Honk Tonks pt2

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello listeners, time once again for another episode of the
Nashville Minutes podcast, a show dedicated to all things Nashville
and you are listeners. We got into a topic a
little too big for a single episode last time. We
started talking about Nashville honky Tonks, the past President who

(00:27):
knows the future. You may want to go back and
check it out. Although it's not manned intory, he missed
a lot. We're going to dive right back into this
week's episode with the Wheel. It's the honky Tonk you

(00:47):
almost miss. The Wheel is one of Broadway's quieter heroes.
It doesn't boast massive signs or lined out the door,
but inside is a faithful tribute to the Nashville of old.

(01:11):
Known for traditional instrumentation, petal steel fiddle and an upright bass,
this bar attracts locals and music lovers alike who prefer
honky tonk overhype. The vibe is relaxed, the walls that

(01:34):
go not with the screams, but with rich harmonies and
story songs that could make a grown man cry hear.
The musicians play for love, not fame. In many grates,
like Don Kelly and his famous band Cut their teeth

(01:55):
on the Wheel's humble stage. Next up the Second Fiddle.
It's the bar that never plays a second. While its
name may imply otherwise, Second Fiddle is a first rate
stop on the Broadway honky Tonk Crawl. It proudly displays

(02:20):
vintage instruments, framed a vinyl and old show posters, offering
an immersive flashback to a pre commercial era. The music
leans toward eighties and nineties style country. Think Alan Jackson,
George Strait, and Reba. Performers here often sound better than

(02:45):
most radio acts. The intimacy of the venue turns strangers
into dance partners by the second chorus. The Second Fiddle
is where nostalgia gets a voice, and often that voice
sounds just like the next big thing. How about spring

(03:08):
Water Supper Club and Lounge, Nashville's oldest bar and dive
of dreams. Nestled off the Main Drag near Centennial Park,
spring Water Supper Club is believed to be the oldest
bar in Nashville, operating since eighteen ninety seven. In its

(03:33):
early days, it served politicians, bootleggers, and musicians alike. During Prohibition,
legend has it that it operated as a speakeasy behind
closed curtains. Over the decades, it morphed into a no frills,
neon lit watering hole for poets, punks, and pickers. While

(04:01):
not located on Broadway, spring Water has hosted everything from
gritty all country acts to rock bands, and it's gnome
for its anything goes atmosphere. Johnny Cash reportedly drank there.
Jack White's White Stripes played a raw early show. The

(04:23):
bar has zero pretense. Its dusty jukebox, graffiti, bathroom walls,
and stage patched with duct tape make it a rebel
outpost in a town being polished by tourism. Next up
the Douglas Corner Cafe, the hidden cradle of country's eighties revival.

(04:50):
Opening in nineteen eighty seven just off Eighth Avenue, Douglas
Corner Cafe quickly became one of the city's premiere songwriter venues.
It wasn't on Broadway, didn't flash neon, but it became
known as the place where the new traditionalist movement of

(05:13):
country music ignited. Garth Brooks debuted his first song here.
Tricia Yearwood sang here long before radio ever found her.
The room is indmate and candled lit. You could often
hear pin drop performances of future number one hits long
before they hit the charts. Douglas Corner stood for decades

(05:38):
as the spot where publishers and producers quietly slipped in
to hear tomorrow's stars. To Day, though it closed in
twenty twenty, its legacy lives on in thousands of songs
written within its walls. The Sutler Saloon revived history beneath

(06:00):
the floorboards. Originally opened in nineteen seventy six, the Sutler
became a hub for outlaw country musicians and the songwriters
who weren't getting love from the big studios. It was
gritty and friendly, equal parts dive bar and music sanctuary.

(06:24):
When venue closed in two thousand five, many thought the
chapter had ended, but in two thousand fourteen, the Settler's
Loon reopened in the same space with a revamped bar
and restaurant upstairs, preserving its musical roots below ground. To

(06:46):
Day blends old and new, heritage cocktails and high tech
sound mixed with the ghosts of Whylon, Jennings and towns
van zandt. The Seller represents Nashville's ability to evolve without
erasing its past. Next stop to Thurdon Linsley. It's the

(07:10):
launchpad for the skilled and soulful. While not a hockey
talk in the classic since Third and Lindsley has earned
its place in Nashville history. Since the nineties, it's been
the go to venue for musicianship over showmanship, a place
where guitar gods, fiddle masters, and vocal powerhouses perform with

(07:36):
little regard for flash. The club is known for Live
at Thurdon Linsley, a radio broadcast that introduced thousands of
listeners assumed to be famous artists like Keith, Urban, Lady A,
and Casey Musgraves, who all graced its stages before superstardom.

(07:59):
Regulars from house bands like The Time Jumpers featuring Vince
Gill offer a traditional country swing done at virtuoso levels.
Exit In, the rock rebel in Country's Capital, opened nineteen
seventy one. Exit In carved out vital counter cultural space

(08:24):
in a city built on rhinestones and steel guitars. Located
on Ellison Place, catered to the punk, rock, indie, and
experimental crowds, but its crossover influence on country and alt
country scenes made it a haven for genre bending artists.
Johnny Cash played here sewed it at a James, the Ramones,

(08:49):
and Emiliu Harris. It became one of the first venues
in Nashville where country could collide with counter culture, forming
the roots of Americana. Though it closed in twenty twenty
one and was briefly at risk of being lost to development,
the building was preserved by local activism, and its mythology

(09:11):
remains intact. Next up Printer's Alley venues, where Honky Tonk
and Vice danced together. Printer's Alley has long been Nashville's
under belly of the arts, a district once filled with
printing presses by day and jazz, blues and burlesque by night.

(09:33):
From the nineteen forties through the nineteen seventies, clubs like
Skull's Rainbow Room and the Carousel Club provided a counterpoint
to country music's family friendly impage. Skulls, founded by David
skull Skullman, became a famous for its burlesque shows, jazz trios,

(09:54):
and the late night piano sets. Will Nelson once played
the Alley Paul McCartney and Elvis's back up band. Though
not hockey talking style, these avenues absorbed country musicians looking
to cross lines or escape tradition. After a decline in
the nineteen eighties, Printer's Alley has been revitalized. Skull at

(10:18):
Rainbow Room reopened in two thousand fifteen and continues to
blend vintage glamor with music still echoes the secrets whispered Underground. Unfortunately,
that's all we've got for today's episode of the Nashville
Minutes podcast, and I can't thank you enough for tuning
in for another episode. Until next time.