Though Los Angeles born, bred and based, Mariah McManus, 20, recorded her debut Nice to Meet You right here in Nashville, where she lived for a couple months writing, making music and exploring the town. The LP, which includes a track, “Shame On You,” co-written with Joy Williams of The Civil Wars, is full of quirky-sweet folk with indie pop sensibilities and influences from Portishead to Imogen Heap to Taylor Swift.
In promoting the record, it’s only natural for McManus to spend some time playing shows here in Nashville: so catch her April 17th at the Basement and April 22 at 3rd and Lindsley.
Alas, here are McManus’ Nashville Five:
1. Paper Swan Studios: This is the place where I recorded Nice To Meet You and felt kinda like a second home. It’s the bottom floor of this big house and its cozy and has this killer slightly out of tune upright piano. It definitely became one of my favorite places to be in Nashville.
2. Philanthropy: One of my favorite places to shop in Nashville is Philanthropy which is a locally owned and operated boutique in Franklin. They give 10% of their sales to charities and organizations locally and to Uganda, southern Sudan, and Haiti. and their clothes are cute!
3. Burger UP: I love food. My goodness when I found out about this place I was there all the time. In LA gourmet burgers are a huge thing so finding a place that is just as good/better than those places I was so pumped about!! They have delicious food and such a great atmosphere.
4. Crema: I’m not a coffee drinker…I know, I know its sad and I’m missing out on one of life’s greatest pleasures. BUT I do love coffee shops and tea and places I can sit for a while, meet up with friends, things like that. Crema has the most delicious tea and drinks and apparently their coffee is amazing too. It has such a cool atmosphere and the people there are super nice.
5. Franklin: There are a few spots specifically in Franklin that I love but I pretty much more than anything love the vibe and the small town atmosphere of it. Growing up in Los Angeles my whole life I always admired that small town lifestyle but never had really experienced it. When I moved out to Nashville for a few months I stayed in Franklin and just couldn’t get enough. If I ever move anywhere else besides LA, Franklin is definitely the first on my list.
Watch the official video of her single “Say Anything”:
Photo: Laura Dart
Lockeland Springsteen 