Promised Land’s debut EP, a new venue on music row, and collaborative TN craft beer
November 29, 2012
Promised Land. Photo by Alysse Gafkjen
A random assortment of good local music and beer news for you Thursday afternoon!
- Promised Land is a new local “supergroup” comprised of Joey Scala (Denny & The Jets, Turkeys, PUJOL), Sean “To the Wall” Thompson (Nikki Lane, PUJOL), Richard Alessio, Luke Schneider (Cortney Tidwell, Lylas), and Evan Scala. The best way I can describe them is if The Rolling Stones, The Allman Brothers, and The Carter Family all had a big threesome together. I caught them live a couple months ago on the back porch of Nikki Lane’s house, and thoroughly enjoyed their boozy, twangy set. With all the members heavily involved in other projects, I didn’t know just how serious Promised Land would be, or how soon they’d be releasing material. Thankfully this seems to be more than just an whim side project. They just released their debut EP Stoned Eagle on bandcamp, so go over and check it out! Also, as The Scene reported, the ‘Land opened for Seasick Steve at Third Man Records a while back. The show was recorded and will be released as a 45 early next year.
- New venue alert: A new intimate singer/songwriter coffeeshop/cafe has opened on music row. Benton’s Cafe is owned by veteran songwriter Benton Stokes and will give up-and-coming songwriters a chance to perform in an intimate setting right in the heart of Nashville’s music industry hub. Check out their facebook and twitter for more info.
- I was delighted to see the news that Yazoo and Calfkiller, two of my favorite TN craft breweries, have joined forces for a special collaborative beer! The brew is called The Beacon is an official “Tennessee High-Tax Ale.” This style was conjured up by the owners of Yazoo and Calfkiller to help bring attention to the fact that Tennessee has the highest beer tax in whole nation, which is structured to favor high-volume commercial beer brands over smaller craft breweries. This is one reason TN has a depressing lack of craft breweries. But with the formation of the TN Craft Brewer’s Guild, hopefully that will all change sooner rather than later. Check out the Yazoo blog for full details on the beer itself and how to get your hands on it!
Caitlin Rose announces new album/Self new music teaser/Echo Group’s new EP/Forget Cassettes & more
November 15, 2012
Several bits of good Nashville local music news hit me today:
The most exciting one is related to the Self show I mentioned last week! Matt posted a teaser compilation track today on the Self facebook, consisting of snippets of several BRAND SPANKING NEW Self songs. My mind is already blown just hearing this the first time. CHECK IT YO:
Also, Matt answered a few questions related to the Dec. 29th show- Yes this will be a full band show, and yes it will be the only Self show for the foreseeable future. I’ve also heard unconfirmed rumors that this will be the original Self lineup, except of course for guitarist Mike Mahaffey, who passed away in 2005.
Echo Group released the third in their Challtalk Record Collection series via Bandcamp. Each EP they’ve released thus far has been nothing short of phenomenal, even if they do draw excessive comparisons to the Walkmen. I would submit to those people that wearing your influences on your sleeve and being overtly derivative are two different things. EG walks that fine line quite well in my opinion. Check it out below:
Forget Cassettes released the second in their series of O Cursa EPs. This second offering of songs is a little meaner/grittier than the first, with the 3rd track “Tearin’ Up A House” reminding me a lot of the old Forget Cassettes. Check it out below:
Last, but most certainly not least, Caitlin Rose has announced her second full length album, to be titled The Stand-In. It’s due out Feb. 25th, 2013 in the UK via Names Records, and March 5th in the US via ATO Records. She worked with producers Jordan Lehning (of the Non-Commissioned Officers) and Skylar Wilson this time around, and the songs were a much more collaborative effort than ever before. Looking forward to it! Check out the lead track “No One to Call” below:
Self to reunite for benefit show on Dec. 29th!
November 8, 2012
I knew the day would eventually come- the day that Matt Mahaffey, one of my all-time musical heroes, would get his defunct band/project Self back together on a stage. That day has finally arrived! It was announced today that Self will indeed finally return to the stage on Dec. 29th to play a benefit show at the Exit/In with Forget Cassettes. The show benefits the Music for Life Alliance, an organization that supports music education for kids who might not otherwise have access to it. I’m very curious as to who Matt will enlist for the band. I’ve no doubt Seth Timbs of Fluid Ounces/Seth Timbs Thing/Hot New Singles will be involved, but other than it’s anybody’s guess as to how many of the original members will be down for it.
Tickets go on sale 11/15 via the Exit/In website.
Those Darlins are back w/ a new song, Spilt 7″ w/ Heavy Cream
October 2, 2012
Those Darlins are returning to the spotlight with their first new song since founding member Kelley Anderson left the group. Jessi Darlin sings lead on the new track, which has a strong, driving backbeat with tons of hand claps a gang vocals. The single is available digitally now on iTunes, and the split 7″ with Heavy Cream will only be available on vinyl at their upcoming tour dates:
10-06 Dallas, TX – Bryan Street Tavern’s Anniversary %
10-07 Austin, TX – The Mohawk:Indoors^ *Summer’s Dead Tour begins*
10-25 Washington, DC – DC9*
10-26 Brooklyn, NY – Glasslands Gallery*
10-27 Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s*#
10-28 Allston, MA – Great Scott*
10-30 Toronto, ON – The Garrison*
10-31 Cleveland, OH – Beachland Tavern*@
11-01 Chicago, IL – Schuba’s Tavern*
11-02 Grinnell, IA – Grinnell College: Gardner Lounge*
11-03 Minneapolis, MN – 7th St. Entry*
11-06 Seattle, WA – Sunset*
11-07 Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios*
11-09 San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Shop*+
11-10 West Hollywood, CA – Troubador*+
11-11 San Diego, CA – Soda Shop*
11-13 Denver, CO – Larimer Lounge*
* w/ Heavy Cream
^ w/Bobby Jealousy
# w/Slutever
@ w/The Very Knees
+ w/Pangea
% w/Turbo Fruits, White Mystery, and Royal Bangs
Check out the new track “Summer’s Dead” below:
Forget Cassettes returns to the spotlight with “O Cursa”
September 27, 2012
The name Forget Cassettes may not be as meaningful for those not familiar with the Nashville indie rock scene of the mid-aughts, but if you are one of those unfamiliar, you’d be doing yourself a favor to change that. I was a big fan of most of the Nashville bands on the Theory 8 Records roster back in those days, and Forget Cassettes was one of them. Their debut Instruments of Action from 2003 is still a fave of mine. In 2006 Salt featured a new 3-piece lineup and was also a fantastic record. Beth Cameron, the force behind FC, started work on this new album roughly 3 years ago, if memory serves. There were plans to release it under a couple of different names but ultimately she has come full-circle and arrived back at Forget Cassettes. I know she’s put countless hours and poured her heart and soul into this album, as is the case with everything she does, so I really look forward to hearing it.
The album as a whole won’t be officially released until January 2013, but leading up to it are three digital-only EPs consisting of songs from the album. Full details can be seen at her new website. Welcome back, Beth!
Oh Shit: Soundland postponed till 2013
September 21, 2012
From the department of OH SHIT: Soundland is postponed until 2013. Straight from the horse’s mouth:
We’ve been so excited to bring you an all-new outdoor SoundLand experience in 2012 and have been working for months on creating a one-day extravaganza Oct. 6th at The Lawn at Riverfront Park. Unfortunately, issues out of everyone’s control have caused us to put this vision on hold until 2013.
Ticket buyers: check your email for details.
Well that sucks. I think the idea behind Next Big Nashville and Soundland is a great one, and I think their mission is not over. So don’t fear- I have no doubt they’ll be back next year with a bigger and better festival. Also, there are still plenty of good events happening on that weekend:
PS – we will still have some great shows happening over the original SoundLand weekend with JD McPherson, Jonny Corndawg, Generationals, The Tontons, HUSTLE: The Biggest Dance Party of the Year, and others. Stay tuned here in the coming days for details.
Personally, I’m a fan of Generationals and will make an effort to see them wherever they end up playing. And that HUSTLE dance party will be off the chain- it’s all of this town’s finest dance party producers all in one night/event. That’s an OH SHIT in the good way.
New Breakbot video/”By Your Side” album out now!
September 19, 2012
That’s the awesome new video for first single from Breakbot’s new album “By Your Side,” which is out now via iTunes and Beatport. I’ve made it quite clear before how much I love Breakbot, but let me say it again: I FUCKING LOVE BREAKBOT. Everything the dude touches turns to pure chill-funk gold. Has anyone used chill-funk before? Surely someone has… but I’ve never seen it, so for now I’m gonna claim it. This video is 
just about everything you’d expect from Breakbot- a hot girl in a vintage car, driving on a breezy road, etc… but toward the end it gets a little odd. In a good way. Just watch it, and make sure it’s on HD. As I said, the album is out now on iTunes and Beatport. Ed Banger is notoriously finicky about the timing of their releases on various platforms, so who knows when/if it’ll show up on Spotify.
R.I.P. Brad Baker, a.k.a. the sound guy at The End
September 6, 2012
Some very sad news came across my twitter feed yesterday. Brad Baker, the main sound guy at our beloved little rock club The End, passed away in his extended stay hotel room in the Super 8 on Spence Lane on Friday, August 31st. According to the Scene, he had been suffering from sleep apnea, which I know can cause a host of issues including heart and lung problems. He had also been suffering from other health problems the past few years from what I could tell. I, just like most musicians that have played The End, was initially confused and a little freaked out by his barky, fast way of talking, but I quickly realized that he really knew his shit and was actually a pretty nice guy. The sound quality of shows at The End both for the audience and for the band onstage was always great when he was working. He had a weird sense of humor and if you played there often, you eventually learned to “speak Brad” and not have to say “huh?” when he spoke to you. He also had a signature trick where right before the band onstage started, he would fade up the house music to blaring for just a split second and then cut it off. It took me a while realize why he did it, but it really did the band a favor. It grabbed the attention of the crowd, stopping their conversations and giving the band a chance to start their set with the crowd’s full attention.
My friend Jesse Baker, who also worked as a sound guy at The End, posted this video of Brad fronting a cover band in 1991. I really wish I’d seen this before his passing. No one really knows the details of his past but the Scene reported that he had stints as a touring crew member for REO Speedwagon and Chicago, as well as plenty of other concert production endeavors. But apparently he was also one incredibly badass singer in Hotel Bill & The Incidentals:
Brad was quite a character and in his passing we’ve lost a very special part of the Nashville rock community. Rest in peace Brad, we will miss you dearly.
My band Scale Model released our new self titled EP last week, so pardon the self-promotion for just a moment. We worked on this for most of the summer and Brian Carter at Paradox Productions did a fine job of recording, mixing, and mastering. I highly suggest him! Our friend Ryan Roberts took the cover photo, and I added typography and design. You can check it out below and purchase on bandcamp.
Also, if you’re in Nashville please come out to our EP release show this Sunday night (Aug. 26th) at Exit/In. It’s part of their new Sunday School series and it’s totally FREE. Joining us will be Magnolia Sons and Sound & Shape. Show starts nice and early at 8pm SHARP, rock o’clock schmock o’clock. This will be done by 1130 so you can go home and get some rest. This is gonna be one helluva weekend with the B52’s+Brandon Jazz & His Armed Forces @ The Ryman and the Cream Anniversary Party @ Mercy Lounge/High Watt, afterall!
It’s a busy summer. Tomorrow is the 4th of July, then I’m heading out of town for a few days for some desperately needed time off. So, this will be the last blog post for about a week and a half. But before that, here are some musical goodies/tidbits:
- California steeldrumwave artist Viceroy has just released “Chase You Around,” a new single featuring vocals from Nashville’s own Madi Diaz, via Vitalic Noise. Seriously, I think there’s enough poolside-summer-vibe-fueled slow disco with steeldrums out there now that we can just call it steeldrumwave. It’s got a bit of a 90s influence, but that should come as no surprise given Viceroy’s knack for throwing his tropical twist on 90s jamz. Check it:
- JEFF the Brotherhood just released a very summery video (though NSFW) for their new single “Sixpack.” It features a lot of local pals such as members of Birdcloud, Heavy Cream, Ri¢hie, and some very brief male nudity (I think it’s Cy Barkley, but it’s hard to tell). It also features the only tasteful/non-annoying use of those laser pointer splitter effects I’ve ever seen. Gotta hand it to these guys- they’ve made some awesome music videos, and this one is no exception- it just makes you wanna jump in a canoe and go camping and get drunk. (Via Nashville Cream)
- Finally, I’ll link back to my post from last year about how to make homemade smoke bomb from sugar and saltpeter. Reminder- please be very careful if you do this and observe all safety precautions! I am not responsible for any injuries or other harm that may come to you as result of reading this blog post and carrying out the instructions contained within. If you observe all safety precautions, however, this is a safe recipe/method for making a very impressive homemade smoke bomb. It’s done very commonly by pyrotechnics hobbyists everywhere. Be sure to check your local ordinances and laws to determine whether doing this is legal where you live!
Have a great 4th of July and I’ll be back late next week!
steve cross loves music and science 