Nashville, we’ve finally made it through the winter. I know this because I spent most of my day sneezing, meaning that the bitter cold has almost finally been compromised by pollinated air streams. The bad news is that some of us are bound to continue suffering. The good news is that concert season is about to hit full swing. As such, I am going to be running a weekly column (don’t hold me to that promise too strongly) detailing a few shows that I’ve handpicked as being most worth your time, money and Uber fares.
– Kevin
Monday, February 22nd at 9:00pm
Ty Segall & The Muggers with Axis: Sova and Savoy Motel
Mercy Lounge
As sure as there are 12 months in a year, it is certain that at least a few of them hold the promise of new music from modern music’s most prolific madman. Having just stopped at Mercy Lounge this past November as the drummer of side project FUZZ, Segall makes his return as the frontman of The Muggers – a murderer’s row of scuzz rock royalty (including Kyle Thomas of King Tuff, longtime collaborator Mikal Cronin and Evan Burrows of Wand) crammed onto one stage, burning through songs from last month’s Emotional Mugger along with the rest of Segall’s rabbit hole of a back catalog. As of this writing, the show is sold out, but it’s always good to keep an eye on the Facebook event page for any resellers and last-minute ticket allowances. Drag City labelmates Axis: Sova and local psych outfit Savoy Motel open the show.
Tuesday, February 23rd at 9:00pm
Big Freedia with Cakes Da Killa and Alanna Royale
Exit/In
So I just recently learned that the “Freedia” in her name is pronounced “Frida” and not how it’s spelled. I also don’t know a lot about Big Freedia’s music, only the legendary reputation of her live show and reigning status as the “Queen of Bounce.” If that word of mouth is strong enough to convince pop monolith Beyonce to feature Freedia on the increasingly subversive Song of The Times contender “Formation”, then it’s probably strong enough to convince you to bop on over to the Red Bull Sound Select page to put your name down on the RSVP list. As with all Red Bull shows, $3 gets you in, but be sure to get there early as this one will reach capacity quickly. New Jersey-based rapper Cakes Da Killa and Nashville’s favorite soul outfit Alanna Royale kick this one off.
Thursday, February 25th at 9:00pm
Kurt Vile & The Violators with Xylouris White
Marathon Music Works
It’s rare/probably unprecedented for a touring musician to sell out two separate venues in Nashville, but it looks like Philadelphia’s blasé dad-rock shaman Kurt Vile is about to do just that. After having his originally scheduled Exit/In gig moved to the much larger/much more acoustically unforgiving Marathon Music Works, it seemed like we were looking at a classic case of going too big on the booking. Not the case, however, as recent updates put Mr. Vile’s Thursday show as close to reaching its cutoff. He’ll likely be playing one of the main stages at Bonnaroo this summer, but if you want to see him in a (slightly) more intimate venue, this is your best chance. Find tickets here. Cretan lute/drummer duo Xylouris White have the heady task of attempting to ease Marathon’s PA system into something resembling competence.
Lockeland Springsteen 