It’s here, it’s here, the new issue is here! The May/June issue of The East Nashvillian is on stands and online now. The cover star of this season’s installment is local favorite Tristen, who releases her new album Aquatic Flowers today.
“I don’t sound like anything, and I don’t really fit anywhere, but I don’t know how to be any other way,” she tells writer Andrew Leahey about her genre-bending sound.
Tristen is marking the release of her new album with a virtual concert, Tristen the Night Away 2, on June 11 at 6 p.m. She’ll be performing the record in full with a full band from The 5 Spot and special guests will be popping by to help her celebrate — expect to see Jenny Lewis, Robyn Hitchcock, Daisha McBride, Caitlin Rose, and more. Grab a ticket for the online show at StageIt.
The latest magazine also has a feature on Drkmttr and the Nashville Free Store, a deep dive into how Five Points has evolved over the past 25 years, an interview with musician Jon Byrd about his new record Me & Paul (or read it online here), an essay about addiction and recovery from Tommy Womack in his “East of Normal” column, and more. Flip through the virtual version here. You can also have a copy delivered to your home via our online shop.
Don’t miss Jon Byrd, along with special guests Shannon Wright and Paul Niehaus, live from the Music Makers Stage at Delgado Guitars Saturday, June 12 at 1 p.m. This marks a return to in-person attendance for shows at the Music Makers Stage, with VIP tickets available here. Of course, you can still stream the show; streaming tickets are available here.
(This post has been updated with a correction: We originally gave the date for Byrd’s performance at the Music Makers Stage as June 5. Our apologies.)
Now, it’s not too soon to get a jump on our July/August issue — if you have an event to advertise (because events are back, baby!) drop us a note at sales@theeastnashvillian.com.
Party with Pride!
🏳️🌈 Happy Pride month! 🏳️🌈
The Veterans Memorial Bridge and City Hall are shining bright in rainbow colors for the month of June and businesses all over the city are booming with rainbow-colored specials. In East Nashville, HiFi Cookies has given their sprinkle cookie a boost and they will donate a portion of proceeds to organizations like The Okra Project and Trevor Project, Gift Horse has a colorful display of art and merchandise that supports and celebrates the LGBTQ+ community and they’ll be donating a portion of proceeds to the Just Us program at Oasis Center and Nashville Launchpad, and this Sunday photographer Emily April Allen is offering Pride photoshoots styled by Curry at Studio.TPG. Sign up for your slot — featuring up to four people — here.
If you’ve been looking for other ways to celebrate this month you may have noticed Nashville’s doing Pride a little differently this year — generally, there’s a big parade and weekend festival at the end of the month, but because of COVID-19, Nashville Pride organizers moved the party from June to September.
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“We always try to make decisions with the best interest of the organization and the community in mind,” says Alex Foley, the president of Nashville Pride. “We had to make a decision about the dates of the festival in Q4 of last year when COVID-19 cases were surging in Nashville and beyond, and before the vaccine was approved for emergency use.
“At the time, the messaging from the CDC and the state of Tennessee indicated that it was unlikely that all Tennesseeans would have access to a vaccine until Q2 or Q3 of this year. The board agreed — and still believes — that it didn’t align with our mission and purpose to hold a festival until all members of the LGBTQ+ community had access to the vaccine.”
This move to the fall is a temporary one — Foley adds that next year’s festival “will definitely be” in June.
There are still a lot of opportunities to celebrate Pride this month in Music City. From drag shows and concerts to screenings of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, here is a round-up of this month’s local Pride events:
Outloud Music Festival has a hell of a line-up this year with Japanese Breakfast and Soccer Mommy headlining Friday night and Todrick Hall and Tank and the Bangas headlining Saturday. Plus: And food and drinks from Dreamers, Daddy’s Dog, Pied Piper Creamery, Steaming Goat, and Tennessee Tatercakes. Tickets are available here. Fri-Sat, June 4-5, at 7:30 p.m.
After Outloud, put on your blacklight best and head to Play for a night of dancing. Free admission to anyone with an Outloud Music Festival ticket! Fri-Sat, June 4-5,
A virtual iHeartRadio event featuring performances and appearances by Bebe Rexha, P!nk, JoJo Siwa, Hayley Kiyoko, Brothers Osborne, and more. Available on TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Revry. Friday, June 4 at 9 p.m.
Along with a specialty brunch menu, City Winery will also be selling bottles of their City Winery Drag Brunch wine, with proceeds benefitting Nashville Pride. The show is currently sold out but City Winery has a waitlist here. Saturday, June 5 at 11 a.m.
Every Sunday in June Bobby Hotel hosts Drag Brunch — June 6 guests include Cya Inhale, Britney Banks, Venus Ann Serena, and more. The prix fixe menu features fried chicken, crepes with strawberry compote, and tropical fruit salad. Every Sunday in June at 11 a.m.
The Hotmess Housewives and their kickball teammates perform to raise money for the Nashville chapter of the LGBTQ+ sports league. Friday, June 11 at 7 p.m.
There are two seatings for Assembly Food Hall’s rooftop drag brunch hosted by Zac Woodward of Pride Radio. Performers include Britney Banks, Vidalia Anne Gentry, Alexia Noelle, Chanel Kennedy, and Aura Mayari. General admission is free and VIP tickets are available for $25. Sunday, June 13 at noon and 2:30 p.m.
Celebrate Pride Month with a free screening of Hedwig and the Angry Inch in The Groove’s backyard. They’ll supply the popcorn, you just need to bring a blanket or chair and something to drink. Costumes encouraged! Friday, June 18 at sundown.
RuPaul’s Drag Race star Olivia Lux comes to Play to perform with the Play Mates. Meet-and-greet tickets are available. Friday, June 18 at 8 p.m.
Be there when Carney Street in South Nashville is declared Biana Paige Way to honor Mark Middleton aka Bianca Paige, “The Pantomime Rage.” When Middleton learned he was HIV positive, he used his drag persona to became a passionate activist — he founded the Bianca Paige Awareness Network to encourage testing and fight stigmas affiliated with HIV and AIDS. Friends say Middleton raised more than $1 million dollars for AIDS organizations before he died in 2010 from lymphoma. The dedication party will be a two-day celebration. On Saturday Mayor John Cooper and Rep. Jim Cooper will cut the ribbon for Bianca Paige Way at 3 p.m., with performances from Chris Houseman, Brody Ray, Shelly Fairchild, Ty Herndon, and many more following. On Saturday, the celebration continues with a pool party at Fleetwood Bar inside the Doubletree’s airport location at 6 p.m. More information and tickets available here. Sat-Sun, June 26-27.
Austin and Nashville’s LGBT Chamber of Commerce co-host a virtual concert to celebrate local music. Performing for Nashville will be Shelly Fairchild with Alanna Royale, Adam Mac, John Tucker, The Blam Blams, and Bantug. Austin’s artists include Patrice Pike, Kenny Williams Trio, P1nkstar, Pleasure Venom, and Tina G. It’s streaming for free online but there is also a watch party at Tribe. Wednesday, June 30 at 6 p.m.
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Now Open in East Nashville
Just a couple of weeks ago the Daisy May Hat Co. officially opened its doors at 1100 Douglas Ave. The shop is owned by hatmaker Gage Seas — he began blocking, sanding, and shaping custom hats by hand two years ago and he has since accrued some noteworthy clientele. Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, musician Tim Montana and comedian Shapel Lacey are all recent customers.
At Daisy May, Seas will continue to make custom hats, taking measurements and making templates of customers’ heads “so the hat is made to their exact specifications and fits them perfectly,” and folks can also expect a selection of ready-made and one-off hats, as well as belts, wallets, and key chains.
It’s serendipitous timing for a new hat shop in Nashville. Last week one of the city’s largest hat stores, hatWRKS, made national news when the owner posted on Instagram that she was selling “not vaccinated” Star of David patches. Several hatWRKS suppliers — including Stetson, Milano Hat Company, Kangol, and Bailey — have reportedly cut ties with the shop.
In other new business news, I Love Juice Bar is also officially open in Hunters Station. The brand, which was founded here in Tennessee by John and Vui Hunt, has several locations throughout the South and Midwest, with stores in Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, Kentucky, Texas, Ohio, and more. The Hunters Station shop is their first East Nashville location. They’ll celebrate their opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 17.
And finally, the owners of Tabla Rasa Toys are getting closer to opening their new storefront at 1200 Porter Road. For now the shop, owned by the same folks who run Green Fleet Bicycle Shop and Shelby Ave. Bicycle Co., offers a selection of toys and games in their online store, and stock includes wooden toys from the East Nashville-based Okay Have Fun toy company. I don’t have a kid, but I think I need this possum pull toy? It’s too cute!
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Happy Birthday To WXNA
Gee wiz, we remember when you were just a baby. It’s hard to believe you’re five years old now. Your Lo Watt\High Power energy has enriched our lives, and we wish you many happy returns. You can read the creation story here, written while you were still a gleam in your mommies‘ and daddies‘ eyes.
Quick Bits
- The Red Cross needs blood! The Red Cross and the Nashville Predators are hosting blood drives around Middle Tennessee this month. They’ll be in East Nashville on June 18 at the Nashville First Church of the Nazarene at 510 Woodland St. from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
- Take note: First Avenue from Broadway to Church Street is closed as crews analyze the area’s stability following the Christmas morning explosion.
- Oracle finalized its deal with the city by buying more than 60 acres of property for $245 million. Metro Council approved the deal last month.
- Eric Munchel and Lisa Eisenhart, a mother and son who traveled from Nashville to attend the US Capitol riot on January 6, have been indicted on multiple charges.
- A new report criticizes local authorities for “insufficient follow-up” of claims that Anthony Q. Warner, the Christmas morning bomber, was building bombs at his house.
- Sales tax in Downtown Nashville will increase starting July 1. The money will be used for “enhanced trash pick-up” (like garbage robots?!?!) and safety and social services.
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Love Buzz
As mentioned above, the Outloud Music Festival is this weekend at the Nissan Stadium parking lot and the bill is stacked. Like, stacked stacked. Like, Japanese Breakfast, Tank and the Bangas, Todrick Hall, Soccer Mommy, and Derrick Barry as Britney Spears stacked. Also performing Friday night is the local glam band The Blam Blams. Think the otherworldliness of David Bowie, the glitter and makeup of Hedwig, and the riffs and hooks of T. Rex.
The band tells me they’ll be performing an acoustic set at Outloud, as they recently parted ways with their bassist, but the fans can get a taste of their fully plugged-in performance in their very clever lyric video for the song “Throwaway Lines” from last year’s full-length Opening Night.
Buzzing About New Release By Pepper Said
We wrap up this week’s East Side Buzz by leaving you with the totally blissful “Suburban Riot” from local indie-rock gurus Pepper Said. It’s is a song written from the perspective of frontman Pepper’s high school self about wanting “to be the adult I am right now, but I didn’t know who I was. … The song title is an oxymoronic expression about teenage confusion,” says Pepper. Get ready to move!
