Our In Their Own Words section showcases the irreverent, creative voices of Nashville’s musical community first-hand.

DENIAL (1998)

You possess a firm and grounded love of music. You are motivated to do things like listen to your favorite album 20 times in a row with your eyes closed. It never occurs to you that this is a talent.

You spend several years in or around a ska band. You learn that it is okay to fail.

You are very keen on potential, which you can see everywhere and in everyone, especially when they themselves can’t. You know exactly what people should be doing, and you spend a lot of time trying to coax others into pursuing their dreams.

You know how to make things happen.

You are smart, intellectually and emotionally.

You do not believe any of these things about yourself.

ANGER (2002)

You graduate from college. You get a job at Target.

You take the money you have leftover from student loans (nuts to you, Department of Education!) and spend it on a new P.A. and recording equipment.

You want to make big, powerful, Strummeresque statements and feel the world resonate from the force you’re applying to it. You want to push and be pushed back.

By your estimate, it will be six months before your first album destroys the world and your shows at Shea Stadium have sold out.

This doesn’t happen.

BARGAINING (2004)

You stop telling people about your music, even at parties.

Your taste in harmonized guitar solos becomes questionable.

You spend two weeks in the back room of your parents’ house, writing and recording,

taking a quick biopsy of your overswollen heart, working through the pain to get it under a microscope so you can dissect every passionate beat. You end up with seven emo/indie-pop songs (sample lyric: “Can I be someone who helps you to fly when your wings are broken?”) and two Smiths covers.

You’re certain these songs will unlock the ironclad heart of your one true love, whom you’ve been pining over for several years in complete secrecy.

This doesn’t happen, either.

DEPRESSION (2006)

You go to college again, because you don’t know what else to do and it’s a good excuse to move somewhere with a better music scene.

The gear you spent $1,000 on languishes unused and follows you through 2 moves until you finally slough it off at a pawn shop for $50. You never, ever needed those $600 P.A. speakers. Not even once.

You graduate from college again. You do temp work.

You stop knowing how to hold yourself together.

You go to therapy, you take medication. You get cats. You become entirely too self-aware.

You practice giving interviews in the car. You’re prepared for anything a journalist could ever throw at you. You practice your “interview laugh”.

DEPRESSION PART II (2009)

Shea Stadium is torn down.

ACCEPTANCE (2013)

You spend two and a half years recording an album. You work really hard on tying the whole thing together thematically. This includes writing a 2-part song about the TV show House.

The only person who buys it is your ex, who pays you $25 for a copy out of pity, or guilt, or malaise.

Your net profit is negative five thousand, nine hundred and seventy-five dollars.

You are forced to reconsider your entire approach. This is not the first time, or the fifth time, or the twenty-fifth time.

It never occurs to you that this is a talent.

Worst Records was formed in January, 2013. Their first single is out now.

Bonnaroo

But Bonnaroo isn’t for everyone – some of you cannot go, but more of you probably just choose not to. So instead, we present a very lovely long weekend right here in Nashville, Tennessee, where at least we will have air conditioning, flushing toilets and the ability to sleep in a bed not made of air or foam. These are not underrated items.

Manchester might have Macca, but lo and behold, it’s actually an amazing three nights of music and culture here in town, too. Three night’s I’d be sad to miss, even on the farm….

Tonight :::

* Bombino w/Nikki Lane, Fly Golden Eagle, DJ Dan Auerbach & more at Oak Valley Lanes ::: Tuareg musician Bombino found a unique partner in Dan Auerbach, who produced his LP, Nomad, and infused a raw, bluesy sound into Bombino’s intoxicating North African roots. While you’re there, grab some food from Otaku South, drinks from Barista Parlor and bowl a game or two. $20 bucks, but worth every penny.

* Country Fest at Mad Donna’s MD Music Loft ::: we’ve waxed poetic before about our love for what MD Loft brings to the neighborhood, and how it’s curator extraordinaire, Terry, has worked to provide a new gathering for music that’s more than just a space – it’s a community. At Country Fest, you get eight artists: Cale Tyson, Kelsey Waldon, Amanda Contreras, W.B. Givens, Jordan Hull, Erin Rae, Heidi Feek, Vickie Vaughn Band and Andrew Hunt. No wristband required.

* Communion Nashville with Tristen, Kansas Bible Company and more at the Basement ::: Tristen, who was dubbed “Artist to Watch” by both Spin and American Songwriter at her previous Bonnaroo debut, graces us tonight at The Basement. In a previous conversation discussing who I’d want to most see at the festival, Tristen was at the top of my list; her performances are tangible and her music intimate, with an honest and raw perspective on the tides of love.  Joined by Tristen is Kansas Bible Company, Nashville’s favorite eleven-piece band. The five-member horn section adds a big-band element to the soulful rock and roll that KBC has carefully constructed; their sound is grand and emblematic of surrealistic time jumps through the heartland. – E.K.

* She and Him at the Ryman :: Catch the talented Zooey D. and M. Ward at the mother church. (I enjoyed getting to know M. Ward here).

* The return of Nashville Dancin‘ at the Riverfront ::: with Donna the Buffalo, Tommy Malone, 18 South, The Lonely Biscuits

* Sturgill Simpson at Grimey’s

* Heath Haynes at the Family Wash

Friday :::

* Joint2 at 516 Hagan Street ::: Presented by Susan Sherrick and Libby Callaway, Joint Project 2 is the second of a pop-up series with “three days of art, music, food and style celebrating American car and motorcycle culture of the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s.” If you needed any more proof that so much of this town is bubbling with the bohemian spirit of a 60′s-era Greenwich Village, here you go, except this one is also mixed with the style and pathos of Santa Fe and Soho (Manhattan and London) with an only-in-Nashville vibe. Susan and Libby, two former New Yorkers with serious taste who now reside in East Nashville, have gathered an amazing mix of my favorite things: a pop-up shop featuring vintage T-shirts from LA’s Filth Mart (which, for the record, used to be my favorite vintage store when it was originally located in the East Village), yakitori by Otaku South and live music from Kings of the F**king Sea (aka Poni Silver of The Ettes and Chet Weise of the Ultras S/C). There will also be a motorcycle rally hosted by Andy Mumma of Barista Parlor. The centerpiece of the event, the gallery show, happens to have two of my favorite photos of all time by Barry Feinsein of Mr. Bob Dylan (this one and this one) and a piece by my other personal god, Allen Ginsberg. You will find me drooling hopelessly in front of both – since everything is for sale (anyone got an extra few grand to spare? I’ll owe ya). Plus work by ubertalented local Joshua Black Wilkins, Caroline Allison, Yves Assad, William Claxton, Bruce Davidson, Mikael Kennedy, Leon Levinstein, Danny Lyon, Jim McGuire, Joel Meyerowitz, Heidi Ross, Phil Stern, Dennis Stock and Scott G. Toepfer. Don’t miss it. Running through the 16th. (featured photo: Joel Meyerowitz, Truro, 1976). 

* Foreign Fields at the High Watt ::: Foreign Fields‘ LP Anywhere But Where I Am is a masterfully painted landscape of electronic-folk compositions that could make the least artistically inclined of us experience the joys of synesthesia. I recently described them to a friend as the musical interpretation of a Matisse painting, superimposed over Alfonso Cuaron’s “Children of Men.” Go to this show if you want to fall in love with this band as deeply as I have, and if you’re curious as to whether my analogies make any logical sense. – E.K.

* Tom McBride Album Release show at The Basement ::: w. Don Gallardo Trio feat. Allie Farris & Maria Kowalski)

* Dent May w/Tim Chad and Sherry & Meth Dad at the Stone Fox

* Webb Wilder at 3rd and Lindsley

Saturday :::

* Jack Johnson at Third Man Records ::: Have breakfast (banana pancakes?) with singer, surfer and toker Jack Johnson at this special 10:30 am show. Tickets here (each purchase includes 2 tickets to the performance/taping and a pre-order of the Black & Blue Split-color vinyl record, which will be recorded direct-to-acetate that morning).

* East Side Hootenanny at East Park ::: Catch Space Capone, The Future, Kat Smo, Frances & the Foundation and VITEK along with food trucks, vendors and plenty of outdoor time, all followed by your own bed.

* Musicians Corner with Ben Sollee, Humming House, Matt Giraud, and Amy Stroup at Centennial Park

* Jefferson Street Jazz and Blues Festival

Keep checking back throughout the next few days for more updates, and follow us on Twitter.  And let us know if we are missing anything good.

Recently, however, I tuned into Lightning 100 during a 21^st Avenue traffic jam, and a song caught my attention in a way that I haven’t experienced since the onset of this musical dry spell. Its sound referenced the tight compositions of progressive classic rock, with a haunting cleanliness I liken to the first time I heard My Morning Jacket’s “Nashville to Kentucky.” The conversation between guitars incited a hallow sensuality, that kind of cathartic turnaround that is mastered by well-orchestrated dips into a minor scale.

The song was “Last Crash Landing” by new local band Blank Range, and it has become the beginning of my ascent back into Nashville’s burgeoning music scene.

Blank  Range released their EP “Phase II” on April 16, featuring six masterfully crafted songs. The first track, “Ziggy Coyote,”  plays on the balance between raw vocals and instrumental effects; it samples the band’s musical prowess while remaining true to classic rock progressions. Next comes “Roommate’s Girlfriend,” a song that possesses those subtly upbeat harmonies that accompany a convoluted subject matter, making it the perfect light-hearted summertime anthem.

For me, Blank Range waits until “Same Sun” to turn my intrigue into a solidified love for their sound. Think back to the first time you heard Wilco’s “Sky Blue Sky.” Then think further past that,  to the person that first introduced you to the early days of The Velvet Underground, circa 1967 and the production of “Heroin.” It might be a grandiose statement, but from “Same Sun” onwards, Blank Range picks up on the strains of the avant-garde expertise of these artists, creating homage to the roots of alternative rock and psychedelic experimentation.

The band proves that there is longevity in this certain kind of sound; most summers, I listen to Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day” at least once a day, (disassociating from its drug allegory, of course). By midday, no matter where my current location, Wilco’s “Hate it Here” stands as the first song on my afternoon soundtrack. So far this summer, Blank Range’s “Down From The Mountain” has become that coffee and cigarette morning anthem for me; they croon over a guitar that harks back to the origins of alternative folk and the basement noise that underscores easy lyrics: “You  learned to write; we learned to drink.”

I was first intrigued by Blank Range because they incited a nerve-ending reaction in me; “Last Crash Landing” produced that very organic compulsion that happens when you genuinely love something. There is no overt analysis of chord progression or measured time; its sound just felt right to my senses. Perhaps it was in the juxtaposition of lyrics about discount cigarettes, crash landings, and someone feeling proud of another person, but for the first time in awhile, a song made me cry. Right there, on 21^st avenue, between the sundress-sprinkled streets and PhD students. That was the best I’d felt in awhile.

Catch them tomorrow at 3rd and Lindsley, and check out their Nashville Five below…

By Luella and the Sun

1. Cheap living expenses: Relative to any other major city- especially ones with good music scenes- Nashville is still dirt cheap.

2. Hot Chicken: We love Pepperfire – it’s close by, the food is amazing and Isaac and his employees are super nice! And of course no conversation about hot chicken can go without mentioning the almighty Prince’s.  It’s an industry standard. Endorsed by Jerry Seinfeld!

3. Billy Cox: It’s still hard to get over the fact that the one time Jimi Hendrix friend and Band of Gypsy’s bass player lives right here amongst us mortals! Machine Gun baby!

4. Grimey’s/Howlin Books: What a great resource and cultural center these guys have going. They are passionate about what they do and it’s quite obvious and that passion is contagious amongst the entire Nashville community.

5. The unbelievable concentration of amazing musicians and art-minded folks in a relatively small area. The zeitgeist here right now is fertile and wide open and encourages all to follow their muse to the fullest. As Jimi said (possibly while dragging his Twin Reverb down Charlotte in a little red wagon) “Wave your freak flag high!”

I also spent Tuesday afternoon at City House, joined by some fellow writers, Caleb and Nathan Followill, Mayor Dean and chef Johnathan Waxman for the announcement of Music City Eats, our new food festival coming this September 21 & 22 (tickets will go on sale tomorrow). Kicking off the whole thing will be Pettyfest, a night of Petty covers by the Kings of Leon boys and many of their friends, organized (and likely featuring) Austin Scaggs, a Rolling Stone contributing editor, musician and current Nashvillian. Austin started throwing these coverfests in New York, along with my friend Johnny T, and they’re always a genious mix of nostalgia, drunkenness and expert song interpretations. I can’t wait, as anything that combines music and food is an easy route to my heart.

But back in the here and now, we’re digging up new spring/summer music, starting with Omega Swan -  a local trio whose sound mixes blues with raw, heavy rock & roll. Comprising Marcus Garceau (guitar/vocals), Mark Madison (drums) and Will Burgess (bass), Omega Swan makes music unpretentious and unafraid of acid riffs or electric spirals; their songs twist and turn while managing to chug forward in kinetic motion. Their breed of blues isn’t about swampiness or dripping with molasses – instead, it’s fused with a classic rock sense of shred, a psychedelia that is more spinning-in-circles-acid-trip than starting-at-the-sky shroom coma. It’s fun, engaged listening – perfect for the warmer seasons when you pump your backyard full of sounds that keep the neighbors up well past midnight while you flip burgers,  crack beers and crank tunes to pass the warm Tennessee nights.

They decided, for their Nashville Five, to share the Nashville locations most important and influential to them. Without further ado…

Omega Swan’s Nashville 5: The Most Influential Locations

1. Swan Lake – This is where Omega Swan started.  Some may see it as just a beat up house on Hartford Drive, but to us this is probably the most meaningful piece of real estate on earth.  Some absolutely legendary shows went down in that little one story house. Legendary.  Anyone who was there at the time knows exactly what we mean.  There was such a good energy there, parties were wild, bands were raging, the people were awesome.  90% of the friends and connections we have now were made at Swan Lake.

2. The Zombieshop (R.I.P) – Obviously the coolest venue that the world has ever seen.  We were introduced to the Nashville underground rock scene there.  Saw some WILD shows in its glory days, Ty Segall, Natural Child, Reid Magette, Couched, Blackbear & the Surf Bums.  Most of the music we listen to came out of that moped shop.  We are extremely grateful that we got to be a part of that place before they relocated to Fort Houston.  Hail Brent Jackson and the Zombieshop team.

3. Redact Studios – Our new record, OS-1, was done at a bunch of studios in town, including RCA and Oceanway, but the majority of the hours were spent at Redact Studios with our producer Edsel Holden.  By majority of the hours we mean a TON of hours.  It’s a home studio right off of 21^st, and the most important thing about being in the studio is being able to feel comfortable.  Redact is one of the most relaxing places to “work.” Much love to Edsel Holden.

4. Gas Station Taco Stand @ Route 66 Nolensville – When we used to live at Swan Lake there was this gas station, Route 66, right down the road.  Inside the gas station was this little taco/burrito place that on the outside looked like one of the more sketchier places you could ever eat at.  But those tacos are heaven, especially on the days after house shows. Convenient, delicious, greasy, sketchy.  What more can you ask for?

5. Planet Rad – This is our new home.  After leaving Swan Lake (which was quite sad) we were lucky enough to upgrade to a new place where we all live together.  Although there aren’t shows at Planet Rad like there were at Swan Lake, the jam sessions that go down at that house are incredible.  So many people from different bands come through after shows, on the weekends, on their days off, and we will just make music all day.  We read a lot into energies of people and places, and the energy at Planet Rad is impeccable.  That idea of a group of awesome people that love life and music is what started our new artist co-op also called Planet Rad.  You can check it out at www.planetradmusic.com.  Come jam sometime Ω

Listen up :::

Doors are at 8 p.m., show at 9 p.m, at the High Watt. And…it’s free.

Check out some of our artist spotlights, with the rest to come today:

- Gavin Shea

- Stacey Randol

- Diamond Carter

- The Weakenders

Plus make friends with the Cultivation, Mercy Bell, Heavy Sole and the Electric Hearts.

If that’s not reason enough to come to Cannery Row, Ben Elkins (of Heypenny) has also assembled another killer set of 8 over at Mercy Lounge, to celebrate the first release from his new band, El El. In between sets with us, you can wander over there and check out his lineup.

So, to recap: sixteen bands, one place, for free. See you there? RSVP on Facebook.  And please find us and say hi. We’d love to meet you.

- MRM & EK

Stacey Randol‘s music has that magic touch of being beautiful, soothing and calm but totally captivating all at the same time. Her voice, as it climbs and quivers perfectly from note to note, is the perfect conduit for dreamy lyrics and lush orchestration; the track “Fragile Forest” delicate but never unbreakable, and songs like “No Vacancy” mixes the moody pop sensibilities of Dido with a unique, percussive motion while “Steady Rhythm,” also the name of her 2011 LP, shows a playful take on exotic beats and a jaunty use of her wide-ranging vocals. From song to song, there’s always a surprise.

She is also a talented writer, and penned a piece for us on Nashville’s Hippie Radio.

Spend some time with “Fragile Forest,” which was inspired by our own Radnor Lake :::

The Weakenders make the kind of music I want to listen to in my car at the time of day when the lighting turns technicolor, and I’m going someplace with purpose – or maybe the music will give me purpose enough. It’s rock and roll, pure and easy, done with a relaxed swagger, with influences including Tom Petty, Ryan Adams, Thin Lizzy, BRMC and Oasis.

The boys are big on singles: in fact, they released their last record, Super Major, via A/B format weekend to weekend (or, weakend to weakend?). They also brought in local mix engineer Jason Miller (The Devious Angels, Shane Tutmarc) and mastering engineer Greg Rierson (Paul Westerberg, The Cure) to work on the LP.

And lest they take themselves to0 seriously, they decided to give us their favorite Nashville burgers for their Nashville Five.

I love the trippy, dreamy composure of “It’s Alright with Me,” that’s a John Lennon moment with a southern soul. Listen up :::

My love for this show is two-fold. As a music writer, I often find that our “type” gets a bad rep, asking questions that are either lazily sketched or too opaque to answer. Bands tire of repeating their histories for the sake of press, and they scorn ignorant comparisons to other musicians that share room on the same label. Critter’s Galaxy satirizes the experience of this more lackadaisical interview style. It manages to be entirely devoid of substantive information, while creating in me an awareness of the kind of writer I try to avoid becoming. Second, musicians are great for their allure on stage, but at the end of the day, sometimes we want to know whether they are truly likable human beings. To me, the easiest way to learn whether someone is worth getting to know is by testing out their sense of humor. Within ten minutes of Critter’s Galaxy, we get glances into the wits and patience of numerous local acts, including Sol Cat, VITEK, Gavin Shea, and Ravello. Uncertain of what to expect upon their arrival at the Galaxy, the bands seem initially taken aback by Boatright’s off-the-cuff sense of humor; yet so far, all of them have yielded to his spontaneity, adding their own hilarity to the show.

Below is Critter’s Galaxy’s Nashville Five, which I found as enjoyable in its truthful nature as the episodes I’ve got on repeat. You can watch the show on YouTube, wherever Wi-Fi is readily available.

By Chris “Critter” Boatright and sound-man Alex Grantz

Neighbors – Sylvan Park ::: Located in Sylvan Park, and more importantly within a walking distance from some of our friend’s houses, you can find a nice little quaint and another adjective bar called Neighbors. Critter is the mayor of Neighbors on foursquare, so that’s some shit. Neighbors is a place where you know all of the servers by name, and they have pulled pork that makes me question my parent’s faith. If you hit Neighbors up at the right time, and with the right attitude, you may be able to grab a few extra shots from your favorite server, and they even have in-door bathrooms. Neighbors is a great atmosphere of a bar where we go numerous times a week to maintain our boyish 20-something figures by meeting up with friends and having libations well into the night.

Plank Sound ::: Plank Sound is a guitar repair shop that our good bud Chris Plank runs in Sylvan Park. Plank is an all around rad dude who plays guitar in the rock band Ravello, however we mainly visit to hang out with his dog, Slash. Chris is a master guitar tech who does some real beautiful shit to guitars and other stringed instruments. He actually has my banjo right now. Plank Sound is the greatest place in the world to have your guitars repaired. We don’t repair guitars or even known how to do anything close to that. But we do know how to hang out and build fires and shit while Plank does stuff. Once we saw a bird fly into a window trying to get into the shop. Poor guy.

Mercy Lounge ::: Mercy Lounge is a place where you’ve seen all of your friend’s bands play shows, and there really isn’t another description. We’ve been to Mercy Lounge every week for a solid 5 years, and have spent a solid 4 of those inhaling copious amounts of ‘cigarette’ smoke in the green room. Mercy Lounge has a vibe that will never let you down. We’ve only had a few nights at Mercy Lounge that have been sub-par, and those were probably due to pre-gaming a pre-game too hard, or deciding to eat our faces off at Prince’s Hot Chicken before hand. Mercy Lounge is a great place to go to see all kinds of local and national acts play on any night of the week, and you can probably see many of our guest’s from Critters Galaxy hanging out or doing music stuff. Make sure to drop Critter or Grantz’s name at the door to get in to any show for free.

The Harpeth ::: If you have already watched every episode of Critters Galaxy ten times  and are looking for something to do outside, watch every Critters Galaxy episode ten more and times then go to The Harpeth River. The Harpeth, which is way the hell out past Grantz’s house in West Nashville, is where we spend most days in the summer.

Activities to do at the Harpeth include:

-Throw Rocks (rox)

-Eat BEEF jerky

-Smoke cigs if you’re into that

-Drink some alcohol

-Fall in the water

-Build a rock shrine

-Kiss girls on the mouth

-Catch clams

I’m sure we’ve done other stuff at the Harpeth but I can’t really remember right now. Once, I put in a chew at the Harpeth and then immediately took it out because I didn’t like it that much. You can take McDonald’s to the Harpeth River if you promise to dispose of your trash properly, as long as its a McRib.

The Galaxy ::: Finally, we reach the pinnacle of our existence. The Galaxy is located in East Nashville in the garage of our good friends Hayden & Henry. Hayden helps shoot, direct, and edit the show, while Henry produces by getting snacks and shit. The Galaxy is where all of the magic in Critters Galaxy originates. From the lava lamps to the Budweiser Label shaped guitar, everything is stupid, but stupid in the way that you like it. We meet the crew here once a week in order to shoot the upcoming episode that we release every Monday. Bands that have witnessed the galaxy have never seen anything as remarkable…ly unimpressive. The camera adds about 10 feet, and that leaves us with about 10 feet. We’d love to see all of the bands in the galaxy, and with the new Obamacare proposal, yes we can.

As a creative writing major, I spent four years with boozed-up poetry professors railing it into my head that word juxtaposition is about more than just symbols and substance; it’s about the aesthetics of sound. Local artist Gavin Shea masters this concept in his newest EP “Alive and Well.” Not only do the lyrics paint surrealistic images; they exist in harmony, with precise meters, intelligent rhyme schemes, and well-used consonance. If you aren’t a literary nerd with a penchant for over-analysis, you’ll still hear it; Shea’s writing naturally masters the mathematics of song-writing.

I’ve spent a good amount of time talking up Gavin Shea’s music, and I probably will until every last person in Nashville gets the chance to see him live, or downloads his EP. He’s doing something unique, different than most other artists around today. Shea’s sound isn’t rooted in past-genre influences. He is forward-thinking, and his compositions reflect that. His lives performances are simultaneously humble, impassioned, and usually barefoot. Now go download “The Brains,” and make sure to leave your shoes at home for this portion of Monday night’s show.