A Few Good Shows: 5/10/13
May 10, 2013
What a fine weekend is in store for us Nashvillians! Lots of good shows happenin’, so I’ll cut right to the chase:
FRIDAY:
T. Rust cassette release, with Switchblade Kid, Shy Guy, and Blank Range @ The End. 9pm $5
East Nashville Underground ft. The Weeks, Evan P. Donohue, The Kicks, Young International, The Future, and Bang Ok Bang @ The East Room. 9pm 21+ $Tix here
Generationals w/ Brass Bed @ The High Watt. 9pm $10
Courtney Jaye album release, w/ special guest JP5 @ The Stone Fox. 9pm $7
SATURDAY:
Hotpipes album release show w/ Echo Group and Treekeeper @ Mercy Lounge. 9pm $10 (includes vinyl copy of their new album DUST)
Turbo Fruits, Richie, Tipper Whore, and Ben Spinks Supermelt @ Ben Weber’s house. FREE (Check out the facebook event for details)
East Nashville Underground (DAY SHOW) ft. Alyssa Bonagura, Erin McCarley, Little Bandit, Justin Kalk Orchestra, Derek Hoke, and Bears of Blue River @ The East Room. 11am-8pm. 21+ $Tix here
East Nashville Underground ft. The Kingston Springs, Chancellor Warhol, Hotel War, Kink Ador, *Repeat Repeat, and Brandon Jazz & His Armed Forces @ The East Room. 9pm 21+ $Tix here
Night of the Living Cover Bands: a benefit for Nashville Rock Block and YEAH! @ The Stone Fox. 9pm $7
A Few Good Shows: 5/3/13
May 3, 2013
A little late today but better late than never!
A couple of Nashville local music tidbits to mention before we get to the show listings
- Hotpipes’ long-awaited new album Dust is now out! Grab it on their bandcamp or website.
- Sugar Sk*_*lls also has a new album, called Intermission full of his undeniable 8-bit goodness. Grab it on his bandcamp as well.
- NORM (aka Dave Paulson of The Privates, The Pink Spiders, and My So-Called Band) released his debut solo album via bandcamp, but in an email statement he says that while he initially thought his home mastering job sounded just fine, a few days later he realized that it just wasn’t up to par. So, while the ‘rough’ version remains on his bancamp, the re-mastered version will be up “sometime in the month of May.” This version “will be much kinder to your eardrums no matter where you listen to it.” Needless to say, these songs are all VERY GOOD.
Now, onto this weekend’s show listings:
FRIDAY:
GOAT w/ Holy Wave @ The High Watt. 9pm $10
The Black Keys w/ The Flaming Lips @ Bridgestone Arena. 7:30pm $25-$47
SATURDAY:
Shari Rowe, Midnight Riders, Sugar Pants Johnson, Honey Locust, Scale Model, Ryegrass, and Roy Ira @ Sevier Park Festival Corner Music Stage. 11am-7pm, FREE.
*Please note: this event is rain or shine and there is a large tent over the stage/crowd area and the beer gardens, so you can still attend and stay dry in the areas that matter- music & beer!*
Griffin Technology presents YACHT ROCK REVIVAL ft. Yacht Rock Revue & special guests, w/ Guilty Pleasures, Space Capone, Larry g(EE), The Aquaducks, and Whiskey Disco afterparty. All in the Mercy Lounge/Cannery/High Watt/ONE complex, 4pm-last call. $20 adv/$25 DOS/$75 VIP
Hurts To Laugh, Megajoos, 3 Birds, and Opossum Holler @ The 5 Spot. 9pm $5
Musician’s Corner ft. Charles Walker & The Dynamites, The Fairfield Four, and Andrew Ripp @ Centennial Park. 12pm FREE
SUNDAY:
The Black Angels, Hanni El Khatib, and Wall of Death @ Mercy Lounge. 9pm $15
That’s it! Have a great weekend and try to stay dry!
A Few Good Shows: 4/26/13
April 26, 2013
It’s hard to believe it was over 10 years ago when I was at a college party in Murfreesboro, TN and my roommate Blake had introduced me to Cal Dykes, this synthesizer-obsessed dude who lived with his friends Lance McDonald and Andy Stella- all of them were in the recording industry major at MTSU. At that party he showed us a couple of new vintage Moog synths he had either just bought or was working on… and also excitedly told us about this new band he was starting called The Protomen, and that they were gonna make epic rock-opera-esque music based on the backstory of the videogame Mega Man. I then attended their debut live show on April 26th, 2003 (or it might’ve been Fri. the 25th…) at The Boro and had my mind blown. Little did I know what an amazing ten years lay ahead for these dudes. This Saturday The Protomen celebrate their 10-year anniversary at Mercy Lounge, with another ally who’s been there from the beginning- the inimitable Makeup And Vanity Set. And rounding out the bill is Hanzelle, another synth-heavy troupe that originally hailed from Murfreesboro.
Now that I’ve gotten my little trip down memory lane out of the way, here are my picks for shows to see this weekend in Nashville!
FRIDAY:
The Sword, Kyng, and Laser Flames on the Great Big News @ Exit/In. 9pm $17
Magnolia Sons, Star and Micey, and Strung Like A Horse @ The 5 Spot. 9pm $5
The Weeks album release w/ Junior Astronomers @ Mercy Lounge. 9pm $12
SATURDAY:
The Protomen 10-year anniversary show w/ Makeup And Vanity Set and Hanzelle @ Mercy Lounge. 9pm $12 adv/$14 DOS
Ri¢hie, Cannomen, and Fragments of God @ The Stone Fox. 9pm
That’s it- have a great weekend!
It’s been way too long since I last posted anything science-related. Photographing weddings, playing in two bands, and working a day job has eaten up all of my spare time lately! But I’ve found enough time to bring you some exciting updates and cool videos today.
Credit: NASA
Above is a comparison of the 5 newly confirmed exoplanets in the Kepler-62 system. The Kepler mission also confirmed an exoplanet around another star, Kepler-69, but that one isn’t nearly as interesting as the Kepler-62 system. Specifically, Kepler-62e and 62f are very exciting because they are officially the smallest potentially habitable exoplanets discovered to date! 62e and 62f are about 1.6 and 1.4 times the size of Earth, respectively. Based on our best computer models for planetary formation and evolution, scientists estimate that 62e is probably cloudy and quite warm, while 62f is probably covered in water and quite cooler, possibly even covered in ice. But different atmospheric conditions could change that significantly… there’s no way (yet) to know for sure. For more on this exciting discovery check out Universe Today and Bad Astronomy.
In related news: Building on the awesome success of the Kepler mission, NASA has announced its next exoplanet-hunting mission, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS. Scheduled for launch in 2017, this new space-based telescope will look for exoplanets in the same way the Kepler mission has been, but it will use four wide-angle telescopes to look at a much broader part of the sky.
Now for the video goods. These are both very cool short segments from Canadian astronaut and current ISS commander Chris Hadfield.
This one is a mesmerizing demonstration of how water behaves in a zero-gravity environment by wringing out a wet washcloth:
And this one is Chris talking about possibly the coolest aspect of being in the ISS- taking breathtaking photographs of Earth from the ISS’s cupola:
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A Few Good Shows: 4/19/13 (Record Store Day Madness)
April 19, 2013
It’s that time of year again. Record Store Day 2013 is TOMORROW! That means lots of awesome day shows at the record stores around town, and lots of very exclusive/limited-release vinyl. Unfortunately it also means insanely obsessive fans/collectors camped out in front of said record stores at the asscrack of dawn waiting to be first in line to purchase the “RSD-only exclusive collectors edition midnight blue vinyl 7-inch test-pressing of (insert dead indie band frontman) farting during an early demo of (insert dead indie band name).”
I digress.
Seriously though, between the awesome RSD festivities and the regular shows happening, this is one helluva weekend for music in Nashville.
FRIDAY:
Frye Jam Session ft. The Features, Odessa Rose, Nikki Lane, and Andrew Combs @ Mercy Lounge. FREE- doors 7pm. *Only the 1st 300 people will get in, and you will be videotaped if you’re in the crowd.*
Mean Jeans, Ben Spinks Supermelt, No Regrets Coyote, and Hollywood @ The End. 9pm $7
Nudity, Scale Model, The Prime Ordeal, and Joey Molinaro @ Noa Noa. 9pm $3-$5 suggested donation. BYOB.
AC Slater, Myrryrs, Flinch, and Treekeeper @ SEEN. 9pm $20
Phantom Farmer (aka Joel McAnulty) album release w/ Lylas, Mark Sloan, and Cale Tyson @ The Stone Fox. 9pm $5
QDP @ The 5 Spot. 9pm $1 21+
SATURDAY:
RSD at The Groove- DeRobert & The Half-Truths, Penicillin Baby, Forget Cassettes, Cooper, Western Medication, Tristen, & more. More info here.
RSD at Grimey’s- The Features, Hotpipes, Paramore, Alanna Royale, PUJOL, Daniel Bachman, Josh Rouse, & more. More info here.
RSD at Third Man Records- Karen Elson and Fats Kaplin, Mark Watrous, and DJ Jemina Pearl. More info here.
Fond Object grand opening ft. JP5, Cheap Time, Promised Land, JP Harris & The Tough Choices, and Sparkle City DJs. 2-7pm FREE. More info here.
Mansions On The Moon, Carousel, and Black Sea Royalty @ The High Watt. 9pm $10 adv/$12 DOS.
Phew. That’s it. Have a great weekend and go out and buy some records!
The Features: a new album May 14th and Grimey’s RSD show
April 17, 2013
Nashville’s hometown indie-pop heroes The Features are back with a new self-titled album on May 14th! They released the bouncy, catchy single “This Disorder” (which you can stream below) a while back, and just announced the official presale for the album on CD/Vinyl and iTunes. The pre-order on Bandcamp will also get you 2 free mp3s of your choice.
The boys will be performing at Grimey’s Record Store Day festivities along with Paramore, Hotpipes, Alanna Royale, Daniel Bachman, Josh Rouse, and PUJOL. They’re also playing a special free Frye Jam Session showcase this Friday night at Mercy Lounge with Nikki Lane, Odessa Rose, and Andrew Combs. Get there early if you want in- it’s limited to 300 capacity!
Fix The Beer Tax bill passed TN house and senate
April 12, 2013
Raise your pint glasses, steins, and snifters in a toast to the success of TN’s Fix the Beer Tax campaign! On Monday the bill passed the state senate, and on Wednesday it passed the state house. Both were almost unanimous votes. The bill still has to be signed into law by Governor Bill Haslam, but with such widespread support and virtually no opposition whatsoever, he will sign it. TN is now on its way to becoming much friendlier to the craft brewing industry, and no longer will breweries be penalized for making a better quality product. Thank you to all my friends and readers who supported this campaign! Read the full article from the horse’s mouth at the official Fix the Beer Tax website.
A Few Good Shows: 4/12/13
April 12, 2013
I apologize for lack of content this week. I have been quite busy literally every single day. Even though I’m off from my day job today I still have a ton of yard work to do! For that reason I’ll get right to the point- what shows to see this weekend in Nashville!
FRIDAY:
A benefit for Norton Records ft. The A-Bones, The Ettes, Daddy Long Legs, The Weekend Babes, and special guest Har Mar Superstar @ Mercy Lounge. 9pm $15
Los Vigilantes, Las Ardillas, Cy Barkley & The Way Outsiders, Cry Baby, and Snake Eyez @ The Other Basement. 9pm $???
Bird Peterson, KDSML, Coach, and Strooly @ SEEN Nashville. 9pm $10-$15
SATURDAY:
Futurebirds, Natalie Prass, and No Regrets Coyote @ Mercy Lounge. 9pm $10 adv/$12 DOS
Buffalo Clover, Roy Ira, and Lindi Ortega @ The Basement. 8pm $5 21+ *early show! 8pm sharp!*
Hello Walls, w/ By The Gods @ The 5 Spot. 9pm $5 21+
That’s all I’ve got for ya. Have a great weekend!!
Fund this project via Kickstarter- Ms. Rhythm and Blues: A Rock & Roll Novel by Catie Cameron
April 2, 2013
Catie Cameron has been one of my best friends for many years. She’s a talented, smart gal and also a great writer. For the past few years she has been working on achieving one of her childhood dreams- to write and publish a novel. Today I’m happy to share with you her Kickstarter campaign, which will raise the funds needed for her to self-publish Ms. Rhythm and Blues: A Rock & Roll Novel. It’s about a girl named Maggie who grows up in Nashville, TN in the 90s and immerses herself in the rock scene, and eventually opens her own rock club. I won’t say much more because you really should just go to her Kickstarter page and check it out for yourself! Here’s the promo video:
steve cross loves music and science 