Nashville’s dedication to the arts is everywhere. If you want to find it, sometimes all you have to do is look on the other side of the street.
On Oct. 3, Local Honey hosted the debut of First Friday, presented by Hooligan Recordings.
An afternoon dedicated to celebrating artistic culture, First Friday was a medley of free live music, photography, digital art and fashion.
The seven-band lineup included Belmont artists Mocha, Nodaway as well as several others.
Lining the outside walls of Local Honey were displays of visual art, photographs, clothing and digital designs where local artists could proudly share their work with those who came.
Along with the booths, live art was performed, including a graffiti artist spray-painting canvases to create eclectic landscapes.
Hosts Matt Baratz and Cole McDonnell of Hooligan Recordings had two goals in mind: to advance local art and businesses and to raise funds and awareness for the homeless through a partnered charity, Rock for Hunger.
“Rock for Hunger is the parent organization of a band called Royal Hoax. Royal Hoax created the nonprofit with this sense of selling a package deal of music and merchandise. When customers buy these bundles, Rock for Hunger sends eight meals of food to food banks throughout Nashville and Detroit, where the organization was started,” said Baratz.
Since the organization’s beginning, they have donated almost 75,000 meals.
Hooligan Recordings is no stranger to organizing events similar to First Friday. The label has thrown other art celebrations in the Southwest.
“We’ve done collaborations in Arizona similar to this but nothing where we have incorporated so many different styles of art. We would love to add more live art to the events. We brought in a graffiti artist to spray paint for this event and people loved it,” said Baratz.
Local Honey was a major facilitator of the event and has hosted other events dedicated to local creativity, including Make Music Nashville over the summer.
“We knew we wanted to work with Local Honey after seeing the back parking lot and all the amazing graffiti behind the building. It channeled the whole vibe that we’ve gone for with Hooligan Recordings, and we felt that it would be a cool community to affiliate ourselves and label with,” said McDonnell.
Hooligan Recordings also plans on holding more events throughout the year.
“We plan on hosting First Friday on the first Friday of every month, so we’re going to try to keep the same theme going, but with different artists and bands, said McDonnell.
“We’ve also got an event coming up at Exit/In on Dec. 13, which features Royal Hoax and some bands that are to be announced. Everyone should stay a few extra days after finals for it,” said Baratz.
First Friday creates a collaborative community of art that represents all mediums. It’s a community where artists can continue to grow and nurture their creativity. Hooligan Recordings’ grassroots celebration of art is a genuine and much needed reminder of the local talent that continues to expand all over the city.
For more events, follow Hooligan Recordings at Hooliganrecordings.com.
Also, check out the links below to see all artists that were featured at Friday’s event.
Live Music:
Visual Arts:
PHOTO: Ellen Pelerossi