Nashville House Concerts, a new monthly live music and variety series co-hosted by SiriusXM radio personality Storme Warren and country artist Joe Denim, are bringing fun, folks, and fantastic-ness (if it’s not a word, it is now) to Nashville’s historic concert hall, War Memorial Auditorium.
“It’s an incredible opportunity, not just for myself, Joe, the TPAC organization, and the musicians onstage, but hopefully for anybody who is a fan of music that is able to come and share a night of all facets of the industry—from songwriters, to up-and-coming artists, to legends, anyone who does entertainment is welcome on this stage,” declares Warren in his booming voice. “We won’t turn anyone away. If you’re good and you have something to share, we won’t turn you away. It’s not a stressful environment, it’s very low-key. there are numerous couches involved. Some have even made record deals happen,” he adds with a laugh.
Admittedly, talking with Warren and Denim is like watching a ping pong match of comedy, but from what we can glean, this friendship was born during a late-night brawl on a Florida golf course. “The cops showed up and everything,” laughs Warren. “There was self-inflicted nudity that had nothing to do with us. It wasn’t our idea, but we discovered we had common ground. Actually, I’m a huge fan of Joe’s music and talent as a comedian,” he adds. “It’s fun to find a project we can work together on.”
The monthly concerts will be held at the historic War Memorial Auditorium, one of Nashville’s hidden gem performance venues. “Folks from KISS to Jim Croce to Lady Gaga to Rush have graced that stage, you name it. The Charlie Daniels Volunteer Jam started there, The Opry played there,” says Warren. “it’s one of the best-sounding venues in the country—everyone talks about The Ryman, and it is the Mother Church and the reason why so many people flock here to play country music, but they also love playing War Memorial too. We want to shine a spotlight on the building, we want it to be as much of a star as those who hit the stage.”
The lineup for each show has been relatively easy to come by, with artists volunteering to perform, as well as being asked. “It’s a very good sign we aren’t having to knock on doors and beg,” laughs Warren. “Think of it like having a living room party—which friends would you invite? Who would get along? It’s like exposing Nashville’s living room to an audience of 1600 people,” adds Denim, who will be leading the House Concert house band. “We have a star-studded band made up of friends from the road—folks from Kent Chesney’s band, George Strait’s band, Toby’s band, just a lot of super-talented people,” says Denim. “When those guys are on the road, there will be people from other bands coming in, so it will be a rotation of highly-talented musicians. It’s like a Saturday Night Live-meets-The-Roots kind of band, and I’m the one with the afro,” he laughs. “That’s the really neat thing about this town. All musicians know all musicians, so with the trust of knowing that Joe is leading this group, the artists can breathe a sigh of relief. They don’t have to bring their whole band, they know the experience will be just as great for the audience with this house band as it would be with their own It’s like the Music City version of Menudo,” jokes Warren. “Without the Adidas. Unless they want to sponsor!”
The Nashville House Concerts won’t be broadcasted for now. and as Denim says, “you have to be present to win.” “It’s not a show for the Millennial Generation to watch from their couches or their phones. This is a highly interactive show experience,” reveals Warren. “Will we want to broadcast it eventually? Fine, but we need to clean up the living room first. I think we’re definitely headed that direction, but there’s no rush. It’s about the audience in the room for now.”
“It will be different every week, seeing one show doesn’t mean you’ve seen them all,” he continues. “It’s an undeniable showcase for Music City. You’ll see Nashville performers in their natural habitats, you won’t see them anywhere else where they will be this relaxed.” Adds Denim, “It’s going to be fun. Ge to our living room fast.”
[Nashville House Concerts take place on the first Thursday of each month from Sept. 2017 to June 2018. The show is from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. CT. Tickets for the next Nashville House Concerts performance on Oct. 5., 2017, are on sale now at WMArocks.com.]
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