Last week, at East Nashville’s locals mostly The 5 Spot – where Lady Gaga famously kicked off her own Dive Bar Tour in support of her back-to-roots ‘Joanne’ – Michae Ray treated his own fans to the first front-to-back performance of Dive Bars & Broken Hearts. The six-song EP explores the phases of life, the emotions that define how we live, the reality of where we find ourselves for good times and bad and then he released the title track the day after.
“I had been wanting a way to play this to the people who’ve been part of my life and my career from the beginning,” says the dark-headed vocalist. “CMA Fest brings country music fans together from not just across North America, but all over the world. So many of my fans come every year, this seemed like the perfect way to debut all this music as a whole collected work without playing favorites and picking a city.”
Hunger for his new music was high. Tickets for the intimate rock bar show were gone in less than 18 hours; the fans started lining up before daybreak. With a line down the block and around the corner, spirits were high among those lucky enough to get tickets – and on Knox’s bus were the band, who’d been dropping a few songs into their set, would finally get to put it all together. “Songs on a record are one thing,” Ray said. “But songs in a bar with real people are something else. Not until you get into that room and hear the people do you know. And growing up in Eustis, with my Grandpa working all day, coming home, getting dressed up and heading out to where the music was, I learned the power of that pretty young.”
Dive Bars & Broken Hearts is available for pre-order now. Three of the six tracks will be instantly available and the rest of the EP comes out on June 23rd. In honour of Ray’s cracking ‘Dive Bars and Broken Hearts’ song, we’d like to present you with what we feel are the 5 best dive bars in Nashville:
Santa’s Pub
2225 Bransford Avenue, Nashville – A Nashville staple for many years now. Santa’s can be a little touristy but it’s a cash only bar housed in a double wide trailer. Great karaoke with mis-matched furniture, this legendary bar doesn’t do cocktails or liquor either but you don’t need anything other than great beer and good music.
Mickey’s Tavern
2907 Gallatin Pike, Nashville – A straight up, no frills bar with a great jukebox and pool tables. Mickey’s might be the inspiration behind a song on the new Kip Moore album, ‘Damn Love’ and it has a state-of-the-art oyster bar to boot.
Wilburn Street Tavern
302 Wilburn St, Nashville – This McFerrin Park dive bar has been recently renovated but didn’t lose any of its charm. Classic dogs and bar nachos are the order of the day here as are cheap cocktails . You can play pool or have a wild time on the dance floor with some very diverse and eclectic music on offer too.
Dino’s Bar
411 Gallatin Avenue, Nashville – This East Nashville staple is a vintage bar and claims to be the oldest in Nashville. A great weekend brunch is a big draw here and the cheap beer and great atmosphere is hard to beat. Rock n Roll music, burgers and an expanded patio out back makes Dino’s a very popular hang out for the in crowd.
Villager Tavern
1719 21st Avenue S, Nashville – Just around the corner from Vanderbilt University, this bar is popular with students and locals alike. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places and if you go on your birthday you’ll get a dog bowl filled with beer if you are lucky!
