VITAL tonight at Mai/New Aaron Robinson EP
February 24, 2011
Tonight at Mai is the 4th (I think) installment of VITAL, the monthly series at Club Mai presented by Vitalic Noise. This month the dudes are trying out a whole new idea for the event- live bands. Mai is traditionally a full-on dance club, with just DJs providing the entertainment, but the VN guys have constructed a special stage that can be moved and disassembled quickly, so for this night they’ve brought in 3 bands- The Pass, Cherub, and Boss of Nova. In addition, DJs Vitalic Noise and Myrryrs will be spinning. It’ll be a good night, so head on down to 12th for a completely new experience at Mai.
In other local music news, songwriter and former Imaginary Baseball League frontman Aaron Robinson just released a new EP via Bandcamp. The songs stay true to his mellow, earnest style, and his crooning is a smooth as ever. The EP is a pay-what-you-want deal, but I do know that he personally invested money out of pocket to make these recordings, so if you can, show the man some support! Also, I strongly urge you to read his hilarious account of one of his songs inadvertently ending up as the soundtrack to a porno… over at Nashville Cream.
LPLN presents 90s Night this Saturday/other weekend shows
February 18, 2011
First and foremost, I must self-promote for just a moment. This Saturday night will be the 3rd installment of the new La Paz Late Night series hosted by myself (Burgers), Potamus, and Vitalic Noise. This month we’re doing a 90s theme and it’s going to be the most ridiculous night of unironic nostalgic pleasure you’ve seen in quite some time. We’ve got all the danceable jams you can imagine from the 90s, even a few “jock jams,” as well as lights and a projector that will be showing classic 90s films like Clueless and Reality Bites on the wall. We also have our usual cheap drink specials- $2 jello shots/$2.50 PBR tallboys/$4 margaritas. It’s a meager $2 to get in if you come in 90’s attire, $3 if you come in 2011 attire. DO IT.
Now for some other stuff to do this weekend:
FRIDAY:
Doug Stanhope w/ The Mattoid @ Exit/In. 9pm, $20
Jimmy Eat World w/ David Bazan @ the Cannery. 9pm, $25 adv./$27 DOS BUT I’M PRETTY SURE IT’S SOLD OUT.
SATURDAY:
Well duh. You’re coming to La Paz Late Night.
BUT, if you just can’t do unironic nostalgia thing, you could go see Cheap Time, D. Watusi, Slammers, and Fox Fun at Glen Danzig’s House. That’s only $2 and starts at 7pm.
Have a great weekend, but first enjoy this extremely dorky but hilarious video/song “Tonight I’m Frakkin’ You”. (Tip to the producer of the song: your vocals are way, way too loud in the mix.)
(Via io9)
FAMN DAMN/Jensen Sportag/Slayer
February 16, 2011
Whoa. Did I really just mention those 3 bands in a row?
Cody Blaine has been making music in Murfreesboro for a good few years now in various incarnations. As most artists do, he’s changed, grown, and honed his skills quite a bit along the way. His latest project is called FAMN DAMN, a scaled-down version of his previous project Cody Blaine & The Whole Famn Damnly. That band involved drums, bass, keys, and a horn section. Needless to say, managing rehearsals for such a sizeable undertaking can take its toll on one’s willpower, so the new incarnation is much simpler- Cody Blaine sings and plays keys while drummer Mikey Lieberman caresses the skins. It’s nearly impossible not to compare Blaine’s vocal style to that of Tom Waits, but along the way he’s honed it so that it’s not as derivative. Stripping the instrumental aspects of the songs down to such bare components was also a good thing. The result is his first release on vinyl- the “Honey, Come Pull On My Tie/Borrowed Time” 7″ single. The single is currently being pressed for an unspecified release date. *Disclaimer- I did the photography and cover art for this release, so I’m not completely unbiased here.*
After debating which track to post, I landed on the B-side “Borrowed Timem,” as I slightly prefer it over the A-side.
In other news, Jensen Sportag‘s EP Pure Wet is officially out. Stream and purchase via their label Cascine. Like said before: SEXY. This EP could just as easily have been titled Pure Sex. No joke.
Via the A.V. Club– Slayer’s guitarist Jeff Hanneman had to back out of a few upcoming shows for what has to be the most metal thing ever: He got a case of flesh-eating bacteria from a spider bite. Thankfully he’s fine and currently recovering from surgery. Seriously, that’s one of the most metal things I’ve ever heard. And Slayer is probably the most metal metal band ever, because the singer also recently injured his neck and back from headbanging. Somebody needs to give these dudes a trophy.
What’s going on this weekend
February 11, 2011
Before we get to listings, I’ll share a bit of interesting news that I discovered today at You Ain’t No Picasso: the Forecastle Festival has been canceled this year. I never actually made it up to Louisville to catch it, but the festival boasted some pretty awesome lineups in the past, including Flaming Lips, Smashing Pumpkins, Spoon, Devo, The Avett Brothers, The Black Keys, and many more. They’ve apparently partnered with AC Entertainment- the promoters responsible for huge things like Bonnaroo and Moogfest. So, we haven’t seen the last of Forecastle, it just won’t be happening this year. They are, however, still doing the Halfway to Forecastle show as a one-day, indoor/outdoor event and moving to July. Full details can be found on the Forecastle website.
Now for what’s going down this weekend in Nashville:
FRIDAY:
Well, honestly there’s not much tonight that really piqued my interest. But POWERBRRRD buds Little Viking are playing at Springwater with Clorange and Planet Ink. 10pm $5
SATURDAY:
Tapes ‘n Tapes w/ Oberhofer @ Mercy Lounge. 9pm
Electric Western’s 3rd Annual Valentine’s Party @ the 5 Spot. 9pm $8 TIX HERE Trust me, these dudes know how to throw a party. EW is the force behind the famed “Keep On Movin'” monday night boogie-downs.
I’ll go ahead and move past this weekend to point out that this coming Monday’s 8 off 8th lineup at Mercy Lounge looks to be one of the best in a very long time- Tristen, Shoot the Mountain, Andrew Combs, The Roses, Big Sir (not Big Surr), Oh No No, Dead Towns.
Have a great weekend!
Those Darlins: Be Your Bro video
February 7, 2011
This new video from Those Darlins embodies their image perfectly. It’s a very simple concept but executed very well. I’m sure this will appeal much more to their male fanbase- you see flashes of butts, panties, bras, and plenty of sexy poses, albeit mixed with some goofy ones as well. But once again- that’s them: somehow sexy and goofy at the same time. There’s a little skin action from Linwood in there too, for the ladies. Just watch, and be sure to click up to full HD resolution.
New band: Anchor Theives/what to do this weekend
February 4, 2011
Nashville has some newcomers worth taking note of: Anchor Thieves. Their debut album Prerequisite is available for free download at bandcamp. They are tagged with “alternative indie minimalist lo-fi rock pop” and I’d say that’s a decent approximation.
You probably could care less about this, but I made a mash tun out of a cooler last weekend, and this weekend I will be brewing my first all-grain batch of beer. Let’s hope everything works out.
Now, here’s what I think you should be doing this weekend:
FRIDAY:
Deerhoof, Ben Butler, Mousepad, Nervous Cop *update* Ben Butler & Mousepad, R. Stevie Moore @ Mercy Lounge. 9pm. Why this is a 4-band bill is beyond me. When you have a well-established touring band headlining, there’s really no need to have more than 2 openers, IMO. Turns out Nervous Cop didn’t play, Ben Butler & Mousepad are 1 band, and R. Stevie Moore opened, which was a pleasant surprise!
Cheer Up Charlie Daniels, Buffalo Clover, and Young Hines @ the 5 Spot. 9pm $5
SATURDAY:
Dr. Dog, Head & The Heart, Buried Beds @ The Cannery. 9pm $18 adv/$20 DOS.
Tokyo Police Club, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin @ Exit/In. 9pm $15.
Twin Tigers, Diarrhea Planet, Kingston Springs, Weakness @ The End. 10pm $5
Have a great weekend!
Some awesomeness to drop on you today:
- Those Darlins’ new 7″ “Be Your Bro” drops today. The B-side is “Let U Down” and believe me when I say that these are two great songs. I joined them back in September of last year for a week-long segment of their east coast tour, and remember these songs well. I’ve yet to hear any of the recorded versions of these songs, so it’ll be interesting to hear what they sound like on vinyl. Their second full-length LP drops on March 29th. Both releases are on their own label Oh Wow Dang. Their website also had a bit of a makeover, so I recommend checking it out.
- Tristen’s new album Charlatans at the Garden Gate got a pretty glowing review from the A.V. Club. The album is available today digitally, but the physical release has been pushed back to 2/15 due to “a production delay and bad weather early this month in the south east” according to Facebook.
- Jensen Sportag are basically going to rule 2011. They rescued last week’s “Vital” at Mai by filling in for the snowed-into NYC Bit Funk, DJing a slew of new jams from their upcoming EP Pure Wet, which will be released via Cascine. Head over to Vitalic Noise to stream the track “Mapquest” and watch the video for “Everything Good.” Seriously, DO IT. There is really only one way to describe this: SEXY. Basically this is the sexiest thing to come out of Nashville in… forever? I’m talking classy sexy here, not slutty sexy. I also hear that JS is working on a new live setup, incorporating a 3rd member on keys, and possibly even more. No word on when we can catch a glimpse of this live arrangement locally, but I’m sure there will be opportunities, and I’ll be sure to post as soon as I find out.
Did I really just mention the rough-edged wild ones known as Those Darlins in the same post as the smooth, sexy sounds of Jensen Sportag? Why yes, I did. That is a shining example of the wide diversity of great music coming out of this non-country scene in Nashville. Keep it comin’ y’all.
What to do this weekend
January 28, 2011
Not a lot of time today. Here’s a quick rundown of some good shows happening in Nashville this weekend.
FRIDAY:
Smith Westerns, Yuck, and Big Surr @ The End. 9pm, $5. Big Surr is the shit. Wasn’t impressed by Smith Westerns when I saw them at Exit/In a year or so ago. Yuck has really been growing on me with their shoegaze-pop.
SATURDAY:
Gentlemen Divers album release with Carter Administration and Hollow Ox @ fooBar.too. $5 9pm. Carters haven’t played in quite a while. It’ll be a good’n.
We Were the States, Jimmy Duke, The Riot @ The Basement. 9pm $5 21+
Natural Child, D. Watusi, Big Sir & the Greater Good, Paper Machete @ The End. 9pm, $5
Have a great weekend!
Make-Out with Violence on Netflix/Bit Funk at Mai tonight/Vids from last Powerbrrrd show
January 27, 2011
If you have Netflix, I strongly recommend putting the phenomenal, Nashville-made film Make-Out with Violence in your queue right now. It just recently officially became rentable, so take advantage of that and get it. Seriously, go do it, here’s the link. I’ve mentioned this movie before, so you should at least have some clue about it if you read this blog somewhat regularly. If you’ve already seen it, at least go into your Netflix and give it a 5-star rating (or whatever you think it deserves) because these people deserve it. They deserve to finally start making some of their money back on this film. Also, Yewknee and We Own This Town report that the soundtrack is out now on vinyl. Clearly, the 40-something tracklist had to whittled down quite a bit to fit onto a vinyl LP, but from what I understand they kept the best of the best. Grab it here.
One of my favorite electronic producers/remixers is coming to town tonight at Mai. Yes, the amazing BIT FUNK will gracing Nashville with his slick, smooth, and funky style of nu-disco. Seriously, I flipped a lid when I first heard he was coming. It’s part of the monthly “VITAL” series hosted by my buds at Vitalic Noise. I heard there will be confetti cannons. And fog. And whatever else your disco heart desires. Seriously, be there. Robot Ears and Vitalic Noise DJs will open up. Starts around 10, only costs $6 to get in ($8 if you’re a young’n), and get this- 100% of the door money is going to Global Tribe, a very worthy cause. If you need more reasons to come, check out Bit Funk’s Soundcloud. I dare you not to dance.
*UPDATE* APPARENTLY BIT FUNK HAD TO CANCEL DUE TO THE SNOW IN NYC PREVENTING HIS TRAVEL. BUT JENSEN SPORTAG IS FILLING IN, WHICH IS A VERY FITTING REPLACEMENT.
Finally, just a quick mention that our friends in Diarrhea Planet were kind enough to take some video of the final Powerbrrrd show last friday at Springwater. Also, our friend at Dixie Downturn were kind enough to blog about it, so head over and watch them there. We love you, DD and DP!
R.I.P. Charlie Louvin/other music tidbits
January 26, 2011
Copyright 2010 Steve Cross- Unauthorized use or reposting prohibited!
The world lost a country music legend last night. Charlie Louvin of the famed Louvin Brothers passed away due to complications from pancreatic cancer. He was 83, and enjoying a bit of a recent upswing in his career. The above photo is from a show he played at the Exit/In on Nov. 25th, 2009 with Caitlin Rose and the Dex Romweber Duo. I wasn’t assigned to shoot the show for the Scene or anyone, I just felt like I should take photos. I’m glad I was able to capture one of his last few shows in Nashville. I’m not a very religious person, but I have to hope that he’s somehow re-united with his brother Ira, whom he lost in 1965, singing the close harmonies that made them famous. More at Paste and the Nashville Cream.
In other news, the first of the 3rd annual “Road To Bonnaroo” 8 off 8th series at Mercy Lounge has been announced. It will happen Feb. 28th and will feature Majestico, Chancellor Warhol, Courtney Jaye, Heartbeater, Kink Ador, Evan P. Donohue, Sleeper Agent, and Tyler Bryant. Last year the contest was expanded to four 8 off 8ths (thus 4 winning bands playing Bonnaroo), but this year it’s back to 3. Mercy Lounge also has opted to release the lineups one at a time, and for good reason- last year some of the later lineups got shuffled around quite a bit.
From the ashes of Apollo Up! come Gentleman Divers. Featuring the Apollo Up! rhythm section of Mike Shepherd and Jeremy Frey, this new project has many of the same 80’s and 90’s hardcore/punk influences as Apollo Up!. Stream their S/T debut album at their bandcamp, and check out their album release show at fooBar.too on January 29th. (Via the Cream)
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