A Few Good Shows: 1/11/13
January 11, 2013
A few good shows? More like a shit-ton of good shows this weekend. Most of which are at the Mercy Lounge/Cannery/High Watt complex. 10 years ago Mercy Lounge opened its doors and quickly became one of the best venues in town in the 300-person capacity range. Soon after, the larger Cannery Ballroom opened, and just last year the brand new High Watt stage opened. They’ve celebrated their birthday every year in style, but this year they’re making it quite a party, with several great local bands on each stage and sponsorships by Yuengling and Brooklyn Brewery. Each night, the first 250 people will get in free, and the cover becomes $10 after that. Two-night passes can be purchased for $15 through the Mercy Lounge website. Listings for each night, along with some other picks are below. Happy 10 years Mercy Lounge!
FRIDAY:
Mercy Lounge 10-year anniversary night 1: (doors @ 8pm, shows @ 8:30pm, $10 but 1st 250 ppl free)
Cannery Ballroom- JEFF the Brotherhood, Ri¢hie, Turbo Fruits, and Clear Plastic Masks.
Mercy Lounge- Tristen, Wild Cub, Magnolia Sons, and Black Sea Royalty.
Hight Watt- James Wallace & The Naked Light, Evan P. Donohue, Matt Friction, & more.
David Allan Coe w/ Johnny Frtiz @ Exit/In. 9pm $20 adv/$25 DoS
Honey Locust, Poly, and Promised Land @ The Stone Fox. 9pm $5
SATURDAY:
Mercy Lounge 10-year anniversary night 2: (doors @ 8pm, shows @ 8:30pm, $10 but 1st 250 ppl free)
Cannery Ballroom- Cherub, Machines Are People Too, Brandon Jazz & His Armed Forces, Coin.
Mercy Lounge- The Weeks, Ravello, Sol Cat, Five Knives.
High Watt- Natural Child, Birdcloud, D. Watusi, Mystery Twins.
Steelism, Chris Scruggs, and Poly @ The Basement. 9pm $8 21+
D. Watusi in-store show @ Grimeys. 5pm free
Formed by former members of We Were The States, Echo Group is a new band poised to take Nashville’s music scene by storm. I’ve listened to their free EP Chalktalk Record Collection several times and simply can’t get enough of it. (If you haven’t already, hit play on the player above. Go ahead- DO IT. Then download it for FREE at their website.) It’s perfectly produced with just the right percussive touches and liberal yet tasteful use of reverb to give everything a Spector-esque 60’s-throwback tinge. I simply can’t get enough of the triumphant horns on “Supra” and the sexy sax on “Don’t Don’t Don’t.” They’re also releasing a split 7″ via Right Nice Records with local noise rockers Mom & Dad which features the track “Work It.” Mom & Dad are already creating some good buzz around town, though I’ve yet to see them live. While I can appreciate the intent of the noised-out/heavily distorted production value of their recordings, it’s honestly a little too noisy and distorted for my taste. I’m quite positive I’m going to love these guys live, however, because they have some seriously awesome songs under all that fuzz.
They are celebrating the release of said split 7″ this Thursday at the brand new High Watt stage in Mercy Lounge. My band Scale Model opens the show, so of course I STRONGLY urge you to come and come early! The show will start promptly at 9pm and is only $5 to attend. We all have short sets and promise to get you home in time for bed on a weeknight. 🙂
RSVP here on Facebook.
8 off 8th tonight at Mercy Lounge: I’m hosting
January 30, 2012
Mercy Lounge is the place to be tonight if you’re in Nashville- I’ve put together an 8 off 8th bill that I’m quite proud of. It’s totally FREE and there are cheap drinks brought to you by Yuengling. There have been SO many themed 8 off 8ths and other shows lately that I (and I think most people around town) are starting to get sick of it, so this one is just a solid, no-gimmick lineup of great up-and-coming and established local names. Here’s a rundown of the lineup (in no particular order):
I Believe In Hotpants– sizzling, tight, in-your-face 90s-fueled power pop.
Bravo Max– another dose of clever power pop from former Feable Weiner/Mondo Primo co-frontman Joshua Watson.
Bows and Arrows– shoegazey, melodic, dreamy, Jesus & Mary Chain-inspired fuzz-pop.
Scale Model– (I play drums) we’re a marriage of 90s/early-aughts indie rock and 80s syth-pop. Think Blondie meets Mogwai.
Magnolia Sons– soul/funk/motown. A big sound complete with horns and backup singers.
Honey Locust– featuring members of Blue Cadet Three, Ave Marling, Mom, and others. A stompy, folky good time.
King Arthur– Stewart Copeland is in this band! No, really. He is. They are bouncy indie pop fun times.
Sugar Sk*_*lls– an experimental glitchy 8-bit dance project from Ben Marcantel of Hands Off Cuba fame. He plays a Gameboy!
That does it. Check them all out live tonight! Starts at 9pm SHARP. You won’t want to miss the first band OR the last, and I promise we won’t keep you out too late- this shizz will be over at a reasonable hour!
A Few Good Shows: 1/20/12
January 20, 2012
Sorry posting has been scarce this week. My parents have been in town all week helping me along with some apartment upgrades, and I’ve been very busy with that.
Before my show picks for this weekend, I should mention that Cannery Ballroom has been undergoing some renovations that will greatly improve the show-going experience there. Those annoying poles in front of the stage and in the middle of the main crowd area have been removed! GM Drew Mischke tweeted about it yesterday and the Cream posted about it as well. And the good news is there are stage and sound improvements in the future as well. Good news all-around.
Shows to see this weekend:
FRIDAY:
Mercy Lounge 9th Anniversary party, night 1: How I Became the Bomb, Cheer Up Charlie Daniels, Ponychase, Wild Cub, ReLapse & more. FREE. 9pm
Graveyard w/ Radio Moscow @ Exit/In. 9pm $15
SATURDAY:
Mercy Lounge 9th Anniversary party, night 2: Heypenny, The Nobility, Mayhem performing Elvis Costello’s This Year’s Model, Escondido, & more. FREE. 9pm
Vermicious K’nids reunion show w/ Reid Magette, Ben Spinks Supermelt, and The Salamanders @ The End. 9pm $5
Mom & Dad, Little Viking, Schools @ Mt. Swag. $3 (address redacted)
Nashville Rollergirls benefit ft. Take the Power Back, Ponychase, and The Granny Whites @ Exit/In. 9pm $10 min. donation
That’s all I got for ya. Have a great weekend!
Mercy Lounge announces 9 year anniversary parties Jan. 20 and 21
January 11, 2012
Mercy Lounge is arguably the best venue in Nashville in the 300-500 capacity range, and they’re celebrating their anniversary (as they do every year) by throwing some free shows! Just as in past years, they’ve invited a slew of local bands to play and secured sponsorships from some of your favorite brews.
Lineups:
Jan. 20th– How I Became the Bomb, Cheer Up Charlie Daniels, Ponychase, Kyle Andrews, Wild Cub (ft. Keegan Dewitt & members of Pico vs. Island Trees) and local funksters ReLapse will close it out.
Jan. 21st– Heypenny, Evan P. Donohue, The Nobility, Mayhem performing Elvis Costello’s This Year’s Model, Escondido ft. Tyler James, and ReLapse will once again close the night out.
Both nights are FREE so arrive early in case things reach max capacity.
The music of Les Miserables in a concert benefitting YEAH: tonight & tomorrow at Mercy Lounge
December 7, 2011
It’s been a big season of benefit shows for YEAH! but this one is probably the biggest- a bunch of local musicians/artists have teamed up to present the music of Les Miserables live in concert two nights in a row at Mercy Lounge. It kicks off tonight, tickets are $18, and it will be awesome. With Larissa Maestro and Jordan & Alex Caress at the helm and a huge cast of local musicians from such acts as Uncle Skeleton, By Lightning!, Ponychase, The Privates, Umbrella Tree, The Non-Commissioned Officers, Happy Little Trees, Blue Heart Hour, and many more, this is quite the undertaking. Again, this is a two night stand, but I have a feeling tonight will be the biggest of the two since Hall & Oates are at the Ryman tomorrow night. YEAH! is just about the coolest non-profit in all of TN and I’m proud to be an active volunteer with them. They deserve your support!
On a completely separate note (but still relevant to this blog), I’ve been approved by YEAH’s music programs director to start a new workshop at the Tennessee Teens Rock & Roll Camp this year- the Science of Music. Here’s the description I came up with, with the help of fellow volunteer (and former camper/fellow nerd) Alyssa Scheele:
How does an electric guitar work? How does a microphone work? How does MUSIC work? Learn this and much more in the brand new Science of Music workshop. This workshop will give campers a crash course in the science behind music and how different instruments and audio equipment create and amplify sound. This workshop is ideal for campers who might be interested in the production side of music. The Science of Music will empower campers to pursue science as well as music by showing them how science is an integral part of art.
I’m ecstatic about getting to teach kids how basically everything, let alone modern music, would not be possible without science. I want to get them to make that connection and realize that science isn’t all far-off labs, atom smashers, and old dudes in white coats. It’s also a part of literally EVERYTHING. I think that focusing on how science makes music possible is the best way to make it “hit home” with them. AND it will hopefully jumpstart some of them in the direction of music production, both studio and live.
A Few Good Shows: 8/19/11
August 19, 2011
Well, this weekend is literally bursting at the seams with awesome music to go see. So if you live in Nashville and you’re not out seeing at least 1 good show this weekend, you have a problem.
FRIDAY:
Heartbeater, Bows & Arrows, and Action! @ the 5 Spot. 9pm 21+ $5(This is Heartbeater’s FINAL show, so if you’re a fan, don’t miss it!)
GLOVES, w/ Vitalic Noise, Jenn Harbin, and Mindub @ Virago Rooftop. 9pm $3. My man Justin at Vitalic Noise has been consistently bringing top-notch touring DJs from around the world right to our doorstep here in Nashville, and this week he’s trying something new: a rooftop party. GLOVES is one of my favorite DJ/producers and his brand new remix of New Zealand up-and-comer Kimbra’s song “Cameo Lover” has been on repeat lately. And where’s he from? Melbourne Australia. I am repeatedly blown away by amount of amazing sexy/smooth disco goodness coming out of that city. Cut Copy, Miami Horror, Cassian… the list goes on and on. This is one not to miss! For more info check out the Vitalic Noise blog.
SATURDAY:
8th Ave South is gonna be a madhouse on Saturday night.
Nashville Cream 5th anniversary party w/ The Features, Tristen, and Evan P. Donohue @ Third Man Records. 8pm, SOLD OUT. If you snoozed, you loozed. As I understand it, The Features will be playing a very special set that’s different from their album release party at Mercy Lounge 1 week later.
Up The Antics Nashville Block Party w/ Turbo Fruits, Delta Spirit, The Rosebuds, Surfer Blood, and The Wild Feathers @ Mercy Lounge/Cannery parking lot. 6pm, 18+, FREE w/ RSVP here.
Up The Antics afterparty w/ DJ set from Pat Mahoney (of LCD Soundsystem) @ Mercy Lounge. FREE w/ above RSVP.
Kyle Andrews in-store performance at Grimey’s. FREE, 5pm
The Clutters, Chocolate Horse, Century Club @ the 5 Spot. 9pm 21+ $5
SUNDAY:
Nashville’s Dead presents: Heavy Cream, Feral Beat, Useless Eaters @ The Basement. 9pm 21+ $5.
I have a feeling Nashville’s collective liver is gonna be hurting after this weekend.
My former bandmate and friend Seth Graves is hosting his 2nd quasi-annual Rock & Roll Science Fair tonight at Mercy Lounge, and it’s gonna be a blast. I’d like to think this blog was the original inspiration for Seth’s idea a couple years back, but that might a bit presumptuous. Regardless, obviously this is something I’m 100% behind. The lineup is fantastic and quite diverse:
Bad Cop
Sam & Tre
Thelma & the Sleaze
Leslie Keffer
Look What I Did
Hobbledieons
Spiderfriends Siberian Traps
Gay Vibes (Seth’s new sludge-core band.)
All bands and attendees are encouraged to bring some sort of science fair project. As with all 8 off 8ths it’s 100% FREE, 21+, and starts around 9pm. Get your nerd on.
Shows to see this weekend
July 15, 2011
My life is being dominated by Tennessee Teens Rock & Roll Camp, for which I’ve been volunteering all week, so this will be a quick one:
FRIDAY:
The Greatest Decade Vol. III: A Tribute to 70’s Glam Rock @ Mercy Lounge. 9pm $5. This will be one glam-tastic evening featuring several allstar/one-off collaborations between members of Superdrag, the Shazam, Matt Friction and more.
PUJOL, Demon Beat, Ranch Ghost, Leather Nightmare @ Mt. Swag. 7pm $3 All-ages.
SATURDAY:
Toro Y Moi, Coma Cinema, Tallest Trees @ The End. 9pm $12
Nobunny, Useless Eaters, Slammers, (insert random local band that always gets added to Springwater shows last-minute) @ Springwater. 10pm 21+ $??
Johnny Corndawg, Andrew Combs, Nikki Lane @ The Basement. 9pm 21+ $5
And of course: Tennessee Teens Rock & Roll Camp showcase @ Mercy Lounge. DOORS @ 2:30pm SHOW @ 3pm. I know that’s insanely early for most of you, but trust me when I say it’s worth the effort! I’ve been working with these kids all week long and they have some very impressive talent. We also have an amazing array of raffle prizes including 2 VIP passes to NBN’s Soundland, a Daisy Rock electric guitar, signed posters & CDs from Those Darlins, OK Go, Old 97’s, and Black Joe Lewis, a prize pack from Antique Archeology (aka American Pickers) and so much more.
SUNDAY:
Spongebath Records Night @ The Basement, Ft. Self (acoustic Matt Mahaffey), Seth Timbs Thing, Jason Moore + special guests. Now that Matt Mahaffey is living in Franklin hopefully awesome things like this will happen more often. This will be blissful nostalgia for possibly the greatest era of Murfreesboro’s music scene.
Have a great weekend!
Miami Horror tomorrow night at Mercy Lounge
June 15, 2011
Miami Horror at Beauty Bar Backyard, SXSW '11. Photo by Steve Cross
Tomorrow night (6/16) Miami Horror makes their first Nashville appearance at Mercy Lounge, with How I Became the Bomb and Cherub opening. I’ve been hoping for at least a year that Miami Horror would come through Nashville, and it’s finally happening. They come from the land down under, but I’ve heard rumors that they’re making a move to the states. Their debut album Illumination was one of my favorites of 2010, and I caught their live show at the Beauty Bar Backyard at SXSW this year. It was easily one of the best shows I saw the whole festival. They have impressive stage energy and showmanship which easily brought the crowd into a sweaty dance-frenzy in no time.
This show at Mercy will be easily as good, if not better, than the SXSW show because they can flesh out their set and do it “their way” instead of having to setup quickly and rush through their set like bands usually have to do at SXSW. The openers are perfect for the bill, and at a mere $12, this is a really good deal. The band is also doing a DJ set later that night at MAI for the official afterparty. Seriously, get your tix now! Why pay more at the door or risk missing it entirely because of a sellout?
Download:
Miami Horror-Holidays (ft. Alan Palomo)
Listen:
Miami Horror-Holidays (DCUP Remix)
steve cross loves music and science 