Nashville: Music City

Strains of live music pour through the door of almost every bar or restaurant on the street as you pass by. Should you happen to duck into one, you'll find hoards of people sitting at the bar and surrounding tables, nursing beers while tapping their booted feet to the beat of the girl on the fiddle. Doesn't matter who's playing - whether it's a performer who has stopped by on their way to the Opry, or an up and coming guy with his guitar just trying to make a way for himself in Music City.

Unlike New York or Paris, or really any other city, you won't find the flagship shops of famous designers in downtown Nashville. What you will find are family owned stores for boots and guitars and records. I suppose you could, in theory, hop on a bus to Nashville and walk down Broadway, stopping shop by shop to pick up the clothes and instruments you need to become the next big country star. There's a reason people get discovered here; it's a city that lives and breathes only one thing - country music - and they love anyone who feels the same way.

Over the past few weeks, I've been asked numerous times what kind of music I like (sometimes in relation to talking about the trip to Nashville and the inherent assumption that I was going to see it because it is the mecca of country music), and never really knew what to answer. I blame my classical music career for my snobbery lack of direction when it comes to listening to bands and artists, and, as a result, all of my "favorite" artists feel like guilty pleasures. But while I was listening to a band in a bar, I came to the realization that my favorite kind of music is live music. I have very few stylistic prejudices in music, but no matter what kind, I would rather listen to music that is intentionally made by a human, in a moment of inspiration and love, over a record that produces an imitation of the real thing.

There was one stop in Nashville that I knew I had to make. Hatch Show Print is a legendary shop that has created posters for almost every event in Nashville, and even some beyond. They still print everything by hand letterpress, and you can watch the process while you stop in to buy a souvenir poster. AND THEY HAVE CATS. That hang out in the store. 

We stopped into Tootsie's, one of the famous bars on Broadway, and the girl playing the fiddle was amazing. The whole crowd started chanting her name - I think we were all in love with her. 

One of the quirky things about Nashville is its full-size replica of the Parthenon hanging out in Centennial park. It is as random as it sounds. We took a walk around that part of town (and the neighboring Hillsboro Village) and found a bunch of awesome food (including cupcakes) and adorable shops.

Oh yeah, and we met a puppy in the park. He wanted to take my sister home with him.

And I totally saved my favorite for last...

Nashville: Backstage at the Grand Ole Opry

My week in Nashville was nothing short of amazing. But the most surreal part was hanging out backstage at the Grand Ole Opry. It was a lot like living out a hazy dream from a very long time ago...one where backstage would have been a normalcy instead of an occasion, but filled with butterflies in my stomach instead of pure enjoyment.

Being the superstar personal trainer that she is, my sister has an Opry connection and was able to get passes go behind the scenes of the show. Never having been backstage to anything (except of course, my chorus concerts and theater productions back in the day, but that was amateur stuff), I wasn't really sure what to expect - how we would be treated (like royalty), if it would be laid back or restricted access (totally laid back), if the musicians would be friendly or make us feel like we were in the way (friendlier than people you'd meet on the street). I'm also the obnoxious fan who suffers from star-struck-itis, which is an unfortunate disease that makes your eyes bug out of your head and glues your mouth shut whenever a celebrity worthy of worship comes within ten-foot-pole-touching distance. Fortunately, I didn't really know any of the stars performing that night (that's not to say they aren't worth knowing, I just don't follow country music extremely closely), so we were relatively safe from an embarrassing episode. That, and my sister is more confident in these types of situations, so I could fall back on her whenever words trailed out of my mind.

But what is true about the Opry is also true about Nashville on the whole. It's an everybody knows everybody kind of town, where famous people treat you like their neighbor. It kind of makes you feel like you're special too. The musicians performing the night we were there were so friendly and accommodating, stopping for pictures with fans and signing autographs, but always asking how you've enjoyed Nashville and suggesting a place to eat, just like a good friend who wants to make sure you have the best time in their city.

In fact, Ricky Scaggs, who frequently performs at the Opry, even took the time to talk camera tech with me and, right as he was about to go on stage to play, pointed out another wedding photographer who happened to be back stage as well. I was so floored by his thoughtfulness and that small act of kindness, but that's the kind of place it was. A place that nurtures art and collaboration. My kind of town.

I should also mention that the dressing rooms were exquisitely decorated...in a fun, funky country vibe.

These girls were rocking awesome. I just wish I could remember their band name - it wasn't printed in the program that night because some other artist was listed instead but didn't perform. These beautiful chicas were from Australia and so super sweet.

 

And tomorrow...the rest of our adventures in Music City...