Live At Nashville

When we popped out of the Smokies, we entered the tourist capital of Tennessee. We were in Pigeon Forge, a 20 block stretch of mini golf, mini NASCAR tracks, themed hotels, water parks, carnivals, and every other form of entertainment you could think of. It was a paradise for kids and a nightmare for adults. It was a seemingly never ending stretch. We passed by Dollywood, a theme park celebrating Dolly Parton, and thought about stopping but we were in too much awe of this crazy place. There couldn't have been more contrasting places than the Smokies and Pigeon Forge. Our next stop was Crossville, Tennessee. It was properly named Crossville because in this town, we gained an hour and were in Central time. We reserved a room at the Crossville Inn and had Knoxville and Nashville as our next stops. 

The magical world of Pigeon Forge.

Another weird tourist trap. 

We were only minutes away from our motel in Crossville when Peter spotted this alley on the side of the road. We bowled a few games listening to old country tunes. At that moment, we knew we were in small town Tennessee. As we left, Wolf was congratulated for his 182. It was only his fourth best of the trip.

--------------------------------

The next morning, we drank a cup of joe and headed to Knoxville en route to Nashville. 

We were starving and looking for a University of Tennessee sports bar in Knoxville to eat lunch. We were advised to go to the Soccer Taco, a Mexican soccer themed restaurant. We were baffled to find NO college sports bars here. A great investment opportunity for those looking to get in to the restaurant/bar industry. 

Here is the gigantic Neyland Stadium where the Volunteers play. It easily seats 100,000 people. The SEC loves their football. 

Poster of their great former quarterback, Peyton Manning. Tough to not like this guy. 

With a full stomach, we headed three hours west toward Nashville. We knew it was the country music hub of the world, but didn't realize the entire city was centered around music. Every bar we went to had a live act with dreams of making it big. We both agree that country is our least favorite type of music but we opened our minds and enjoyed every second of it. 

We entered Nashville. This is the main strip of downtown with 20 bars smashed together and country act's sounds colliding as you walk down the street. 

This was the first bar we stopped at. The music was good, but the beverage prices were not. 

We used the facilities and headed to the next bar with hopes of saving a few dollars. There was country music memorabilia at every turn. 

Peter and The Wolf: Nashville

Nashville did a great job of preserving the feel of old country music and tradition. It seemed as though the city could get wrapped around the idea of tourism big business, but they were satisfied with the culture they had (as seen with this horse carriage). We appreciated that. 

Peter standing outside the venue where Bluegrass was started. He is holding three CDs that came in a paper "grab" bag we bought at a local music store. After a brief listen, we determined that they were the type that you roll down the window on the highway and chuck them out. 

After a brief walk around town scoping out the spots, we headed back to Black Sally to change into more suitable clothes. Peter, now flanneled, posing with The King. It wouldn't be Nashville without a shot with Elvis.

The "All Draught Beers $2" made this a must stop. This singer-songwriter combo had a good sound. 

Jordan Bice, our pal from D.C., gave us the contact information of his good childhood buddy, Kevin, from Portland. We got in touch with him and he informed us that he was playing a show at a night club called 3rd and Lindsley. We were excited to meet him and hear his band. 

Kevin, aka KMac, is the percussion specialist on the left. He lives with Steve, the guitarist and singer on the right. They were playing a knockdown acoustic set because the rest of their band was visiting New York for a week. Their sound was great as a duo. 

The next band we saw at 3rd and Lindsay was Fabricio and the Fever. 

Steve "Wolfman" Wolfe with Steve "The Wolf" Wolf. Wolfman played drums for KMac's following act, Fabricio and the Fever.

We quickly hit it off with KMac and knew why Jordan had us get in touch. Unlike Bozeman, MT, KMac immediately offered up his couch and air mattress, and as was customary, we offered him a beer. 

As we walked in to this smoke-filled bar, the attention-needing lead singer stopped singing and focused on us. He shouted, "Should we let these guys in...? I guess they look cool, they have facial hair." Nobody really responded. We turned around and left. 

The three of us enjoying a Shiner Bock at Silver Dollar Saloon. 

The live act at Silver Dollar. 

Another live act.

And another.

Our final stop was at The Stage. This group was in the middle of a rendition fusing The Beatles' "Hey Jude" and The Marshall Tucker Band's "Can't You See." We were told that the greatest acts in Nashville play here. 

At the conclusion of the night, we grabbed some late night grub and headed back to KMac's place. We had a great time in Nashville and recommend it to all that have a soft spot for country and bluegrass tunes. 

Lovin' Spoonful - "Nashville Cats"

Special thanks to Kevin McElroy for showing us a great time and letting us crash at his place. Can't wait to catch up in Portland.