Nashville Tennesee!!! We love to travel and what better reason to visit a city than a wedding party for dear friends! Molly and I spent 5 days in Nashville to tattoo, eat, sightsee and most importantly, celebrate the union of Chad and Caroline Kraft. We started off the trip at Adventure Tattoo, Chad’s newly opened shop with three days of solid work. As Chuco would say- 100% tattoo, this place is the “Tat Cave”- every surface is covered with art: mostly original paintings, a couple prints, handpainted flash and souvenirs from Chad’s travels around the world. He’s got a great crew of up and comers: Nathan Rohrbacher, Chuckie Needles, Eli Draugn and Zane Pendergast. These guys are on point, in between appointments the whole shop, Chad included, were painting sheets to adorn a small space by the floor- a spot most would easily overlook. Talk about commitment, teamwork and leading by example! I had a great time working at Adventure Tattoo, the crew is so talented and welcoming, they made me feel right at home!
As expected, the wedding party was so much fun! It was held at Caroline’s salon, The Golden Hour Salon, and the spacious room was full of celebration by friends and family! We ate, danced, laughed and cried. Guests came from all over and included a lot of tattooers like Greg Christian, Jimmy Shy, Sheila Marcello, the impeccably dressed Pat Schreader, Robert Ryan, Spud, Matt Knopp, Sam Layzell, Jason and Spencer Scott, Mia Graffam, Ian Camp, and the Adventure Tattoo crew. To accompany all the love in the building were an array of vegan treats, tacos and even a live magician- which was extremely fitting since the night was magical!
While we were there Chad took us to Husk, City House, and even ordered us some Nashville barbecue from Martins. We visited The District, The Johnny Cash Museum, The Hermitage, and even walked by the Preds stadium. I was extremely excited to visit the Ryman Auditorium, original site of the Grand Ole Opry, but was certainly not prepared for how cool it would be. Like most tourist destinations, there is an introductory video presentation before they let you loose on the site. Usually, these are boring and you are just waiting to get to the attraction, but I gotta say- the introduction to the Ryman tour is modern, interesting and definitely makes you realize the greatness of the building you are in. Walking into the auditorium is nothing short of a religious experience (ironic, I know). Thinking about all the musical legends that performed there was staggering and you can still feel the good energy lingering on! This was the perfect way to close out such a positive trip filled with great memories, friendly people, and love. See you again Nashville! Can’t wait to tattoo at Adventure Tattoo again and see a show at the Ryman.
Knives And Needles 