PHOTOGRAPHER AND CONSERVATIONIST
JOHN GUIDER WANTS TO SAVE THE DUCK RIVER >> PAGE 6
Rounding up the city’s best after-hours eats and karaoke spots, talking to the night mayor and more
MUSIC: SHELBY LYNNE RETURNS TO NASHVILLE WITH CONSEQUENCES OF THE CROWN >> PAGE 27
Luke Combs, Brent Cobb, and Rob Snyder co-wrote these lyrics to “Six Feet Apart” on April 14, 2020. One of the first songs about the COVID-19 pandemic, it rose to the Top Ten on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.
From the exhibit Luke Combs: The Man I Am
artifact: Courtesy of Rob Snyder artifact photo: Bob Delevante
John Guider Wants to Save the Duck River
The photographer and conservationist will soon launch a threeand-a-half week journey down the endangered waterway BY JIM MYERS
First Female WeGo Driver
Honored With Mural
Mayor plugs transit plan at event honoring Creative Girls Rock, Elizabeth Duff family BY HANNAH HERNER
Pith in the Wind
This week on the Scene’s news and politics blog
Late-Night Bites
16 of the city’s best spots for after-hours eats
The Fall and Rise of Nashville Nightclubs
The team behind Night We Met wants to keep elevating Nashville’s electronic-dance-music nightclub scene BY AIDEN O’NEILL
Sing, Sing, Sing
Where to karaoke in Nashville BY HANNAH HERNER
Night Mayor Scenario
Talking to Benton McDonough about safety and Nashville’s reputation BY KELSEY
BEYELER
Carmen, Artville, Nashville Greek Festival, Pilgrimage Music Festival feat. Noah Kahan and more, Johnny Hayes Political Memorabilia Collection, Chappell Roan and more
Art as Exploration
Vanderbilt’s Eco-Grief Initiative examines climate change through theater BY AMY STUMPFL
Dearest and Nearest
Two new books explore the history and mystery of Tennessee distilleries BY CHRIS CHAMBERLAIN
MUSIC
Heavy Is the Head
Shelby Lynne returns to Nashville her own way with Consequences of the Crown BY RACHEL CHOLST
Teaching the Old Maestros
Guest conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya brings invigorating perspective to Nashville Symphony’s Wagner and Dvořák program BY AMY STUMPFL
Farewell, Brat Summer
Charli XCX and Troye Sivan are bringing a cultural phenomenon to Bridgestone Arena BY HANNAH CRON
The Spin
The Scene’s live-review column checks out AmericanaFest BY KATHERINE OUNG, P.J. KINZER AND HANNAH CRON FILM
Oh Hi, Greg
Greg Sestero talks The Room cult success and UFO movies BY HANNAH HERNER
Machine
Learning
The Wild Robot shows the power we have in unity BY KEN ARNOLD
NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD AND THIS MODERN WORLD MARKETPLACE
ON THE COVER:
Night We Met; photo by Angelina Castillo
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The photographer and conservationist will soon launch a three-and-a-half week journey down the endangered waterway BY
JIM MYERS
JOHN GUIDER IS no stranger to life-threatening situations, having survived at least three episodes where he was within minutes of his own death. For his next big adventure, however, it’s not his own life he is concerned about. As he prepares to travel solo by canoe the full length of Middle Tennessee’s Duck River, it’s the survival of the river itself that worries him most.
For Guider, the solitude of water is the salve for the cacophony of modern life. His Homeric journeys have taken him out his backdoor in Franklin, where he dragged and paddled his boat from creek to stream to river until he reached New Orleans, only to go back to the headwaters of the Mississippi to float the northern stretch — so he could say he had canoed the mighty river from spring to sea. Guider is a photographer by trade, and that trip resulted in his first book, a collection of platinum prints titled The River Inside
Other voyages include sailing the 6,000-mile Great Loop, which connects the Great Lakes and the intracoastal routes of the Eastern Seaboard. His retracing of John Donelson’s 1779 trip is chronicled in the book Voyage to Adventure: Retracing the Donelson Party’s Journey to the Founding of Nashville, which also spun off a documentary through Nashville Public Television.
Now his sights are set on the Duck River, with a launch date scheduled for Sept. 30. At 269 miles, it’s the longest Tennessee river that never leaves the state.
When asked the inevitable “why,” at the age of 75, he still feels compelled to test himself on these trips, Guider answers without hesitation: “It’s a passion for me. I just needed to continue.”
“I love rivers, and the beauty and spirituality
of being in nature, of being able to see a tree as an individual, going two to three miles an hour, able to observe animals, and not speeding down the highway,” he muses from East Nashville, where he now lives. “The combination of the exercise and spirituality, they bring life to me.”
While Guider won’t have to deal with tidal whirlpools and water so cold you can feel it drain life out of you, the Duck River comes with its own troubles.
A visit to the naked banks tells a story of an ecosystem fighting for survival. What was hailed by National Geographic as one of the three most biodiverse rivers in the world is currently languishing in severe and extreme drought, threatening to break records set in 2007. Recognizing its tenuous position, organizations like the Harpeth Conservancy have been working to protect the Duck River for years.
One of the barometers of the river’s health is the population of humble freshwater mussels. Of the 56 species found in the Duck, some are critically endangered — including a species found only in that river. And right now, thousands of the bivalves are drowning in air, gasping for water. When speaking with Guider about it, you get the sense that he feels the existential molluscan pain.
Guider’s original interest in the Duck came from trips he took with his young son. Later he learned the utilities along the river that have supplied local communities and industries were petitioning to draw even more water. Current permits allow for up to 59 million gallons per day to be drawn off. New permits are asking for another 19 million gallons, numbers that are untenable given the drought conditions. Unprec-
edented community growth and unchecked needs for water have drawn great environmental concern. The demand, coupled with climate shifts that spur more frequent and extreme weather events like heat and drought, has the Duck locked in a struggle for survival.
George Nolan, senior attorney and director of the Nashville office of the Southern Environmental Law Center, has been retained by the Tennessee Wildlife Federation to challenge the terms of the permits. “It is a finite resource of limited capacity,” says Nolan, who recently found he could wade across a once-deep section of the Duck in Hickman County without getting his knees wet.
“What we object to are lax permits,” says Nolan. “We need appropriate guardrails that require utilities to start reducing human water consumption during periods of drought. There is currently no plan for such impacts. If we don’t learn how to respect the river’s capacity, it will turn into Duck Creek.”
His other concern is about the return of wastewater to the river. When water levels are critically low, there is not enough clean water to dilute the waste, essentially raising its toxicity.
“Healthy populations of freshwater mussels are the ‘canaries in the coal mine,’” he says. “They are an indicator of river health, and are the first to die and last to come back. Some of the larger ones can filter up to 50 gallons a day.”
While the initial environmental impact of over-harvesting the water piqued Guider’s interest, the exacerbating effect of the current drought made this trip all the more imperative. He is also in discussions with NPT about another documentary to help raise awareness.
Now the trip is at hand. Guider plans to launch his solo canoe Monday and estimates the trip will take about three-and-a-half weeks. Scouting trips have already confirmed some of his fears about the water levels in the upper sections above the Normandy Dam, forcing him to shift his put-in point from the Old Stone Fort to Powers Bridge due to limited navigability.
In the meantime, discussions have begun among state and local stakeholders, from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, which works with utilities, to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, which recognizes the recreational role of the river. In between are the Tennessee Valley Authority, controlling water releases from the dam at Normandy Lake, and the myriad environmental organizations that advocate for the rivers.
“I have to do this now,” says Guider, recalling being attacked by sharks and alligators, and being pulled from the North Pacific as the tunnel of light began to close in. “I can’t predict my own future. No one knows.”
Guider has partnered with the Harpeth Conservancy, which will remain in contact with him and track his progress. Follow along on his journey at harpethconservancy.org/johnguider ▼
Visit harpethconservancy.org for more information on the Duck River, and visit johnguider.com for more on John Guider and his work
Mayor plugs transit plan at event honoring Creative Girls Rock, Elizabeth Duff family
BY HANNAH HERNER
ELIZABETH DUFF WAS a trailblazer. In 1974, at age 24, she became the first woman to drive a bus for what was then known as the Metro Transit Authority in Nashville.
Nashville’s public transit authority rebranded itself as WeGo in 2018, and the city’s WeGo Central station already bears Duff’s name. But earlier this month, Duff — who died in 2021 at age 72 — was honored with a mural on the station’s lower level, thanks to artists from local nonprofit Creative Girls Rock.
“I thank God for Elizabeth and my daughters and granddaughters — I’ve got quite a few of them,” said Elizabeth’s widower Harry Duff at the event. “I think about them and where they’re going to go, but I don’t worry about them because they’ve got something to go by. They’ve got Elizabeth Duff to look up to. They can look at Elizabeth’s life and pattern their lives after that and know which route to take.”
Mayor Freddie O’Connell spoke at the ceremony on Sept. 12 — the same day his office unveiled a website feature that displays specific changes to routes under his proposed “Choose How You Move” plan. O’Connell asked attendees to “meet the moment” and vote for the transit referendum on the Nov. 5 ballot. He added that WeGo ridership had recently surpassed pre-pandemic levels.
“I can’t think of a better message for this time and this place than leveraging the story of Music City’s rich heritage and diverse communities to celebrate our differences and strengths,” he said, “to inspire the riders who come through here, the operators who serve them, and to empower young girls and women through creative art.
“This is also a time to think about the future,” the mayor continued. “About how we invest in better transportation options that emanate not just from this center, but those like Rip Patton and Green Hills through our Choose How You Move program.”
The mural is incredibly detailed, and features a portrait of Duff completed by Maplewood High School senior Kammarah Stevens, who worked on each of the many faces in the mural. Spanning several bus-lengths, the mural also includes artistic renderings of the Ryman Auditorium, the Parthenon, the Tennessee State Capitol and the Adventure Science Center.
Artist Elisheba Israel Mrozik, who led students of Creative Girls Rock on the piece, hopes people stop and look for the many Easter eggs she’s hidden.
“Elizabeth Duff inspired me to find others in the industries of service work and also highlight things in the mural that we may not think about,” Mrozik tells the Scene. “We think about Broadway all the time. But did you know about Frederick Douglass coming here to speak? Did you know that Martin Luther King came to speak? Did you know that the Talking Heads had a random concert at this place? We are just trying to highlight things about Nashville that you don’t find anywhere else.”
Creative Girls Rock has now completed 13 murals and seen more than 160 young women participate in the program, founder Charmin Bates adds.
“We use these mural projects as educational components,” Bates says. “They are learning the different colors and meaning behind colors and
Evidence surfaced last week that Logan Smith, an assistant professor at Austin Peay State University, is behind social media accounts dedicated to white supremacist propaganda and hate speech toward women, minorities and trans people. Activists published extensive documentation tying him to a years-long trail of internet activity under the pseudonym Levi Smith. Austin Peay President Michael Licari has since announced that Smith and the university have “mutually agreed to end employment, effective immediately.”
art and paint and all of that, just to empower our young artists and to say, ‘You can do this’ as well.”
The mural also features two of Duff’s family members, looking out the window of the bus she’s driving: her son Seneca Duff and grandson Emmanuel Smith Duff. The two have both joined what Elizabeth made the family business — driving a WeGo bus.
Seneca has memories of riding the bus his mother drove as a child — sometimes from point A to point B, and sometimes tagging along for an entire route. When Seneca turned 21, Elizabeth suggested he follow in her footsteps. At first, he wasn’t sure if he could handle working with the public. He eventually started the job at age 24 in 2005. Nearly 20 years later, he’s still on board and looking toward retiring in the next five to 10 years, he tells the Scene
He says he tries to embody his mother’s friendly nature while dealing with bus riders.
“She had always wanted to drive the bus,” Seneca says. “And she ended up doing it. She’s definitely a trailblazer. She definitely gave me the courage to actually step forward and do the job.”
Emmanuel Smith Duff worked for WeGo two years ago for a stint and rejoined as a driver earlier this year, also at his grandmother’s suggestion. This time it’ll stick, he says — and not only because his face is painted on the wall of the Elizabeth Duff Transit Center.
“When I first started, I didn’t know if I would like driving the bus because I was always intimidated by it,” he says. “But once I started getting it, I caught on to it quick. Maybe when she was trying to tell me that I should drive the bus, I should have listened to her the first time.” ▼
Multiple individuals at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have been interviewed by FBI agents in an ongoing investigation. Questioning has focused on the health system’s orthopedics department, headed by Dr. Rick Wright, possibly related to a financial kickback scheme alleged in court documents by a physician earlier this year. The Department of Justice has conducted interviews and evidence collection for at least 18 months, according to sources familiar with the investigation. Based on the information FBI agents collect, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee will choose whether to bring charges against VUMC on behalf of the federal government.
Students, parents and faculty at University School of Nashville are calling for new school leadership due to administrators’ handling of alleged sexual misconduct by a teacher. Last week, teachers expressed “no confidence” in director Amani Reed, assistant head of school Quinton Walker and USN board chair Eric Kopstain in a vote by more than 100 faculty members. In a public message posted on Instagram, the student (now graduated) who came forward about the teacher’s sexual misconduct called on the same three individuals to resign or be removed. Students have staged protests in support of their former classmate, who allegedly faced months of inappropriate behavior, including physical touching, from now-dismissed high school English teacher Dean Masullo during her senior year.
Rounding up the city’s best after-hours eats and karaoke spots, talking to the night mayor and more
16 of the city’s best spots for after-hours eats
WE ALL KNOW THAT, at the end of a latenight tear, Cook Out, Taco Bell and, when absolutely necessary, Krystal have our backs. No judgment here. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
But being out past midnight doesn’t mean you’re stuck with only chain options. For this week’s issue, our writers put together a list of the city’s best spots for after-hours eats, with a focus on locally owned establishments. From Bad Idea, Dino’s and Wilburn Street Tavern on the East Side to Midnight Oil on the West Side and El Tapatio in South Nashville, here are our recommended outposts for late-night sustenance. For tomorrow’s hangover remedies, you’re on your own.
411 Gallatin Ave.
Open daily until 3 a.m.
In a city with a lot of great burgers, Dino’s stands toe to toe with all comers, and many a night has been saved because you can get one until 3 a.m. Visiting celebs don’t swing by after their shows just for the ’Gram. But when last call looms and
you’ve had a few, you may just need another kind of late-night staple instead of a burger — or in addition to, no judgment — and that’s where Dino’s has your back. They have absolutely nailed the cheese fries. Fancier cheeses are delicious on fries, but the Velveeta in Dino’s recipe stays soft much longer, making for a much less fiddly experience. Plus, you can dress them up Joe’s Style or Animal Style for a snack that’s even closer to a meal. STEPHEN TRAGESER
1235 Sixth Ave. N.
11 p.m.-3 a.m. on Saturdays
Monell’s is a Southern-food staple, and that’s true at all hours of the day. I’d argue that the quality of the food is even more appreciated during the Germantown restaurant’s Midnight Country Breakfast. It has everything the daily breakfast does: pancakes, scrambled eggs, hash browns, sausage, bacon, biscuits and gravy, and of course, fried chicken. Plus there’s the added bonus of sharing a table with strangers. It’s like when you spill your guts to some random person at the bar, but the lighting is better. Is that not what we all go out on the town for? Pure human connection. HANNAH HERNER
1000 Main St.
Open daily until 3 a.m.
Five Points bar and deli Duke’s offers late-night
snacks with a soundtrack. DJs spin vinyl nightly from 10 p.m., and smart patrons order the toasted 2:17 Special — a turkey sandwich with cheddar, avocado, tomato, mustard, mayo, chips and the only raw onion I’ll ever allow on a sandwich. The Italian with hot giardiniera pairs perfectly with that last beer, as does the BE-Hive, a veganized 2:17 Special with seitan for non-meateating night owls. All come on crusty bread by Bobby John Henry, “the Baker of Music Row,” and pair perfectly with a “tricked out!” basket of Zapp’s. ASHLEY BRANTLEY
1719 21st Ave. S.
Open until 3 a.m. daily, food served until 2 a.m. There are more reasons to visit Hillsboro Village’s Villager Tavern than playing darts (though that’s a good one). The late-night haunt has a solid beer selection and a small but delicious array of New Orleans-inspired food that’s
available until 2 a.m. Po’boy sandwich options include hickory smoked turkey, roast beef with gravy or vegetarian — all served on a deliciously toasted loaf of French bread and adorned with the usual toppings. You can also get chicken-and-andouille-sausage gumbo. While I can’t personally vouch for the gumbo, I hear great things. But I can vouch for the tasty, hearty sandwiches — a great way to end a night of drinking with some sustenance. KELSEY BEYELER
1101 McKennie Ave.
Open until 11 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday and midnight Thursday-Saturday
If I’m headed north on Gallatin Avenue after a show at the Ryman, I’m pretty happy to see the lights at Sweeza Super Quesadilla at The Wash twinkling until midnight on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights (11 p.m. the rest of the week). Their oversized, grilled Mission-style
quesadillas fill an I-forgot-to-eat-earlier craving. But more importantly, the chill vibe and neighborhoody outdoor seating are a good transition from going out to going home. It’s a place where I want to sit when I want to extend that post-concert bliss for a few more hours. Plus, I usually have leftovers for the morning. MARGARET LITTMAN
EL TAPATIO
4801 Nolensville Pike
Open until 1 a.m. Sunday-Thursday and 4 a.m. Friday and Saturday
El Tapatio is a bustling Mexican spot on Nolensville Pike, and the perfect place for South Nashvillians to hit on our way home from further north. The kitchen is run out of a food truck, but the restaurant’s interior is spacious and comfortable. Stuff your face with $1.25 tacos, or go big with the Cubana torta. (It has a hot dog on it!) Important note: There’s another El Tapatio location at 3611 Nolensville Pike (El Tapatio No. 2), but it’s not open quite as late. ELIZABETH JONES
302 Wilburn St.
Open daily until 1 a.m.
While local restaurateur Teresa Mason is best known for her beloved longtime outpost Mas Tacos Por Favor, East Side night owls are also fans of her Wilburn Street Tavern. Not far from Mas Tacos at the border where the McFerrin Park and Cleveland Park neighborhoods meet, Wilburn Street offers drink specials, laid-back patio vibes out back and out front, and a well-loved and frequently used pool table inside. While the neighborhood offers some fancy eats with Xiao Bao and the award-winning Folk nearby, Mason and company offer delicious loaded nachos and dressed-up hot dog specials after most other spots in the area have closed their kitchens. Shoot some pool, grab a paloma, and finish off your night by downing a filling late-night dog.
D. PATRICK RODGERS
301 Gallatin Ave. (East Nashville); 1911 Broadway (Midtown)
Open until 11 p.m. or midnight Sunday-Wednesday, 2 a.m. Thursday and 4 a.m. Friday and Saturday
I’ll be honest: Before a couple of weeks ago, I had not set foot in Velvet Taco. Not for any real reason — it’s just that there are a lot of taco shops in East Nashville, and I already had my regulars. Then I learned that Velvet Taco’s East Nashville and Midtown locations are open until 4 a.m. on Friday and Saturday (and 2 a.m. on Thursday). I might have a lot of taco shops in rotation, but I didn’t have any 4 a.m. tacos. Until now. Velvet Taco’s ample menu includes a spicy queso, tacos with varying spice levels and vegetarian-friendliness, plus a wrap-in-lettuce option if you are feeling healthy at 3:49 a.m. (Note that VT’s Fifth + Broad location does not stay open as late.) MARGARET LITTMAN
917B Gallatin Pike S., Madison
Open until midnight Sunday-Thursday and 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday
If you’re feeling peckish in Madison late at night,
there’s only one place worth visiting — Tacos y Mariscos Lindo Mexico. Not only is Lindo open until 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays (and midnight for the rest of the week), but you can always count on its consistently great-tasting food that stays fresh even as the night goes on. The pollo asado al carbon never misses, especially when dipped or doused in Lindo’s salsa verde. Whether you want to feast on the pollo asado, indulge in cheesy quesadillas or grab a few quick tacos, Lindo is as reliable as it is delicious. KELSEY BEYELER
901 Woodland St.
Open until midnight on Friday and 2 a.m. Saturday There’s no simpler, more satisfying late-night bite than a burger. Krystal built an empire on that fact, and Joyland has done the same locally, with lots of supporting snacks to round out your sackful. My go-to is the crustburger: Bear Creek Farms beef, melted American cheese, zingy secret sauce, and a sublimely smashed bun, griddled crisp. Throw in fried chicken on a stick (a “Joystick”), curly fries (always the move) and a rich chocolate-malt shake, and there’s really no way to eat late better — unless you order Joyland delivery from your Uber so it’s waiting for you when you get home. ASHLEY BRANTLEY
222 Printers Alley
Open until 2 a.m. daily, food served until 11 p.m. Sometimes a late-night bite also means one last cocktail in an environment that is “a whole vibe,” as the kids say. Skull’s delivers that and more. (See: burlesque shows Thursday through Saturday.) Belly up to the bar all the way until 2 a.m., but be sure to order food by 11. Enjoy decadent escargot, served in broiled mushroom caps brimming with sherry herb butter and Parmesan. Tuck into succulent prime rib and sip the leftover au jus — no one’s watching at this hour. And don’t sleep on soup, even as a late-night bite; their luscious, salty lobster bisque is even better after a few martinis. ASHLEY BRANTLEY
1021 Russell St., Suite 101
Open until 1 a.m. daily, late-night menu 10 p.m.-12:30 a.m.
Late-night fine dining is rare, but Bad Idea fills the void until 12:30 a.m. seven nights a week for night owls or food-and-bev-industry workers looking to blow off a little steam after a shift. The airy dining room and bar area are welcoming, with natural materials and bold pops of color, and the former church sanctuary still feels like a place of refuge from the travails of the day. Chef Colby Rasavong’s abbreviated evening menu usually includes a couple of smaller plates from the regular evening offerings plus elevated bar snacks like a transcendent fried-bologna sandwich on milk bread. Guest chefs occasionally pop up in the kitchen for late nights to join in the fun. CHRIS CHAMBERLAIN
1401 Fourth Ave. S.
Open daily until 3 a.m.
Beer. Booze. Food. Lucky’s social media says who they are in three words. What they don’t say is that their food is far better than any bar food has to be. The frito pie; the nachos with slow-roasted beef and horseradish cream; the full hot dog menu that will take you around the world, whether that’s to Greece (whipped feta, hot honey, roasted peppers) or Vietnam (cucumber, jalapeños, pickled carrot, Sriracha mayo). If a dog doesn’t tickle your fancy, try a sub or pizzas. Better yet, don’t choose at all: The Glizzy pizza features giardiniera, hot honey and sliced hot dogs, so you get the best of all worlds. Your sleepy, sloppy self will thank you. ASHLEY BRANTLEY
1101 Woodland St. (Marathon gas station parking lot)
Open daily until 2 a.m.
Few carnivores are above the post-midnight call of street meat. While I’m honestly unclear on the name of this establishment (we’re pretty sure they go by Best City Gyro), I am clear on the fact that the hot dogs there are the best. The secret is the way the cook butterflies the hot dog and cooks it until crispy. I say, “One hot dog please,” pay like $7 and am rewarded with a killer hot dog, toasty bun and a surprise order of seasoned crinkle fries. (I like the unspoken fries thing — feels like a reward.) If I’m going to eat street meat, it’s worthwhile at Best City Gyro.
HANNAH HERNER
1310 51st Ave. N.
Open until 11 p.m. Sunday and Monday, midnight TuesdayThursday and 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday
Sometimes a person simply needs to have a latenight slice. While other pizza places slumber, Midnight Oil is one you can count on — they’re the last one awake at the sleepover. At this New York-style establishment, the breadsticks are special, as is the buffalo chicken pizza. And they have churros — what a gift. It’s a place to hang out and watch a game (think hometown pizza-party vibes), or you can arrange to have food delivered via delivery services by the time you get home. West Side folks need a place to have a late-night bite too!
HANNAH HERNER
921 Woodland St.
Open daily until 3 a.m., food served until 2 a.m. Open until 3 a.m. seven days a week (yes, EVERY night), Lakeside Lounge provides classic latenight fare for any East Side dwellers out past midnight. Although it’s no longer the smokefilled dive it was when operating under the name Edgefield Sports Bar, Lakeside makes up for any loss of nocturnal seediness with a killer after-hours menu. The kitchen, which is open until 2 a.m., offers classic snacks (wings, fried pickle spears, mozzarella sticks) and sandwiches (smash burger, patty melt, chicken Parm). But the true Lake-heads know to get the chicken tenders basket with waffle fries. And plenty of dipping sauce. LOGAN BUTTS ▼
The team behind Night We Met wants to keep elevating Nashville’s electronic-dancemusic nightclub scene BY AIDEN O’NEILL
NASHVILLE’S ELECTRONIC-DANCE-MUSIC nightclub scene cooled off decades ago — but Music City’s rapid growth and diversification mean it may have a lot more room for club culture once again. The growth in popularity of house music and the influx of young adults make the perfect breeding ground for a comeback.
That was Austin Knight’s thinking when he opened his nightclub Night We Met earlier this year. Knight has worked with Full Circle Presents, the promoters behind popular dance-music-focused festival Deep Tropics, and he saw an opportunity to fill this gap in the nightlife scene.
“It just felt like the scene had grown enough to where it could actually sustain something like this,” Knight says. “Whereas like two or three years ago I would’ve been hesitant.”
To differentiate the establishment from a typical bar, Knight and Night We Met concierge Brendan Hayes homed in on creating an elevated ambiance. They chose futuristic design elements, a high-grade sound system and quality cocktails.
What keeps regulars coming back and newcomers curious is the carefully curated group of DJs. Some are locals, while others come from around the country or abroad, and they cover a wide range of dance music — from techno to deep house, Afro house, Latin house and beyond. Several of the performers made their Music City debut at Night We Met.
“I would say in the U.S., house music is as big as it’s ever been,” Knight says.
EDM in general, house music in particular and the DJs and producers who bring this music to the dance floor have gradually increased in popularity over the past 10 years. Though long popular, dance music has surged more and more into the mainstream, especially with ma-
UPCOMING SHOWS AT THE MUSEUM’S CMA THEATER
OCTOBER 11 THE PRINE FAMILY PRESENTS YOU GOT GOLD: CELEBRATING THE SONGS OF JOHN PRINE LIMITED AVAILABILITY
NOVEMBER 13 GABBY BARRETT WITH SUPPORTING ARTIST RACHEL PURCELL
DECEMBER 1 OCIE ELLIOTT
DECEMBER 10 HERB ALPERT AND LANI HALL
DECEMBER 11 THE TENORS CHRISTMAS WITH THE TENORS TOUR
JANUARY 25
FEBRUARY 23 THE HIGH KINGS STEP IT OUT WORLD TOUR
TICKETS ON SALE NOW Museum members receive exclusive pre-sale opportunities for CMA Theater concerts. Learn more at CountryMusicHallofFame.org/Membership.
SEPTEMBER 26
SHELBY LYNNE WITH WAYLON PAYNE AND MEG MCREE
SEPTEMBER 26 LIVE AT THE OPRY HOUSE
PEOPLE’S CHOICE COUNTRY AWARDS HOSTED BY SHANIA TWAIN WITH PERFORMANCES BY MIRANDA LAMBERT, KANE BROWN, KELSEA BALLERINI + MORE
SEPTEMBER 28 HOME FREE
OCTOBER 10-13 & 17-20 JASON ISBELL AND THE 400 UNIT
DECEMBER 3
LAUREN DAIGLE ON SALE FRIDAY AT 10 AM
JANUARY 18
WHITEY MORGAN AND THE 78s ON SALE FRIDAY AT 10 AM
FEBRUARY 21
CHASE MATTHEW ON SALE FRIDAY AT 10 AM
jor pop artists joining forces with top-notch DJs.
A few highlights from 2024: Pop queen Charli XCX had a worldwide hit with her rave-scene-inspired dance album Brat, producer Calvin Harris and pop star Ellie Goulding followed up their Grammy-nominated 2023 collab “Miracle” with another hit called “(When I’m With You I’m) Free,” and rising star DJ John Summit sold out Madison Square Garden. Dance music has retaken center stage in pop culture, which may explain the yearning for a revival of communal club culture.
Slowly, the realm of genres in the Nashville music industry has expanded alongside the city itself. Hayes views this as an opportunity to amplify electronic and house music.
“Tapping into what the city is all about early and getting into that landscape to create an ecosystem that builds and elevates Music City to actually being Music City is, I think, probably the coolest part of what we do,” he says.
If you weren’t around to experience the nightclub scene of the 1990s and early 2000s, you may find it hard to believe one existed at all, thanks to the way Nashville has leaned into the neon-canyon branding of Lower Broadway. But locals could clubhop between spots like Liquid Lounge and Graham Central Station on Second Avenue and massive LGBTQ nightclub The Connection. When the law required bartenders to turn on the lights at 2:30 a.m., after-hours clubs like Katatonic or Kiss acted as an oasis for revelers who felt like closing time was more of a suggestion.
The rise of smartphones and social media, plummeting alcohol consumption, stricter drug laws and even changes in music taste may be factors in dance clubs becoming a more peripheral presence in Nashville’s social scene than a central one over the past 20 years. The 2005 closure of The Connection was a huge nail in the coffin, and the pronounced chilling effect emphasizes the historic close connection between the queer community and nightclubs, in Nashville as in so many other places.
There are lots of key players in shaping Nashville’s nightlife today. Setting Lower Broad aside, many of them are pillars of the queer community like Play Dance Bar, the recently relocated and revamped Canvas, and The Lipstick Lounge, which is one of the few dedicated lesbian bars remaining in the U.S. Still, these places serve a different role than being a club where drinking cocktails and dancing to electronic music is the main focus. The Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp has a list of nightclubs that includes places like Skull’s Rainbow Room and Tequila Cowboy. But the majority of the places on the list promote themselves as bars, venues or even speakeasies.
While many millennials don’t seem to have a reverence for ’90s and Aughts club culture, much of Gen Z does — and that group is reaching drinking age. There’s a strong potential for this kind of environment to flourish again in Nashville. Whether it does or not, Knight and Hayes are committed to contributing something new to the market and making Night We Met all that it can be.
“We know what we are — that’s what we’re gonna be,” says Hayes. “If we build that consistency hopefully it just kinda continues elevating the scene all around the market, and makes Music City ‘Music City’ instead of something that’s just missing a little bit.” ▼
Where to karaoke in Nashville
BY HANNAH HERNER
MUSIC CITY IS full of excellent singers, but that doesn’t mean us regular folks should hesitate to step up to the mic. Enjoy the free mini concert from the professionals, but don’t be intimidated. Here are some of Nashville’s best spots for karaoke.
IF YOU WANT DIVE BAR VIBES … SANTA’S PUB
2225 Bransford Ave.
A staple. You’ll pay a cover charge, but the drinks are cheap and there’s no shady “tip to skip” business. I’ve seen a range of songs resonate here, from metal to country to the whole bar singing along to “My Heart Will Go On.” Just do not curse — Santa’s rules.
2504 Dickerson Pike
Alternately known as Fran’s Eastside, Fran’s Dive Bar or just Fran’s, the longtime favorite Nashville karaoke haunt relocated to Dickerson Pike a couple years back. Fran’s, which offers karaoke on Friday and Saturday, does hit different in its newer and slightly bigger location, but it hits nonetheless. I’d suggest a classic rock or country tune to gain points with the cool-kid crowd gathered around their cheap buckets of beer.
413 W. Thompson Lane
On karaoke nights, the vibe is less about making it big and more about just having fun. As for song choice, I will not take credit for this perfect description: It’s like if all the people who drink PBR made a joint playlist.
HUBBA
922 Main St.
Though it opened in October 2022, East Nashville’s Hubba Hubba Tiki Tonk feels like it might’ve existed in its Main Street location as a well-kept secret for decades longer. The specialties here are kitschy decor and tiki drinks — not to mention wrestling, shows and
other events. But check their Instagram page (@hubbahubbatikitonk) for details on karaoke nights, when things get loud.
421 Broadway
On Broadway, there’s WannaB’s, which specializes in karaoke. But my favorite place to sing is the third floor of AJ’s Good Time Bar. It’s almost exclusively country and usually not too crowded. Look, if you’d like to sing the absolute banger that is “Chattahoochee” at Alan Jackson’s own bar, this is your chance to do it.
IF YOU WANT TO COLLECT KARAOKE BARS LIKE PRESSED PENNIES … LONNIE’S WESTERN ROOM
308 Church St.
Lonnie’s regulars Double Treble are my new favorite internet people. Follow their lead by putting on a spirited performance on the most stately stage setup in town.
MISS KELLI’S KARAOKE BAR
207 Printers Alley
If you don’t like the vibe at Lonnie’s, turn the corner and head to the slightly below-ground Miss Kelli’s in Printers Alley. The crowd skews young, and the bar’s famous Jell-O shots get everyone ready to participate — especially if it’s pop punk.
BEAVER
212 Commerce St.
A few blocks from Miss Kelli’s and Lonnie’s, Wild Beaver runs rampant with tip-to-skip participants.
But it’s the only place we’re aware of where you can ride a mechanical bull while waiting your turn. Just be careful with the Beaver Brews. (It’s not something special … it’s just Natural Light.)
IF YOU WANT A GOOD PHOTO… CROSS-EYED CRITTERS
101 20th Ave. N.
Nestled inside the Graduate Hotel, Cross-Eyed Critters has an active crowd of mostly tourists who will lose their minds over a range of songs. For example: My cousin and I slayed a version of “Summer Nights” there once. The Chuck E. Cheese-style animatronic creatures there to back you up are certainly noteworthy too.
IF YOU WANT A LIVE PIANO … SID GOLD’S REQUEST ROOM
3245 Gallatin Pike
Piano bar Sid Gold’s attracts a lot of people who do singing as a job. It’s an opportunity to cheer someone on during their own one-song concert, then get up there to do something subversive. (Ever heard “Sk8er Boi” on piano?) Musical-theater selections are very welcome.
IF YOU WANT A PRIVATE
5680 Nolensville Pike
Sometimes karaoke is best shared between a few close friends. On Nolensville Pike, Sichuan Hot Pot & Asian Cuisine offers private rooms that have both a hot-pot setup and a karaoke setup. Two activities in one!
KUNG FU SALOON
1921 Division St.
It’ll cost you to reserve them, but Kung Fu Saloon has two private rooms if you’d like to make karaoke part of your night out in Midtown.
IF YOU WANT HELP FROM A DRAG QUEEN … THE LIPSTICK
1400 Woodland St.
“A bar for humans,” as one of the nation’s few remaining lesbian bars refers to itself, means a song for everyone too. Picking a song that the LGBTQ community will appreciate isn’t rocket science, and if you falter, a drag queen will do the lord’s work to pick you back up. It happened to me trying to sing “Somebody That I Used to Know” as a solo.
D. Patrick Rodgers contributed to this article. ▼
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4 yrs
Weight: 50 lbs
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Talking to Benton McDonough about safety and Nashville’s reputation
BY KELSEY BEYELER
FREDDIE O’CONNELL ISN’T the only mayor in town. Well, technically he is, but Nashville also has a night mayor — Benton McDonough. McDonough has served as executive director of the Metro Nashville Beer Board since 2017. In 2022, then-Mayor John Cooper appointed him director of the Mayor’s Office of Nightlife. While the position is relatively new to Nashville, many other cities have night mayors — McDonough says they share a huge group chat. Though he wouldn’t name a specific place he prefers to go for a nightcap, he did tell us about some of the work he’s doing to assist the patrons, residents and business owners of downtown Nashville and beyond.
Tell me about your job and what a normal week looks like. It’s something different on a daily basis. If I were to just kind of break it down generally, though, it’s really to act as a liaison between businesses and residents and visitors to the city and Metro government — and to try and address issues of quality of life, public safety and things of that matter.
What’s the most unique issue you’ve had to address? The snakes [that handlers would sell photos with] are definitely way up there. That’s always one. I think the sound issue — I’ve never dealt with sound or noise, and so that’s been fascinating to work with people that are actually professionals in that area to figure out how we can deal with this. … One of the things that grew out of that is that we would like to create a fund that helps a lot of these businesses to offset some of the costs that they have to deal with in trying to address the noise issues.
Safety is always a concern for those visiting Lower Broadway. What have you done to help or coordinate to make downtown safer for those who are visiting it? [The Sexual Assault Center’s Safe Bar program] is one of them. … Before we got involved, they’d only had about two bars that had gone through [sexual violence prevention] training, and now they’re up to about 30 or 40 that have gone through and done that. And then the same with [distribution of opioid overdose reversal drug] Narcan. [Gibson Guitar’s overdose-prevention program TEMPO] was having issues getting access to the bars, and so they contacted us, and so we’ve been able to get them in the bars and get that distributed. And then the [safety group] Red Frogs have been incredible. They came for CMA Fest and Fourth of July, and now they’re down there on a pretty regular basis. And I actually had a discussion with [a Metro police] officer the other night who mentioned how grateful they are that the Frogs are there, because it makes their job easier because there’s less babysitting.
If you could wave a magic wand over downtown and change one thing in an instant, what would that be? It would be to help a lot of the individuals in the homeless community — or to be even broader, to create more access to mental health [resources]. Because I think that leads to so many of the issues that we deal with, whether it’s the individuals that are in the homeless community or it’s someone who’s over-participating at one of the bars on a regular basis.
Because downtown is such a big part of Nashville’s identity, and you oversee it, you’re in a position to help shape Nashville’s identity for both locals and tourists. What do you want that to look like? I think trying to work our hardest to keep that reputation that Nashville is actually a safe place and that’s why people come here, because of the hospitality and because people feel safe. But I think on the flip side of that, it’s also our responsibility to make sure that people are responsible when they come here, and that they are smart about their expectations about the city. Yes, we’re welcoming, it’s hospitable, it’s a
fun city — but that doesn’t mean let your guard down. And so people need to remember to stay with their friends, with their groups, because that’s where people start to get in trouble, is when they get separated.
Is there anything else you think is important for people to know? I think just reiterating that our office is always here to help. And if you have any questions, any ideas, feel free to reach out to us. One of the things that we want to do — we’d like to get residents interested in coming to downtown again. … You see on social media people complaining about downtown, and so we’ve started discussing providing tours of the entertainment district and showing them the work that goes into what the city does to protect those areas, but also what we can offer to other areas outside of downtown.
SEP 28 | 7:30 PM
SEP 29 | 2 PM
Lidiya Yankovskaya, conductor Simone Porter, violin
OCT 12 | 7:30 PM
Tucker Biddlecombe, conductor Peter Otto, conductor and leader VIOLENT
Visit calendar.nashvillescene.com for more event listings
FRIDAY, SEPT.
[SAHARA HOT NIGHT]
MUSIC
One of the benefits of living three hours east of Memphis is getting the runoff of bands on their way to Gonerfest every fall. While Nashville is usually a layover show for Pacific Northwestern sleaze rockers or Australian synth freaks, occasionally we are offered something out of the ordinary. From the mountains of Northern Niger, Tuareg family band Etran De L’Aïr will return to Nashville for another stunner at Third Man. Etran De L’Aïr is a mainstay of the scene commonly referred to by Westerners as “Desert Blues,” and the band’s unreasonably well-developed sound comes from being formed by cousins who grew up in the same neighborhood. They’ve played together in some form since 1995, getting their reps in playing weddings and parties. Their newest album — 100% Sahara Guitar — is simultaneously meditative and celebratory, embracing music from all over the desert where they were born while many of their fellow Tuareg shredders look to Europe or the Americas for inspiration. Show up on time for Omaha’s David Nance. David Nance & Mowed Sound, released by Third Man, is a minimal, hypnotic album that has plenty of nods to the fringe roots rock of artists like Canned Heat and the bluesier Captain Beefheart jams. P.J. KINZER
8 P.M. AT THE BLUE ROOM AT THIRD MAN RECORDS
623 SEVENTH AVE. S.
THURSDAY / 9.26
FILM
[BRITISH REEL] MADE IN ENGLAND: POWELL AND PRESSBURGER X6
The Belcourt will salute the glorious, colorful, often dreamlike cinema of British filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger with a series of their most iconic films. Things will kick off with the new documentary Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger Presented (but not directed) by longtime fan Martin Scorsese, the doc is basically part three in Scorsese’s movies-that-made-me trilogy, right next to A Personal Journey With Martin Scorsese Through American Movies and My Voyage to Italy. Along with laying out the pair’s history, he reveals how their best movie moments inspired moments in such Scorsese classics as Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and The Age of Innocence. If this doc gets you in the mood to watch some Powell/ Pressburger joints, the Belcourt has a few ready to roll. They’ve got four of the duo’s biggies
— The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, The Red Shoes, Black Narcissus and A Matter of Life and Death (in a new 4K restoration) — along with
Powell’s controversial, hella-personal thriller Peeping Tom. Visit belcourt.org for showtimes.
CRAIG D. LINDSEY
SEPT. 26-OCT. 9 AT THE BELCOURT 2102 BELCOURT AVE.
[FATAL ATTRACTION]
Since Georges Bizet’s Carmen is packed with passionate characters, heart-stopping drama and stunning arias, it’s no wonder that the piece remains one of opera’s most enduring works nearly 150 years after its premiere. But as Nashville Opera opens its 44th season on Thursday, audiences will be treated to an exciting new staging of this classic work — complete with fresh design elements and a decidedly contemporary setting. Artistic director John Hoomes has moved the familiar story of passion and betrayal to a modern-day West Texas setting that promises to highlight a range of timely issues. The production features an excellent cast, including internationally acclaimed soprano Marina Costa-Jackson, who is making her much-anticipated role debut as Carmen. (Interestingly enough, Marina’s sister, Ginger Costa-Jackson, sang the title role
the last time Nashville Opera presented the work in 2017.) Metropolitan Opera stars (and real-life husband and wife) Zach Borichevsky and Kathryn Lewek are both making their role debuts as Don José and Micaëla, respectively. Top it all off with brand-new sets from David P. Gordon and costumes by Nashville’s own Jessica Mueller, and you have the makings of a memorable season opener. AMY STUMPFL
SEPT. 26 & 28 AT TPAC’S JACKSON HALL
505 DEADERICK ST.
ART [WORDS OF A FEATHER]
As a journalist, I’ve fallen in love with the topic of communication. (To be completely honest, I’m a total nerd about it.) Studying and exploring the ways people talk to each other and how that changes over time to reflect our cultural and societal values is mesmerizing — but exploring language in the realm of art is an adventure unto itself. Choice Words: The Evolution & Consequence of Language is a group art exhibition investigating this topic. The gallery exhibition dives into the power of language by exploring past and present changes in visual communication as well as looking toward the future of language accessibility. Thursday’s reception offers a chance to talk to the artists and curators, giving exhibition visitors a chance to listen and learn about the makings and meanings behind the works. The exhibition, which opened last month, will run until Friday in Gallery 121, part of the Leu Center for the Visual Arts at Belmont University. KATIE BETH CANNON
4:30 P.M. AT BELMONT’S LEU CENTER
1919 BELMONT BLVD.
[TAKING NOTES]
STYROFOAM WINOS ALBUM RELEASE
It feels special enough when a rock band has one songwriter who has a knack for penning quick-witted, humanistic, unpretentiously poignant gems. Styrofoam Winos have three of them: Lou Turner, Trevor Nikrant and Joe Kenkel (all three of whom have great solo albums) are about to release Real Time, the second LP representing their work as a unit. Sonically,
the group leans into an organic kind of shuffle that’s more like a contemplative amble, though they have no problem picking up the pace when appropriate. The songs zoom in on small moments of observation and reflection, while the overarching theme is what these little things tell us about how to live in our perpetually weird, frequently incomprehensible world. It’s music to sit with, and you can settle in with the trio at their album release party Thursday night at Soft Junk. The group’s fellow locals Crave On, whose music feels a good bit different but vibrates sympathetically with the Winos, will support — listen out for tunes from their forthcoming album Fantasy Hall, set for release Oct. 18 — and DJ Glam Campbell will warm up the crowd. If you don’t get enough Winos on Thursday (or simply can’t make the gig), take note: The band also has an in-store at Grimey’s at 5 p.m. Friday. STEPHEN TRAGESER
7 P.M. AT SOFT JUNK
919 GALLATIN AVE.
ART [ART FOR ALL] ARTVILLE
Now in its second year, Artville has streamlined its programming and is continuing to work with some of the area’s best, most interesting artists and galleries. The free three-day event includes the American Artisan craft festival, relocating from its longtime home at Centennial Park. In addition to the craft fair, you can also see public art installations that were created specifically for the event from artists like Beizar Aradini, Jodi Hays and Duncan McDaniel, to name just a few. On Saturday, Wedgewood-Houston galleries put on events, including a closing reception for the not-to-be-missed Samuel Dunson exhibition at Julia Martin Gallery. For a full list of events and participating artists and galleries, visit artville.org. LAURA HUTSON HUNTER
SEPT. 27-29 AT 1231 MARTIN ST.
ART [INCLUDED] THREADS OF POWER
Simply put, Friends Life Community
wants to see adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities included in the community. When people with disabilities age out of school and other traditional supports, Friends Life steps in to offer weekday programming, social groups and one-on-one coaching for jobs and other independent living skills. That mission of inclusion extends to the arts. Tickets for Threads of Power will benefit Friends Life Community’s Advocacy Through the Arts Program, which provides both visual and performing arts opportunities for people with disabilities. Threads of Power promises a theater production that centers on personal stories from Friends Life attendees, with an emphasis on self-acceptance. It seems like something we could all benefit from thinking about. Speaking to the “universal language of the human experience” is a daunting task that I know Friends Life will pull off with … well, the help of some friends. The production will incorporate visual arts, sound, film, dance and improvisation and pull together more than 10 participating organizations, including dancers from Shackled Feet Dance. HANNAH HERNER
6:30 P.M. AT TPAC’S POLK THEATER 505 DEADERICK ST.
ART [ORIGINS STORY]
LAJUNÉ MCMILLIAN: THE PORTAL’S KEEPER — ORIGINS
LaJuné McMillian has a pretty exceptional
background, first as an avid child figure skater, then as the director of Figure Skating in Harlem. All this led to them founding the Black Movement Library, an online database of avatars generated from recordings of Black performers. For their show at the Frist, McMillian will present a three-part installation called Spirit and Child, which combines live performance with new digital technology into a series of prayers of healing and gratitude. This is the kind of cutting-edge art that needs to be seen first, explained later. Luckily, McMillian will be at the Frist to perform live on Saturday, Sept. 28, at 2:30 p.m. It’s free to attend, but admission is on a first-come, first-served basis. LAURA HUTSON HUNTER THROUGH JAN. 5 AT THE FRIST 919 BROADWAY
[OPA!]
Want a great way to show the young people in your life the value of diversity? Show them how it makes their home more fun. That’s what my grandpa did for my brother and me when he took us to our town’s Greek festival every year, despite the fact that no one in our family has any Greek ancestry. Isn’t that the point, though? Nashville is a better place to live when we celebrate the places we all come from and embrace the fact that each of us makes our city what it is. The Nashville Greek Festival is a great example. The festival celebrates its 36th year this weekend and is set to feature traditional dancing, all sorts of delicious food and other vendors. You could just go to get some baklava — my 8-year-old self wouldn’t blame you. But I’d encourage you to bring along a grandkid, kid, niece or nephew, whether they’re able to celebrate their own Greek heritage or are diving into the culture for the first time, because it’s the sort of experience that sticks with you for years. Then bring them to the Cherry Blossom Festival’s celebration of Japanese culture, or swing by one of TIRRC’s InterNASHional Night Markets, or just try a cuisine they’ve never had next time you go out for dinner. Nashville’s got a lot to celebrate — let’s get the party started young. COLE VILLENA
SEPT. 27-29 AT HOLY TRINITY GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH 4905 FRANKLIN PIKE
The Centennial Park Conservancy is helping caretakers in their never-ending quest to tucker out the little ones with the Kidsville Family Festival. Attendees can count on a bevy of family-friendly activities, including face painting, dance and music performances, a puppet show, yoga, crafts and more. Kiddos will also get to meet some famous faces, from Nashville SC’s Tempo the Coyote (and other local mascots) to the superheroes and princesses from Dreams Do Come True Princess Parties. While the Kidsville Family Festival is free, there will also be vendors (including the Teddy Bear Mobile, which is distributing 100 free teddy bears to visitors 12 and younger on a first-come, first-served basis) and food trucks. The event reminds me of the Australian animated series Bluey — it’s made for kids but enjoyable for people of all ages. KELSEY BEYELER
Two generations of granola boys and girls collide in Williamson County this weekend for the annual Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival. On Sunday night, Noah Kahan (the Gen-Z king of flannel-y folk rock) closes the festival alongside support from successful Christian crossover group Needtobreathe, crooner Stephen Sanchez, guitar phenom Grace Bowers and her band the Hodge Podge, plus others. Kahan’s a bona fide music breakout, graduating from a crowded field of heart-on-their-sleeve singersongwriters to become a sought-after arena headliner, largely behind the success of his 2022 album Stick Season. And while festival grounds may be filled Sunday with a sea of Patagonia hats, expect a takeover of cargo shorts and flip-flops on Saturday night, because it’s Dave Matthews time at Pilgrimage. A festival alum, the Dave Matthews Band returns to headline Pilgrimage on a day that also includes slated performances from “Take Me to Church” singer Hozier, troubadour Lukas Nelson, Americana changemaker Allison Russell and more.
MATTHEW LEIMKUEHLER
SEPT. 28-29 AT THE PARK AT HARLINSDALE FARM 239 FRANKLIN ROAD, FRANKLIN
[HEAVY HITTERS]
MUSIC
GOZU W/HOWLING GIANT AND SLOW SHIV
What better way to ring in the Halloween season than with a doom-metal triple bill celebrating demonic forces and space wizards? Boston-based heavies GOZU will make their way to Nashville to begin a string of road dates alongside hometown heroes Howling Giant following a two-week tour with ’90s Swedish metal vets Dozer. Formed in 2009, the quartet
has made six studio albums that string together their evolution from Queens of the Stone Age-esque stoner rock to the heaviest edges of sonic space. Their latest album Remedy — released by the legendary independent label Metal Blade Records in May 2023 — showcases GOZU’s innovative sound, most notably on standout singles such as “Tom Cruise Control” and “CLDZ.” Howling Giant, meanwhile, may just be the hardest working band in Music City. The local riff lords will join the bill on what seems to be a never-ending tour that is only ever interrupted by brief stints of recording and livestreaming from their rehearsal lair. Their stellar full-length Glass Future continues to turn and bang heads nearly a year after its release in October 2023. Slow Shiv is set to kick things off with a set of songs from their brand-new EP simply titled I JASON VERSTEGEN
8 P.M. AT THE EAST ROOM 2412 GALLATIN PIKE
SHOPPING
There’s something really special about finding local businesses you like and helping them grow — especially when those businesses are owned by a bunch of really cool Latinas with great taste and tons of talent. You can do that on Saturday at the Mercadito pop-up at the storefront currently shared by Paloma Vintage Goods and Torres Vintage. The market is being put on by Sueños Buenos — a local online boutique with a curated collection of adorable clothing — and Nash Latina Bosses, which empowers Nashville Latinas personally and professionally. They’re also partnering with L.A.-based clothing and jewelry brand Hija De Tu Madre and TIRRC Votes, which is the political outreach arm of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition. The market will have lots more vendors selling everything from vintage clothing to flowers and jewelry. Because no weekend shopping outing is complete without a little treat, you can also expect food from vendors like Taste de Lima and The Taco Shop or coffee from Locas Por Café. KELSEY BEYELER
2-5 P.M. AT PALOMA VINTAGE GOODS/TORRES VINTAGE 3111 GALLATIN PIKE
COMMUNITY
[MOTO BLOKES] TON UP
Sorry easy riders, but you won’t find any bulky baggers or chunky choppers at the Ton Up Bike Show. The annual event hosted by the Ton Up Motorcycle Club showcases the very best of vintage and reproduction British bikes in the Southeast. Back in the late ’50s and early ’60s, young rock ’n’ roll-obsessed Londoners began customizing now-iconic motorcycle brands such as Triumph, BSA, Vincent and Royal Enfield to push the limits at ever-increasing speeds. Bikers would take part in harrowing informal races from cafe to cafe, thus dubbing themselves and their souped-up bikes as “cafe racers.” In the spirit of those thrillseekers of yesteryear, the show will feature 11 classes for pre-1984 vintage motorcycles as well as a broader “modern” class for contemporary bikes
PARNASSUSBOOKS.NET/EVENTFOR
6:30PM
JULIE MURPHY & SIERRA SIMONE at PARNASSUS A Jingle Bell Mingle
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3
6:30PM ANNIE BARROWS & SOPHIE BLACKALL at PARNASSUS Stella & Marigold SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5 10:30AM SATURDAY STORYTIME with IDRIS GOODWIN at PARNASSUS Your House Is Not
styled after British makes and models. The show is free and open to the public, including raffles, giveaways and live music. Go on, get your motor running. JASON VERSTEGEN
11 A.M. AT YAZOO BREWING COMPANY
900 RIVER BLUFF DRIVE
[STILL TASTING INK]
Born in the bowels of northern Utah, unkempt rock outfit The Used has spent twoplus decades staking its claim as one of the most reliable acts to emerge from the 2000s mall-goth-emo explosion. The band made it big in 2002 with a self-titled debut album that — unlike some howling emo jams of the time — totally holds up. It’s a raw, explosive album that blends post-hardcore inspiration (you know, touches of Glassjaw plus a healthy helping of Refused baked in) with melodic know-how — the latter likely thanks in part to longtime producer and Goldfinger frontman John Feldmann, who proceeded to produce acts like Blink-182 and Korn after discovering The Used. The band continued to consistently release albums in the two decades following The Used, including commercial hit In Love and Death in 2004 and critical standout The Canyon in 2017. The band tours this fall in support of new album Medz, The Used’s 10th studio effort and sister album to 2023’s Toxic Positivity. Plain White T’s plays main support; Raue opens the show. MATTHEW LEIMKUEHLER
7 P.M. AT MARATHON MUSIC WORKS
1402 CLINTON ST.
[CONCEPTS IN COUNTRY]
MUSIC
It was fortuitous for country music — the real, unadorned stuff — that it was able to merge with punk rock in the 1980s. By my estimation, this marriage produced Americana music, which today embraces a lot of loud, crude music that once would have caused fans to hyperventilate over the sacrilege of it all. Back in the mid-’90s, Chuck Mead joined forces with the retro-country band BR549 to perfect a strain of Americana that always put me in mind of Stiff Records, the English label that once boasted Nick Lowe and Wreckless Eric. The last time I saw Mead play a Nashville show, I was impressed by his expert guitar work and effortless cool, and his albums — try 2014’s Free State Serenade — advance the countrymeets-rock tradition with style. Meanwhile, New Orleans band Dash Rip Rock has been around for 40 years, and leader Bill Davis is an exponent of Southern-fried rock that folds in elements of punk. If you’re a fan of the countrypunk concept album, listen to 2007’s Hee Haw Hell. Their latest release is 2023’s aptly titled Cowpunk, which sounds fine coming from a band whose origins lie in the murk of the post-punk era. Rounding out the bill is Laid Back Country Picker, a former Kentucky social
studies teacher who also goes by the name of David Prince. Laid Back Country Picker’s take on insurgent country partakes of the timeless concepts of novelty country, with beefed-up guitars. His latest album is Go West EDD HURT 5:30 P.M. AT CHIEF’S
200 BROADWAY
[CAMPAIGN TRAIL MARKERS]
JOHNNY
The late Johnny Hayes was one of those figures who thrived in the weird world of professional politics. A sometimes-staffer and alwaysfundraiser for numerous Tennessee Democrats at a time when there were numerous Tennessee Democrats, Hayes eventually became a director for the TVA, one of the better sinecures for dutiful Southern political hands. Along the way, he amassed a dizzying collection of political memorabilia, which he kept at his farm outside Gallatin (technically in the Graball-CottontownBethpage metroplex). He had a button from George Washington’s inauguration, signs for political candidates who didn’t win and were soon forgotten, and — a painful one for a Tennessee Democrat — a voting machine from Palm Beach County, Fla., used in the 2000 election. When Hayes died in 2008, his family donated the lot to MTSU’s Albert Gore Research Center, where it’s since been cataloged and digitized. The entire collection can be seen online, but now some of it will be on actual display at the university’s Todd Gallery through Election Day. How fitting.
J.R. LIND THROUGH NOV. 5 AT MTSU’S TODD ART GALLERY 1512 MILITARY MEMORIAL, MURFREESBORO
BOOKS [I’M ALL RIGHT WITH A] SLOW BURN MOBILE BOOKSTORE
Romance-centered bookstores have been
popping up all over, from The Ripped Bodice in California to The Last Chapter in Chicago. Now Nashville can boast its own: Slow Burn. The mobile romance bookshop features every subgenre and trope you can imagine, from dark academia romances to contemporary — and of course, romantasy. There’s a bit of something for every romance reader. Not only do they have a wide selection of books, but they also carry indie romance authors and special editions of more recognizable titles. Apart from the books, they have a well-stocked selection of bookish goodies: enamel pins, Kindle accessories, tote bags and stickers. Originally based in Clarksville, the bookstore opened its doors back in July and has been popping up across the city since. On Monday, you can find them at Phat Bites. The deli and bar features sandwiches, wraps, burgers and beer on tap. After you’ve picked your next favorite title, pop in to grab a burger and beer, and then stay for the live music Phat Bites has planned. To see where Slow Burn will pop up next, follow them on Instagram (@slowburntn). TINA DOMINGUEZ
6-8 P.M. AT PHAT BITES
2730 LEBANON PIKE
COMIN AROUND]
If you’re reading this now and you haven’t already scored tickets to this much-sought-after experience with the Midwest Princess herself, it’s almost certainly too late for you this time around. Plenty of folks tried to buy tickets to Chappell Roan’s date in Franklin at FirstBank Amphitheater and lost out — the online queue for tickets was atrocious and rife with scalpers, which Roan attempted to combat by pulling back tickets that were obviously purchased by scalpers and re-releasing them through a lottery system. Some were lucky enough to catch the
talented synth-pop singer on the rise this spring and summer, first opening for Olivia Rodrigo in March and then just a couple short months later at Bonnaroo after her Sunday set was moved to a larger stage. This was all before her VMA win for Best New Artist on Sept. 11. If this performance is anything like what the abundant videos online have recently showcased, this will be one folks will talk about either going to or missing out on for years to come. As for me, I’ll just hope that, like karma, she’ll be back to see us again real soon.
AMANDA HAGGARD
8 P.M. AT FIRSTBANK AMPHITHEATER
4525 GRAYSTONE QUARRY LANE, FRANKLIN
[CHILDREN OF NUGGETS]
Formed in 2009, San Diego-based band The Schizophonics are well-known for their energetic live shows, commitment to writing catchy hooks and sonic devotion to the authentic 1960s punk sound. They’re heavily influenced by the sort of 45-rpm singles collected on Lenny Kaye’s Nuggets compilation series, and they’ve supported tours by acts like Rocket From the Crypt. Their three LPs and handful of 7-inch EPs are all fun, but the real action happens when The Schizophonics get onstage and crank the guitars to 11. They’ve earned their sweat-stained reputation as the “wildest live band in America” according to Spotify, as their relentless tour schedule and frenetic stage presence have cemented them as a must-see act for anyone who loves the early riffs of fuzzy baby boomer psychedelia. After wrapping up a weekend playing huge stages at Memphis’ Gonerfest and St. Louis’ Evolution Festival, they will give Nashville fans the chance to see them in a much more intimate setting at Drkmttr. P.J. KINZER
8 P.M. AT DRKMTTR
1111 DICKERSON PIKE
WE SEE THE EFFECTS of climate change every day — extreme temperatures, severe storms, drought, raging wildfires. But beyond such obvious physical threats, there’s also an often overwhelming sense of distress or anxiety surrounding such issues.
As a professor at Vanderbilt University and director of The Curb Center for Art, Enterprise and Public Policy, Leah Lowe has seen this so-called climate anxiety — or “eco-grief” — in action.
“Several years ago, I was teaching a class in American Studies called the Art of Social Justice,” says Lowe, a respected director within Nashville’s professional theater scene. “In this course, we looked at how various artists had responded to different social and cultural crises throughout history. It was a wonderful, lively class full of people with brilliant ideas. But when we reached the unit on climate change, the room went dead silent. When I asked what the problem was, one of the students said, ‘I’m so anxious about climate change, I can’t even talk about it.’ We muddled our way through, but that experience really stayed with me.”
Fast-forward to a conversation in which David Wright — Vanderbilt’s Stevenson Professor of Chemistry and director of the Program in Communication of Science and Technology — approached Lowe about a potential project.
“I had just taken over the CSET program, and we were looking for ways to expand — not just through scholarship, but in more public-facing ways — to communicate the complexity of
featuring works from Will Wilson, Eliza Evans and John Sabraw.
“One of the things that I find interesting is that there are so many different ways of engaging with this topic,” Lowe says. “We kicked off the project by having [New Orleans-based author] Mary Annaïse Heglar visit the campus. We found three visual artists who are engaging in different ways with extractive industries. And our playwrights have all gone in such wildly different directions. I think when you’re using the term ‘eco-grief,’ there’s an assumption that it’s going to be kind of bland or a real downer. But these works are filled with humor and hope and love, and there are so many opportunities for connection. I’m really excited to see what the response will be, and what sort of conversations these plays will provoke.”
climate change to the public,” Wright says. “To me, there’s really no greater challenge facing the scientific community than how we communicate science to the public. Theater gives us an entirely different way to talk about science and technology and the impacts of climate change, because it’s narrative. It uses everyday language, and there’s a sort of lived experience that allows the audience to connect. So from the beginning, it was clear we wanted to do some kind of theater production.”
Through those early conversations, the Vanderbilt Eco-Grief Initiative was born. Spearheaded jointly by Vanderbilt’s Curb Center for Art, Enterprise and Public Policy; the Science Communication Media Collaborative Grand Challenge Initiative; and the Vanderbilt University Department of Theatre, the project offers a “collaborative inquiry into the emotional landscapes of living through climate change.”
Lowe says she put out a call for playwrights for the commission in spring 2023, expecting maybe 50 applications. She received nearly 300. Four playwrights — Gina Femia, Kristin Idaszak, Reynaldo Piniella and Jaymes Sanchez — were selected and given the opportunity to meet with Vanderbilt students to gain further insight into current thinking around climate issues. Beginning this weekend, those plays will be produced at Neely Auditorium, employing sustainable materials and methods throughout. In addition, a visual art exhibition titled Extraction/ Interaction is currently open at the Curb Center,
One of those plays is Kristin Idaszak’s Blue Blood Red Knot. Examining the “interdependence of human and more-than-human creatures,” this thoughtful work considers the plight of the horseshoe crab — whose blood is often used in testing certain drugs and medical devices. And while the play digs into everything from supply-chain issues to the dwindling population of these ancient creatures, at its heart, it’s something of a buddy comedy — with a young woman named Violet rescuing a horseshoe crab named Eloise from a lab and embarking on an unlikely road trip.
“I feel like ‘eco-grief’ as a container is both so specific and so expansive,” says Idaszak, a Chicago-based writer and multidisciplinary theater artist. “In the theater, we have a unique opportunity — and I would even say clarion call — to take something that feels extraordinarily daunting and impenetrable and make it more human and approachable. There are so many facets to the climate crisis, and I’m fascinated by the ways in which science and art both seek to make meaning of the universe.
“I’m incredibly grateful for Leah’s vision, and for the Curb Center as a home and steward for this project,” she adds. “There’s something really exciting about knowing that my work is going to be part of a larger conversation about climate change.” ▼
Vanderbilt’s Eco-Grief Plays Sept. 26, 28 & 29 and Oct. 17-20 at Neely Auditorium
Extraction/Interaction Through Dec. 5 at Vanderbilt’s Curb Center
CHRIS CHAMBERLAIN
WHISKEY’S DEEP CONNECTION to history, especially in regions like Tennessee, underscores its cultural significance. But the spirits industry’s penchant for myth-making often leads to misleading narratives. Unfortunately, when those histories are not painstakingly researched or accurately told, we’ve seen several high-profile cases in which the marketing department took over the narratives.
Templeton Rye, for instance, was marketed as a product of a family recipe from Templeton, Iowa. In reality, its initial production came from a large industrial ethanol plant in Indiana. Similarly, Tito’s Vodka faced multiple class-action lawsuits for advertising itself as “handmade” despite its large-scale production. Bulleit Frontier Whiskey, with its purported family recipe and frontier legacy, was actually produced under a contract with another distillery by its founder, an attorney whose family had not been in the distilling business for generations.
Terms like “craft” and “master distiller” get thrown around loosely, so it’s important when writers take the time to really investigate the true histories of brands. Two recent books shed light on stories behind the brands and provide valuable insight into the intersection of history, culture and commerce in the whiskey industry.
The first is Clay Shwab’s Manny Shwab and the George Dickel Company: Whisky, Power and Politics During Nashville’s Gilded Age. This book explores the legacy of the author’s great-grandfather Victor Emmanuel “Manny” Shwab, an Alsatian Jew and early owner of Cascade Hollow Distillery in Tullahoma, Tenn. The second book — Love & Whiskey: The Remarkable True Story of Jack Daniel, His Master Distiller Nearest Green, and the Improbable Rise of Uncle Nearest by Fawn Weaver — details the journey of the freed slave Nathan “Nearest” Green, who taught Jack Daniel the art of whiskey
making. Weaver’s account also covers her establishment of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, one of America’s fastest-growing distilleries.
Both books offer narratives of overcoming adversity in the post-Civil War South. Green, despite being uneducated and propertyless, introduced the method of filtering whiskey through charcoal, a technique rooted in African traditions. Manny Shwab, meanwhile, distanced himself from stereotypes associated with Jewish merchants by dropping the “c” from his surname. By the time of his death, Shwab was a prominent Nashville figure and a key player in the whiskey industry.
CLAY SHWAB KNEW some of his family history, but local historian Ridley Wills II encouraged him to dive deeper into the records to share the rest of the narrative. Through his hard work, Clay has created a fascinatingly detailed account of Nashville life around the turn of the century. Manny Shwab was the bookkeeper at German immigrant George Dickel’s downtown Nashville liquor store. Manny and George ended up marrying sisters, living next door to each other on Dickerson Pike and even sharing a burial plot at Mt. Olivet Cemetery.
Manny became a partner in Dickel’s distillery operations in 1881, eventually purchasing a majority stake in 1888 and inheriting the rest after Dickel’s death in 1894. In a key development in the history of the distillery, Manny hired McLin Davis as distiller and coined the trademark phrase “Mellow as Moonlight” because Davis preferred to make whiskey in the cooler hours of the evening.
Known as a shrewd businessman, Shwab managed a workaround when Prohibition came early to Tennessee, striking up an arrangement with the Stitzel distillery in Kentucky to keep the brand alive and the barrels full while the company waited out the passage of the 21st Amend-
ment. Manny earned a reputation as a firebrand through his arguments over Prohibition, picking fights with newspaper editors and politicians, and he was often accused of bribery and corruption to try to turn political winds.
But his legacy goes much further than just as a whiskey baron. Manny was the founder of multiple companies, banks and railroads that are still in operation today, and he served on the boards of local utilities and charitable organizations. He also led Nashville’s war bonds efforts during World War I.
When Shwab died in 1924, The Tennessean wrote, “Mr. Shwab won distinction as the kind of businessman who never forsook a fight in the face of opposing odds.” In a final bit of cruel fate, the Cascade Distillery burned to the ground on the same day that Shwab was interred at Mt. Olivet. Despite this, the George Dickel Distillery remains a leading force in the industry, a testament to Shwab’s enduring legacy.
FAWN WEAVER IS an entrepreneur and author best known as the founder and CEO of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, reportedly valued at more than $1 billion less than a decade after it was founded. History and her story brought Weaver to the whiskey business when she was fascinated by a 2016 article in The New York Times by spirits writer Clay Risen. Risen shared the rarely mentioned story about Nearest Green’s relationship with Jack Daniel, the man and the brand. Parent company Brown-Forman announced that they planned to incorporate Green’s story into their tours of the distillery, and Weaver had to go find out what this was all about.
Weaver convinced her husband Keith to accompany her on a trip to Lynchburg, Tenn., home of the Jack Daniel Distillery — over his protestations about the verb part of the town’s
name. She immediately dove into the history of the Green family, meeting with multiple generations of ancestors and setting up a research room where she hired a team of researchers to delve deeper into the records.
Weaver participated in several distillery tours and heard no mention of Nearest from the guides, so she continued to press for more details. This got the attention of executives at Jack Daniel’s and Brown-Forman, and they began to reach out to her. Weaver found a compatriot in Nelson Eddy, the brand historian for Jack Daniel’s, and the pair respected each other’s dedication to fact-finding and sharing the truth. Eventually, Weaver met with the CEO of Jack Daniel’s, who assured her that Nearest Green would be an important part of any story the brand told. After some initial reluctance from longtime guides who had been telling the same (incomplete) story for years, Nearest’s legacy is now an important part of the tour script, including the fact that there has been at least one member of the Green family on the premises any time a drop of Jack Daniel’s has been produced.
Weaver didn’t undertake this effort with the intention of starting a distillery, but her enthusiasm and dedication to the Greens led her to make the jump from research into action. She raised $40 million to start up the fledgling distillery, first sourcing whiskey and then contract distilling her own product at a nearby facility in Columbia.
Weaver purchased the farm where Nearest and Jack first distilled together. But this wasn’t just a
sentimental action. Uncle Nearest now has access to the same aquifer and spring where Jack Daniel’s was first made, and the company operates a massive campus near Interstate 24 where they welcome visitors for tours and events at Humble Baron, Guinness-certified record holder as “The World’s Longest Bar.”
A fundamental tenet of Uncle Nearest’s business is that the Green family is actively involved. Weaver has set up scholarship programs for Nearest’s descendants to attend school as well as support for other fledgling BIPOC entrepreneurs who are interested in the spirits business. Weaver hired Green’s fifth-generation descendent Victoria Eady Butler as the distillery’s first master blender, and the former criminologist has quickly become an important face of the business, racking up hundreds of awards for her blends.
Uncle Nearest has quite a history, but it obviously has a bright future as well. Weaver’s account of how the company got this far is a gripping read, and you have to imagine that there’s a sequel in the works. ▼
Manny Shwab and the George Dickel Company: Whisky, Power and Politics
During Nashville’s Gilded Age
By Clay Shwab
McFarland Books
248 pages, $39.95
By Fawn Weaver
Melcher Media
376 pages, $28
9/26
BACKSTAGE AT 3RD: CARRIE WELLING - HIGH HEELS and HEAVY THINGS - Re-Release Show
THE OZ NOY TRIO featuring OZ NOY, JIMMY HASLIP & ANTON FIG + Special Guests
WMOT Roots Radio Presents Finally Friday featuring MICHAEL REYNOLDS, GLASS CABIN, & BRYAN SIMPSON
MIDNIGHT RIDERS - Allman Brothers Tribute Band with JACK RUCH 12:00 8:00
Backstage Nashville! Daytime Hit Songwriters Show featuring BRADY SEALS, JASON MATTHEWS, GORDON KENNEDY & HOMEGROWN TRIO + JULIA HUTCHINSON
An Evening with DAILEY and VINCENT
FRENCH CASSETTES with BOY ORBISON + CAM COOL
Bluebird on 3rd featuring JT HARDING, MATT MCKINNEY & MARV GREEN with KRIS CREPEAU & KATRINA BARCLAY
Dogtober Writers Round featuring MARCUS HUMMON, JILLIAN CARDARELLI, JAKE ROSE & GRANT VOGEL
SISTERS OF THE MOON:
Stevie Nicks Tribute with RADECKAL REVOLUTION
jordy searcy w/ theo kandel danielle bradbery w/ Sydney Quiseng the warning w/ holy wars Jules! As seen on Ms Rachel (12pm) sarah kinsley w/ alix page (8pm) joey valence & brae w/ romanceplanet robert delong x atlas genius w/ normal behaviour american aquarium w/ abby hamilton twista w/ Gee Slab, Emory Jaymz, and It’s Really [Just Us] the brothers comatose mj lenderman & the wind w/ ryan davis & the roadhouse band Family Values Tribute Show ft. Guillotine, Karrot: A Tribute to Korn & Shake My Tomb: The Deftones Tribute john moreland w/ Joelton Mayfield Nilüfer Yanya w/ Angélica Garcia & Lutalo you got gold: John Prine tribute the wldlife w/ young culture kashus culpepper w/ coleman jennings
Saving Escape w/ velvet mirage [7PM]
Kim Logan & The Silhouettes w/ doom mutual (7pm)
Evan Coyote, Court Taylor, and john Haywood (9PM]
The Infamous Her, Friendstore, & Griffin Dean
Miles Conner, Jermey Short & Violent Moons [9PM] the closson brothers w/ sophia brand [7PM] lyssa coulter and between 4th & 5th [9PM] ashes and arrows [7PM] gainesfest 2: search for the lamb [9PM]
Caleb Lathrop w/ morgan gruber & jordan fletcher the fbr (7PM)
Genna Matthew w/ eva cassel (7PM)
julia larkin w/ megan wilder & heather carpenter Carrtoons w/ datsunn [7PM]
Split System, Class, Wesley & the Boys, Gross Motor [9PM]
kayley green
Kylie Spence W/ Angela Morano [7pm)
Shelby Lynne returns to Nashville her own way with Consequences of the Crown
BY RACHEL CHOLST
WHEN SHELBY LYNNE left Nashville, she wasn’t planning on coming back. She felt constrained by Music Row and the expectations of the limelight. She was ready to do something else.
Ironically, it took coming back to Music City to craft her most ambitious record yet. With a newfound sobriety, a rescue puppy and an intergenerational community of songwriters and co-producers in her corner, Lynne will return to the Ryman on Thursday to celebrate Consequences of the Crown, a serpentine album that draws as much influence from ’90s R&B as it does Lynne’s career in country music and the intervening heartbreaks.
“I was sick of Los Angeles,” Lynne tells the Scene. “I had stayed there as long as I possibly could. It was never my bag. But what the hell, I did that for a while, and it just kind of put the lid on California for me.” She moved to Nashville to be closer to her sister, fellow artist and songwriter Allison Moorer. Lynne figured she’d write songs for other people, land a publishing deal and continue her life in music at a slower pace.
The muse had other plans. Lynne began working with Karen Fairchild of Little Big Town and fellow accomplished songwriter Ashley
Monroe as well as with Grammy-winning engineer Gena Johnson. Lynne co-wrote with Fairchild and Monroe, and all four co-produced what became Consequences of the Crown together. Fairchild knew no other voice could bring these songs to life.
“Karen just said, ‘We need a record from you,’” says Lynne. “So she made the calls — and here we are.”
Consequences chronicles heartbreak in real time. The writing process was not just cathartic for Lynne, but also healing, as the three women “scooped me up.”
Lynne would pull out her bass (“an anti-Nashville thing to do”) and lay down a groove, while Monroe would spin up beats and piano riffs along with the earthy lyrics that fill the album. Then the four hit the studio and made magic happen.
The album stems from Lynne’s long-held desire to make a record built around beats, with a wide range of influences. She mentions Coco Jones, Muni Long and other contemporary R&B artists. But Lynne is a fan of music in all forms, and notes that she is currently enamored of Billie Eilish, Beyoncé’s Cowboy
To prep for the show, Lynne, Greenberg and her band holed up in an undisclosed location to rehearse, which she describes as a “little dingy bar” with excellent sound. “It’s always better to go somewhere where you can feel like a rock ’n’ roll environment.”
The shows in the wake of the album, released in August, will also be Lynne’s first shows sober. In spite of her anxiety, she’s looking forward.
“I’m really enjoying the freedom of not having to second-guess what I do ’cause I’m drunk as shit. Being sober, I can walk out there and feel the joy and the energy. It feels wonderful because I don’t have anything to hide behind, and it’s kind of fabulous because I’ll go out there and tell the audience: ‘I’m fucking terrified. Help me.’ And they will. They always have.” ▼
Guest conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya brings invigorating perspective to Nashville Symphony’s Wagner and Dvořák program
BY AMY STUMPFL
IN THE MALE-DOMINATED world of classical music, conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya often garners attention as the only woman in the room. It’s not a distinction she ever sought out, or even gave much thought to. Her focus has always been on the music.
, Ray LaMontagne, The Red Clay Strays and “indie rock that never gets a chance.”
“I wanted to do a different kind of record that people wouldn’t necessarily expect,” she says. “So I made a beatbox record, which I’ve always wanted to do. And I did a little bit of that on I Am 25 years ago, but I really couldn’t come back to Nashville and do a chicken-pickin’ record.”
When I speak with Lynne ahead of the Ryman show, she’s still working with bandleader Kenny Greenberg to translate these songs from the studio to the stage. It’s important to make them feel of a piece with the songs from her beloved 1999 album I Am
“When I figure out what the hell the show is, we’ll make a combo of the two records,” says Lynne. “I have the tracks written down on my whiteboard, and I’m drawing arrows. …
‘Why Can’t You Be?’ [from I Am] is a cousin to ‘Clouds’ [from Consequences], and there’s some beatbox racket noise going on in this record. I’ll be doing my jabbering, saying, ‘All right, now hold up, here’s a new one.’ Boom. I’ve got a keyboard player who’s going to do all those shits and giggles.”
“When I started out, I was the first and only woman in everything I did,” says Yankovskaya, who recently stepped down as music director of Chicago Opera Theater after seven successful seasons. “I didn’t think about it much, which was probably for the best. Because once I got on the podium, all that mattered was that I knew the score — that I knew what I wanted musically. When I arrived at COT, I was actually the first female music director of any major opera company in the U.S. Can you imagine? That is changing, but it’s very slow.”
Music has been a constant for Yankovskaya, who was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and immigrated to Albany, N.Y., as a refugee when she was just 9. Her family was fleeing antisemitism that was prevalent in Russia at the time.
“St. Petersburg is so rich musically,” she says. “It’s a deep part of the culture, so I grew up going to performances since before I can remember. I sang with the St. Petersburg Children’s Choir and played piano. That continued when we moved to the United States, and I started playing violin as well. In upstate New York, we were just a short drive from Tanglewood and Saratoga Performing Arts Center — where the Philadelphia Orchestra has its summer home — and there were so many phenomenal musicians giving recitals in New York City. So music has always been a huge part of my life.”
Yankovskaya studied music and philosophy at Vassar College, earning a master’s in conducting at Boston University. Before taking the reins at COT in 2017, she led organizations like Juventas New Music
Ensemble and Harvard’s Lowell House Opera. During her tenure at COT, she established the Vanguard Initiative, a unique two-year residency for emerging opera composers. She also commissioned 11 new works, including from six female composers and seven artists of color. Beyond her obvious passion for new works, Yankovskaya is a self-proclaimed champion of Slavic masterpieces. And those interests are clearly reflected in the
Charli XCX and Troye Sivan are bringing a cultural phenomenon to Bridgestone Arena
BY HANNAH CRON
UNLESS YOU LIVE under a rock or have been on a well-deserved internet break, you’ve certainly encountered the effects of Brat. In a literal sense, Brat is the latest album from pop star Charli XCX. But in a much greater cultural sense, Brat is a state of mind. It’s a white tank top and cutoffs paired with a designer bag. It’s cigarettes and cheap alcohol picked up at the nearest gas station on the way to a party in a McMansion. It’s trashy and classy put in a blender. The internet at large dubbed the past few months Brat Summer: a season for it-girls and hustle-culture iconoclasts to declare their dominance. Brat has a similar “the world is ending so we might as well dance” vibe to early-2010s Kesha. It’s Charli XCX’s most self-aware and vulnerable work to date; sonically, the British pop queen has never been more ready to party, drawing on the glitchy sounds of hyperpop and the decades of electronic music informing the rave scene she was part of as a teen. “360” is an ode to the it-girl — the lyrics name-drop Julia Fox, and the self-effacing, star-studded video features everyone from Gen-Z faves Rachel Sennott and Emma Chamberlain to the inimitable Chloë Sevigny. The confessional banger “Apple” quickly became a viral TikTok sound, with everyone from the cast of Twisters to Amish influencers jumping in on the dance trend. “Club Classics” is all about Charli’s commitment to making the kind of music she wants to listen to, while songs like “Sympathy Is a Knife” and “Girl, So Confusing” are open about how difficult it is to be a young woman.
In mid-September, Charli teamed with Australian pop phenom Troye Sivan to co-headline a tour, a kind of Brat’s day out dubbed Sweat. The pair are longtime collaborators, with their latest being a duet rework of Brat’s “Talk Talk.” (That is destined for the delightfully titled remix album Brat and It’s Completely Different but Also Still Brat, due Oct. 11.) If Charli’s music is for the
program she’s conducting with the Nashville Symphony this weekend. The concert opens with Missy Mazzoli’s lush Orpheus Undone, a piece that Yankovskaya says explores “the stretching of time, in moments of trauma or agony.” Audiences can also look forward to Sergei Prokofiev’s provocative Concerto No. 1 for Violin & Orchestra (featuring acclaimed violinist Simone Porter), along with Richard Wagner’s “Liebestod” from Tristan und Isolde, and Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7.
“One of the things I love about the Nashville Symphony is that it has such a history of supporting living American composers,” Yankovskaya says. “And Missy Mazzoli is a spectacular, very American composer. Her music is quite romantic, and this piece ties in nicely with the Wagner piece — both thematically and musically. And of course, Prokofiev and Dvořák are composers who
are very dear to me.”
Also dear to her is the Refugee Orchestra Project, which she established in 2016 to celebrate “the cultural and societal relevance of refugees” through music.
“People forget that Chopin was a refugee. Rachmaninoff and Irving Berlin — who’s responsible for so much of what we know as American popular music — all refugees. So by highlighting examples of refugee composers and musicians, we’re reminded of our shared humanity — and the power of music to unite us.” ▼
Nashville Symphony’s Wagner and Dvořák, Sept. 28-29
girls, Sivan’s is for the gays — though both really go both ways.
Sivan’s third album, Something to Give Each Other, came out in October 2023 and pushed the onetime YouTuber into the mainstream. After Timothée Chalamet (and boygenius) play you on SNL, there’s no going back. Sivan’s been making solid indie-pop music for a decade, but Something is by far his best work to date, with a sound and visual elements that delve into international club culture and flirtation.
The whole album is strong, but its shining star is the single “One of Your Girls.” It’s incredibly difficult to create a song that makes listeners want to simultaneously cry and dance, and only a few have done it well. Count Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own” and The 1975’s “Somebody Else”; “One of Your Girls” is a natural addition to that list, a Swedish-style dance-pop masterpiece (credit to producer Oscar Görres) about loving
BY KATHERINE OUNG, P.J. KINZER AND HANNAH CRON
BY THE TIME Grimey’s opened on Thursday, a line of expectant patrons snaked around the corner of the building. Some had camped out with lawn chairs and blankets as early as 8 a.m., all vying for one of the 50 tickets guaranteeing entry to the ANTI- Records 25th Anniversary party happening that night at The Basement East. The label, which got its start the same year as AmericanaFest, rang in a quarter-century of intriguing music with an at-capacity crowd eagerly awaiting a lineup studded with stars across musical generations.
Playing 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2, at Bridgestone Arena
someone who will never fully love you back. It’s the closest Sivan comes to a ballad on the album, but it packs the punch of three combined. There’s something new to pick out with every listen: a joke in the lyrics that slipped by before, or a woven-in beat that you don’t realize you’re hearing till you discover that it keeps you coming back. The video takes the concept to the next level, with Sivan switching in and out of drag and dancing with Ross Lynch, aka the internet’s boyfriend.
After a few of the worst years in recent memory — and with plenty of uncertainty about the future to go around — everyone needs a reason to dance. Charli XCX and Troye Sivan know this well. Sweat, which also features English DJ Shygirl as your opener, is an antidote to end-of-summertime sadness: an occasion to don a going-out top and immerse yourself in the crowd. ▼
Cellist, banjo player and vocalist Leyla McCalla eased into the night with an array of reflections on faith, the natural world and Octavia Butler’s notions of change. Then came Christian Lee Hutson and his three-piece band, playing a selection of folkschooled tunes from Hutson’s fifth LP Paradise Pop. 10 out Sept. 27. The next performer, Nashville singer-songwriter Madi Diaz quipped that she views AmericanaFest as a week for gathering all her favorite friends and collaborators together. She introduced special guest Stephen Wilson Jr. for a duo rendition of “Get to Know Me,” a self-deprecating standout from her recent LP Weird Faith. Both Diaz and MJ Lenderman — hot on the heels of his record Manning Fireworks, his set on Thursday followed a Sept. 18 duo show with Karly Hartzman at Third Man Records and previews a sold-out Oct. 5 return to the Beast — brought out Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield to sing backing vocals during their sets. At this year’s Americana Honors & Awards, Crutchfield was nominated for Song of the Year for “Right Back to It,” featuring Lenderman, the breakout single from her 2024 album Tigers Blood. She played the entire record with Lenderman on guitar, weaving from opener “3 Sisters” to the record’s titular closing track.
It was almost midnight by the time indie-rock heavyweight Neko Case took the stage. But from the opening line of “Hell-On,” her singular, startling contralto brought the crowd to attention. As Case sang into the early hours of the morning, she expressed her awe toward the musicians who’d performed before her and echoed their sentiments about ANTI-: Throughout the decades, the label made its artists feel like it truly believed in their process and vision, yielding some singular music in the process.
Friday’s showcase at The 5 Spot offered a pretty good cross section of what makes up Americana today. Up first at 7 p.m. were Teddy and the Rough Riders They’re just a few weeks out from the Oct. 11 release of their second LP Down Home and they were in prime form from a month of touring the U.K. with fellow Nashvillian Emily Nenni. Teddy’s music is full-bore country-rock. The combination of tight, deep grooves and musicians who trust each other enough to play around and express themselves onstage was reminiscent of what jazz legend Herbie Hancock’s band did at the Schermerhorn earlier in the week, despite the differences in the sound.
At 11 p.m., it was time for longtime local Jess Nolan who works on her own music when she’s not on the road with the likes of Jenny Lewis. Sonically, her songs share as much with Peter Gabriel’s or Lindsey Buckingham’s as they do anything from the American South. She built her set around songs from ’93, her 2023 album on Ani DiFranco’s Righteous Babe label, peppered with new, as-yet-unreleased tunes recorded in her living room and stories about challenging times she’s had in the past year. Nolan regularly plays her songs in small rooms like The 5 Spot and The Basement when she’s in town, but her easy command of the audience suggests it won’t be long before she’s selling out much bigger venues.
Back at The 5 Spot on Saturday, Nashville’s own The Kentucky Gentlemen ended their set that kicked off a top-notch bill of queer musicians by dancing off the stage. Twin brothers Brandon and Derek Campbell are members of the Black Opry family and make music that blends the best of pop country with R&B flair. Twisting and twirling through the crowd in their sequined fringe jackets, they exuded welcoming warmth and charisma — the way every party should start.
Lawrence Rothman unleashed the baritone croon that marks their latest LP The Plow That Broke the Plains and welcomed ace songsmith Amanda Shires to the stage to sing their co-write “LAX.” Paisley Fields show-
cased how clever lyricism and contagious enthusiasm can make even the most serious songs fun, as in “Burn This Statehouse Down,” a collaboration with Mya Byrne protesting Gov. Bill Lee and his support of Tennessee Republicans’ anti-LGBTQ legislation. Crys Matthews — who’d performed Friday evening at the unveiling ceremony for a historical marker honoring Jackie Shane — described the work she does aptly between songs, saying, “Social-justice music is another type of love song.”
Closing out AmericanaFest in country-Western style, Oakland, Calif.’s Secret Emchy Society took the final set of the night. Cindy Emch’s ensemble was complete with fiddle and pedal steel, bringing extra warmth to their boisterous tunes. From the tender waltz “Jagged Edges” to the rambunctious “Queen of Assholes,” Emch & Co. showcased their mastery of a broad spectrum of country and country-adjacent music. It was a great way to cap a celebration of connecting through music — one of the biggest reasons we keep making it. ▼ Read uncut versions of these reviews and see more photos at nashvillescene.com/music
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TWENTY YEARS AGO, audiences heard Tommy Wiseau say those fateful words to Greg Sestero for the first time: “Oh hi, Mark.”
Perhaps the quintessential example of a cult film, 2003’s The Room has long entertained audiences with its strange dialogue, difficult-to-follow plot and director-star Wiseau’s peculiar choices. Fans have even created their own rituals to accompany screenings, like throwing plastic spoons at the screen. The Room will return to the Belcourt twice this weekend. This time it will be part of a Wiseau-directed double feature, with 2023’s Big Shark making its Nashville debut. Both films will play on Sept. 27 and 28, and Sestero will be there, as he tends to be, to support his friend. He’ll also participate in a Q&A between the films during both Friday’s and Saturday’s screenings.
Sestero — who says if he could present his own Belcourt double feature, it would be The Talented Mr. Ripley paired with Sunset Boulevard — spoke with the Scene about The Room’s unlikely power, the work he’s most proud of and his next moves.
Is there anything about Nashville that you think makes it especially ripe for a screening like this? I just feel like they support film, indie film and cult cinema. I know when [2017’s The Room-inspired] The Disaster Artist came out, [the Belcourt] was one of the early theaters that screened it. When I was there the last time, it’s a great mix of all ages of movie fans. The Belcourt, they’ve always been a big supporter. It’s a really fun double feature. Obviously for The Room, people come out with the spoons, and then Big Shark is a really good complement to that crowd once they’re hyped up after seeing The Room. It’s a unique night out at the movies.
BY HANNAH HERNER
Where are you at with your relationship to The Room and it being known as a movie a lot of people say is bad? I think that’s sort of a very simpleton way of looking at it. … I think it’s funny, initially, calling it the “best worst movie.” But honestly, I think any filmmaker out there right now would love to make a movie that people still show up to 20 years later. I think that was sort of the mob mentality, [saying] it’s a bad movie.
For me, what I stand by is the book that I wrote [The Disaster Artist], and the Oscar-nominated film that came out of that, and it’s just given me opportunities. I got a chance to work on The Haunting of Bly Manor on Netflix, and now I’m making my own films. It’s been a great gift, and I’ve always looked at it as a really unique experience that I’ve marveled at, that
people still love to come watch it.
The Room is never something I thought would be a break or would be the one that would give me a shot. After this many years, I’ve looked at it a different way. It’s not a movie I’m gonna watch, and it’s not a movie I’m gonna show friends. It’s really a movie for the people that has been supported by the people, and now I’m just excited to get out there and make other films. You hope that people enjoy whatever you make as much as The Room, as ironic as that sounds.
What projects are you most excited about right now? [2017’s] Best F(r)iends is one that I’m really proud of. I always try to take real-life events and mold them into an original film,
The Wild Robot shows the power we have in unity BY
KEN ARNOLD
WE LIVE IN A TIME of bickering. We all have our differences — that’s part of being human. But despite those differences, when you pull back all our layers, you’ll find we have much more in common than we have differences. We all want to laugh, love and protect the things that are important to us. We as a society have gotten so caught up in our differences that we forget that when we as a species work together, we can achieve the impossible. Luckily, one wild robot is here to show us the miracle of cooperation.
When Rozzum 7134 (Lupita Nyong’o), Roz for short, crashes on an island uninhabited by humans, she begins looking for tasks to complete. Her programming as a service bot has her trying to assist the animals on the island until she finds an orphaned gosling named Brightbill (Kit Conner). Unfamiliar with the ways of the island, and with the inhabitants still terrified of her, Roz teams up with a cunning fox named Fink (Pedro Pascal) as she takes on the burdens of motherhood with the goal of raising Brightbill and preparing him for migration before the winter.
The story is a simplistic one, but one that will serve as an important lesson for kids and reminder for us adults as well. People being able to overcome their differences and work together is one of humanity’s greatest attributes, and one that feels lost in the current cultural climate — a climate
and with that film I took the Black Dahlia murder and crafted a character for Tommy [Wiseau]. [2021’s] Miracle Valley was a ’70s horror-thriller that was based on a real-life cult. I feel like with each one I’ve grown more accustomed to storytelling, and I think Best F(r)iends sort of captures the movies I’d like to make and improve on. I think right now I’m most excited about Forbidden Sky, which is a UFO abduction story that I’m going to make next year.
Is making an alien movie something on your bucket list? I was always very drawn to sci-fi. I saw, obviously, the original Star Wars, but more than anything it was a movie that came out in 1993 called Fire in the Sky. Back then you had to rent VHS movies, and I was so terrified of it. But I just always remembered the way it made me feel. Then I took a UFO night tour in 2020, and it was just such a fascinating experience. And again, I wanted to take something that I experienced and fold that into a film. I’ve been working on the screenplay since 2020.
Twenty years on, what’s your friendship like with Tommy Wiseau now? It’s crazy, it’s gone on for two decades. I think the biggest connection is that we both love movies and we both love to create, and I think that’s what’s kept us in touch and supporting one another.
What mindset should the audience go into the screenings with? Come in with an open mind, and come in just preparing to have your mind blown — hopefully in the best way. The Room will change your view on cinema and maybe on life. When that ends, Big Shark will hopefully balance that all out. ▼
in which we focus far more on our differences than our many similarities. Roz’s adventure features a lot of the typical DreamWorks beats we know and love, but what makes this one feel so special is its stylish animation and cast of characters — characters who all have their unique quirks and are represented with phenomenal voice work. When it comes to the animation, few things can match up to the colorful and vibrant style of the 3D models with hand-painted 2D texturing on top. The color palettes all pop: The natural settings feature great, vibrant contrast, while the places lived in by humans have a more sterile palette that feels mechanical. These color palettes work as a visual storytelling tool, underscoring the differences between the natural and the mechanical and showing the boundaries Roz has to cross in learning about the world, motherhood and the power of unity.
The Wild Robot is DreamWorks at its best, and the type of film that will appeal to children and adults alike. Director Chris Sanders — who worked on projects including Lilo & Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon gives the source material, Peter Brown’s novel of the same name, everything it needs to shine. It’s an experience for everyone. ▼
Visit nashvillescene.com to read our review of Megalopolis, opening wide Sept. 26.
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1 Confident claim
5 Tootsie treat?
9 Enclosed rhyme scheme
13 Stone measure
15 Modern-day home of Persepolis 16 Godsend
17 MEDALS
19 “Cheers” bartender Woody
20 Crafty inits.
21 Baseball pitcher’s feat, informally
22 Irritated
23 They work through a lot of baggage, for short
24 GOBI DESERT
27 Quite some time
29 Source of the Golden Fleece
30 What doesn’t look the best naked?
31 Choir section
33 Not so loud
36 “SAY WHAT?”
40 Acting unconsciously
41 Prevailing spirit
43 Game piece in Mastermind
46 Legislative subject of the 2020 miniseries “Mrs. America,” for short
47 Spain’s longest river
48 NEOLITH
54 “Scientia potentia ___” (“Knowledge is power”)
55 Lassie’s owner on old TV
56 Premier couple’s retreat?
57 Furtive laugh
62 Land that split from Zanzibar in
63 Medicinal form 64 Word with screen or space
65 Self images? 66 Sleep restlessly
67 Something passed down the line DOWN
1 Cold beverage popularized at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis
2 Sleeveless top
3 Small marching band?
4 Vote in opposition
5 Word that can precede or follow “player”
6 Flynn of Hollywood’s Golden Age
7 41, to 43
8 Popular crowd
9 Top of the order?
10 Foot warmer
11 Young male lover, informally
12 Foul shot following a basket, in hoops lingo
14 Blue reef fish
18 Heartache
22 Reproductive cell
25 Lover of Euridice, in opera
26 Scratching post scratchers
28 Middle-of-the-road
32 With a clear head
33 Zippo
34 Sound asleep
35 Formal ceremony
37 About 2 1/2 pints of beer
38 Catchphrase for moviedom’s “International Man of Mystery”
39 Vikings, e.g.
42 “That’ll show ya!”
43 Buns
44 Tough nut to crack
45 Fitness fanatic, in slang
49 What seers read
50 University of North Carolina team, to fans
51 Pastoral poems
52 Keanu Reeves role
53 Stampeders in “The Lion King”
59 Spot-on
60 Birthplace of bossa nova
61 Joke
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