SONIC CONNECTION: THE BOWERY VAULT REBECCA

Titus

Next door to Mickey’s Tavern in East Nashville, there is a multipurpose music venue thriving on the second floor. This marvelous, modest room is tucked away, right off Gallatin, located above The Fox in the back of the black brick building. Climb the flight of exterior stairs with wrought-iron railings you will find yourself in a community-centered, queer-owned listening lounge and vintage store called The Bowery Vault.

The name is a nod to legendary venues like CBGB and Rockwood Music Hall. The Bowery Vault is meant to evoke a scene—a lowkey spot where music lovers can catch a local show and a drink and discover underground artists. The atmosphere of this place is sweet and welcoming: somehow, there’s no attitude, no snobbery, just an easy sense of Hey, come in.

It all began in 2014 when singer-songwriter Vero Sanchez left New York to pursue her music career here in Nashville. She was tending bar at Mickey’s Tavern during the day shift one afternoon when Emily Zimmer walked in. “Instantly,” Vero recalls, “I felt like I could trust her.” Emily, a Nashville native and fellow musician, noticed Vero too. She turned to her friend on the other side of the bar and said, “I’m going to be with that person.”

Soon after meeting Emily, an entrepreneurial possibility opened up in Vero’s life when the owners of Mickey’s Tavern decided to buy the building next door. They invited Vero to check out the empty units and start spitballing: what would be a really cool way to use this space? As a queer Latina still getting used to Nashville, this was a game-changing opportunity for Vero. The prospect of creating a little piece of New York in East Nashville was thrilling, especially since Emily jumped on board without hesitation.

Amidst a whirlwind of day jobs and pets and increasing social unrest, Vero and Emily began to design and build their dream venue. In fact, that’s how they fell in love— tearing up old linoleum floors after work to slowly expose the original hardwood from 1940. The women made a brilliant team. Renovations marked a turning point in their relationship and The Bowery Vault’s origin story. The year was 2015.

Now seven years into operation, the multipurpose venue offers artist residencies, feature performances, open mics, and album release parties. Some nights the venue feels like a listening lounge; some nights it feels like a comedy club. In the past, The Bowery Vault has hosted the cast of RENT, cabaret performances by Veronica Electronica, and Drag Brunch. “When queer people find us,” Vero says, “they automatically gravitate.”

During the pandemic, The Bowery Vault pivoted to selling clothing online through their website. Little by little, they began renting the space out for live streaming. Vero describes the venue’s development as slow and steady: everything in its own time. No rush. When Americanafest came around in 2022, the space was open to the public again.

Now, for the first time in its seven-year history, The Bowery Vault is fully staffed. Artists' residencies are filling up fast. Guests respect the two-drink minimum, and the SHHHHH reminder sign. Solo artists carrying guitar cases show up over an hour early to sign up for their open mic slot. According to Vero, The Bowery Vault now book six to nine artists a night. “It’s just amazing.”

One of the unique features of The Bowery Vault is how artists must embody their own authenticity. “The people who play here are big,” Vero says. “They are freaking huge…so talented, eager, and polished.” And on this stage, singer-songwriters only play their original songs—no covers, please, unless it’s karaoke night. The concept of originals-only developed into the Nashville Original Music Alliance, which celebrates the voice of the individual, up-and-coming artist. Maybe downtown, everyone just wants to hear Wagon Wheel, but that’s not the vibe at The Bowery Vault.

Vero and Emily want every original song to shine with every possible advantage. As the original sound engineer, Emily trains all tech staff herself. “That’s really important,” she says. “This is all we ask: coming in here, we just want to keep the sound consistent. Because everyone is so happy with that sound, there should be no competition between vocals and instruments. It’s a songwriter’s room, and the song has to be heard.”

“Some people challenged us, you know, in the male world,” Vero says. “Being like, why are you telling me how to sing from a mic? And then at the end of it, after some mansplaining, they’re like, Oh my god, this was amazing, and they’re hugging us.”

Here’s Emily’s policy in her own words: “We don’t start the show until the sound is perfect.”

As queer women running a business in East Nashville, Vero and Emily have established this inclusive space by freely sharing their gifts. Vero with styling, Emily with architectural design. Vero wanted to pay homage to her favorite Bowery venues, while Emily brought a crucial local awareness of old Nashville’s beauty, kindness, and warmth. “Back in the day when I was playing music here,” Emily says, “bands were like families. At that time, playing was about the music, the scene, and the atmosphere.”

To spark and nurture such a culture on the second floor of 2905 Gallatin Pike, Vero and Emily embraced the challenge of running a different kind of venue. Countless couples, bands, and friendships have formed within the walls of The Bowery Vault because of the great care these women take to center relationships.

“There’s going to be fun things always happening here,” Vero explains. “We want to have a date night, a jazz night, a Latin night. Hip hop, slam poetry, bingo…The room calls for so much. But we are also a little community lounge, a little network lounge. Sometimes people just want to come here and talk.”

Elray Jackson, a performer who volunteers to host the open mic on the fourth Thursday of the month, describes The Bowery Vault as “heaven on earth for singer-songwriters.” Plus, there’s a late-night espresso menu—who can beat that?

“There’s gonna be so much talent,” Vero says, smiling. “These are going to be their beginning stages.”