On a recent Sunday night, in the Holiday Inn lounge around Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Paul JeffersonA local songwriter with spiky hair and skinny jeans, took the stage to sing some of his famous songs made famous by Keith Urban and Aaron Tippin’s recordings. Between ‘You’re Not My God’ and ‘That’s as Close as I’ll Get to Loving You’, he explores that, including making songs, finding inspiration, and playing gigs at airports. On the same day, he appeared on the longest-running radio program in the country.
“This is the story of Nashville. From baggage claim Grand Ole Opry‘ he joked.
For many songwriters, the road to discovery begins in Nashville clubs like this one. The club hosts free or inexpensive writer’s nights, where writers perform original songs. In the past, these showcases were a way of securing publishing and recording deals. Social media channels and televised talent shows have weakened as audition channels, but remain important forums for many artists who contribute lyrics and melodies. For country music, pop stars, or aspiring stars.
“I’m old school,” said Mr. Jefferson.
For music fans, Songwriters Night offers a glimpse into Music City’s most famous businesses. Tim McGraw And then you get the chance to hear a current or possibly future hit, stripped of studio frills and distilled to its essence.
Most songwriters’ nights are held earlier in the week, as clubs still reserve prime time on weekends for big acts (one exception is clubs). 3rd place and Lindsley, there will be a Saturday afternoon showcase). Arriving for her four-day stay on Sunday, I checked into a studio with a stylish new Murphy bed. BentoLiving Chestnut Hill ($125) Attended three shows in the Wedgwood Houston area a few miles south of downtown.
Nashville is booming, new resident every hour According to Mayor John Cooper, it’s not hard to tap into the frugal side when it comes to music over the past decade, despite the pandemic (though Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, admission starts at almost $28). Most shows are free or cheap ($5 to $10 admission), and there are plenty of hearty, cafeteria-style restaurants at affordable prices. Arnold’s Country Kitchen ($13 for meat and 3 sides) Go to Burger Joint Joyland From Chef Sean Bullock (burgers start at about $6).
From beginner to pro
Moderately on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays commodore grill At my first destination Holiday Inn, the host Debi Champions Songwriters Nighta starter showcase for up-and-coming players, a proving ground for working writers, and a warm home for successful veterans.
A free show, starting at 6pm, showcases new talent. A trio share the stage, each taking turns performing three of her assigned songs.
“Hit writers give aspiring writers a chance to meet and talk to people who have done really good things. said to Jason Aldean When Chris Young In the middle. Mr. Champion is a low-key, family host, perched like gravel from a soundboard stool in the back of a darkened room, introducing musicians and occasionally offering backup vocals or whistling solos over a mic. .
“We call her a songwriter champion. Curry J. Phillipsis a songwriter who runs a farm and raises Australian cattle dogs in Carthage, Tennessee, and drives about 50 miles into the city to play showcases several times a month.
About 20 writers spent over 3 hours covering a wide range of styles, including a provocative call-and-response number from Mr. Phillips. In the first round, Alexandra Rose moved to sing about her dementia. Among veteran writers, Ryan LarkinsRecently co-written by “Whisper Bill” Anderson and Dolly Parton, he strummed a blues-like “Lincoln-like love.”Even novel songs, writers and performers Jerry K. Green “If you think my tractor is sexy, you should look at my plow,” she sang, causing the audience to cheer.
With a couple visiting from California while drinking $6 draft beer Jerry Foster, a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, who appeared in Nashville in May 1967 and cut (or recorded) with Charlie Pryde by that summer. With his partner Bill Rice, he went on to write thousands of songs. In a showcase he calls home, the 87-year-old gregarious showman performed “Song and Dance Man,” cut by Johnny Paycheck in 1973 and recorded by Charlie Pryde in 1968. We played a few songs, including “The Easy Part’s Over.” by a jazz legend. “Not many hillbillies got Louis Armstrong’s cut, but we did,” he winks.
“Ten Year Town”
The songwriting profession is celebrated near downtown Music Row. Here, former residential bungalows in recently constructed office buildings are seemingly filled with record companies and publishers. Here, yard signs often pay tribute to the authors of hit songs.
“We throw a party for them when they hit #1,” said Leslie Roberts, BMI’s assistant vice president of creative. Virgin Hotels Nashville at Music Row.
“They call Nashville the town of the decade,” she said, referring to the ten years it usually takes for writers to hone their craft and become established. It takes that dedication to persevere.”
Nashville’s reverence for music is reflected in its biggest attractions, including your next stop downtown, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. There, Chris Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee” and “I Still Can’t Believe You’re.” Willie Nelson’s “Gone” were among the relics on display.
By noon, on Nashville’s famous Honky Tonk Strip a few blocks away, Lower Broadway, music spilled out of every bar. From an open window in one club, a woman was singing a cover of the Zak Brown Band’s “Chicken Fried” out loud to passers-by. Pedal trolleys and party her bus passengers loudly passed by.
Broadway ends at Greenway by the Cumberland River after four blocks of mainly clubbing. There, street musician Jack Springhill strummed “Blackwater” by The Doobie Brothers on his acoustic guitar for hints. He considers himself a Broadway gauntlet, or a “wasabi taste cleanser” to what he called “New Vegas,” and has performed his own humorous original “Batman Loves His You.” , it is his favorite technique.
change the subject
Compared to the noisy Broadway, listening room cafeHoused in a former International Harvester showroom in the SoBro neighborhood just a few blocks away, the club is a sanctuary of songs meant to be heard, not yelled at. Rows of tables filled with an audience of all ages nibbling on barbecued pork rush up onto the theatrically lit stage.
“People looking for the real Nashville, if they’re lucky, will find this room or the Writer’s Room,” says Todd Cassetti, founder of the club’s Monday Night Showcase. I was. suffragefeaturing an all-female lineup of singer-songwriters.
Song Suffragettes was born in 2014, inspired by the lack of women in the genre. A study found that only about 14% of the songs played on national radio each year were written by women. song data projectexploring music culture.
Over the course of eight years, Song Suffragettes vetted over 2,000 applicants and invited approximately 350 women to perform. About 75 of them are under contract for recording or publishing.Breakout stars include singers Gailwhose pop anthem “ABCDEFU” topped charts worldwide in 2021.
That night, Kaylin Roberson Leading a 20-something quintet, he took to the intimate stage with a shag rug, canvas backdrop and five mismatched chairs. Each round started with a full-throated Paige Rose.whiskey drinker’ It sounded like radio ready. Julie Williams brought social realism to her songs about being of mixed race.complex feeling” sam hat maker‘s views on women’s empowerment were raw and urgent. Sasha McveyThe lone first-time attendee thanked the audience for being here for her “to-do list moment.”
6th performer, Mia Morris18, are the only regulars at the showcase, adding beats to each song from over the cajón, a boxy percussion instrument.
After the show, Ms. Roberson, a sunny MC wearing orange bell-bottoms and a black camisole, spoke about how the song challenges the conventions of suffragette singing compared to popular country music.
“Country music radio is really behind,” said the irrepressible singer-songwriter, who appeared on a pre-recorded episode of “American Idol” that night to air her successful audition for the show. rice field.
apex showcase
The concept of Writer’s Night is bluebird cafe, a legendary club in a modest strip mall five miles from downtown, where Garth Brooks was discovered and Taylor Swift was recruited for a new recording startup. But it has become popular and synonymous with film (including Peter Bogdanovic’s 1993 film What Is Called Love) and television (the series “Nashville”).
The songwriter continues to return to Bluebird, who turned 40 in June. Bluebird General Manager Erica Wallum Nichols said: “If you’re sitting in this room facing the grill of a lot of people, you’ll know if your song is doing well.”
Audition for aspiring songwriters to create Bluebird’s curated Sunday night showcase (free entry, $10 food and beverage minimum). Others are interested in attending the free open mics on Monday nights. It was so popular that the club did online registration.
Established writer headlines show the rest of the week (usually $10 to $15 admission). In a recent program, Warren BrothersBrett and Brad have been writing songs together for over 25 years, producing a string of hits, including nine No. 1s.
“If I ever get the chance to play with Bluebird, I always say yes,” Brett told the audience. “It’s a magical place.”
In a packed room of about 80 people gathered at a table just a foot below the stage, the duo performed radio hits ranging from the haunting “The Highway Don’t Care” to the sultry “Felt Good on My Lips.” We played the song for an hour. Recorded by Tim McGraw. The woman from Florida who sat next to me liked their version of “Little Bit of Everything” more than Keith Urban’s.
By the time we got to the 2011 sobriety anthem “Red Solo Cup,” recorded by Toby Keith, the audience was singing along. party. “
“I know what you’re thinking,” Brett interjected as he played a bouncy tune. “If that’s what it takes to write to be a hit country songwriter, I’m moving to Nashville.”
Elaine Glusac writes the Frugal Traveler column. Follow her on her Instagram @eglusac.