Published by New Jersey Stage
originally published: 08/12/2023
(NASHVILLE, TN) - Independent recording artist Rockin' Rich Lynch is no stranger to releasing protest songs and when a recent alteration to Nashville public policy had a direct impact on him he put pen to paper and wrote "The Streets of Nashville" to voice his concern over changes to parking rates and availability in Music City.
The backstory revolves around how the city in Tennessee recently privatized their several thousand parking spaces on the streets of Nashville and moved to 24/7 enforcement when parking used to be free after hours and on Sundays.
"Well, they say a person doesn't really step into the political realm until they are affected personally," Lynch stated about his motivation behind his new track. "A few months back it became immediately apparent to me that it was going to be less convenient and considerably more expensive to venture into the capitol region in order to take in all the live music this city has to offer."
Lynch received almost immediate validation when his advance promotional single dropped in mid-July.
"I received a call from Aaron Cantrell an on-air reporter for News Channel 5 who wanted to interview me about it during this timely election season," Lynch excitedly declared about the newsworthy nature of his release. "We met up at the Southeast Community Center and filmed a 15 minute segment about the song. But, I was later told the story got bumped from broadcast during a week saturated with big tragedies, bad weather, Beyonce and beyond."
"Disappointed but undeterred has become my motto of choice," Lynch added about having his feature bounced. "They say in the music industry you need to have a thick skin and resiliency. This isn't the first time my hopes were raised only to have the rug pulled out - and it most certainly won't be the last. But, this song was written for a specific group of people who have been most negatively impacted by these new rules. So, I will continue to use my voice to raise awareness for the issue and I will find other sources to help me get the word out."
Those people are mainly musicians and club workers who have found themselves scrambling to make modified arrangements when working on Broadway and within the city core. Many of those impacted have posted in social media communities to discuss the subject further. A recent Mayoral Forum hosted by radio station 92Q found all the candidates addressing the issue with some of them suggesting that the city should restore parking to the way it was in order to get a better understanding of the new rules and their far-reaching impacts.
"That's fine with me. When I was on News Channel 5 back in June, that's what I said - 'Roll It Back' to the way it was," Lynch added about the ultimate goal of his song. But why? "Because there is something very wrong with restricting movement and discouraging commerce - two things the new parking rules have essentially done so far. But, there's more. Ask me for an interview and we can discuss it further."
Lynch is still waiting for a rescheduled appearance on News Channel 5 in Nashville.
To take his track to the masses and to get his message out of the studio and onto the streets, Lynch brought his latest idea to producer Dallas Jack of Spade Creative with the idea to align the output with other memorable songs about the topics of streets.
"We were going to call it 'Where the Streets Have a Name' since the verses name-check several well-known and not so well-known streets in the city," Lynch concluded. "But, we just decided to let the famous U2 song be our spirit guide and Dallas did a great job in going that route to create an urgent, modern vibe with a nice nod to the classic Irish rockers."
Rich Lynch is a singer/songwriter who began his professional recording career in 2014 with "I Want to Live in a Dome". He has now released over 40 critically acclaimed digital singles to the online marketplace and he is currently hard at work in Nashville on several new tracks that will see the light of day in the near future.
COLUMNS
This Week in Music: Previews for Concerts from June 16-22, 2026
Here is a look at shows taking place from June 16-22, 2026 along with our featured listings and a look at some upcoming shows. New Jersey Stage offers previews of concerts throughout the Garden State as well as select shows in New York City and Philadelphia areas.
.png)