I have been working with Matt and I must say he is truly amazing!!!!…read moreno joke I have tried Guiatr zoom, Marty Music, 365 academy and even Metal Apprentice and no one was willing to bend and listen like Matt is he understands and will understand your needs and were you are in your journey.. seriously I ran into him by mistake on the internet and he has been a blessing in my guitar journey and Iam a retired guy set in my ways and I feel so confident in him and I trust him 110%.. if you need a guitar teacher this is the guy trust me !!!

The Main Library has a free art gallery on the first floor with a single exhibit that changes every…read morefew months. Right now they have an exhibit by Sue Mulcahy, who also recently had a show at the Frist called "Shades of Gray." I really liked the black and white drawings she exhibited at the Frist, so I'd definitely recommend checking out her work at the library. Plus, you can see it here for free, wheras I had to pay over $10 to see it (along with some other great exhibits) at the Frist. Nashville's Main Library seems to be well endowed, and this gallery is no exception: the space is open, well-lit, and feels very new. They seem to consistently have worthwhile exhibits. If you aren't satisfied by what you see in the art gallery, there's also usually an exhibit from the library's special collections on the second floor balcony. Right now they're showing presidential campaign art past and present, which I thought was pretty cool. The library does a good job with the presentation of its exhibits, providing plenty of food for thought, without trying to fit too many pieces onto one wall.

Musicians Corner's 16th season is underway. I was so excited to see Britney Spencer headlining…read moreFriday night. She sounded amazing. I love seeing families, couples, friend groups, and everything in between in attendance. The weather was perfect and I am so grateful for free public access to live music in Centennial Park every May/June and September. Everyone should have the chance to listen to incredible music in Music City. Musicians Corner is a program of Centennial Park Conservancy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that aims to preserve, enhance, and share the Parthenon and Centennial Park. Street parking can be found around the park. There are a variety of vendors that range from food, beer, crafts, snacks, and artist merch available to buy. I recommend bringing a thick blanket or lawn chair! The ground was a little uncomfortable and I just need to make sure I come more prepared next time. Events like this make Nashville special! Can't wait to go back this summer.

What's not to love? Musician's Corner is an annual series of free concerts in the back corner of…read moreCentennial Park. This past weekend (5/17/24, 5/18/24) was the opening weekend of the spring 2024 series, the 15th anniversary year of the series. Sponsored by grants and corporate sponsors, attendees don't have to pay a dime for a show and there's almost always plenty of free parking in and around the park to boot. Vendors set up around the circle--food, beer, crafts, snacks, and artist/venue merch. The variety of artists is pretty wide from genre (country, rock, soul, jazz, everything else) to experience (newbies, up-and-comers, seasoned veterans). For example, this past Saturday consisted of a newer soul artist out of D.C. (Kenny Sharp), Vince Gill (celebrating those 15 years with 15 minutes), a young local alt-rock/pop band (Nordista Freeze), and Lissie (a fantastic 20-year indie rock veteran with a great band). Rain rolled in clearing out a lot of the space as Lissie played but she kept on rocking through the rain with a full, excellent set. Bring your own blanket, towel or lawn chair. You can even bring a cooler in so long as you leave the booze at home (they want you to buy theirs if you're thirsty).

I just want to mention how helpful NSAI has been to me, both "from a distance" and "in person." I…read morejoined in April 2023. I love that, for local chapter meetings, you can find plenty of meetings all over the USA (and some in other countries too), where you can attend both in person and via Zoom. At many of the meetings, you can submit a song for feedback from the local group. If you're not yet a member, you can attend a couple of meetings for free (and even submit a song for feedback if the chapter has feedback during their meetings), just to check out how it all works. If you're a paying member, you can attend unlimited meetings all over the world for no fee whatsoever. There is a chapter directory, which makes it easy to find what you're looking for. If you find that a particular local chapter isn't a good fit for you, there are at least 100 more chapters waiting for you to explore and plug into. I'm in the southeast USA but I regularly attend meetings in Texas and other states! There is also a member directory where, if a member has allowed their profile to be made public, you can find writers who share your interests, to connect with. There are also forums (message boards) where you can post messages. I've made some great co-writer connections this way! I've been very satisfied with all the services offered by NSAI via their website (which seems to have been recently updated in October 2024), including song feedback, song evaluations, online and in-person pitch-to-publisher events, Zoom mentor meetings, the member representatives, the front desk staff, the local chapter meetings, and other events. The writing rooms which you can reserve free-of-charge at the main headquarters in Nashville TN, are a really cool way to get together with other writers to co-write while you're in Nashville. Some of the rooms have a keyboard, so be sure to let them know if you will be needing a keyboard. Honestly, the "free writing rooms" feature is worth its weight in gold, if you ever make trips to Nashville. Some other rentable writing rooms in town may cost a lot of money per hour, but NSAIs rooms are free. I've never encountered a time when rooms were unavailable, but I'm sure that could happen if you didn't book in advance via the website, so make sure to do that. Check it out, sign up if you like it, utilize the services, attend some local chapter meetings, and enjoy.

When most songwriters (or singer/songwriters) move to Nashville they are chasing a big dream. After…read moretaking the first step and making the move comes the big question,"Where do I start?". If you're new to town this is one of the first places to check out. NSAI is a not for profit group put here for the purpose of educating us and helping us a long on our musical journey. The trick is to not just be a member, but take advantage of all the tools they offer you in membership. They offer tons of workshops, networking opportunities with professionals and other writers(such as pitch-to-publisher nights), 12 song evaluations (you can purchase extra for not very much if you are craving more feedback), and one on one mentoring sessions twice a year. All of this (and lots of other things) are included in yearly membership. They have different levels of membership, but the most common one runs at $150 for the year. They have a 2 or 3 month flex pay option if you don't want to pay it all at once(they know for the most part what an up and comer's salary looks like). I was a member for a few years before I started taking advantage of all NSAI has to offer. Since I did that I've learned and accomplished so much more in this crazy town and I've also met a ton of wonderful people to help me on my way. If this is your thing, or you're just thinking about it, stop in and say "hello" and they'll gladly show you around and give you more information. It's definitely an organization worth joining.

Sounds like a couple of jaded musicians have been trying to give this company a bad name. I have…read morehad the opposite experience as Chad W. and Brian M. with ICAA. In 2008, my husband and I started a band and couldn't find any paying gigs. In 2009 we heard about ICAA- our lives changed. We paid a small fee and were put on a roster where paying gigs came in daily and we were able to put our hats in the ring for promoters consideration. I know we weren't the only ones who got LOTS of paying gigs- I'd say the so-called scam artist, Jennifer has made my husband and I upwards of 50k over the past 3 years. She has collected a very fair and lower than industry standard booking fee. It's not a scam, these reviewers are just mad that their music wasn't quality enough to be represented by this reputable company. If you ask any artist on the ICAA roster, I'm sure they will say the same. These are good people- shame on you, Chad W. and Brian M. for taking rejection so poorly.

I enjoyed a live comedy showcase at NECAT network! The venue was clean and organized. I liked how…read morethey had enough space to be flexible with staging and sets. Everything went smoothly during the taping and there was plenty of parking available due to the fact that it is location on the campus of Nashville State Community College.

Necat is one of the gems of Nashville. We are so lucky to have, in our community, the opportunity…read moreto be a part of a real TV studio and get hands on experience. For a small annual fee you get to take a few classes with awesome instructors to prepare you to use the studios and make your own television show. It's a very cool and unique nonprofit organization that deserves all the stars!

Nashville Film Festival is in its 53rd year. For those who are unaware, that's practically unheard…read moreof in the film festival world. Capitalizing on its location in Music City (Nashville, TN), the Nashville Film Festival is a week-long festival that weaves together film, music, and culture and produces a film festival that is both critically acclaimed and noted for its hospitality. The festival utilizes some of Nashville's most historic cinemas - The Belcourt Theater, the Franklin Theatre in nearby Franklin, TN, and the Andrew Johnson Theatre at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. The Virgin Hotels in Nashville also hosted screenings. I've always sort of been on the fringes of the Nashville Film Festival starting when Brian Owens (formerly of Indy Film Fest) was their artistic director and because of a sort of kinship that exists between Nashville and Indy's own Heartland Film Festival. However, this year was the first year I became actually credentialed by the festival as a film journalist and was able to cover screenings as press. The process for credentialing was really media friendly and I've been super impressed with how much follow-up the festival does with its media. It really makes me want to stay in Nashville and cover the entire week (which I may do next year). This year's festival had 150+ screenings (both in-person and virtual offerings, though the virtual offerings were definitely more limited). They also offered panels, workshops, live music performances, a creators conference, and quite a few activities after the day of screenings for filmmakers, press, and specific target populations. The film festival is guided by the non-profit organization NashFilm and it does offer year-round activities including outdoor movies, educational programming (they offered a great screening of the wonderful documentary "Butterfly in the Sky" during the festival for area school kids), the Living Reel Project, and quite a bit more. Of the theatres, Belcourt is easily my favorite. As is true of all festivals (or most), tickets are less expensive if a member. However, you can also get all access passes that really make it pretty affordable. The website makes it super easy to check out film options, the schedule, and to get tickets. Staff and volunteers are all friendly and helpful and I really like the vibe here. It's artsy yet accessibly so. I suppose I expected it to be a tad snootier and that just wasn't the experience at all. This is a definite gem of a film festival. It lacks the pretentiousness of some festivals and really just offers great screenings at great venues and people you enjoy being around. If you're in Nashville, it's a no-brainer to attend and I'd definitely consider this a festival worth taking some vacation time and attending!

Awarded one of my coveted 5-star ratings!…read more One of the most enjoyable experiences I have had in Nashville. I mean, this is right up there with sitting behind the glass at a Predators game! A person at the festival told me that the atmosphere of openness and accessibility was how the big-city, big-name film festivals used to be. It's unfortunate that things change and I understand that it is most likely a response to changing conditions at the festival sites. I felt like I was a VIP with the access that I had to directors, producers, sponsors, writers, and generally anyone that had anything to do with the movies. Admission to the movies was $12, or $9 if you were wearing a rock n roll t-shirt, which was not advertised very heavily. The Regal Green Hills Stadium 16 is not a new theater, which added to the ambiance when watching movies. Seats were comfy but a bit creaky at times. Some of the movies/events I enjoyed: Musica Campesina - A new immigrant tries to get his feet on the ground in a new city (filmed in Nashville!) 10 Days to Nashville - Short documentary of a couples journey to their mecca - Nashville again! Stranger Things - Trust and human connections are explored Broke - The music industry is in flux and how one group is struggling to make it big Gustavo Santaolla - Two-time Academy Award winner who scored Brokeback Mtn and many other films Terri - Social misfit develops a warm relationship and has a coming of age experience Mercy Lounge - Closing party I will be there next year!

The TEN is a new addition to the Nashville theater scene; they opened their first show - Romeo and…read moreJuliet - this weekend. If you go to shows for cushy chairs, snacks at intermission, and fancy props and costumes, this isn't the place for you. But if you like theater because you enjoy the experience of watching a story play out around you, you just might find a show that's to your liking. The experience is very bare-bones - folding chairs, cinderblock walls, and nothing in the way of scenery other than a raised platform painted black. It's a very intimate venue - there are chairs for about 50 people, the girl selling tickets will pop out at intermission to tell you it's time for a break. One of the people we saw on Saturday night had brought his own cushion for the chairs - BRILLIANT. You should do that. I really enjoyed their rendition of Romeo and Juliet. The Montagues and Capulets wear argyle and plaid, respectively (BRILLIANT!) which makes it very easy to follow who is angry at whom. Mercutio's performance was the best I have ever seen, on stage or on screen, hands-down. This is a particularly great show for those of you who vaguely remember reading this in junior high or who avoided it at all costs because Shakespeare is obnoxiously incomprehensible - even though they haven't modernized a single word of the script, you'll understand what's going on - and you'll even get the Nurse's saucy jokes through the veil of Shakespeare's English. Tickets are incredibly reasonably priced at $10. Keep an eye on their Twitter feed for deals - I scored 2 free tickets for retweeting the information about their opening weekend.