Where's all the country music?

It's on Lower Broadway, in the honky-tonks and small, smoky bars nestled around the mother of country, the Ryman Auditorium. Required stops include: Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, Robert's Western World and the Wildhorse Saloon. (See Circuit 2: Lower Broadway in the Drink section for more info.) The Station Inn, on 12th Avenue South, is the finest and most famous bluegrass clubs around. The Bluebird Café in Green Hills has gained an international reputation for presenting the best original country songwriters. It's an intimate space; people in the front row are an arm's length away from the performer on stage. Talk to a friend during the show and you can be shot on site.

And, of course, there's the Grand Ole Opry. But you already knew that.

What if I don't like country music?

Fear not, for Nashville has something for you. The town's got a thriving indie music scene and the concert venues to show them off. If you wear your turtle shell glasses and thrift store tees with pride, be sure to check out the schedules for 12th & Porter, the Belcourt, Kung Fu Coffee House, Exit/In and Springwater. Fans of all types of music should check out the Dancin' in the District lineup at Riverfront Park. Blondie and the Psychedelic Furs are playing this Saturday, and George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic are coming two weeks later. You've already missed the reunited Spin Doctors, everyone's favorite band from 1994. So hurry up! Dancin' in the Disctrict ends Sept. 18, and good shows by over-the-hill bands are hard to come by.

If punk is more your scene, you have a bit less to choose from. Ever since Guido's New York Pizzeria dropped off the face of the earth, the pickins have been pretty slim. Try The End and The Muse. Or try opening your own venue.

Looking for rap or hip-hop? Nashville's hip hop community is growing rapidly, but there aren't that many strictly hip-hop venues in town. Exit/In, Printer's Alley and 3rd & Lindsley host a lot of rap artists. Wall Street in Murfreesboro books local rap artists Big Fella and Te'Arthur. Also be sure to check out the concert lineup at Vanderbilt's frat row and Rites of Spring concert series. The audience may be full of white guys in polo shirts, but Vandy manages to pull in names like Jurassic 5, Tone Loc, Black Eyed Peas, Talib Kweli, Busta Rhymes and Nelly. Yes, those Commodores are all about the Benjamins.

And of course, there's Christian music. Nashville is the center of both Southern music and the Bible Belt, which means that some big Christian rockers live around here. Both Jars of Clay and Michael W. Smith live in Nashville, so be sure to check their tour schedules for stops at home. Aside from Rocketown (See: Where can I see a show if I'm underage?), there aren't that many strictly Christian venues in Nashville; bands play everywhere from 12th & Porter to 3rd & Lindsley to one of our many local mega-churches.

Doesn't Faith Hill live around here?

Yes, yes she does. She lives with her husband, Tim McGraw. Sheryl Crow, Trisha Yearwood, Ben Folds and LeAnn Rimes also call Nashville their home. Alan Jackson and Billy Ray Cyrus also live nearby. They all have nice, big houses and won't be hanging around your dorm room any time soon. (No word on whether Trisha does frat parties.)

What are the good clubs?

NV is one of the trendy new nightclubs on Second Avenue. A New-York style club, NV plays everything from '80s New Wave to Goth and Industrial. If you want only goth, try the Asylum. Every Saturday from 9 p.m.-3 a.m., DJs Rick41 and Ichabod spin goth, industrial, and EBM music at the Asylum.

Excess and Orbit are after-hours clubs right next to each other. Since they don't open until after 1 a.m., they're filled with only true partiers. The Pub of Love is inconsistently good; sometimes boring, sometimes awesome. Club Caliente is a fun Latin and salsa club that lets you shake your bon bon, or whatever it was that Ricky Martin once sang. (Mercifully, he doesn't live here.) The dancers range from experienced salsa dancers to drunk college kids who have no idea what they're doing. Don't be fooled by its obscure location in a Hickory Hollow shopping mall; Prizm covers the hip-hop scene with flair. Want some techno? The Connection is primarily a gay club, but it's also one of the most fun places to dance.

Local bands/artists to watch

We don't have the space to review them all, so here's a list.

Indie, hard and regular rock: Lambchop, The Whole Fantastic World, Feable Weiner, Jetpack, The Shazam, Kings of Leon, Supe & the Sandwiches, Asschapel, Let's Say Baltimore, The Features, Mercator, Lotushalo, Swan Dive, Imaginary Baseball League, Aireline, Intrinsic, Forget Cassettes, Death Comes to Matteson, Venus Hum, Legendary Shack Shakers, Cassio Casanova, Blue Morning, Folk Medicine, Lylas, The Taste.

Dance/Pop: Jennifer Lemmon, My Brother.

Bluegrass and Country: Chris Knight, Bobby Bare Jr., the Cherry Blossoms, Nickel Creek, Saddlesong, Bonepony, Old Crow Medicine Show, Nashville Bluegrass Band, Darrell Scott, Gretchen Peters, Fred Knobloch, Gary Allen, Jesse McReynolds, The Sidemen.

Jazz: The Barber Brothers, Schfvilkus, Beegie Adair, David Anderson, Annie Sellick.

Folk: Maura O'Connell, Melissa Cartoun, Marshall Chapman, Jonell Mosser.

Rap/Hip-Hop: Young Buck, Moe Raw, Big Fella, Mike D, Te'Arthur, Haystak, Quanie Cash, Cadence, Haystack, Utopia State.

I don't know what it is: That One Guy, Here Come The Mummies.

Where can I play my music?

If you play music but don't have a record deal, manager or even a demo, start hitting the open mic nights around town. Vanderbilt's Overcup Oak pub hosts an open mic night that has a casual atmosphere good for people just starting out. Kijiji Coffehouse and Deli, a popular hangout for Fisk students, has an open mic night every Friday. Hair of the Dog, on 12th Ave. South, has a weekly songwriter's night. The Bluebird Café is a tiny venue with a national reputation for showcasing top country music and acoustic acts. You can be discovered at the Bluebird, maybe even at their Monday open mic nights. And if karaoke's your thing, become a regular at Lonnie's (Jerry Springer's been spotted there a few times) or drop by the Lipstick Lounge. Remember: This is Nashville. Every waiter or waitress has a demo tape.

What's the gay scene like?

It's little, but thriving. Tribe, a gay bar on Church Street, is a hotspot for those of all sexual persuasions. The Connection is popular among gay men and straight women; it's the only dance club in Nashville where females aren't bothered by sleazy men. It also has a great drag show. If you're gay and new to Nashville, here's the scoop: Go to Tribe on Wednesday, the Chute on Friday and Connection on Saturday. Lesbians should check out the female-friendly Lipstick Lounge in East Nashville. Other places to try: TC's Triangle, Gas Lite Lounge and Tabu. If you're gay and in Murfreesboro, you'll probably want to come to Nashville on the weekends. If you're gay and at David Lipscomb, you'll probably want to transfer.

Where can I buy CDs?

Grimey's, the most famous Nashville record store, has recently moved to a new location at 1604 Eighth Avenue. In addition to a plethora of "new and preloved" music, they also have a downstairs nightclub called The Basement. Phonoluxe on Nolensville (259-3500) has a great selection of used CDs, vinyl and videos. Most of their music fits into the "rock" or "country" categories, but they have a little bit of everything. Ask the cashier to help you look for a hard-to-find album; their expensive stuff is rarely on display. If you want some good ol' country or bluegrass music, try the Ernest Tubb Record Shop downtown. If it's in print, Ernest Tubb will have it.

In Murfreesboro, visit Cat's Music, a family-owned chain with locations in Tennessee, South Carolina and Florida. The Red Rose Café has a teeny tiny used CD store in the back. The selection is unpredictable but the prices are good. And of course, there's Digital Planet, the very first used CD and tape store in Murfreesboro.

What if I'm underage?

The main concert venues, such as Exit/In and The End, have shows for all ages and shows for the over 21 crowd, so be sure to check the rules in advance. But if you don't want to spring for a fake ID, and if you like Christian rock, try the downtown club, Rocketown. Rocketown offers live bands and an indoor skate park. If hip-hop/punk/metal is more your scene, The Muse will let you party underage. Wall Street, the part-restaurant-part-concert-venue in Murfreesboro, books a lot of great local bands.

Where can I see shows without spending a lot of money?

As long as you're not going to something at the Ryman, Starwood Amphitheatre or the Gaylord Entertainment Center, tickets should be pretty cheap. A show at the Exit/In might cost $20 if the band is well known, but most places admit you for a small cover charge. The city is teeming with free music, so if you really don't have two cents to rub together, check out the coffee shops, bookstores and restaurants on a Friday night. Or hit the honky-tonks.

Where do I find out about upcoming shows?

Right here, of course. Or you can consult the Rage, Gannett's toilet-paper-width entertainment mag, to find out what focus groups predict the 40 and over crowd will be doing this weekend. And be sure to check out the bulletin boards at local coffeehouses such as Bongo Java, Kijiji, Red Rose and Sam & Zoe's. The same goes for Tower Records on West End.