Where do I go if I’m gay?
If you’re here and you’re queer, step out of the closet and into a host of homosexual hot spots around town. Check out Tribe (1517-A Church St.), a restaurant and video bar catering to the gay community, for theme nights watching Six Feet Under and Queer as Folk, good music and a fried-egg BLT that’ll send you scurrying back to the gym. If it’s drag you want, the queens hold court at both the Chute (2535 Franklin Pike) and the Connection (901 Cowan St.) on Friday and Saturday nights. Females flock to the fresh fish at Cabaret II (833 Murfreesboro Pike), a (believe it or not) Red-Lobster-turned-lesbian-bar. And for all the books, CDs, leather wear and other proud paraphernalia you could possibly need, Outloud (1709 Church St.) has everything under the rainbow.
—Danny Solomon
Where can I hear music if I’m under 21?
If you’re under 21, you’re pretty much S.O.L. Most places that have bars in them require that you be of age simply to enter. I plan to buy them all hand stamps and preach the doctrine of “18 to Enter, 21 to Drink.” But until then, the kids are pretty much relegated to outdoor venues and festivals. (See Are there any public concerts? below.)
Riverstages is a three-day music festival on the Cumberland River usually held the first weekend in May. Ticket prices are decent if you grab them early. Past headliners have included Ben Folds Five, Widespread, Hole, Counting Crows, John Mayer and No Doubt. If you’ll be around during the summer, Dancin’ in the District (also on the river) is the place to be, with a new lineup every Thursday. Anyone can enter; ID is required to purchase a bracelet. Some venues around town make all ages or 18-and-over allowances, but that’s on a show-by-show basis, so be sure to check before you head over. And of course there are the big concerts at the Gaylord Entertainment Center or the Whatever Music Ampitheater (it will always be Starwood to us). Any sort of biggish touring band will play their Nashville date—if they have one—out there. The teenyboppers with their parents will make you realize why venues in the city impose an age limit, and you’ll probably appreciate their strictness when you’re on the other side of it. Nashville isn’t a musical wasteland for the non-legal-drinkers, but you have to know how to look a little harder. Happy hunting.
—Jessie Morris
Where are some good places to go bowling or shoot pool?
For pool sharks and pin-heads, Nashville has several choices for a night of friendly competition among friends. For bowling, Melrose Lanes (2600 Franklin Road) is a popular spot for bowlers to chase the elusive 300. Melrose offers 30 lanes on two stories, but they fill up quickly on weekend nights, so show up early or prepare to wait. If you don’t make it in time to grab a lane at Melrose, Pla-Mor lanes is just minutes away (2906 Foster Creighton Drive off Thompson Lane). With 24 lanes and a more remote location, chances are you won’t have to wait long. Cosmic bowling, which is conducted in black light to loud music with a disco ball, begins at 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. (Don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it.)
If pool is your game, H.Cues (1602 21st Ave.) is your place. The four tables are meticulously maintained and there’s never a long wait to play. H.Cues has a neighborhood feel created by amiable bartenders and friendly patrons. If pool is not your game, there are two foosball tables, a dartboard, Golden Tee golf and a great jukebox. H.Cues’ happy hour lasts from 1-7 p.m. with discounts on draft beer and half-price pool. After 7 p.m., pool is $6 per hour.
—Adam Deal
Where do I go to dance?
If it’s got a beat and you can dance to it, it’s playing every Friday and Saturday night at Johny Jackson’s Soul Satisfaction. (Note to dancing faithful: Friday night features Johny Jackson’s “All Good” with DJ Terry Grant, six straight hours of old-school house and hip-hop music. Saturday night is Soul Satisfaction.) Jackson is the king of Prince, George Clinton and every other band that ever put out a grinding groove that gets booties bouncing and rumps rubbed. (Hours: 9 p.m.-3 a.m. Cover is $3 before 10; $6 after. Johny Jackson’s is at the Cantina in Cummings Station, 209 10th Ave. S.) If you prefer to be up on a bar shaking what your mammy gave you—or watching girls who are—you can’t swing a G-string down on Second Avenue without hitting a club like Bar Nashville (114 Second Ave. S.) where all the 36-24-36ers get their Top 40 swerve on. Finally, there’s Club NV (131 Second Ave.), a two-story, New York-style nightclub with a dance floor downstairs, cheetah-fur sofas to lounge on upstairs and the tunes of DJ Dave Apuzzo, DJ Flye, and DJ Onasile to get you shakin’ that thang. (Word to insiders: Thursday nights are the best for the 18-25 set.)
—Danny Solomon
How about raves?
If you don’t remember the song “Freaks Come Out at Night,” I’m old and you’re just young enough to be going to raves. In any case, Excess on Church Street is easily the place you’ll feel most comfortable if glowsticks, pacifiers and all-night dancing is your thing. Let’s not kid each other, it’s a sweatshop down there. Though there is a cover, they probably just haven’t gotten around to installing luxuries like air-conditioning and toilet paper yet. In any case, from one endless song to another, the music doesn’t stop. They’re open Friday night from 2-6 a.m. and Saturday night from 2-8 a.m. Best part? If you stay long enough you’ll get to see the early morning YMCA members across the street heading in for their workouts while you’re finishing yours.
—Danny Solomon
When do the shows really start?
If you’re from north of the Mason-Dixon line, you’re about to find out that nobody around here is in a hurry to do anything. And the beauty of it is that, as long as we butter your bread with some Southern accented clichés like “y’all come back now” or “bless your heart,” we can get away with slow service, driving slowly or walking slowly across the street. As far as getting the show on the road goes, music usually starts anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour after it says it’s going to. You have to understand that there are some seriously snotty musicians around town who think 12th & Porter is Carnegie Hall and the set up can take forever.
—Danny Solomon
Is the ’Boro a donkey?
No, wise ass, the ’Boro is Murfreesboro, a neighboring college town 30 miles southeast of Nashville and home to one of the state’s largest schools, Middle Tennessee State University. Snicker all you want, young Nashville pups, but chances are good that its bands can outplay you, its frats can outparty you and its football team will be cleaning yours from its cleats. And as local musicians can attest, the difference between Murfreesboro clubs and Nashville’s is akin to playing Daytona at spring break or the Outer Banks in winter. The town just got even cooler with the addition of Pressure Drop, a new indie record store located behind the Red Rose Coffee House (528 W. College Street, 893-1405). Arrive early for noodles at the Far East Market and hot wings at The Slick Pig, both conveniently located within a few blocks on East Main Street. (See also Is the ’Boro a donkey II? in Why Is Nashville Called Music City?)
—Jim Ridley
Where can I do karaoke?
Many years ago, when dinosaurs roamed the earth, a short strip of street downtown called Printers Alley was the place where the hep cats tripped the light fantastic. Nowadays it barely holds a candle to the big bulbs that light up Second Avenue. But if you’ve got an itching that only a roaring rendition of “All My Rowdy Friends” can scratch, all you need is a pen and a cocktail napkin at Lonnie’s. Grab a bottle from your bucket of beer, swing one of their feather boas around your neck, and sing it like you mean it.
—Danny Solomon
Where are the locals hanging out?
Who knows the local scene better than the locals themselves? So where are they hiding? The Villager Tavern (1719 21st Ave.) is a dive bar in the best sense of the term. Nestled in the middle of Hillsboro Village, The Villager is always full of familiar neighborhood faces thanks to thousands of snapshots that cover the walls and ceilings. The back of the bar is devoted entirely to darts, with a gallery of four well-kept boards and plenty of space for four games. It’s the perfect place to duck out of the bustle of everyday life and slow things down for a few hours with friends and neighbors.
Sportsman’s Grille (1601 21st Ave.) is a favorite for locals looking for good food in a relaxed bar atmosphere. With trophies of outdoorsmen, including a moose head and several species of fish mounted on the deep stained wooden walls, the interior looks more like a drinking hole you might find in the Canadian wilderness. The menu consists of typical American fare, with the barbecue on cornbread, buffalo wings and red beans and rice among the most popular. Happy hour lasts from 4-7 p.m. and includes 2-for-1 draft beers, discounted liquor and wine and inexpensive appetizers. Locals come for the food and stay for the warm atmosphere and good company.
—Adam Deal
Where will I get my fake ID taken up?
Agents C, H, Red and myself have risked our lives to keep you from losing your fake ID at the following food and drink establishments. If you are under 21 and want to party, take heed.
First and foremost, avoid attempting to use your ID at SATCO at all costs. Upon last visit, Agent C was asked, in lieu of her suspicious ID, to show her birth certificate! Upon discovery that her identification was not legit, she was told by her server that such deceptive practices “say a lot about her as a person.” Agent H also cautions against “Jonathan’s out in Cool Springs definitely...and Buffalo Billiards.” Citing her painstaking and highly official research, Agent Red reports the following about the Billiard’s bouncers: “These professionals are no-nonsense. Not only can you not come in without a passport or license, but if you fail to produce said passport or license, you will not even be allowed to stand on the doormat.” Agent Red’s fake ID, we are sad to report, was impounded on the spot.
As for buying booze, avoid any place that is a.) in Green Hills or Belle Meade, b.) has the word “discount” in the name or c.) seems to have an unusual number of cops around. Definition of “unusual number of cops”: one. A caveat: This is not to say that you are safe as kittens buying your body weight in liquor at any other place or using your library card as ID at bars your agents have not mentioned. However, you may be able to slip in through the cracks at some of our verboten watering holes. We aim merely to provide a guide, the basic points of what most closely approximates street smarts in Nashville. Use them. ’Cause things are strict in the Music City.
—Jessie Morris
Where can I go on Sunday night?
The folks at the Broadway Brewhouse (1900 Broadway) know that Sunday nights are still part of the weekend, which is why they offer 2-for-1 draft beers all day. With over 50 beers on tap, the only thing you need to worry about is which beer you’re going to enjoy while stretching the weekend hours longer. The Brewhouse, as it is affectionately known to regulars, opens its garage door walls when it’s warm to create an open-air atmosphere around the bar, and has a patio for those looking to soak up the last rays of the weekend. Connected to the backside of the bar, Mojo Grill serves Cajun fare including burritos, quesadillas and their locally famous chicken wings. So order some food, choose a beer and sit outside with all the other students trying to forget that tomorrow is Monday.
—Adam Deal
