Nashville is going to be one gigantic orgy of awesomeness this weekend. Between Record Store Day happenings, Vanderbilt’s Rites of Spring festival, and other good “normal” shows, you can’t possibly be disappointed with your choices of entertainment.
RECORD STORE DAY:
First of all, I won’t even attempt to give a rundown of all the Record Store Day shenanigans when the hard-blogging dudes and gals at the Cream have done such a fine job themselves. But I will say that probably the pinnacle of the whole thing is the once-inside-now-moved-outside Jerry Lee Lewis show at Third Man Records. I think roughly 650-ish tickets were sold, counting the additional 300 that were released when the show was moved outside, but they are long-since sold out. Since the show is outside, I’m sure you could stand anywhere within a block of TMR and hear it.
RITES OF SPRING:
Both days have some worthwhile acts, and tickets are still available. Some acts of interest:
RITES FRIDAY:
Futurebirds- 4:45pm, Public Enemy- 9:10pm, and The National- 10:40pm
RITES SATURDAY:
Madi Diaz- 6:25pm, The Features- 7:15pm, Matt & Kim- 8:15pm, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros- 9:45pm, Kid Cudi- 11:15pm
“NORMAL” SHOWS OF INTEREST:
FRIDAY:
The Mattoid w/ Lone Official and Denny & The Jets @ Springwater. 10pm, 21+, $5. One of many of The Mattoid’s farewell shows this week.
SATURDAY:
The Greenhornes w/ PUJOL and Hacienda @ Mercy Lounge. 9pm, 18+, $12 adv/$14 dos
Hunx & His Punx w/ Shannon & The Clams, JEFF the Brotherhood, and Heavy Cream @ The End. 9pm, $6
SUNDAY:
Personal & the Pizzas, Useless Eaters, Barreracudas, and Cy Barkley & The Way Outsiders @ Glen Danzig’s House. 7pm $5
Finally, I have to post this amazingly satisfying video of Republican former Governor of Florida Charlie Crist apologizing to David Byrne for illegally using a Talking Heads song in a campaign ad during his run for a seat in the US Senate in 2010. Byrne sued, won, and part of the settlement was that Crist had to publicly apologize to Byrne on camera. (Via Steregum)
Have a blast this weekend and buy lots of records!
Weekend shows/other music tidbits
April 8, 2011
Sorry posting has been scarce this week. I’m effin’ BUSY.
A quick show rundown for what’s cool this weekend show-wise:
FRIDAY:
“Night of the living cover bands” TNTRC benefit ft. Protomen as Queen, A Secret Policeman’s Ball as Hall & Oates, Hanzelle as Outkast, and TNTRC Team Awesome as Blondie. Minimum $6 donation. 9pm, 21+. Seriously, this is gonna rule. I mean, Hall & Oates? Protomen doing Queen? This is gonna rule your life tonight. I’ll be there. And it’s pretty much the best local cause you could possibly support.
This might seem like an odd thing for me to plug, but I highly recommend Tortured Soul w/ Mindub at 12th & Porter. Waaaay back when I was part of MTSU’s Student Programming Committee, we brought Tortured Soul to play in the KUC Theater. Granted, that tiny stage and small theater style setting was an odd place for a band to play, and the show wasn’t that well attended mainly for that reason, but I did see them play and was impressed. They basically do house music, but as a live band. It’s very smooth, funky, and highly danceable without being overly jammy. And you should know about Mindub.
SATURDAY:
Destroyer w/ War On Drugs @ Mercy Lounge. 9pm $12 adv/$15 DOS.
Tour de Fun in Murfreesboro: an all-day bike rally/house show extravanganza. There are literally 40+ bands playing at various houses and other DIY venues. Some highlights: Hanzelle, We Were the States, Famn Damn. A pretty cool idea, in it’s second year of existence. Check the link above to the Scene Critic’s Pick for more details.
Some other tidbits that need mentioning:
- We Own This Town has brought back their video performance series. The first one is D. Watusi, the new-ish project from former Kindergarten Circus frontman Dillon Watson. WOTT helmsman Doug Lehman, along with the help of Andy Snyder and Jeremy Ferguson, brought back the series, and I look forward to seeing who they bring through in the future. Since the self-proclaimed hiatus of the Lake Fever Sessions, there’s been a need for someone to step in and fill the void. Watch D. Watusi perform “High School Baby” and “Summer Nights.” BONUS- D. Watusi-Summer Nights MP3
- As the A.V. Club reports, Ben Folds, Amanda Palmer, Damian Kulash, and Neil Gaiman are participating in an ambitious project as part of the Rethink Music Conference. They’re going to write 8 songs in 8 hours, record them in a marathon session, release them through Bandcamp, and perform them at a show the next day. Oh, and the songs will be based on topics sent to them through twitter. I think this is fascinating idea, and it’ll be interesting to hear the results.
Have a great weekend!
Good shows this weekend in Nashville
March 11, 2011
Wow, this weekend has a lot to offer in the way of good music to see. That’s partially because a lot of bands are gearing up to head to Austin next week for SXSW, but hey, we’ll take it. Here’s a quick rundown:
FRIDAY:
The Non-Commissioned Officers album release show w/ Cortney Tidwell and Kyle Andrews @ Mercy Lounge. 9pm $12 to get CD, $7 w/out CD. Stream their entire new album on their facebook page.
JEFF the Brotherhood w/ King Tuff and Diarrhea Planet @ The Other Basement. $5 all ages, 8pm. For a free King Tuff mp3, check out Nashville’s Dead.
The Clutters, Slick, Dirtbot, the Black Faces @ the 5 Spot, 9pm $5.
SATURDAY:
Duh. Come to La Paz for La Paz Late Night presents: ROBO BOOGIE. As I said yesterday, it’s $2 w/ robot outfit, $3 w/out, and Potamus, Vitalic Noise & I will be spinning 80s and other robo-tastic jams all night.
Those Darlins, Denny & The Jets, D. Watusi @ the Basement. *YOU MUST PRE-ORDER THOSE DARLINS’ NEW ALBUM SCREWS GET LOOSE THROUGH GRIMEY’S TO GET INTO THIS SHOW!*
Space Capone w/ Floorwalkers @ Mercy Lounge. 9pm, $10
A few other news tidbits in the music world:
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart now have their Flood-produced, Smashing Pumpkins-esque new album Belong streaming at their website. I haven’t listened to it yet as I’m glued to the news at the moment, but I’m cautiously optimistic.
Tristen’s video for the song “Baby Drugs” debuted on Rolling Stone yesterday. Seriously, go watch it. (Via Nashville Cream)
Shows this weekend
March 4, 2011
As usual, I’m in a time crunch between work stuff.
As I mentioned Wednesday, Nashville’s Dead’s Freakin’ Weekend is happening all weekend, so go checkout their “Rundown” post about the lineups for that. If you aren’t inclined to see every night of the FW, here are some other shows I’d recommend.
FRIDAY:
The Nobility w/ Bravo Max, the Tendoor, and Overzealous @ the 5 Spot. 9pm, $5
The YEAH! Rock Block benefit show @ The End, ft. Kiddo. 9pm, 18+$5 donation (or however much you wanna give)
SATURDAY
Korean is Asian album release w/ Cortney Tidwell and The Lisps @ the 5 Spot. 9pm $5
Rocky Votolato w/ Matt Pond @ Exit/In. 9pm $12
Nashville’s Dead: Freakin’ Weekend+Pop up record store
March 2, 2011
The dudes at Nashville’s Dead have upped the ante this year for their Freakin’ Weekend… festival… for lack of a better term. Let’s just call it the Freakin’ Weekend from now on. If memory serves, last year’s was all house shows. This year however, they’ve “graduated” to full-on venues and the lineup is killer. They’ve taken over Exit/In, The End, and Springwater (and even an early show at Third Man Records) to bring you a nonstop rock n roll party that lasts 3 days this weekend- March 4th, 5th, and 6th. It’s safe to say that Infinity Cat acts such as JEFF the Brotherhood, PUJOL, and Natural Child are all “heavy hitters,” not to mention out-of-town acts like Ty Segall and Davila 666. For the full lineup and more info checkout ND’s post about it.
ND also has another treat for all the vinyl nerds out there: they’ll be doing a pop-up record store above the new Local Honey store on Belmont Blvd! It’ll be open from noon-5pm on March 3rd through 5th. They’ll have limited edition pressings and other hard-to-find stuff from Infinity Cat, Third Man, Nashville’s Dead, Turbo Time, Evil Weevil and more. For more deets checkout their blog post. Gonna be a good weekend y’all.
Chancellor Warhol is heading to Bonnaroo
March 1, 2011
Last night was a blast. From the folkwave of Courtney Jaye to the dude-rock shredfest of Tyler Bryant, it was a night to behold. Overall however, it probably won’t go down as one of the most memorable Road To Bonnaroo nights. There just weren’t as many theatrics as there have been at past RTBs, but the quality of the music certainly was not lacking. At the end of the night, though, Chancellor Warhol (who I hadn’t seen until last night) ended up taking the prize. Warhol jumped on stage in a very Kanye-esque outfit, and proceeded to own the crowd. This guy is a phenomenal performer, though his opening song was the only one that really stuck with me. I certainly can’t disagree with the outcome.
Other artists/bands who really caught my attention were Evan P. Donohue and Heartbeater. If EPD’s performance wasn’t enough to win you over, then you need to have your head examined. This kid is a class act and has just the right combination of stage charm and hooky songs to be a genuine star. Just wait.
Heartbeater have switched out guitarists and added a keyboard player, and I love where they’re headed. They’ve got some new material that demands more sonic textures and the keys are fitting the bill perfectly. Bravo, fellas.
I can’t go without mentioning Tyler Bryant. The kid’s guitar shredding style falls somewhere between Randy Rhoads and Eddie Van Halen (in style, not skill, but maybe he’ll get there one day), and he’s what… 20? 19? Despite his age, he somehow filled the stage with more testosterone than I’ve seen there in quite some time. Except for when he tried to do those “yeooowwww” screams and his voice cracked & went into the register of a 12 year old girl. Speaking of 12 year old girls, dude looks a little bit like Justin Bieber. Sorry… had to go there. It’s true. Give JB a guitar and rough him up around the edges and basically you have Tyler Bryant. Seriously though, if this kid learns to write good songs and not turn each show into a total wankfest, he could do something I might be interested in. Otherwise he needs to be the lead guitar player in a speed metal band. Unfortunately it’s rare to find that kind of technical prowess and truly good songwriting skills in the same person.
Let’s hope the next two RTBs get a little more theatrical and/or intense.
Amazing footage of Discovery launch from plane/Road to Bonnaroo tonight
February 28, 2011
Some amazing and unique footage of Space Shuttle Discovery’s launch last thursday from an airplane window. The people on this plane got very lucky, as this is something rarely seen by the public. It’s one of those “right place, right time” deals. Be sure to pump it up to HD resolution.
(Via Bad Astronomy)
If you’re in Nashville and are a fan of local music, be sure not to miss tonight’s Road to Bonnaroo 8 off 8th at Mercy Lounge. This is the third year of RTB, and tonight’s lineup looks great. This event really brings out the best in these bands, as most will have some sort of trick up their sleeve. We’ve seen just about every type of gimmick you can think of at these events in the past two years. If you didn’t know, the bands’ scores are made up of 50% audience vote and 50% judge vote. Tonight’s lineup:
Evan P. Donohue
Courtney Jaye
Chancellor Warhol
Majestico
Heartbeater
Kink Ador
The Kicks
Tyler Byant
For more info on the bands/artists and sample mp3s, visit the Mercy Lounge calendar.
Shows this weekend in Nashville
February 25, 2011
Not a lot of time today. Here’s a quick roundup of shows I recommend seeing this weekend:
FRIDAY:
Honestly there’s not much going on tonight that I personally am very interested in. Check out the Cream for more listings.
SATURDAY:
Heypenny’s A Jillion Kicks album release party @ Mercy Lounge w/ Natalie Prass, Action!, and Mikky Ekko. 9pm, $7 or $12 if you want the CD included.
For those of you in Murfreesboro, Ghostfinger and Heartbeater are at Grand Palace. Seems the ol’ GP is getting back into having shows every now and then. Good times indeed. Probably $5.
Lovedrug, The Kingston Springs @ The Basement, 9pm, 21+ $5
I should also mention that this coming Monday Feb. 28th is the first Road to Bonnaroo 8 off 8th at Mercy Lounge. Come out and vote for your favorite band and send them to Bonnaroo 2011! Lineup is Evan P. Donohue, Courtney Jaye, Chancellor Warhol, Majestico, Heartbeater, Kink Ador, The Kicks, and Tyler Bryant. It’s FREE and 21+.
Have a great weekend!
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)
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!
steve cross loves music and science 