Only in Nashville

Last night, the women's ministry at our church hosted an evening of music and coffee. It was free, minimally publicized, and held in the fellowship hall. Intrigued? Probably not.

Me too - until I walked in. The lights were low with candles on the tables, Starbucks and desserts along the walls, and four stools on the spotlighted stage, one each for Nicole C. Mullen, Jim Weber, Ashley Cleveland, and Teresa Sugar. You may not have heard of them, but they're all songwriters and recording artists, 3 with Grammy and/or Dove awards. It was amazing. Each performed songs they'd written, explaining the backstory and then singing with a guitar. It was better than the Bluebird.

It reminded me of a moment last February. After Noah's baptism, some visitors told us they enjoyed hearing a young lady sing during the service. Turns out that young lady had won a Grammy that week.

After 16 years in Music City and 3 in the entertainment industry, I often take this culture for granted. The inherent love for music (not just Country), the connection with pop culture, the plethora of concerts where top artists sing to crowds of two hundred, the engagement in issues, the artistic aesthetic, the hair...

Nashville is not just another midwestern city - interchangeable with Minneapolis or Birmingham or St. Louis. It has its own flavor - a mix of Southern and smart and chic and storied. Picture Alison Krauss and Donald Miller at the Belcourt Theater drinking fruit tea, singing, and talking religion, politics, and art. It's just one side of a complicated city - but it's a side some cities don't have.

I guess that's one reason I finally have an answer when people ask me where I'm from. And why Noah is likely to have the same answer.