Best area for Live music and bars?

[jjbradleynyc]

Yikes. What's going on with downtown Bristol?

There seemed to be an energized resurgence, and now a slew of back-to-back bars and restaurants have closed the past year or so.

It could be the reasons you mentioned, @SeriousConversation. A combination of homeless/addicts/uber and lyft drivers not available and higher rents.

Also, could just be timing.

The Bristol area population is not high enough to sustain a ton of bar/restaurants--they need tourists to flow in consistently. And winter is a slower time for that, too, in general. Maybe that's an issue--not enough year-round business?

[AppalachianAngler]

I think the problem for live music in any of the Tri-Cities is a lack of interest and population problem. The demographics for live music skew younger and single. Something the Tri-Cities lacks.

Johnson City is really the only somewhat viable live music scene and it is not good. Bluegrass, maybe, as long as you aren't relying on it to make a living. Outside of that, you would at least need to drive an hourish to Asheville.

I do know a guy that drums out of Greeneville, but he just plays sporadically with a local group for local gigs once every few months.

[Serious Conversation]

Originally Posted by jjbradleynyc

Yikes. What's going on with downtown Bristol?

There seemed to be an energized resurgence, and now a slew of back-to-back bars and restaurants have closed the past year or so.

It could be the reasons you mentioned, @SeriousConversation. A combination of homeless/addicts/uber and lyft drivers not available and higher rents.

Also, could just be timing.

The Bristol area population is not high enough to sustain a ton of bar/restaurants--they need tourists to flow in consistently. And winter is a slower time for that, too, in general. Maybe that's an issue--not enough year-round business?

I don't know how State Street Brewing went as long as it did.

At least one of the owners appeared to take a regular job last year. It never seemed to be something they were fully committed to. I think the project started in 2017/2018, and it took them a couple years to get it up and running. Once they did, they didn't seem to really have a clear vision of what they wanted to do. With a couple of exceptions, their beer was average at best.

Combine that with Cascade Draft House being basically across the street, and Studio Brew (the other established brewery in Bristol then) then Michael Waltrip Brewing Company (which took over the Studio Brew space) being in town, both of which had a clear vision and better beer, this seemed like a matter of time.

I will say that Michael Waltrip Brewery is actually really good, books a lot of bands, and nailed what Bristol wanted. I thought it would be terrible when it opened, but the beer is consistently good, the food is better than average bar food, and it's a great place to hang out. It would definitely be worth checking out for the OP.

IMO, the same thing happened with Bristol Station Brewery a few years back - not the best beer, not the best venue, just couldn't survive in such a small market.

Also, keep in mind Bristol's demographics - mostly lower to middle income local natives with a smattering of transplants and some tourist draw, mostly a few times a year. For the most part, Bristol locals want typical American beers.

Right now, there are no Ubers visible on the app. I'm about two miles from downtown. I took an Uber out a few times during the warmer months last summer. Sometimes I'd get downtown and couldn't get back. My parents came and picked me up a couple of times.

Contrast this with Johnson City. Ubers are generally available at typical bar times. The city is denser and set up better for ride share. You have small breweries like Little Animals and relatively small venues like The Hideaway that are able to survive because that's where the type of people who would go to a place like that tend to cluster in this area.

I definitely think some of it is unrealistic rent expectations, but there has been a notable increase in "displaced people" and obvious drug-addled people in public over the last few years.

[Serious Conversation]

Originally Posted by AppalachianAngler

I think the problem for live music in any of the Tri-Cities is a lack of interest and population problem. The demographics for live music skew younger and single. Something the Tri-Cities lacks.

Johnson City is really the only somewhat viable live music scene and it is not good. Bluegrass, maybe, as long as you aren't relying on it to make a living. Outside of that, you would at least need to drive an hourish to Asheville.

I do know a guy that drums out of Greeneville, but he just plays sporadically with a local group for local gigs once every few months.

It's not a population problem.

When you bring the two Tri-Cities MSAs together, as well as the "collar counties" that use the Tri-Cities for a cultural and shopping center, you are looking at well over a half million people, probably pushing three quarters of a million when you include some of the more remote SWVA areas that still look to the Tri-Cities for cultural things.

That's a lot of people. It's probably bigger than the Asheville, and definitely Roanoke, "service areas."

The problem is that, as you said, the demographics are completely wrong for live music. Even when the music genre is "right," locals do not get out and support bands.

A few months ago, I saw an internationally touring rock band at Capone's. I've seen them at The Shed in Maryville at least three times, Asheville once, Capone's several years back, and a few other spots around the country.

That Capone's show this year was worse attended than it was a few years back, pre-pandemic. Both were during the week, so that can't be the excuse.

The bottom line is that the local population just doesn't care about music, other than maybe bluegrass or pop country. Bands that could sell out a big venue elsewhere can't sell out a couple of hundred people here, even when the music genre "lines up."

It's really sad and telling. The lack of cultural things like this is a big reason why my house is going on the market in the summer. I'm tired of going to Asheville for everything.

[jjbradleynyc]

Originally Posted by Serious Conversation

It's not a population problem.

When you bring the two Tri-Cities MSAs together, as well as the "collar counties" that use the Tri-Cities for a cultural and shopping center, you are looking at well over a half million people, probably pushing three quarters of a million when you include some of the more remote SWVA areas that still look to the Tri-Cities for cultural things.

That's a lot of people. It's probably bigger than the Asheville, and definitely Roanoke, "service areas."

The problem is that, as you said, the demographics are completely wrong for live music. Even when the music genre is "right," locals do not get out and support bands.

A few months ago, I saw an internationally touring rock band at Capone's. I've seen them at The Shed in Maryville at least three times, Asheville once, Capone's several years back, and a few other spots around the country.

That Capone's show this year was worse attended than it was a few years back, pre-pandemic. Both were during the week, so that can't be the excuse.

The bottom line is that the local population just doesn't care about music, other than maybe bluegrass or pop country. Bands that could sell out a big venue elsewhere can't sell out a couple of hundred people here, even when the music genre "lines up."

It's really sad and telling. The lack of cultural things like this is a big reason why my house is going on the market in the summer. I'm tired of going to Asheville for everything.

I think you are on to something.

The culture in the tri cities region is not live music focused. I think there's quite a bit of the population in the region, that still looks at live music as a "sin" and they don't want to go to bars and stay out too late.

You are talking about a Bible belt region, that is the majority conservative and far right, sort of Bible thumping folks, so-to-speak. A large majority still goes to church every Sunday, and more during the week, I would bet.

For example, many of my relatives (aunts, uncles, cousins) live in Hawkins County, Tennessee, Washington and Lee counties in Virginia, and Sullivan and Washington counties in Tennessee. Most are conservative, but some are middle of the road and more liberal. That being said, if any of them see live music, they'll go to Nashville or Myrtle Beach, or Knoxville or Charlotte. None of them would ever really go "see live music" in Johnson City, Kingsport or Bristol.

I've actually had my aunts say in the past that they "see live music in church," so there's no interest to go out to bars and stay out late to see that.

I think this might be the majority attitude in the region of SW Virginia and NE Tennessee.

So the area can only support a handful of live music joints. As I think about it, it makes sense that Kingsport never had live music venues, really. Not sure if there are any there today, but I had always wondered why, but this could be the reason.

Live blue grass, gospel and choir type music does very well it seems, in the tri-cities.

[md21722]

There is music here, but there is more music in Asheville which is more of a "party town" and only one hour away from JC.

If you add in that other people were disappointed that The Willow Tree and The Acoustic Coffeehouse closed and started going almost exclusively to Asheville or sometimes Knoxville for music...

In some respect, the NC Piedmont is not different. Look at how many times a band will play in Greensboro instead of Charlotte or RTP. In effect the bands play in the middle town to get the draw from a much larger population area.