Inside Nashville’s DIY Music Scene
Young artists are gathering in Nashville, so they can book shows in house venues that pop up in gentrifying neighborhoods. They’re recording albums themselves or with independent producers like Jeremy Ferguson, who started mixing records in his basement before building a garage studio in his backyard. And they’re organizing into an underground scene that’s starting to look like a rock revolution that could one day dethrone country twang as Nashville’s most famous sound.
One of the launchpads of the movement is DRKMTTR, an all-ages house party of a venue west of downtown that’s set in an old barbershop and flanked by clapboard houses. The volunteer-run venue has been shut down for fire-code violations in the past, and to the young fans showing up with coolers of beer, it can seem like nobody’s in charge. That’s the charm.
“A lot of [the Nashville mentality] is anti-establishment,” says Olivia Scibelli, lead singer of Idle Bloom, a band currently writing its second full-length album from Scibelli’s East Nashville basement. “It’s kind of about taking out the middleman.” Scibelli helps run DRKMTTR, and Idle Bloom has played there in the past, but during a recent rehearsal session, the band’s four members crowd into a windowless room alongside their abused equipment. We take a look inside Music City’s indie, DIY scene.
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Holed Up Underground
Idle Bloom singer Olivia Scibelli’s home in East Nashville is adorned with DIY art, vinyl and cassettes.
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Idle Bloom Idles
Idle Bloom band mates hang out in the dining room of lead singer Olivia Scibelli’s house in East Nashville.
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East Nashville Aesthetic
Idle Bloom hang out in the dining room of lead singer Olivia Scibelli’s house in East Nashville.
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Olivia Warms Up
The basement has been transformed into a DIY venue for recording the band’s latest album.
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Vinyl Paradise
Grimey’s New & Preloved Music is one of the best places to pick up vinyl in Nashville.
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All Genres, All-Ages
Shoppers get their fix for all music genres at Grimey’s.
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Steelism on Display
Jeremy Fetzer and Spencer Cullum Jr. of Steelism play an in-store show at Grimey’s New & Preloved Music.
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Join the Club
Singer Tristen joins Steelism for their in-store performance at Grimey’s New & Preloved Music.
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On the Road in East Nashville
Clint Carter rides his Harley down McGavock Pike in East Nashville on his way to Battle Tapes to meet Jeremy Ferguson.
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Battle Tapes
Jeremy Ferguson at the console in Battle Tapes, his studio at his home in East Nashville.
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Guitar Storage
Jeremy Ferguson loves using old, analog practices when possible.