SXSW is nearing an end, which means soon East Nashville will resurrect itself, and it will be near impossible to find a seat at your favorite neighborhood cafe. Nashville is oozing with musical charisma and high-energy performances tonight and tomorrow night. We’re celebrating the end of our abandoned-sidewalk solitude with several great shows happening this weekend, before the crowds amble back in.
Friday
– Adam Faucett w/ All Them Witches & Meadownoise at 3rd & Lindsley :: The soulful bellowing of Arkansas-native Adam Faucett comes to Nashville this Friday night, showcasing the originality behind his mellifluous storytelling. Faucett croons waves of mutiny and surrender through his folky poetics, reminding us what it means to have truly grounded roots in soul-bearing southern songwriting. He is joined by All Them Witches, the Nashville-based psychedelic-blues band that transform stages into the swampy lands of drum-based delta, and Meadownoise. $10.
– Lera Lynn with Ben Cameron at the High Watt ::: With a voice that is as equally sultry as it is whimsical, Lera Lynn streams her falsettos through folk and rock based guitar lines. Her music vacillates in emotional expresses, but with every song, the whispering sweetness in her timber soothes the soul. Lynn is joined by Ben Cameron tomorrow night in support of her EP release Lying In The Sun at the High Watt. $10 GA/$12 DOS.
Remedy Krewe with AJ and the Jiggawatts & Deep Fried Five at 12th and Porter ::: Self-described “southern funk” band Remedy Krewe hails from New Orleans, and plays with a deep gusto that pulls from the city’s rich history of jazz, soul, and boogieing rock blends. With down-home bass lines, gravely vocals, and a sultry saxophone, Remedy Krewe projects the stewing energy of Louisiana’s finest musical elements. The grooving southeast soul of AJ and the Jiggawatts and the high-energy of Deep Fried Five are playing tonight. $12 at the door.
– Billy Joel at Bridgestone Arena ::: This concert is actually (and unsurprisingly) sold out, but we thought we’d remind you all to steer clear of downtown, as the streets are likely to be filled with thousands of cars halted in a standstill, singing poor karaoke to Piano Man along with some forlorn Captain Jack solos from the brown-bagged inclined. I will be at this concert, so expect a few musings from me in the near future: (Why My Jewish Mother Is In Love With Billy Joel, Why I Am Destined To Become My Jewish Mother.)
Saturday
-Greensky Bluegrass with Wood & Wire at Exit/In ::: As someone naively attracted to linguistic hodgepodge, I’d bet on this show simply because Greensky Bluegrass from Kalamazoo, which might be the most phonetically endearing city name in America. But beyond the arbitrary, this five-piece band have numerous accolades to their name, including the debut of their last album, Handguns, at number 3 on Billboard’s Bluegrass Charts. Infusing a multitude of jazz, rock, and world genres into the roots of tradition, the group has redefined the meaning of modern day bluegrass, repackaging it into versatile scores that speak equally to the amalgamation of future roots rock as it does to the longevity of the genre. Greensky Bluegrass is joined by Austin-based band Wood & Wire, whose music demonstrates the outlaw country through prodigious finger-picking and fast, foot-stomping rhythms. $18 DOS.
-Ben Folds’ Piano Concerto at Nashville Symphony ::: Like the River of Dreams Renaissance Man, Nashville-based piano rocker Ben Folds makes his classical piano debut this weekend at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Though pop music often grows successfully from musical intuits, it’s sometimes refreshing to hear the changing movements of a long-form orchestral composition, that touts complexity and a comprehension of sound read from scores of sheet music. We’ll be here on Saturday night, and will report back the similarities between Bach and Ben.
** We’ll be taking a break on Sunday, in preparation for a day of green Guinness, Gunther Dog, and our pals The So So Glos on Monday Night at The End.
Lockeland Springsteen 