It’s painful to see my city (complicated, contradictory, sometimes racist, sometimes benevolent, long-historied, full of colorful figures, frontier, antebellum, Civil War battleground, civil rights battleground, music mecca) commodified to the gain of people with no skin in the game of its future.

haha! Right? I lived there for years, and I mean, it’s a nice town, but what is happening?!?

For shopping: Scarlet Begonia on West End. Pangaea on 21st avenue. Don’t eat at the Pancake Pantry; it’s not worth the long lines unless you just adore the tourist thing. Loveless Cafe, yes, although it’s a bit out of town.

Do see the Parthenon. Touristy or not, it’s great. BBQ? Visit the Hog Heaven next to the…

but only if you REALLY want to hear the music. You do not go to the Bluebird with girlfriends to gab and drink with music playing in the background. You will get the stink eye and you will get shushed.

“Authenticity” in popular music has been a bug-a-boo forever.

The Country Music Hall of Fame is definitely a cool thing if you're into country music. I'm not even that into country and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Hilariously, I've lived here my whole life and only recently went.

Born and raised in Nashville, and I have to say this isn’t really about Nashville — it’s about the music industry and its rebirth as a cash cow in recent decades. “Country authenticity” in its current incarnation as actually having experienced (manual labor, eating hot chicken, sex in a pickup truck, going two…

Native to Middle Tennessee (Bellevue was my mall growing up, I had a crush on a guy who worked at U.S. Male) and been in Nashville proper since ‘03.

Seriously if I have to read one more goddamn article about some idiot coming down here looking for southern “authenticity” and “realness” I’m going to lose my mind. You know why you can’t find it? Because all the authentic southerners have been run out of town by YOU. Like, the south is not some place full of friendly…

Same here. I basically had the same experience when my high school boyfriend came out as bi, but everyone said he was gay. Out loud, I railed against bi erasure, over-reliance in stereotypes, and people co-opting his right to self-identify (though I had never heard those terms at the time). In self-pitying moments, as…

Exactly!! You native? I grew up in Bellevue, moved to East Nashville in my teens and moved out of state 3 years ago. I miss the old days, for sure.

YES I agree with Mrs. Beeton...FUCK Pancake Pantry and its ridiculous crowd. The food isn’t even that good. Saint Anejo and Sinema have excellent brunch. Butchertown Hall, Rosepepper Cantina, Butcher and Bee and The Treehouse are all good spots for lunch/dinner (Treehouse more for late night). Avoid Broadway/Downtown…

Fran’s Eastside. Go there. Skip Dino’s.

If you want the country music of your dreams, you must focus on what’s actually happening in Country music. Companies like Spotify are killing our song-writing industry, judges are failing to see the importance of paying songwriters their rightful royalties (a living wage), and it’s utterly destroying an entire…

Fellow Nashvillian. I...don’t know how I feel about this! It’s obviously coming from a place of respect and genuine interest, but it also feels like an article from 1993 in search of Real Seattle.

NO ONE in Nashville (or Tennessee) has EVER expected the city or region to be popular. It’s so weird!

Yes please! I’m thinking of a visit at Christmas...

I’m always upset, when mentioning Simpson, Isbell, Price, et. al., no one ever mentions Todd Snider. He’s been rocking the East Nashville scene for over a decade.

East Nashville is a bit of a hipster wannabe country mecca. They are trying to make country music but it’s still tainted with the stench of Nashville pop.

I liked this but I was also selfishly searching the article for even more hints about actually good places to go in Nashville because I’m heading down there in Sept. Besides the Legion hall which is now definite on my list bc we’ll be there for a Tuesday night.

OOO local Jezzie. I'm coming down to Nashville for the first time ever in September. Any hints?