Growing up in Knoxville, Tennessee, Nashville has always been near and dear to singer-songwriter Briston Maroney. Despite stints living in Los Angeles and parts of Florida, the lure of Music City pulled him back as he settled in Nashville to launch his burgeoning music career.
"I think my favorite thing about Nashville as a whole—that has been the same since I got here—is it can feel huge and it can also feel really small," he reveals. "And you have a choice as a person there. However you’re feeling, whatever you need to do to feel like yourself, you can dive into a community or just isolate in a lot of really beautiful places. It’s the luxuries of both a small town and a really big scene."
His connection to the city is ever-expanding, as Maroney is launching the inaugural two-day Paradise festival at Brooklyn Bowl on November 3 and 4. Conceived and curated by Maroney, he is set to headline both nights, along with performances by Indigo De Souza, Sunflower Bean, The Greeting Committee, and more.
With the festival kicking off next week, as well as his new double A-side single for "Oregon" and "Harvard" out now (see the Joey Brodnax–directed video for "Oregon" below), we asked Maroney to share how he spends his perfect day in his hometown. From his morning coffee at Portland Brew to thrifting at Anaconda Vintage to catching a classic film at Belcourt Movie Theatre, he details his perfect day below.
To start the day, I’m grabbing a cold brew at Portland Brew. There’s one in East Nashville and one on 12th—they’re both awesome. I’ve been going to the one on 12th for almost six years, if not every day at least once or twice a week.
Then I’m going back to the house and grabbing the puppy (because she [Milk] hates Portland Brew for some reason). Shelby Park [pictured in main shot above] is right over by our house—I’ll have my cold brew in one hand, dog in the other, walking the greenway over there, listening to music, maybe some of my own demos. Not really thinking about a whole lot because that place is so pretty.
As far as company, if Sam’s [his partner Samia] in town, I can’t go without her. Both of us and the dog—a little family. Plus this dog is insane so we need both of us.
Then we’ll head home, chill with the roommates. We have a little porch—we don’t often have plans at that point in the day, but inevitably somebody is doing something.
“It’s the luxuries of both a small town and a really big scene.”
Then we’ll go grab an açaí bowl at Franklin Juice Company. It’s the best place for an açaí bowl because their peanut butter is so good. Love me some Jif, but they are making theirs on the spot, plus they’re really nice.
Usually something comes up in that time of day where we’re inspired to do something slightly more creative…and that isn’t just eating. There’s a place called Anaconda Vintage that’s a really awesome thrift store that a bunch of our friends work at.
It’s right next to Grimey’s too, so I’ll pop in there and maybe pick up a book or something. Their records are great of course, but their book section is right downstairs and really awesome.
It’s such a great city to have a night in too, so a lot of times we’ll just have two or three friends come over and either bring food or make something, just sit and chat on the porch.
Then we’ll probably go see one of those people play somewhere, maybe at The East Room or The End. So many great shows are always happening.
Or we love to go to Belcourt Movie Theatre—it’s an independent movie theater with a couple viewing rooms, all really tiny. They’re always playing the A24-type stuff—new indie films, foreign movies, and a lot of old stuff. This time of year they’re showing '80s Halloween movies. Love to go there with Joey [Brodnax] and Drew [Bauml] [Briston’s longtime friends and visual collaborators], or Sam.
There’s also a drive-in theater half an hour outside of Nashville [in Watertown] called the Stardust Drive-In, so sometimes we go there, too.
One other place I spend a lot of time is Seven Oaks Disc Golf Course—even if we’re not playing disc golf, there’s a trail that weaves in and out of the woods and it’s super beautiful. Drew and I have been frequenting that place a bunch lately. FL
