vallierojas: Insider's guide to musical pilgrimages

Cerys Matthews recommends the best band haunts in Nashville, and our other industry experts reveal their favourite musical places, from juke joints near Memphis to tango clubs in Buenos Aires

Country

Cerys Matthews, singer of Catatonia and BBC 6 Music DJ: Nashville
Here's how to do Nashville, where I used to live. Stay in the Hermitage Nashville (231 6th Avenue North, +1 615 244 3121, thehermitagehotel.com), where Neil Young celebrated his Prairie Wind launch ? I was there and came face to face with Meryl Streep, a Neil Young fan. Opened in 1910, it is an old-school class hotel. Or the Best Western (1407 Division Street, +1 615 242 1631, book.bestwestern.com), is a stone's throw from a statue of legendary producer Owen Bradley and all of the record company offices. The hotel bar hosts open-mic nights where you'll hear some crazy songs. Classic Nashville nights.

In the morning head to the Ryman Auditorium (116 5th Ave North, +1 615 889 3060, ryman.com) downtown. Go on a guided tour ? you get to stand on the stage and sing through the mic as part of the experience. Learn about the Grand Ole Opry, which on a Saturday night recorded artists like Dolly Parton and Minnie Pearl performing live to be transmitted to homes around the country.

The alley between the auditorium and the Broadway bars is where Hank Williams would slip out of the Ryman where he was performing and into the back doors of places like Tootsie's Orchid Lounge (422 Broadway, +1 615 726 0463, tootsies.net). Enter a bar of your choice for live music till the early hours. No corny tourist fodder ? these are the rehearsing rooms of the session musicians who play at the big recording studios ? the later the hour, the better the talent. If you're a musician, you can often get up and play with the bands. They play for tips, which you put in a pot on leaving.

For an idea of the current crop of local musical talent, Grimey's (1604 8th Ave. South, +1 615 254 4801, grimeys.com) has savvy staff and new releases on CD. Mark Never's studio, Beech House (myspace.com/beechhouserecording), is close to Grimey's ? recent recordings include Caitlin Rose, Candi Staton, Lamb Chop and ? well, umm, me.

After three days in Nashville it's time to head for Memphis. It's a three-hour road trip and so worth it, but that's a whole different story ?
? Cerys Matthews's new album, Explorer, and her debut children's book Tales from the Deep (Gomer Press, �5.99) are both out now

Soul

Noah Ball, festival organiser: Philadelphia
The musical pilgrimage I'd been planning for a couple of years with a friend from Manchester involved three US cities: Philadelphia, Detroit and LA. Philadelphia was renowned for its Philly soul sound, which brought the Soul Survivors and Teddy Pendergrass into the world; prior to that its jazz scene boasted John Coltrane and Dizzy Gillespie. This legacy of soul and jazz has been kept burning bright in the Philly hip-hop and electronic scene ? the Roots, Vikter Duplaix and Bahamadia.

The Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts (736-38 S Broad Street, clefclubofjazz.org) is a venue that we found highly recommendable, and the Philadelphia Record Exchange (618 South 5th Street, +1 215 925 7892, philarecx.com) is perhaps one of the greatest vinyl shops I've ever been to.
? Noah Ball's Soundwave Croatia festival (soundwavecroatia.com) runs 22-25 July, Petrcane

Blues

Jon Stewart, Sleeper guitarist and music lecturer: Clarksdale, Mississippi
Every Blues fan should visit Clarksdale, down Highway 61 from Memphis. Clarksdale was a cultural and economic focus for the cotton plantations, and for many of the legendary musicians who defined the blues.

Muddy Waters and Son House lived locally and played juke joints in the area ? some of which, like Red's (395 Sunflower Ave, Clarksdale), you can still visit. Robert Johnson "sold his soul to the devil" at a crossroads on the edge of town, and Bessie Smith died in the colourful Riverside Hotel (615 Sunflower Avenue, +1 662 624 9163) ? home at one time or other to almost every name in the blues pantheon, and where Ike Turner also wrote what is generally accepted as the first rock'n'roll song, Rocket 88.

Stay in a refurbished sharecropper cabin at the Shack Up Inn (1 Commissary Circle, +1 662 624 8329, shackupinn.com) to immerse yourself in the vibe of the Mississippi Delta.
? Jon Stewart lectures at Brighton Institute of Modern Music (bimm.co.uk)

Garth Cartwright, music writer: Chicago
The blues never die ? as proven recently by Hugh Laurie ? and Chicago remains America's foremost blues city. It hosts its annual Chicago Blues Festival from 10-12 June (explorechicago.org). And it's free! The festival's over by 9pm ? the perfect time to head out to one of Chicago's blues bars. Buddy Guy's Legends (700 S Wabash, +1 312 427 1190, buddyguys.com) is a great venue that books top artists. Blue Chicago (536 N Clark, +1 312 661 0100, bluechicago.com) in downtown tends towards pleasing tourists with bands playing standards. On the north side of town you have Kingston Mines (2548 North Halsted, +1 773 477 4646, kingstonmines.com) and B.L.U.E.S (2519 N Halsted, +1 773 528 1012, chicagobluesbar.com) ? both stay open late and feature local and touring acts. For the adventurous, Lee's Unleaded (7401 S. South Chicago Ave, +1 773 493 3477, leesunleadedblues.com) in the South Side is where black Chicago parties to soul-blues.
? Garth Cartwright is the author of More Miles Than Money: Journeys Through American Music (Serpent's Tail, �12.99)

Sixties

Greg Wilson, DJ and producer: San Francisco
I'm a bit of a 60s obsessive, so San Francisco holds special relevance, the city having spawned the hippie movement, not to mention the beatniks before them. On my first trip there, I found myself enthusing like a child on seeing a sign for the Cow Palace (where Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters headed in 1964 to watch the Beatles perform; 2600 Geneva Avenue, cowpalace.com), and my excitement reached boiling point when this was immediately followed by a sign for Candlestick Park (venue of the last Beatles gig, on 29 August 1966; +1 415 656 4900, 49ers.com).

The Haight-Ashbury district was, of course, my first port of call. I was so excited to be at the heartland of hippie that I initially looked at things through rose-coloured specs, almost imagining myself back in the era of the the Free Store (run by counter-culture heroes the Diggers) and the infamous Drog Store Cafe. However, during subsequent visits I've been much more aware of the downside, illustrated by the stream of drug casualties who are still magnetised by its legend well over 40 years after the dream went sour.
? Greg Wilson (electrofunkroots.co.uk) plays the Garden Festival in Petrcane, Croatia (6-13 July, thegardenfestival.eu)

Robin Bennett, festival organiser: Woodstock, New York State
For most of today's indie kids the Big Pink is a band singing about Dominos. For me it means a hallowed place in Woodstock where Bob Dylan and the Band holed up in a basement crafting dark folk tales of Long Black Veils. I first went to Woodstock a few years back with my brother Joe and our then band Goldrush, for a recording session. Calling on a local for directions, we asked, "Where's Big Pink?"

Turns out it was just a pink house (where some of the greatest songs I've ever heard were penned), but Woodstock ? now home to stores owned by ageing hipsters selling faded tie-dye ? and upstate New York are well worth the visit nonetheless for all fans of the Band, Dylan and Americana; every log cabin seems steeped in musical history and natural beauty.
? Robin Bennett's Truck Festival (truckfestival.com) runs 22-24 July, Steventon, Oxfordshire. Wood Festival (woodfestival.com) runs 20-22 May, Braziers Park, Oxfordshire

Traditional British music

Julie Fowlis, folk singer: Ullapool
The best place to hear Gaelic singing and traditional music is the Ceilidh Place (14 West Argyle Street, 01854 612103, theceilidhplace.com), Ullapool on the west coast of Scotland. It's one of the longest-running establishments in this vibrant village for music, with organised gigs and spontaneous sing-songs. I've played there myself ? officially and unofficially. It attracts real music lovers, has great food and local beers, rooms to stay in, and is a real rootsy kind of place.
? juliefowlis.com

Jackie Oates, folk-pop act: Okehampton
The Devonshire Inn (Sticklepath, Okehampton, Devon, 01837 840626), hosts a sing-around and traditional music session on the first Sunday of the month. It's a tiny, traditional pub, with a stone floor, large open fire and intimate atmosphere. It is a warm and nurturing environment. I first starting going there as a student: it is where I learnt and honed my craft, through listening to older singers, and trying out new songs that I am hooked on.
? Jackie Oates is touring with Seth Lakeman. Her album, Saturnine, is out in September

Irish

Colin Irwin, music journalist: Dublin and the west coast of Ireland
Despite an overload of Glee singers belting out Fields Of Athenry in Dublin, fine musicians can still be found, notably at the Cobblestone (77 North King St, +353 1872 1799, cobblestonepub.ie) in Smithfield, while O'Donoghue's (15 Merrion Row, +353 1660 7194, odonoghues.ie) ? indelibly associated with the Dubliners ? is also obligatory.

The best Irish music, though, is found on the west coast. Lively music bars populate Cork, Kerry, Galway and Mayo (where Matt Molloy of the Chieftains has an eponymous pub heaving with live music every night in Westport (+353 098 26655, mattmolloy.com). The heartland of Irish music is County Clare. Great sessions abound in Ennis and Miltown Malbay, especially in early July when Miltown hosts a festival in honour of the great piper Willie Clancy (willieclancyfestival.com). And if you go between 13-22 August, head for Cavan ? north-west of Dublin ? this year's host of Fleadh Cheoil (fleadh2011cavan.ie), a huge annual gathering of musicians. Wild but wonderful.
? Colin Irwin is a music journalist and author of In Search of the Craic: One Man's Pub Crawl Through Irish Music (Andre Deutsch, �6.99)

World music

Jan Fairley, music critic and ethnomusicologist: Flamenco in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain
As the modern crucible of the art of flamenco, Jerez's flamenco festival in March draws thousands to masterclasses with top names and locals like the charismatic Manuela Carpio, with whom I did fast buler�as dances this year. Gigs start at 7pm in the Palacio de Villavicencio (Paseo Alameda Vieja, +34 956 326923), part of the Moorish Alc�zar fortress. Then go for tapas at the bar abutting the Villamarta theatre (Plaza Romero Mart�nez) before evening performances there by top choreographers like Eva Yerbabuena or singers like Miguel Poveda.

In the daytime, hang out in Bar Gitaner�a (Calle Ancha 18), frequented by guitarist Mora�to. Then drop in at the Caf� Arriate (Calle Francos 41) before the midnight show at Sala Compa��a (Plaza Compa��a). After that, it's standing room only at local late pe�a clubs.
? festivaldejerez.es, flamenco-world.com, deflamenco.com

Kapka Kassabova, travel writer: Tango in Buenos Aires
It takes two to tango: you and Buenos Aires. You won't understand tango music until you visit ? because it's not a music genre, it's a way of life. Walk along Avenida Corrientes, where old tangos play in every bookshop, and stop at music store Zivals (V Callao 395, +54 115 128 7500, tangostore.com). Drop in at the Museum of Tango above Cafe Tortoni (Avenida de Mayo, +54 114 342 4328, cafetortoni.com), and you might catch young tango musicians rehearsing. Avoid over-priced restaurant tango shows and hit the milonga circuit, to see glammed-up locals and visitors dance in a sweaty trance at Salon Canning (Scalabrini Ortiz 1331, +54 114 832 6753). Catch tango sensation Fern�ndez Fierro ? the heavy metal of tango music ? who regularly play at their eponymous club (S�nchez de Bustamante 764, fernandezfierro.com). Go soon, although "tango knows how to wait".
? Kapka Kassabova's dance memoir Twelve Minutes of Love: A Tango Story (Portobello, �18.99) is out in November

Rose Skelton, journalist and specialist in west African music: Mbalax in Dakar
The music pioneered by Senegalese superstar Youssou N'Dour is known as mbalax ? a blend of traditional sabar, Cuban salsa and the soaring vocals of west African praise singers ? and this high-energy, frenetic dance music is the beat of the street in Dakar today. For a relaxed intro, head to Just4u (Avenue Chiekh Anta Diop, +221 33 824 3250, myspace.com/just4udakar) for an early (midnight!) session. Madison (K1 Avenue Cheikh Anta Diop, +221 77 535 9997, madison-dakar.com) has wild mbalax performances that get going late (2am). But an evening in Dakar isn't complete without a trip to Youssou's own club, where he performs at weekends when he's in town. Le Thiossane (Sicap Rue 10 Point E, +221 33 824 6046) is iconic Dakar: glittery-dressed women, new dance moves created on the spot, and the eye-popping energy of Youssou and his band, doing what they've been famously doing for 40 years.
? See agendakar.com for gig listings