At Mercy Lounge, 5/19/2022
This year began with a changeover in management at historic rock club Exit/In, which came with some added controversy. Longtime operator Chris Cobb maintains that he and his staff left the place clean when they vacated it New Year’s Eve prior to his lease expiring. A week later, the marquee was changed to read “Sorry Not Sorry” on one side, and new property owners AJ Capital Partners reported finding damaged fixtures and vandalism inside; so far, no one has been named responsible. Despite a slight delay, the venue reopened in April. The trademark dispute over the name “Exit/In” and related intellectual property continues, with new trial dates set through October of next year.
Another notable venue story from 2022 was the shuttering of the widely loved Mercy Lounge venue complex after the longtime operators and the new property owner DZL couldn’t come to terms on a lease. After an extended period of renovations, the suite of venues is set to reopen under new management in January as Cannery Hall. Denver electronic trio Sunsquabi is scheduled to play the first show at the 300-cap Row One Stage, formerly The High Watt, on Jan. 24.
The Metro Council approved funding last year for University of Pennsylvania-affiliated nonprofit PennPraxis to do on-the-ground research into what roles Metro can play in supporting our independent venue infrastructure. The Nashville Independent Venues Study continued through the year, with reporting on findings expected toward the end of the first quarter of 2024.
Meanwhile, show calendars remained jam-packed, from the smallest house venues and bars to Wu-Tang Clan and Nas’ stop at Bridgestone Arena and Taylor Swift’s record-setting run at Nissan Stadium. Top-notch rapper R.A.P. Ferreira opened a new iteration of his Soulfolks Records and Tapes in Madison, which serves as a kind of hip-hop community center by having shows in addition to slinging vinyl. Third Man Records’ venue The Blue Room hosted everything from art-and-music happenings to Nashville rappers and rockers to Brazilian psych legends Os Mutantes — plus surprise sets from TMR chief Jack White. West Side venue and art gallery Random Sample routinely hosted inventive bills amid local art installations. Among heaps of other shows, all-ages spot Drkmttr hosted the triumphant Nashville return of Jersey punks Screaming Females on Halloween, a few weeks before the trio announced the end of their legendary 18-year run.
Thanks to the dedication of so many bookers, promoters and staffers, the only reason to stay home in 2023 has been needing a night off.
Talking with Bully’s rock ’n’ roll polymath Alicia Bognanno, counting down the year’s top local albums and more
