The Writers' Block
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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, Kree Harrison From left: Kate York, Natalie Osborne, Kacey Musgraves, 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 Maren Morris 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 Elton John, 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.” album, Sundown Heaven Town.) 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 albums 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 Brothers Osborne, 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 American Idol 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 Candice Glover.) 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 Country Airplay 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 country music 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.