Last year, the biggest-ever study of the health of Nashville music venues (we reported on it here) found a scene full of challenges. “Real estate and other costs are becoming increasingly expensive, making new venues hard to start,” it said. But you can’t keep a good Music City down, and recent months have seen several openings, conspicuously Skinny Dennis in East Nashville and the Pinnacle downton, with more to come. Others have considered moving. With all the flux and rumors, we decided to take our own survey of the venues that feature roots music on a regular basis and that have a fresh story to tell.
Skinny Dennis
2635 Gallatin Pike
My first visit to Skinny Dennis, a major addition to the East Nashville scene, has to be counted as a success. I walked in on a random Monday night and immediately saw a friend. We visited while Brooklyn artist Marley Hale and her band kept the dance floor lively with a mix of original and classic country music. Before I knew it I’d made a new friend to my left and we got to talking about the battle for Nashville’s soul in 2025. Bartender, I’ll have another!
With a big horseshoe bar, quite a few booths and seats, and capacity of about 300 people, Skinny Dennis is positioned to be both a drop-in, no-cover honky tonk and a ticketed venue on certain nights, as when the place filled up for twanger Jesse Daniel last week. The brand comes from Brooklyn, where the original Skinny Dennis has been open seven nights a week since 2013. The name comes from the late and famously lanky LA bass player Skinny Dennis Sanchez made famous in the song “LA Freeway,” by Guy Clark, with whom he performed.
Singer-songwriter and co-owner Zephaniah OHora told me last week that he was the talent buyer for Skinny Dennis Brooklyn from the start and that he and his partner have been talking about expanding to Nashville for years. One plan was delayed by the pandemic. Then, “I moved here a little over two years ago, with the goal to figure this out and try to make it happen,” he said.
After a long search for the right space, they opened on March 1 with a show by the Cowpokes and a special drop-in by Margo Price. OHora says artists are paid competitively and that a good number will be bands that have become regulars at the NY location, though of course the local talent pool will be well represented, with upcoming shows by Joshua Hedley, Miss Tess, and Chris Scruggs and the Stone Fox Five. “And then we want to be able to do more events, host industry record releases and label parties, showcases, Americanafest,” he added. “But at the same time, we want to be a spot that someone that lives down the street could walk over to and have a beer and catch a band.”
Food is on offer from Little Miss Mao run by Cambodian chef Sophina Uong, open 5 pm to 1 am daily. Parking is limited with few on-street options nearby, so plan accordingly.
The Pinnacle
910 Exchange Lane
There’s nothing indie about The Pinnacle, but the very new 4,500 person music and entertainment hall in the Nashville Yards is off to a prestigious start. It’s owned by the Yards development, a partnership of Southwest Value Partners and AEG Real Estate. The concert promotion corporation AEG runs the venue, and Pinnacle Financial Partners, the Nashville-based bank is the title sponsor (a first for the company). Yet they seem ready to serve roots music lovers. Grand opening night was Feb. 27 with Kacey Musgraves as the star. Jason Isbell just wrapped a four-night engagement performing solo with an acoustic guitar, concurrent with his new album Foxes In The Snow. Those had reserved seating in chairs on the floor but the default format at this space is general admission standing on a floor and a balcony, with some risers in the back of each for better sightlines, plus some reserved VIP seating.
A friend who’s attended two shows reports that the building is “spectacular in its design and creature comforts” with the chic industrial vibe of Brooklyn Bowl, only more than three times the size. “It’s expansive. It’s roomy. There’s loads of bars, no lines. So they thought through the customer experience quite well.” A plaza with food trucks and a stage out front makes for a good early arrival hang, he added. Coming shows of interest include two nights with Jack White in April and Wilco with Waxahatchee on May 9.
Another corporate-scale venue of similar size is being planned for Chestnut Street in Wedgewood Houston, but details are scarce.
Eastside Bowl
1508A Gallatin Pike
Skinny Dennis isn’t the only new music room on Gallatin Road! I caught Nashville guitarist and songwriter Jordan Tice just recently at The ‘58, located in the space that used to hold the Eastside Bowl’s diner. It’s got room for 225 people with some bar and banquette seating, and it felt cozy and friendly with much of the acoustic music community out for the show.
“The ‘58 has been a huge addition,” says co-owner and co-founder Jamie Rubin. “We’re really excited to do a little bit of everything in that room and it seems to be working. It’s all coming alive in there and it’s really gratifying to see.”
The official verbiage tells the rest of the story: “The new room earned its name from its color concept using the actual gold paint mixture of the 1958 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop, granted as a special purchase to Eastside Bowl by Gibson Guitars. The ’58 will be a high-demand addition to the already popular 600+ capacity main venue, and the Low Volume Lounge stage, which carries on the “neighborhood stage” legacy of The Family Wash.”
In another recent move, East Nashville’s famous Honky Tonk Tuesday outgrew its space at the American Legion Post 82 after nine years and two-stepped about two miles down the road to take up residency in the Eastside Bowl’s largest venue. Sierra Farrell made an appearance there recently and drew a massive crowd. Timelessly smooth country songwriter Jon Byrd has launched a residency as a Honky Tonk Tuesday warmup at 6 pm in the Low Volume Lounge.
These are some of the biggest moves the venue has made since Rubin opened it in a rehabbed K-Mart with partner Chark Kinsolving in 2021. They even put a pool room in where the video games used to be. But the Shepherd’s Pie and a full menu is still available throughout the space. Some things never change, including the diversity and quality of live music. “All through the summer we’ve got big lineups in all three rooms,” Rubin promises.
Cannery Hall
1 Cannery Row
Way back in 1981, some entrepreneurs brough live music to this historic old mill and food processing plant in the Gulch, and the history of what’s come and gone in this space is long and complicated. Countless music fans bonded with this address during the Mercy Lounge era, from 2003 to 2019, when a staggering amount of variety and quality music rang out from ultimately four venues under the one roof.
With a recent change of ownership, interior renovation, and a re-launch in January of 2024, a new era has begun under the brand Cannery Row. The Mainstage has room for 1,200 people and hosts the biggest acts. The Mil on the second floor is the new Mercy, with bones that look quite similar and upgraded sound. Row One is the most intimate venue with room for 300. And the top floor features Amaranth, a rental venue with great views of the city.
“Something I’ve noticed that I think is really cool is that we have three talent buyers,” says the venues’ new marketing manager Skye Roll. “They each have their own niche interest. So we’re not just an indie rock venue or just a country venue. They really bring in a lot of different genres and talent.” Cannery Row came back into the Americanafest fold last year and is likely to be part of the event in 2025.
Exit/ln
2208 Elliston Place, Nashville
The legendary Exit/In, Nashville’s most storied rock and roots venue, became a symbol of the ongoing conflict between real estate values and historic preservation just as the club was celebrating 50 years in business. Longtime club owners Chris and Telisha Cobb tried and failed to raise enough money to purchase the property a few years ago, and it was ultimately acquired by Nashville based development firm AJ Capital Partners. It’s been a little more than two years ago since the handoff, and fears of closure of the 500-capacity venue have cooled. The owners, which run other venues, have promised Exit/In is here to stay. Coming soon: Fancy Hagood, Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band, and J.R. Carroll.
Riverside Revival
1600 Riverside Drive
Riverside Revival is not just WMOT’s home for Wired In and our new remote studio. In about two years, this former church has become a notable 400-capacity East Nashville showroom. After a slow start, the place has entered a new phase with full acoustic treatment in the hall and a new executive director, musician and chef Nick Govrik, who says his mission is to build a clear identity for the chic-revival space.
“My main focus is to do concerts that have a common thread with roots music, legacy acts, something where you can draw a line from one to the other and be a place for thoughtful community programming,” he says. His aim is to be selective and intentional. “I'm not looking to do five concerts a week. I’m looking to do one really great concert a week combined with programming that is inclusive of the community, whether it’s performance art, fine arts, lectures, things of that nature.”
In the spirit of doing fewer things better, Govrik told WMOT that Riverside’s famous fish fries will be monthly this year, from July to September, with more artists and exciting lineups. As for the near term, i.e. this month, on the calendar are Clem Snide with Abe Partridge, an album release party by Webb Wilder, and classic punk act The Dead Boys. Says Nick: “We’re really poised to do some great stuff.”
3rd & Lindsley
818 3rd Ave S
Rumors circulated over the past year that the venerable city favorite 3rd & Lindsley, WMOT’s home for every Finally Friday, might have to move, but owner Ron Brice wrote in to share good news. “We got a fresh lease last Monday and a 35 year Anniversary coming up this January,” he texted. “No doubt (it’s) expensive to be here now, but looks like we are here another 3-5 yrs.”
The calendar there is packed, with the long-running Time Jumpers residency going strong on Mondays plus April shows with Jeffrey Steele, Pat McLaughlin, Liz Longley, and Eric Gales. Brice says watch for some cool announcements coming in May and to expect an anniversary series.
Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge
102 E. Palestine, Madison
For more than eight years, Dee’s Lounge has been the living room for many Nashville musicians and core fans, especially from the worlds of string band and country music we love so much. From the front porch to the recently made-over beer garden/outdoor stage, Dee’s is comfortable and connecting. But it’s been through changes recently that aren’t easy to see on the surface. Owner Amy Dee Richardson just finalized a divorce from her former husband and business partner Daniel Walker, and she says she’ll soon be announcing a new partner that will make the bar entirely woman-owned and operated.
In related news, she’s brought on board Keshia Bailey, co-leader of the band Ladycouch, to be the venue’s new talent buyer. She’s schemed up a new end-of-the-week series called Never Miss The Sunday Show that’s launching April 27 with a rotating cast of heavy surprise musical guests. Josh Hedley is holding down 4 pm happy hour sets every Tuesday this month. And Kyle Tuttle’s famous birthday bluegrass blowout is coming April 28.
“We’ve been here eight and a half years, and we’ve had some ups and downs and a challenging last year,” Richardson said. “And we have some exciting changes this year and we are stronger than ever and we have hands down the strongest team we’ve ever had. Dee’s is not going anywhere, and we are there for Madison and for our music community.”
Harken Hall
514 Madison Station Blvd, Madison, TN
Perhaps no new venue in the area has sparked more questions than Harken Hall, which went up before and during the pandemic on a new boulevard in fast-growing Madison. A family based in Texas and Nashville invested and assembled an estimated $20 million to build a spectacular barn made of vintage timber with luxurious amenities and state-of-the art live sound and TV production capabilities. It has also suffered numerous delays, hosting only a handful of publicly ticketed shows since a New Year’s Eve opening night with the country band Exile.
Readers may know that WMOT and the show Music City Roots had a partnership to re-launch the show there, but that deal fell apart in 2021. Since then, owners have changed the name twice and indicated that a slate of events and programs would be forthcoming, while touting the clear benefits of the space. “For concert-goers, the Main Hall has room for 576 (all seated) to 922 (standing/seated),” says the website. “Seated dining is available for 300+ in the Main Hall. Harken Hall’s outside patio and stage can comfortably host up to 150 attendees for music jam sessions or other gatherings.” But they don’t have a talent buyer of record and have nothing on the public calendar for the future. Update: A Harken Hall spokesperson reached out indicating that most of the events at the venue so far have been private and that "We have some exciting (public) events on the books that simply haven’t been promoted yet due to finalizing details.”
Reported with research support by MTSU's Shauna Reynolds.
