East Nashville hosts Nashville’s most diverse live music scene outside of the Broadway honky-tonk corridor, covering indie rock, country, folk, Americana, bluegrass, and everything in between. These are the venues that matter.
The Basement East
1604 Woodland St. Known to regulars as “The Beast,” the Basement East is the defining music venue of East Nashville. It opened in 2015 as the sister venue to The Basement on 8th Avenue and quickly established itself as the neighborhood’s premier mid-capacity room, signing a multi-year booking deal with Live Nation in 2019. The venue has hosted Kris Kristofferson, John Prine, Cage the Elephant (multiple times), and a long roster of touring indie, rock, Americana, and folk acts. At roughly 600 capacity, it’s large enough to book national touring acts but small enough to feel like a neighborhood venue.
The Basement East has a specific place in East Nashville’s identity. On March 3, 2020, an EF3 tornado ripped through Five Points at 1 a.m. and tore the roof off the building. The outer wall with the “I Believe in Nashville” mural remained standing. The photo of that surviving mural circulated across social media as a symbol of the neighborhood’s resilience. The venue rebuilt and reopened approximately one year later.
The 5 Spot
1006 Forrest Ave. Tucked into Five Points in what locals informally call “the Bar Hole,” the 5 Spot is East Nashville’s neighborhood music venue in the truest sense: small, consistent, and committed to booking local and touring acts that would never play a corporate room. Honky Tonk Tuesdays is a regular feature. The sound is good for the size. Tickets are cheap. The crowd knows the music because they sought it out, not because it was audible from the street. This is the room where East Nashville musicians get their reps in front of an audience that actually listens.
Grimey’s Records
1060 E Trinity Ln. A record store that functions as an intimate performance space. Grimey’s has hosted in-store shows and events since 1999, giving it the kind of track record that makes it a genuine Nashville institution rather than a recently-opened concept. The acoustic environment of a record store, surrounded by vinyl on all four walls, creates something specific for the right kind of performance. Artists at career inflection points, from breakout debut performances to post-touring acoustic sets, have used Grimey’s as a venue.
Eastside Bowl
2610 Gallatin Ave. A retro bowling alley that also books live music, operates a full diner, and runs a billiards parlor. The music programming ranges from DJ nights to full band shows, and the regular calendar includes events like Honky Tonk Tuesdays and vintage flea markets. The combination of activities makes Eastside Bowl the kind of venue where a group with different interests can all find something to do.
The Cobra
2511 Gallatin Ave. Further north on Gallatin from Five Points. The Cobra books underground and DIY acts that wouldn’t find a place on the main venue circuit: punk, metal, noise, experimental. The room is unpretentious in the way that rooms dedicated to underground music have to be. If you know what’s playing, you want to be there; if you don’t, the venue probably isn’t for you.
Jane’s Hideaway
1911 Eastland Ave. A smaller room with a neighborhood bar atmosphere that books consistent local music. Not a national touring venue, but a functional part of the East Nashville music ecology that keeps working musicians employed and audiences engaged on weeknights.
Seeing Live Music in East Nashville
The easiest approach is to check the Nashville Scene’s live music calendar or Do615 before you arrive and work backward from what’s playing rather than choosing a venue first. The Basement East books the most consistent national touring lineup. The 5 Spot is the most reliable for local music you wouldn’t find anywhere else. Grimey’s is worth checking for any in-store events during your visit.
One structural advantage East Nashville has over Broadway: the music stops when the band stops playing. These rooms don’t loop the same setlist 14 hours a day.
Sources
- The Russell Nashville, Top 5 Music Venues in East Nashville: https://www.russellnashville.com/top-5-music-venues-in-east-nashville/
- NPR, Deadly Tornado Leaves Nashville’s Music Community Reeling (March 4, 2020): https://www.npr.org/2020/03/04/812029273/deadly-tornado-leaves-nashvilles-music-community-reeling-and-sticking-together
- WSMV, East Nashville Still Recovering from 2020 Tornadoes (March 4, 2022): https://www.wsmv.com/2022/03/04/east-nashville-still-recovering-2020-tornadoes/
- Billboard, Basement East Venue Badly Damaged as Tornado Rips Through East Nashville: https://www.billboard.com/pro/east-nashville-tornado-basement-east-five-points-damage/
- FranklinIs, A Local’s Guide to Coolest Spots in East Nashville: https://franklinis.com/a-locals-guide-to-the-coolest-spots-in-east-nashville-tennessee/
- Music City Loft, East Nashville Neighborhood Guide (February 2024): https://www.musiccityloft.com/east-nashville-neighborhood-guide/