppers to potatoes to hops for local breweries. We’re still trying out different plants and plant varieties in our research farms, but right now, our commercial farms are growing greens, microgreens, herbs, and tomatoes. That’s what our customers are asking for—healthy, everyday ingredients that go from farm to store in days, not weeks, so they taste better, last longer, and less wasteful.

Tell me more about vertical farming and how it’s good for the planet: Mike: Before we founded 80 Acres Farms, Tisha and I worked for big food companies. In our last job together, we ran a vegetable canning company in Arkansas, which meant working directly with farmers and learning more about the supply chains that take produce thousands of miles from farm to table.

When you ship lettuce 2,000 miles from California to Nashville, you lose flavor, texture, and nutrition. And outsourcing the produce section to places like California isn’t a long-term solution, as the population grows and climate change interrupts traditional growing cycles.

We knew there had to be a better way. Our farms grow fresh, local food year-round, using 95% less water per pound of produce and shipping from farm to retailer in 48 hours or less. We don’t use pesticides, herbicides, or any other nasty chemicals. Our farms are so clean that we don’t have to wash our produce and you don’t, either, saving more water and saving you time and effort. And we grow using renewable energy, offsetting the environmental impact of growing indoors.

Where can I find 80 Acres Farms products in Nashville?

Currently, you can find 80 Acres Farms retail products at Nashville Kroger, all three Turnip Truck locations, and The Fresh Market in Brentwood. We also partner with restaurants around Nashville, including Butcher & Bee and Herban Market.

What kind of 80 Acres Farms products are available in Nashville?

You can find 80 Acres Farms branded salad blends, microgreens, basil, and newly launched salad kits in Nashville retailers.

We’ve just made eating healthier even more convenient with our new product line of salad kits— a quick meal solution made from clean, high-quality ingredients that are as delicious as they are healthy. It’s just so easy to grab one for lunch and have a wholesome, filling meal all in one pack!

If I buy an 80 Acres Farms product in Nashville, where was it grown?

Right now, we’re growing in three farms in southern Ohio and another in Kentucky, which is helping us reach Nashville. As we grow, we’ll keep building out our network of farms—starting with our next opening, in Georgia in 2024.

As this is our Living Well issue, how does 80 Acres Farms products help Scene readers live well in the new year?

We make eating well easy.

First of all, fresh produce tastes better, so you can actually look forward to eating it, rather than settling for something that’s just “good for you.” Because we go from farm to store in just a couple of days, our food stays fresh and crisp longer, cutting down on food waste and making meal planning easier. And because our produce is always in season, that salad kit you buy in the depths of winter will taste just as good as it does at the height of summer.

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BOOKS

THE BEWILDERMENT OF MEMORY Characters can’t escape the past in Jill McCorkle’s Old Crimes

BY MARIA BROWNING

PHOTO: TOM RANKIN

L&L Market | 3820 Charlotte Ave thisisthefinale.com

JILL McCORKLE RETURNS to short fiction with Old Crimes, a collection that explores some of the same themes of memory and loss as her most recent novels — Hieroglyphics (2020) and Life After Life (2013) — with a sharpness and intensity only the briefer form can provide.

The title story, which opens the book, conveys an unsettling mood of bewilderment and regret that marks much of the collection. In the summer of 1999, a pair of college students, Lynn and her boyfriend Cal, spend a weekend at a shabby New Hampshire inn, a place where the dining room decor includes “pastel-colored rocks growing in a fish bowl, a dried-up sea monkey container, and a Cabbage Patch doll dressed up like a sailor.” There are cockroaches in the toilet, and the mattress on their bed sinks in the middle.

The story is delivered through the perspective of Lynn, who finds this atmosphere not just distasteful but oppressive, leaving her “feeling like life had slowed, clicking like a dying engine, and then stopped.” As someone who grew up in “the backside of the Bible belt,” she longs for a taste of luxury. Cal, a child of Northeastern suburban privilege, is oblivious to Lynn’s discomfort, but she doesn’t complain, enduring the heat of his body in the worn bed, mulling a little obsessively over a prompt from a creative writing class: “In a room, behind a door, a man takes off his belt.”

Into this scene comes a slightly eerie, annoying child: a 6-year-old girl who peppers Cal and Lynn with questions and chatters away about her father and her dog. A sad revelation about the girl captures Lynn’s dark imagination and, the story hints, stirs fears from her own childhood she doesn’t want to revisit. The prompt about the man and his belt runs through her mind with a growing sense of menace. “Old

an independent bookstore

Crimes” ends with Lynn looking back on the weekend years later, still thinking about the girl and what might have become of her.

This impulse, almost a compulsion, to try to make sense of the past, to let memories surface and push them down again, recurs throughout the collection. In “The Lineman,” a man broods over the mistakes that ruined his two marriages, even as he struggles to connect with his teenage daughter. “Low Tones” centers on a mother, Loris, who is haunted by her failure to protect her son from his abusive father, a man who abused her as well but was respected, even beloved, in their community.

These characters carry around old mistakes, heartaches and grievances less as emotional burdens than as mysteries they have no hope of resolving. Like Loris, they struggle to reconcile with the truth of their lives: Children! Everybody says someday they will see everything and understand all that you do, but Loris doesn’t believe that. How could they really know? How could her son even begin to know and understand and if he ever does get it, she will probably be dead or demented and what does it matter?

There’s so much of life she didn’t know about.

There’s no clear narrative linking the stories, but certain characters turn up in new contexts.

Images and objects repeat — especially belts, which fully manifest the menace only suggested in the title story. Charlotte’s Web makes a couple of unlikely appearances.

Of course, these wouldn’t be Jill McCorkle stories if there weren’t moments of humor.

“Confessional” is about an actual confessional,

sold by an eccentric antique dealer to a couple who can’t resist the idea of installing it in their home. The result is equal parts funny and painful. “Commandments” features a heavily tattooed waitress (and Charlotte’s Web fan) named Candy who lays some truth bombs on a table of women gathered to bemoan being dumped by the same guy: “You chicks are way too old for this; it’s like high school, and who the hell wants to go back to high school?” Candy is less funny when she reappears in “Baby in the Pan,” where she’s equally blunt with her devoutly religious mother, who is tormented by a memory she has never shared.

One of the great pleasures of reading McCorkle’s work is her gift for taking readers into the layered depths of characters’ minds, revealing them in flashes of thought and feeling that seem utterly natural and effortless on the page. She’s a masterful tour guide to the human psyche.

Though the stories in Old Crimes are often dark and rich in sorrow, they resonate with sympathy for the way we all struggle, many times in vain, to make peace with ourselves and the people we love.

For more local book coverage, please visit Chapter16.org, an online publication of Humanities Tennessee.▼

Old Crimes: and Other Stories

By Jill McCorkle Algonquin Books 256 pages, $27 McCorkle will discuss Old Crimes: and Other Stories 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 23, at Parnassus Books

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NASHVILLE SCENE • JANUARY 18 – JANUARY 24, 2024 • nashvillescene.com

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JANUARY 18 – JANUARY 24, 2024 • nashvillescene.com

FILM

THE 2023 JIM RIDLEY FILM POLL Dedicated to the Scene’s late longtime editor and critic, our poll asks cinephiles, critics and industry insiders about 2023 in film COMPILED BY JASON SHAWHAN

1. Poor Things 2. Past Lives 3. Killers of the Flower Moon 4. The Holdovers 5. Oppenheimer 6. Barbie 7. Godzilla Minus One 8. May December 9. All of Us Strangers 10. Asteroid City 11. All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt 12. The Zone of Interest 13. American Fiction 14. Bottoms 15. (tie) Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret.

15. (tie) Beau Is Afraid 17. (tie) Anatomy of a Fall (Anatomie d’Une Chute) 17. (tie) The Boy and the Heron (How Do You Live?)

19. Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse 20. Skinamarink 21. Saltburn 22. When Evil Lurks (Cuando Acecha la Maldad) 23. The Iron Claw 24. Kokomo City 25. De Humani Corporis Fabrica

PARTICIPANTS Sean Abley, Jason Adams, Kevin Allen, Ken Arnold, Sean Atkins, Brooke Bernard, William Bibbiani, Billy Ray Brewton, Sean Burns, Erica Ciccarone, BJ Colangelo, Harmony Colangelo, Kin Cosner, Jacob Davison, Nick Demetros, A.A. Dowd, Alonso Duralde, Steve Erickson, Rebecca Feldbin, Dom Fisher, Dr. Gangrene, Sheronica Hayes, Odie Henderson, Josh Hurtado, Sam Inglis, Allison Inman, Michael Jay, Elric Kane, William Keaton, Brennan Klein, John Lichman, Craig D. Lindsey, Brian Lonano, Wolfe MacReady, William Mahaffey, Richie Millennium, T Minton, Noel Murray, Brian Owens, D. Patrick Rodgers, Witney Seibold, Jason Shawhan, Michael Sicinski, Graham Skipper, Sam Smith, Super Marcey, Scout Tafoya, Dave White, Lisa Ellen Williams, Cory Woodroof, Tony Youngblood

POOR THINGS Visit nashvillescene.com for an expanded version of this poll.

PAST LIVES WHAT’S THE CINEMATIC MUSICAL MOMENT THAT HAS STUCK WITH YOU EVER SINCE YOU EXPERIENCED IT THIS YEAR?

ery musical moment in The Color Purple. DOM FISHER The final musical number in The Color Purple.

It simply brought me to tears. SEAN ATKINS

“Push” by Ken. I died. Cackled!! Also, “I’m just Ken.” Two stellar performances by Gosling.

Greta is an absolute genius. BROOKE BERNARD

It has to be when Bradley Cooper conducts Mahler’s Second Symphony as Leonard Berstein in Maestro. The scene is masterfully crafted, beautifully acted and filled with nothing but emotion and wonderful music. Then there’s ev-

I will never ever ever get over Halle Bailey’s incredibly angelic voice in her rendition of “Part of Your World.” Every single note was perfection. She really popped her mermussy on that entire soundtrack. SHERONICA HAYES

Jenn Wexler’s very cool sophomore feature The Sacrifice Game has an interpretive dance sequence that I haven’t stopped thinking about since I saw it. It’s weird, it’s entrancing, and it’s just perfect. WOLFE MACREADY

NASHVILLE SCENE • JANUARY 18 – JANUARY 24, 2024 • nashvillescene.com

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The way that “Total Eclipse of The Heart” is used in both Bottoms and The Five Devils for narratively different but thematically unified purposes. The fact that M3GAN stages a murderscape to “Walk the Night” by Skatt Bros. All of Us Strangers’ continuum of Pet Shop Boys’ “I Want a Dog” (the Frankie Knuckles mix!) and Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s “The Power of Love.” The way that “All Love Is Love” in Dicks: The Musical feels genuinely dangerous. “My Tears Ricochet” in Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour. May December’s reworking of The Go-Between’s score. Saltburn’s masquerade slipping out of control to Tomcraft’s “Loneliness.” That smoove cab ride to Herb Alpert’s “Rise” at the end of Pictures of Ghosts.

When Country Gold’s Troyal has a momentary psychedelic freakout and foresees the coming of Chris Gaines. “I Feel Love” in 32 Sounds. All the ’80s MOR with vaguely menacing lyrics from the festival version of Trenque Lauquen.

Everything in Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade History of Popular Music. The song of doom in All You Need Is Death. Vincint’s “Higher” in Down Low. How TMNT: Mutant Mayhem’s soundtrack is an unbeatable tour of ’90s hip-hop. When the ladies of Mamamoo drop “Paint Me” in My Con the Movie.

The Hormone Disco sequence in Orlando: My Political Biography. The overture to The Zone of Interest. JASON SHAWHAN There have been a few, from Ryan Gosling’s somehow unironically incredible rendition of Matchbox 20’s “Push” in Barbie to Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo’s hypnotizing and genuinely impressive dance sequence in Poor Things. But the musical moment that delighted me to no end was the “Dear Alien (Who Art in Heaven)” performance sequence in Asteroid City. The song — thanks particularly to Preston Mota’s performance as Dwight the precocious young cowboy — made me laugh to the point of tears when I first saw it. I understand that Wes Anderson’s painstakingly rendered moments of preciousness aren’t for everyone, but I’m all-in.

THE HOLDOVERS The Tuba Thieves re-creates the premiere of John Cage’s 4’33” at Maverick Concert Hall, without ever explaining what it is we are experiencing. The juxtaposition of a silent piano, coughs and chair squeaks, and bewildered faces is pure beauty. TONY YOUNGBLOOD Saltburn is one of the year’s most frustrating movies for a lack of audaciousness within its premise, but the final scene set to “Murder on the Dance Floor” by Sophie Ellis-Bextor saved it from being a dull bore. KEVIN ALLEN I’d like to say when the evil killer doll in M3GAN plays Martika’s “Toy Soldiers” on a piano.

But since I wrote that song, I should probably go with something for which I can have no bias.

And that would be Taylor Swift’s entire Eras Tour movie. I saw the Eras Tour here in Nashville at Nissan Stadium and thought seeing the movie wouldn’t be anything more than a repeat experience. I was wrong. What Taylor and her crew have created is an entirely cinematic experience out of a live concert. It’s the most visually dazzling concert film I’ve seen since Stop Making Sense. MICHAEL JAY

The degree to which it’s corrupted documentaries is appalling. STEVE ERICKSON

WHAT ASPECT OF THE MOVIEGOING EXPERIENCE HAS YOU FEELING BURNED OUT?

At repertory screenings, it’s very odd to see how many people laugh during scenes that are definitely not meant to be laughed at, either because the viewer thinks they’re “above” the film or they treat any older film as a midnight movie even when it’s not. It’s a very strange thing to witness, and I hope it’s just a nervous or uncomfortable defense mechanism, because it’s really weird to sit in an audience that suddenly feels hostile because of it! HARMONY COLANGELO

The glut of safe, corporate content masquerading as movies. If streaming expanded our options a decade ago, it’s now narrowing them.

Maybe it’s me, but the older I get, I’m just glad I get to go as opposed to finding things about the experience to get burned out by. Especially

D. PATRICK RODGERS

“Always Be My Baby,” Beau Is Afraid. SEAN BURNS Joe Hisaishi breaking out the synths for the first time in decades for the Warawara liftoff sequence in How Do You Live (The Boy and the Heron), the fully orchestrated climax of Jerskin Fendrix’s “London” theme that knocks you on your ass during the Poor Things finale, and the Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band version of “P.I.M.P.” that blares from the unseen scene of the crime upstairs in Anatomy of a Fall, creating such disorienting tension during its opening sequence.

Someone’s going to say “Always Be My Baby” in Beau Is Afraid, aren’t they … SAM SMITH Brownie Tuesday’s silly, karaoke-style parody of “W.A.P.” in Joy Ride makes me giggle anytime I think about it. The harmonies and lyrics come in handy in a shower or car sing-along. The “Maar Dala” homage in Polite Society renewed my interest in exploring Bollywood films again. T MINTON

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KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON

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in a busy year, you cherish the experience more when you can’t go as often. Theaters are a gift, and goodness knows the world we live in makes going to the movies in general something you can’t take for granted. Until they close the last one down, I’ll just be happy I can still go.

CORY WOODROOF

Honestly, the run times. Between ADHD and poor blood circulation, these 180-minute-plus run times are gonna be my demise. Give me a clean 100 minutes or give me death. SHERONICA HAYES Multiplexes. Year after year, movie after movie, having to leave the film to tell a teenage employee that the sound is too low, the image is too dim, the house lights are still on, or there’s simply nothing on screen, and this is on top of the soul-crushing acceptance that there will always be trash strewn around the aisles, sticky floors, complete lack of masking (remember curtains?) and people too brain-fried to spend two hours off their phones. Right now at Regal Opry Mills, there are 10 minutes of commercials (not trailers) that start at your appointed showtime, followed by 25 minutes of trailers! The experience is just exhausting and depressing, and when theaters are already in danger of losing more people to home viewing, I am astonished that they’re not even trying to uphold basic standards anymore. SAM SMITH I am at a point in my life when I’ve started to shake my fist at folks more and more, and no other place is this more evident than in the theater: talking loudly during the movie, texting/ Snapchatting/scrolling at full brightness (or at all for that matter), being the “class clown” for all to hear. It’s all getting to be too much, especially with the cost of tickets at an all-time high.

I just don’t want to go anymore! WOLFE MACREADY AND AS ALWAYS, THE TIME FOR BOLD STATEMENTS! Movie studios should start offering some of their films at a lower ticket price. Moviegoers are willing to take a risk on a potentially bad film if the price is lower. In turn, they’ll attract more eyes to the film and earn more revenue before it hits streaming and DVD. To be real, if ticket prices were lower across the board, theaters would be packed like they used to be, and everyone would be happy. Not necessarily a bold statement, just a thought. DOM FISHER

I try not to use this word often, but All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt was a masterpiece. The hug scene … holy mother of God. NICK DEMETROS

2023 is the greatest year for film since 1999.

BROOKE BERNARD

Antiques

I was so disappointed by Saltburn. The cast and performances are great, and much of it is beautifully shot and edited, but ultimately, I was left feeling like I had rewatched The Talented Mr. Ripley — without the mystery, suspense and eeriness of Minghella’s direction. Eli Roth’s horror films continue to feel more like imitation than homage, derivative rather than inspired. Birth/ Rebirth is perhaps the most underrated horror film of the year. Double feature recommendation: May December and Satan Wants You. Each offers an insightful perspective on the creation of media spectacles and the definitions of celebrity, not to mention the emotional and logistical challenges involved when questioning and identifying truth. If you’d like additional points of view, sandwich these viewings with the three episodes of Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God on Max. LISA ELLEN WILLIAMS One of my all-time favorite movies is the nearly four-hour director’s cut of Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America. So I don’t normally complain about film lengths being too long. But these days, most movies over two hours have a lot of fat that can be trimmed to make them better. I hate when movies that run longer than two hours have scenes in slow motion, only adding to the film’s length. Song lengths are half what they were decades ago, so why can’t today’s films be shorter? Otherwise, BRING BACK THE INTERMISSION. MICHAEL JAY I am truly disappointed that the ExorSwift trend didn’t take off as much as the Barbenheimer one did. I was really hoping to attend a screening full of gothic Swifties and it didn’t happen for me. T MINTON Sex in cinema is back! Hell, Passages even had a move I didn’t know was possible, so not only are sex scenes not superfluous — they can be instructional! ELRIC KANE You know what? Maybe The Last Voyage of the Demeter should have been called Dracula on a Boat. HARMONY COLANGELO ▼

ON NASHVILLESCENE.COM

Visit nashvillescene.com to read our review of The Zone of Interest, opening this week at the Belcourt.

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No one has better screen presence than Lily Gladstone. And Killers of the Flower Moon should be accompanied by screenings of The Unknown Country (Gladstone at her best) and Lakota Nation Versus United States. ALLISON INMAN Beau Is Afraid is going to be this year’s Babylon: a far-too-ahead-of-its-time masterwork by an auteur in his prime that was just too cool and baroque for the audience of its release window. CORY WOODROOF

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BACK OF THE BOOK ACROSS

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Hydrox competitor

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Features of spoiled milk

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Ending with Power

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Peter who was the first actor to

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Actress Knightley

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Twist

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