The Bluebird Cafe

The Bluebird Café may be small in size, but it’s known to be the premier location to experience original music from a variety of musicians.

The café opened in 1982 as a casual gourmet restaurant that offered some live music. In 1985, Sunday writer’s nights were added to provide writers a chance to perform in front of an audience and a special guest writer. Over time, the popularity of the café grew, drawing droves of locals to experience musical entertainment and food. 

The popular destination has been featured in mediums across the state and was also the setting for the movie, “The Thing Called Love” starring River Phoenix and Sandra Bullock. The café has also seen and heard the crooning tunes from notable artists such as Garth Brooks, Dierks Bentley and Brooks & Dunn. 

The Bluebird Café has gained a worldwide reputation for presenting original country and acoustic music every night of the week. Performers do not generally play cover songs in the café and musicians are typically accompanied not with a full band, but with one guitar or piano. Labeling itself as a listening room, don’t be offended if you find yourself shushed during a performance; though patrons are welcome to eat and drink inside the café, the music comes first in the establishment and all else comes secondary.

Because of its popularity, the Bluebird encourages reservations to shows to guarantee your seat at the bar, tables and pews located inside. The late night shows are the most popular, but if you haven’t made a reservation, don’t fret. On most nights, seats open up at the last minute so it may be worth coming and standing in line to see if a seat becomes available. Reservations can be made online at the café’s website. 

The menu boasts a list of foods that will keep tummies satisfied as well. Be sure to try appetizers such as baked  brie served with warm French bread and fresh fruit, entrees such as eggplant parmesan and the buffalo wings basket and desserts to appease your sweet tooth. 

Early shows, at 6 p.m. Tuesday- Thursday and 6:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday as well as the Sunday night shows and Monday Open Mic night generally have no cover charge. The late/feature shows have a cover charge ranging between $7 to $12, all of which goes directly to the performing songwriters.

 

- by Leah M. Caudle , Nashville Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Leah M. Caudle

Leah Caudle is a professional storyteller with experience in covering local, community and feature stories. While at newspapers such as The Tennessean in Nashville and The Lexington Herald-Leader in Lexington, Ky., Caudle also has experience in shooting and editing videos and photos to accompany stories. The Western Kentucky University graduate received degrees in print journalism and Spanish in 2007 and also has expertise in the areas of public relations, copy editing and proofreading.