Nashville Scene 2-13-25

What to read, watch and listen to on Valentine’s Day — plus field notes on dating and a look at Nashville’s White Velvet Wedding Chapel

WITNESS HISTORY

This Stella McCartney-designed jacket, embellished with rhinestones and embroidered birds, was worn by Rosanne Cash during her performance at the 2018 Americana Honors & Awards in Nashville, where she received the Spirit of Americana Free Speech Award.

From the exhibit Rosanne Cash: Time Is a Mirror

artifact: Courtesy of Rosanne Cash artifact photo: Bob Delevante

A Forthcoming Garden Will Help Students Grieve

Percy Priest Elementary — the first school in Middle Tennessee designated a Grief-Sensitive School — tackles bereavement head-on BY JULIANNE AKERS

Pith in the Wind

This week on the Scene’s news and politics blog Lee Points to Nuclear Energy, Housing Agenda in State of the State Governor alludes to ‘innovation’ and governing like a ‘business’ BY NICOLLE S. PRAINO

COVER PACKAGE: THE LOVE ISSUE

Going to the Chapel

Nashville’s new White Velvet Chapel offers intimate Vegas-style ceremonies BY HANNAH HERNER

Field Notes From 31 First Dates

What I learned in my post-divorce dating experiment BY LANE SCOTT JONES

Between the Sheets

Bookshop owners and book club organizers give us their romance — and yes, smut — book recommendations BY TINA DOMINGUEZ

The Power of Love

Check out a playlist featuring many different perspectives on love from Nashville musicians BY STEPHEN TRAGESER

Cherry Chaise: Nashville’s Cupid for Hire

The songwriter has created more than 200 bespoke love songs BY BAILEY BRANTINGHAM

Sweet Scene

Reader-submitted valentines

CAMP GUIDE

CRITICS’

The Same, but Different New

owners walk a line when buying beloved spots BY

Legacy of the Heart

Local theater group explores North Nashville history with Lost and Found: A Story of Hope BY AMY STUMPFL

BOOKS

A Deep Enough Grief

Novelist Geraldine Brooks engages suppressed grief in her memoir Memorial Days BY EMILY CHOATE; CHAPTER16.ORG

MUSIC

Making Up for Lost Time

With her new podcast, Ellen Angelico uncovers the story of a country star who burned out too fast and questions what it means to ‘make it’ BY HANNAH CRON

Dad of the Year

Tim Heidecker tours post-apocalyptic America on Slipping Away BY SEAN L. MALONEY

The Spin

The Scene’s live-review column checks out Michigander at The Basement East BY MATTHEW LEIMKUEHLER

Sweet Streams (Are Made of This)

Seven romantic recommendations to stream on Valentine’s Day BY LOGAN BUTTS

NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD AND THIS MODERN WORLD MARKETPLACE

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The inaugural Nashville Fantasy Ball, Feb. 7, 2025 • PHOTO BY ANGELINA CASTILLO

WHO WE ARE

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF D. Patrick Rodgers

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A FORTHCOMING GARDEN WILL HELP STUDENTS GRIEVE

Percy Priest Elementary — the first school in Middle Tennessee designated a Grief-Sensitive School — tackles bereavement head-on

BY JULIANNE AKERS

WHEN TRAGEDY STRIKES, grief and the array of emotions that accompany it can be some of the most difficult subjects for anyone to take on — but especially so with children. Percy Priest Elementary School counselor Kristin Keiper-Berneman wants to change that.

Keiper-Berneman founded Good Grieve Nashville, a company that helps guide conversations with children about loss, and spearheaded an effort for Percy Priest to be recognized as what’s known as a Grief-Sensitive School by the New York Life Foundation.

Percy Priest is the first Metro Nashville public school and the first school in Middle Tennessee to receive this recognition, which comes with annual grief training for staff and a one-time $500 grant to support students in bereavement. Percy Priest is using that grant to create Heart’s Garden, where students and staff can decorate rocks in memory of their loved ones. The garden will be a part of Percy Priest’s new school building, which is set to open in the fall.

“Anytime a student or a staff member wants to create one, they can then paint it, put a name, put symbols, whatever feels important to them,” says Keiper-Berneman. “Then they have the option of either taking it home with them or putting it in Heart’s Garden. So it’ll always be a little collection of memories of the people and pets that were important to us.”

Keiper-Berneman says teachers and other school leaders are often not given proper training on how to discuss death with students. According to a report by Judi’s House/JAG Institute and the New York Life Foundation, 1 in 9 children in Tennessee will experience the death of a parent or sibling by age 18 — that’s compared to the national rate of 1 in 12 children.

“We never give them the tools to know what to say when a student has a loss, and pets die all the time,” says Keiper-Berneman. “Even if it feels like a loss that some people would say is maybe less important, that’s not how it feels to our students and our children.”

She says one of the most basic steps parents and teachers can take is using clear verbiage.

“Our words really matter, and so what matters is that we stop using the euphemisms like ‘gone to a better place,’ or that we ‘lost someone,’” she says. “Because the child hears that and thinks, ‘Well, let’s go to the lost and found.’ Or if we say ‘passed away’ they think, ‘Well, where is away? Let’s go find them.’”

This can cause greater confusion in children who might be dealing with death for the first time. “I was really surprised to learn that the kind and clear word when we’re talking to young children is to use the D-word — it’s ‘dead’

or ‘died,’” Keiper-Berneman says. “It feels blunt or harsh to me as an adult, but to the child, that’s the less confusing word.”

She says the societal perception of how we should handle death has changed drastically in the past century, and people are often much further removed from it than in the past.

“One hundred years ago, we died in our homes, and that meant people saw the body,” she says. “People sometimes even helped prepare the body for burial. And then there was this hundred-year-plus gap of us dying in hospitals or out of the home, and it started to feel really separate. And in those moments, we removed the children because we thought it wasn’t appropriate. So no wonder we struggle with these things. We don’t know who to ask, and no one was modeling this for us. It feels very scary, and

In her latest column, longtime contributor Betsy Phillips traces a straight line from the racist bombings of Nashville’s civil rights era to last month’s Antioch High School shooting Antioch shooter Solomon Henderson was reportedly an admirer of Brenton Tarrant — the white supremacist Christchurch, New Zealand killer. “One hate-filled person to another, passing along evil ideas to inspire the next,” writes Phillips. “An unbroken chain of violence that has whipped back around to Nashville and struck us right in the heart.”

During last week’s Metro Council meeting, among a litany of requests made during the annual pre-budget public comment period, a group of local skaters urged the council to invest in skate parks. Nashville’s only public skate park is the Two Rivers Skatepark. One public commenter described Two Rivers, which is close to 20 years old, as “decayed and eroded.” In the latest installment of “On First Reading,” columnist Nicole Williams covers that as well as a “Parks and Rec-level procedural fiasco” that prompted one district councilmember to admit, “We all do not know things — I know I am very inept sometimes.”

it feels so taboo. We can change that. It doesn’t have to feel that way.”

While she primarily tries to educate parents and teachers about how to handle grief with children, she says everyone can benefit from knowing how to decipher the topic.

“It’s also about being a good friend, it’s also about being a good co-worker, it’s about knowing when someone has a loss, what we could do that’s supportive,” says Keiper-Berneman, adding that many people don’t learn about grief until they are grieving themselves. “That’s the hardest time to acquire new information when we’re grieving. We have grief brain. So if we can learn this, if we can take in this information in a time that we aren’t actively grieving, we can be so much better at it for everyone in our circles.” ▼

In the 16th episode of the Nashville Scene Podcast, Scene editor-in-chief and podcast co-host D. Patrick Rodgers is joined by Scene reporter (and Williamson Scene managing editor) Nicolle S. Praino and Scene reporter Eli Motycka to talk about last month’s special session of the state legislature. In the rapid-fire session, called by Gov. Bill Lee, the Tennessee General Assembly passed legislation related to vouchers, disaster relief and immigration The episode digs in on all that, as well as what’s to come in the rest of this year’s legislative session.

FROM LEFT: REBECCA BOURLAKAS, NATALIE WILLIAMS, SHANNON CALZADILLA, KRISTIN KEIPER-BERNEMAN

PHOTOS: ERIC ENGLAND

PHOTO: ERIC ENGLAND

LEE POINTS TO NUCLEAR ENERGY, HOUSING AGENDA IN STATE OF THE STATE

Governor alludes to ‘innovation’ and governing like a ‘business’

BY NICOLLE S. PRAINO

GOV. BILL LEE delivered his annual State of the State address Monday night, leading with a push for “innovation” to a joint assembly of the Tennessee Senate and House of Representatives.

The governor briefly touched on last month’s swift special session victories, from his divisive voucher legislation to an immigration crackdown and disaster relief funding for parts of East Tennessee affected by Hurricane Helene.

Among the most notable lines of the night was Lee’s push for a plan for housing in the state. Recognizing continued population growth as a “point of pride,” he also characterized it as “a call to action.”

“Whether you’re born in Tennessee or choose to move to Tennessee, we want you to stay in Tennessee,” Lee said. “Our state needs a housing plan that makes this key part of the American Dream possible.”

While noting the state’s growth, Lee said he still believes conservation efforts are key to retaining Tennessee’s charm.

“How do we balance record growth with a plan to protect our natural resources?” Lee said. “You start by rejecting conventional wisdom that says you cannot do both. To grow Tennessee, we have to conserve Tennessee.”

Mainly, the governor laid out his new economic agenda, pushing the talking points of past years’ successes.

“Together, over the last six years, we have recruited more than $40 billion in capital investment that has resulted in 234,000 new jobs,” Lee said. “Tennessee is a top contributor to our nation’s economy because of our willingness to adapt and welcome emerging industries.”

He proposed sending the Tennessee Department of Transportation an additional $1 billion, and underlined support for innovation in all sectors and especially in energy.

“The Volunteer State is on track to be the epicenter of energy innovation, and it couldn’t happen at a more crucial time,” he said, criticizing what he described as the federal government’s neglect of energy policy. “As a result, we’re staring down the barrel of an energy crisis with an electrical grid that is on the fragile verge of being completely overwhelmed. … So Tennessee’s ambition to lead in nuclear innovation is much bigger than just competing with other states. This is about securing the future of America.”

Lee pledged $10 million to the state’s Nuclear Energy Fund and $50 million to the TVA’s Clinch River Nuclear Site — for which the TVA applied for an $800 million federal grant.

While critical of the Biden administration, Lee praised President Donald Trump and the

creation of the Department of Government Efficiency — a legally dubious office under the direction of billionaire Elon Musk that is now cutting government programs.

“Limited government is knowing how to do more with less,” Lee said. “More bureaucracy does not mean better service. Businesses already know this — government should do the same.”

Lee — whose background is in private business, having run his family’s home-services company prior to his election in 2018 — has long cited business as a prime example for how the state should function. He continued with the comparison in Monday’s address.

“Just like a business innovates to better serve their customer, or science innovates to save lives, or an athlete innovates to change the game, this is a time for us to innovate to create a brighter future for Tennesseans,” Lee said.

In a scathing “prebuttal” address released Friday, House Democratic Caucus Chair John Ray Clemmons (D-Nashville) said after 14 years of Republican legislative control, “families are less safe and less secure.”

“Instead of focusing on the basics and governing responsibly, Tennessee’s governor and Republican legislators have chosen a different path for our state,” Clemmons said. “They have abandoned true fiscal conservatism in favor of handouts to the wealthy and payouts for special interests. They’ve doubled our state budget, grown our state government bureaucracy, increased our reliance on federal funding, and shifted an unprecedented financial burden to local governments.”

Clemmons added that Democrats’ focus is on getting back to basics like eliminating the grocery tax and lowering health care and child care expenses. He also stressed new infrastructure and public school investments.

The 114th General Assembly’s regular legislative session is ongoing, with more than 1,400 pieces of legislation filed. Several bills have already been introduced on first and second reading, and committee meetings are set to heat up in the coming weeks. ▼

MARCH 18

ANDY GRAMMER

JUNE 14

KEVIN HART ON SALE FRIDAY AT 10 AM

OCTOBER 2

MARY CHAPIN CARPENTER BRANDY CLARK ON SALE FRIDAY AT 10 AM

OCTOBER 3

BILL MURRAY & HIS BLOOD BROTHERS ON SALE FRIDAY AT 10 AM

PHOTO: HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS

[2.15] THE BEACH BOYS

[2.17] ED SHEERAN

[2.18] DR. DRE

[2.19] WILSON PICKETT

[2.20] STAN GETZ & JOAO GILBERTO

[2.21] JAMIROQUAI

[2.22] ERIC CLAPTON

[2.24] JELLY ROLL

[2.25] LEON BRIDGES

[2.27]

Going to the Chapel

Nashville’s new White Velvet Chapel o ers intimate Vegas-style ceremonies

BY HANNAH HERNER

Entrepreneur Lexy Burke saw one thing missing from “Nash Vegas” — a wedding chapel.

Inspired by Las Vegas venues like Sure Thing Chapel and the famous Little White Wedding Chapel, Burke bought a modest home in Germantown and converted it to Nashville’s own White Velvet Chapel in March 2024. Since then, the chapel has hosted nearly 50 couples, including a few for a $25 New Year’s Eve ceremony.

Burke, also a content creator, paid for the venture with money from her other bridal-centric business, Ranch Hands Cowboylesque.

With at least 24 hours notice (the staff and officiant are on call), couples can enjoy a quick ceremony and a bubbly toast, and have their marriage license filed with up to three witnesses for a price starting at $333. That package is popular among those planning a larger wedding down the line, or who were married abroad and want to make it official in the States, Burke tells the Scene

The space, with its simple white-heart decor, can hold up to 20 seated guests and squeeze an additional 10 in standing room. The most popular package, Burke says, is the 40-minute, $777 “Speechless.” That pays for a six-minute ceremony with an officiant and 10 guests, marriage license filing, Champagne glasses (bring your own Champagne), a first dance, mini cake cutting (add on $150 for a local baker to provide the cake) and time on the property for photos. The largest package is the “Whole Lot in Love” — 60 minutes and 20 guests at $1,200. Couples can add amenities from the “à la carte menu,” including flowers, a charcuterie board and “behind the scenes” footage for social media. For $225, a vintage car (likely @thedollycarton) will be stationed in the front lawn for photos. Most couples leave the venue and go

What to read, watch and listen to on Valentine’s Day — plus field notes on dating and a look at Nashville’s White Velvet Wedding Chapel

Regardless of your relationship status, Valentine’s Day is a chance to get a bit mushy.

Those on the dating scene will feel vindicated by author Lane Scott Jones’ hilarious and smart observational essay in this week’s issue. Those in a more serious relationship could post our coverage of Nashville’s Vegas-inspired White Velvet Wedding Chapel on the fridge as a hint hint. Also in this week’s issue, we hear from a professional writer of love songs, round up the best romance and smut book recommendations from Nashville’s bookish types — because an imaginary love interest will never let you down — and have a love-themed local playlist from our music editor Stephen Trageser. (As a bonus, staffer Logan Butts rounded up some of his favorite new romantic comedies to stream in this week’s film section.) Don’t skip the Sweet Scene section, where readers have submitted love notes to their real-life sweethearts.

In the spirit of romance, I hope you page through this gorgeous piece of print media while wistfully sipping a warm beverage and taking breaks to stare longingly out the window.

—HANNAH HERNER,

LOVE

party on Broadway, or sit down for a nice dinner in Germantown. The city is the reception.

White Velvet also offers “Best Babes” ceremonies, in which a Dolly Parton impersonator leads participants in friendship vows.

A former wedding videographer, Burke knows the moments (and photos) that couples want.

“I know couples are a little nervous about, with eloping, they think, ‘We’re just going to go up there and say a couple words and then get kicked out,’” she says. “We offer different things so they can come in and experience the first dance, the cake-cutting moment — everything you think of when you think of a wedding.”

Some of White Velvet’s clients are country music lovers from abroad who are making a proper elopement to Music City. The chapel has also welcomed queer couples, people who met in Nashville and came back to tie the knot, locals and at least a few “ring by spring” participants. (That is, college couples looking to tie the knot before graduation.) They each meet with the on-staff officiant to personalize the vows, or they can bring their own officiants.

“Those younger couples who just moved to Nashville, brand-new jobs, brand-new house, new dog,” says Burke, “they’re getting hit with all of the life things, but want to get married.”

The nationwide average cost for a wedding in 2024 was $33,000 according to wedding planning website Zola. Even limiting expenses to a thousand-dollar day means huge savings for travel or a home, Burke notes.

“Don’t spend it all on one day,” she says. “Don’t do what I did.”

Burke also says the pendulum is swinging back toward a Gen-Z interest in eloping and away from the types of lavish weddings she and her friends and family threw in recent years.

“I think people are realizing that something more intimate doesn’t mean you’re not popular or cool or whatever,” she says. “To celebrate with the people you love in a more intimate setting is just so much better, because you can actually spend time with your family.”

Elopements and micro weddings will always be a thing, she says — to save money, or to keep a romantic secret. ▼

ISSUE GUEST EDITOR AND ASSOCIATE EDITOR OF OUR SISTER PUBLICATION THE NASHVILLE POST

LEXY BURKE

Field Notes From 31

First Dates

What I learned in my postdivorce dating experiment

BY LANE SCOTT JONES

It was my 31st first date, and I was running late.

We were meeting on New Year’s Day, my favorite holiday. Forget the sparkle and fizz and cold legs of New Year’s Eve. Give me the intoxicating possibility of Jan. 1.

I spotted that night’s date, Subject 31, standing by the bar in a dark jacket. I adjusted my labcoat-like cream sweater, mentally reviewed my goals for the evening and walked toward him.

I’d been studying the mechanics of flirting. In high school, I’d watched my best friend do it effortlessly: a hair flip, lingering eye contact, a casual knee touch. It came instinctually to her, but I felt like Jane Goodall observing a strange creature’s behavior in the wild. Telegraphing my desire in that way felt unthinkably vulnerable.

Then I’d gotten married at barely 22 and skipped a decade of education in the art of flirting and dating. But on New Year’s Day, nine months out of a seven-year marriage, I was determined to make up for lost time.

Dating post-divorce became a science — not an art — with hypotheses, tests and controls. I approached it with the clinical detachment of an anthropologist and kept detailed field notes. I was looking for data points, not love. Statistically, I’d ruled love out as a possibility.

To achieve an adequate sample size, I filled every spare night with a first date. Each new person was a research subject. Everything was a variable I could test — even my own personality. Especially that. I auditioned a new self each night.

The Cool Girl persona yielded a 100 percent second date success rate, but required unsustainable levels of interest in cryptocurrency and craft beer. Haunted Artist With a Dark Secret was a universal dud. My PoolPlaying Bisexual persona turned out not to be a persona at all, confirming another hypothesis I’d long suspected to be true.

My experiments had yielded a wealth of quantitative and qualitative data:

• Subject 8 had also been married before, and had multiple children whose existence he kept hidden well into the third date. (Subject reported his wife had gotten really into crystals — “like, thousands of dollars worth of crystals” — shortly before announcing her intentions to leave him.)

• Subject 12 told me she’d never met someone with whom she had as much intellectual chemistry, and then invited me into my first four-way dance-floor kiss. (Misnomer, logistically impossible.)

• Subject 25 had a British accent and loved blues music from the Deep South.

• Subject 30 kept saying he would make me dinner but kept asking me to meet up at bars instead. (I went, for scientific purposes.)

At the bar, Subject 31 seemed nervous. I always liked that moment of initial impact, when the night is all possibility and no reality quite yet. I

hugged him hello and buzzed about how nice it was to meet him. (Did I talk too much at the start of first dates? I noted this as a variable for future testing.)

He already had a drink, and I ordered the same — a negroni, even though I find them bitter. I suggested bar seating, one of the best tools in my dating arsenal: It allows for physical proximity without requiring constant eye contact. Perfectly positioned for a casual knee touch.

“We look like characters in a movie, me in all black and you in white,” Subject 31 said as we sat down. “Classic hero/villain.”

The more obvious comparison would have been bride and groom. I’d been experimenting with how soon to bring up the divorce with a new person. Subject 31 was in Control Group A, which got a first date disclosure. But that was more of a second-drink conversation.

“Very cinematic,” I agreed.

As we talked, I was surprised to find myself attracted to Subject 31, a rare occurrence in my data set. I activated flirting protocol. The timing was optimal to touch his knee — but he was too far away. When he went to the bathroom, I moved his chair closer to mine with a long metallic screech that drew every eye in the room. (Normally I wouldn’t interfere with data collection, but this was an outlier.) When Subject 31 returned, he didn’t seem to notice, but our legs brushed under the bar.

Our conversation turned to the topic of love, which I’d been studying like a Ph.D. student with a thesis deadline approaching. I told Subject 31 the definition of chemistry I’d read recently: when you can notice someone appreciating you.

“I hope you can notice me appreciating you,”

he said.

We talked for nearly four hours. (Twohundred percent longer than average firstdate duration.) As we were leaving, he made a list of all the books we’d recommended to one another on the back of the receipt. His handwriting was pleasingly sharp, with hard angles and bold downstrokes. I found myself thinking how lovely it would look in the margins of a borrowed book.

Subject 31 (smelling increasingly good) walked me (experiencing unprecedented lapses in clinical distance) to my car and gave me a farewell hug. (This despite the researcher’s nonverbal cues inviting escalation.)

Driving away, I realized a fundamental flaw with my experiment. I hadn’t accounted for some critical variables. My clinical detachment had given me a sense of control — but what had I been missing out on? Leg brushing. Handwriting. The unexpected glow of mutual appreciation. The decidedly unscientific butterflies in my stomach.

Revised hypothesis: Vulnerability and risk cannot be optimized out of the process. In fact, the unpredictable, surprising, messy, human nature of real connection might be the whole point.

(Note: Additional testing required. Currently seeking new research participants.)

Lane Scott Jones is a Pushcart Prizenominated writer and speaker from North Carolina, traveling full time since 2022 and documenting the journey in Second Rodeo, a newsletter about lifestyle design. ▼

Between the Sheets

Bookshop owners and book club organizers give us their romance — and yes, smut — book recommendations

BY TINA DOMINGUEZ

Dearest Gentle Reader,

Romance can come in all forms this Valentine’s Day, and that includes between the pages of a new heart-fluttering novel. With the season of love upon us, the Scene asked a few of Nashville’s favorite readers, from booksellers to book club organizers, what their go-to romance (and smut) picks are. No matter your preference — enemies to lovers, second chance, fake dating — there’s a selection here you’ll absolutely fall for.

PERSUASION BY JANE AUSTEN

While most folks are familiar with Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion is another Austen classic. This one follows the second-chance love story between Anne Elliot and Frederick Wentworth. The story begins with Elliot seeing Captain Wentworth eight years after breaking off their engagement, with many will-they-or-won’t-they moments up to the very end.

“There’s no love story more swoon-worthy (in my book, anyway) than this simply perfect tale of second chances,” says Joelle Herr, owner of The Bookshop. “The ardent profession-of-love letter toward the end makes me giddy every single time I read it — and I’ve read it many times.”

THE PROSPECTS BY KT HOFFMAN

In KT Hoffman’s 2024 novel The Prospects, Gene Ionescu is the first openly trans baseball player on the minor league Beaverton Beavers, and has his eye on the playoffs and the majors. Then Luis Estrada, Gene’s former college teammate and new rival, is traded to the Beavers.

Their tension may begin on the field, but only escalates when they realize they play better together.

“This book is big-hearted and exciting,” said Deezy Youngdahl, co-owner of Novelette Booksellers. “There’s great chemistry, great friendships, and an ear-piercing scene I need everyone to read and DM me about.”

THE SEVEN YEAR SLIP BY ASHLEY POSTON

Book publicist Clementine moves into the Upper West Side apartment left to her in her aunt’s will. What she didn’t realize after moving in is that she’d be meeting a handsome stranger — a stranger who is living seven years in the past. Not only does Clementine have to unravel the mystery of the apartment — she also finds herself falling for Iwan.

“When I first read it in the summer of 2024, I experienced every emotion physically possible,” says Emily Marshman, resident romance reader at Silent Book Club Nashville. “It stretched the limits of what I believed a romance novel could be, laced with magical realism and an unconventional love story. I read the entire book in one single night, and when it was over, I was more than a little devastated. It ends happily, don’t worry.”

YIN YANG LOVE SONG BY LAUREN KUNG JESSEN

Following a string of failed relationships, Chinese herbalist Chryssy Hua Williams runs a healing retreat center for broken hearts alongside her aunties. Fully convinced that the Hua family curse is real and that she will not find love, Chryssy agrees to a fake relationship with celebrity cellist Vin Chao to help her family business.

“Jessen’s writing blossoms in her latest book with hilarious banter, and crackling tension between her two leads, Chryssy and Vin, will delight,” says Katie Garaby, Between the Covers romance book club leader and curator of the Love, Parnassus romance subscription box. “YYLS is a romance book for all the readers out there who

miss the heyday of the ’90s rom-com and want to feel deliciously twitterpated again.”

BLEED FOR CUPID BY AIDEN PIERCE

Callum Reaver is an angel (yes, angel) and the CEO of Cupid Inc., a company dedicated to creating love-related products that has been facing controversy. Robin is his human secretary, and the mole who has been leaking information about the latest products to groups protesting the company.

“This novella has a darker take on love,” share Alexa Sierra, Maryssa Edwards, Tyler Billings and Lauren Chabira, the creators of the book club Nashville Smut Lovers. “Aiden Pierce has an intense and emotional way of writing, so if you’re looking for depth, heat and a quick read, this is it!”

BEG, BORROW, OR STEAL BY SARAH ADAMS

Emily Walker and Jack Bennett are colleagues and neighbors, and they cannot stand each other. In addition to working as second-grade teachers, they each write novels on the side — she writes romance, he writes mysteries — which only adds to the rivalry. But when Emily needs help getting a manuscript back from their school principal’s email, Jack (surprisingly) agrees.

“It’s a small-town enemies-to-lovers rom-com that was so beautiful and romantic,” says Tonya Pineda, owner of Slow Burn, a mobile romance bookshop. “I think it would be perfect for Valentine’s Day. Also, Sarah is a Nashville local!”

To pick up your next read, make sure to visit some of our local booksellers: Novelette and The Bookshop located in East Nashville, or Parnassus Books in Green Hills. Slow Burn (@slowburntn) will pop up at different locations between Clarksville and Nashville throughout the month. To find a new literary friend (or crush, maybe?) check out Silent Book Club (@silentbookclubnash) or Nashville Smut (@nashvillesmut) for in-person reading nights. ▼

The Power of Love

Check out a playlist featuring many different perspectives on love from Nashville musicians

BY STEPHEN TRAGESER

Love takes a dizzying array of forms, and it can mean so many things. It can be good for you or bad to you; maybe both at the same time. It’s a vital two-way thoroughfare between us and our partners, our children, our parents, our friends, our pets — and ourselves. It’s no wonder that this intricate, ever-evolving part of the human experience has been fertile ground for musicians possibly as long as we’ve been making music.

Nashville musicians are no exception. We’ve assembled a playlist of two dozen original tunes (plus one fun cover) that offer a heap of different takes on love, from Brittany Howard’s dance-y look at commitment “Prove It to You” to The Shindellas’ friendship jam “Last Night Was Good for My Soul” and Kacey Musgraves’ song of self-grounding “Deeper Well” and beyond. Visit nashvillescene.com to listen to our playlist in full, and see the lineup of songs below.

Brittany Howard, “Prove It to You”

Chris Housman, “Long Story Long”

Amanda Shires, “Leave It Alone”

Chuck Indigo, “LOVE ME STILL”

John Prine, “I Have Met My Love Today” Katie Pruitt, “The Waitress” Full Mood, “Beats Me”

Sierra Ferrell feat. Billy Strings, “Bells of Every Chapel”

Kacey Musgraves, “Deeper Well”

The Kentucky Gentlemen, “Love Language”

Robyn Hitchcock, “The Inner Life of Scorpio”

The Sleeveens, “Metallica Font”

The Shindellas, “Last Night Was Good for My Soul”

Jasmin Kaset, “Riding in the Car With the Dog”

Mystery Twins, “Love Is Strange”

Daisha McBride, “Tell Me What U Want” Allison Russell, “Persephone”

$avvy feat. Brian Brown, “From Me”

Caitlin Rose and Courtney Marie Andrews, “Getting It Right”

Lilly Hiatt, “Records”

Lou Turner, “What Might We Find There” Kyshona, “Always a Daughter”

Natalie Prass, “Violently”

Silver Jews, “Punks in the Beerlight” ▼

Cherry Nashville’sChaise:Cupid for Hire

The songwriter has created more than 200 bespoke love songs

BY BAILEY BRANTINGHAM

When Valentine’s season rolls around, Nashville singersongwriter Cherry Chaise locks in.

Rather than shooting arrows to make people fall in love, Chaise writes songs to help people stay in love, or fall even deeper. Every February, she relaunches her seasonal side hustle: Cupid for hire — or more accurately, Cupid for commission.

Chaise studies the stories and quirks of couples around the globe via Songfinch, a website that assigns professional songwriters to construct custom songs using clients’ memories.

Songfinch users have the option to select Chaise, who writes under the name Kat Elizabeth on the platform, to create their tune. Clients start by choosing their preferred song genre, tempo and “vibes.” Then, they send three must-have details about the song’s subject, along with any extra information that might help Chaise flesh out the story. Chaise and her clients typically don’t speak further after the initial request, so three to five days later, the buyer receives a complete surprise.

“I’ve cried and bawled in my room over songs that I’ve written for other people, just because the story turned out so beautifully and I was able to find the perfect chords to go with it,” Chaise says. “And I’ve just hoped that was something that could also bring such joy to their lives.”

Chaise has been working to find an artistic balance between her own songs and those she writes for others. In both cases, her songwriting sessions typically begin in the car after an eighthour workday.

Until she was 27, Chaise made music under her given name, Kat Elizabeth Hetrick. After releasing two EPs, she diverged from the indie-folk path she’d been traveling, veering in the direction of indie pop. In an effort to carve out a space for her new style, she created a pop-star persona for herself.

In May 2024, Cherry Chaise was born.

When Chaise takes the spotlight, she keeps Hetrick locked away in her metaphorical “basement.”

“I decided going forward, I wanted to have a separation of self, and have a stronger foot forward,” Chaise says. “And Cherry Chaise became this persona of somebody who is not afraid to make art in a world that’s kind of fucked-up.”

She adds: “I’ve always kind of said, ‘I don’t write the songs — I am a song. And I’m going to spend my life trying to write the song that I always wanted to be.’”

Chaise says she has no filter when it comes to

song ideas, and often writes about any situation she might find herself in — like a quippy ballad about seeking solace in the aisles of a Target, or a synth banger about failing the physical fitness test in middle school.

“It’s very much a spiritual experience for me,” Chaise says. “If a song is going to be written, it makes itself known that it’s going to be written.”

With nearly 200 commissions under her belt, Chaise experiences an extra dose of dopamine when she gets to tell a queer story through song, often connecting heavily with LGBTQ clients as a

member of the community herself.

So far, Chaise has maintained one overarching goal in her commission career: to create a full-length album about someone’s life — and she actively encourages those interested to apply by reaching out to her on Instagram (@ cherrychaisemusic).

“I would love to find a client who is interested in doing an album about their life, with each song a different part of their life,” Chaise says. “That is truly my dream client — that’s my dream project. If there’s anyone out there in the

world who wants to do that, I really hope they come to me.”

Chaise debuted the first song under her new musical persona, “Good Sport,” on Feb. 7. The synth-pop track is an ode to ’80s Jazzercise and people who, like Chaise, had athletic-induced asthma in middle school.

Even after Feb. 14 comes and goes, Chaise remains booked and busy on the commission front. After all, there’s always birthdays, anniversaries and other assorted holidays for her to soundtrack. ▼

REAGY FITE — My love, You are my bestie boo and home away from home. Cheers to an eternity attached to your hip! -Mandy and Tater Tot THE PLUS CRUSH — Sending love to my favorite local shop, THE PLUS CLOSET!! Thankful for creating an affordable size inclusive sustainable shopping experience for all!!”

CLOSET CUPIDS Crushing hard on the cuties from THE PLUS CLOSET. The best place to shop affordable size styles for any occasion!!

AUGUST & COLTON — My sun and my moon! I love you both so much. Life has never been better than with our little trio. Cheers to the three musketeers! Love, Alisha JACK —  I love you endlessly. Thank you for showing me unconditional love. Now our love is published forever!!! Love, Savannah

HAPPY 10 YEARS, EZ! —  To my Valentine, happy 10th anniversary! I adore you! So glad to be on this adventure with you. Can’t wait for this next one! xo Jing MY LOVE JASON —  You’ve opened up my world beyond my imagination. I love you and the beautiful life we have together. Love Always, Janna MITCH  — I love you so much! XOXO, Natalie TO MY THEO  — To be loved by you is to be blessed in every way. I love you nd happy Valentines Day! Also, for you, absolutely (: NK  — You’re the toast to my avocado, the butter to my peanut, the oxygen in my air. How lucky am I? Love, MJ MONSUHMASH — Happy Valentine’s Day to the number one monster of my heart. I’m thankful every day for the weird and wonderful live we’ve built together. Love you! LOCKSY  — Here’s to 10 years of ups and downs. Thanks for still being by my side. Love, Bug COURTNEY —  I am obsessed with you thanks for being my favorite. Love you can’t wait to travel around 2025 with you. -Jordan M FINN, MY LOVE —  Although this is cheesy, it’s so easy peazy. Last year you were my BF this year you’re my fiancé. MF, Happy V day. Here is to forevaaa. Love, Jenni

GIRF  — Happy Girfentine’s Day! I love you. Snarf, Girf BECKEM+EDEN 4EVER  — Being your boywife is an absolute dream, I love you more each minute. Happy Valentine’s Day, my sure thing, my jackpot.

NASHVILLE STRANGERS —  Roses are red, tables are round, strangers like you make the best company we’ve found. We love you! - Folx Table

KIAH ALBRITTON  — Trailblazers ink it, that’s how we roll. With you by my side, the world feels whole. A tattoo, a story, a bond so true. Kiah, I’m lucky to have you!

CRICKET —  mini mix from jules luv yaself by lionmilk love is everywhere by magdalena bay without ur love by the orbit sound lovely day by bill withers

CONGRATS TO CHEG — Congratulations on the engagement! So excited for you both. Hopefully planning isn’t too bingus bongus! - IT&CD

ANA  — I’m grateful to watch you bloom in real time. To the beautiful human that’s made my days easier with your laughs, and warmth, Happy Valentine’s! Elles

MELISSA, OR MOM —  To Mom, who has had multiple medical procedures over the last couple of months and gets all the gold stars for bravery and resilience! Love, Rachael

MOMS VOLUNTEERS  — Sending love to Moms Demand Action volunteers in Middle TN! Thank you for everything you do to help make our communities safer <3 Kristen MY LOVES, LENA & MIA —  Cheers to our first married Valentine’s Day! I love you, and our best pal, Mia. <3

LA LA MY LA —  wishing you a lovely valentines day. Keep being the cutest cutie in town. I am truly very lucky to know and love you. <3 - Love Sim

COURTNEY, MY MOON — Every once in a while the Universe plucks two souls out of the aether & says, “Ya These 2. Perfect. Cut. Print. Moving on.” Dagny, your Sun 88888888

BRIDGET AND KEIRA — Thanks for being amazing baristas!!! East Nashville Flower Cafe wouldn’t be the same without you guys! Bananas are here!

ENFC — The good folks at East Nashville Flower Cafe never fail to brighten my day!

OLIVER & WILLEM  — To our window-watching, ice cube-loving, pipe cleaner-chasing brothers. You two are the cat’s meow. We love you! L & C

DREW, CLOVER, BOOGIE — Drew, I love jamming out with you while building blanket forts in our living room. You and our pups, Clover & Boogie, bring me so much joy & laughter.

MICHAEL CLOUSE, III — You are the love of my life, still after almost 35 years. Love you always, TBell

BRYCE <3  — Happy Valentine’s Day to the love of my life! You have brought so much love and light to my life, I can’t wait to spend forever with you. - Gianna xox TO MY FAVORITE THING  — Thank you for making me feel like I’m not out of control, for being the best cat dad, and for loving me. Fate is in our favor!

BECKY AND BOO BOO  — Happy Valentine’s Day to the best girls ever. I love you so very much! Mama CALEB W. —  You light up my life! Thanks for being mine. -Leslie

JACK —  Thank you for being my Valentine. You’re the kindest man I know. I’ll love you forever! Love, Miranda MY PLAGUE VAMPIRE BF  — my guardian angel, my cosmic spirit, come to me. my window is open. I await thee with open arms; my love, my life, my appetite <3

-Katherine & Carley

NATE F  — I love you Nate! xoxo <3, Alexis

HEY THERE SK <3  — This epic story of ours continues to span years & continents. Just so we are clear, I like you. Thank you for being my kind of weird. Love, Nicole JUSTIN S —  I love you forever and ever. Thank you for always caring for me (and feeding me your delicious food). You and boop are my world -Teresa

ANDREA KAUFMAN  — 10 years may as well have been a lifetime, because I can’t imagine a life without you in it. I love you, and happy anniversary. -Hunter Roberts

JAKE MUELLER  — I love you babe today, tomorrow and forever. 20 Valentine’s dates down & a lifetime to go. Xoxo Gaby

A SWEET HBS DADDY —  Go get em tiger! We crushin on you - Dumpy and Litty

T  — Happy Valentine’s Day! <3 I’m so excited to spend it doing whatever super romantic thing you totally planned‚ right? All jokes I love u, K

MY HUBBY TIM  — Love you always, lets take on the world together Xoxo Mack

ERNIE  — So glad Nashville feels like home to you. I love you sweetie! Anne

BIRDIE GIRL <3  — happy valentine’s day my sweet birdie girl. i am so proud of you and everything you do. you are going to do amazing things, i love you! THESE GOOFS  — Ms H ... gorgeous girly!! You have been a day one since the first day I met u & so grateful we did (rip Clyde’s) Have the best Valentines! I luvvv u <3 CHANTEL UTLEY  — I love you. -Anonymous HILL AND ELLIE!  — I love your love. Y’all make me so happy and I’m happy to have you all in my life. Love Josh AMORY  — look babe! look at us actually reading the Nashville Scene instead of just doing the crosswords lol ilysm xoxo beeboo

LINDA — You are the love of my life! I love you,Brian TO MY LOVE, ERIC  — You are like no other. I don’t dare do this life with anyone else, this is our year. My treasure, my heart, my one and only<3 Tabs TO: MAX  — Happy Valentine’s Day, My Love! I adore you so much and I’m so lucky to be yours; the best things in life are definitely better with you. Love, Emily ELLIE D  — Thank you for 28 years together. We have made it through the good times and bad. My one true love. MBT forever. See you at Shady Pines! Love, CB CAMERON —  Thank you for showing me unconditional love. You are a gift to everyone lucky enough to know you, but especially to me. I love and adore you. Rachel NAYNAY —  Love you my zaddy and bff! Thanks for being the best dad and partner. Love, Liz and Reid GART — “There won’t be nothin’ but big old hearts dancin’ in our eyes” -Zo

ANGIE ALDREDGE — You’ve been my valentine for 8 years now and I couldn’t possibly be any happier just thinking of the fact! Happy valentine’s day, my love! -Jack ;-)

WILBUR  — Roses are red, papers are thin... when are we going to go out again? From Darby LESLIE — It started with a euchre game and has continued with somewhere together, I’ve got a quarter, heads Tennessee, tails California - Love, Eric TO MY BO  — Almost 50 years! To 50 more! Your Zo

AMANDA & TILDEN — Roses are red, Coda barks loud, To be your dad/husband, Makes me so proud! I love you -t

JIM KIRK — Happy V-Day! Love, MH CHERLEE C  —  When I met your beautiful heart and soul, I knew I would never be the same. I now know what true love is all about. I love you always! Lee TO MY BEST FRIEND NICK —  you’re the best husband a girl could ever ask for and the best friend a person could ever have. You have all my love forever. -Ashton QUESO GOT MY HEART! —   To the Pie Town Tacos team. Thank you for being there for me & sharing your delicious tacos & queso with Nashville. -Maribel TO: JARED —  Love you SO much babe!!! From: Del SUBLIMINAL COFFEE  —  Your coffee makes the world go round. From: all of East Nashville & beyond

NOSHING_IN_NASHVILLE  —  To S, Happy Valentine’s Day! There’s no one else I’d rather nosh through Nashville with. Can’t wait to marry you soon! Xo, K YOU ARE MY CURE —   Poussey & Brook, Ted & Tracy, Alaric & Jo. We may not be the main character couple, but our love is kind, genuine, safe & we’re so hot. ily 4 ever DADDY RAE  —  Amanda Rae, you’ve lit up my life since last October. I can’t imagine life without you. You’re my forever Valentine and my end game. <3 Jayna

MY ANGEL, SWEETBOY —   Happy Valentine’s Day, my perfect orange boy! I think about you every day. I know that now, you get to be with me always. I love you forever. - Emma

BRIAN —   The best years of my life have been spent with you! And how does my love for you keep growing deeper after all of these years? Always & forever, Beth MOON OF MY LIFE  —  You’re my fav off-balance koala princess. Thank you for loving our little family. With love-TRex, King Henry, Grumpy Old Man, Chunks, Stinky Poo-Poo

TO OUR HOPEKIDS —   Sending each of you a big hug and lots of love this Valentine’s Day! You are strong, brave and loved. Keep being amazing! Love, HopeKids hopekids.org

ABIGAIL  —  Like magnets & dancing a mile in my living room, Time lapse; flowers bloom, Too lucky a life, Clementines in bed, Even the dust on our ceiling fan. <3 LJ SOUTHSIDE HOLLY T.  — Our 1st Valentines Day was in 1984, but our Love grows every day. I Love doing Nashville with you (Flea Markets, NSC, Gabby’s, Ryman, Ascend, CMHofF)!

SANDRA SANDRA —  you are the nicest and most sincere person I have ever met. You amaze me every day with your generosity and quick wit. Love, Eric PAJI —   We have been together 8.5 years. That’s 3,105 days or 74,511 hours or 268,239,600 seconds or 34,440,000 breaths (average)and shed 76pounds of skin.

MY CHRISTOPHER —   With all the laughs, love and way to many kids later everyday feels like valentines with you. My whole heart.18 years doesn’t feel long enough.

HAT13  —  Cardinals are Red, Your Eyes are Blue, French Bulldogs are Sweet, And I Still Love You (36 wonderful years of marriage!) I’m Always Yours - Jeff T.

SPENCER  —  Happy Valentine’s Day, my love! Here’s to our first and only Valentine’s as fiancés. :) I cannot wait to marry you. From: Lorena

CHRIS K —  Love and valentines to my best friend and music inspiration for 43 years. Plus you play a mean guitar. - Your ol’ lady

ADALINE D  —  Happy Valentine’s Day! Love, Mom, Dad, & Kevin

MY SUN AND STARS  —  To my coffee loving T-Rex, you are the highest koalaty husband (first and second). The world does not exist for me beyond you. Love, your Violence

DEAR KAILEY  —  My love, I want everyone reading to know that you are my person and I love you with all my heart <3 Happy 3rd Valentines Day together Bebe! Love, Carson

TJ —  What if it all works out? HVD. Thanks for being you. -JW

MATSUI  —  You’re my favorite person on the planet, and you make me a better man. Here’s to more tomorrows than yesterdays. I love you. -Paji

ME AND JOSHUA  —  Why  you’re just what I’ve been looking for; Joshua, Joshua; You ain’t gonna be lonesome anymore; Yodel-a-he-ho la-he-he-he-he-he; Pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa

TO R.O.S.E  —  To the best gals in the biz, I couldn’t survive working at this crazy place without you! Thanks for keeping me sane. Love, O.

MY HUNNIE —   I love you, ok? -your hunnie TO THE EVENT QUEENS  —  You know who you are. Keep being your bad-ass selves and just know you’re really f*cking good at your job! *High Five* - Love, O.

MY POP POP —  thank you for always having the warmest lap to cuddle on. you’re my valentine furever and ever. wuv, brickhouse

MY DEAR BUDDY DISH  —  URAQT Your forever Valentine, Plum Dumplin

HANNAH H  —  On this adventure we call “life”, will you be my companion(read: valentine)? LYVM! Same team, babe! From, Daveed

SKIM LATTE  —  It’ll always be you. XO, Duh.

JASSON  —   Even if it was the 999th of July. Even if it was no place particular in January, I would go on choosing you , Over and over again, Because I like you. -D

KYLE AND ARI —   Roses are red.. Lego’s are toys.. Happy Valentine’s Day... to my sweetie boys. Love you so so much! -Heather

DEAR JONNY —  Roses are red‚ Sometimes they are pink‚ I love you buddy, but you sure do stink.

BRITTNEY HEAD  —  Roses are red, Violets are blue, You break all my glasses, But I still love you!

PAJI —   Roses are red... Darth Vader is mean... Love to my best homie, Editor- in-Chief of the Nashville Scene

Love, Heather

IAN  —  How come you’re so sweet? How’d you get to be so kind and generous and talented? How on earth did you get all that lint in your belly button? -Your bb

ELIJAH  —  To our little love bug, Happy Valentine’s Day. Love, Mommy & Daddy

DAVID HUGHES —   You turned the page from ”The Dating Issue” to “The Love Issue.” You’re just what I always wanted. Love, Hannah LEE & THEA —  You’re my favorite people. I love love love you. -E/Mom TO NICK — My love for you knows no bounds. You are my person, my husband, my best friend and the love of my life. Thank you for everything you do. Love Cat ALEX  —  Happy Valentine’s Day. Grateful for how loved you make me feel each and every day. I love you, Mr. IMDB! Yours, Linda Lou

KATERINE SANTANA  —  I’m so happy to be able to share my life next to you, so grateful for every moment we spend together, love you with all my heart. JP EXIE FERGUSON —  Exie, I love you every single second! I’m so proud of you and your amazing art! You are my tiny tiger forever.

O MY FIANCÉ, FLO —   Happy Valentine’s Day! I’m forever grateful to call you mine, and I look forward to one day calling you my wife! Love always, Dev OUR SWEET ANNA — long If you were a vegetable, you’d be a cute-cumber! We love you! Love, dearest darlingest Momsie and Popsicle

MY BFF SHANA — Thank you for always being there for me- with a smile, hug and tequila! It’s so nice to know you have someone who has your back. Love you, Teresa MONSUHH — Luv u Monsuhh mash

PATTY — I have the most fun with you. Happy lovers day to the Scene’s loyalest reader!

for voting us Best Plumber in Nashville!

CARSON — I love you so much! I’m excited and grateful for our 3rd valentine’s day together. You are the best! <3 (615) 255-2527 · mortonplumbing.net

Summer Camp Guide Summer Camp Guide

2 0 23 2 0 25

Day Camps

A New Leaf Summer Camp

7520 Charlotte Pike Nashville, TN 37209 560-1533 • anewleafnashville.org/ summer-camp

Pip & Pickles Farm 4341 Pecan Valley Road Nashville, TN, 37218

Adventure Camp

Various Locations

Nashville, TN

833-244-3288 • leadershipacademytn. org/camps-list/adventure-camp/

Adventure Science Center

800 Fort Negley Blvd. Nashville, TN 37203 862-5160 • adventuresci.org/eventsprograms/camps/2025-summercamps-preview/

Act Too Players

Boiler Room Theatre

1113 Murfreesboro Road, Ste 119 Franklin, TN 37064

294-0667 • acttooplayers.com/ summer-camps

Ann Carroll School of Dance

93 Seaboard Lane Suite 201a Franklin, TN 37067

790-6468 • anncarrollschoolofdance. com/online-registration/

Annie Moses Summer Music Festival - The Factory at Franklin 1110 Harpeth Industrial Ct, Franklin, TN 37064 • (615) 905-6251 anniemosessummermusicfestival.com/

Art Camps with Little Art House 2106B Acklen Ave. Nashville, TN 37215 933-9644 • littlearthousestudios.com/ your-experience/ - kids-camps

Arts Center of Cannon County— Summer Youth Conservatory 1424 John Bragg Highway Woodbury, TN 37190

563-2787 • artscenterofcc.com/ summeryouthconservatory

Battleground Academy Summer Camps

336 Ernest Rice Lane Franklin, TN 37069 567-8327 • battlegroundacademy.org/ student-life/summer-camps

Belle Meade Historic Site Camps 110 Leake Avenue Nashville, TN 37205 356-0501 ext. 148 • visitbellemeade. com/family-programs/camps/

Belmont’s Summer Studios 1919 Belmont Blvd. Nashville, TN 37212 460-8625 • belmont.edu/watkins/ community-education/studio-series.html

Black Dragon Martial Arts

242 Warrior Drive Murfreesboro, TN 37128 890-7879 • blackdragonma.com/ program/summer-camp/

Bloomsbury Farm School

9398 Del Thomas Road Smyrna, TN 37167 bloomsburyfarmschool.com/ summer2024

BOOST Gymnastics

11 Vaughns Gap Road Nashville, TN 37205 352-8533 boostgymnastics.com/camps

Boys & Girls Club

Summer Programs 1704 Charlotte Ave., Ste. 200 Nashville, TN 37203 983-6836 • bgcmt.org/

Brentwood Academy

219 Granny White Pike Brentwood, TN 37027 373-0611 • battlegroundacademy.org/ student-life/summer-camps

Bridges for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing 935 Edgehill Ave Nashville, TN 37203 248-8828 • bridgesfordeafandhh.org/

Camp Belle Meade 121 Davidson Rd. Nashville, TN 37205 356-5974 • bellemeadeumc.org/ campbellemeade

Camp Davis at Gordon Jewish Community Center 801 Percy Warner Blvd. Nashville, TN 37205 356-7170 campdavisnashville.com

Camp Invention (800) 968-4332 invent.org/programs/camp-invention Camp Smiley Christian Camp 528 Vance Lane Lebanon, TN 37087 444-4254• campsmiley.com/

Camp St. Cecilia 4210 Harding Pike Nashville, TN 37205 293-1625 • stcecilia.edu/camp-st-cecilia

Camp Twigs at Sanders Ferry 513 Sanders Ferry Rd, Hendersonville, TN 37075 833-244-3288 • leadershipacademytn. org/camps-list/camp-twigs/sandersferry-hendersonville/

Camp Twigs Rau-Wood 8687 Old Harding Pike Nashville, TN 37221 833-244-3288 • leadershipacademytn. org/camps-list/camp-twigs/rau-wood/

Centennial Youth Ballet Summer Intensive Centennial Performing Arts Studios 211 27th Ave N Nashville, TN 37203 880-8439 • friendsofmetrodance.org/ events-946139.html

Center for STEM Education for Girls Harpeth Hall School 3801 Hobbs Rd Nashville, TN 37215 297-9543 • stem.harpethhall.org/ summer-institute

Cheekwood 1200 Forrest Park Drive Nashville, TN 37205 353-2151 • cheekwood.org/learn/ childrens-programs/summer-camp/

Circle Players Summer Musical Theatre Day Camp

Circle Players Rehearsal Space 832 Madison Square Madison, TN 37115 (back of Madison Square Shopping Center) 332-7529 • circleplayers.net/

Code Ninjas-Franklin 1113 Murfreesboro Rd Franklin, TN 37064 640-2633 • codeninjas.com/tnfranklin/camps

Concordia Arts Academy 2095 Branford Place #100 Thompson’s Station, TN 37179 877-8309 concordiaartsacademy.com/summer/

Country Music Hall of Fame

Songwriting Camp

222 Rep. John Lewis Way S Nashville, TN 37203 camp@countrymusichallo ame.org countrymusichallo ame.org/learn/ songwriting-camp

Creekside Riding Academy & Stables Summer Day Camp 2359 Lewisburg Pike Franklin, TN 37064 595-7547 • creeksideridingstables. com/2025-camp

Cub Scout Day Camps 3414 Hillsboro Pike P.O. Box 150409 Nashville, TN 37215 383-9724 • mtcscouting.org/ cubscoutsummercamp

Currey Ingram Academy Summer Programs

6544 Murray Lane Brentwood, TN 37027 camps@curreyingram.org curreyingram.org/community/ summer-programs

Dance in Bloom 8133 Sawyer Brown Road Suite 601 Nashville, TN 37221 662-4819 • danceinbloom.com/ summer

Discovery Center at Murfree Spring

502 S.E. Broad St. Murfreesboro, TN 37130 890-2300 • explorethedc.org/camps

Elevate Dance Studio

3525 Kedron Rd Ste #7 Spring Hill, TN 37174 931-255-7314 elevatedancetn.com/summer

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Animal Adventures (ages 3-5)

Magical Creatures (ages 4-6)

Once Upon a Time (ages 7-9)

Broadway Stars (ages 6-9)

Cartune (ages 4-6)

Dance & Music Mashup (ages 7-9)

Ensworth Summer Camp

High School: 7401 Highway 100 Nashville, TN 37221 301-5400 • ensworth.com/ programs/summer-o erings

Elementary and Middle Schools: 211 Ensworth Ave. Nashville, TN 37205 • 383-0661

Firstlight Art Academy 1710 General George Patton Dr., Ste. 108 Brentwood, TN 3702 • 678-6745 firstlightaa.org/blog/summer-24/

The Forge, Nashville 217 Willow Street Nashville, TN 37210 hello@theforgenashville.org theforgenashville.org/

Franklin Road Academy Summer Camps 4700 Franklin Road Nashville, TN 37220 833-8845 • franklinroadacademy.com/ summer-camp/summer-camps-info

Gaby’s Gymnastics Summer Camps 1186 Antioch Pike Nashville, TN 37211 331-8111 • gabysgym.net/ summercamp/

Harding Academy Summer Programs 170 Windsor Drive Nashville, TN 37205 356-0441 • hardingacademy.org/ community/summer-programs

Harpeth Hall Summer Programs 3801 Hobbs Road Nashville, TN 37215 301-9286• harpethhall.org/ community/summer-camps

Hermitage Dance Academy 3441 Lebanon Pike, Suite 130 Hermitage, TN 37076 231-7100 • hermitagedance.com/

Historic Travellers Rest Summer Camp 636 Farrell Pkwy Nashville TN 37220 832-8197 • historictravellersrest.org/ summer-camp/

HIYC Sail Camp

Harbor Island Yacht Club at Harbor Drive & Saundersville Road Old Hickory TN 37138

859-433-9623 • hiyc.org/summer-sailcamp

Horton Haven Christian Camp 3711 Reed Harris Road Lewisburg, TN 37091 931-364-7656 • hortonhaven.org

Hyden Beach Academy 5191 Joe Peay Rd. Spring Hill, TN 37174

987-0792 • hydenbeach.com/clinicscamps/

Ivybrook Hendersonville 1006 Glenbrook Way, Suite 140 Hendersonville, TN 37075

682-9068 • ivybrookacademy.com/ our-programs/preschool-summercamp/

Leadership Academy PO Box 59074 Nashville, TN 37205

856-4772 • leadershipacademyllc.com/

Let it Shine Gymnastics

1892 General George Patton Drive Franklin, TN 37067 369-3547 • lisgym.com/camp

Lifetime Fitness Family Camps

5020 Carothers Pkwy Franklin, TN 37067

685-7000 • lifetime.life/locations/tn/ franklin/kids-and-family/camps.html

Lipscomb Academy Summer Experience 4517 Granny White Pike Nashville, TN 37204 lasummerexperience@ lipscombacademy.org • lipscombacademy.org/mustang-life/ summer-experience

LPG Sports Academy 109-2 Rand Place Franklin, TN 37064

Ivybrook Academy Franklin 1268 Lewisburg Pike Franklin, TN 37064

667-8810 • ivybrookacademy.com/ franklin/our-programs/preschoolsummer-camp/

891-7028 • lpgsportsnashville.com/ camps-clinics

Locations in Franklin, Brentwood and Spring Hill

Magnitude Gymnastics

3351 Stoners Bend Drive Hermitage, TN 37076 883-5166 • magnitudegymnastics. com/summer-camps

McNeilly Center for Children 100 Meridian St. Nashville, TN 37207 255-2549 • mcneillycenter.org/

Montgomery Bell AcademySummer Camp Programs 4001 Harding Road Nashville, TN 37205 298-5541 • montgomerybell.edu/ camps/camps--special-programs/ summer-programs

Mountain Bike Camp Cedar Hill Park Madison, TN 37115 Cane Ridge Park Nashville TN 37013 833 244-3288 • leadershipacademyllc. com/camps-list/mountain-bike-camp/

Mpact Martial Arts Summer Camps 121 Seaboard Lane, Suite 1 Franklin, TN 37067 377-3444 • mpactsports.com/camp

Mr. Bond Science Guy 1011 Gillock St. Suite 160136 Nashville, TN 37216 573-2702 • mrbondscienceguy.com/ science-camps

Mundito Spanish Camps 3710 Franklin Pk Nashville, TN 37204 info@munditospanish.com munditospanish.com/camp.php

Musical Bridges Musical Therapy Inclusive Camps 5120 Virginia Way #B11 Brentwood, TN 37027 888-687-2734 • musicalbridges.com/ camp

Nashville Children’s Theatre Summer Camp 25 Middleton St. Nashville, TN 37210 252-4675 • nashvillechildrenstheatre. org/drama-school/

Nashville Dance Center 4004 Hillsboro Pike Nashville, TN 37215 385-7997 • nashvilledancecenter.com/ class-registration

Nashville Gymnastics Training Center Camps 104 Centennial Circle Nashville, TN 37209 298-2264 • nashvillegtc.com/summercamp.html

Nashville Shakespeare Festival Apprentice Company 161 Rains Ave. Nashvill,e TN 37203 255-2273 ext. 2 • nashvilleshakes.org/ summer-camps-2025

Nashville Zoo Summer Camp 3777 Nolensville Pike Nashville, TN 37211 833-1534 • nashvillezoo.org/camp

Owl’s Hill Nature Sanctuary Summer Camp 545 Beech Creek Road South Brentwood, TN 37027 370-4672 • owlshill.org/camps

Perkins Music Studio Summer Camp 423 River Downs Blvd Murfreesboro, TN 37128 801-244-7273 • sites.google.com/ view/perkinsmusicstudio/soundbeginnings-ages-0-4/summer-musiccamps?authuser=0

RobotiX Institute 1722 General George Patton Dr Suite 500A Brentwood, TN 37027 721-2650 • rxiedu.com/camps/

ROOTS Academy Music & Dance Summer Day Camps 320 Southgate Court, Brentwood, TN 37027 804-1177 • rootsacademy.com/camps/

School of Nashville Ballet

3630 Redmon St. Nashville, TN 37209 297-2966 ext. 203 • nashvilleballet. com/summer-programs

Soundwaves at Gaylord Opryland

2800 Opryland Drive Nashville, TN 37214

889-1000 • soundwavesgo.com

St. Bernard Academy Summer Camp 2304 Bernard Avenue Nashville, TN 37212 385-0440 • stbernardacademy.org/ academics/summer-program

St. Paul Christian Academy 5033 Hillsboro Pike Nashville, TN 37215 269-4751 • stpaulchristianacademy. org/student-life/summer

Steve & Kate’s Camp

Linden Waldorf School 3201 Hillsboro Pike Nashville, TN 37215

652-1137 • steveandkatescamp.com/ nashville/

Summit Sports Center

2015 B Johnson Industrial Blvd Nolensville, TN 37135 776-2550 • summitsportscenter.com/ summer-camp

Sylvan Learning CenterEDGE Camp ST 810 Medical Center Pkwy Ste C Murfreesboro, TN 37129 900-2509 • locations.sylvanlearning. com/us/murfreesboro-tn

Murfreesboro Parks Summer Camps 697 Veterans Parkway Murfreesboro, TN 37128 890-5333 • murfreesborotn.gov/1550/ Summer-Camps

Smyrna SOAC Summer Programs

315 South Lowry St Smyrna, TN 37167 459-9710 • townofsmyrna.org/camps/ summer_camps.php

Teen Leadership Adventure Leadership Academy LLC PO Box 59074 Nashville, TN 37205 856-4772 • leadershipacademyllc.com/campslist/teen-leaders/

Tennessee Martial Arts Academy 8010 Safari Way Smyrna, TN 37167 220-4211 • tnmaa.com/read-me

Thrust Math & Science Summer Camp at FISK Corner of 17th Ave N and Jackson St, Nashville, TN 37208 329-8605 • fisk.edu/campus-life/getinvolved/summer-programs/

TPGA Junior Golf Academy 400 Franklin Road Franklin, TN 37069 465-6322 • tngolf.org/learning-center/ tpga-jr-academy/2022-academy-daycamp-schedule-5729.html

Traumatic Brain Injury Program w/Easter Seals Nashville 500 Wilson Pike Circle, Suite 228 Brentwood, TN 37027 292-6640 • easterseals.com/ tennessee/our-programs/campingrecreation/

University School of Nashville Summer Programs 2000 Edgehill Ave. Nashville, TN 37212 424-8823 • usn.org/news-andschool-life/summer-camps

VOTED #1 BY PARENTS FOR 12 YEARS.

Deer Run is a premier adventure recreation summer camp with exciting outdoor activities for kids and teens.

3845 Perkins Rd | Thompson’s Station, TN 37179 615.794.2918 | DeerRun.camp/camps

Williamson County Soccer Association — Indoor Soccer League 3157 Boyd Mill Avenue Franklin, TN 37064 791-0590 • williamsoncountysoccer. com/Default.aspx?tabid=319386

Willow Springs Day Camp 508 Franklin Rd Franklin, TN 37069 931-797-3660 willowspringsdaycamp.com/

YEAH - Ready2Rock and Summer Jam

Templeton Academy 631 2nd Ave S Nashville, TN 37210 917-922-2894 yeahrocks.org/programs

YMCA Camp Ocoee 111 YMCA Drive Ocoee, TN 37361 423-338-5588 ymcacampocoee.org/

YMCA Camp Piomingo 1950 Otter Creek Park Road Brandenburg, KY 40108 502-942-2616 • ymcalouisville.org/ programs/camps/camp-piomingo

YMCA Camp Widjiwagan 3088 Smith Springs Road Antioch, TN 37013 360-CAMP (360-2267) campwidji.org/

YMCA Day Camp, Sports Camps and Camp Little

Located at 10 YMCA membership centers in Middle Tennessee 1000 Church Street, Nashville, TN 37203 256-4753

ymcamidtn.org/programs/childrenand-teens/day-camp

YMCA Sports Camp (Ages 6-12) 1000 Church St. Nashville, TN 37203 259-9622

ymcamidtn.org/programs/youthsports

YMCA Summer Adventure

Located at select schools in Davidson, Rutherford and Sumner Counties 259-3418 ymcafunco.org/summer-adventure

YMCA Camp Thunderbird 1 Thunderbird Lane Lake Wylie, SC 29710-8811 704-716-4100 ymcacharlotte.org/camps/campthunderbird

Young Performers Summer “Acting” Camp 3201 Dickerson Pike #111 Nashville, TN 37207 831-0039 moorecasting.com/ workshops/

Barefoot Republic Camp O ce Address: 1226 Lakeview Dr. Suite C Franklin, TN 37067 599-9683 barefootrepublic.org

Camp Address: 8824 Brownsford Rd Fountain Run, KY 42133

Barfield School of Dance

2298 Barfield Roadfi Murfreesboro, TN 37128 896-3118 • barfieldschoolofdance. com/classes.html

Baylor Summer Program 171 Baylor School Road Chattanooga, TN 37405 423-267-8505 • baylorschool.org/ camps-clubs-clinics

Boxwell Reservation Scout Camp 1260 Creighton Lane Lebanon, TN 37087 383-9724 ext. 8234 mtcbsa.org/campfacilities

Camp Bear Track

295 Prim Road Drasco, AR 72530 501-825-8222 • campbeartrack.com/

Camp Broadstone/Appalachian State University ASU Box 32042 Boone, NC 38608 828- 262-3045 • conferences-camps. appstate.edu/youth-camps

Camp Carolina PO Box 919 Brevard, NC 28712 828- 884-2414 • campcarolina.com/

Camp Carson YMCA 2034 Outer Lake Road Princeton, IN 47670 812- 385-3597 • campcarson.org/

Camp Caverns 555 Charlie Roberts Road Pelham, TN 37366 423- 228-0506 thecaverns.com/camp-caverns

Camp Country Lad

204 Union B Road Monterey, TN 38574 931-839-2354 (Summer) 931-526-1849 (Winter) campcountrylad.com/sessions-nl

Camp DeSoto for Girls

264 Highway Above the Clouds (264 County Rd. 631) Mentone, AL 35984 256-634-4394 • campdesoto.com/

Overnight Camps

Camp Green Cove for Girls 617 Green Cove Rd Zirconia, NC 28790 828-692-6355 • greencove.com/

Camp Juliette Low 321 Camp Juliette Low Rd. Cloudland, GA 30731 770-428-1062 • cjl.org/

Camp Laney 916 West River Road Mentone, AL 35984 256-634-4066 • camplaney.com/

Camp Marymount 1318 Fairview Blvd. Fairview, TN 37062 799-0410 • campmarymount.com/

Camp Merri-Mac for Girls 1123 Montreat Road Black Mountain NC 28711 828-669-8766 • merri-mac.com/

Camp Mondamin for Boys 413 Mondamin Rd. Zirconia, NC 28790 828-693-7446 • mondamin.com/

Camp NaCoMe

Camp Forget Me Not through Alive Hospice Camp Site: Camp Widjiwagan 3088 Smith Springs Rd Antioch, TN 37013 963-4732 alivehospice.org/news-events/ camps/

Cub Creek Science Camp 16795 Hwy E Rolla, MO 65401 573-458-2125 • cubcreeksciencecamp.com/

Deer Run Camps

3845 Perkins Road Thompson’s Station, TN 37179 235-5688 • deerrun.camp/camps/

Doe River Gorge 220 Doe River Gorge Rd. Hampton, TN 37658 423-725-4010 • doerivergorge.com/ camps/

Easter Seals Summer Camp Programs

Various Locations in Tennessee 500 Wilson Circle Pike, Suite 228 Brentwood, TN 37027 292-6640 ex 134 • easterseals.com/ tennessee/our-programs/campingrecreation/youth-camps.html

Frenchwoods Festival of the Performing Arts

John Knox Center 591 West Rockwood Ferry Road Ten Mile, TN 37880 865-376-2236 • johnknoxcenter.org/

National Flight Academy 1 Fetterman Way NAS Pensacola, FL 32508 877-552-3632 • nationalflightacademy.com/

Riverview Camp for Girls 757 County Road 614 Mentone, AL 35984 (800) 882-0722 riverviewcamp.net/

3232 Sulphur Creek Road Centerville, TN 37033 931-729-9723 • nacome.org/find-acamp-at-nacome-camp

Camp Seafarer (girls)

2744 Seafarer Road Arapahoe, NC 28510 252-249-1212 • seagull-seafarer.org/

Camp Sea Gull (boys) 218 Sea Gull Landing Arapahoe, NC 28510 252-249-1111 • seagull-seafarer.org/

Camp Skyline Ranch for Girls 4888 Alabama Highway 117 Mentone, AL 35984 800-448-9279 • campskyline.com/

Camp Timberlake for Boys

Winter: 1123 Montreat Road, Suite B Black Mountain, NC 28711

Summer: 707 Dink Cannon Road Marion, NC 28752 828-669-8766 camptimberlake.com/

Camp Vesper Point 3216 Lee Pike Soddy-Daisy, TN 37379 423-648-7936 • vesperpoint.org/ summer-registration

Camp Woodmont for Boys & Girls 381 Moonlight Road Cloudland, GA 30731 423-472-6070 campwoodmont.com/

Winter Location 1879 University Dr Coral Springs, FL 33071 954-3467455 • frenchwoods.com/

Summer Location 199 Bouchoux Brook Rd Hancock, NY 13783 800-634-1703 frenchwoods.com/

Fuge Life-Changing Camps Multiple Locations 1 Lifeway Plaza Nashville, TN 37234 1-877-CAMP-123 fugecamps.lifeway.com

Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee Summer Camps 4522 Granny White Pike Nashville, TN 37204 383-0490 gsmidtn.org/summer-camp/

Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont 9275 Tremont Road Townsend, TN 37882 865-448-6709 • gsmit.org/ summer-youth/

Horton Haven Christian Camp 3711 Reed Harris Road Lewisburg, TN 37091 931-364-7656 • hortonhaven.org

iD Tech Camps

Short Mountain Bible Camp 650 Bible Camp Road Woodbury, TN 37190 563-4168 shortmountainbiblecamp.com/

Skyland Camp for Girls 317 Spencer St. Clyde, NC 28721 828-627-2470 • skylandcamp.com/

Southern Prep Academy 174 Ward Cir Camp Hill, AL 36850 256-675-6260 • southernprepacademy.org/ admissions/summer-programs/

Space Camp

1 Tranquility Base Huntsville, AL 35805 800-637-7223 • spacecamp.com/

Valley View Ranch

Equestrian Camp

606 Valley View Ranch Road Cloudland, GA 30731

706-862-2231 valleyviewranch.com/

Victory Ranch

Chippewa Ranch Camp for Girls

8258 Country O Road Eagle River, WI 54521 866-209-9322 • chippewaranchcamp.com/ dates-rates

4330 Mecklinburg Dr. Bolivar, TN 38008 731-659-2880 victoryranch.org/summer-camp/

Located at Vanderbilt University and 60 prestigious universities nationwide 2201 West End Ave. Nashville, TN 37212 408- 871-2227 • idtech.com/ locations/tennesseesummer-camps/vanderbilt-university

Indian Creek Camps 150 Cabin Circle Drive Liberty, TN 37095 548-4411 • indiancreekcamp.com

THURSDAY, FEB. 13

MUSIC [ALL APOLOGIES]

WINONA FIGHTER

There’s just something magical about packing bodies into a sweaty, beer-soaked room to sing along with every word of a big-riff rock song. Expect that — and a healthy side dish of fist-pumping gang vocals — when Winona Fighter takes the stage Thursday at Third Man Records’ Blue Room. The Nashville punk rock band plays a hometown show this week to celebrate the release of My Apologies to the Chef, a new fulllength out Friday via Rise Records. On Chef, listeners can expect a collection of songs that marry down-tuned pop-punk energy with an indierock ethos, as heard on cuts like the two-minute headbanger “Swear to God That I’m (FINE)” and fuzzy, reflective standout “Subaru.” The band has built buzz in the alternative and emo-ish scene quickly, so Thursday could be your best chance in the foreseeable future to catch Winona Fighter in a space as intimate as The Blue Room. Slow Shiv opens the night. MATTHEW LEIMKUEHLER

8 P.M. AT THE BLUE ROOM AT THIRD MAN RECORDS

623 SEVENTH AVE. S.

Visit calendar.nashvillescene.com for more event listings

THURSDAY / 2.13

MUSIC

[SAME OLD STORY] FINNEAS

You’ve probably heard a song produced by Finneas before, even if you don’t recognize his name. The 27-year-old from Los Angeles has won 10 Grammy Awards as the co-writer and creative right hand to his younger sister, Billie Eilish. But he isn’t just a behind-the-scenes record-maker. In between cutting albums or singing on stages with his sister, Finneas has built a solo career behind a collection of thoughtful — and always catchy — alt-pop songs. Need proof? Press play on the ethereal hit “Let’s Fall in Love for the Night” or revisit “Till Forever Falls Apart,” his duet with Nashville’s own heart-on-her-sleeve pop crooner Ashe. Finneas kicks off a North American tour this week inside the Ryman Auditorium, where audiences can expect to hear songs from For Cryin’ Out Loud!, the new solo LP Finneas released in October. Hit the pews early to catch an opening set from California rock band Bad Suns. MATTHEW LEIMKUEHLER

8 P.M. AT THE RYMAN

116 REP. JOHN LEWIS WAY N.

MUSIC

[PUNK AND POMPADOURS] AGENT ORANGE W/THE BEAT CREEPS

When I was in eighth grade, I was given a burned CD with the band name Agent Orange scrawled in Sharpie by my friend’s mohawksporting, leather-jacket-clad older brother. My mind was blown, and I was utterly infatuated with the seminal Orange County surf-punk outfit right from the get-go. The CD included AO’s Bitchin’ Summer EP (with amped-up versions of surf-rock standards “Miserlou,” “Pipeline” and “Mr. Moto”) as well as their debut full-length album Living in Darkness, which features hardcore-leaning classics such as “Bloodstains” and “Everything Turns Grey.” Guitarist-vocalist Mike Palm is still at it, though he remains the only consistent member since the band’s inception in 1979. I caught The Beat Creeps’ opening set for legendary psychobilly pioneer and founding member of The Meteors, Paul F. Fenech, at The Cobra last month. It was an all-out melee of feedback, hot pants, smashed glass, trashed cans — the works. At one point, guitarist Leilani Kilgore revealed a framed picture of former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, gave it a savory lick then tossed it into the crowd mid-solo. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: The BCs are among the best freakouts in town, folks. This one-two punch of a lineup promises to be a real knockout. JASON VERSTEGEN

8 P.M. AT EASTSIDE BOWL

1508 GALLATIN PIKE N., MADISON

[FOR THE GIRLS]

GIGGLY SQUAD LIVE

Girls’ nights are made for sitting down with a glass of wine and discussing everything under the sun with women who will be by your side through thick and thin. From Oscar nominations to insane dating stories, fastfashion trends and the ways sociopolitical issues affect all of these things — if you’re with the right people, you can talk about it all. That’s what listening to Giggly Squad, a podcast hosted by Hannah Berner and Paige DeSorbo, feels like. What started as a regular Instagram Live meeting between two best friends during 2020 lockdowns became a top-rated podcast and now a live tour. “I think it’s important to have natural chemistry,” Berner told CBS Mornings in August. “When people want to listen, they want to listen to two people who actually enjoy each other.” Their tour is a chance to truly feel like you’re pulling up a seat at the table and joining that conversation.

KATIE BETH CANNON

7 P.M. AT THE GRAND OLE OPRY HOUSE

600 OPRY MILLS DRIVE

[HAPPY V-DAY]

THEATER

THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES

For many, the idea of “V-Day” conjures up visions of candy hearts and Valentine cards. But for those familiar with playwright and activist V (formerly known as Eve Ensler), V-Day is a global movement to end violence against women. What better way to mark the occasion than with Actors Bridge Ensemble’s annual production of The Vagina Monologues? After premiering in 1996, the piece ran off-Broadway for five years and has since been performed around the globe, allowing audiences to explore the female experience through stories both triumphant and tragic. (“My Angry Vagina” is probably my very favorite.) ABE’s producing artistic director Vali Forrister has once again assembled a marvelous cast, featuring both new and familiar faces including Cynthia Harris, Tasneem Ansariyah Grace, Misty Lewis Boyd, Sharon Dixon Gentry, Judy Jackson, Nina Hibbler Webster, Kat Tierney-Smith and more. Best of all, proceeds from the event will support Act Like a GRRRL, ABE’s fabulous autobiographical writing/performance program for femaleidentifying teens. AMY STUMPFL

7:30 P.M. AT THE CITY WINERY

609 LAFAYETTE ST.

FRIDAY / 2.14

[CRITICS’ BRICKS]

LEGOS

NASHVILLE LIBRARY LEGO CONTEST

On a recent visit to a friend’s house, I immediately noticed in her kitchen a colorful bouquet of Lego flowers — built by her 69-yearold mother. It was her first Lego set ever, and I imagine she fell in love with the same things I did when I started playing with Legos as a kid: the brightly colored pieces being used in unexpected ways, the jigsaw-puzzle-like experience of seeing a model come together

and the knowledge that you can take it all apart and build your own one-of-a-kind creations. The folks at the Nashville Public Library know how special the toys can be as a creative tool, and they’re hosting their 15th annual Lego contest this weekend with award-winning models across various age groups. Over the past few weeks, Nashvillians from various age groups have submitted models to be displayed at the downtown library branch and assessed by a panel of judges (including me!) for prizes. As you wander the displays, expect to think things like, “How did a 5-year-old come up with that?” or, “Hey, isn’t that a model of something in Nashville?” or especially, “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but we’ve got to get to Opry Mills and go to the Lego Store.” COLE VILLENA FEB. 14-15 AT THE NASHVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY 615 CHURCH ST.

[HE CLEANS UP

MUSIC

] FATHER JOHN MISTY

Listening to Father John Misty’s discography is like driving through a scenic California desert in a vintage VW bus. His latest release is titled Mahashmashana, a Sanskrit term meaning “great cremation ground,” which perfectly reflects Joshua Michael Tillman’s artistic aura: spiritual, ambient and metaphysical. He maintains his signature vintage sound while also layering instrumentals to create a transcendental listening experience. “Mental Health” features a full string section and lilting flute, while “She Cleans Up” introduces 1960s-esque funk-electric guitar and drums. The album has only eight tracks, which leaves plenty of room for Tillman to keep a stack of surprises up his sleeve for live performances. This year, Tillman is back in Nashville for the first time in more than two years at the Music City venue that best matches his ethereally vintage persona: the Ryman Auditorium. The show kicks off with Destroyer, the indie-rock project of Vancouver’s prolific Dan Bejar. BAILEY BRANTINGHAM

8 P.M. AT THE RYMAN

116 REP. JOHN LEWIS WAY N.

THEATER

[A CONTEMPORARY CLASSIC] THE MOUNTAINTOP

So far, Nashville Repertory Theatre’s 40th anniversary season has treated audiences to a hit Broadway musical (Waitress), a Pulitzer

Prize-winning classic (Our Town) and a timehonored holiday favorite (A Christmas Carol). And beginning this weekend, you can check out Katori Hall’s thought-provoking 2009 drama The Mountaintop. Billed as “a gripping reimagination” of what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s final night on earth might have been like, The Mountaintop takes us to the Lorraine Motel in Memphis in the hours just before King was assassinated on April 4, 1968. Here the civil rights leader meets a mysterious young woman named Camae, who forces him to consider his

own mortality and the future of the movement. Frequent Rep collaborator Alicia Haymer directs a pair of Nashville favorites — with Rashad Rayford taking on the role of Dr. King and Tamiko Robinson Steele performing as Camae. And I’m especially eager to check out Gary C. Hoff’s scenic design. By digging into themes of legacy and impact, Hall offers a very human look at a heroic figure while reminding us that there is still much work to be done. AMY STUMPFL THROUGH FEB. 23 AT TPAC’S JOHNSON THEATER 505 DEADERICK ST.

[COOKING

IN THE KITCHEN

FOOD & DRINK

OF LOVE] PASTA & COCKTAIL MAKING CLASS

The Harpeth, a hotel in downtown Franklin, has a Valentine’s Day idea to get you and your sweetie all hot and sweaty. No, not like that. You’ll join up to nine other couples cooking with executive chef Thomas Tuggle at the hotel’s 1799 Kitchen and Cocktails restaurant, where the steam will be coming off the stove. A glass of welcome Champagne will start the evening off in a celebratory mood. Then one of the restaurant’s mixologists will teach you to make Franklin’s Valentine’s Day Fizz, which is a cocktail with gin, Aperol, orgeat, lemon and egg white. Once your thirst is quenched, together you’ll learn how to make

GIGGLY SQUAD LIVE

FATHER JOHN MISTY

PHOTO: BRADLEY J. CALDER

WEST SIDE STORY FILM WITH LIVE ORCHESTRA with the Nashville Symphony

FEB 13 TO 15 | 7:30 PM

Jason Seber, conductor

FEB 28 | 7:30 PM

Classical Series

Tchaikovsky’s Fifth with the Nashville Symphony

ConcertSponsor:FourSeasonsHotelNashville & Mimo Restaurant and Bar

MAR 9 | 7:30 PM

Jazz Series

Dee Dee Bridgewater & Bill Charlap PresentedwithouttheNashvilleSymphony.

VITAMIN STRING QUARTET: The Music of Taylor Swift, Bridgerton, and Beyond FEB 16 | 7:30 PM

PresentedwithouttheNashvilleSymphony.

MAR 4 | 7:30 PM Special Event jersey boys and girls with the Nashville Symphony MAR 10 | 7:30 PM

Presentation

Bluebird at the Symphony with Kelly Archer, Natalie Hemby, Trannie Anderson & members of the Nashville Symphony

MAR 7 | 7:30 PM

ITZHAK PERLMAN: CINEMA SERENADE with the Nashville Symphony

FEB 18 | 7:30 PM

Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor Itzhak Perlman, violin

Featuring Clayton Bellamy PresentedwithouttheNashvilleSymphony.

MAR 14 & 15 | 7:30 PM

Classical Series Schubert’s Unfinished and The Zodiac Suite with the Nashville Symphony

MAR 8 | 7:30 PM

HCA Healthcare & TriStar Health Legends of Music rita wilson with special guests Jackson Browne, Sebastián Yatra and the Nashville Symphony

MAR 18 | 7:30 PM

Presentation

Kodo One Earth Tour 2025: Warabe PresentedwithouttheNashvilleSymphony.

ricotta gnocchi with wild game sausage, fennel confit, broccolini, Parmesan and chili threads in a hands-on class. Once you’re done dunking your gnocchi in hot water and sipping the cocktail, you’ll get a copy of the recipe and a wood gnocchi board (to roll the gnocchi on and to make ridges) so you can do it again in the privacy of your own home. Tickets are $140 per couple and should be purchased in advance.

MARGARET LITTMAN

6:30 P.M. AT THE HARPETH HOTEL

130 SECOND AVE. S., FRANKLIN

FILM [AND SWEET]

2025 OSCAR-NOMINATED SHORT FILMS

Now that the Oscar nominations are out there, moviegoers and cinephiles are most likely catching up on all the Best Picture contenders they have yet to see. Of course, the Belcourt will screen all the nominees during its annual Best Picture Marathon. Before that happens, the theater will play all the short films — liveaction, animation, documentary — vying for Oscar gold. Just like the Best Picture nominees, some of these titles are already on streaming sites. The Adam McKay-produced immigration drama “A Lien” is available for free on Vimeo. “Instruments of a Beating Heart,” a New York Times-produced doc about Japanese first-graders who form an orchestra, is also free over on YouTube. “I Am Ready, Warden,” which follows a death row inmate seeking redemption before his execution, can be found on Paramount+. And Netflix has two female-centric shorts — “Anuja,” a Hindi-language drama about a gifted garment-factory-working 9-year-old girl, and “The Only Girl in the Orchestra,” a doc on the first full-time female bassist in the New York Philharmonic — all ready for your queue. Of course, the Belcourt’s got them all in one place for those looking for a short film marathon — visit belcourt.org for showtimes. CRAIG D. LINDSEY

OPENS FRIDAY AT THE BELCOURT

2102 BELCOURT AVE.

[MEET ME IN MONTAUK]

FILM

LOVE WEEK: ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS

MIND

I love a good love story. Rom-coms and screwball comedies are some of my favorite movie subgenres, but I hold equal room in my heart for an emotionally devastating love story. I’m not talking star-studded weepies like The Notebook (although I’m into those as well), but real gut-wrenching stuff. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the offspring of weirdo-chic filmmakers Michel Gondry (who directed) and Charlie Kaufman (who wrote), certainly qualifies. Featuring arguably the best dramatic performance from goofball Jim Carrey and the best performance — period — from my favorite actress Kate Winslet, this sci-fi heartbreaker always offers a new detail to uncover when rewatching. The cast is deeper than you remember — Kirsten Dunst, Elijah Wood, Tom Wilkinson and Mark Ruffalo all have supporting roles! — and the screenplay is as inventive as it gets. Is Clementine a manic pixie dream girl?

Maybe, but Winslet’s performance is so layered that it doesn’t matter. I wish I could have the mind-erasing procedure from the film done just so I could re-experience watching this for the first time. LOGAN BUTTS

FEB. 14 & 19 AT THE BELCOURT

2102 BELCOURT AVE.

SATURDAY / 2.15

[TALKING IT UP]

MUSIC

JOHNNY BRAGG: THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT ME

As part of the ongoing festivities associated with the Night Train to Nashville Revisited exhibit, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will host a panel discussion celebrating legendary Nashville soul singer Johnny Bragg. Bragg rose to fame as the lead singer for the Prisonaires, a vocal group he founded while serving time in the Tennessee State Penitentiary in the early 1950s. Gov. Frank Clement championed the group as part of his prison reform efforts and arranged for them to travel to Memphis in 1953 to record “Just Walkin’ in the Rain,” which became a breakthrough hit for Sun Records. Bragg renamed his group the Marigolds and scored a Top 10 R&B hit with “Rollin’ Stone” on Nashville’s Excello label. He later released solo recordings, including “They’re Talking About Me,” a favorite among fans of ’60s soul. “He had such a beautiful voice,” says vice president of museum services Michael Gray, who will moderate the panel discussion. “Few stories in the history of popular music are as intriguing as Johnny Bragg’s.” Gray will be joined on the panel by Bragg’s daughter Misti Bragg, Clement’s son and former U.S. Rep. Bob Clement and music historian Colin Escott. At the conclusion of the panel discussion, Nashville soul artist Devon Gilfillian will give a brief solo acoustic performance in tribute to Bragg. DARYL SANDERS 2:30 P.M. AT THE COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME’S FORD THEATER

222 REP. JOHN LEWIS WAY S.

[BORDER AREAS]

MUSIC

RYAN DAVIS & THE ROADHOUSE

BAND

Country-rock will probably live forever, and Saturday’s show at Soft Junk might provide proof for this hypothesis. Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band hail from what they call Kentuckiana, which you might know as the area around Jeffersonville, Ind., and Louisville, Ky. Like fellow folk-art-country artists David Berman and Kurt Wagner, Davis tends to the programmatic in his music and writes songs that turn the tropes of country to his purposes. I hear Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band’s 2023 album Dancing on the Edge as an art project that folds in drum machines, synths and drawled vocals in service of tunes that often stretch out to nine minutes. Davis has a knack for creating free-flowing lyrics that include aphoristic bits of philosophizing. My favorite Dancing on the Edge couplet comes from “Flashes of Orange,” which runs for 9:56: “There’s no wisdom in a cradle, babe / There’s

no common sense in a tomb.” Meanwhile, the catchiest track on Dancing is “A Suitable Exit,” which is like Berman, Nick Lowe and a Can tribute band from Jeffersonville, Ind., waxing lyrical in a recording studio. Also appearing will be Nashville’s Styrofoam Winos, whose 2024 album Real Time embodies a strain of modern freak folk, along with Wisconsin post-folkies Old Pup, who have a new album, Spider Towns, set for release Feb. 28. EDD HURT

8 P.M. AT SOFT JUNK

919 GALLATIN AVE.

MUSIC

[HEARTBREAK AFTER VALENTINE’S] SARAH GROSS & KATE STEPHENSON

At our core, it’s human nature to crave connection. We all want to hear a good story, and it’s a songwriter’s job to create a relatable narrative that makes us as listeners sit down and think, “Damn, me too.” Sarah Gross and Kate Stephenson are two of the most honest

songwriters in the game right now, and it’s baffling how much emotional complexity oozes through both artists’ latest projects. Gross’ The Killjoy is a testimony to the power of metamorphosis, written to document all the changes that come with navigating the beautiful hell-hole that is your 20s. Stephenson’s latest project King of the Hill is easily one of my favorite projects that came out of 2024, and it’s hard to listen to her stories without breaking down in tears. Through tales of sickening experiences with men, heartbreaking realizations and an overwhelming sense of selfdiscovery, Kate gives us her heart through her songs. Sarah and Kate’s double-headlining show Saturday is sure to be a night filled with love, loss, sorrow and joy. GRACE BRASWELL

8 P.M. AT THE EAST ROOM

2412 GALLATIN AVE.

MONDAY / 2.17

[QUE SERA, SERA]

FILM

LE MOVIE NIGHT: HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS

One easy way to keep your sanity intact is to avoid dating. Instead, romance your friends! Pont Neuf, the new wine and flower bar inside L&L Market, is the perfect spot to linger with your gang. Run by Mattie Bush-Martin, founder of Amelia’s Flower Truck, and her husband, Taylor Martin, the bar is named after the bridge where they were married in Paris and has a VW flower bus where you can put together your own bouquets to take home. The menu offers a creatively curated variety of spirits along with a few small bites. And the service is very good. But mostly, you come for the vibe — the lighting is so warmly dialed you don’t even need to use a filter on your Reels. Monday they’re showing How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days — the Kate Hudson/ Matthew McConaughey rom-com about finding someone whose level of craziness matches your own — in a space so inviting, you’ll leave feeling refreshingly sane. TOBY ROSE 6:30 AT PONT NEUF 3820 CHARLOTTE AVE.

FILM

[MAKE IT MO’ BETTER] PIZZA AND A MOVIE: MO’ BETTER BLUES

I saw a tweet with a take so bad it stopped me in my tracks: “Leonardo DiCaprio can do Training Day, but Denzel Washington can’t make The Great Gatsby or Wolf of Wall Street.” This sent me right up the wall. Denzel would kill in either of those roles. He has charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent. I’ve seen him lead a recovering group of racists to the state championship. I’ve seen him murder the king of Scotland and regret it. I’ve seen him juggle two women, four bandmates and a dream. Denzel can’t be Gatsby? He’s on top of his game in Spike Lee’s Mo’ Better Blues — a sumptuous, challenging film about a jazz trumpeter trying to have it all in art and business and love. Everyone wants to be him, be with him or both. He’s tender, he’s sexy, he’s cocky, he’s depressed, he’s rapping to make fun of rapping, and he’s still somehow amazing at that. When Denzel’s in a movie, you show up to the movie, because you know he’ll show up with everything he’s got. While you’re there, grab some delicious Slim & Husky’s with the return of the Pizza and a Movie series. QUINN HILLS 8 P.M. AT THE BELCOURT 2102 BELCOURT AVE.

TUESDAY / 2.18

ART [IN MY VIEW]

MARK MULRONEY: SNAPSHOTS

Mark Mulroney has a long history with Nashville galleries, having shown at Julia Martin Gallery and the short-lived but beloved Cumberland Gallery offshoot CG2. But this show at the Country Music Hall of Fame’s Haley Gallery might just be the Connecticut-based

SARAH GROSS PHOTO: HELLEN ELIZONDO

Salute the Songbird with Maggie Rose

Saturday, February 15

SONGWRITER SESSION

Kasey Tyndall

NOON · FORD THEATER

Saturday, February 15

PANEL DISCUSSION

Johnny Bragg

They’re Talking About Me

2:30 pm · FORD THEATER

Saturday, February 15

HATCH SHOW PRINT

Block Party

3:00 pm · HATCH SHOW PRINT SHOP

LIMITED AVAILABILITY

Sunday, February 16

HATCH SHOW PRINT

Family

Block Party

9:30 am · HATCH SHOW PRINT SHOP

LIMITED AVAILABILITY

Sunday, February 16

MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT

Luke McQueary

1:00 pm · FORD THEATER

Saturday, February 22

SONGWRITER SESSION

Cary Barlowe

NOON · FORD THEATER

Saturday, February 22

BOOK TALK

Author

Geoffrey Himes

With Guest Artists

2:30 pm · FORD THEATER

Sunday, February 23

MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT

Chris Tuttle

1:00 pm · FORD THEATER

Saturday, March 1

SONGWRITER SESSION

Don Schlitz

NOON · FORD THEATER

Sunday, March 2

MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT

Kristen Rogers

1:00 pm · FORD THEATER

Radney Foster w/ Special Guest Logan Mac

T. Graham Brown

From platinum-selling chart-toppers to underground , household names to undiscovered gems, Chief’s Neon Steeple is c bringing the very best national and regional talent back to Broadway.

FEBRUARY LINE UP

2.1 Karen Waldrup w/ Special Guest Joey Green 2.7 Aaron Nichols & The Travellers Chris Stapleton Tribute – Free Show

2.8 Livin’ the Write Life feat. Dave Gibson, Jet Harvey, Anthony Smith, Anthony Carpenter

2.11 Salute the Songbird with Maggie Rose, Special Guest: Brittney Spencer 2.12 Uncle B’s Drunk with Power String Band feat. Bryan Simpson w/ Ben Chapman, Thad Cockrell, Trey Hensley, Meg McRee

2.13

Chase Rice – Songs From I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go To Hell SOLD OUT

2.14 Chase Rice – Songs From Go Down Singin’ SOLD OUT 2.15 8Track Annual VD Party!

2.16 Radney Foster w/ Special Guest Logan Mac

2.19 Heather Morgan, Tiera Kennedy, Iris Copperman w/ Ross Copperman

2.20 T. Graham Brown

2.21 James Esaw & Triad4Christ

2.22 Waymore’s Outlaws –Runnin’ With Ol’ Waylon

2.23 Pick Pick Pass w/ Kevin Mac, Craig Wayne Boyd, Jake Hoot

2.24 Buddy’s Place Writer’s Round w/ Girl Named Tom, Gina Venier, Sam Williams

2.26 Josh Weathers w/ The Lowdown Drifters

2.28 Jamie O’Neal Album Preview Show

At Chief’s we understand that great music is born from the heart and soul of it’s creators, which is why our writers’ rounds are dedicated to celebrating the brilliant minds behind some of today’s most iconic songs.

& Pizza

program and a rare opportunity to experience Perlman’s unique musical genius.

WEDNESDAY / 2.19

[THE MARVELOUS LAND OF OZ] CONVERSATIONS AT OZ

something unmistakably American about the works, and that quality is as loaded and nuanced today as it’s ever been. LAURA HUTSON HUNTER THROUGH MARCH 14 AT HALEY GALLERY

222 REP. JOHN LEWIS WAY S.

MUSIC

[A LIVING LEGEND RETURNS] ITZHAK PERLMAN: CINEMA

SERENADE

Itzhak Perlman has rightly been called the “reigning virtuoso of the violin” and is celebrated not only for his incredible artistry, but also for his tireless humanitarian efforts. Perlman first caught the public eye in 1958, when he appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show at just 13. He would make his debut at Carnegie Hall at age 18, and has spent more than six decades dazzling audiences around the world. Perlman has been honored with 16 Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, among many other decorations. At almost 80 years old, he maintains a busy performance schedule. Next week, he will be at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center for Cinema Serenade. The evening will feature Perlman — along with the Nashville Symphony, under the baton of music director Giancarlo Guerrero — performing some of motion pictures’ most moving melodies. Selections include Paul Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice; Ennio Morricone’s “Love Theme” from Cinema Paradiso; John Williams’ themes from Far and Away, Sabrina and Schindler’s List; Carlos Gardel’s “Tango (Por Una Cabeza)” from Scent of a Woman; and more. It’s a marvelous

For the past decade, prolific arts institution OZ Arts has hosted an annual fundraiser that also functions as a local meeting of the minds. Featuring a diverse array of creative and community leaders, Conversations at OZ invites guests “to engage in an evening of cocktails, dinner and insightful dialogue on a range of contemporary topics, including arts and culture, social issues, business and government.” Attendees select the conversation host they’d like to hear from and purchase a ticket for that host’s table. This year’s lineup of roughly two dozen hosts includes celebrated artist María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Belcourt Theatre executive director Stephanie Silverman, rapper and songwriter Breland, Anas Saba of the popular Nashville Hidden Gems and many more. There are even a couple of folks from the Nashville Scene family in the mix — including arts editor Laura Hutson Hunter, who will discuss “The Importance of Provocation in Art,” and Nashville Scene Podcast co-host Jerome Moore, who will cover the topic “Solutions Speak Louder Than Excuses: Exploring Social Change.” As of this writing, a few of the hosts’ tables have already sold out — including those of Mayor Freddie O’Connell and comedian Hugh Howser — so get to ozartsnashville.org before it’s too late. D. PATRICK RODGERS

6:30 P.M. AT OZ ARTS

6172 COCKRILL BEND CIRCLE

AMY STUMPFL

FEBRUARY

LOVE

FEBRUARY

DANCING

FAMILY

FEBRUARY

MARDI

FEATURING

Discover the best of Williamson County with Williamson’s Best , your ultimate guide to the area’s top businesses, services, and experiences. From local boutiques to standout restaurants, we want to highlight the places that make our community special — and now, it’s your turn to choose the winners!

Voting for Williamson’s Best opens February 17, 2025 . Check out this year’s groups and categories, and follow us on social media for updates!

@williamsonscene

CHECK OUT OUR 2025 READERS' POLL CATEGORIES!

Food & Drink

Best Bakery

Best Bartender

Best Bar

Arts & Culture

Best Art Gallery

Best Art Gallery

Best Charity Event

Best Church

Best Event Venue

Best Farmers Market

Best Golf Course

Best Nonprofit Agency

Best Park

Best Place for Outdoor Activities

Best Theatre Company

Best Wedding Venue

Best Visual Artist

Best Festival

Best Movie Theater

Best Museum

Best Performing Arts Group

Best Production

Best Actor/Actress

Best Place to See a Celebrity

Music

Best Solo-Artist

Best Band

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Best R&B

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Best Williamson Based Label

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Best Writers Night

Media & Politics

Best Conservative

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Best Local Scandal of the Year

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Best

Best Brewery

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Hour

Best Breakfast Best Brunch

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Butcher Best Caterer

Beauty, Health & Fitness

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Best Children’s Clothing

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Best Place to Adopt a Pet

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Best Antiques Best Auto Dealership Best Auto Repair

Bank Best Beauty Retailer

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Cocktails

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Distillery

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Hot Chicken

Japanese

Taco Best New Restaurant (Opened in 2024)

Restaurant

Seafood

Best Italian

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Best Place to Host a Birthday

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HVAC

Best Veterinarian

Best Youth Sports League Best Public High School Coach

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Best Girls Private High

School Basketball Team

Best Baseball Team (Public/Private)

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Best Volleyball Team (Public/Private)

Best Boys Soccer Team (Public/Private)

Best Girls Soccer Team (Public/Private)

Best Neighborhood

Best Plumber

Best Real Estate Agent

Best Real Estate Brokerage

Best Real Estate Team

Best Roofing

Best Senior Living

OPENING AN INDEPENDENT restaurant is challenging. Buying a popular, beloved restaurant and keeping it going? That’s another challenge entirely.

Restaurateurs who do so learn quickly that it’s a balancing act. There’s the need and desire to update and improve an acquired business, and there are the needs and desires of devoted customers who feel some ownership of the restaurants they have been frequenting for decades. Sometimes, those sets of needs and desires are at odds.

David Parker and Sean Lyons are two restaurant owners engaged in this balancing act, joining the likes of Bret Tuck, who bought Brown’s Diner, and Will Spiva, who has taken the reins at Caffé Nonna. At the beginning of the year, Parker and his wife Sally bought Calypso Cafe from its founders, Allison and Phil Brooks. Lyons joined Up Hospitality Partners in 2019 — the company had purchased Germantown Café (a favorite restaurant of Lyons) in 2016, and then Up Hospitality acquired Sylvan Park’s Park Cafe at the end of 2023.

Parker is Calypso founder Allison Brooks’ cousin, so Parker grew up eating at Calypso Cafe and rattles off favorite dishes for different periods of his life — from favoring the Lucayan

THE SAME, BUT DIFFERENT

New restaurant owners walk a line when buying beloved spots BY

MARGARET LITTMAN

salad when eating a high-protein diet while working out as a teen to ordering beans-andthree during a period when he eschewed meat. “When I was in high school, I probably ate there two to three times per week,” Parker says. While he didn’t have experience working in the restaurant industry, he knew the business from watching his cousins, and he knew sales from his previous career in software, so he felt ready for the challenge when the opportunity presented itself.

Since buying the place, Parker has heard from a lot of customers. The overwhelming number of comments fall into the category “We want more Calypso.” Folks want the Charlotte Avenue location — which currently is Calypso’s main catering kitchen, but not open to the public — to reopen as a restaurant. Folks want longer hours in Berry Hill. And people really want the East Nashville and Belle Meade locations to reopen. Parker is grateful that people love Calypso, have faith in him and want more. But he’s also cautious about expanding too fast or changing too much too soon. He wants Calypso to remain a healthy, affordable lunch option (and dinner soon, he promises) that can deliver on the same time-honored recipes the Brookses have been making since 1989. And he wants to be able to

get meals to diners fast, because that’s something people have come to expect from Calypso — particularly at lunch, when people are watching the clock.

Up Hospitality’s Lyons also knows what it’s like to hear from loyal customers. Germantown Café was founded in 2003 by Jay Luther and Chris Lowry. Jeffrey Martin, Up Hospitality Partners’ executive chef, worked at Germantown Café and was trained by Luther and Lowry. Many Nashvillians feel nostalgic about Germantown Café. They feel nostalgic about Luther and Lowry, who have both passed away (Luther in 2012 and Lowry in 2024). They feel nostalgia about when the restaurant was an outlier in Germantown, as one of the first higher-end sitdown restaurants in the neighborhood, with something that seems impossible today — a clear, open view of the downtown skyline from a picture window.

Lyons and the Up Hospitality Partners team appreciate that. They were fans too. They work to educate their staff about those bonds, including hanging photos of Luther and Lowry — pictured not just at Germantown Café, but in the company’s other restaurants. And people feel nostalgic about the food. In particular, three dishes: the plum pork, the French onion soup

and the coconut curry salmon. Lyons says that when they evaluated the menu, they intentionally kept the most frequently ordered dishes while removing others. But because they left those bestsellers, the perception is that they didn’t change the menu at all, even though

PHOTOS: ERIC ENGLAND

BLACK BEAN SALAD AT CALYPSO CAFE

DAVID PARKER

BEANS-AND-THREE PLATE AT CALYPSO CAFE

more than 40 percent is different. (In contrast, the menu at Park Cafe is essentially unchanged, but public perception, the owners say, is that it has been overhauled.) Lyons believes the fact that Germantown Café was closed for more than two years during the pandemic has contributed to the support from existing customers. They wanted the restaurant to reopen, even if that meant there would be a few changes.

While appreciative of all that goodwill, Lyons and Up Hospitality Partners don’t want to be in the business of nostalgia. They want a restaurant that can grow, and they want to build a restaurant company that offers opportunities for career expansion for staff. An independent, one-location restaurant doesn’t offer someone working in the kitchen many opportunities, Lyons says, and may contribute to some of the hospitality industry’s staffing challenges. Another acquisition seemed like one way to do that.

Then they learned that Willy Thomas was looking to retire from Park Cafe. “It was a match made in heaven,” Lyons says. Germantown Café and Park Cafe were similar types of restaurants with similar menus and similar neighborhood vibes. And Thomas had a Nashville following,

having worked in the kitchens at the Hermitage Hotel and at Pomodoro East. In the meantime, they had already started to open Karrington Rowe in Brentwood, a restaurant in the same vein. Karrington Rowe features the best of both restaurants’ bestsellers, with some tweaks. For example, both restaurants have a good salmon seller, so at Karrington Rowe the salmon dish is a crispy salmon, and the Germantown Café-inspired dish has become a coconut curry shrimp. Neither the Germantown Café name nor the Park Cafe name was eligible for trademarking. (And besides, it would be confusing to have Germantown Cafés in other neighborhoods. It’s already confusing enough that people think they serve German food, Lyons says.) So future restaurants will be under the Karrington Rowe moniker. The company also operates Fancy Sandy’s, a to-go breakfast sandwich shop operated from a window next to Germantown Café. Germantown Café’s long history as a brunch spot made it a natural for offering breakfast to go, Lyons says. He can see the possibility of opening Fancy Sandy’s sandwich spots elsewhere.

Parker is circumspect about the exact timeline for his Calypso Cafe expansion. But he says Berry Hill will expand hours to include dinner, and then he’ll turn his attention to reopening Charlotte “as fast as possible in a reasonable manner.” (The website lists it as “temporarily closed.”) His plans for both locations include better use of outdoor space, including creating family-friendly spaces to hang out with the kids, and having beer on draft. (Beer is currently in bottles.) If the right location popped up in East Nashville, he’d consider it — the Brookses still own the old East Nashville Calypso location, which is currently leased to Velvet Taco.

For both Parker and Lyons, the trick is — as it is for so many in town — balancing the needs of Old Nashville and New Nashville.

“We certainly want to keep all those people happy who are used to eating Calypso and are nostalgic for Calypso,” Parker says. “But there are a lot of new people in Nashville too, and I’m hoping to get the word out and make sure those people take advantage of it and love it as much as the rest of us always have.” ▼

SEAN LYONS

COCONUT CURRY SALMON AT GERMANTOWN CAFÉ

LEGACY OF THE HEART

Local theater group explores North Nashville history with Lost and Found: A Story of Hope

BY AMY STUMPFL

NASHVILLE’S EXPLOSIVE GROWTH has been well-documented over the past several years, revealing a wide range of opportunities, along with some intricate challenges. With the premiere of Lost and Found: A Story of Hope, one group of dedicated community leaders is hoping to spark conversation while honoring a unique chapter in the city’s history.

Written by Aleesa Mann, Lost and Found takes a hard look at the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 and its impact on the historically Black neighborhood along Jefferson Street. Blending traditional theater with multimedia touches, the story centers on a close-knit family struggling to navigate an uncertain future — and to reclaim at least some of what’s been lost.

“It’s such an important story, and one that I feel is very timely,” says the Rev. Sam Kirk, executive producer of Lost and Found. Kirk is also the founder and executive director of Youth About Business, a local nonprofit dedicated to creating learning experiences and opportunities for students in underserved communities. “When the highway came through Jefferson Street, it displaced so many families and businesses. So now, as we look at all the growth happening in Nashville — and as that growth pushes into North Nashville and Bordeaux — I’m wondering how we do things in a way that feels more inclusive. How do we revitalize the community and create growth opportunities without simply disrupting and displacing people’s lives?”

While Lost and Found admittedly takes on some heavy themes, Kirk says there’s also a great deal of hope and levity to the story.

“I think Aleesa Mann has done a fantastic job of balancing the play’s tone,” he says. “And

we’ve also woven in some cinematic elements that I think really add to the effect. There’s some archival footage of Jefferson Street in its heyday, but we also have moments where the cinematic content actually sort of interacts with the stage play, which is very unique.”

Beyond the performance itself, Kirk is eager to foster conversation. And by presenting the piece at Manna From Heaven Dinner House (something of a hidden gem on West Hamilton Avenue, and part of the Youth About Business facilities), Kirk plans to reinforce themes of community and civic engagement. Community leaders — including notable figures such as former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry and state Rep. Harold Love Jr. — are set to host post-show talkbacks following each performance of Lost and Found.

“We felt like this was a good way to set the tone for the evening — and to really get people engaged,” he says. “I have a feeling that we’re going to have some great conversations around this show. This is not a Black thing or a white thing — this is a Nashville thing. And I hope people will come together to share this important story.”

Director Brandon Hirsch certainly shares that hope.

“What really caught my eye with this script was its timeliness — its relevance and meaning,” says Hirsch, a seasoned actor who has worked extensively in film and television, as well as at regional theaters such as Nashville Rep, Studio Tenn and the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. “I grew up in Hendersonville, but had family here in North Nashville. And while I was familiar with the story of the Federal-Aid High-

way Act, I didn’t fully understand its impact on Jefferson Street and the resulting migration to Bordeaux and other areas. So when I read this script, it really girded my interest. And with all the things happening in the world right now, I felt this was a great opportunity for both the artistic community, and the community in general.”

Hirsch immediately sought out L. Warren Young for the role of family patriarch, Baba. Young, who grew up in Nashville and graduated from Tennessee State University, is perhaps best known for his work in television series like Greenleaf and The Wonder Years, along with films such as The Color Purple, We Are Marshall and The Blind Side

“In speaking with [Young], it’s clear that this story is personal for him,” Hirsch says. “He grew up here. He understands this community and its history. Of course, he also has an incredible dramatic range — with all the charisma and gravitas this role requires.

“This play talks a lot about legacy and personal empowerment,” he adds. “As we get to know the character of Baba, we see that he’s lost more than just his business — he’s lost his security, his standing in the community. But what we learn is that legacy is not limited to your ability to transfer material wealth or property. Legacy starts in the heart. And whether you’re the elder or the youth, you have something important to offer. That message feels really vital right now. So for us to be able to dig into a thoughtful, inspirational piece like this — to tell the truth without being accusatory, and to create a safe space for that level of dialogue — it feels like more than just a show.”

LAMONT COLEMAN IN LOST AND FOUND: A STORY OF HOPE

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A DEEP ENOUGH GRIEF

Novelist Geraldine Brooks engages suppressed grief in her memoir Memorial Days BY

EMILY CHOATE

WHEN NOVELIST GERALDINE BROOKs received the devastating phone call informing her that her husband of more than 30 years, celebrated nonfiction writer Tony Horwitz, had died unexpectedly while on tour for his latest book, she found herself trapped between warring impulses.

“I paced the room, feeling the howl forming in my chest,” she writes in her new memoir, Memorial Days. “I needed to scream, weep, throw myself on the floor, rend my garments, tear my hair.” But this moment of extraordinary pressure demanded a different response: “I stood there and suppressed that howl,” knowing that “if I let go, if I fell, I might not be able to get back up.”

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UPCOMING EVENTS

PARNASSUSBOOKS.NET/EVENTFOR TICKETS & UPDATES

10:30AM

6:30PM

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15

SATURDAY STORYTIME with PARNASSUS STAFF at PARNASSUS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19

KIMBERLY LEMMING & JO SEGURA at PARNASSUS I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I'm Trapped in a RomCom & Temple of Swoon

10:30AM

6:30PM SC PEROT at PARNASSUS Styles of Joy

6:30PM SASA HAWK

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22

SATURDAY STORYTIME with KATHLEEN DAVIS at PARNASSUS Our Hearts

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25

with ERICA IVY RODGERS at PARNASSUS Unlock the Dark

6:30PM

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26

MATTHEW PAUL TURNER with DANIEL EVANS at PARNASSUS What Is the Bible?

3900 Hillsboro Pike Suite 14 | Nashville, TN 37215 (615) 953-2243 Shop online at parnassusbooks.net

@parnassusbooks @parnassusbooks1 @parnassusbooks @parnassusbooksnashville

Rather than grieving her husband, Brooks must weather a crushing series of unwanted obligations, burial arrangements and traumatizing tangles with bureaucratic obstacles. To cope with these responsibilities and navigate her new role as single parent to her two sons, she creates “a façade that I have hidden behind, a fugitive from my own feelings. It’s heavy and elaborate and it’s taken a lot of energy to haul it around with me every time I leave the house.” For the next three years, her life becomes “one endless, exhausting performance.”

This spare, compelling memoir follows Brooks from the home she’d made with Horwitz on Martha’s Vineyard to a small shack on a remote island off the northeast corner of Tasmania. Brooks, who was born and raised in Australia, has come to this wild place alone, ready to strip away the facade.

Noting that Horwitz died on Memorial Day 2019, Brooks explains her intentions: “When I get to Flinders Island, I will begin my own memorial days. I am taking something that our culture has stopped freely giving. To shut out the world and its demands. To remember my love and to feel the immensity of his loss.”

Brooks accompanies her experience on the island with reflections on grief traditions from numerous cultures around the world, seeking a space in which she can initiate “a grief deep enough to reflect our love.”

As Brooks explores the beaches and surrounding landscapes of the island, allowing her grief to surface, she weaves in the island’s history, including both the thrilling geological marvels and the devastating abuses toward Tasmania’s Aboriginal population. Brooks alternates the scenes on Flinders Island with chapters that closely follow the aftermath of Tony’s death in candid, moving details. This structure works well, evoking the spare and occasionally elliptical rhythms of traumatized memory.

Memorial Days places Brooks’ marriage at the heart of the book, revealing the mutual generos-

ity and commitment to truthful, vigorous work that propelled them into adventurous lives as foreign correspondents who embraced volatile environments like Ruhollah Khomeini’s funeral in Tehran, and Kuwait during the first Gulf War. Known for her well-researched, expertly crafted novels like Horse and the Pulitzer-winning March, Brooks shared decades with an equally well-regarded writer, and the portrait of their bond offers a rare depiction of romantic love that seems to have elevated both writers’ bodies of work. Brooks includes a touching description of the last evening She spent with Horwitz, which involved an event for his final book, Spying on the South, held at Nashville’s Parnassus Books.

Memorial Days strikes a seemingly impossible balance among all its elements. Brooks may have given herself permission to “wallow” in her grief during her time on Flinders Island, but

her account of what happens there never submerges us in extremity of feeling. We willingly follow her through this rite of passage, however dark it gets, knowing at every turn we are in trustworthy hands.

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

Memorial Days

By Geraldine Brooks

Viking

224 pages, $28

Brooks will discuss Memorial Days 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, at a ticketed event at Montgomery Bell Academy

With

MAKING UP FOR LOST TIME

her new podcast, Ellen Angelico

uncovers the story of a country star who burned out too fast and questions what it means to ‘make it’

BY HANNAH CRON

NASHVILLE IS KNOWN to most as the Music City, and has become a city of big dreams and a mecca for those with aspirations of celebrity. That identity is a part of Nashville’s DNA, but it’s also left a skewed view of success in its wake.

“Making it” in Nashville is measured by metrics here that are simply nonexistent elsewhere. For the hyper-successful — the Taylor Swifts and Garth Brookses of the world — it’s a catapult to international fame. If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. But for most, it lays out a game where talent is currency, but that particu-

lar “money” doesn’t always talk. Most need the right look, the right contacts and a whole lot of influence to make it big.

Nashville-based podcast platform We Own This Town’s latest series, Girl in a Hurry: The Shelly Bush Story, is a (re)introduction to a Lower Broadway stalwart, country singer-songwriter Shelly Bush. For decades you couldn’t go long into a trip downtown without hearing Bush’s naturally polished vocal prowess, whether she was covering the hits of the ’90s and Aughts or playing her chart-worthy originals with her

Bush’s BroadBand for the last year-and-change of Bush’s life, and it’s an experience she never forgot. She originally set out to preserve Bush’s story as an oral history project on her website, but quickly discovered there was far too much information for the uninitiated to parse through alone.

“My goal with this whole project, even before it was a podcast, is to correct the historical record about Shelly’s importance,” says Angelico. And correct it she does. The podcast, out Friday, Feb. 14 — the 10th anniversary of her death — covers Shelly Bush’s life story, stretched across six episodes with commentary from Bush’s family, friends and bandmates, many of whom still work in Nashville today.

“Shelly is gone, but the people who lived this story are not,” says Angelico. “They are still around, they are still playing gigs. They are fleet managers of auto-part delivery services, they are parents, they are still in the community, and they matter. This is now for them. Shelly can’t listen to it, so that’s who I’m trying to honor.”

It’s a weighty thing to try to capture the life and legacy of someone you care about so deeply, especially when that person can no longer speak for themselves on the matter. This wasn’t lost on Angelico, who worked carefully to honor Bush’s memory and wishes while still discussing important parts of her life that she preferred to keep behind closed doors. Bush lived with a congenital disability as well as Tourette’s syndrome, knowledge of which is crucial to contextualizing her story, but it’s difficult to find the balance between erasure and posthumous martyrdom.

“I realized how much history is in the telling when I made this podcast because I told it — it’s through my lens,” says Angelico. “Shelly might’ve seen it differently. Her best friends might’ve seen it differently. Her parents might’ve seen it differently. It feels like a lot of responsibility to be holding Shelly’s story this way.”

Girl in a Hurry: The Shelly Bush Story release party Thursday, March 6, at the Analog at Hutton Hotel

The first episode will air Friday, Feb. 14, on multiple platforms

all-female backing band, humorously known as BroadBand. (The podcast shares its name with one of Bush’s own songs.) Those who knew Bush remember her talent, her humor, her dogged determination and her devotion to her work. She seemed destined to make it big before her untimely death in 2015.

“I loved Shelly, I played with Shelly, and I missed the shit out of her,” says Girl in a Hurry host Ellen Angelico, explaining why she wanted to start this project — an homage to the memory of her late friend. Angelico played in

There’s no way of knowing how Bush would’ve told her own story to the world, but as Angelico tells it, Bush was a star. She never got the record deal she dreamed of, but she was a big deal to many of her peers, and that remains true today.

From her propensity for misquoting song lyrics mid-performance to her insistence on looking good onstage no matter how big the crowd, Bush lives on through the memories of her friends and family — and now with the rest of the world. Her longtime friends and fans new and old are invited to a release party and special live taping of a bonus episode on March 6 at the Analog at Hutton Hotel.

If only Shelly Bush could be here to see it — she might understand how much success she really had.

“You are more than your accomplishments,” says Angelico. “You may be accomplishing more than you realize. Just because you’re not famous doesn’t mean you don’t matter, and Shelly mattered a lot.” ▼

DAD OF THE YEAR

Tim Heidecker tours post-apocalyptic America on Slipping Away

BY SEAN L. MALONEY

A CONFESSION: I totally missed the apocalyptic themes on Tim Heidecker’s new album Slipping Away. They were there the whole time, and they were obvious, and yet in the context of early 2025, even the darkest moments seemed like even-handed observations about contemporary life when I was in the school drop-off line worrying about impending doom. Slipping Away, with its sinewy sounds and fluid structures and its evolution from breezy folk-rock to bristling indie over 10 tracks, fit so squarely into the ever-present anxiety of post-democracy suburbia. I felt seen, as the kids say — so seen that it took a conversation with Heidecker, who plays The Basement East on Friday with his Very Good Band, to put it all together.

“It was 2022, and I think there were just a lot of apocalyptic thoughts going on in my head,” says Heidecker. “I started to think about a sort of end-of-the-world concept record and just being around these players and doing sound check and warming up and sitting around the bus listening to music and talking about music a lot more than I would with comedy people.”

This is Heidecker’s third rock album, but he’s still most commonly associated with his trailblazing comedy career. Co-creator of Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, the mind-warping Aughts-era Adult Swim show that set the bar for how weird alternative comedy could be, Heidecker has also appeared in blockbusters like Bridesmaids and Jordan Peele’s Us. He’s also a podcast pioneer, his On Cinema at the Cinema and Office Hours Live blazing a trail for modern comedy internet shows.

But if you are looking for the weird and wild vibe that has defined his career, you’re going to have to scratch below the surface of Slipping Away, where the structures of standard rock fare are stretched and squeezed in ways that would give your average Music Row writer an embolism. Verses get extra bars, bars get extra notes, lyrics bounce around with a buoyancy and brightness that belies the doom beneath. Take “Hey, Would You Call My Mom for Me,” which has an early-morning brightness and soft-focus beauty while relating the saddest story I’ve heard in ages. It is gorgeous and catchy and fucking brutal.

“I think there’s a thing that happens where I don’t really know what I want to write about, but my subconscious usually tells me what to write about,” says Heidecker. “So that’s where the original germs, the early germs of things start, and then you get a clearer picture of what you’re dealing with or you want to talk about.

“That helps you kind of be a little bit more focused, and you can actually do the work then,” he continues. “Because songwriting is half inspiration that comes out of nowhere and

half essentially word-puzzle work. It’s like there’s a workmanship to, ‘All right, this song should have a certain structure, need things to rhyme, need things to make sense.’”

The results evoke some of the great writers of our time — the cleverness of John Prine, the homespun coziness of Guy Clark — before shifting to a Cormac McCarthy-meets-Mickey Newbury grit on tracks like “Bows and Arrows” and “I Went Into Town.” Heidecker’s keen eye

for humanity prevents the album from being subsumed by sadness, using glimmers of hope as counterpoints to the darkness that surrounds the Suburban Dads of the Apocalypse. It is craftsmanship that rewards deep listening and repeated listening even if — especially if — you missed the big themes the first time around.

“I certainly am aware of the rhythmic and tonal sounds of words, and how they can be detrimental to your song or helpful to your song,”

he says. “And that’s part of that puzzle building, puzzle making, puzzle solving element to it. That’s a fun challenge. I love it.” ▼

Playing 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14 at The Basement East

GREAT LAKE STATE OF MIND

BY MATTHEW LEIMKUEHLER

THERE’S SOMETHING about a rock show on a Friday night that just feels right.

Outside the club, the world seems perpetually fueled by anxiety and tension. But inside these beer-soaked sanctuaries, six-string escapism prevails — for a few hours, at least. Instead of scrolling through posts about our impending doom, people can stand shoulder to shoulder, sweaty and sore-voiced as they sing along to candid stories. With each hook, the band brings a wave of sound that makes the noise outside feel a little less loud. The turmoil that inevitably awaits us outside the club’s walls? It can wait.

And on Friday night at The Basement East,

nished self-awareness with album single “Emotional” and fan favorite sing-along “Misery.”

“Can we just take it in for a second?” Singer said at one point early in the show. He paused, then added: “After 10 years of being an artist, which is a weird word to call yourself, I put out my debut album today with so many of my best friends and so many talented people from this city. It just feels so special.”

The celebration continued with Singer digging into Michigander songs like “Peace of Mind” — a co-write with go-to Nashville rock producer Butch Walker — and the punk-tinged standout “Socialite.” He occasionally moved to the keyboard, like during the polished number “Breaker Box,” or acoustic guitar, which accompanied “I’ll Be OK,” a synthy pop-rock tune dedicated to battling anxiety. He and his band prefaced a few songs with snippets of cherry-picked covers, like Chappell Roan’s “Coffee” before new song “Important,” or the U2 classic “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”

indie-rock band Michigander proved the perfect soundtrack for a rowdy forget-the-world-andhave-fun show. The project of singer-songwriter Jason Singer — a native of (you guessed it) Michigan who relocated to Nashville in 2022 — ’Gander packed the Music City stronghold to celebrate the release of Michigander, a debut LP that comes nearly a decade after Singer self-released his debut single.

Michigander’s adopted-hometown album release show comes after years of paying dues on the road. Singer cut his teeth playing basement gigs for gas money, releasing music on Bandcamp and lobbying college radio for airplay time. Now he’s caught a well-earned wave of buzz for his collection of earnest songs that come backed by sticky melodies and just-loudenough riffs.

On Friday, Singer and his band filled The Basement East with an audience led by 20-something kids hungry for indie-rock hooks. (If you’ve been near Belmont campus, you know the type.)

Onlookers heard Singer and his band channel heartland-rock balladeering on the show-starting number “Broadcast” — also the album opener — before moving into a take on unvar-

before the sprawling, wintry love tune “East Chicago, IN.”

And the night featured a few pop-up guests, of course. Sought-after local songwriter Trent Dabbs joined Michigander for “Better,” a track he co-wrote for the new album. Friend-of-the-band Young Ritual opened the show, while support came from Sydney Sprague. An Arizona native, Sprague spun a sharp set of indie-rock tunes anchored by truth-telling wordplay. (Seriously, don’t sleep on the song “Quitter.”)

The show reached a crescendo when Michigander kicked into the 2023 song “Superglue,” complete with a nah-nah-nah singalong conducted by Singer during the song’s uber-catchy reprise. From there, the band turned to 2020 single “Let Down” before addressing onlookers for a final word of thanks.

“We love you so much,” Singer said as the band readied “Giving Up,” the show-closing number. “You are our community. This is our home. … It’s not about who you are, but who you’re with.”

The worst part? After it ended, it was time to step back into the real world. ▼

TAKE A ’GANDER: MICHIGANDER

FILM

SWEET STREAMS (ARE MADE OF THIS)

Seven romantic recommendations to stream on Valentine’s Day BY LOGAN BUTTS

WITH SO MANY options available in the endless morass that is the streaming universe, it can be hard to find the exact right movie to watch on any given night — and that’s doubly true for a night like Valentine’s Day. Luckily, we here at the Scene are fans of romantic movies of all stripes. We’ve rounded up seven recommendations of thematically appropriate films released in the past few years — ranging from rom-coms to dramas to thrillers — that you may have missed. If you’re staying in with your sweetheart, try throwing one of these on. We stuck to films we have not reviewed in full, which means you will not be seeing the likes of recent genre classics such as Past Lives, All of Us Strangers or Bros here — all of which are currently streaming, and all of which are worth a watch.

AM I OK? ON MAX

I’m in the Dakota Johnson hive — I think she’s underrated. Married directing duo Stephanie Allynne and Tig Notaro give Johnson more than usual to work with in 2022’s Am I OK?, in which Johnson’s character struggles through romantic and platonic relationship issues. We also get to see a warmer side of co-star Sonoya Mizuno, who usually leans icy. I’m a sucker for a good friendship movie.

FIRE ISLAND ON HULU

Inspired by Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Andrew Ahn’s Fire Island is my favorite of the two Bowen Yang-starring rom-coms released in 2022. The biggest takeaway from this one was how well Joel Kim Booster, known more for his writing and stand-up comedy, can act.

HIT MAN ON NETFLIX

If you and your partner are looking for something a little darker on Valentine’s Day, or

if you simply need another Glen Powell movie rec after watching Anyone but You, check out last year’s genre mashup from Richard Linklater. What starts out as a goofy comedy morphs into a steamy romance, and then transforms a second time into something a bit more sinister.

THE IDEA OF YOU ON AMAZON PRIME

For someone who works so much in parody and satire, writer-director Michael Showalter — who also helmed the excellent The Big Sick and is known for his work with sketchcomedy crew The State — has a great handle on earnest rom-coms, a rarity these days. Anne Hathaway once again cooks in this 2024 film as a 40-year-old single mom and artist who gets romantically involved with Totally Not Harry Styles. (Nicholas Galitzine co-stars as Hayes Campbell, The Idea of You’s stand-in for the British pop star.) Of all the streamers spamming romantic movies, Amazon has lowkey put together the best roster.

RYE LANE ON HULU

For my money, 2023’s Rye Lane is the best movie on this list. Criminally underseen, Raine Allen-Miller’s visually inventive and emotionally satisfying film feels as if Spike Lee directed a London-set entry in Linklater’s Before trilogy. With star-making performances from everyone’s new favorite android David Jonsson and soon-to-blow-up Vivian Oparah, Rye Lane has everything you want from a romcom — a great sense of place, legitimately funny jokes and simmering chemistry from its two leads.

SOMEBODY I USED TO KNOW ON AMAZON PRIME

Husband-and-wife duo Dave Franco and Alison Brie have now teamed up for a successful pair of Franco-directed and Briestarring genre exercises. (The Rental is a good horror movie!) This charming 2023 take on the My Best Friend’s Wedding formula is very familiar, but an enjoyable cast — including Kiersey Clemons, Jay Ellis, Danny Pudi and Haley Joel Osment — makes up for any derivative turns.

WE LIVE IN TIME, AVAILABLE TO RENT OR PURCHASE

I’m still surprised by how little buzz John Crowley’s follow-up to the Oscar-nominated Brooklyn generated. Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield have strong chemistry in this nonlinear 2024 weepie that’s also funnier than expected. There was not a dry eye in the theater when I saw this in the fall. We need more well-made, heart-wrenching romantic dramas with movie stars! ▼

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2 Off-line, to those online

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9 Bit of medieval weaponry

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39 More than a few

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47 Composer Stravinsky

49 The whole shebang

51 Challenge for a skier

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53 Realm of Charlemagne, for short

54 Fashion designer’s asset

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PUZZLE BY DAVID P. WILLIAMS

IN THE CHANCERY COURT FOR THE STATE OF TENNESSEE TWENTIETH JUDICIAL DISTRICT, DAVIDSON COUNTY No. 24-1273-II

IN RE: THE MATTER OF NAME CHANGE OF KALIYHA FINLEY-GRAY BY NEXT FRIEND: PATRICIA GRAY Petitioner, vs. TARVISO FINLEY Whereabouts Unknown Respondent.

ORDER

Call

IT IS ORDERED, ADJUDGED, and DECREED that the Motion for Service by Publication filed by Petitioner, Patricia Gray, as Next Friend of her granddaughter, Kaliyha FinleyGray, is hereby granted and it is hereby ordered that Respondent, Tarviso Finley, will be served by publication notice in The Nashville Scene, a newspaper published in Davidson County, Tennessee for a period of four (4) consecutive weeks. IT IS ORDERED.

ANNE C. MARTIN CHANCELLOR, PART II

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