Last week saw a lot of non-local acts roll through Nashville as they headed on to any of the myriad festivals happening in the Southeast to Midwest region – Sloss Fest, Forecastle, Pitchfork. This week starts out the same way with a handful of touring acts stopping by music city early in the week, but by the time the weekend picks up, it almost exclusively Nashville through and through. From Modest Mouse to Diarrhea Planet, L/S has got you covered on which shows are worth a shot at checking out this upcoming week.
The Wombats at Cannery Ballroom, 7/19
The Liverpudlian band had a show lined up at Mercy back in September of 2015, but they had to cancel, so this one has been almost a year in the making. Touring in support of their stellar 3rd LP, Glitterbug, expect a lot of maniacal energy from Matthew Edward Murphy, Dan Haggis, and Tørd Knudsen as they “Dance to Joy Division,” and opine about the “Modern Glitch.” After touring for the better part of a year, The Wombats bring their manic pop rock magic to Nashville at Cannery Ballroom. Coast Modern and Mona open. Show at 8 PM. $20 DOS
Modest Mouse and Brand New at Ascend Ampitheatre, 7/19
At this point, it shouldn’t be all that difficult to convince yourself why you should go see Modest Mouse – lyrical uber-consciousness, brooding builds, hyper musicality – and Brand New – early Aughts rock – at any show, much less a co-headlining spot. Expect this show to be pretty crowded and full of everyone from cool dads to emo punks. Show at 8 PM. $35 DOS
Jillian Jacqueline, Jordan DePaul, and more at Basement East, 7/19
We talked to Jillian Jacqueline about her “Nashville Five” a little while back to coincide with her kickass EP, Jillian Jacqueline, so its safe to say L/S is a fan. Jacqueline is as part of the “Songs on the Floor” series at Basement East, along with killer songwriter Jordan DePaul and Memphis group Friends of Lola. Show at 8 PM. $8 DOS.
Shane Smith at Exit/In, 7/20
Fresh off the release of their folk/country/rock release, Geronimo, the Texas outfit Shane Smith & the Saints bring their spirited four part harmonies into Nashville at Exit/In (after playing Whiskey Jam Monday night) with support from Tyler Childs and Colter Wall. Show at 9 PM. $8 DOS.
Patrick Sweany at The Basement, 7/20
One of the stalwarts of Nashville’s blues machine, Patrick Sweany is putting on a gig at The Basement as the first of his two local shows in a few months, the other being his opening gig with All Them Witches and Blank Range on September 29th. Be sure to check out Sweany’s Daytime Turned to Night before you head in, so you’re down with the vibes that Sweany plans on putting out. Show at 7 PM. $5 DOS.
Digable Planets at Exit/In, 7/21
I’m not really sure whether or not alt-hip hop has caught on in Nashville, but if the fact that Digable Planets’ Exit/In show sold out is any indication, then I’d say at the very least there’s a market for it. If you snagged a ticket, be sure to get there early to see Bronx trio Camp Lo warm the crowd for the legendary Brooklyn jazz rap of Digable Planets. Show at 9 PM. Sold Out.
Lasso Spells, The Jag, Lawndry, Okey Dokey at Mercy Lounge, 7/22
Here’s the first of the two competing Nashville crew bangers happening on Friday night. High Noon at Mercy Lounge features a slightly more psychedelic feel versus its Basement East counterpart, as local slant gazers The Jag, psych soulers Okey Dokey, spaghettic western fantastmers Lasso Spells, and sartorial hygienist Lawndry fill out the bill for Mercy’s High Noon spot on Friday night. Show at 8:30 PM. $5 DOS
Blackfoot Gypsies, The Gills, Josh Farrow at The Basement East, 7/22
Where High Noon is feeling a little loosey goosey with their psych proclivities, Blackfoot Gypsies are putting on a crunchy rock show featuring local Beyonce satirists The Gills, Americana minstrel Josh Farrow, and out-of-the-woods rockers Raven and the Wren at Basement East. Show at 9 PM. $10 DOS.
Elliston Place Street Fest at Exit/In, 7/23
As if the two Nashville packed spots on Friday night aren’t enough local love for you, Exit/In has resurrected Street Fest and they’ve managed to snag quite the lineup from the local scene. Diarrhea Planet is the unequivocal “headliner,” but you’ve also got spots from Delta Saints, The Protomen, Jeremy Lister, KDSML, AutoVaughn, The Black Cadillacs, Richie, and Oliver John Rodgers. Music is playing all day, with Street Fest opening up on Elliston at 3 PM. $20 for GA/$55 for “Tito’s Hurry Back Experience.”
Swans at Exit/In, 7/24
It seems fitting that a band like Swans cap a week that features a heavy dosage of local groups. Legends of the experimental rock realm, the Michael Gira led group has seen a hell of a lot of members come through its ranks (25+) but there was always Gira. The band is touring in support of their 14th (!) LP, The Glowing Man, but be sure to get there early to check out New York-by-way-of-South Korea maestro Okkyung Lee play some of her boundary blurring act at the open. Show at 9 PM. $25 DOS.
Lockeland Springsteen 