A song that doesn't exist yet, written in front of you.
Greg Barnhill wrote “Walkaway Joe” and “House of Love.” He plays them and tells the stories behind them. Then Morgan Myles takes a hook from the room and builds something new in front of you.
75 seats. This room does not get opened often.
The room
East Iris Studios
A Universal Music Group campus in Berry Hill. Most nights it's booked for records you'll eventually hear. The night opens with a walk through the studio, then everyone settles into the Sun Room and the Cave next door, where the session runs.
The Sun Room
The CaveThe night
Everyone in the room writes the first line
Before the session starts, everyone submits a hook. A line, a title, an image, something someone said to you once that stuck.
One gets picked, and Morgan builds on it out loud, in a working Nashville studio, while you watch the choices happen. Whatever comes of it, a verse, a chorus, a whole song, you'll hear it played back before you leave.
You don't need to play, sing, or write anything. Most of the room won't.
In the room
Two songwriters, two jobs
Featured guest
Greg Barnhill
Thirty years of hits out of Nashville. He performs them and tells the stories behind them, which is the part you never get to hear.
Host
Morgan Myles
Nashville artist and songwriter. She takes the hook the room hands her and builds on it in front of you, and she runs the night from start to finish.
About an hour and fifteen
How the evening runs
Arrival
Doors, and a look around the studio.
Hooks go in
Everyone writes one down before we start.
Songs and stories
Greg plays songs he wrote and talks about how they came to be.
The build
A hook from the room gets chosen, and Morgan writes on it in front of you. The main event
Hear it back
Whatever came out of the room, played through for the first time anywhere.
The last thing that happens
You hear it before anyone else
Whatever came out of the room gets played back before you leave. It exists because you were there, and it didn't exist that morning.
Tickets
Thursday, October 29
- A seat for the full session in the Cave and Sun Room
- A walk through the studio before the session starts
- The first playback of whatever the room writes
- One of 75 seats in a room that doesn't open often
East Iris Studios · 518 E Iris Dr, Nashville
Questions
Do I need to be a musician?
No. Most people in the room aren't. You take part by submitting a hook, and nothing more is asked of you.
Will I have to perform or sing?
No. Nobody is called on or put on the spot.
What is a hook?
A line, a title, or an idea. It can be one word. It doesn't need a melody and it doesn't need to rhyme.
Will there be a complete song at the end?
Maybe. Writing is unpredictable, which is the point of watching it happen. Some nights it's a whole song, some nights it's a verse and a chorus worth keeping. You'll hear whatever came out of it before you leave.
Is it all ages?
Yes. Anyone under 21 is welcome, and guests of drinking age are wristbanded at the door.
Is there food or a bar?
Yes. Details closer to the night.
Can I take photos?
Yes. The night is also being photographed and recorded, so buying a ticket includes agreeing to appear.
Where do I park?
There's parking in the Studio A lot, the surrounding studio lots, and free street parking around Columbine.
What if I can't make it?
Refund and transfer policy to be confirmed.
Getting there
518 E Iris Dr
East Iris Studios, 518 E Iris Dr, Nashville, TN 37204. About ten minutes from downtown, and the building is ADA accessible.
Not this one?
Sessions run through the year. Leave your email and we'll tell you when the next date and the next writer are set.
