The Kids With Guitars Are Back

The kids with guitars are back. Or maybe they never left, but young men and women with guitars cases and amps in tow are a common sight around Music Row and all over downtown Nashville again. That’s a sure sign things are getting better.

I visited a place called the DawgHouse Saloon near Music Row this week at about 9 p.m. on a rainy Tuesday night. The sound system was great, and that was the first thing I noticed. No crappy sound, and that’s a big difference from early times when I first hit town.

You can hear the bro sound influence in these newly minted singers. The songs have a LOT of lyrics, and mostly tell stories. No simple love songs from these men and women. But it felt fresh and cool, and it made me more than ever miss a place called The Stockyard Bull Pen Lounge where lots of action took place in the ’80s/’90s.

Nashville and Music Row have changed so much. Sad that the place where Elvis once recorded and another where Paul McCartney, Neil Young and Grand Funk recorded great music don’t even have historical markers.

The music scene is different depending on where you are around town. The honky tonks downtown are running at full speed. Musicians a-plenty are giving it all they’ve got. The drunken bachelorettes and tourists are the Baskin-Robbins of fans. They range from A to Z in dress, tastes and behavior. Some are just crazy, and the cops have their hands full.

No matter how crazy it gets, it is just great to see the once cold and lonely Lower Broadway back in action.

The last week seems to have had one big tour announcement per day. The touring machine is gearing up for a little in late May and much more from July forward. The U.S.A. seems mixed on getting vaccinated. A lot is riding on these shots, and some don’t seem to be moving off the anti-vax position. If we don’t reach herd immunity, things may be back to a very bad place in late fall/early winter. How awful will that be?

PBS is using Vince Gill and Alan Jackson for its Memorial Day TV show. Mickey Guyton is singing the national anthem. AJ just signed up to play the closing night of the Music City Grand Prix in August. Alan getting back on stage is a great thing!

Good luck if you are moving to Middle Tennessee and are not a lottery winner. Real estate prices are gold rush prices. If you own a place and moving to the woods, great, but taxes, housing and even gasoline are high as a kite. Gas in Brentwood, TN today was $3.09 for regular! Those kids with guitars better have more than a few roommates or a trust fund!

Miranda Lambert is just everywhere these days, and so are Thomas Rhett and Eric Church. All are celebrating new music. Morgan Wallen is still in timeout, but with a few sightings lately.

Spring weather couldn’t be crazier with 11 tornadoes in one day this week around Middle Tennessee. 2021 is still trying to decide if this is a spin your wheels year or a prison break. The second half is shaping up like the prison break if a few people don’t derail the train.