ROCKING
THE BLOCK
With ‘Dick Jr. & The Volunteers’ set to make their return to Exit/In next week, we’re delving into the archives to take a closer look at this Nashville icon, and what it means to our favourite frontman.
EXIT / IN
“Lovable losers, no-account boozers, honky-tonk heroes"
The Ledger, on the patrons of Exit/in
In through the out door - The club’s whimsical name came from the venue’s quirky set up. Prior to a 1980 refit, the stage was on the Elliston Place side of the venue, with the entrance in the back.
Its history as a music venue began in 1971, when a young Jimmy Buffett walked through the door and surprised the founders, Brugh Reynolds and Owsley Manier, with an audition that left them impressed enough to book him as the club’s first headliner.
In the 50+ years since its seated, listening room launch, 2208 Elliston Place has hosted artists from every musical genre, from country heavyweights like Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson, to a fledgling ‘R.E.M.’, who made their Nashville debut there in 1982. The venue has also offered live comedy, including several shows by Steve Martin, who wrote about his celebrated history with the club in his autobiography, “Born Standing Up”. If you’ve attended the Speight & Son Nashville Bus Tour, you may have heard Richard, Sr. tell the story of Martin taking his entire Exit/In audience for a post-show dinner. According to legend, at the end of his set he took the joke arrow from his head, laid down his banjo, and said “Man, I’m starvin’. What’s the name of that eat-a-sackful place up the street?” They ended up at Krystal’s near Vandy, for burgers. Martin’s treat. On another occasion, he led patrons to a parking lot across the street, to show off his new red Trans Am.
In 1975, Robert Altman’s feature film “Nashville” saw Keith Carradine perform the self-penned “I’m Easy” on stage at Exit/In. The song would go on to win him an Academy Award.
By the 1980s Exit/In had graduated from its listening room beginnings to the 500 capacity rock venue we know and love, claiming a section of Elliston Place as The Rock Block.
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1990s highlights included Rich’s faves ‘Soul Coughing’ opening for the phenomenal (and much missed) Jeff Buckley.
In 2001 Exit/In turned 30, and faced an uncertain future. Less than a year later, the Tennessean Department of Revenue closed the venue's doors. 6 months later, the-little-club-that-could bounced back with a new owner. It's a pattern Nashville would see repeated over the years.
1970'S
NOW
The Mural
In 2016, street artist Bryan Deese was commissioned to produce a mural for the club’s 45 anniversary. Celebrating the variety of genres the club has supported through the years, these are the artists featured in the stencilled piece:
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Jimmy Buffett takes centre stage as the first artist to play Exit/In in 1971.
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Chuck Berry
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Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter.. Years after their 1975 appearance together, Waylon and Jessi’s son Shooter would also play the venue. Waylon has a place in one of the most famous pieces of Exit/In lore – his guitarist Jerry McGill got married on stage at Elliston Place in 1973.
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Cowboy Jack Clement
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Jerry Lee Lewis
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Joe Strummer
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Flea
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David Byrne’s Talking Heads chose Exit/In for their 1977 Nashville debut.
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Cheech & Chong
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Sting
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The iconic microphone taken from the poster of Robert Altman‘s ‘Nashville’.
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The forementioned Steve Martin.
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Gwar
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Ernest Tubb
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The most recent addition, added in 2022, is Margo Price.
The mural (courtesy Margo Price)
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As previously mentioned things haven’t been easy for this Music City legend. During its tenancy on Elliston Place, Exit/In has seen 25 different owners, and multiple closedowns, most recently in 2022, when many of its fans feared it would be lost to developers for good. At the time, Rich tweeted a plea that Nashville powers-that-be not squander all that made the city special.
On the Speight & Son Bus Tour in 2023, just days before Dick Jr. & The Volunteers made their Exit/In debut, Rich shared how he had wandered down to Elliston Place the last time he was home, expecting to find the venue demolished. Instead, he was now relating the story as we passed that iconic marquee signpost, with his name displayed in bold black letters.
Today, Exit/In has Historic Landmark status, and a roster of shows bringing new fans to its doors.
Long may it rock the block.
Rich on his history with Exit/In
“My favorite Exit/In memory is probably seeing ‘The Snakes’ (formerly ‘The Kingsnakes’) play there on New Year’s Eve back when I was 25. I even have a bootleg cassette to prove it. Actually, my favorite moment there might be a tie between that night and any time I saw ‘Walk the West’ play there. They always blew the doors off the joint. Being front and center to watch them kick off their show with “Sheriff of Love” was next level. After witnessing all those amazing moments from the floor, finally being up on that stage to play when I was barely in my 20’s was very heady for me. I played there with both The Distortion Hawgs and with Inspector 12. And then, to be able to return to that stage decades later after I was SURE the Exit/In was going to get torn down was beyond fantastic. I look forward to doing it again.”
From FanWorld exclusive ‘Fistfights’ & Hug-outs - Dick Jr. on the band’s sophomore album’, February 2024
The Snakes
“Mike Henderson was in one of my favorite bands growing up, called ‘The Snakes’. I have their CD when they released a local album. I went to see them on New Year’s Eve, and I gave the sound guy a cassette tape and he recorded them for me. And I have the recoding of them playing “Auld Lang Syne”. So I’m a huge Mike Henderson fan. His version of “Aberdeen”… he’s an unbelievable guitar player, unbelievable singer. Kenny Greenberg was the other guitar player. They were such a good band. They were called ‘The Kingsnakes’, then released an album under ‘The Snakes’.
Anyway, I’ve wondered for years, because they’re all so talented, what happened to those guys in the band. Turns out, Mike Henderson was in ‘The Steeldrivers’ with (Supernatural Then and Now beard rating) Chris Stapleton, was the other half of the writing team behind “Midnight Train to Memphis” and has gone on to write songs with Stapleton as he’s been a solo artist. Stapleton is loyal to his old buddies. I love how loyal Stapleton is. That brought me so much joy that he was still writing with the original gangsters who were there in his original band.
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If anyone can get their hands on ‘The Snakes’ which is very hard to do – I don’t think that album got a big release and I’m not sure it’s on digital - but ‘The Snakes’ were an unbelievable band. “Love the Poison” was a great song….
That was Rain who runs RSJrFanWorld who found that little piece of trivia and posted it on my twitter feed, and I was blown away. I’m like ‘How do I not know this?”
Rich on ‘The Snakes’, from the Kings of Con episode “Twenty Buck Green Juice”, May 2023
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The Kingsnakes grew out of roots rock band ‘The Roosters’, who Mike Henderson joined in 1986. From July that same year, they began playing weekly at Nashville’s most famous listening room (and inspiration for Creation Entertainment’s Post-Con-Cert!) The Bluebird Café. The change to ‘The Snakes’ came when in 1989, they signed to Curb Records and released one, self-titled, album.
In 1988, a cover of Henderson’s “Powerful Stuff” by ‘The Fabulous Thunderbirds’ appeared on the soundtrack to the Tom Cruise move “Cocktail”. This led to Henderson being hired as a staff songwriter for EMI. His songs have been recorded by acts like ‘The Chicks’, Trisha Yearwood and Patty Loveless. His songwriting collaborations with Chris Stapleton scored him three Grammy wins.
Prior to forming ‘The Steeldrivers’, he recorded albums both as a solo artist, and as ‘Mike Henderson and The Bluebloods’. He also worked as a session and touring musician, playing on Emmylou Harris’ album “Bluebird”, and featuring on Mark Knopfler’s “Sailing to Philadelphia” tour. Knopfler would describe him as an “extraordinary talent”.
After leaving ‘The Steeldrivers’ in 2011, he continued to play weekly shows at The Bluebird Café with ‘The Mike Henderson Band’.
On September 22nd, 2023, Mike Henderson died unexpectedly in his sleep. He was 70 years old.
Walk the West
“When I was sneaking into this bar, and when I was paying money to get into this bar, it was usually to see “Walk the West”
Rich, introducing “Living At Night”, Exit/In, December 2023
If you have a physical copy of “The Dance and How to Do It”, you may have noticed the following in Rich’s ‘Would like to thank’ credits: ‘Paul Kirby (for fronting much of the soundtrack of my Nashville youth, may he rest in peace)’.
The ‘Walk the West’ frontman died in 2011, at just 48 years old.
When FanWorld sat down with Rich to talk over the covers he’d picked for his debut album, here’s what he said about Kirby’s “Living at Night” –
“I mean, that's just a mudstomper. It’s a badass tune.
‘Walk the West’ was a great band. Paul Kirby was a great songwriter, wrote fun, now I know I’ve just said mudstomping, but that’s what it was. Just badass.
Paul Kirby at his final show, courtesy Walk the West on Facebook
That country vibe/rock vibe merger, you know, this hybrid music that was new at the time. ‘Jason and the Scorchers’ were doing it... this is while ‘REM’ was doing the more poetic jangling music in Athens... In Nashville, ‘Walk the West’ was knocking shit down. And just thought that was a great song by them. I weighed a few other options by them, “Sheriff of Love” being one of them, off their self-titled album, and there you go.
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Just a great band. It’s my youth, and when I was forming my musical opinion they were right there helping guide it, so Walk the West deserved a spot on the record.”
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From FanWorld Exclusive ‘Under The Covers’, 2020
Kirby formed ‘Walk The West’ in 1984. The band released just one self-titled album, securing a devoted live following and support slots for acts like ‘The Ramones’ and ‘The Smithereens’. While both beloved by fans and critically acclaimed, commercial success somehow alluded them. Kirby’s twangier side project, ‘The Cactus Brothers’, proved more successful, releasing two albums and securing a cameo in the George Strait movie ‘Pure Country’ before losing their record deal. Their storming take on the Merle Travis classic “Sixteen Tons” provided the inspiration for Dick Jr & The Volunteers’ own version ~
“16 Tons” is definitely a nod to a classic, obviously, but also a nod to the band ‘The Cactus Brothers’. Our arrangement is inspired by their arrangement. ‘Cactus Brothers’ was the second incarnation of the band that was originally ‘Walk The West’, which was sort of a cowpunk band in the early to mid-eighties. And then they reinvented themselves as a more country version called ‘The Cactus Brothers’. And their version of “16 Tons”, I thought was inspired. And so it was inspired by that.
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​It was just a mud stomping version of already dope song. You know, the Tennessee Ernie Ford version is what I grew up with, and then ‘The Cactus Brothers’ version. And I just thought it'd be fun to do that as a bar song. And we recorded it for the first album, and we came back to put it on the second album.
Camilla (Darling, who engineered both Dick Jr. Albums) gave (the vocal) that old 1940s sound. It just helps the whole vibe of that tune. And I just really dig it. It's simple but elegantly done. You know, we didn't veer too much away from what the song is, it's strong enough on its own, and like I said, had a solid nod to ‘The Cactus Brothers’ and then just made it fun.”
From FanWorld Exclusive ‘Anatomy of an Album - The Ultimate Guide to Fistfights and Hug-outs’, June 2024
Dick Jr. at Exit/In
Rich on Dick Jr & The Volunteers Exit/In debut
“Playing a show in Nashville, my hometown, was a dream come true for me - and getting to put on that show at the Exit/In was the icing on the cake. I played that bar in two other bands in my late teens/early 20s – ‘The Distortion Hawgs’ and ‘Inspector 12.’ To be able to return this many years later with all the friends I’ve made on my journey through the world of “Supernatural” was exceptionally cool. It was a perfect combination of my past and my present – family members & high school friends mixed with fellow actors and loyal fans, all in a venue I had been to countless times growing up to see so many different bands. A lot of worlds collided on December 11, 2023, on Elliston Place - and it was uniquely fantastic for me (and hopefully for everyone else who was there, too).”
From FanWorld exclusive ‘Nashville, the FanWorld Way’, December 2023
Read our review of ‘Dick Jr & The Volunteers’ 2023 show, here
The Halloween Show
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"Super excited (for Exit/In). Beth did the poster - the poster's awesome. Two things that make it really cool are that Mark Sheppard is playing drums for us again, which is awesome, and that it's gonna be Halloween theme. We're gonna do some kind of make-up effects on ourselves; everyone's gonna do their own thing - it's not like we're gonna be one giant team of zombies or something. But we're leaning into it, and hoping the audience does too, cos it's the day before Halloween! It can't not be a Halloween party. I hope that fans dress up. It should be an excuse to go out in Nashville, which is a busy town anyway, so at least you'll have somewhere to go and party, you know what I mean? So yeah, I'm promoting the whole thing as 'Get dressed up in your ghoulish best, and come party with us!' cos it really is a great excuse to come have a Halloween party in one of Nashville's coolest bars. And you don't have to wonder if you're gonna get in, or wait in line - you got your ticket, you know you're in."
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Rich briefs FanWorld on the upcoming Halloween show.
Beth's Official Posters
2023
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