You can’t mention the Nashville music Scene without saying Lovenoise, a live music promotions group made up of two of the chillest, music lovers – Eric Holt and Bryce Page. They decided 18 years ago that Nashville needed more than just country music, becoming true visionaries within the city’s narrative.
As the story goes, Eric was managing a local artist, B. Hill, and Bryce was also working with him in a different capacity. B. Hill thought they needed to know each other, so he made that divine introduction. An introduction that birthed a true friendship + partnership, that would lead the way to some of the city’s greatest live music shows, from Rakim, India Arie to Kendrick Lamar. “We wanted to solve a problem we experienced while managing artists. Yes, there was a platform for the Kanye West style artist to be promoted and perform, but we needed a platform for specific hip hop artists that was community-focused so we decided to create it”, Eric reflects back. Bryce goes on to share “we were a group of guys who got together to create something different that was all about music, from old school to new school hip hop and what started out as a party turned into the Lovenoise brand.”
The first Lovenoise event was held in the basement of B.B. Kings during their opening weekend in Nashville. “We initially set out to throw this huge party with live music, we just put the word out and 500 people showed up that night. We actually had to change venues which is how we ended up at B.B. Kings”, Bryce shares. And, with a name like Lovenoise (coined by their business friend Lasalle Chapman), the one-time party was destined to be the game-changing brand we see today, putting local and national hip hop and R&B artists on in Nashville.
Collaboration over Competition
When you think of music promoters, the industry comes across as a constant hustle and at sometimes cutthroat. For Lovenoise, they have always stood on a foundation of developing and preserving relationships. I can definitely attest to that with the Urbaanite events we were so thankful to partner with them on. They are always looking for ways to collaborate within and outside our community, which is a testament to their character. “When you even look back on our first event, that transition to B.B. Kings really speaks to the heart of Lovenoise, because the reason we were able to transition venues so quickly was due to the relationships we leveraged to create something magical. And now 18 years later relationships are still the foundation of our brand”, Eric notes.
Community has also been an integral part of Lovenoise. “We have always wanted to create a safe space for black audiences and artists in Nashville”, Eric explains as he thinks back on their why, sharing “the black community has sustained us from day one.” Lovenoise has iterated and elevated through the years while always maintaining their relevance to the culture. “We started off in the basement at B.B. Kings with water on the floor and ceiling leaks to ending up at the Schermerhorn Symphony, selling out shows with Black artists that are so true to our brand”, Bryce enthusiastically shares and continues, “you can’t get any bigger than this in Nashville.”
A Grand Piano Moment For Growth
Some of their concert favorite concerts include, Bell Biv Devoe at Limelight (a blast from the past, might I add) to Kendrick Lamar at the War Memorial. Lovenoise also held several benefit concerts for the National Museum of African American Music.
They also had concerts, they wished they could have produced. Bryce jokingly asks Eric during the interview, “what was the one missed concert opportunity you wish we did.” Let’s just say this artist was new, not familiar to the Nashville market and only required a grand piano. “I remember getting a call from this agent, stating he had an artist for only $500 but needed a grand piano for his set. I was like a grand piano is $1500! We don’t have that type of money. Fast forward a few weeks later John Legend’s single drops and he goes straight to the top,” Eric laughs. They did go on to produce a John Legend concert years later, proving that what’s for you, is for you.
Lovenoise is now gearing up to produce some of the most memorable post-quarantine concerts in the city later this year and we can’t wait to follow along. Eric shares “we’re partnering with Slim+Husky’s for an upcoming 4-month concert series and will host our inaugural Music City Night Train event in October which is going to be super unique for the progressive folks to come out and enjoy.”
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