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Creative Community Rallies Behind A Smokefree Nashville
Amidst a worldwide health pandemic, local musicians push for venues and bars to go Smokefree
Nashville, TN (Sept 21st, 2020) — The seasons are changing, and health is still very much on everyone’s mind. As Nashville works to reopen its bars and music venues in a safe manner, the community's musicians are pushing for a crucial step in ensuring everybody’s wellbeing: eliminating smoking from these workplaces.
Musicians for a Smokefree Nashville is a coalition created to advocate for healthy work environments for the singers, songwriters, and instrumentalists who represent the heart and soul of Music City. For those who regularly perform onstage, clean air plays a crucial role not only in elongating their career, but in maintaining their overall health. After all, tobacco use has been linked to more than 480,000 deaths in the United States each year, with more than 41,000 people dying from secondhand smoke exposure.
"The time has come to extinguish all indoor smoking," Nashville's health director Dr. Michael Caldwell told The Tennessean in a recent article announcing the Musicians for a Smokefree Nashville campaign. "We cannot fight COVID-19 effectively if we continue to let indoor environments be polluted."
The inflammatory effects of smoke inhalation can exponentially increase the risk of contracting COVID-19 and have been linked to heart disease, lung cancer, asthma, strokes, and respiratory infections. "You get terrible lungs from smoking as well as terrible lungs from COVID-19," explains Dr. Alex Jahangir, chairperson of Nashville's Board of Health and the Metro Coronavirus Task Force. "That combination is going to result in more deaths than if you have either of those instances by themselves."
Until Tennessee passes legislation to eliminate indoor smoking statewide, it’s up to each venue to make its own decision. Todd Sherwood, owner of popular East Nashville venue The 5 Spot, says his bar's decision to go smokefree in 2014 wasn't just good for business — it was good for his employees, too.
"No one stopped coming here because we went non-smoking," he explains. "We gained more customers, and a lot of our staff quit smoking once we made the change."
Small business owners and medical experts aren't the only people speaking up. "You're Not Alone," an original song written by Musicians for a Smokefree Nashville's coalition leader, Jamie Kent, is a rallying cry for a tobacco-free industry, with acclaimed local songwriters Michaela Anne, Sarah Potenza, Kyshona Armstrong, Szlachetka, Sarah Aili, Bob Lewis, and Megan Palmer all lending their voices to the track. Watch the song's lyric here video: www.smokefreenashville.com/the-song
Musicians are the beating heart of Nashville. They are the city's entertainers and storytellers. As part-time waiters, cooks, and bartenders, they keep Nashville running. As COVID-19 wages war on respiratory systems across the world, there's no better time to literally clear the air and give back to those who give their talents to us every night. With support from the American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation, Nashville’s Public Health Department, and Visit Music City, Musicians for a Smokefree Nashville is a new voice pushing for smokefree change.
An official livestream launch concert is planned for Thursday Sept 24th at The 5 Spot, broadcasting live at 7pm CT at SmokefreeNashville.com.
About Musicians for a Smokefree Nashville:
Musicians for a Smokefree Nashville is a coalition of artists and activists who, with the assistance of local medical experts and non-profit organizations, are encouraging Nashville to go smokefree in all its indoor music venues, bars, and clubs. Spearheaded by singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur Jamie Kent, the group will be engaging with musicians, venues, and fans throughout the city via a series of events and activities. To find out more or to get involved, please visit www.smokefreenashville.com.
