New Nash Talent: Pop Music is Alive in Nashville

Ash finally came back from her Spain semester...for about .05 seconds, before she went back overseas to Guatemala to visit family. Luckily we were able to catch up for a night, which also happened to be the night Nic’s older sister, Janice was in town for her bachelorette party! We had such a blast celebrating Janice and going out together after a 3-month hiatus. In between bar hopping downtown we were talking about the coolest shows in town that we have been wanting to share with you--HOUSEQUAKE.

Tyler Martinez all the way from Chesapeake, VA has brought his love and passion for promoting local musicians and artists down to Nashville. Rapidly gaining attention from local Nashvillians, their monthly “8 Off 8th” showcases is how we were able to take notice of all that Tyler is producing and curating through HOUSEQUAKE. These showcases are “introducing pop fans to the best in the local scene, while giving musicians, producers, and other pop music makers an opportunity to meet and network.”

HOUSEQUAKE puts on a slew of events and shows, providing “a platform for the growing, diverse pop scene in Nashville.” House shows and concerts, dance parties and EP release shows, and anything pop music in between, HOUSEQUAKE is the perfect way to find out about the hottest local pop musicians.

The story of how HOUSEQUAKE began is really quite amazing. It all began 2 years ago with Tyler’s 25th birthday party, naturally being a music fanatic he threw himself a  show, gathering all of his musician friends under one roof. This birthday celebration was so successful that his supervisors over at Mercy Lounge asked him to throw another one, and another one. With each show getting bigger than the last “HOUSEQUAKE has taken on a life of its own,” and only time will tell what it will grow into.

Tyler shared with us that he has always been “that friend that shares new music.” After going to school for music business he knew without a doubt that he wanted to help artists that he felt passionate about, in any way possible. Being in the home of country music, we of course had to pose the question, “why pop music?!”  He knew he had found his calling when he saw “how much great pop music was being made in town,” with no regular venue that people could go to check it out.

Tyler has been on staff with the Mercy Lounge Complex for over half a decade now. So when he isn’t running HOUSEQUAKE he is the Assistant Talent Buyer. He’s the guy that’s booking shows for not one but three of its music venues-- The Mercy Lounge, The High Watt, & The Cannery Ballroom.

When asked about the FREE monthly 8th off 8th showcases, Tyler responded that the “main goal is to spotlight the incredible talent coming out of Nashville’s unique and diverse pop scene.” He loves how these shows bring different groups of people together from the Nashville pop world, musicians and songwriters, to agents and managers...all in one room. While not explicitly a networking event, connections and collaborations have been birthed following these performances.

So what does the future of HOUSEQUAKE look like? Well Tyler envisions bigger shows, bringing in nationally touring pop acts--one’s that may not normally stop in Nashville but would because of the growing and built-in audience produced by HOUSEQUAKE. He wants to see HOUSEQUAKE grow into a brand, starting with merchandise, and growing to the possibility of label services and management. In the meantime Tyler is doing just fine looking and booking better and better shows.

So how does one get on Tyler’s radar of local pop artists? Simple you’re a great local pop artist. Tyler finds his acts through email, Instagram, the HOUSEQUAKE website, and his friends in the music industry. Working at a music venue full time, he tries to mix it up on his nights off, but his ears are always open for new and diverse pop acts. So if you think you fit the HOUSEQUAKE vibe make sure to come to one of his shows, mingle and connect, and talk to our guy Tyler.

When Tyler isn’t running local pop shows and booking artists to perform at the Mercy Lounge Complex he enjoys going out dancing, watching music videos, or finding vinyl records to add to his collection--he is 100% all music as you can tell. Tyler Martinez is using HOUSEQUAKE to show the Nashville community that we are more than just honky tonk central. We love that Tyler is helping promote all these local artists, we have been able to see and find some of our favorite local performers at his shows such as Miss Audrey, Gretchen, Natalie Madigan, Rizk, and Bonnaroo performer R.LUM.R. HOUSEQUAKE has transitioned from a celebration for Tyler’s birthday to a celebration of pop music. As Tyler says “pop music IS alive in Nashville!”

If you love what HOUSEQUAKE is doing as much as we do then make sure to give them some love on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Spotify, and of course, at a show!! Leave a comment below and let us know who you’re favorite local pop artist is. Thanks for reading, wait and see what we’ll do next!