Tin Pan South

This is my first blog for Owen Bloggers. (Hi, I'm Erin.) I had aspirations to write a well thought out piece, but instead, you get me fresh off an incredible Nashville night this past Friday.  I was so inspired, I couldn't NOT write about it...

Tonight there was a reception at Owen as a part of Welcome Weekend.  I spent a couple hours chatting up admitted students, explaining to them why I love Owen and why a move to Nashville is the right choice.  I get very passionate and animated when someone asks what I love about Nashville; I never know where to start.  After tonight, however, if someone asks me what I love about Nashville, I would know where to start.  I would tell them about Tin Pan South. 

Every spring a music festival is held in Nashville called Tin Pan South.  It is unlike any other, in that it features just the songwriters.  Think of it like a VH1 Storytellers, where songwriters sit on the stage with just a mic and an acoustic guitar and tell the stories behind their hits.  This festival goes on for 5 days in 9 different venues around the city. 

After the reception at Owen, I headed over to the Rutledge, a smaller venue downtown that holds about 250 people, to catch one of the Tin Pan South shows.  It was a collection of local Nashville songwriters playing in the round, which means they all stay on the stage the whole time and take turns singing their songs. I like shows in the round because I have a tendency to get bored easily, and it is hard to get bored when someone different sings every song.   

As is my usual, I was running really late, and got to the venue about 20 minutes after the show started. It was packed, but I was able to secure a spot to lean against the back wall.  Luckily, the Rutledge is such a small room, it still feels like you are a part of the action even from the back row.  There were 4 songwriters playing tonight:  Dave Barnes, Derek Webb, Thad Cockrell, and Alli Rogers.  None of them have record deals; none of them are particularly famous.  They are, however, incredibly talented local Nashville gems. There is so much talent in this place.

After the first round of songs was over, I noticed there was an extra stool on the stage off to the right. The absolute best thing about seeing live music in Nashville is that you never know who is going to show up.  (i.e. going to see Keith Urban and getting a surprise appearance from Martina McBride during the encore to do an unplanned duet, just because they thought it would be fun)

That's when it happened.  

On to the stage walked Jonny Lang.  Jonny Lang, blues prodigy, recording artist, Grammy-winner, Jonny Lang.  He just happens to be in Nashville this week working on his next record, and he just happens to be friends with a songwriter who just happened to invite him to be the surprise unannounced guest at the Rutledge tonight.  

It. was. amazing.  For the next 2 hours, it was incredible music from 4 Nashville locals, and Jonny Lang, over and over and over again in the round.

(From L-R that's: Alli Rogers, Thad Cockrell, Derek Webb, Dave Barnes, and JONNY LANG)

Tomorrow night, I am planning on catching another of the Tin Pan South shows and I cannot wait. Guess that means I am putting off my Business in the World Economy quiz one more night…