Live on the Green has come to a close, Labor Day has passed, and so with those two ends arrives the brunt of Fall 2016 tour season, with many a tour opening up this week in Nashville. There are indie deities setting out on the road with Nashville serving as their port-of-call, marathon tour-ers continuing their never ending slate of cross country traversing, two-night installments, and Marathon Music Works finally reopening its doors after a month-and-a-half-ish hiatus. While those are just a few of the various iterations of tours making their way through our fair city this week, each subsequent week will bring about some other inevitable variable of tour this week serves as the ultimate red carpet rollout to one of the busiest fall tour seasons in recent Nashville memory.
Hovvdy, October Tooth, Geographi, Bennett Littlejohn at 516 Fairfax, 9/6
With the glut of touring shows coming through town, it seems fitting that the post-Labor Day week of shows would commence with what will undoubtedly be a subdued but incredibly charming/reaffirming faith in the DIY scene house show. Austin DIY-ers Hovvdy are coming in town to headline a bill that features once a year song stylist October Tooth (coinciding with their upcoming 2016 iteration), mystery group Geographi (but will likely be fantastic based off their proximity to the other groups), and Bent Denim front man Bennett Littlejohn going solo are bound to put together a winsome and vinolence-inducing evening of soothing soft-core cacophonies. Show at 8. $4 DOS.
Car Seat Headrest with The Lemon Twigs at Mercy Lounge, 9/7
Will Toledo has had a year for the ages – unprecedented output with two stellar records serving as his “major” label debut on Matador (Teens of Style and Teens of Denial) within less than a year, and a network television debut on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert – and he’s capping it off with a 30+ stop tour. Car Seat Headrest’s shows are well worth checking out, and following the prolific output of two records within a year’s time but now being on a label release schedule, who knows when the next installment of Car Seat Headrest will come? Show at 8. $15 DOS.
Thunderground 100: The Wans, Twin Limb, Music Band at Basement East 9/7
If bedroom production extraordinaire Car Seat Headrest is a little too mellow for you this coming Wedesday, then perhaps a little bit of local garage will help give you the post-Labor Day pick me up we’re all looking for. While its apparent Summer has come to its unofficial close, you can squeeze out one more evening of sweating your ass off at a rock show before everyone goes off into the studio, plus, it’s a wholly local affair through and through.
Sylvan Esso at Marathon Music Works, 9/8
Marathon has been closed for the better part of the summer show run – festivals, etc. – and they’re opening up for the Fall 2016 season with a banger of a bill. Sylvan Esso is a pretty well known commodity at this point – Amelia Meath of Mountain Man and Nick Sanborn of Megafaun/Made of Oak – but they’re going to be working out new songs from their sophomore record following their self-titled debut. We went to Nick Sanborn’s Made of Oak High Watt show earlier in the year, and talked to him for a but too, and he’s the dude, for sure, and Amelia is nothing but unbridled joy on stage with Sylvan Esso, so it going to be well worth checking out. Show at 8. $28 DOS.
St. Paul and the Broken Bones at Basement East, 9/9
Another band fresh off a Late Show with Stephen Colbert stop, Nashville’s adopted sons make a two night stay at the Basement East, and as you might expect, its sold out, completely. Maybe if you’re lucky you’ve gotten a ticket, but if you haven’t, never fret, because there’s another solid option happening on the other side of the river. SOLD OUT
Matt Wertz at Exit/In, 9/9
So if you’ve not gotten a ticket St. Paul’s Basement East show or you’re a fan of pop over soul, then Matt Wertz at Exit/In has got you covered. Matt is touring in support of his recently released record, Gun Shy. So if you’re looking to stay on the downtown side of the river to enjoy some pop and what not, then head out to Exit/In this weekend. Show at 8. $25 DOS.
Angel Olsen and Alex Cameron at Exit/In, 9/10
Last we saw of Angel Olsen, she was playing the Bijou at Big Ears 2016, playing tunes off her incredible new record My Woman. In terms of non-Nashville 2016 release, My Woman is an obvious top 5-er, and it has a Nashville connection with the dudes from Lionlimb (another incredible record, this time from local band) providing their services every once and a while to the record. Compound Angel Olsen’s stellar record with the absolute peculiarity of her opener, Alex Cameron’s grimey grimace music, and you’ve got yourself a candidate for being one of the best non-Nashville shows for 2016. Show at 9. $18 DOS.
Allah-Las at Exit/In, 9/11
I think the last time the Allah-Las were in Nashville, they were opening for someone at the Ryman. Who were they opening for, you ask? I can’t remember (I know, I suck), but, Allah-Las do have a new record coming out this Friday – Calico Review – that sounds like it was pulled straight from the late 70s (which it kind of was, because they recorded in a studio that’s been out of service since ’79), and well worth a live check. Indie dream poppers TOPS are opening, so all in all it’s a solid bill. Show at 9. $15 DOS.
Elise Davis at 3rd & Lindsley, 9/11
We talked to Elise Davis a little while back to get her Nashville Five of best places in Nashville (plus one not so serious one), and we’re pumped to see her out on the 3rd & Lindsley stage for Nashville Sunday Night as she plays tunes from her new record The Token, which drops this Friday. Show at 8. $15 DOS.
Lockeland Springsteen 