You're a Good Man, Guthrie Brown
Nashville’s Broadway is an eclectic melting pot of music from one bar to the next. Most are country cover bands that might slip in a Journey song or a Bruno Mars song to appeal to the eclectic melting pot of taste that walk in an out and up and down each bar on Broadway. Amidst all the talent, the sounds tend to blend together, but every once in a while, if you’re lucky, you may stumble upon – or stumble into – a musical gem. When I brave Broadway, my favorite place to start is Acme Feed and Seed; it’s a little bit funkier and a tasteful take on the classic honkytonk. The rooftop has a beautiful view of both the buzz of the strip and the bridge over the water. The main level has a groovy, vibe-y atmosphere serving unique international fare with a southern twist. The music scene is typically different than the rest of Broadway.
Just the other weekend, my friend and I walked up to the rooftop to grab a drink and spend the majority of our Acme experience with the view. When we decided to leave, we walked down the flights of stairs to make our way to the front door, but the sound of Guthrie Brown stopped us in our tracks. Before we even consciously realized it, we ordered another drink and snaked through the crowds to a perfectly placed table; and we listened, head-nodded, clapped and never stopped smiling. Guthrie Brown is a simple man, wearing jeans and a T-shirt with hair on the verge of free and tastefully grunge. He sang original songs that sounded like classics. They were unique, but so well done I thought I recognized them from somewhere. He mixed his set with classics like Come Together by the Beatles and Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears. He appealed to everyone with his sound, voice, covers, and everything else that is the make up of an attention-gripping show. The amazing part, too – he was just having fun. He didn’t demand the attention or overtake the stage. He was simply Guthrie Brown and people loved it.
To add to his mystique and grunge and “I’m doing what I love in Nashville and I don’t really care about the rest” appeal that relates to and transcends generations, he sold his CDs in a brown paper bag. He had two records recorded on CDs that gave us all early 2000s flashbacks. Each album epitomized the nostalgic charm when times called for burning music onto a CD-ROM and writing the album name on the disc with sharpie. These were placed in paper bags that would be used for school lunches, and were up for grabs only. Brilliant.
Since stumbling into Acme, Guthrie Brown has been the soundtrack to my life. His music is a cocktail with hints of 70s funk, 90s pop-rock grunge, and current-day jam appeal. A few of my favorite songs that I have had on repeat are Natural, Lightning, and Stay Gold, but Sweet Angel, Keeping On, and about every other songs are honorable mentions. Guthrie Brown has an Audiotree Live recording session on YouTube. Watch his recording of Lightning below. You can find out more about Guthrie Brown’s music here.
