I recently traveled to Chicago and Nashville to check out their music scenes and gain inspiration for my own song writing. As I've previously mentioned, it is the places I see and people I meet and learn from that inspire my song writing.
My first stop in Chicago was "The Gallery Cabaret" (http://www.gallerycabaret.com/). The Gallery Cabaret has been operating in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood since 1988 and is very popular with the locals. The Bucktown area is just north of downtown Chicago, a hot spot for open mic venues. When I arrived, I was struck the number of people of all ages and demographics both inside and outside the establishment. The host was a very enthusiastic young man named Peter who did a great job of keeping the energy high and treating the artists with respect.
Most of the performers were local, although there were a couple performers from Ireland. Musical styles of the performers ranged from soft solo acoustic music to 4 piece rock bands. The Gallery Cabaret is a diverse, inspiring, warm, and receptive environment for all types and styles of music. I highly recommend it for new and experienced open mic'rs. Get there early though because it is a very popular place.
My second stop was at "Miss Kitty's Saloon" (http://www.misskittyssaloon.com/) in Naperville Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago. On the outside, Miss Kitty's is a very unassuming place located in a small strip mall. It has been open since 1975. Once inside, I found it to be a very warm and inviting place. This particular night was "acoustic night". The performers were all acoustic singer/songwriters of varying styles and abilities and ranged from their early twenties to 83 years old. I was warmly greeted and felt like a local immediately.
I finally arrived in Nashville, the mecca of country music. Nashville is the silicon valley of the country music industry. Live country music permeates the city. You will find singer/songwriters at just about every bar and hotel in the city. Most are scratching out a living on tips with the hope of longer term success. My first stop was "music row", an area filled with recording studios and music production companies. I was struck by the shear number of businesses (easily in the hundreds) all competing in the country music arena. It was easy to see that Nashville is the world engine for country music and the number one destination for up and coming country music artists.
My next stop was Broadway street, the main drag of dozens of bars stacked next to each other, each with acoustic live country music. The music started at about 10:00 AM and ran all day and night. Being the mecca of country music, Nashville is extremely competitive with the best up and coming musicians and singer/songwriters I have seen. Many of the musicians are studio players on hit country songs on the radio. If you want to see the state of the art in country music musicians, singer/songwriters, and the country music stars of the future, Broadway street is the place to go.
I was particularly impressed by one singer/songwriter, Stevenson Everett (https://www.facebook.com/stevenclawsonmusic/). Stevenson was playing solo at Tequila Cowboy (http://tequilacowboy.com/nashville/), one of the many bars on Broadway. From what I can see, Stevenson has been on the scene for a couple years, although as is with most "new" artists, there have undoubtedly been many years of building. I could immediately see that he has a great deal of talent and a growing local fan base. Stevenson has several live and produced videos on YouTube. I predict (and hope) we'll be hearing more from Stevenson in the future.
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