Feature: Introducing Cozy Nights of Music
Nashville’s newest artist showcase series is breaking the barriers to entry in Indie music, and the movement is only growing.
Good vibes, community, and music. That pretty much sums it up. Welcome to Cozy Nights of Music (CNM), a TMR collaboration that began in November of 2023 and has since grown to include monthly shows featuring some of Nashville’s most talented up-and-coming artists.
“I’m a simple gal,” says Abby Hill, co-founder of CNM. “I have ‘Good vibes, Community and Music’ in our Instagram bio, and that’s truly what we are. I think that’s really all people need to know about Cozy Nights.” The idea began when Abby and her co-founder, Brogan Smith, found themselves seeking ways to showcase emerging artists, many of whom were their close friends. Brogan definitely understood the barriers to entry in Indie Nashville: “Being an artist myself, I didn’t have a ton of experience playing at shows, so I wanted to be proactive and figure it out on my own.” He said he talked to a friend last summer about how he wanted to set up his own writer’s round, but he didn’t quite know how to get there, especially in terms of finding a consistent venue. Enter Abby.
The first trial run of her house was through TMR’s very own Ms. Worldwide show, which focused on highlighting underrepresented voices from the Nashville student music scene. If you were there, you know this (and if you weren’t, you missed out!), but the show was a huge success, and Abby’s place at 128 Marshall proved to be the perfect venue for DIY music thanks to its intimate inside spaces, outdoor awning and stage area, and fenced-in backyard.
Their first show was called Gray November Acoustics, and following its success, Cozy Nights was officially born. Since then, they’ve hosted four additional shows, all of which feature unique artists: “A lot of the artists we book are people we know and love because we want to give them an opportunity to shine. If it’s not people we already know, it’s musicians who we aren’t super close to but really believe in their music and their art—and that’s something that’s been uniform throughout all of our booking processes.” The entire goal of CNM is to build community and connect people from around the Nashville student music scene—and so far, that’s been pretty successful. “I know people who’ve met their full bands and new producers because they spoke with each other at these events, so that’s been super cool,” said Abby. Some of the shows’ top performers were discovered simply by showing up to previous shows and speaking with those around them. She mentioned that soon-to-be repeat performer, love pac, is the perfect example: “It was the first ever Cozy Nights, and he was just sitting on the couch with people, hanging out, playing guitar, and I knew right then and there that he had to play Cozy Nights. Then he played, and he killed it.”
Meeting new people, connecting with producers, getting booked—these anecdotes epitomize the meaning and purpose of CNM. Abby said it best herself: “I’m a super community-oriented person, and there’s a lot of community at Belmont, but it’s hard to have these tight-knit events on campus. Brogan and I had friends who didn’t have a ton of performing experience in Nashville, so we wanted to give them the opportunity to play in front of friends in a cozy, comfortable environment—a place where they could truly step into their artistry in a safe place before they had to go play on a big stage or crowded writer’s round.” In other words, Cozy Nights is the ultimate stepping stone; a place where you can gain performance experience while feeling right at home.
And the themes! Let’s not forget the themes. Each of these shows has a unique genre, vibe, and audience that Brogan and Abby aim to capture, and they build these based on the performers they want to book. The first show back from the holiday break was indie-pop focused. Held on January 13th (just a few days after the flood of students back to Nashville), the CNM duo was initially skeptical about the turnout. To their surprise, the room was packed with not only newcomers but also tons of returners, further solidifying the movement. They continued the show themes with a Folk & Americana show in late January and the much-anticipated Valentine Killer show in February. This one in particular had a deeper meaning for Brogan. “I did a similar show last year on my own in my Belmont dorm suite. At the time, I was upset with not playing a ton of shows, so I wanted to create something myself to give my friends and me a platform to perform. We did our own show in our campus dorm, and it was the best night of my year at Belmont just because I met so many new people.” Valentine Killer is the antithesis of the holiday and celebrates everything that Valentine’s Day doesn’t—breakups, heartbreak, and rage. Mark your calendars for next year.
Hopefully, after reading this feature, you’ll feel inspired to play a Cozy Nights yourself, and lucky for you, the process is super easy. Again, the whole purpose of CNM is to break the performance barriers of Indie Nashville by giving artists a great showcase. It’s easy and accessible to contact both Brogan and Abby through links in CNM’s Instagram bio or by directly reaching out. “We’re so open to listening to people’s stuff to try to find the right vibe, so if people want to get into the scene, come to us. It’s hard to navigate entry sometimes, so don’t hesitate to reach out because we’re so open to listening to people and figuring it out.” With that being said, go grab a blanket and come hang with the growing cozy community next fall!
- DG
