Music
Press
January 4, 2007
Just a few miles over the river and down the road from honky-tonkin’ Lower Broadway, the laid-back neighborhoods of East Nashville rejoice in a comfortable balance between lively night life and a calm residential community of families, artists, musicians and hipsters.
The epicenter of the East Side music scene is Five Points, the area centered on the intersection of Woodland and 11th streets, where many a weekend club crawl begins—and ends. For weekend warriors seeking live entertainment without big crowds and obnoxious drunks, 3 Crow Bar is a good place to start. Every Saturday, 3 Crow hosts music by some of Nashville’s best resident talent, with acts from the indie posters LYLAS to the Norah Jones-esque folk-rocker Audrey Spillman, as well as bands from the East Side cadre that includes Hands Down Eugene, Ole Mossy Face and The Clutters.
A block away, the aptly named 5 Spot offers music in a smoke-free environment with a generally younger crowd. “The Spot” rocks virtually seven nights a week with acts from across the country. Meanwhile, down the road at Alley Cat, DJs serve up ’70s vinyl on Fridays and ’80s pop on Saturdays. Unfortunately, the neighborhood’s nonchalance can extend to the dance floor, where the rug is often left uncut. The area is also home to more than its share of recording studios, from the legendary Woodland Studios, now owned by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, to venerable rooms like The Fiddle House and Le Garage. And it wasn’t far from Five Points that Jack White recorded Loretta Lynn’s Van Lear Rose in an old Victorian.
As East Nashville continues to grow, so do its musical culture and nightlife. It may be only a matter of time before the boot-scootin’ tourist crowd from across the river starts wanting in on the action, but until then, the diverse, offbeat East Side will revel in its native scene, centered on Five Points.
- The Nashville Scene
January 18, 2007
Sultry singer alert
Singer/songwriter Audrey Spillman may attend Belmont’s music school, but her performances around town are a rarity. She brings her sultry voice and infectious folk pop to 12th & Porter this Thursday—fans of Norah Jones and Alicia Keys, take note—for her first gig back in town since showcasing her talents in Manhattan last fall. Preview Spillman’s music at myspace.com/audreyspillman.
- Nashville Scene
Discography
I'm working on an ep right now which I'm going to start recording in June. I hope to have it available by the end of the summer/early fall.
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Bio
I grew up in St. Simon's Island, Ga where I basically spent almost everyday with my mom at the beach. It was a pretty sweet childhood. I grew up listening to a lot of what my parents listened to. My mom listened to Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Carly Simon, and Aretha Franklin. My dad listened to Willie Nelson, The Marshall Tucker Band, and Pink Floyd. As I grew older, I continued to listen to those artists as well as artists like Miles Davis, Julie London, Otis Redding, Coldplay, Paul Simon, etc. In a nutshell, I love music.
I later moved to Nashville, where I went to high school. During high school, I taught myself how to play guitar by writing my own songs. I would just make up chords and voicings and go from there. After high school, I started discovering who I was as an artist by continuing to write and sing. I eventually started playing out and started getting a better hold on who I was as a singer-songwriter, which is where I am at this point in my career.
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