Murfreesboro’s House Shows Spotlight Local Bands

By  Daniel Baumli

          MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Murfreesboro, Tenn., is home to Middle Tennessee State University, whose prominent Recording Industry Department and close proximity to Nashville has sparked a lively house show scene in the college town.

            MTSU has a nationally recognized recording industry program with state-of-the-art equipment available for students.  The program is broken up into three different areas of focus: Audio Production, Music Business, and Commercial Songwriting.  Because of this program, MTSU has become a beacon for young people wanting to work in the music industry, especially in Nashville.

            The idea for house shows in Murfreesboro was no doubt inspired by the house show scene in Nashville, but the two scenes are fairly different from each other.  Nashville’s house show scene was developed by high school students who wanted to play shows but did not meet the age requirements of Nashville’s nightclub venues.  Murfreesboro’s scene began as a way to promote bands in Murfreesboro while throwing some partying into the mix.

            Promotion for the shows is almost exclusively on Facebook.  To spread the word, hosts of the shows and band members send out Facebook event invites to their Facebook friends, who then share the event page with their friends.  Many of the houses have nicknames such as The Kitchen on Minerva Drive, Avalon on Ewing Boulevard, and Eisenhouser on Twin Oaks Drive that are provided rather than the physical address, although some hosts do list the addresses.  Each house enforces its own rules in an effort to keep the shows from being shut down by police.

The Acorn People playing a house
 show at Forman's Basement

            “I usually post a public event page at first that has the address on it,” said Quinten Thornton, drummer for the band The Acorn People and host of many popular house shows at his home on Minerva Drive.  “Then once the event is just a few weeks away, I will make a private page that is invite only and invite all of my friends.  The public page can potentially inform police ahead of time about the party, and the police in Murfreesboro are usually willing to work with us.  The private page does a good job of keeping out people who are just looking for a rowdy party.”

            Andrew Pigue, the front-man of Murfreesboro’s four-piece drone band Mothyards, offered his perspective on what it’s like to play house shows. 

Mothyards playing a house
show at UTC-06

     “Well, we’ve played two shows now,” Pigue said when asked about his first experience in the house show scene.  “Our first show was a Halloween house show at UTC-06 off of Highland Drive.  It was great. The atmosphere was perfect for our sound, and people really seemed to embrace our sound.  If you’re making any music in Murfreesboro and you want people to experience your music live, then a house show is a good place to start.”

            There are many different bands with varying styles of music being played at these shows.  Some of the bands that frequently play house shows are The Acorn People, Young Wolves, Oh Grandpa, The Water Fight, Sheep Shifter, Tomato Face and Chasing Lights.

            The people who generally attend these shows are there for the music and the social interaction.  There is no age restriction for the shows, though due to the party nature, children are not permitted at most shows.  The shows are especially popular to students and Murfreesboro residents who like rock, punk, or even experimental drone music. 

            For more information about the house show scene, there is a Facebook group page called the "Murfreesboro House Show Alliance".  Simply type "Murfreesboro House Show Alliance" into Facebook’s search bar and request to join the page.

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Show Review: MTSU Salsa Band Spices Up Campus Events

By: Kellen Shiles

            MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Middle Tennessee State University Salsa Band performed for the local community on Nov. 20 in Hinton Music Hall to culminate the group’s semester-long work.

Every semester, the MTSU Salsa Band holds a performance on campus to showcase its talent. The band consists of 12 students taking a class under Lalo Davila, who says the primary goal is to teach students how to understand and compose salsa music. The band performs cover tunes but also arranges some on its own. The current line-up consists of alto, tenor and baritone saxophones; two trumpets; one trombone; a piano; one bass guitar; a drum set; timbales; bongos; and congas. The group also has a sound engineer to aid in live performances.

“I have learned to play in a style of music that I’ve never experienced before,” said current trombone player Justin Martin. “It has made me a better player and I appreciate other kinds of music I’m not used to performing.”  

MTSU Salsa Band Performing at Hinton Hall

The concert was full of energy and positivity. The rhythm to the music was very easy to dance to, but it was far from simple. Each instrument was as important as the next, blending it into one lively performance. A team of salsa dancers whirled about on stage, prompting others to get out of their seats and into the aisle to join in the fun. Director Lalo Davila’s banter with the audience was humorous and lighthearted, making the concert casual in the best way possible. 

            Davila was inspired to start the group in 1986 after having played in the first Nashville-based salsa band called Orkestra Eme Pe. Every semester, Davila teaches new students the unique musical style that he describes as a blending of music from all different cultures around the Caribbean and Latin America. Many consider the primary roots of the music to come from Cuba and Puerto Rico, but it would be foolish to restrict the genre to only these regions.

            Davila also sings with the group on numerous songs. He claims it is hard to find another Hispanic singer in the Murfreesboro area. Aside from being the director of percussion studies at MTSU, Davila has quite the musical history. To list a few accomplishments, Davila was awarded Nashville’s “Top Five 1998 Percussionist of the Year Award” and The Nashville Scene’s “2012 Best Latin Jazz Musician.” His performances can be heard in the movies “People Like Us” and “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone”. Davila has also composed music for the television shows “Drop Dead Diva” and “Burn Notice”.

            Davila says his favorite part about directing the salsa band is “watching their expressions having their own pieces performed by the group.”

            Playing with the Salsa Band comes with many benefits. In years past, members have been privileged enough to perform with honorable musicians such as Jeff Coffin, the saxophonist for the Dave Matthews Band, and Roy Agee, who played trombone for Prince. All members of the salsa band demonstrate extraordinary talent and continue to perform after graduation. Former member Reggie Grisham toured with The Who on its Quadrophenia and More Tour.

            The salsa band’s music can be heard ringing throughout the halls of Wright Music Building from 5 – 6:50 p.m. every Wednesday. The group occasionally has the opportunity to play around Murfreesboro like The Social down on the square and even some Nashville venues. Any chance to see this group perform is not an event to be missed.

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Cigar Bar Becoming Popular Venue in Downtown Nolensville

By Joshua M. Yardley

          NOLENSVILLE, Tenn. - The Cigar Bar & Bistro might just be the best hotspot for small-time fun in the little town of Nolensville, Tenn.

          Owner and founder Carroll Davis opened the Cigar Bar & Bistro on Dec. 27, 2011. Furnished with a vast array of cigars, new leather couches, and a beer selection that would make any mouth water, the Cigar Bar & Bistro has something for everyone. Davis started the Cigar Bar as part of a passion project for retirement.

"We designed the interior as a 1920s speakeasy atmosphere where people could come in and relax after a hard day and smoke a cigar while taking their mind off of the everyday stress that comes with the 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. workday," said Davis. "The first six months was intense because of the various town ordinances we had to go through in order to be able to sell beer, tobacco, liquor and food. In order to sell tobacco and alcohol, we had to have 65 percent of our total sales be food. What we appealed to the city was to incorporate the cigar sales into that figure in order to stay open. We were rejected on our second reading of the bill due to our close proximity to the baseball fields located next to us."

           Davis likes to try and keep things fresh for his customers, like choosing which cigars are most popular (which he buys directly from the distributor), what kind of beer his regulars like, and having live music every first Saturday of the month. While there are not specific bands that play every Saturday, Davis likes to provide a classic rock cover band that will complement the bar’s atmosphere.

           "Since we were forced to incorporate food into our total sales, we had the idea to order food, through our computers, from the restaurants around us and incorporated that as part of our total food sales," said Brett Wagoner, the official head bartender.

           While there are many different types of cigars offered at the Cigar Bar, there is no single type that is the most popular. Davis likes to order certain cigars based on recommendations from both cigar connoisseurs and patrons of the bar. While Davis offers many beers, both on tap and in a bottle, Wagoner feels that an IPA compliments the cigar taste the best, as do the customers.

          “We offer to call in food from Martin’s BBQ Joint, China Garden, and Uncle Bud’s, which tends to be our highest seller,” Wagoner said.

           Admission is free with no cover charge. Wagoner says the Cigar Bar is a fun gathering place for Nolensville area residents who need a place to wind down after a long, hard day of work. The Cigar Bar & Bistro is located at 7240 Nolensville Road (U.S. Highway 31) in downtown Nolensville. It is open Tuesday through Sunday from 1 p.m. - 10 p.m. To learn more about the venue and see what the interior looks like, visit http://www.cigarbar-nolensville.com. Individuals can like the venue on Facebook at Cigar Bar- Nolensville.