Community For Humanity: Why This Year’s Jukebox Jam Is The Most Important Yet
All photos taken by CJ Horton
Not that this is a secret, but for the sake of transparency I will tell you that I co-created The Jukebox Jam with my best friend, Jonathan Plevyak. From its very beginnings in early 2024, we set out to create a night in our city where people can dress up, put their phones down, connect with people, and dance their asses off to phenomenal, soulful music.
That mission statement hasn’t changed a bit, and we’ve been so fortunate to have had incredible audiences, artists, crew, and venue staff believe in and show up for this event for two years in a row.
While yes, it has been so rewarding to build something from the ground up and see its growth and success, the true benefit has been how much the Jukebox Jam community has filled out hearts.
At Jukebox Jams 1&2 at The Basement East, I’ve never seen a dance floor at a Nashville show move and dance and smile like you all did. I don’t think I saw a phone screen for the entirety of both those nights. I’ve also never seen a more fashionably-dressed crowd, rife with poodle skirts and colorful suits.
At Jukebox Jam I’ve seen first dates and fifty-year marriages bumping shoulders on the dance floor, locked in their respective embraces. I’ve seen a girl hula hoop for 15 minutes straight to win last year’s contest. I’ve seen people scream-sing “Pretty Woman” like their lives depended on it.
But what will always stay with me, is something I heard. After Jonathan sang his last note and wrapped up Jukebox Jam 2 last year, a man he’d never met in the front row of the audience was the first to speak to him after the lights came on.
He immediately thanked Jonathan for playing his original song, “Dream Girl.” Funny enough, we actually cut that song from the setlist during rehearsal, but added it back in last minute. The man said that was his favorite song in the set, and Jonathan thanked him in return.
Then, the man told Jonathan that his wife had passed earlier that year, and that hearing “Dream Girl” that night was the first time he’d felt her presence since losing her. This is my favorite moment I’ve ever been a part of while working in music.
Right after this, Jonathan stopped me while I was scrambling around The Basement East trying to get the settlement and close out our vendors and he told me the “Dream Girl” story and I immediately started crying and I told him, “this is EXACTLY why we fucking do this.” I’ll never forget that.
That story, and countless other ones that I don’t even know about, are exactly why Jukebox Jam is so important. An event centered around community and humanity, in an age where we are increasingly told to forgo those two things in favor of technology and divisiveness, has never been more important.
The outside world has only gotten crazier since the first Jukebox Jam, but because of this, Jukebox Jam 3 will feel like an even safer and warmer refuge in our overwhelmingly chaotic times.
If you are able to be there, Jonathan and I would be truly honored to host you at Cannery Hall on October 10th for Jukebox Jam 3. Bring your suits, dresses, dancing shoes, etc. but above all else, consider the person in the crowd next to you who might be thinking about their “Dream Girl.”