Nashville Bits and Pieces

[titanhog]

My comment was about a growing number of EDM songwriters and producers here in Nashville.  Not sure if any of them are "known" yet...but I keep running into more and more who are searching out singers in town to place on their EDM tracks.  Some really good stuff.  

[BrandonTO416]

Might have to check Anthem out if i'm around town long enough.

Edited October 18, 2014 by BrandonTO416

[e-dub]

for "edm", follow this page:

https://www.facebook.com/UltimoProductions

don't know much about that stuff, but that's where you want to be. out of curiosity, what sort of artists/music appeal to those with european taste? i had a decidedly more american taste with detroit techno and chicago house.

[BnaBreaker]

R.i.p. frankie knuckles

[Neigeville2]

The more I think about it, and the more I see the roundabout, the more I think it's a massive waste to put something like Sticks in there.  Nashville needs some sort of grand fountain or sculpture or something.  Something along the lines of Philadelphia's Logan Circle fountain would be a PERFECT center piece to the roundabout. It takes an extremely busy intersection and makes it a park that actually gets use.  It's a focal point of the rather beautiful Ben Franklin Boulevard, and something like that is needed on KVB. Not some strange, modernist construction that looks like someone just shoved some painted telephone poles into the ground at odd angles.

 

Could have had this:

 

 

 

But, instead, we get this:

 

Well it could be worse, we could have gotten this.

[Nashville Cliff]

I don't think the rendering does justice to what Sticks will look like...effect of landscaping, etc.  I think 10 years from now it will be a treasured local landmark.

 

I find it an amusing that so many on this site drool over modern-techno-abstract towers that leave me feeling cold while they hate any art that is not literal or traditional.

Edited October 19, 2014 by Nashville Cliff

[titanhog]

I actually LOVE sticks.  I've never seen an art installation quite like it, which I believe will give us something unique and eye-popping.  Like Nashville Cliff mentioned, until it's constructed, I'm not sure any of us can fully visualize the effect of landscaping, lighting and the buildings surrounding it.

 

I'm willing to bet it will look great.  At least better than Ghost Ballet. 

[UTgrad09]

Well it could be worse, we could have gotten this.

 

Oh my...

[titanhog]

Oh my...

I LOL'd!!

[donNdonelson2]

I really like "Ghost Ballet." You can frame a great shot of the Batman building from the east bank looking through the middle portion of the sculpture. The design of the piece is an appropriate nod to the former industrial nature of that side of the river!

[UTgrad09]

I'll withhold judgment on Sticks until it is actually in place. Renders rarely do that type of thing justice.

 

And I don't really have a problem with Ghost Ballet or Musica or any other public art piece I can think of. My main problem is there's not enough of it!

[BnaBreaker]

I'll withhold judgment on Sticks until it is actually in place. Renders rarely do that type of thing justice.

 

And I don't really have a problem with Ghost Ballet or Musica or any other public art piece I can think of. My main problem is there's not enough of it!

 

Agreed!  I don't really understand why the art park was built where it was built. 

[donNdonelson2]

The art park is there because it pays tribute to African American sculptor & Nashvillian (William Edmondson, I think was his name) who was the first black artist to have a solo exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC.

[nashmoney]

Nashville needs art all over the county, not just in the CBD and trendy areas where tourist can view the art installations. IMO, the art park is placed on a high visibile corridor where all Nashvillians can have access to it, especially those in the surrounding neighborhood. I like that Metro is branching out and putting more art in the neighborhoods...We need more of it.

[satalac]

Electronic Arts is an awful company, not surprised that one of their main reasons to come to Nashville was due to the 'at will' work status.

Brandon, I think what you're referring to is what type of music a venue plays but the comment about Nashville being an EDM city is more pointing to the acts that play here. As already mentioned, Bassnectar has sold out the last several NYEs at Bridgestone. In 2009 he as playing Exit/In. Cherub is an up and coming EDM act. I wouldn't really say that venues are sticking to one genre anymore. Sure there are the Anthems and Plays but most venues realize they have to book multiple styles if they want to have shows every other night.

Franklin is a great historic downtown but the Cool Springs area is drawing too many corporate offices. Those should be in the downtown sector. It already has and will continue to put a strain on the I-65 corridor south of Nashville.

To be fair, a lot of those corporate offices probably wouldn't have come to the area if downtown Nashville was their only choice. Some companies and their employees prefer a campus style layout and housing that consists of single family houses. Honestly, Nashville simply couldn't handle the traffic had all of these gone downtown. 65 would look just like 24 during rush hour. Edited October 20, 2014 by satalac

[rookzie]

Nashville needs art all over the county, not just in the CBD and trendy areas where tourist can view the art installations. IMO, the art park is placed on a high visibile corridor where all Nashvillians can have access to it, especially those in the surrounding neighborhood. I like that Metro is branching out and putting more art in the neighborhoods...We need more of it.

 Just as with that wasted statue site, the Battle of Nashville, at Battlefield Dr and Granny White Pike (entrance on Clifton Ln.), which years earlier had been on Franklin Pk where Thompson Ln. used to Tee-out before the current alignment and overpass joining it directly with Woodmont Blvd. during the early '70s.  That granite-and-bronze statue got moved to its current location, reportedly because its former location had been one of neglect.

 

The instant "parklette" (as it were) created to house it currently does nothing but put it back into the "closet", so to speak.  At least ai its former location, focus could involuntarily be set on it. (before the realignment at Franklin Pk, motorists almost had to observe it directly head on approaching west to the [then] end of Thompson Ln.)

 

Now don't misunderstand me, I'm not opinion-ing on whether or not Stix is an appropriate signature for the KVM circle, (or whatever is to go there), but that 85+-year-old Battle of Nashv'l statue really should be moved to some kind of decent traffic circle in the future, because its very nature would be fitting for a circle (with perhaps a garden and fountain) ─ something typical in Richmond, Va., DC, Philly, and other "east-corridor" locales.

 

Of course we could just be settlin' for this [ha-ha!]

 

Druid Hill, Balto. Md.

 

-==-

Edited October 20, 2014 by rookzie

[smeagolsfree]

I do not consider myself as an art critic by any stretch of the imagination, but I agree with Nathan. We need a little more thinking inside the box instead of outside the box as far as public art goes. I really think Arts commission has made some awful choices as far as art goes. I have tried to explain Ghost Ballet a number of times to out of towners and they just don't really understand it. For that matter, I don't either. They also need to use local artist instead of going out of town. They have a better feel for the local flavor and history.

[volsfanwill]

While at the Ole Miss UT game Saturday I was privileged to hear a 5 minute rant from a Memphian about Nashville getting all the state money.  And how Nashville was getting all the money back in the 90s so Memphis joined forces with East TN to block everything Nashville wants to do.  He was very proud of this fact.  and even mentioned their efforts to screw us on the amp.  

 

his rant on the Titans lasted about 15 minutes.  "Bud Adams and Phil Bredeson conspired to screw us over"  "they never really wanted Memphis' support so they made ticket prices outrageous that first year"  "if Id bought season tickets at the Liberty bowl I got no priority for seats in Nashville"

 

also, this guy was Memphis old money, not some random yokel

[bwithers1]

I do not consider myself as an art critic by any stretch of the imagination, but I agree with Nathan. We need a little more thinking inside the box instead of outside the box as far as public art goes. I really think Arts commission has made some awful choices as far as art goes. I have tried to explain Ghost Ballet a number of times to out of towners and they just don't really understand it. For that matter, I don't either. They also need to use local artist instead of going out of town. They have a better feel for the local flavor and history.

I disagree about the "inside the box" thing.

 

Go to the sculpture garden in Chattanooga.  Lot's of "out there" art present. 

 

Chicago has tons of public art.  There are some traditional sculptures that were made about a century ago.  But then times changed.  The public art changed with the times.  The public HATED the Picasso at the Daley Center when it was unveiled in the late 1960s.  Now it is celebrated.  Same for the Miro.  What about the public art sculpture garden at Navy Pier?  Very, very "outside the box" thinking going on there.  What is it that makes "the bean" in Chicago so popular?  It's pretty out there.  But people love taking pictures of it.  It think that part of that is the funhouse mirror aspect that makes it a little bit interactive.  But it's not a statue of George Washington or anything like that.

 

Public art is not the same as studio art.  But neither one needs "explanation."

 

As for the local artist part, the Metro Arts Commission sends out an RFP to meet certain requirements and anyone is able to submit.  The local arts community is welcome and encouraged to compete for those bids.  But apparently not many of them do submit.  Either they are not interested or they do not have a particular skill set that is required for that project. 

[gannman]

Agreed!  I don't really understand why the art park was built where it was built. 

 

I don't mind the location, but they could have have put more effort into making it more inviting.

[satalac]

While at the Ole Miss UT game Saturday I was privileged to hear a 5 minute rant from a Memphian about Nashville getting all the state money. And how Nashville was getting all the money back in the 90s so Memphis joined forces with East TN to block everything Nashville wants to do. He was very proud of this fact. and even mentioned their efforts to screw us on the amp.

his rant on the Titans lasted about 15 minutes. "Bud Adams and Phil Bredeson conspired to screw us over" "they never really wanted Memphis' support so they made ticket prices outrageous that first year" "if Id bought season tickets at the Liberty bowl I got no priority for seats in Nashville"

also, this guy was Memphis old money, not some random yokel

Did you ask him how complaining instead of actively courting businesses has worked out for them?

[volsfanwill]

no I just allowed him to rant and kept my mouth shut

[Nathan_in_DC]

While at the Ole Miss UT game Saturday I was privileged to hear a 5 minute rant from a Memphian about Nashville getting all the state money.  And how Nashville was getting all the money back in the 90s so Memphis joined forces with East TN to block everything Nashville wants to do.  He was very proud of this fact.  and even mentioned their efforts to screw us on the amp.  

 

his rant on the Titans lasted about 15 minutes.  "Bud Adams and Phil Bredeson conspired to screw us over"  "they never really wanted Memphis' support so they made ticket prices outrageous that first year"  "if Id bought season tickets at the Liberty bowl I got no priority for seats in Nashville"

 

also, this guy was Memphis old money, not some random yokel

 

And that attitude ("It's their fault!") is why Memphis is currently playing fourth fiddle in the quartet of the state's big cities.

[vinemp]

I wonder if he so vehemently opposed the Bass Pro Shop's impending move into the Pyramid...

[MLBrumby]

It's too bad also... because Memphis has a lot of appealing assets.  However, for decades it has had really bad leadership, even in its business community.  One of the partners of my firm was on the NFL expansion committee back in 1995 when the league was considering two new teams (ultimately Charlotte and Jacksonville).  He tells the story that Memphis was actually one of the two markets they wanted to go to (Charlotte was the other), but the city was so hard-headed in its demands (there was also some demands for personal enrichment among the city council).  The league was looking at the same market data that Bud Adams saw and caused him to move his team to Nashville two years later. Regarding Memphis' ownership group, the NFL did not like the name Hound Dogs, and really tried to get the proposed owner group to use the name Kings (a reference to ancient Memphis... Martin Luther King... and of course, Elvis), but the group would not budge.  They also wanted a new stadium closer to downtown, and would have negotiated with the state, as Adams ultimately did.