115 Karaoke Songs, 600 $5 Beers and 1 Hot Christmas in July at Santa’s Pub
On a hot, sticky Saturday night in July, patrons showed up in a steady stream to the gravel parking lot of Santa’s Pub, a double-wide trailer as red as Jolly Old St. Nick’s trademark suit. Ricky, the door guy, checked IDs, announcing loudly to each new group as they arrived: “Welcome to Santa’s! Cash only, beer only! Beers are four and five dollars!” Christmas lights wrapped around the banister of the deck, illuminating murals depicting Santa behind bars (crimes unknown), among other scenarios. Things were heating up at Santa’s, though in a vastly different manner from the bawdy, raucous crowds a few miles away on Broadway, where barroom shenanigans and drunken chaos often spill into the streets. At Santa’s, there are rules.
“ Don’t touch women. Don’t cuss in front of women, and be nice,” says owner Denzel Irwin, more frequently referred to as Santa for his impressively lengthy, snowy beard. “And don’t be a douchebag.” Though the last rule can be tough to enforce, there’s something about Santa’s straightforward, no-nonsense attitude that keeps people in line. Plus, inside the trailer—which is bedecked with Christmas trees, strands of multicolored lights hanging from the low ceilings and countless pieces of holiday décor on the faux wood-paneled walls—the feelings of camaraderie are undeniable. That’s particularly amplified by the vulnerability of karaoke. Karaoke is the backbone of Santa’s Pub, starting daily at 7 p.m. and continuing until close at 3 a.m.; the only exception to this rule is from 7 to 9 on Sunday evenings, when the house band, Santa’s Ice Cold Pickers, takes the stage.
Since 2011, when Santa took over the bar that became his pub, Nashville has changed dramatically. Santa’s now sits in the shadow of Geodis Park, the massive, state-of-the-art home of Nashville’s new professional soccer club. Just down the road are a Soho House and a new location of New York’s buzzy French bistro Pastis. But inside Santa’s, almost nothing has changed—with the exception of the indoor smoking ban that went into effect a few years ago, much to Santa’s displeasure; die-hards can still smoke on the porch—because that’s how Santa likes it.
He’s amassed a following of regulars that ranges from neighbors to celebrities to international tourists who come to see him every year. He counts Kacey Musgraves, TJ Osborne and Kelsea Ballerini as friends. Marcus Mumford, of Mumford & Sons, met his wife at the pub, a not-uncommon occurrence, says Santa. He counts about 20 couples—that he knows of—who’ve gone on to get married after meeting at his bar. But there’s been only one wedding at Santa’s, and that was Santa’s own, to his longtime love, Angelina, on Christmas Day 2016. With their blended crew of grandkids, Angelina runs the bar alongside Santa, serving hundreds of cheap beers, from PBR tallboys to crispy bottles of Miller High Life. You won’t find any craft beers here.
On this hot, sticky July night, Santa’s crew consisted of three people: Ricky at the door, Ryan Franco on the karaoke setup, and Jericho Powell, one of Santa’s grandsons, behind the bar. Though he took this particular night off, Santa is often found sitting on the porch, chopping it up with whoever’s coming through and making sure everyone knows why the bar is called “Santa’s.” While there were no celebrity sightings on this visit, the crowd was in good form, drinking a constant stream of cheap beers and black cherry White Claws while shouting encouragement to singers.