We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Chancellor Lawson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Chancellor, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Day to day the world can seem like a tough place, but there’s also so much kindness in the world and we think talking about that kindness helps spread it and make the world a nicer, kinder place. Can you share a story of a time when someone did something really kind for you?

our scene here in the tri cities has always been something of value. full of special folks with huge talents that seems to have something in their DNA that makes them who they are. we are raised to help one another here. our music scene reflects that. there isn’t the competitive cut throat nature of the industry here, its more like one big (sometimes dysfunctional) family.
with that comes the love of a family. the willingness to love when its hard and support the ups and the downs. everyone involved in the little corner of our music scene at Market Street Social Club has shown me how to accept help, and help without me knowing I needed it. everyday I’m shown how truly kind people can be. Especially here.
its a daily reminder to reflect some love onto others. these moments of come to me from our regulars bringing in gear for others to use on an open mic night, our non instrumental folks coming in to sit and listen and enjoy, our record collectors bringing in vinyl to spin, and the ones who helped me get it off the ground. to all of them I owe my deepest gratitude.
id put them all in my will but I’m afraid there won’t be much to give them when I’m gone! hahahaha

Chancellor, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’ve been making music for most of my life. I learned how to do it as a means to get by in my early 20s. I love our arts and our artists here and wanted to give back in a way. thus the birth of market street social club. its been a huge learning experience on the business side. learning how to juggle the vision and the execution simultaneously has really kept me on my toes this last year or so.
we currently only have beer cider and seltzer for our adult beverages but are an all ages venue so there are sodas, water, etc and a food menu to fit a college student. we also encourage people to support local eateries and food trucks and bring in food.
we are an entertainment venue. no tvs. all live working artists 100 percent of the time.
our open mic is Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday is our wildcard night (vinyl nights, art markets, bingo night, etc),Thursday Friday and Saturday are our show nights where you can catch local, regional and touring artists spreading their craft. comedy showcase final Saturday of every month.
we take the time to hear what our community wants to be offered by our venue, most of the time they’ll come so much they start making it a little more their own. most of my decor in there is from the people who come the most leaving a little mark of themselves.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Honestly this area! the band took good wind into its sails and as soon as we were rolling people connected with it. all of the guys in the band (donnie and the dry heavers) are super awesome dudes. were like brothers that were separated at birth in a way. we all worked in public scenarios and enjoy the people we encounter daily. once the connection came from the music and over to the genuine person to person connections it really put our names to the faces so to speak.
playing in our area so much has really boosted how many people have connections to me or what I am involved with which realllllly helps with marketing and sourcing.
during the Tennessee songwriters competition I was able to meet a slew of new faces that had ideas and opportunities to offer.
after the bluebird cafe Nashville showcase I had at least 15 new contacts in my phone. people of all talents, whether it be songwriters who I could book, recording studio operators or just new friends.
my music is my market and I strive to expand that daily but I also want to help others push their boundaries of what they can accomplish with theirs.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

when the idea came to me I had nothing to start with. I sold my Harley and my jeep and started putting some money into the foundation of the bar ( chairs, tables, stage, etc.) and quickly ran out of money.
the dream was shaping into a vision but the vision wasn’t shaping into reality
one evening over dinner a very good friend of mine, Max, asked me what id been doing recently and I told him id been putting the venue together. I told him I was at a bit of a stand still but things were looking good. he offered to invest not in my business but in me. he said in any other situation he wouldn’t consider investing in a bar but he saw what this community can do and what I’ve been able to do thus far in this community. he took a shot on me and helped not just me, so many artists and listeners, more than I think he will ever know.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @marketstreetsocialclub @chancellorlawson
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/chance.lawson.5 www.facebook.com/marketstreetsocialkingsport
• Spotify/apple music: donnie and the dry heavers / chancellor lawson / the skwintz dry heavers.com