sign in sign up
<<
Home , Kree Harrison, Lucie Silvas, Maren Morris, Pain Killer Tour, Sundown Heaven Town

The Writers’ Block A TIGHT-KNIT GROUP OF UP-AND-COMING SONGWRITERS ARE PENNING SOME OF THE CITY’S BIGGEST HITS—AND HAVING A DAMN GOOD TIME ALONG THE WAY. BY KRISTIN LUNA

From left: York, Silvas,

From left: Kate York, Natalie Osborne, , Elice Cuff, Lucie Silvas

SEATED AT A LARGE TABLE in their combination of close-knit friends for a happy hour the way she arrived in Nashville as an unknown “corner offi ,” 3 Crow Bar in East Nashville, blind date of sorts, but not with these three. Th y here—though she’d already toured in Texas and Lucie Silvas, Kate York, and could dive right in, treating me as a welcome addition. Europe and started carving her own niche as an easily pass for any of the 20- or 30-something Though these omen are lethal with words—they indie artist—and took things slowly, not trying creatives who frequent the Five Points corridor. are first and oremost writers, after all—Silvas is to force herself upon the songwriting community I meet the trio of chain-smoking songwriters for the most articulate of the bunch, effervescent with right away. bushwhackers on a dreary winter afternoon while an intoxicating accent, and the first to o er her two “She laid low for a while. She didn’t push herself the rest of the city is still at work. Morris and York cents about this career that, like for many, was years on anyone. She just sort of watched and stayed in have finished sepa ate cowrites for the day; Silvas in the making. the shadows,” says York, who now considers Morris can’t stick around long because she has a gig that “It’s actually unforgivable that we get to make among her closest confidantes It was when the night at the Bluebird Café, which she informs us music for a living. You sit there thinking how petite Texan with a huge set of pipes got up and of with the cool casualness of someone heading spoiled you are, even on a bad day,” Silvas says. belted out Beyoncé’s “Halo” at Santa’s Pub, where the to the store for groceries—the mark of a seasoned “Everybody who moves to Nashville has to fin musicians are regulars, that they really took notice. veteran, no doubt. And she is: Silvas, who moved to their place and the reason they’re here. It doesn’t “We were like, ‘What was that?’” Silvas recalls. Nashville from the United Kingdom several years have to be for country or to climb the Music Row “She has the biggest, most amazing voice. Everyone back, started writing at the age of 10 and went out ladder. I find the big est thing is that you’re able was floo ed by it.” (Morris’s songwriting prowess on the road for the first time at 17 Since then, she to be the best version of yourself with friends who shouldn’t be overlooked, either—she has a writing has played with the likes of , Tom Jones, support you. It’s a very freeing place. I’ve never felt credit, “Last Turn Home,” on Tim McGraw’s latest and Lionel Ritchie, written original songs for the so able to be myself until I moved to Nashville.” , .) now-defunct NBC musical drama Smash, and sold Morris is a longtime friend of Kacey Musgraves, It doesn’t take a keen eye to immediately more than a million in Europe. In simpler who also pals around with the musical crew, from recognize that York is the den mother, the terms, she’s had the kind of success many people back home in Texas. She’s among the youngest tastemaker, and the social mixologist. Silvas calls migrate to Nashville to find and the most recent addition to Nashville, having her “the Godfather”; she is clearly the glue that It might be intimidating to meet any other arrived two years ago. York praises Morris for binds them together, the one who shares their YORK KATE

56 NASHVILLELIFESTYLES.COM JANUARY 2015

01.15-NL_52-64.indd 56 12/17/14 3:30 PM every folly on social media channels far and wide. wrote, “Mama’s Broken Heart”—the truth is moved to Nashville right out of high school and She moved here in 1999 from Los Angeles and that in this age of country-pop domination, doing his own thing before forming their duo, calls the show Nashville her second coming—it’s she still isn’t getting the radio play she’s earned , three years ago. what allowed her to stay; to date, she’s written 11 despite her impressive list of accomplishments. “A lot of [making it here] is who you know, songs for the hit prime-time drama, including Yet none of that seems to matter to this group: which comes from earning your stripes and soulful favorites like “I Will Fall” and “Nothing in Th y’d rather continue crafting their art on their building that respect,” TJ says. “I think people in ThisWorld Will Ever Break My Heart Again.” own terms than become household names. The this town recognize that if you work hard, you’re Later, Kree Harrison joins the fun, and we fact that Nashville is now in the international talented, and you’re friendly, everyone will have order another round. Two seasons ago, I cheered spotlight has only given more credibility to what your back and want to see you do well. It just on Harrison from my living room when she these songwriters do. took a while to season, to let it sink in.” appeared on each week. (She “I don’t want to be a star. I don’t want the The b others did just that: Th y worked for ultimately was the runner-up to .) fame. Really, I’m not interested in it,” York says. years as writers and playing in other bands Today, she’s fresh from a fitting at the R man for “But it is nice for people to put a face to the before eventually coming together to brand her third Opry appearance. Though her f iends song and know what goes on behind the scenes.” their own group; their first singl , “Rum,” made are all transplants to Nashville, too, Harrison it to the Top 40 on the chart. made the move with her family 15 years ago Th y’ve also opened for Eric Church and will when she was still a kid. She started writing at 14, drop a full-length album later this year. then began performing at the Bluebird, and has “If there’s a moment to be seized, we’ll take sung backup on albums such as Musgraves’ Same it, but we’re not going to annoy the [hell] out of Trailer Different Park and Eli Young Band’s Life everyone,” TJ says. “We just let everything try to at Best. happen naturally. Tha ’s what music’s all about Collectively, the quartet drop lines like “I’m anyway. You can’t try to force anything or it will writing with Keb’ Mo’ tomorrow” or “Kelly come out as contrived.” Clarkson just did a vocal of my track” as if those Oftentimes, I’m told, songwriters don’t desire were normal things to be stating—and for them, to be artists (of the performing variety)—or vice it is. Th y say it without bragging, and each one versa—but the Brothers Osborne play both roles is as excited about the others’ accomplishments equally well. That said even though their catchy as if they were her own. That says Harrison, is debut hit is about booze, you won’t find the what makes the clan so special. “It’s inspiring Harrison at the churning out “bro country” anytime soon—if ever. Grand Ole Opry that nobody is competitive,” she adds. “Tha ’s a “Country is really one of the coolest genres very rare thing.” out there when it’s done right, and the reason “We just let everything try to “When I came into the group, I could for that is it’s so pure and honest, and whether not believe how much love is in one circle of happen naturally. That’s what [listeners] can relate to the lyric or not, they can friends—and genuine support,” York says. “How music’s all about anyway. You relate to the honesty,” TJ explains. “For John and many in this group are playing stadiums each can’t try to force anything or it I, it’s always been way more about being honest night? And you don’t even think about that.” will come out as contrived.” and real than putting out songs that we think Even though Musgraves isn’t with us—she’s are going to be hits. We have songs that we’ve in the studio recording—they all speak of their written that we know if we put them out there, golden girl in the highest regard, still glowing they would be huge radio successes. But they from her recent CMA Awards and the two Morris chimes in: “The sh w Nashville wouldn’t be true or honest to what we’re doing, Grammys she won at the beginning of last year as glamorizes the songwriting process, and they and ultimately that’s destructive to our genre. A if proud parents. Th y joke about their “has-been” make it look so easy—like, ‘Oh, we wrote a lot of other artists I love in are friend, the one who has become more widely song’ and ‘Now it’s a single next week’ and ‘Now the ones who are saying something real, doing known than the rest. I have a royalty check that’s $500,000.’ But I something honest.” “To see someone that was [like] you just a year will say that people watch the show and have For their part, the Brothers Osborne are ago, writing songs every day, on different cowrites, a better understanding of how it works. [The working to create a full-length that’s far from then winning two Grammys—it’s just unreal,” show’s creators] have done a great job of giving the formulaic model many of their male country Morris says of her friend of eight years whom she the backstory of what we do for a living.” peers follow. “Right now, if there are songs with met on the audition circuit in Texas. (Musgraves any complexity, people don’t seem to have the A FEW DAYS LATER, was a “yodeling queen,” Morris divulges.) I meet up with John capacity for them and I don’t know why that is,” “It’s unreal but not surprising,” Silvas adds. “It’s and TJ Osborne for lunch at Fido. Friends of TJ says. “I do think they’re starting to get fed up the stuff ou dream of as kids.” York and her crew, the Maryland-born singer- with songs not meaning anything. And to me, While Musgraves may be critically acclaimed songwriters may seem like overnight successes when country music will hit its stride is when it for her musical sensibilities, catchy riffs, and to the casual observer, but in reality, they’ve fina ly gets back to music that moves people all

COURTESY OF THE OPRY smart lyrics—like the hit she been at it for more than a decade, each having across the board.” >>>

JANUARY 2015 NASHVILLELIFESTYLES.COM 57

01.15-NL_52-64.indd 57 12/17/14 3:30 PM The B others talk affectionately about their posse of songwriters, bringing up “Th Th ead,” a never-ending group text message amongst the musicians and a handful of other friends. TJ says it’s the fact that they’re all so humble, genuine, and supportive in an industry so traditionally competitive that makes this group gel. “It’s kind of like our own hodgepodge, patchwork-quilt family,” he adds. Interestingly, though, while they all work in the same world, spend every free moment together, and often make cameos at each other’s shows, the Brothers and their musical pals don’t necessarily mix business with pleasure when it comes to writing. “For me, writing is such a personal thing, and it’s easier to keep those things separate,” John says. TJ adds that while someday they may all team up to put on one big “Villapalooza” road. Each class represents a different mix, show—a nod to the era when many of this All in the Family a new facet of the Nashville music scene, group met while living on Villa Place—it’s from folk to rock to electronic to pop. The comforting to be able to hang out and not The critically acclaimed national collective has served as an incubator for the discuss what they all do as a career. “When we touring group Ten Out of Tenn likes of Erin McCarley, Paper Route, Matthew get together, we’ll be silly and talk about the celebrates its tenth anniversary. Perryman Jones, Gabe Dixon, Sarah Siskind, gamut [of things], and it’s nice as friends that Griffin House, Butterfly Boucher, Andrew we get to get each other’s minds off usic,” Ten, it turns out, is the magic number. The Belle, and many more. It can be credited with he says. “You have to. As much as you love Nashville-based Ten Out of Tenn collective is putting Mikky Ekko on the Grammy stage anything, you can get burned out. It’s nice rounding up alumni like K.S. Rhoads and Katie with Rihanna and turning Joy Williams into to turn that off. [When we’re hanging out], Herzig for a reunion show at the Ryman in April, one half of The Civil Wars. Jeremy Lister’s it’s not about creating; it’s about unwinding. just in time for the group’s tenth anniversary. Street Corner Symphony can likely thank Most of the time we’re just there to get some TOT, which originated in 2005, predates Live TOT for making it on to NBC’s The Sing-Off; sanity, so sometimes that creates the barrier.” on the Green and Musicians Corner as an outlet other TOT performers have shared the stage THE WEEK AFTER OUR for rising acts looking to make music outside of with R.E.M., John Mayer, and Colbie Caillat. INTERVIEW, the country spectrum. Altogether, they boast hundreds of film and Harrison plays the Opry “We started Ten Out of Tenn to showcase TV placements, including ’s Anatomy, at the Ryman with Morris singing backup. the ‘other side of Music City,’” says Kristen Parenthood, The O.C., and Saving Mr. Banks. Country legend later takes Dabbs, who cofounded the group with her “I believe that Ten Out of Tenn has also the stage and invites York and Harrison husband, Trent Dabbs. What began as a created a platform that has encouraged other out to sing “Even Cowgirls Get the .” collection of friends has since become a way for artists to pursue their careers independently,” Musgraves and her band perform a pair of indie artists to share resources, gain exposure, Dabbs says. “It allows them to continue to songs, and closes out the and of course, have fun. create the music that they love—not to be evening. The B others Osborne have yet to “We put together a compilation of ten […] driven by radio or record sales, but more about add the Opry to their list of credits, but there’s artists so that we could send them to labels being true to their art.” no doubt they would’ve been cheering on and managers and supervisors in L.A. and New A decade into its run, the Ten Out of Tenn their friends had they not been closing out York,” Dabbs says. “The compilation turned family includes more than 25 artists, four ’s Pain Killer tour in Illinois. into a tour sponsored by Paste magazine and compilations, two special releases, and a I can’t miss the chance to see them play the MySpace and just continued to snowball into a documentary, Any Day Now, about life on the iconic venue on the same evening, so I book a community of independent artists supporting road; more tours and TOT boot camps for seat at the Mother Church and marvel at the each other.” aspiring artists are in the pipeline. “It’s hard fact that watching these talented, multifaceted TOT has created several “classes,” or ten- to narrow it down to ten for another volume writers (as well as a few of the biggest names artist packs, to collaborate on an album, tour because of the amount of insanely talented in country music) in one setting can be together, and perform as backing vocalists artists in the city,” Dabbs adds. “[It’s] not a bad chalked up to “just another Saturday night”

and band members for one another on the problem to have!” —Valerie Hammond JEREMY COWART in Nashville.

58 NASHVILLELIFESTYLES.COM JANUARY 2015

01.15-NL_52-64.indd 58 12/17/14 1:39 PM