HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) – They didn’t really have a choice. After Huntsville couple Danny and Susan Davis decided to shut-down the music venue component at Tangled String Studios in July 2020 amid the pandemic’s devastating early phase, they had to expand the guitar-making side of their multipronged business. Or go out of business entirely.
“Susan and I were gonna lose this space,” Danny says, “which means we sell everything and go home, so we said, ‘Well, let’s make a run at it.'”
Tall, blond and amiable, Danny is a rocket-science-turned-luthier. His exquisite acoustic instruments are played by the likes of The Black Crowes’ Rich Robinsonand Atlanta Rhythm Section’s Dave Anderson.
After Tangled String Studios began hosting live shows in 2013, it quickly gained a rep as an intimate “listening room”-style music venue. The Black Crowes’ Robinson, Drive-By Truckers’ singer/songwriter Patterson Hood and Grammy-winning bluegrass band SteelDrivers performed there. Americana headliners like Amanda Shires, John Paul White and Secret Sisters too, as well as top local talents, including Kelvin Wooten, Ingrid Marie and Microwave Dave.
The venue became a deep passion for Susan. She often prepared home-cooked meals, including her lasagna, to meet artist-rider requirements. She strove to make the experience special for both musicians and fans. Tangled String partner and former Jason Isbell roadie Todd Haller booked artists and often ran sound. The stage background was a wall of downlit reclaimed barn-wood. Off to the right, Davis’ guitar making equipment in plain view. The seating capacity started at 60, then went up to 100 and finally around 150. It made for a unique place to see handmade music played close-up.