Tristen: Charlatans at the Garden Gate
January 25, 2011
To those of us immersed in the Nashville local rock scene, it seems almost like a catharsis for Tristen’s debut album Charlatans at the Garden Gate to finally be released. There’s been talk around town of her album for a good two years, ever since she started working on it with Jeremy Ferguson at Battletapes. I worked with her on a promo photo shoot in October of 2009 during which one thing was very clear- she is the type of person who won’t release her art to the masses until she’s absolutely sure it’s perfect. That’s why this album took 2 years to make, but the result was well worth the wait. She and Jeremy managed to find just the right guest musicians and instrumentation to fit the songs. Good production is hard to describe, but the best I can do is say that when you hear a certain guitar part or tone, or certain keyboard sound, you just know that it’s RIGHT. You think to yourself, “that song needed to sound that way.” That’s what I think after listening to virtually every song on this record. Possibly the best example of this is the closing track “Save Raina.” The subject matter of her songs is mostly serious and sometimes rather dark, but the melodies and song structure never allow the songs to become downright depressing, just earnest. There’s always some degree of catchiness as well- these songs will stick in your head; not a single one is forgettable. Her voice is really the overwhelming factor, though. Just the right amount of cracks and warbles are left in so that she sounds incredibly human; incredibly real. This girl has got it all- the songwriting chops, the voice, the looks, and the band. Do yourself a favor and get a copy of this album when it hits shelves on Feb. 1st via American Myth Recordings. She’s currently on tour in support of the album, so check her myspace to see if she’s coming to your town. You can order a copy of the album through her main website, or check your local record store.
MP3: Tristen-Baby Drugs
Photo by Rachel Briggs
POWERBRRRD probably playing our last show tonight
January 21, 2011
Tonight will probably be POWERBRRRD’s last show. We are playing with Bad Cop, Reid Magette, and the Devin Robinson Band. I say probably because you never know how things will go, but it will definitely be several months before we try to do anything again, if we do. We’ll call it an indefinite hiatus. Basically we just couldn’t keep the 4-piece lineup together due to people moving out of town, having other jobs that require them to tour this spring, etc… So we’re just gonna say “fuck it” and if a new bass player who fits us falls into our lap over the next few months, maybe we’ll play again.
Seth put up our EP “Good Job, POWERBRRRD!” on bandcamp yesterday, so if you want to, check it out. It’s totally free to download. We just wanted to get it out there.
There are lots of other good shows happening this weekend, but this morning I just don’t have the time to do my usual weekend rundown. So go check out the Cream’s listings.
If you’re a Nashvillian you no doubt know about the massive snowball fight that occurred in Centennial Park Monday night. Snow is somewhat of rarity around here, so the young (and the young at heart) never miss the chance to enjoy it. Luckily technology has advanced to the point that it’s quite easy to make gorgeous imagery, both still photography and film, even in such low-light conditions. Behold this awesome slo-mo video created by Winston Hearn. I know, I know, using a Jonsi song is so obvious for slo-mo footage of hipsters throwing snowballs… but it really hits the perfect mood and sometimes you have to throw the snark out window and enjoy something for what it is.
I must also mention the great set of photos from the event taken by Lance Conzett over on Dixie Downturn.
In other news, local indie rock/punk staple club The End has finally joined the 21st century and gotten a website. You can also pre-order tickets to some select shows. As much as we Nashville rock promoters/musicians love owner Bruce Fitzpatrick, the guy is very old-school. The venue has been around for 30 some years, and as far as I know, he’s been the owner the whole time. (Someone correct me if I’m wrong about that.) I’m just happy that it’s now relatively easy to see who’s playing there and when. (Via the Cream)
Nashville’s Dead became a bonafide record label a few months ago, and their first two releases are now up on the webstore. They are both 7″ singles, one by Useless Eaters and the other by The Paperhead (formerly known as The Looking Glass). (Via Nashville’s Dead)
This weekend: what to do
January 7, 2011
Sorry posting has been scarce this week. I’ve been busy at both work and at home. Here’s a quick rundown of shows I recommend seeing in Nashville this weekend.
FRIDAY:
Hands Down Eugene, Shoot the Mountain, and The Sleep-Ins @ the Basement. STM has a new drummer: Patrick Rodgers (Scene writer and drummer of And The Relatives). All-around solid lineup. 9pm, $5, 21+
John Carter Cash, the Early Evening, Shane Ownby @ the Rutledge. 8:30pm, 18+, I can’t seem to find a price anywhere…
SATURDAY:
If you’re in Nashville:
The Clutters 10-year anniversary show w/ Cheap Time @ the Basement. It’s hard to believe they’ve been bangin’ out garage-punk for 10 years now but it’s true. 9pm, $5, 21+
Ryan Truso & Family benefit show ft. Brandon Jazz & His Armed Forces, The Worsties, Cheer Up Charlie Daniels, Jesse Coppenbarger (of Colour Revolt) & more @ Mercy Lounge. 9pm, $7 min. donation. Mr. Truso is an excellent producer, recently shaping the sounds of Brandon Jazz, Dozen Dimes, and many more. He’s also an awesome dude in general. He recently became the victim of the housing crisis and applied for a fraudulent assistance program for middle-class homeowners called HAMP. Now they need $8,000 by Jan. 20th or Ryan and his wife & son will be forced out of their home.
If you’re in Murfreesboro:
Children of Spy, Powerbrrrd, Animal City, and Seth Moore @ the Boro. $3, 21+. I have to shamelessly self-promote for a moment… this show is the first time Powerbrrrd has played in Murfreesboro, and Children of Spy is Nick Naoti’s (of Zombie Bazooka Patrol) new band, who are getting back from a short tour. I know there are a few friends left down there, so please come out of the cracks and make your way to the Boro to see what Seth & I have been up to with this new(ish) band.
Have a great weekend!
This weekend’s shows
December 17, 2010
Not much time this morning. Here we go:
Before we get to the show picks, I must point you toward The Nobility’s Christmas EP that just popped up on their Bandcamp page. It’s quite good, and I basically agree with everything Tracy Moore McDonald said about it in her critic’s pick for last night’s show at Bongo After Hours.
FRIDAY:
Cobra Cheetah Tiger Viper, Big Sir (Big Surr?), Richard Hirsch @ Open Lot. 9pm. $5 This is CCTV’s EP release show. I’ve heard the EP and was rather impressed.
Tim Chad and Sherry, Loose Cougar, Spaceship of the Imagination Christmas show @ the Basement. 9pm $5 (I think). This will be insane because that last band isn’t a band at all. It’s the one and only Matt Rowland (keys for Ghostfinger) with an array of keyboards playing Christmas jams. Expect the unexpected.
SATURDAY:
The annual Beatles vs. Stones cover night benefit show at the Basement. Ft. Tristen, Rayland Baxter, Reno Bo, Grimey’s Inexpensive Winos, and many more. 9pm, benefit for Toys for Tots. $7 or a toy donation.
Hans Condor, Alcohol Stuntband, Stallion @ the 5 Spot. 9pm $5.
SUNDAY:
A very British Christmas @ Mercy Lounge. I won’t try to explain this, just go to their calendar and read the description.
Have a great weekend!
The Zut Alors: Boy Girl Party
December 16, 2010
Local synth rockers The Zut Alors are a shining example of what can be accomplished through Kickstarter. They started a campaign to raise money to press their debut album Boy Girl Pary on vinyl. They succeeded, and now they have the shiny new records in hand, ready to ship. The album is an impressive collection of medium-tempo sometimes dark, sometimes catchy, synth pop/rock. Singer Nick Bennett’s voice is often draped in reverb or delay and fuzzed out with distortion, but always with a clever underlying melody. You can clearly hear a strong Echo & The Bunnymen/Smiths influence on the vocals. Every instrument and layer in every song sounds calculated and precise, and the parts seem to fit together like a puzzle. The end result, though, is a set of carefully crafted pop songs that make an album well worth your money. It took this album a few listens to grow on me, but now I find myself putting it on repeat. Highly recommended.
The album will be available in Nashville at Grimey’s and online at their bandcamp page starting tomorrow, 12/17. Also, they’re hosting a listening party in the Blue Bar at Goldrush this Sunday night (the 19th). The party starts at 9pm and they’ll be selling the vinyl LP (which includes a free download code) for super cheap.
Download- Take Take Take
Weekend in Nashville/snowpocalypse redux
December 10, 2010
As always, I must shamelessly self-promote for a minute. Tonight my band POWERBRRRD is playing at The End along with Big Surr, Diarrhea Planet, Evan P. Donohue, and Casa Castille. 5 bands? Yes, 5 bands, BUT rest assured that every band on this bill has a setlist of 30 minutes or less. In fact, POWERBRRRD’s set will probably barely crack 20 minutes. This show will be a conglomeration of insanity, I promise. And it will only set you back 5 bones. Also, Joaquin Phoenix will be there. (Oh, and sorry, Michael Eades. At least we advertised all 5 bands from the get-go!)
Now for some other shows that I recommend:
FRIDAY:
Ok, if you MUST go to something else tonight, my pick would be Howlies, with Oblio and Field Days at the Basement. 9pm, 21+ $??? Also, there’s an afterparty for that show at Mercy Lounge.
SATURDAY:
Natural Child, Ex Humans, The Cannomen, Foster Care, and Cy Barkley at Glen Danzig’s House. $5, 7pm
SUNDAY:
Cold War Kids at Third Man Records. I can’t find a time anywhere but it’s probably something like 7pm.
AXWY, Shoot the Mountain, Tallest Trees at the 5 Spot. 9pm, 21+ $5. (AXWY is an bloopy, glitchy, Postal Service-esque project started by Ryan Malina about a year ago. He put out an album that was quite good, but to my knowledge hasn’t played the material live until now.)
It’s also worth noting that the Scene has posted their yearly local Rock ‘n Roll Poll. The “outtakes and extended jams” is worth a read too.
You may have heard that Nashville is supposed to get a little snow this weekend. I’ll throw my official weather nerd opinion in the hat: DON’T FREAK OUT. It’s not going to be #snowpocalypse2010redux. What they’re forecasting is maybe an inch late Saturday night into Sunday morning. I’d say Nashville itself will get a dusting at best. This is one of those systems where the low pressure is well to the north of us, and the cold front is swinging around to the south, hitting us. There will rain/warmer weather ahead of the front as it pushed west-to-east, but very little moisture behind the front. I’d say the rain will change to snow late Saturday night as they predict, but again, no more than a dusting in Nashville. I hope I’m wrong, as I’m actually a fan of snow, but history says to take official forecast amounts with grain of salt. (Haha, get it? Salt melts snow. Haha…)
Have a great weekend!
Those Darlins prep new album
December 7, 2010
Having a day job prevents me from being timely on these sort of things sometimes, so the rest of the internet has probably already told you that Those Darlins released info yesterday about their next album titled Screws Get Loose, set for a March 29, 2011 release. Back in September when I spent roughly a week on the road with them as part of a photo documentary project, I got to hear most of the new songs played live every night, and I must say I’m very eager to hear how they sound recorded. There’s definitely a shift towards more bluesy, boosey, Stonesy-style songwriting. As mentioned in the press release, drummer Linwood Regensburg contributed to the songwriting this time around, and I’ve also heard he even sings lead on one of the tracks. It’s still Those Darlins through and through, but it seems they’ve shed some of the Carter Family influences for something a little more aggressive and hard-nosed. Indeed, when you tour as much as they have over the past couple of years, it’s going to show in your songs.
In other news, I invite you to experience all of Billy Joel’s greatest hits played at once:
(Via Clusterflock)
This weekend in Nashville
December 3, 2010
Before I get to my picks for what to this weekend in Nashville, I must very briefly mention the famous Arsenic bacteria that NASA announced yesterday. It’s all over every news site in the universe, so I feel no need to say anything other than- this is totally awesome and it will force biologists and astrobiologists to rethink their theories of what type of life might exist on other worlds. It also proves that life can be much more adaptable than we ever thought. And I can’t help but post this great comic from XKCD:
Now for this weekend’s picks:
FRIDAY:
Charlie Louvin, w/ Porter Hall, TN at Foobar. This will be in the new Foobar expansion room, not the tiny stage at the main bar. And it’s fucking Charlie Louvin! Dude’s a living legend. 9pm I would assume… but I can’t find a definite time listing anywhere, so you might wanna show up early- dude’s a legend but he’s also very old, and old people tend to go to bed early.
Tim & Eric Awesome Tour Great Job! Featuring Tim & Eric, Pusswhip Banggang, and Neil Hamburger at the Cannery Ballroom. 9pm, but I hear it’s sold out. So hopefully you already have tickets…
SATURDAY:
Duh! Where else would you be besides La Paz? As I mentioned yesterday, I’m throwing a tacky sweater holiday disco party at La Paz with DJs Potamus and Vitalic Noise. La Paz is now at 2214 Elliston Pl., where Ombi used to be. It’s 21+, is FREE between 10-11pm, and $3 after 11pm. We’ve got $2.50 PBRs, $4 margaritas, and a round of $2 jello shots coming out at midnight. We’ll also have a disco ball, fog machine, and plenty of dark corner makeout sessions.
BUT if you MUST do something else tomorrow night-
Old 97’s w/ Hayes Carll at Mercy Lounge. 9pm but it’s sold out.
Black Cab Sessions day show: in-store at Grimey’s with Tristen and We Were The States (who have a new album out!)
Black Cab Sessions night show: at the Basement with PUJOL, Tristen, Cheap Time, Altered Statesmen, and more. If you don’t know what the Black Cab Sessions are, go here.
Have a great weekend!
steve cross loves music and science 