After decades of watching bands redirect their tours around the Scenic City, music lovers in Chattanooga in recent years have watched the city evolve into a more desirable destination with a reputation among bands of providing the most enthusiastic crowds they see while on the road.
Want rock? Got it. How about jazz? Would you prefer it hot and swinging or cool and bopping? EDM? Hai, Mr. Roboto. R&B more your thing? We've got you covered. Prefer to sing your own stuff? Step up to the mike. Here are some local venues that showcase the city's musical diversity.
1. Track 29 -- 1400 Market St. (423-521-2929). Chattanooga's newest music venue is also one of its largest. With a moveable stage and a design that maximizes even distribution of sound, Track 29 can accommodate crowds as small as 800 and up to 1,800. Since opening in September 2011, it has brought in acts including Jack White, Ted Nugent, Lucinda Williams, Modest Mouse, Bassnectar, The Avett Brothers, Florida Georgia Line, Big Boi and Old Crow Medicine Show.
2. Rhythm & Brews -- 221 Market St. (423-267-4644). Live music can be heard several nights a week at this venue, where the schedule draws on local, regional and national talent pools. Among the artists who've played here are Black Stone Cherry, Todd Snider, Drivin' N Cryin', Paul Thorn, Shovels & Rope, Zack Brown Band, Hank Williams III, Of Montreal and Justin Townes Earle. For the last five years, it has been the site each spring of the popular Road to Nightfall battle of the bands, which selects a local artist to perform as a headliner during the annual summer concert series.
Local band True Stereo takes the stage at JJ's Bohemia on M.L. King Boulevard. The small venue is known for bringing in up-and-coming regional talent.3. JJ's Bohemia -- 231 M.L. King Blvd. (423-266-1400). When regional bands first visit the Scenic City, their debut performance is often at this tight little place. Among the acts that have hit its stage are power-pop legend Jonathan Richman, "School House Rocks!" songwriter Bob Dorough, blues legend T. Model Ford, YouTube tongue-in-cheek hip-hop sensations Turquoise Jeep and Joe Jack Talcum, the former front man of punk band The Milkmen. This dive also doubles as a host to the city's burgeoning stand-up comedy scene and as a stage for underground burlesque and sideshow performances. If you come thirsty, don't expect liquor; this place is suds-only.
4. Barking Legs Theater -- 1307 Dodds Ave. (423-624-5347). From Bryan Sutton and Norman Blake to The John Cowan Band and Noam Pikelny, this intimate venue is the place to be for acoustic bluegrass, folk and singer/songwriter acts in Chattanooga. This is also among the only sit-down venues in town to host high-profile old-time and Irish musicians and is becoming a destination for regional jazz acts. Barking Legs also doubles as a dance space and frequently hosts avant-garde companies and an open invitational monthly group for improvisational art. Thanks to a massive remodel in 2014, the seating, sound and general flow of the facility has been dramatically improved.
5. The Camp House -- 1427 Williams St. (423-702-8081). The Camp House has become a popular gathering place to hear local and regional singers/songwriters, blues musicians, classical duets and trios and independent bands. After serving as a linchpin venue driving the Southeside renaissance, this coffee-shop-cum-performance-space relocated in 2014 to a brand new, expanded location in the city center. Its occupancy now makes it one of the largest performance spaces in town, where guests can experience a wide range of events, from theology lectures and poetry slams to singer/songwriters and out-and-out rock shows.
6. The Honest Pint -- 35 Patten Parkway (423-468-4192). Now five years old, this venue/eatery was born out of the renovated ashes of Parkway Billiards Club. It is one of the city's only Irish pubs, and in addition to showcasing upscale British bar cuisine, it also serves host to a range of musical genres, from traditional Irish and blues to indie rock. The Pint also hosts a popular open mike night every Wednesday.
7. Raw Sushi Bar and Nightclub -- 409 Market St. (423-756-1919). From tuna rolls accompanied by performances by singer/songwriters in the chic, narrow confines of its downstairs eatery to a DJ-fueled dance party upstairs, Raw has the night covered from dusk to dawn. The venue features a weekly slate of entertainment ranging from karaoke to singers/songwriters and regional bands brought in by owner Jim Striker, a veteran promoter with a long history curating Chattanooga's live music scene.
8. The Palms at Hamilton -- 6925 Shallowford Road (423-499-5055). Located one exit north on Interstate 75 from Hamilton Place mall, The Palms offers fine dining and near nightly entertainment on one of two in-house stages, The Palms Lounge and The Coconut Room. The menu emphasizes surf and turf dishes, but the music schedule is a blend of live performances by area singers/songwriters and lounge acts, as well as weekly swing music by the Monday Nite Big Band.
Contact Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6205. Follow him on Twitter at @PhillipsCTFP.