So many songwriters, so little time. But with multiple nightclubs and five full nights of shows and two shows each night, you can’t go wrong at the annual Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival.
Keep in mind that the locations require some drive/ride-sharing time, but with careful planning there’s a good chance you’ll be able to see two shows a night. Here’s a road map of suggestions for each time slot.
Tuesday, March 26
6pm, 3rd and Lindsley. W.O. Smith Music School has provided affordable, quality music instruction for low-income families since 1984 and is recent enough to attend this gig. Add some of Music City’s most revered songwriters — MTSU grad Luke Laird just won his second Grammy for co-writing Kacey Musgraves’ Country Song of the Year “Space Cowboy” — and this is among Tin Pan’s must-see shows right out of the box.
9pm, The Lounge at City Winery. Keeping the Kacey Musgraves connection going, veteran singer-songwriter-producer Daniel Tashian co-produced her Grammy-winning Album of the Year “Golden Hour” and co-wrote Josh Turner’s chart-topping “Hometown Girl.”
Wednesday, March 27
6pm, The Local. This show should be as fun as its title, with former Trick Pony bassist Ira Dean bringing his irreverence to The Local’s laid-back stage off West End Avenue.
9pm, Hard Rock Cafe. Given that country radio remains a wasteland for female singers, supporting women who write should be front-and-center these days. Canadian singer-songwriting vet Victoria Banks has been a Nashvillian since 1998 and has written songs for Jessica Simpson and Sarah Evans, among many others.
Thursday, March 28
6pm, 3rd and Lindsley. Hot singer-songwriter Dave Barnes, also an MTSU grad, won a Dove Award for the 2018 Gospel Recorded Song of the Year “Washed By the Water.”
9pm, Station Inn. As one of Nashville’s most-treasured country and Americana acts, as well as one of its most in-demand emcees, the always-witty Jim Lauderdale is never more at home than at historic bluegrass beacon Station Inn. He leads a stellar cast of singer-songwriters, with Doug Seegers is as traditional country as you can get this side of George Jones.
Friday, March 29
6:30pm, Douglas Corner Cafe. Iconic songs and iconic songwriters abound in this lineup at the always cool Melrose roadhouse Douglas Corner Cafe, topped by the legendary Mac Davis with hits such as “Baby, Don’t Get Hooked on Me,” “In the Ghetto,” “Watching Scotty Grow,” and the ageless “A Little Less Conversation.”
9:30pm, Listening Room Cafe. With 26 No. 1 country songs under his belt, Craig Wiseman is known for hits such as Song of the Year “Live Like You Were Dying” as well as his influential Big Loud Shirt publishing company.
Saturday, March 30
6:30pm, Bluebird Cafe. What better way to relish songwriting mecca Bluebird Cafe than in the presence of the affable Tony Arata, and in-the-round regular best known for writing “The Dance” for some guy named Garth who got his break at the Bluebird years ago.
9:30pm, The Lounge at City Winery. Beyond their own stellar singer-songwriting careers in country, blues, and rowdy rock, you’d best know with guys as well-connected and revered as Gary Nicholson and Lee Roy Parnell, the term “special guests” shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Download the App
Download the Tin Pan South Festival app. It allows you to personalize your schedule, receive notifications of show changes, access a festival map and venue info, as well as news and social media feeds. Download the APP here.
Produced by Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), Tin Pan South reigns as the world’s largest all-songwriter festival. The 2018 festival featured over 400 talented songwriters performing 100 shows during the five-day event. Regions Bank returns for the 12th consecutive year as the presenting sponsor of the Festival. The event is part of Awesome April in Music City, a musical tribute to the city that promises a major event each weekend.
