SiriusXM’s Music Row Happy Hour Is Moving To Eric Church’s Nashville Bar, Chief’s

Got a new home.

The SiriusXM Music Row Happy Hour is always a popular event for folks visiting Nashville. The weekly radio show hosted by Buzz Brainard on SiriusXM’s The Highway every Friday afternoon often features guest appearances from country music’s top artists, and crowds line up around the block from Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville on Fridays for the chance to get in for the live show.

But starting this week, the Friday radio show will have a new home.

The Music Row Happy Hour is staying on Broadway, but as of this Friday, will be moving a block away from its current home and will now take place live from Eric Church‘s Nashville bar, Chief’s.

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It won’t be the show’s first time at Chief’s. During this year’s CMA Fest, the Neon Steeple at Chief’s hosted a daily version of Music Row Happy Hour that saw appearances from Eric Church (of course), Ashley McBryde, Lainey Wilson, Brothers Osborne, and a ton of other artists (including Rascal Flatts, who kicked Church off their tour back in 2006…).

The two-story venue at Chief’s provides the perfect setting for the popular show, and there’s no doubt that there will be some pretty cool surprise guests and major artists stopping by as the show enters its new chapter.

The Music Row Happy Hour broadcasts live from Chief’s every Friday from 3 PM – 7 PM, but like I said, there’s usually a pretty long line to get in so if you’re hoping to get into the Steeple for a show, you’re probably going to want to get there early.

Ashley McBryde Opens Non-Alcoholic Focused Bar Inside Chief’s

Not bad for a girl goin’ nowhere.

Of course nobody really thinks Ashley McBryde is “going nowhere” anymore. The powerhouse star is undeniably one of the most talented songwriters and vocalists in country music right now, and now she has something else to add to her resume: Her own Nashville bar.

A lot of artists have their own bar on Broadway these days, but there’s a lot that makes Ashley’s new place, appropriately called Redemption Bar, different.

First, it’s located inside another artist’s bar. Redemption Bar can be found on the 5th floor of Chief’s on Broadway, which of course is Eric Church’s venue downtown. The floor was formerly home to Rodney Scott’s BBQ, but not to fear: You can still get food on just about every floor of the venue, including in the Redemption Bar. (And if you haven’t had the brisket at Chief’s, you’re missing out).

Another thing that makes the bar different is that it focuses on non-alcoholic cocktails (or “mocktails,” if that’s what you like to call them). Inspired by her own sobriety journey, Redemption Bar has an extensive menu of non-alcoholic drinks that’s larger than pretty much anywhere else in Nashville.

Of course it’s not just a “non-alcoholic bar,” something a lot of people seemed not to understand when it was first announced. If you want a drink? You get one of those too. Or you can get any of the mocktails with alcohol added. But instead of going to the bar and having to specify that you want a drink to be made without alcohol, here it’s the other way around.

The space was inspired by Ashley’s own sobriety journey, something she discussed recently when she sat down for an appearance on Whiskey Riff Raff:

“Not drinking sucks. It sucks when other people are doing it and just you can’t. And it sucks when, over 1,000 days into not drinking, your brain goes, ‘You could probably, if you think about it, two fingers of whiskey, you’d probably be fine.’ And you’re like, I probably would be. I might get sick though.

You can’t even entertain this, what are you doing?”

And during a special preview of the bar, Ashley explained why it was important to her to have somewhere that people who don’t drink feel comfortable:

“The only thing that changed about me was what was in my cup. It didn’t change that I wanted to hang out, or be around people who do what I do…

On this menu, when you order something, it just comes that way. And you’re welcome to drink alcohol here too…but you’re going to have to ask for it.

You’re welcome to drink or not drink, and I think think that’s just friendly.”

If you’ve been to Chief’s before, you’ll notice that the space looks entirely different than it did just a few weeks ago. There’s a new lounge area, complete with leather couches, tucked away in the corner beside the bar. And there’s even Spanish moss hanging from the ceiling, adding to the mystical and spiritual theme of the bar:

There’s also a new stage, and though it’s in a corner, it’s far from an afterthought. In fact, Ashley wants it to be the centerpiece of the room:

“The design team absolutely killed this. It’s clear that when you walk in this room, you’re here to hear songs. And I hope that other performers, as they get on this stage, they know how much thought and care went into this.”

The bar, like Chief’s, is owned by AJ Capital, which was founded by Church’s close friend Ben Weprin and is a co-owner of Chief’s. And it’s clear how much thought was put into the new space by Ashley and the AJ Capital team. Like the rest of the bar is a representation of Church, Redemption Bar is a representation of Ashley, from the artwork featuring her tattoos on the wall to photos from throughout her career.

If you were skeptical about the thought of a “non-alcoholic bar,” I’m here to tell you that the Redemption Bar feels like a natural addition to Chief’s, somewhere to hang out and listen to music and get a drink – or not. That part’s up to you, and that’s what’s beautiful about it: Everyone’s welcome, because everybody needs a little Redemption every now and then.

Redemption Bar is officially open now, so if you’re at Chief’s for the Music Row Happy Hour, make sure to stop by and check it out.

Oh, and there’s also a fortune teller machine.