There are plenty of music venues in the Tri-Cities, but one that’s been around for quite some time is the Down Home.
The Down Home is a small, hole-in-the-wall music room that can be found in downtown Johnson City at 300 W Main St. Owner Eddie Snodderly said he and his partner opened the Down Home back in 1976. Now, 40 years later, the Down Home stands strong as a choice pick for many of the locals.
“Since the beginning, it was a place to come and listen to music without a lot of chatter,” Snodderly said. “The person who comes to the Down Home respects that.”
Snodderly said the Down Home has a laid-back vibe where people can just come and relax without all of the extra noise.
“It’s a place to gather for good music, or for poetry, for English lectures, which we’ve done all of that stuff,” Snodderly said.
Though the Down Home includes a wide range of artistic expression, its primary offering is the music. While it’s not opposed to any one genre, right now they’ve been more inclined to host musicians and bands based around the Americana genre, if we were to label it.
Snodderly said many of the bands play off a more contemporary style of bluegrass, old time and country music.
“It is related a lot to the stringed instruments — guitar mandolin, fiddle, that kind of thing,” he said.
As a member of the staff in the ETSU Bluegrass, Old Time and Country Music program, these genres are where his heart lies. Snodderly teaches classes at ETSU when he’s not performing.
Snodderly prefers these genres over the rest because of their strong roots in Johnson City. He was raised here in the city and said this genre has always been important and relevant to the area.
“We are strong in bluegrass,” he said. “We’re strong in old time music, so a lot of these performers have that influence.”
The Down Home has many concerts coming up this month, including performances by the Jim Hurst Trio, The Deer, The Steeldrivers, Mountain Rose and Webb Wilder. The Down Home also serves a variety of food — burritos, tacos, nachos and more — as well as an assortment of beer and other drinks.
More information on the Down Home and upcoming performances can be found on their website.
