Nashville was the next stop on my Americana road trip. As a closet singer songwriter I’ve always been curios about the Nashville songwriting scene. I was only there for a day but got a good a sense of what it has to offer.
When I first arrived I checked into a hostel where I had booked a bed for the night. The hostel caters mainly to international travelers and attracts a good number of aspiring songwriters and musicians. I met a Canadian who just arrived after a 20 hour bus ride and a Swedish woman who was trying to accomplish as much as she could before her visa ran out. The hostel appears to be the starting point for many aspiring musicians arriving for the first time. The place had a good feel but I’d probably avoid it if fully booked. The place isn’t that big and facilities are quite basic and limited. The kitchen is small and there’s a shortage of bathrooms. Nonetheless, it was perfectly adequate for a night. The main appeal of a hostel environment is the ease in which it is to meet people and make connections. Especially for those who are new to town.
Since I arrived early I basically had a full day. The first place I checked out was Broadway. It’s the main area for live music. Nashville is a country music town but I’ve been told you can find all types, however, all I saw was country an bluegrass. What’s kind of nice is that you can find a variety of live music just about anytime of day, any day of the week. You don’t have to wait until 9 pm on a Friday to see the first act. Around 3 pm I went from bar to bar checking out bands and admired quality memorabilia that decorated most venues. There’s a good block or two of music but it's kind of a small scene from what I’d expect for such a big music town.
After a nice day on Broadway I returned to the Hostel. It didn’t take much thought to decide on the Bluebird Café for the evening. The Bluebird is ground zero for the Nashville Songwriters specifically. It’s the kind of place where you go to listen to the words and no one speaks while a song is being played.
In Nashville you have musicians, entertainers, and songwriters. You can find great musicians, entertainers, and songwriters but it far less common to find a single person who is great at all three art forms. Many, if not most, of the hit songs coming out of Nashville are not written by the entertainer who takes it to number one on the charts. Chances are some average looking low key singer/songwriter wrote it and pitched it to a large publishing company who pitched it to a notable star. The Bluebird is a venue that caters to the songwriter who remains relatively unknown even after writing chart busting hits.
What I like about the songwriter scene is that everyone is very approachable, low key, and for the most part very friendly. It creates a much different kind of atmosphere.
The Bluebird is a small venue. I was there on a Thursday and there were two sittings with songwriters in the round. The first show was free and I squeezed in to catch the last 20 minutes. I wasn’t all that into the female songwriters of the first show but I decided to take a chance on the next set. Luckily, I was able to make a reservation for a table spot.
With the first set over everyone was kicked out to ready the place for the second show. When the doors reopened I paid the $10 cover and couldn’t believe where I was seated. Songwriter in the round is just like it sounds. Songwriters sit in a circle and everyone takes a turn singing one of their songs. I was basically seated in the circle just to the side a bit. I actually had to be careful that I didn't bump a guitar while someone was playing. It was great for me because I could see the chord changes and observe unimpaired while also getting a sense of what it would be like to be in the circle. Seriously, all I had to do was throw my knee around with a guitar and I would have been a part of the round.
It was totally random that I was seated where I was and I almost got the feeling something was trying to tell me somethin. A songwriter by the name of Rick Huckaby got the show started with solid lyrics and skillful guitar playing. There were four male artists and each took turns at the mike. The quality of song and writing was what I’d expect and a huge step up from the first set of musicians. Time between songs was filled with humor and story. As expected a number of the songs had been picked up by larger acts and did well on the charts. One writer played a song he referred to as a mini number one because it wasn’t number one for long, however, it had been number one. They were all thoroughly seasoned writers who had been in Nashville for a long time. It sounded like each had their own record deal at one time or another but for whatever reason just couldn’t make it big. Nashville is a haven for these types. One of the writers explained how he just had a song picked up by Rascal Flats that will be released on their up coming Cd. Kind of like a miner digging for gold the songwriter works for the chance to write a number one single. The mystery is no matter how good your song may be it's all subjective and you never know what's going to take.
The evening at the Bluebird was both inspiring and entertaining. Afterwords I called it a night. The following morning I got up and ran around a replica of the Parthenon, in a park, then proceeded on to the next segment of my Americana road trip, Asheville, North Carolina.
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