New Discoveries of 2024

It’s the last week of the year — and our last issue of the year — and if you’re anything like us, you’re ready for a reprieve from all the year-end lists and retrospectives. We’ll admit that we here at the Scene are responsible for some of them, from our Dec. 12 issue’s Top Local Albums Critics’ Poll to our forthcoming annual Jim Ridley Film Poll (coming in January).

Year in Music 2024: Top Local Albums Critics’ Poll From Jack White and Brittany Howard to R.A.P.



Ferreira, Katie Pruitt and beyond, here are our favorite local LPs of the year But for this week’s cover package, rather than doling out awards or counting down any ranked lists, we’ve gathered up some of our favorite local finds from the past year. Some are brand-new, like East Nashville’s bread-and-wine outpost Butterlamp or Mr. Aaron’s Goods’ brick-and-mortar location.

Others, like McNamara’s Irish Pub in Donelson and the Nashville-produced Stendig Calendar, have been around for many years — we’ve just recently fallen in love with them. Cinnamon rolls, breweries, game nights and resources for parents-to-be — you’ll find all that and more in this week’s issue, put together by the Scene ’s staff and contributing writers. Read on for our favorite discoveries of 2024.

Butterlamp Late this summer, husband-and-wife team Benjamin and Katie Rose Tyson opened Butterlamp on the East Side property formerly home to Hobson United Methodist Church . About three months later, the self-described bread house and wine bar earned a spot on The New York Times ’ “25 Best Restaurants in Nashville Right Now” list . That’s quick work.

But as we also discovered this fall, the honor is well-deserved. Former Audrey chef Benjamin Tyson sets the menu with offerings like tomato toast, deviled eggs in a skirt (try them), crudités, marinated olives and pork-fat fries. Wine expert Katie curates a lineup that includes sparkling, skin-contact, red, chilled-red, rosé and white wines.

(Nonalcoholic beverages are on offer as well.) On a large mirror behind the bar, Butterlamp lists oysters and “cultured, cured and tinned” specials — that’s cheese, meat and fish, respectively — as well as take-home breads including a cracked-pepper sourdough loaf. Every bite and every sip feels decadent.

It’s nice to see adaptive-reuse spaces like this one transforming obsolete or underutilized buildings. It’s also nice to see a pair of hospitality experts living out their dream and bringing something unique to a tucked-away neighborhood like East Nashville’s Eastwood. D.

PATRICK RODGERS Amy Head Cosmetics I’m not much into makeup. I often don’t like the way it feels on my face — and also, who has the time? Well, apparently I do have the time now that Amy Head Cosmetics has opened in Germantown. The brand was founded by Amy Head, who wanted to offer non-comedogenic, made-in-the-U.

S., phthalate-free products, and she wanted people to have a good experience learning to use them. Her daughter, Nashvillian MacKenzie Walker, opened the tiny boutique in February, and it is unlike any other cosmetic shop I have stepped into.

The products don’t feel like I have paint on my face, and there’s zero pressure to buy anything. In fact, I’ve seen MacKenzie ask folks at the register if there was anything she needed to put back, because she knows that sometimes your eyes are bigger than your wallet when you are testing out colors. There’s no charge for personalized sessions, just a minimum purchase.

MacKenzie also draws out exactly how she applies things on a piece of paper so you can replicate the process at home. The shop is also filled with handbags, jewelry and good-smelling gifts, many of which were things I gave to people this year. Added bonus: I haven’t forgotten to pack a toothbrush or sunscreen once since I started using my Amy Head travel toiletries case.

MARGARET LITTMAN Egg sandwiches build neighborhoods. I don’t have the space to fully prove that thesis, but thanks to Aaron Distler, I don’t need to. Mr.

Aaron and his Goods — longtime favorites of the Scene — are already demonstrating how fresh pasta, springy bagels and fine accoutrements are the perfect recipe for a community magnet up Gallatin Pike. After earning his name as a wholesaling pastificio in Nashville kitchens, Distler moved his operation into a brick-and-mortar retail cafe this year, making it even easier to decide what’s for dinner. ELI MOTYCKA Studio Pilates How many healthy people older than 50 do you know who still do Orangetheory? F45? CrossFit? As someone who hates exercise but also wants to, you know, stay alive, I’m always searching for something I can stick with to stay active or even strong.

Studio Pilates makes that possible. The local outfit is run by Elena LaMadrid, a professional dancer who did a stint at Nashville Ballet before realizing what she really wanted to do was bring the benefits of Pilates — stability, flexibility, strength, better posture — to others. Try your first class for $18 in The Nations or East Nashville , and you can work out, stretch and be on your way within an hour.

Instructors will help you as much (or as little) as you like with the reformer, a machine that sounds scary but isn’t, and they’ll keep it interesting and dynamic — 170 classes in, I’ve never had the same one twice. Simple as it sounds, let’s be clear: Pilates will kick your ass, in the best way. My husband loves to tell people that now, if someone breaks in, he can just sleep through it because I can take them.

Is this ludicrous? Perhaps. But it sure feels good to hear. ASHLEY BRANTLEY When you’re looking for vegan food, you get used to seeing your options either relegated to a tiny, light-green box on a menu or served at entirely plant-based restaurants that can veer into the territory of, “Our food is vegan, so let’s make it super healthy and keto and gluten-free and .

..” The Fox Bar & Cocktail Club avoids these common tropes with its vegan charcuterie boards, which include ingredients from Renegade Foods, The BE-Hive and Rebel Cheese.

They get a full page in the Fox’s menu and cost exactly the same as the bar’s non-vegan options , which is rarely the case. I visited the East Nashville bar with a vegan friend this autumn and found it refreshing to enjoy a night at a cool spot that just so happened to have too many vegan options to order in one visit. I do not keep a plant-based diet and have enjoyed many meat- and dairy-based charcuterie boards, but I enjoyed the vegan version so much that I see no reason to order a traditional board next time I go.

My vegan dining companion enjoyed the board too, especially when paired with some of The Fox’s excellent cocktails. COLE VILLENA Like many, what brought me into American Legion Post 82 in East Nashville was Honky Tonk Tuesday — a weekly event that recently relocated to Eastside Bowl . The Legion now offers “Eighty Two’s Day” on Tuesday nights, hosting bands, two-stepping and country dance music.

But the early-week people-watching extravaganza isn’t all the club has to offer. On Thursdays, a small but energetic group plays card games — including my new favorite, cribbage. On a recent visit to the Gallatin Pike outpost, I was thrilled to sip on a less-than-$10 vodka-tonic and accept an invitation to learn a new-to-me card game.

I’ve been thinking about that blissful 90 minutes of screen-free fun ever since. The American Legion is a gathering place for veterans and their relatives, who can each become members, but you don’t have to be a member to enjoy it. It’s a great option to leave the house and have a drink without paying a lot or braving a crowd.

There’s turkey shooting, karaoke, bluegrass and songwriter nights too, if those are more your speed. American Legions are the type of places my grandparents and their friends would hang out. I’m happy to see them through to a new generation.

HANNAH HERNER If you’re a Scene reader, you’re a lifelong learner. (You’re also very cool. Go you!) That makes you the perfect audience for Profs & Pints.

At the lecture series — which began in Washington, D.C. — professors from our city’s excellent schools lecture on their areas of expertise as ticketed attendees enjoy beers at a local bar.

I attended a talk from Vanderbilt University’s Brandon Hulette about sex work in Nashville during the Civil War and had a blast, but past editions have focused on the cosmos, folklore, art — pretty much anything you’d learn about in a cool elective class in school. It’s a laid-back affair that feels like a good deal for everyone involved: Attendees get to learn something new in a fun environment, local bars get to welcome in new faces, and lecturers get to share their passions with a paid audience rather than sleepy college kids. COLE VILLENA If you’re a Disney adult (or a parent who knows all the Disney songs by osmosis), I’d love to introduce you to the Drunken Disney Singalong, which takes place the first Thursday of every month at Sid Gold’s Request Room in East Nashville .

Head to the back room of the piano-karaoke bar (reservations suggested), where performers expertly sing songs from The Jungle Book , Moana and many other Disney movies, delivering classics in perfect voice alongside excellent piano accompaniment. This is not “adults stumbling over the words while knocking back a few” karaoke. This is quality entertainment that will remind you that, yeah, you live in Music City — even in the back room at a bar on Gallatin Pike, talent surrounds you.

All attendees are encouraged to sing along, but even if you don’t, it’s quite a show. ELIZABETH JONES Spread Market & Larder’s Sourdough Cinnamon Roll There are plenty of reasons to pop into Spread Market & Larder , the delightful neighborhood market that set up shop in a Germantown bungalow in 2022. The superette offers a curated array of wines, daily sandwiches, tinned fish, sodas and specialty condiments, not to mention sourdough made with a “very old” starter and heritage grains from Kentucky.

But over the past year, my partner and I have discovered Spread’s debilitatingly good sourdough cinnamon rolls. While, yes, the shop makes savory loaves like rosemary-cheddar and demi baguettes, the cinnamon roll — rich, chewy, buttery and topped with a generous helping of icing — is quite probably the most addictive item Spread offers. It’s the kind of treat you’ll pop in the fridge, planning to share it with your loved one for breakfast — but will find yourself eating in secret at midnight, bathed in the light of the open refrigerator, because you couldn’t resist its call.

D. PATRICK RODGERS Barrique Brewing A convenient waypoint between East, West, North and South, this expansive brewery was on the East Bank before it was cool. Yesterday’s Rain, a London Style Porter and the Springfield Blanc (a white-grape wild ale) show off the impressive breadth and precision of the tap room’s far-ranging offerings.

One of Barrique Brewing’s particularly ambitious ventures flushes a wild sour with the Tennessee pawpaw, a pulpy fruit produced by the mating tree of the same name. ELI MOTYCKA Good Times Full Service Bar Over the past seven months, GoodTimes has become a go-to weekend hangout for my wife and myself. The Wedgewood-Houston bar offers everything you need for a night out — delicious food, fun drinks, top-notch service and great vibes.

We’ve tried just about everything on the menu, which changes periodically but is always centered on classic bar food like burgers and wings, and we’ve yet to find something we didn’t like. The Lucky’s Burger, a double-patty smash burger featuring pimento cheese and pickled red onions alongside the usual burger toppings, is a highlight. Make sure to also get a basket of fries.

The drinks run the gamut from frozen cocktails to beer-and-a-bump combos. (My favorite “bump” — their name for a draft cocktail shooter — is the Miami Vice, a piña colada-strawberry daiquiri mashup.) The wood-paneled, checkered-floor interior is straight out of the ’70s, and there’s a jukebox selection to match.

The year-and-a-half-old establishment also hosts local DJs who spin a variety of curated set lists. And perhaps most importantly for us non-East Nashville dwellers looking for a late-night location, they’re open until 1 a.m.

on Fridays and Saturdays. LOGAN BUTTS The Stendig Calendar might be the oldest item in this cover package, but sometimes the best new discoveries are the ones that have long been right under our noses. For more than 50 years, the iconic Stendig Calendar has been printed in Nashville.

I’m not sure what the bigger feat is — the fact that Nashville can claim the rights to the only calendar that’s in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, or that the calendar’s crisp, modernist design hasn’t been co-opted by some corny mural by now. Thank God the folks at Nashville’s Cromwell & Co. know not to mess with the greats, and our fair city can quietly, humbly continue to be part of one of the coolest designs of the 20th century.

Designed by Massimo Vignelli in 1966, the Stendig Calendar is so straightforward that it’s almost funny — its minimal Helvetica typeface and tight kerning are completely understated, but at an oversized 122 by 92 centimeters, it’s like an eye chart you could see from across the street. There’s simply no reason that a calendar should be that big — other than the fact that it looks fantastic. LAURA HUTSON HUNTER Alley Taps When friends want to “go downtown and see live music,” they know we’re going to offer a very short list of places: Robert’s, Layla’s, Acme and — if you venture as far as the Gulch — the Station Inn.

I’m not young enough to care about the newest bar from a moderately talented white guy, and I’m not dumb enough to pretend anyone “accidentally” uses the N-word . So when I stumbled into Alley Taps earlier this year, I breathed a sigh of relief. Tucked safely away on the “other side” of Printers Alley (between Church and Commerce), the cozy bar is decidedly chill, serving unfussy drinks and lively covers to in-the-know locals and curious tourists.

You can’t see the stage from the door, and you often have to sidestep a (seemingly strategic) construction barricade to step inside, which helps crowd control. The acts that play here are always game to take requests, but they also have enough talent to whip out an original here or there (very sparingly). The best part: Every time I follow a group of rowdy tourists over to this side of the Alley, they always keep truckin’ right past Taps on their march to Broadway.

Cheers to hiding in plain sight. ASHLEY BRANTLEY For those who know much about the artist and Vol State professor, it might come as a surprise that Rob Matthews is something of an internet influencer. He has a Substack , and it’s really good.

Matthews has long been one of the city’s most interesting, dynamic, ever-developing artists , but he’s also an ace writer and critic. His Substack is filled with insightful musings about what it means to make art, grow older and be part of a community, but it also fills out the edges with music and book recommendations that run the gamut from Steve Reich to Kim Deal. And he’s promised to publish an essay every month starting in January, so keep an eye out for more of Matthews’ particular brand of curmudgeonly optimism.

I can’t get enough. LAURA HUTSON HUNTER McNamara’s Irish Pub Landing a prime table in the McNamara’s dining room can feel a bit like a staycation. Though the classic Irish-style neighborhood pub opened 15 years ago this February, it’s ripe for discovery (or rediscovery) to those who haven’t spent much time in Donelson.

A strong, dedicated local crowd keeps the dim restaurant buzzing with chatter, and Guinness suddenly seems like an obvious beverage choice. Once house entertainer Sean McNamara takes the stage, a spirited dinner turns raucous in the best possible way. Irish folk songs, a natural entrée for crowd participation, go best with the small list of “Mama Mac’s” kitchen favorites.

ELI MOTYCKA The Kitchen Nashville As it turns out, the perfect multigenerational kitchen shop has been tucked into a strip mall in Belle Meade for the past seven years. Need a new Staub? A show-stopper salad bowl? Geometry towels? The Kitchen has it all, and is stuffed to the brim with goodies that will delight both grandparents and college-age folks building their home-kitchen inventory. While it’s been open since early 2018, The Kitchen doesn’t let its inventory get stale, selling both utilitarian kitchen items and the trendiest new tinned fish.

Owner Jessica Jones regularly checks in to see what you’re looking for and to ask shoppers if the store needs to carry anything new. The Kitchen also features cooking classes in its back kitchen. You can learn to make sushi or shuck an oyster.

It’s a sweet reminder that there are cool spaces all over this city if you know where to look. ELIZABETH JONES Quite frankly, I’m a bit of a trivia hater. It makes me feel dumb, stunts table conversation and, much of the time, the clues aren’t all that interesting.

(Sorry.) My new suggestion is Ballad Bingo, an activity that brings together the best parts of bingo and “Name That Tune.” Identify the song during a short clip and mark it on your card.

A “Bingo!” stops the carefully cut and curated playlist. Regional trivia company Nerdy Talk calls this “bingo with a Nashville twist.” Each card has a new theme, so like trivia, it’s helpful to have a diverse team.

I’m never going to ace “2000s pop punk,” but I did contribute well to the “pop divas” card. It’s something Nashville commuters can enjoy too, as Nerdy Talk offers it in suburbs and rural towns including Lebanon, White House, Murfreesboro and Clarksville. As a painfully competitive person, I can attest that this is a place where most any music fan can hold their own (including myself), and a welcome new-to-me weeknight activity.

Find a full list of locations at Nerdy Talk’s site . HANNAH HERNER When ridesharing was invented, I swore off driving tricky places forever. The airport, I-40, the godforsaken Mall at Green Hills — I was never again going to spin my wheels behind the wheel unless I had to.

And then a baby happened. We quickly found out that the only thing worse than flying with a baby is having to drag said baby, along with all your bags and the carseat you had to travel with, around the parking lot at BNA looking for your car during a snowstorm in a scene that ends with everyone crying. (Yes, that is a true story.

) Before the next flight, my family found KreweCar . Simply request a car through the app, select how many carseats you need — front- or rear-facing! — and enjoy the convenience of carefree, curbside travel that you thought you forfeited with procreation. The app and service are still somewhat new, so request your ride a day in advance if you can.

(They suggest at least six hours of lead time.) Bonus: KreweCar also serves New Orleans, Charleston and Orlando, so they’ve got you covered at both ends of your trip. ASHLEY BRANTLEY Since my wife and I decided to have a baby, one of the biggest things I’ve learned is that the unexpected is a big part of what to expect when you’re, er, expecting.

On top of reading and talking with lots of folks, taking prenatal classes and working with a doula have been incredible and eye-opening. Birthing and breastfeeding classes offered by Vanderbilt Nurse-Midwives at Melrose and Mt. Juliet are free, and don’t require that you plan to deliver at Vanderbilt.

Our instructor has decades of experience as a labor and delivery nurse (and more importantly, a mother). In addition to hands-on training, she shared a wealth of resources with us as well as in-depth explanations of how some things outlined in them might be different in real life. We are also lucky to be able to hire a doula from East Nashville Doula.

It’s unlikely that we’ll have our beloved OB with us when it’s time for our son to make his grand entrance. Having one consistent and experienced presence — who’ll help us with things like interpreting medical questions quickly and confidently and even jumping in on comfort techniques — is also huge. We’ve had just one meeting so far, but I already wish everyone had someone like her to guide them through any complex medical situation.

Being nervous about such a big change is natural, but having these resources has helped us feel ready to embrace it. STEPHEN TRAGESER Hattie Jane’s Mulekick Coffee ice cream Hattie Jane’s Creamery isn’t new. Claire Crowell opened it in 2016, and I had eaten it on my regular jaunts to Columbia.

(See my New Discovery on Gold’s Deli below for more on my love of Columbia.) It’s small-batch ice cream made from milk from local cows, using ingredients from other local purveyors. Since Hattie Jane’s opened its latest location on Lebanon Pike in Nashville around this time last year, I’ve been on a regular Mulekick Coffee kick.

My love of Donelson’s Lebanon Pike is well documented, from the new library to Bagelshop’s parklet to The Plus Closet . When I’m headed back to Inglewood from my Donelson jaunts, I stop into Hattie Jane’s for the ice cream made from Columbia’s Muletown Roasted Coffee. On Tuesdays, pints are $2 off, so that’s my pick, but there are other daily specials Sundays through Thursdays.

Sometimes I check out the rotating seasonal flavors and some dairy-free options. The tiny space is popular with the after-school crowd, and the energy makes ice cream seem like the treat it is. MARGARET LITTMAN Gold’s Deli Is one hour (each way) too far to drive for a sandwich? You’ll have to answer that for yourself.

For me, the answer is no — at least not when it means a pastrami sandwich from the new Gold’s Deli in Columbia. I’ve long been a fan of the Columbia Arts District, so obviously I was thrilled when George Kougias opened Gold’s Deli in May in the Row & Co. complex.

His marketing materials joke that the sandwiches are bigger than the seating area — and with just 300 square feet, it’s true that the restaurant has just one row of stools where you can sit at the counter. Kougias is affable and friendly, so I recently sat at the counter and drank a bottled Shirley Temple (no, I am not embarrassed) while I ate my sandwich. But most folks take them to go, either to sit outside where there is lovely green space across from the historic train depot, or back to the office.

As everyone knows, I’m a classic pastrami -and- mustard fan, but the Reuben and roast beef are solid choices, and Southerners will appreciate the creamy chicken salad sandwich. Gold’s is open every day except Tuesday, which is a real gift if you’re in Columbia on Sundays or Mondays, when many other places are closed. Gold’s also offers catering.

If you order a bunch of pastrami sandwiches from Gold’s Deli for your party, send me an invite. MARGARET LITTMAN My wife has been on a tea journey this year, and I’ve been lucky enough to join the ride. Her latest loose-leaf adventure took us all the way out to an unassuming house in Murfreesboro — the current home of Music City Tea .

We stepped inside to a dining room that had been converted to a tea parlor and showroom, featuring a few tables and walls lined with tea bags, cups and teaware. Owner Jenny Zhong doesn’t just answer questions as you shop; she sits you down at a table in the parlor and pours cup after cup of tea imported from China, some of it sourced from her home region, describing its flavor, its origin and even the folk tales associated with the tea variety. She serves tea gongfu style — loose tea leaves are placed in a gaiwan (a small jar with a lid), doused in boiling water and immediately poured into small cups.

It’s a casual, homey experience, and you’ll probably leave with a new favorite tea. (I was partial to the green oolong.) You can order from Music City Tea online, but I think half the fun of the shopping experience is meeting Zhong and taking a seat by the gaiwan.

While the business has been operating for years (previously from a now-closed storefront in downtown Murfreesboro) the gongfu experience was a first for me, and I bet even seasoned tea aficionados would find something new in Zhong’s impressive inventory. ALEJANDRO RAMIREZ Driving from Nashville to Memphis sucks. It’s flat and boring but also bumpy and crowded, and until recently, Jackson was just a giant pothole.

That’s where Vonlane comes in. The first-class bus will ferry you between the two cities for roughly $130 one way. Meet at the Omni downtown and get dropped off at the Hilton in East Memphis in about three hours.

It’s faster, easier and cheaper than renting a car (once you factor in gas plus parking) or a rideshare to and from the airport. You can work, sleep or play on your phone thanks to free internet and big, cushy seats. The included meals (sandwiches, muffins, salads) are better than they need to be.

Attendants will bring you snacks and drinks all the livelong day, and you can even bring dogs lighter than 10 pounds in their carriers. Critically, there is a bathroom, which means no holding it — or stopping at rest areas. Best of all: They now go to Knoxville and Atlanta, the latter of which has an airport I’d gladly pay $260 to avoid altogether.

ASHLEY BRANTLEY In October of last year, I wandered over to Nashville Post associate editor Hannah Herner’s desk with an idea: “Let’s join every club in Nashville.” Both of us had fond memories of clubs and teams back in school, and we felt sure there must be some similar way to meet people, try new things and just do stuff , even (or maybe especially) in a city as big as Nashville. So began our In the Club series , in which we visit local hobby groups, performing arts ensembles, game nights and everything in between to see how normal Nashvillians explore their passions and build community.

So far, we’ve found most of the groups ourselves, but my favorite experience came when a member of the Nashville Backgammon Association emailed us to visit his group ahead of a tournament. That pitch turned into a fun story and inspired me to try out the game myself, and now both Hannah and I are hungry for more. (Hannah’s experiences inspired her to help found the Twilight Society of Middle Tennessee, which you can find on Instagram at @twilightsocietyofmiddletn .

) My hope is that someone reading this will email us about their own club to visit and write about, whether it’s an exotic pet appreciation society, a scuba club, an Elvis impersonator meetup or anything else. If you meet regularly, and you’re passionate about something, and you want others to share in that passion, hit us up at [email protected] or hherner@fwpublishing.

com . Maybe you’ll be a New Discovery in 2025. COLE VILLENA.