The Basement East

Nashville has more music venues per capita than almost any city in the world. Most of them are either too famous to feel intimate or too small to support the artists playing them properly. The Basement East, locally known as The Beast, sits in neither category. At 400 capacity, it is big enough to attract serious bookings and small enough that every seat feels close to the stage.

The booking calendar is the strongest argument for visiting. Over the years, the venue has developed a reputation for getting artists early — before album releases, before touring schedules fill up, before they graduate to the 1,500-cap rooms. On any given Friday, three of the five acts on the bill will be names you don't yet know but will recognise within 18 months.

The bar inside is straightforward: beer, some cocktails, whiskey. It does what it needs to do without distracting from the music. The outdoor stage at the back activates from May through September for smaller acts and is one of Nashville's better kept warm-weather secrets. After the show, the short walk to The Crying Wolf for a nightcap is as reliable a bar evening as Nashville offers. For the full picture, see our guide to live music bars in Nashville.