Tag Archives: popular Nashville music blogs

How to Get Involved in Your Local Music Scene, Pt. 2: Open Mic Nights

Last week, we introduced How to Get Involved in Your Local Music Scene, a series of informative articles from our friends at Music on the Move Studios to come, every Tuesday for the next several weeks.

This week, Caitie Thompson dives into how to get involved in your local open mic circuit. This article will provide you plenty of insight, including:

  • How to find local open mic nights
  • What to expect when you arrive
  • What to bring with you
  • Networking best practices
  • …and more!

Have all of your burning open mic questions answered by clicking the button below!

UMC20: Autumnal Moods (Oct. 18, 2022)

It’s freezing in Nashville today.

OK, it isn’t freezing. But highs are only in the 50s, so it might as well be.

What that also means is that it’s time to trade summer’s bright energy for cozier moods befitting the season. That’s not to say that there aren’t some bangers on this week’s edition of UMC20, but it is to point out that the back half of this week’s playlist has a healthy dose of pensive Americana tunes befitting the vibrant pastels of a mid-October sunset.

Listen to UMC20

LISTEN: On ‘i can’t,’ Sarah Faith Separates the Real from the Fake

“I can’t imagine you’d stay seated at this table if it was turned.”

No toxic relationship dynamic is worth sacrificing your own sense of self-worth. Regardless of our connection, sometimes the only choice we have is to walk away.

Read more

Purpose, Growth, Relationships, and Balance: Staying on the Grind with Gr3ys0n

Over the past 10 years, the artistry of Gr3ys0n has gone through many phases. The Bethlehem, PA-based nerdcore hip hop artist — formerly known by the names Maverick da Roninn and NyteXing — is prolific in his creative output, blending his own life experience with references from comic book, anime, and video game culture to create a multiverse of his own.

We catch up with Gr3ys0n on today’s episode of The Quinn Spinn to chat about his new album, Identity Crisis Pt. 4: Hero Saga. We also explore what this project represents at this point in his creative journey, the lessons he’s learned along the way, and the art of balancing passions with the responsibilities of family life.

#GetSpunn

WATCH: Erin McLendon’s ‘Sunday Crowd’ Video Unites the Congregation

Back in July — on the way to the release of her self-titled EP — Erin McLendon released “Sunday Crowd,” a song which acknowledges the skeletons even the holiest of holy rollers have in their closets.

Last Friday, McLendon dropped a new music video for “Sunday Crowd,” celebrating our differences and the common threads that unite us all.

Watch the video

UMC20: The Musical Harvest Continues (Oct. 11, 2022)

With every week that goes by, the independent musicians of Earth continue bringing the HEAT.

It means we’ll never run out of choice cuts to feature on UMC20 (and elsewhere within this wild and wacky UMC ecosystem). And, while that lends us to make tough calls as to what to include, and where to slot each submission onto the playlist, rest assured that we’d rather have too much than too little.

If you’re a musician reading this, the best way to get on our radar is to submit your tunes here. And, while you head over to the forms and tell us everything we need to know about your music, enjoy this week’s edition of UMC20 for inspiration!

Listen to UMC20

How To Get Involved in Your Local Music Scene, Pt. 1: Writer’s Rounds

Pictured: Music on the Move Studios co-founder Erin McLendon, performing at a pretty cool writer’s round.

Every Tuesday for the next several weeks, our friends at Music on the Move Studios (perhaps, with a guest author popping in along the way…) will be sharing their perspectives for anybody looking to dive into their local music scene.

The series — How To Get Involved in Your Local Music Scene — is the brainchild of Music on the Move co-founders Erin McLendon and Caitie Thompson, and will provide practical tips to help independent musicians get off on the right foot.

This week, Erin explores a phenomenon near and dear to the hearts of Nashville musicians: writer’s rounds. For the uninitiated, writer’s rounds are…

“Unique experiences where anywhere from 2-4 songwriters share a stage and take turns performing their songs. You start at one end, go to the other, then go back around. Hence, the name Writer’s Rounds.

What’s unique about this is that, you get to hear completely original music by the songwriters themselves, as well as the stories behind the songs!”

-Erin McLendon

Does that sound like the right opportunity for you? Click the button below to read Erin’s full piece!


Hey, while you’re here: did you know that Underground Music Collective is a fiscally-sponsored project of The Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville? That means you have the opportunity to make a charitable donation to UMC, which is tax-deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law. Click here and help us Keep the Music Playing!

Overnight Success: The Music Industry’s Greatest Myth

It takes a long time to be able to fill rooms like this…

You’ve seen it in the news. You’ve heard it on the radio. Your friends and family have talked about it, whenever it apparently occurs. Somebody, previously unknown by the masses, has a big moment and quickly gains traction and relevance in the public eye. Opportunities begin pouring in, and suddenly, they’ve become a household name. Those unaware of the truth behind this individual’s creative journey gather ‘round, from near and far, and proclaim this individual…

AN OVERNIGHT SUCCESS!

However, appearances can be deceiving. This seemingly sudden rocket ship to fame and fortune may appear to have emerged out of thin air. However, rest assured that the ship most likely had many false starts where it struggled to get off the ground. Once it took off, its upward trajectory did not occur in a straight line; rather, the currents of life have tested the vessel’s integrity. Perhaps an emergency landing was necessary along its journey, in order to prevent a full-blown crash.

Indeed, anybody who has been a creative entrepreneur for long enough knows that the course of success – much like true love – never runs smooth. And, over time, we put in enough late nights (immediately followed by early mornings) to realize the truth…

Overnight success simply does not exist.

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