Freakin’ Weekend 2013 full schedule revealed
February 28, 2013
In the wake of the tragic death of Freakin’ Weekend founder Ben Todd, those who worked with him on it have stepped in to make sure this year’s installment of the festival/celebreation/freak-out will go off without a hitch. Indeed, yesterday the full schedule was posted over at Nashville’s Dead, and this year is gonna freak harder than ever before. The above poster was designed by Julia Bee and Ben Todd, and will be available to purchase at the pop-up record store Friday and Saturday. This year they introduced the option to buy a full weekend, three-day pass which guarantees entry into all three shows, and will save you a few bucks compared to buying individual tix for each night. Grab those here, because with this lineup you won’t want to miss a single act! Here’s a quick rundown of the lineup, but be sure to head over to Nashville’s Dead for full details.
Thursday March 7th @ The End:
Quintron & Miss Pussycat
Natural Child
Ranch Ghost
PUJOL
Slammers
Friday March 8th @ Exit/In:
The Black Lips
White Fence
Ex-Cult
D. Watusi
Crime Wave
Saturday March 9th @ Exit/In:
JEFF the Brotherhood
Diarrhea Planet
Cy Barkley & The Way Outsiders
OGG
The Orwells
The pop-up record store and daytime shows will go down at Local Honey (2009 Belmont Blvd) Friday and Saturday 12-5pm, with bands starting at 3pm.
This year’s gonna be a blast so get your freak on!
Great news for the tragically hip in Nashville: Morrissey has rescheduled his Ryman appearance for March 29th! According to the Ryman’s website, all original tickets for the canceled Jan. 29th date will be honored. Lauren and I were devastated when the Jan. 29th show was canceled due to Moz’s bleeding ulcer. Thank goodness he’s back in good health, though! We’d heard rumors that the tour would be rescheduled for the summer with Patti Smith opening… but I guess one could only dream of being so lucky as to witness such an amazing bill…
In case you’ve been under a rock recently, Caitlin Rose has a brand new album ready to drop March 5th. I’ve heard nothing but good, good, and more good about it. And this new song “No One To Call” makes me even more excited about this album than the last teaser track “I Was Cruel.” Stream it below and pre-order the vinyl here and receive a free digital copy of the album on March 1st. DO IT.
A Few Good Shows: 2/22/13
February 22, 2013
Like this photo? Vote for it for photo of the week on Instacanvas! Or click on the photo to see my Society6 gallery where you can buy prints of this and many more of my photos.
I hope you got your East Nashville Beer Fest tickets yesterday! I believe they sold out in roughly an hour. A little slower than I predicted but still… damn.
This weekend isn’t the strongest we’ve had in a while in terms of good shows to see, but there are some good ones in there. Here are my picks:
FRIDAY:
Allen Thompson Band, Poly, and Lonely H @ The Basement. 9pm $5 21+
Hagsanova @ The Stone Fox. 9pm $7
SATURDAY:
Menomena w/ Guards @ Mercy Lounge. 9pm $13 adv/$15 DOS
Count Bass D, Bohemian Hype Cult, and Treekeeper (DJ set) @ The Stone Fox. 9pm $7
Daniel Ellsworth and the Great Lakes, The Lonely Biscuits, & Black Sea Royalty @ Exit/In. 9pm $5
*This isn’t a show, but it really is worth mentioning: The Spectacular Poster Printacular at Barista Parlor, 7-10pm. Legendary printmakers such as Isle of Printing, Hatch Show Print, Boss Construction, Monkey Ink, Laura Baisden, Snowcat Press, Sam Smith, Micah Smith, Kangaroo Press, Family Tree and more will all be there showcasing and selling their prints. Bring some money because with this star-studded lineup of printmakers, you will come across something that you just can’t live without. It’s part of the Nashville Print Revival.
SUNDAY:
Stone Jack Jones, Lylas, Adia Victoria, Handsome Panther, and JD Panty Sweat (Nikki Darlin) @ The Basement. 9pm $5
Science Roundup: Universe doomed to become boring/Tiniest exoplanet/Men on Mars in 2018
February 21, 2013
Credit: CERN/NASA/Ian O’Niel
Here’s a quick roundup of some interesting stories and headlines that have popped up in the science world recently:
- Based on new calculations using information from the Higgs Boson discovery last year, some physicists are worried that the universe might be doomed for boredom. The new math shows that the very existence of everything could be inherently unstable, and in a few tens of billions of years a tiny bubble of an apparently much more boring, alternate universe might pop-up and subsequently expand at the speed of light, destroying everything. Granted, there’s still a lot to learn about the Higgs, the equations used to make this prediction will improve drastically over the coming years, and the human race probably won’t be around to see this happen, but I can’t help but laugh thinking about the universe vaporizing into a more “boring” state of existence. (Via Discovery News and New Scientist)
- I wish I had time to cover/post about the Russian meteor explosion this past weekend, but I was out sick Friday and had a very busy weekend/early week of moving in with my lady Old Red Boots. You probably know the basics- a medium-sized meteor entered the atmosphere over Chelyabinsk, Russia last Friday at about 9:20am local time. I just want to point out the important facts: (1) The Russian meteor explosion had nothing to do with the close fly-by of asteroid 2012 DA14 which happened later that same day. The trajectories/orbits of the two were completely different. It was simply a bizarre coincidence. (2) The damage to buildings and glass was caused by the massive sonic boom, as well as the actual explosion of the rock itself high in the atmosphere. The sounds and damage were NOT from the impact of the meteor hitting the ground. There’s tons of footage of this thing, but this video has the best audio I’ve found– if you have a subwoofer, turn it up and you’ll get some sense of the earth-shattering rumble. This video is long but shows both the bright streak of the meteor (about 4:30 in) and has the ensuing sonic boom (about 7:00 in). (3) NASA estimates the meteor was about 55 feet across and weighed between 7,000 and 10,000 tons. (4) A large chunk of the space rock is believed to have landed in Chebarkul Lake near Chelyabinsk, gouging a large hole in the ice. Phil Plait of Bad Astronomy had great coverage and follow-up of this event, so be sure to check those posts out as well!
- Dennis Tito, the first space tourist, wants to put humans on Mars in 2018, and he’s created a non-profit called the Inspiration Mars Foundation to do it. I have to be honest, the timeframe of this sounds absolutely crazy to me. Not many details have been announced, but apparently there will be a press conference next Wed. Feb. 27th in which more details will be revealed, so I’ll try to withhold my skepticism until then, but it’s hard. (Via Universe Today)
- Astronomers with NASA’s Kepler Mission have found the tiniest exoplanet yet, orbiting the star Kepler-37 about 200 light years away. This planet is significant because it’s even smaller than our own Mercury, and just barely bigger than Earth’s moon! Finding a planet that small is a major milestone and huge accomplishment for the Kepler team. I’ve no doubt they will be finding the Holy Grail of planet-hunting, a true Earth twin, within a year or two. (Via Bad Astronomy)
East Nashville Beer Festival 2013- Tickets onsale Thursday at 9am SHARP
February 19, 2013
It’s almost spring again, and in East Nashville in recent years, that has come to mean BEER FEST. I’ve been to the East Nashville Beer Festival every year of its existence and it’s gotten better every time. Most of you probably know I’m a homebrewer and avid beer lover, so trust me when I say these folks really know how to put on a great beer festival. The list of breweries this year includes Deschutes, Good People, French Broad, Lagunitas, Highland Brewing, New Belgium, Oskar Blues, Rivertown, Schmaltz, Brooklyn, Southern Tier, Starr Hill, Terrapin, Straight To Ale, Green Flash, and many more including all your favorite locals such as Yazoo, Calfkiller, Fat Bottom, Turtle Anarchy, Jackalope, etc… It’s well worth the $50 price because there’s simply no other way to experience so many great beers at once, and many of the breweries have very special, limited-edition (often cask-aged) brews that you’d never find in a store or at a bar. There will also be plenty of food trucks onsite to help fill your belly with yummy snacks in addition to the beer. The list includes Biscuit Love, Wrapper’s Delight, Riff’s, Hoss’s Loaded Burgers, and the Grilled Cheeserie to name a few.
This year also boasts a very special food/beer pairing tent sponsored by Whole Foods! It does require a separate ticket for an extra $45 but I’ve no doubt it will be worth it! The ENBF is also a part of Nashville Craft Beer Week, which boasts even more awesome in-store free tastings and other specialty events, so be sure to check out the full calendar, because the madness starts on March 18th.
The festival did not increase the size of the event this year, but they’ve “…doubled our bathrooms, doubled our hand wash sinks, increased drinking water supply, upgraded glassware (6oz glass snifter), and overall will be creating the best venue possible.” If you had issues with any of those things last year, fear not- it’ll be way better this year.
SO, BELIEVE ME- HAVE YOUR FINGER ON THE BUTTON AT 9AM SHARP THIS THURSDAY. This event will sellout in less than an hour, and probably even less than 30 minutes. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if it sells out in 10 minutes. Trust me, I had an absolute blast last year with my lady Old Red Boots, and we’ll be back in full force this year. You do NOT want to miss this!
The ENBF and Craft Beer Week are all products of Rhizome Productions. Keep your eyes on these folks, because they’re doing some amazing stuff for the beer scene in Nashville, Tennessee, and the southeast in general!
*Also, don’t forget about Fix The Beer Tax! If you’re a Tennesseean and haven’t heard about that movement yet, check out my blog post about it from a couple of weeks ago (which the FTBT folks were kind enough to repost on their blog!). And then email your state legislators and help us get this archaic and ridiculous TN law changed.*
A Few Good Shows: 2/15/13
February 15, 2013
Happy post-Valentine’s Day weekend! Not a lot of time as I’m writing this, but here’s a quick rundown of show listings that piqued my interest this weekend in Nashville.
FRIDAY:
Glossary and Telegraph Canyon @ The Stone Fox. 9pm $7
Roy Ira w/ W.B. Givens and Mayday Malone @ the High Watt. 9pm $5
East Nashville Underground ft. Magnolia Sons, Machines Are People Too, Cult Logic, Alanna Royale, All Them Witches, Vinyl Thief & DJ Rate @ The East Room. $10 or $25 for full festival pass. Full lineup and info can be found here.
SATURDAY:
QDP presents: QDProm ft. Ponychase, Tipper Whore, The QDP DJs, and special guests @ Mercy Lounge. 9pm $8 adv/$10 DOS
Social Studies and Ramona Falls @ The High Watt. 9pm $10
East Nashville Underground (day show) ft. The Static Trees, Jon Byrd, Joshua, Waterfall Wash, KS Rhoads, Colorfeels, Frances & The Foundation, Hanzelle @ The East Room. 1-8pm Full details here.
East Nashville Underground (night show) ft. Golden Spurs, COIN, Tesla Rossa, James Wallace & The Naked Light, MOON TAXI, The Wans, DJ That Guy! @ The East Room. 9pm Full details here.
SUNDAY:
Psychic Ills w/ Cloudland Canyon and Western Medication @ Exit/In. 9pm $7
That’s it, have a great weekend!
I’ve been a huge Classixx fan ever since the undeniable “I’ll Get You” which featured the silky smooth vocals of Jeppe. The L.A. based duo have made quite a name for themselves doing remixes for several years now, and are finally set to release their debut full-length album on May 14th. The lead single “Holding On” is streaming on soundcloud now, and will be out officially on Feb. 19th. Do yourself a favor and take a listen below. It’s full of shiny synths, a smooth house beat, and sunny uplifting vocals. Dudes, throw this track on and watch your girlfriend grab your hand and drag you to dance. 😉
I’ve also been keeping an eye on Australian nu-disco outfit Mitzi for a while now. They’ve done some DJing/remixing/etc… but are now ready to release a full-length album that shows their true colors- a full-on electro/nu-disco band capable of writing great songs that you can dance to. Sure, it’s obvious they’re following in the footsteps of similar Australian acts such as Cut Copy and Miami Horror, but that’s not a bad thing at all in my book. Check out the track “All I Heard” below, and grab the album via Future Classic on Feb. 19th.
Mars rover Curiosity updates
February 14, 2013
It’s been a hot minute since I mentioned the Mars rover Curiosity. She’s been slowly but surely working her way across Gale Crater, stopping to take photos along the way and investigate anything interesting she comes across. Recently she came across this bizarre-looking rock protrusion that looks a bit like a shiny door handle or knob:
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
It was a pretty interesting and puzzling find, but NASA scientists think they have an explanation. Indeed, it’s not a knob or hood ornament, nor is it made by aliens. A much more logical explanation is uneven weathering and erosion. For the full details head over to Universe Today. But in short, Ronald Sletten from the Mars Science Laboratory team at NASA/JPL explained in a press release that the object is a small part of the rock that is different in composition from the rest. The shiny part is made up of a harder type of rock than its surroundings. Since the surface of Mars is home to lots of dust/wind storms, there is quite a bit of wind erosion, and the softer surrounding rock erodes aways much faster than the harder rock. The shininess is also a by-product of erosion- certain types of rocks have a tendency to become smooth and shiny from erosion rather that just being blown away. NASA also posted a PDF with some good photos comparing the Mars image to similar phenomena on Earth. What I’m wondering is- what is that harder part of the rock made of? Why is there? Are there any other formations like it nearby? I know that on earth some volcanic rocks have a smooth & shiny appearance, so could this be a chunk of volcanic rock that was flung from an eruption and landed in water, then moved to its current location by fast-moving water and deposited in a muddy area that subsequently hardened into sedimentary rock? Maybe more theories will come out soon.
In other Curiosity news, the final instrument yet to be used/tested was the percussive rock drill. The drill was successfully tested and then used on Feb. 8th to drill the hole seen on the left in this image:
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
The rover has now successfully tested all of her science instruments and everything is working perfectly. A sample of the pulverized rock was taken, and will be analyzed in the days to come. This rock is suspected of having been altered or eroded by flowing water on the surface many millions of years ago. I’m looking forward to seeing what they find to confirm (or deny) this theory and what else is learned about Mars’ watery past.
A tragic day for Nashville music: Ben Todd, founder of Nashville’s Dead, has died at age 24
February 13, 2013
Ben and one of his best friends Bekah Cope at SXSW 2010.
It is a tragic, horrible day for the Nashville rock scene. Ben Todd, founder of Nashville’s Dead, bassist of D. Watusi, and main force behind the Freakin’ Weekend has died at age 24. Read more about it at the Nashville Cream, as they are far more talented writers than I.
I’ll just say a few words from my own experience with Ben. He was one of hundreds of acquaintances I know primarily through shows. I would always see him and briefly say “hey man how’s it going?” and unfortunately that was pretty much the extent of our interactions. But just through those interactions I could tell how passionate he was about the Nashville rock scene. That passion was very evident in his creation and the content of Nashville’s Dead. He was also the driving force behind the Freakin’ Weekend. Since we’re only about a month out from the 4th installment of the annual festival, I wonder how it will proceed. I’ve no doubt that it will, though, in his honor.
I just can’t help but think it ironic that his whole mantra seemed to be centered around eternal positivity, kindness, and keeping a youthful outlook on life. His blogging moniker was Forever Young, and Forever Young he shall remain. My condolences and deepest sympathy go out to his friends and family. Actually, I’ll just say family. Because Ben was the kind of person to whom friends ARE family. Rest in peace.
My photography work is now on Society 6. Buy it if you like it!
February 11, 2013
I must take a quick moment to do some shameless self-promotion. I created a gallery on Society 6, and I would love it if you, dear reader, would take a moment to browse through it at the very least. And if you see something you really love, buy it! Most of my work is available not only as art prints, but also as stretched canvas prints, laptop/iPad covers, and iPhone cases.
I’ve been putting a few of my iPhone/Instagram photos that I deem good enough for art prints/etc… on there, plus I also have a back catalog of photography work that goes all the way back to my college years, much of which is yet to be uploaded, so please check back often as new/old stuff becomes available. Please take a look and if you love the work/love me/have some money, buy something!
*end shameless self-promotion*
steve cross loves music and science 