Just back from Nashville... not much steel on lower broadway

Doug Paluch · From: Michigan, USA

My wife and I took our first trip to Nashville in 4 years. My last visit there was spring of '13, and it seemed at the time that there was a steel player sitting in with every band. This time out, it was a very different story. I scoured the scene for several days, and it seems to me that there were very few players sitting in with bands. Pardon my ignorance for not knowing their names, but I saw a gentleman that was a member of George Jone's band for 30 years, the fella that worked at steel Guitar Nashville (Vic? At least I think it was him), and Tommy Hannum. As much fun as I had listening to the great music that was thumping from the honky tonks, it was a little disheartening...

Billy Easton · From: Nashville, TN USA

Do your self a favorite and go to music valley on Briley Parkway next trip. Check out the Nashville Palace, Music City Bar and Grill, John A's, and the Scoreboard for steel guitar!
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Brett Day · From: Pickens, SC

Damir Besic · From: Nashville,TN.

Nashville today is a far cry from 20 years ago when I first came here.... back then there was country music, with pedal steel guitars and fiddles coming out of every club on Broadway... now days you can run into a steel guitar here and there, but it is pretty miserable scene all together... about 3 years ago I would go down town pretty often, and it was hard to find a steel guitar even back then, I can only imagine what it is like today... Broadway today s mostly rock music, with kids banging into drums and electric guitars... cops on every corner because all those kids get drunk, and act stupid... little country music oasis would be around Nashville Palace area, little bluegrass at Station Inn, and the rest is 90% garbage... with some exceptions here and there...I got tired of noise abuse about 10 years ago, and decided to quit playing Broadway, I packed my steel, and left, and never looked back...
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Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

Time of day matters, you didn't say what time you were club hopping.

Its a double edged sword,bands, singers play the clubs , we club hop and don't hang.

Do we all tip , even the clubs we walk out of ?

IF we do great, but if we don't then they don't earn and it's downhill from there.

The last few years I walked the clubs with a pocket full of dollar bills, everyone got a couple. Thats why they are there.
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Ken Boi · From: Arizona, USA

I have never been to Nashville, although would really like to go someday. If I were to go, I would put seeing 'The Time Jumpers' at the top of my list. According to their tour schedule they play a lot of Monday dates at:

3rd & Lindsley
816 3rd Ave S
Nashville, TN

Their current line-up shows Paul Franklin playing PSG. If you aren't familiar with them, they are a collection of studio players and famous performers who get together on Monday nights to relax and just enjoy their music together. John Hughey was a former member also. For now, I just enjoy their music via CD/DVD.

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

I'm surprised there hasn't been any disagreements about steel. Last time I was on Lower Broadway, there wasn't steel in any place I went in. I was in every place that had a band on the both sides of the street on the block that has Tootsie's and the Ernest Tubb record shop across the street.

I was chastised that there was steel in many locations. May be, but there wasn't when I was there.

I know about the Time Jumpers but they were not playing the day I was there.

Ken Byng · From: Southampton, England

Larry Bressington · From: Nebraska

I was a bit put off when i went there, there's a couple of things that irritate me, and the main one is; Musician abuse.

The musicians had every bar stacked from wall to wall, so why are the drinks so HIGH and the band get's paid Nothing??? Why is that?, PLAY FOR TIPS??? and then they couldn't even take a break lol.

The parking was $25.00 for 12 hours, seriously who parks for 12 hrs?

It appears to be dominated by gready people who abuse musicians wanting to play and they know it, so they make the punters pay? on top of outrageous drink prices, and then the bartenders want a $5.00 bill for handing you a beer also, but i suppose the bar pays them nothing either???...It's a sucky sucky gready abusive system!!!
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Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

Musician "abuse" has been around for a long time. In the early 70's when I was there, pay was $15 for a 4 hour gig or commonly called "Broadway Wages". Didn't matter if it was Buddy Emmons or Jack Stoner it was still $15. I've played at the Wagon Wheel and Deeman's Den, both paid $15.

I also worked on lower Broadway, at Little Roy Wiggins' "Music City" music store, across the street from Tootsie's and just a couple of doors up from the Ernest Tubb Record Shop. I was the amp repair tech. The location where the music store was is now another Lower Broadway bar.

Doug Paluch · From: Michigan, USA

I was there, staying downtown, from thursday to Tuesday morning. I visited a variety of honky Tonks on lower broadway all weekend. I'm familiar with the band schedules, and I tried like hell to move up and down the strip to see what's what. AJ's (Alan Jackson's) Good Time Bar had more steel players a than any other place i visited. Most of the bands I saw (at Roberts, second fiddle, aj's, the Stage, Bootleggers, Layla's, etc..) were either traditional country or 80-90's country. I don't frequent the more rock-centric bars like Tootsie's and such.
Yazoo pale ale is $4.50 a bottle at Roberts, which is line with what I'd pay here for a craft beer.
My wife and I put $200 + in the tip jar, and I feel like we were kind of cheap, considering how much music we heard...

There was a ton of great music to be heard, and players with phenomenal talent, but I just missed the steel and fiddle.

For the record, I live in Kalamazoo, MI, and there is no music. So, whole some may think lower broadway is a tourist trap, it is still 100% better than anything I have near me.

Greg Johnson · From: Greencastle, Pennsylvania, USA

I been a few times this summer and no steels, all rock and blues, and lots of drunk college age people. (no offense, you're suppose to party in school). Someone one said the last Country Act to leave Nashville for Branson, turn the lights out.
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Doug Paluch · From: Michigan, USA

Rich Upright · From: Florida, USA

Considering the garbage being recorded in Nashville nowadays, I am not surprised the steel is gone.

I think Texas would have a better scene for steel, either DFW or Austin area. If not, at least the weather is better in Texas.
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Herb Steiner · From: Briarcliff TX 78669, pop. 2,064

I'm unfamiliar with Dallas, but there's no place in Austin that's music-centric like lower Broad in Nashville. The 6th St. District in Austin is strictly rock cover bands and the very inebriated fans of that type of music. The three or four clubs that would have steel guitar are spread from far south Austin to central north Austin.

I'd say the Stockyards in Fort Worth might be a candidate, but I haven't played there in a few years and am now unfamiliar with the number of clubs there.

I try to get downtown each time I find myself in Nashville. A few years back I found very few steel players in the clubs, though I did run into Tommy Hannum and Mike Johnson on the street doing non-musical things Wink

. But last year I saw Mike Sweeney, Gary Morse, Wayne Dahl, and Vic Lawson all in one afternoon. I think it depends on what shift you're hitting the clubs. The later in the afternoon/evening, more rock.

And that freakin' open windows rock club upstairs on the corner of 5th and Broad needs to be shut down! Talk about NOISE POLLUTION!! Mad

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Damir Besic · From: Nashville,TN.

Eric Philippsen · From: Central Florida USA

it's all about the market. Supply and demand. In Nashville and Austin the guy working behind the Quick-Mart counter can play rings around you.

Mike Archer · From: church hill tn

if I were a young man I would move to texas
theres work there....
I live 250 miles from Nashville and I wouldn't go there again even if I were able to work or visit

I worked in nashville in the 90s with Tim McGraw

it was a great gig but theres to much traffic!!

there were many steel players then

but its kinda dog eat dog place albeit there are some great players there for sure

there are some nice folks there but you have to be careful who you deal with
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Mike Scaggs · From: Nashville, TN

I work downtown in the Batman building at 4th and Commerce which is a block from Broadway. Most days during my lunch I will walk around and see who might be playing that I know. Believe it or not there are many days where I do find steel players. Mike Bourque, Johnny Cox are just a few to mention. Maybe days are better for steel than the night time bands. I used to see Sweeny down there too but like a few have said, The Nashville Palace and such seem to have the better bands now a days. It certainly is not like the old days but I have faith that music will turn around and steel will be in the forefront again. Things have a way of returning to normal LOL (My wishfully thinking)

Cheers
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Gerald Keller · From: Phoenix, AZ

Made my first trip to Nashville last week and spent 5 nights and 6 days. Am I glad I went; yes. Would I go back; no. I found steel players far and few between and three that I enjoyed and visited with; afraid a dying breed. The majority of the bars had a "version" of country but I would compare it more to rock. I understand this from a financial stand point for the bars in that for the most part they are attracting the younger generation who spend the bucks. The most disappointing was the drummers who for the most part beat on the drums so hard it is difficult to hear either the singers or the rest of the band. Conclusion; drummers are ruining many great bands. Enjoyed the Country Music Hall of Fame and Grand Ole Opry. As mentioned, parking is difficult and expensive; $20-$25 for the first 4 hours and $25 all day! Nice city, hard to drive and I have lived in major cities all my life. Again, glad I went but been there, done that.
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Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

So how is anyone making any money playing those tip-jar gigs with parking that expensive?

It's been a while since I was down there hanging out - back then I could find a spot in Gruhn's parking lot but George's store has moved. There's no chance of me paying $25, though!
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Brett Robinson · From: Nashville, TN

What Broadway lacks in quantity, it makes up in quality. You can catch Eddie Lange's phenomenal playing downtown all throughout the week, that alone is enough reason to visit. The newer clubs (AJ's and Nudie's) seem to be hiring steel. Robert's, Layla's and Legend's are my first stops. I know for a fact that the owners of Tootsie's, Rippy's and Honky Tonk Central don't hire Steel Players as a matter of policy, which I think is sinful in this town. I guess us steel players don't look up from our guitars enough and don't do the "holler and swaller." Wish I was kidding but that's seriously the reasons they don't hire steel players. As far as parking, it's like $8 to park at the library and now that there's no street parking on Lower Broadway, load-in is a breeze. Also with uber you can park a ways away and get dropped off at the door for $5 usually.

The Nashville Palace and Music City Bar and Grill are definitely where it's at though.
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Jerry Overstreet · From: Louisville Ky

I've been dozens of times. I was last there in the fall of '12. I had occasion to meet Mike Cass and post that, our group spent the afternoon and early evening on lower Broad. We saw lots of steel and good country music on both sides of the street. Some southern rock and blues too here and there.

I agree about Honky Tonk Central. That's the place that the younger crowd hangs out. Almost all new country stuff. The music was deafening both in and out on the street. A real nuisance, for sure but I guess that's meant to attract attention. No problem there! Early afternoon walk up to Printer's was a huge disappointment and downright scary, but I remember when it was humming with activity, but that was eons ago.

We're due for a return trip, but cautious now about the strip. Half the fun is hopping the dives up and down the street there. I don't know if I want to drive down there just to sit in the Palace and hear a band or two off Briley. Maybe we'll get lucky and get one of the better weekends with lots of steel downtown.

A few years back off Trinity Lane, I believe....there was The Broken Spoke and Gabe's. Is there anything still there?

I guess Nashville is just like everywhere else. Things change with activity and move around to different parts of the city time to time.

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