Man, I just tried to get back to my studio in Wedgewood-Houston and it was a total nightmare. The Truth just opened up and the congestion is already unreal. I’m all for live music—it’s my lifeblood—but when I can’t even get an Uber to drop me off near my own gear because of the gridlock, something is broken.

I’ve lived in Nashville long enough to see the gentrification wave hit Edgehill and North Nashville, but seeing it happen here in real-time hurts. We’re inviting Miranda Lambert and Sting into the neighborhood, which is cool for the tourists, but the actual residents are being treated like an afterthought. Between the parking wars and the skyrocketing costs, it feels like the people who actually make the music are being priced out by the venues built to showcase it.

I sat on my porch with a glass of rye tonight just listening to the distant hum of traffic instead of the actual music. If we don't start prioritizing the locals over the bachelorette-party economy, there won't be any 'Music City' left to visit.