As Nashville residents shelter in place, each is finding their own way to navigate a new—and hopefully temporary—normal. From songwriters to business owners, teachers to country music superstars, here's how some locals are making life in lockdown work.
Danielle Condon and Emmi Condon
Mother and Daughter
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For Danielle Condon, a partner/producer at The 10:10 Creative and head of marketing for a tech company, life at home with her three kids and husband (director Steve Condon) has been a surprising break from their hectic everyday life.
“Normally, as soon as we wake up, we’re rushing. Rushing to get the kids ready, rushing to get ourselves ready, rushing to get out the door. We’ve got three kids, so that’s three sports, then we rush home to dinner so we can get everyone to bed in time to start it all over,” she says. “This has been a nice, peaceful transition.”
Condon points out that being home together as a family of five isn’t without its stressful moments, but that the freedom to be outside (with the family or alone) has been a helpful relief. She’s also careful not to put too much pressure on herself to get it right every day.
“I think people got so caught up in being perfect—being the perfect school, setting up a classroom, doing all the things, and for me, I can’t do that. I have a full-time job I still have to do,” she says. “I think we found a good balance. We set time aside every day and print all the stuff the teacher sends, get it all queued up. We are trying not to put too much pressure on it. Getting everything done but not making it unattainable. They’re getting all their stuff done, but they’re still getting time to play outside and to talk to their grandparents. You’ve got to do what works for you.”
For Emmi, a fourth-grader, the time at home has been special.
“We’re usually at school all day and then [our father] works at night—he edits all night—so now we can play with him outside and it’s a lot of fun. And when [our mother] is done working we can play with her.”
She’s also enjoying extra screen time and the ability to play online games with friends.
“They’re playing games we wouldn’t let them play before. And they’re liking the freedom,” says Danielle.
But that doesn’t mean the experience hasn’t had its downsides.
“The weirdest part is you don’t go out to places,” says Emmi. “We used to go out to restaurants all the time or have sleepovers once a month, and now you have to stay in your house and be six feet away from everyone except your family.”
She says she knows exactly what she’ll be doing when the stay-at-home order is lifted.
“I need to have an emergency sleepover with my friends!”
Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard
Florida Georgia Line
Katie Kauss
FGL’s Kelley and Hubbard are more than global country music superstars—they’re local business owners. When the shutdown forced the duo to close their beloved Broadway haunt, FGL House, they were quick to assist their employees with $1,000 each.
“We know that it takes a village, and we’re truly grateful for our 117 employees. We’ve been blessed with the best crew and wanted to help support them while the bar and restaurant are closed. We followed our friend Dierks Bentley’s lead, and hope it helps during this uncertain time,” says Hubbard.
And while the duo misses the stage right now, they’re staying creative by working on new music and new ways to stay connected with their fans and the world around them.
“Seeing how much our community has come together to support each other really helps lift us up,” says Kelley. “Tyler and I have been keeping positive and are grateful for this extra time we have at home with our families. We’re finding the silver lining and enjoying every second, while also pushing ourselves to discover new ways to get creative with writing.”
But the minute they can get back onstage, they’ll be there.
“We are excited to get back out there and have one big party,” says Hubbard. “By then, we’ll all be celebrating getting through this time together.”
In the meantime, they’re finding more ways to help their community.
“Giving back is something that is in our hearts. My beautiful wife, Hayley, recently launched the nonprofit Feeding Nashville with our good friends Taylor and Taylin Lewan. The organization’s mission is to feed Nashville families who have been severely impacted by the March tornadoes or loss of employment due to COVID-19, while also supporting a network of local restaurants and farmers engaging our community to fight hunger through these uncertain times,” says Hubbard. “In addition, BK and I teamed up with TEDxNashville and Hands On Nashville to provide vital supplies for tornado relief via an Amazon List.”
Jennifer Sheets
Co-Owner, Frothy Monkey
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Sheets is used to a busy schedule. That hasn’t changed, but the way she’s working has.
“Since all of the events and meetings we had planned are currently canceled, I am spending most of my time behind my computer and on my phone,” she says. “I get up, get ready for work and walk to my office—which I have set up in my husband’s studio behind our house—have a morning Zoom with my executive team, work, afternoon Zoom with my team, more work. Then I take over kid duty for my husband—get them dinner, bath, bed. Eat whatever I can find for dinner, then back to work until I fall asleep.”
The stakes have changed, as well.
“Everything holds so much emotional weight and consequence. Instead of focusing on connecting with people to build our brand, I am connecting with people to help save jobs, our business, and our entire industry.”
To that end, Frothy Monkey has made necessary changes to its business model. With the stay-at-home order in place and the necessity of closing restaurants for public safety, the cafe and restaurant have adapted to curbside pickup and delivery of their menu favorites. They’ve also added grocery items like bread, eggs, and milk to keep their customers stocked up and to support their bakery and farmers.
“We’ve also added produce bundles, sandwich kits, and butcher boxes for pickup twice a week with advanced ordering, as well as family-style meals,” she says. “Every decision we have made is to give Frothy a fighting chance of existence on the other side of this so we can pick up the pieces and move forward.”
David Adams
Founder and Principal, David Adams Wealth Group
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Adams says his clients are understandably apprehensive about the economy in the midst of the pandemic and being there for them is his first priority. Their biggest concerns: “‘Have we seen the market bottom yet and how long will it take to recover?’ My crystal ball is foggy,” says Adams, “but I do have some opinions and wisdom I share with them to provide perspective and opportunity during this crisis.”
He says that while he’s focused on being there for his clients, he’s been moved by how much they’ve been a support to him.
“Being reminded how much our clients trust us and believe in us has provided so much optimism while we are working harder than ever,” he says. “Clients have been checking in on us. They’re more concerned about how my team is doing since they know we take care of many households in Nashville. That is so sweet that they care about our well-being when it’s our job to check on them.”
For Adams, the hardest part of this experience has been the lack of interaction with others.
“I thrive off of [that] connection. I miss being able to have lunches with friends and clients,” he says. “Not having my team around me everyday has been a huge adjustment. I miss the camaraderie, but we have done a great job of adjusting and using Zoom meetings and instant messaging to keep the team dynamics strong. I think all of us struggle when our routine is disrupted, and it’s so important to find ways to adjust and create opportunity for new learning and growth during the chaos.”
Reed Clapp
Third-Grade Teacher
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Clapp, along with teachers everywhere, is finding ways to adapt to the new necessity of remote education.
“It’s a totally different world. I send lessons for kids to complete each week and the school district posts lessons online. I host a weekly Zoom chat just to talk and check-in, play a game, or share a book,” he says. “Students love seeing their friends’ faces.”
He’s also working closely with his newest colleagues—the parents.
“I email them twice a week with lesson plans and Zoom meeting times. I’m also available each day for instructional support, and they can email or schedule a conference online.”
Despite the great work parents are doing at home, he can’t help but worry about each of his students as they try to learn in their new environments.
“Teachers work so hard to build community all year so that students can and want to learn. When the community is ‘broken’ it’s hard to keep the learning momentum going,” he says. “I love hearing kids say, ‘I miss school’ or ‘I wish we were together learning about XYZ.’ Around this time of the school year they are getting that summer itch and not checked in at school. This time apart has allowed kids to see the importance and benefit of going to school.”
Wendy Newcomer
Darrell Frasier
“I [normally] perform three to four days a week: Fridays at Robert’s Western World; Saturdays and Sundays at The Nashville Palace; and sometimes Mondays at Nashville Crossroads. I also perform out of town, as well as at corporate and private events in Nashville,” Newcomer says. “All of my live club performances have stopped. All of the out-of-town and corporate events have been rescheduled or canceled.”
But there’s no turning down the music in Music City, and Newcomer is joining a wave of artists who are taking their talents to the digital world to reach longtime fans and build new audiences by way of livestream shows. Both Robert’s and Nashville Palace are hosting Newcomer’s shows on their respective Facebook pages, and she has been “blown away” by the generosity of the viewers, who tip the band via Venmo and PayPal. But she still misses the human contact that comes with live performance.
“People come from all over the world to have the Nashville honky-tonk experience,” she says. “Some come just to party; some are here to get married, celebrate an anniversary, or attend a family reunion. Some are going through a tough time and just want to lose themselves in the music and not think about their troubles. I really miss getting to meet so many different people and be part of the Nashville memories they’re making.”