I came to town for the first time in 1996. I didn’t want to go to the everyday tourist spots. I was a songwriter and I wanted to hangout where the local songwriters were hanging. I found a magazine that talked about writer’s nights and I found an ad for The Broken Spoke Songwriters Café so I headed over there.
From the first moment I walked in I knew I was home. There was a round of writers on the stage that looked like the back porch of a farmhouse and I was totally taken away by how talented they all were. One of the writers started talking to me from the stage and I was to later find out that he was the host and very much loved Lee Rascone.
I stayed until the last writer left the stage and when I went back to New York, I took that night with me. I carried the sounds the smells, the love and togetherness inside. That place really left its mark on my soul. It was to be the first of many nights I would spend at The Spoke.
Fast forward 15 years, the Spoke is no longer open but the writers hosts that used to run writers night at the Spoke have moved on to other locations in downtown Nashville so that gets us to the point of this article. Currently, the best writers nights are at Hotel Indigo, 1719 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN. The best nights to go are Wednesday, Thursday and Fridays because they are hosted by Lee and Lee Rascone Jr. They used to host at The Spoke and they bring with them years of experience, friends, personality and love. Lee made me feel like I was a long lost friend come home years ago and that has not changed. Anybody that knows Lee knows when he says “You Look Bad Man.” He really means it is great to see you. Lee Jr. runs the sound, and it is pristine. I highly recommend Lee Rascone’s Writers Nights at Hotel Indigo.
The second writer’s spot I would like to tell you about is Debi Champion’s Writers Night at the Commodore. Debi was also one of the hosts from The Spoke and her writer’s nights are always full of fun, great writers and togetherness. Her writer’s nights take place at The Commodore Grill inside the Holiday Inn Select, 2613 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN. She hosts on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. She holds an open mic at 10:30 nightly but you have to get there by 9:00 p.m. to sign up for it.
The last place I want to tell you about is the newest writers spot. It is an afternoon deal where writers are playing hooky from work, school, personal and family responsibility with Sam Cooper at Belcourt Tap & Tapas. In other words, it is a very fun and cool place. It has been dubbed the “Thursday Thang” and it happens every Thursday kicking off at 11:30 a.m. and running until there are no writers left to perform or 6:00 p.m., which ever comes first. Lately there are still writers coming in at 4:00 and 5:00 to play so getting their earlier is better. Sam is a newer transplant to Nashville and he brings with him northern humor, enthusiasm and energy. Belcourt Tap & Tapas is located at 2117 Belcourt Avenue, Nashville.