31-01-2025
An inside look at Nashville's 615 Indie Live festival
Since the jarring days in March 2020, when government shutdown orders silenced concerts in Nashville, the city's independent music venues have struggled to find a foothold.
Why it matters: This weekend, the gritty venues that have kept going through a pandemic and rising costs are rallying together to put on a first-of-its-kind festival called 615 Indie Live. It's a "We're still standing" celebration.
The Saturday event is an all-day festival held at 14 independent venues and featuring local artists.
The vibe: A $15 ticket will get fans access to every show at every venue, space permitting. It's an ideal opportunity to discover artists you've never heard before in venues you've never visited.
What they're saying:"All of the recent data clearly shows that independent venues are a foundation of Nashville's live music ecosystem, yet they are quickly becoming an endangered species," festival organizer Chris Cobb said in a press release
Between the lines: The fight for survival is ongoing. Indie venues are still battling unprecedented challenges between real estate costs, corporatization and the razor thin profit margins of the concert business.
Zoom in: Long-running club operators like Chris Cobb at Exit/In and Todd Oldhauser at Mercy Lounge lost their leases.
The art-house DIY venue Drkmttr was forced to convert to a nonprofit and hold an emergency fundraising drive in order to stay open.
Vital cogs in the live music scene like the Basement East and Marathon Music Works entered into partnerships with corporate behemoth Live Nation.
If you go: Here are three artists and two venues worthy of your time:
Dee's Country Cocktail Lounge: A friendly neighborhood bar that doubles as a launching pad for ascending country and Americana artists, will host performances beginning at 2pm.
The End: The humble, and frequently very loud, old venue located on the Rock Block will feature veteran rockers the Pink Spiders, DeeOhGee and Richie Kirkpatrick on Saturday night.
Rudy's Jazz Room: Local soul legends the Wooten Brothers will perform at Nashville's only jazz club, one of the best kept secrets in the city's music scene.
Black Opry: The collective of Black country musicians has produced some of country music's most promising new artists in recent years. Black Opry is scheduled for back-to-back shows at Cannery Hall.
Six One Tribe: The Nashville hip-hop collective puts on an unparalleled live show featuring an array of artists. They play at the Basement at 9pm.
