Canadian towns host Nashville-style concerts, with a twist
Get ready Orangeville—the town is about to experience a “Nashville Takeover” happening from July 10 to 12, as established performers, breakout artists, and top songwriters from across Canada and Nashville converge on Orangeville. The town is one of only 13 across Canada to be selected for a Nashville Takeover. It will be the closest thing to experiencing Nashville’s storied songwriting culture without having to book a flight.
And the greatest part is, lineups aren’t announced. Each performance
sees a surprised audience, as they will not know who is walking out on stage until they do.
“We take the essence of Nashville’s songwriter culture – the intimacy, the storytelling, the late-night collaborations – and bring it directly to communities across Canada,” said Scotty James, Founder of The Nashville Takeover and owner of Backyard Music Co. “For three straight days, more than 15 surprise songwriters and artists from Nashville and across Canada perform across multiple intimate venues throughout each town, transforming the entire community into a live, immersive Nashville experience.”
The town of Orangeville was selected from hundreds of towns across Canada.
“We launched a nationwide Facebook campaign and asked people to vote for their town. The towns that gave us the biggest response were the ones we selected, as well as those with the best venues and infrastructure to support it.”
The Nashville Takeover is presented by Backyard Music Co.,
in collaboration with the Orangeville Business Improvement
Area (OBIA), Bluebird Café & Grille Orangeville and Barley Vine Rail Co.
“We’re incredibly excited to welcome the Nashville Takeover to Downtown Orangeville this July and we look forward to partnering with the event organizers in promoting the event. We can’t wait to hear these talented singer-songwriters strumming their guitars and sharing their stories through music right here in our community,” said Alison Scheel, Executive Director, OBIA.
Throughout the weekend, selected breweries, patios, cafes, and restaurants and ‘secret spaces’ in town will be transformed into immersive listening rooms and late-night after parties.
“Most of the shows are in the writers’ round, listening room format, but we also capture the essence of the more social, industry bars in Nashville,” said James. “You can walk into a songwriter’s bar in Nashville, like Live Oak or The Local, and discover the next big thing, while making new friends. We package that vibe and bring it to communities.”
Scotty James is an award-winning Canadian singer/songwriter who had a 15-year career as a recording artist and had a Billboard Chart-topping song called “Wanna Be Loved” which won a Canadian Radio Music Award and amassed millions of streams online. His company Backyard Music Co. is aptly named because the inspiration and concept of The Nashville Takeover began in his own backyard and quickly blossomed into live singer/songwriter events in hundreds of other backyards. Explains James. “Homeowners would promote our Nashville concept to their neighbours and friends and host a “Bluebird Cafe” style concert experience in their backyard. This evolved into sold-out venues across North America, and in spring 2025, the idea was to go even bigger and take over an entire town. We partnered with multiple unique venues and cool spaces across Port Stanley, which was a huge success, then Collingwood, and now this year, taking over 13 towns across the country. It has always been about bringing communities together to discover and appreciate original music.”
This is a rare chance to get up close and personal with the artists in intimate listening-room venues, said James.
“Live music is usually found at stadium shows and big festivals, often with long lines and steep ticket costs. We started The Nashville Takeover to give smaller communities something different: in-the-room moments with artists and songwriters from Canada and beyond. It is rare to experience an opportunity like this at this scale—there are intimate music experiences out there, but it’s not common enough. We are trying to change that. Being able to showcase breakout artists, established performers and top songwriters in this unique way feels like a dream come true. I never had these kinds of opportunities as an artist to showcase my original songs to sold-out crowds who want to listen.”
It is all about experiencing a connection with the artists, according to James. The kind that is hard to find at large-scale shows. They want people to feel what makes Nashville’s songwriter culture so special. The stories behind the songs, the raw honesty of artists sharing where a lyric came from, and the magic that happens when musicians collaborate spontaneously in intimate rooms. They want them to realize that music hits differently when you are close enough to see the emotion, hear the nuance, and feel part of the moment.
“We hope they discover new artists before they break out, enjoy venues in their own town in a completely new way, and walk away feeling like their community came alive for a weekend. Most of all, we want them to leave saying, ‘I’ve never experienced anything like that before.”
Where to learn more:
The full event schedule and venue details will be shared with The Nashville Takeover ticket holders
ahead of each event. For tickets and more information visit: thenashvilletakeover.caOr follow @thenashvilletakeover on Instagram.