Nashville is a city in flux. It seems like there’s a new building going up every other day, each skyscraper climbing higher while rubbing shoulders with the tried and true honky tonks and clubs that have launched the careers of countless artists. Many people have lamented that the city has lost touch with itself, forgoing its rich musical heritage for its recent reputation as a party mecca. 

Those who fear that Nashville is no longer minting the caliber of songwriter that it once did need look no further than Vinnie Paolizzi. A Nashvillian by way of Philadelphia, Paolizzi has spent the better part of the last decade in the songwriting trenches, making a name for himself as a rising singer-songwriter to watch. Equally comfortable in various styles of rock and country, he’s displayed his lyrical versatility scoring cuts from upcoming independent americana acts and mainstream country artists alike. His abilities as a live performer have led him to various roles from playing guitar for rising star Brittney Spencer to playing his original music in the round with songwriting legend Dean Dillon. 

This year, Paolizzi has declared he is an artist ready to break out onto a larger platform. In May, Paolizzi released “Proud of What I Did Today,” a grooving anthem with Everyman themes. The lyric is a recipe for living, a declaration to be proud but not prideful. His first single since the release of his 2021 EP Private Sky, “Proud” is the perfect introduction to Paolizzi’s unique capability to teach a life lesson in three minutes – with great guitar playing to boot. 

Set to be released in November 2023, Paolizzi’s self titled full length record promises to be a project showcasing a pocket of the Nashville community that has blazed its own trail in a time when Music Row seems to have forgotten its past. Produced by Old Crow Medicine Show’s Mike Harris and featuring a cast of co writers including rising stars Meg McRee and Ben Chapman, as well as tried and true road warriors like Adam Hood, this record seems to embody the spirit of 1970s Nashville and the halcyon days of open collaboration between people like Rodney Crowell, Steve Earle, and Guy Clark before they were household names. 

More than proof that Paolizzi is one of the “In Crowd,” this record is a testament to his community building ethos. For years, Paolizzi hosted Revival, a weekly writers round where songwriters of all stripes shared songs and a pew. Started by hit songwriters Rob Snyder and Channing Wilson, the community Revival fostered included artists and writers that have gone on to score number ones as well as left of center poets interested in a different kind of success. It was a place for writers to rub shoulders and talk shop, and Paolizzi was at the center of it, developing relationships and honing his craft with everyone else. This time not only netted great songs, but cemented lasting friendships that have bolstered Paolizzi’s creative partnerships within Nashville. After Revival went on an indefinite hiatus at the end of 2021, he crafted his own “Fam Jam,” this time at iconic Music Row watering hole Bobby’s Idle Hour Tavern. Hosting close friends and new co-writers on the dive bar’s small stage, Paolizzi has continued to create spaces in town for writers to showcase songs, practice their craft, and grow relationships with other writers. 

In short, it is quintessentially Vinnie. Descending from Italian immigrants, Paolizzi grew up surrounded by his large family and at an early age learned the importance of community. While some young writers may come to town eager to go it alone and prove they have that elusive “thing” to stand apart, Paolizzi has bet on the old adage that a rising tide lifts all boats. He knows that if Nashville really is a ten (or twenty) year town , that you can’t get anywhere without friends in your corner. And if it’s true that you get what you give, Paolizzi is ready to cash in on that good karma. His self-titled record is not only slated to be the one to introduce Paolizzi to the world, it is a testament to the thriving creative community that he has invested himself in. 

In a world increasingly fixated on finding the next big thing, it’s become commonplace for the loudest voice to be the best. People want something new and glitzy to make its way on to their timeline and take them by surprise, if only for a moment. Paolizzi’s music is more than that. It’s the well that always gives water, the neighbor who’ll always have a cup of sugar when you need it, the guy in the parking lot with jumper cables and nowhere to be when you’re stuck in the rain. “My best days are ahead of me,” Paolizzi promises on the closing track of the record, his easy croon reminiscent of Jackson Browne circa Late for the Sky. There’s a quiet confidence in his voice that knows the good days will outweigh the bad. So whether you’re just finding Vinnie Paolizzi’s music or have been in on Nashville’s well-kept secret, you know that, like the rising sun of a new day, the best is yet to come.