What is Southern music?
Country and bluegrass immediately come to mind. Jazz and the Blues too. Southern Hip Hop and Southern Rock are easily distinguished from others in their genres. Nothing as complex and multi-faceted as Southern music can be distilled to one style or one band.
That said, Lee Bains makes music that evokes the South I grew up in.
It’s the sound of salvaging half-smoked cigarettes from the ashtray outside the old Hixson Pike K-Mart. It’s the taste of a Golden Gallon hotdog, the pop of an M-80, or the aroma of fresh spray paint on a vacant building.
Even though it evokes that feeling to me, this isn’t the music of teen angst. It’s deeper than that. It’s the sound of disillusionment that comes with being an outsider in your town – in a region that's an outsider to the rest of the USA.
If you also grew up in that South, or if you’re just a fan of gritty, sweaty, raw and honest music that makes you move and think at the same time, then make sure you get to the Cherry Street Tavern this weekend as Lee Bains headlines three nights from August 22nd-24th.
Those shows will be recorded for a new live album. Bains previously recorded a two-night run at the Nick in Birmingham, and those recordings became the basis for his 2018 album “Live at the Nick.”
By choosing to record his new live album here in Chattanooga, a little snapshot of our city will be preserved in the Bains discography too.
The Cherry Street Tavern has been a critical hub for live music here in Chattanooga. They’re a home for many local bands, and a haven for weary touring bands in need of fair pay and some delicious cheeseburgers.
Friday night's show will start at 9pm and open only to audiences 21 and up. However! The two performances on Saturday August 23rd and Sunday August 24th will both be all ages events starting at 4pm.
This is a rare opportunity for younger music fans, whose inability to buy alcohol excludes them from enjoying most live music in Chattanooga.
Lee Bains Live Album Recording
- August 22-24 (three nights)
- The Cherry Street Tavern
- 719 Cherry St, Chattanooga, TN
- Tickets: August 22 (Eventbrite), August 23 (Eventbrite), August 24 (Eventbrite)