Off To Nashville

Ruby Falls

Onwards to Nashville

I-24 N near Whiteside, TN

The weather today is as yesterday, blue sky and sunny, but even warmer at 91º F / 33º C. I’d programmed a route stop nearby the Falls at a Walmart to get some supplies like deodorant and beer. That completed, it’s back on I-24 W which I’d switched on to just before Chattanooga.

Not that the change made any difference to the drive. The road is still flat, trees every now and again but completely featureless. So a really quite boring drive that brings my mood down a bit. Maybe I’m still getting back into road trip mode.

From what I can see road-side it looks like mostly arable farming country, wheat or barley I think. I recalled from my previous visit to Nashville, tonight’s stop, that Interstates passed right through the city center. I think I’m on that same road but from a different direction. Then I don’t have to travel very far after getting off I-24 before I arrive at the Hyatt Place Hotel.

Back on Honky Tonk Row

I park on the street right outside whilst I check-in, then go and self-park in the hotel’s garage attached next door. After my usual trip maintenance for tomorrow back in my room, I leave the hotel at 7.30 pm to walk the short distance to Broadway, or Honky Tonk Row. It’s full of life as I remember it – but what a choice, where to start?

My plan is like last time, to sample as many bars with music as possible. The key is to work out what type of music is on before committing to buying a beer. I wander in the immediate vicinity for a few minutes then settle on Redneck Riviera Bar & BBQ as the first port of call. There’s a rock-ish band playing. It’s a good atmosphere inside for what on Broadway is a small-ish bar. I order a beer and some nachos.

The band and its leader, Mike Ponder, have struck up a good rapport and repartee with the crowd. I recognise some songs like Sharp Dressed Man, Space Cowboy and Fly Like An Eagle but as usual these days there’s a lot I don’t know. But the (younger than me) audience, albeit most of them only about 20 years younger, know them all and lap it up.

I like it, I just don’t know it. Such that I’d like to stay but feel the need to move on to somewhere else. The nachos weren’t very good, with not enough chilli and to many jalapenos. I had my fill and left half of it. Even inside the first two days I’ve had numerous conversations with barmen about enormous portion size still being out of control. Why does America not learn?

Moving Around

My next stop is Posty’s. Brian Thomas, a rock-type act, is on stage and he’s quite good. The bar however does not serve draught beer so after a few songs I leave. Then I went to Tin Roof. Here, a rock band fronted by Kaitlin Walker was good. She sang songs I didn’t know from Nirvana and Paramour (she announced the band but not the song title), amongst others.

After that it was Honky Tonk Central to catch the last song of a female fronted band. They were great but I couldn’t find their name and it was the end of their set, so a bit of a shame.

And so on to Robert’s. I asked a bouncer what style the band was and he said country in a punk style. Sounded intriguing. Inside I found a three piece band led by the lead guitarist and vocalist and, oh boy, were they good. First up they played Rawhide in an absolute blitz punk style. Absolutely brilliant! No idea who they were again. Seems bands have stopped or forgotten to put their name on the bass drum or stick posters on the wall advertising who they are. Or maybe they are not allowed to?

Then to The Valentine, which is currently closed for a refurbishment apparently, slated to re-open some time in 2026. (It has now as Kane Brown’s On Broadway.) The band, again nameless, asked for requests. They get one. “We don’t know how to play that, never done it before” the singer replies.

The Magic of Technology

What I sussed out on this trip is that all the musicians have smart phones on their mic stands. They use them to call up the music of the covers they play. Obviously some tunes they know well – but not this time. They do however give the song in question a go – and they absolutely nail a version of The Cars’ You’re Just What I Needed, including the vocals.

Before getting to The Valentine I’d hit a changeover time between sets, like at Honky Tonk Central. Another bouncer I talked to earlier outside Nudies told me most bands rotate between venues across the street and they roughly co-ordinate changeover over times, in this case shutting down at 10 pm. The band setting up there had played it at 2 pm, gone somewhere else at 6 pm and were now back here. Fascinating…

The Valentine was the only venue with a live band now just gone 10 pm, so I stayed there until I went back to Nudies to see a 80s/90s punk band at 10.30 pm. The singer had a lot of energy and the band played well. The singer was haranguing the crowd to get excited: “We’re here until 2 am!”

But I wasn’t as soon after, as much as I liked their energised, punky performance, I decided it was time for bed. Jet lag was kicking in – it’s still only my third day – and I wanted to stay longer but really couldn’t.

I walked back along Honky Tonk Row, still buzzing as ever, to the hotel in the very warm night air, and then into bed.