Stephen Trageser

Nashville, Tennessee

Music Editor at Nashville Scene

Where the Fried Things Are

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Articles

Kim Petras, Big Freedia, More to Play Nashville Pride

2 weeks ago | nashvillescene.com | Stephen Trageser

Nashville Pride is headed back to Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park this year, bringing an even bigger and better entertainment lineup with more than 130 performers on deck. It expands out from the traditional Saturday and Sunday schedule to include a kickoff concert Friday night, June 27, headlined by pop star Kim Petras, making her return to the fest following a rain-drenched (but no less exciting) performance in 2021. She’ll be joined by Empress of, Estelle and drag queen supreme Kylie Love.
Amanda Shires, Willi Carlisle, More to Play AmericanaFest

2 weeks ago | nashvillescene.com | Stephen Trageser

The Americana Music Festival and Conference, styled AMERICANAFEST for short, has been a staple of late summer in Music City for more than two decades. From Sept. 9-13, the fest is set to once again spread its big tent across Music City, and the initial lineup of artists you’ll be able to see at venues all over town is jam-packed.
Watch JEFF the Brotherhood, Snooper, More Play at Exit/In

3 weeks ago | nashvillescene.com | Stephen Trageser

In the fall, Nashville Film Festival patrons got a first look at The Day the Music Stopped, a documentary directed by Patrick Sheehan and produced by journalist and broadcaster Demetria Kalodimos. The film focuses on the conflict between independent music venues and massive corporate interests like Live Nation through the lens of historic Nashville club Exit/In. You’ve got a chance to catch it yourself on Monday, April 21, when the film screens as part of the Belcourt’s Music City Mondays series.
John Mayer and Kings of Leon to Headline Pilgrimage 2025

4 weeks ago | nashvillescene.com | Stephen Trageser

Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival is headed back to picturesque Franklin green space The Park at Harlinsdale Sept. 27 and 28 for its 11th annual run. The event’s location, booking and daytime-and-evening hours make it among the most family-friendly fests in our vicinity, and two household names in the contemporary rock world are topping the bill: John Mayer and Kings of Leon.
John Mayer and Kings of Leon to Headline Pilgrimage 2025

4 weeks ago | williamsonscene.com | Stephen Trageser

Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival is headed back to picturesque Franklin green space The Park at Harlinsdale Sept. 27 and 28 for its 11th annual run. The event’s location, booking and daytime-and-evening hours make it among the most family-friendly fests in our vicinity, and two household names in the contemporary rock world are topping the bill: John Mayer and Kings of Leon.
Recommended: Roy Book Binder and Fats Kaplin Reissues

1 month ago | nashvillescene.com | Stephen Trageser

Scene readers will know Fats Kaplin as a musician of extraordinary breadth and depth, whether he’s leading his own Fats Kaplin Gang or in a supporting role — on one of a huge range of instruments — with artists ranging from Mitski to Paul Burch and beyond. A recent suite of releases shines a light on Kaplin’s earliest days as a pro player.
Recommended Nashville Music: Echolalia, ‘Echolalia’

1 month ago | nashvillescene.com | Stephen Trageser

For all the good things that Nashville and its ecosystem of music scenes can be and do, even those who experience it at its best need a break sometimes. A group of Music City MVP musicians who you’ve heard in a wide variety of contexts decamped to a remote U.K. studio called Chale Abbey (situated in a former monastery on the Isle of Wight) and returned with a rambling, unfussy gem called Echolalia. Released in February, the 13-track album shares its name with the ensemble.
The Love Issue: A Nashville Valentine's Day Playlist

Feb 13, 2025 | nashvillescene.com | Stephen Trageser

Love takes a dizzying array of forms, and it can mean so many things. It can be good for you or bad to you; maybe both at the same time. It’s a vital two-way thoroughfare between us and our partners, our children, our parents, our friends, our pets — and ourselves. It’s no wonder that this intricate, ever-evolving part of the human experience has been fertile ground for musicians possibly as long as we’ve been making music. Nashville musicians are no exception.
Another Look: Crys Matthews, ‘Reclamation’

Feb 3, 2025 | nashvillescene.com | Stephen Trageser

Since COVID lockdown, we’ve run a recurring print column called Another Look that rounds up several super-brief record reviews. It’s a way to highlight worthy releases from Nashville-residing musicians during the past few months that we haven’t yet covered in-depth. The time has come for an evolution: Rather than one whopping article, we’re revamping Another Look as a series of single short reviews, with one or more iterations online each week.
Nashville Scene’s Country Music Almanac: Journalists’ Survey

Jan 16, 2025 | nashvillescene.com | Stephen Trageser

Once again, we invited journalists and authors who focus on country music to share their takes on the present and future of the genre. Here’s a sampling of their responses on topics from 2024’s best country releases to the biggest roadblocks to change in the industry in the year ahead.