Nashville Heats Back Up with 615 Indie Live
Nearly 70 artists across 15 venues are playing this weekend and you only need one ticket
This last week has been an icy nightmare across Middle Tennessee as winter storm, Fern, ripped through the state and left 300,000 plus NES (Nashville Electric Service) customers without power. People have been subjected to single digit temperatures and been displaced as they scrambled to get to friends and loved one’s homes with juice, as well as attempting to book hotel rooms for warmth. Finding room and board for families and pets was just one of the many problems that occurred due to this harsh winter anomaly. Food went bad, cars were stuck, power lines and trees littered the street (and still do). As of this article, around 10,000 people are still wondering when they will finally see the light. The silver lining is that temps are going back up, dedicated linemen and women are working around the clock and there is a music festival in Nashville that might just be everything that is needed to lift your spirits. It is called “615 Indie Live” and it happens on Saturday, February 7th from noon until 2am.
615 Indie Live is a celebration of Nashville’s Independent Venues and Artists, and it is produced in partnership by the Music Venue Alliance Nashville (MVAN) and Visit Music City. The event was created last year to support Nashville’s independent music venues and to showcase the city’s local diverse music ecosystem by driving business, both new and loyal, to Nashville’s Independent Music Venues during a historically slow time of year, while raising awareness of their importance. It also supports Nashville’s local artists, by investing more than 50% of the event budget towards paying participating artists, performers, and musicians. Finally, it acts as a fundraiser for MVAN, with proceeds from ticket sales contributing to the organization’s Emergency Relief Fund and operating budget.
The inaugural event in 2025 featured a lineup of more than 60 local artists performing across 14 independent venues throughout Music City. More than 2,200 tickets were sold for the gathering, and the event raised $35,000 for the Music Venue Alliance, including the organization’s Emergency Relief Fund, which helps the city’s independent venues keep their doors open during times of financial crisis.
“While this is truly a celebration, it also serves as an important reminder of the vital role these spaces hold in our community, and the pressures mounting against them,” said Chris Cobb, president of the Music Venue Alliance Nashville”. He continued to say, “From skyrocketing operational costs like property tax, rent, and insurance, to shifting local regulations like parking, and a consumer base that is spending less in small venues, current times are extremely challenging. That is why an event like 615 Indie Live has never been more important and needed.”
There are 15 venues participating this year, including three stages at Eastside Bowl. Those spaces are:
2026 ARTISTS INCLUDE:
Amelia Day • Anastasia Elliot • Angie K • A Tribe of Horsemen • Bones Owens • Boy Orbison • Brian Wright • Bryant Taylorr • Campanula • Castle • Charles Wigg Walker • Claire Ernst • Christina Vane with Joshua Hedley • Crystal Rose • Daphne • David Cook Quintet feat. Jeff Coffin w/ Miguel Alvarado • DeeOhGee • DJ Nat Ward • Eddie Angel’s Guitar Party • Family Dog • Genevieve Heyward • Hayden Pattengale • Heavy Quitters • Hector Tellez Jr • Henri Herbert and The Fury • Hogslop String Band • Hussy Fit • Jacob Jezioro & Jordan Perlson • JJ Niceley • JT Loux • Justin Webb & The Noise • Kanude • Kenny Sharp • Knyghts • Laney Jones and The Spirits • Lewis Stubbs Junior • Lilly Hiatt • Lilly Winwood • Lombardy • Marc Payne Quintet w/ Don Aliquo • Massie 99 • McKinley James • New Translations • Plainview Vibes’ Bob Marley Birthday Bash • Rob Linton & Josh Cook • Rolling Stone Nashville Now with Noeline Hofmann • Ron Gallo • Rougarou • Simon Mogul • Suadi • SWEETTALKER • TEN • Texas Chain Store Managers • The Brummies • The Minks • The Prickly Pair • The Sewing Club • The Whooligan • Thunder and Rain • Total Wife • Turquoise Gate • Venus & the Flytraps • Zandi Hollup
Members of the local independent scene have also joined the festival this year to help curate stages throughout the day. Those include Bluegrass Nashville curating slots on multiple stages, LOVENOISE programming Anzie Blue, DeeOhGee overseeing The 58 at Eastside Bowl, and Polychrome Ranch curating The End.
Now, the best part. Besides supporting all things local, tickets are just $20, including all taxes and fees, and are available for purchase now at mvan.org/615-indie-live and one ticket will allow entry to ALL participating venues. Additionally, the festival will donate $2 per ticket this year to WNXP, to help raise money for the nonprofit radio station who lost its federal funding this year. When you purchase those tickets you can then pick up a wristband on Friday or Saturday at either Eastside Bowl or The Cannery. That wristband allows you to move freely across the multi-venue festival.
“Nashville’s full of all kinds of artists, every genre you can imagine, and the level of talent here is something you just can’t find anywhere else,” shares Deana Ivey, President and CEO of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. “Events like 615 Indie Live truly capture the spirit of Music City with independent venues lifting up local talent and our community coming together to celebrate it. We’re proud to help create a day where so many artists can shine, and we hope both visitors and locals discover something new to love about Nashville’s music scene.”
So if you have been cooped up and need to stretch your legs by dancing like nobody is watching. This is your ticket. So much talent will be taking multiple stages throughout the day and the biggest challenge will be planning out your route so that you can witness your favorites or someone that you always wanted to see. Or maybe you just wing it? Either way it is going to be a spectacular event that needs your support. Tickets are cheap, so be sure to drop a little coin directly to those bands by purchasing merch and going to see them play at a future venues on a future dates. Be kind to each other and keep listening.
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