MusicCityNashville.net: East Nashville Hosts a Pair a Groovy Gigs for AmericanaFest

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East Nashville Hosts a Pair a Groovy Gigs for AmericanaFest

by Rich and Laura Lynch

AmericanaFest continued on Saturday, September 17, 2022 where we found ourselves in East Nashville to discover new artists and venues. The first event "Queer Roots" was held at The Groove Record Store which featured musicians from the LBGT community. Performers included Lilli Lewis, Mya Byrne, Paisley Fields and more. Nearby at the Bowery Vault, Wirebird Records hosted their Launch Party which showcased label artists with their friends.

East Nashville Hosts a Pair a Groovy Gigs for AmericanaFest

It was a pleasure and a pure joy getting turned on to Joy Clark at AmericanaFest.

One of our favorite finds of the day was the passionate and positive Joy Clark. Joy had a warm welcoming vibe paired with a nuanced guitar style that drew us in. This singer/songwriter is from New Orleans. The church was Joy's first stage but now Clark is out in the world sharing songs that celebrate love and peace. In addition to other showcases including the slot at The Groove, Clark supported Allison Russell and Brandi Carlile at the Americana Honors & Awards Show and Joy was on an AmericanaFest panel so she was having a productive time in Nashville. Out in the backyard Mali Obomsawin was putting her trio through the paces while promoting the cause of Indigenous rights and the Land Back movement.

Mali Obomsawin wants to give the Land Back.

At the Bowery Vault we heard music from Darrin Bradbury. As he strummed an acoustic he sang about often humorous observations. At one point he mentioned Seven Lakes Drive and later we confirmed that sure enough he was from the NY/NJ region. Darrin relocated to Nashville about ten years ago to focus on his music. His biggest success has been on Spotify with the tune "Breakfast" which has been streamed over 300,000 times so Bradbury closed with that hit.

Darrin Bradbury brought some of that Jersey vibe to East Nashville.

Next up at the Bowery Vault was John Dennis. He moved from Freeburg, Illinois in 2010 to Nashville to pursue music. He said that his daytime job is couching youth soccer but this is his second job. His songs reflected some of his influences such as Dylan, Simon and Springsteen paired with compelling vocals and a clever Midwestern style that was engaging.

John Dennis was impressive even after a day on the pitch teaching youth soccer.

East Nashville has long been known as an enclave for the artistic community as it has a lot of venues. The Bowery Vault is an intimate and inviting room. Its walls are adorned with hey-day photos of famous musicians. Quite a few people on stage commented how this place was supportive and while we were there we found the audience to be attentive. The Groove is a cool place. They sell clothes, new and used music in various formats and on Saturday they had a stage on the front porch and out back for folks to gather and enjoy live music from the likes of Joy Clark and more.