Every music lover’s dream is the gift of free live music at a great venue. Starting on Sept. 1, Centennial Park began hosting an event that encompasses all those wishes. Musicians Corner is a free, weekly music show that highlights various artists in the Nashville area. This past Friday marked the second event, with performances from Love Montage, Lauren Morrow, The Aquaducks, Young Summer and The Watson Twins.
Situated in the front left of the park, the event gates surrounded the main stage as well as dozens of tents full of local art, clothing, food and drinks. People gathered around picnic benches and laid down blankets in the grass immediately in front of the stage for the best view. The audience encompassed a wide range of ages from college students to young families to elderly locals.
The music was certainly the main event, but it was also worth stepping away to explore the other offerings. Between sets there was ample time to mingle with the artists at their merchandise booths, shop the vendors or stop at one of the various food trucks for a meal or a sweet treat.
Starting at 5 p.m. CDT sharp and introduced as a R&B and surf rock mix, Love Montage took the stage and welcomed everyone to Musicians Corner. Their newest release, “Cowboi Of The Yr” was one of the first songs they shared. True to their name, all of their songs are a montage of sentiments about relationships and love. Their setlist ended with the song “My First Gtr” about the lead singer, Solomon Smith’s experience of buying his very first guitar at a young age and how he quickly fell in love with music.
The crowd nearly doubled in size for the second artist, Lauren Murrow, an Atlanta-born singer-songwriter who has received praise from Rolling Stone. Murrow and her guitar brought a completely different energy to the show as she played a mix of songs ranging from “Only Nice When I’m High” to a song dedicated to her mother, telling stories of her mother’s teenage years sneaking out to meet up with Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers. She describes her mother as a more free-spirited person than she was at the age of 16, where she would most likely have been found outside a bookstore waiting for the new Harry Potter book.
After finishing her set, there was a brief pause to thank the sponsors of Musicians Corner and set the stage for the next band. The entire event had an incredibly intimate atmosphere, with the bands mingling with the audience while waiting for the next artist to begin. Each artist also had a merchandise booth where they engaged with fans after their performances, eager to talk and take pictures.
The Aquaducks, a funk band with great energy and stage presence, opened by saying they were here to have a good time, and they did just that. Immediately, the crowd was locked in as the band began their performance using keyboards, guitars and saxophones to compliment the vocals. The Aquaducks played a variety of upbeat songs and ended with one of their most recent releases titled “Knockin.” After each member was introduced and the audience was thanked, The Aquaducks finished their set and opened the stage up for the fourth artist of the night, Young Summer.
This young female artist has been releasing music for nearly 10 years and came to Nashville after her first record titled “Siren” was released.
“I never looked back,” she said.
Playing pieces from this first record as well as her soon to be released album “I Still Like You,” coming in October, she made the audience excited for the future. Her music was slower than some of the other bands but was beautifully written. Young Summer’s most recent release came out the Friday of the event and is titled “You Make Dying Fun.” Her act was followed by another stage reset and a short break before the closing act of the night, The Watson Twins, wrapped up the second week of Musicians Corner.
Raised in Kentucky and now settled in Nashville, The Watson Twins brought a country feel with their matching red cowboy boots and songs about their lives in the South. Chandra and Leigh Watson played both originals and covers. They specifically highlighted their new single “Holler,” a song about the magic of people coming together and supporting one another. The song’s mantra was much like the Nashville community coming together to support local artists and vendors at Musicians Corner.
Across the street from campus and completely free of charge, this event is the perfect way for students to spend a Friday night. Musicians Corner continues for three more weeks until it comes to a close on Sept. 30. This coming Friday, Sept. 15, the event continues with performances from Will Hoge, Kyshona, Loney Hutchins, Amber Woodhouse and Gabriella Stella for another great night of live music in Nashville.
