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Lesser Known (and cheaper) Music Festivals This Season

March 23, 2016
If Coachella is too mainstream for you, check out the music festivals below. Source
If Coachella is too mainstream for you, check out the music festivals below. Source

I spent a lot of time this past weekend stalking the Instagram accounts of several of my favorite bands that happened to be playing at SXSW. It was a bit of a depressing experience, both because I was at the time stuck in Featheringill trying to study for a test and because I currently do not have the money to spend on a large music festival experience. That being said, there are a ton of music festivals that are driving distance from Nashville that are cheaper and still offer great lineups. So if you’re bummed about missing Coachella or Bonnaroo or Lollapalooza, check out these awesome festivals coming up this summer.

Pinegrove, Cafe Coco, and Fruit Juice

March 15, 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nh3s0Bl5k4Q

Note: This interview took place just prior to the anonymous accusation of sexual misconduct against Evan Stephens Hall, the details of which are murky as of this time. We do not at all endorse or condone any inappropriate or coercive behavior on the part of bands we’ve interviewed. Read our full statement here.  

Café Coco isn’t normally the go-to venue for bands as suddenly popular as Pinegrove. Though they easily could have filled Exit/In next door—where their friends, the edgy punk duo PWR BTTM, were coincidentally playing tonight—they instead packed Coco, where eager fans filled the space with anticipatory energy.

Life On Mars: A Reflection on Bowie, Two Months Later

March 6, 2016

As a composer, people often ask what my favorite piece of music is – the one that affected me the most, the one that made me feel things I hadn’t before, the one that when I heard it I knew what I had to do with my life. I remember one day last fall that question was posed in my Intro to Composition class, to a room of mostly composition majors. Everyone in the room called to mind immediately their first exposure to Mahler, or their first bout with Bach or Beethoven or Brahms. As a composer I know I “should” love these great composers and be deeply affected by their expertise and power – and I do, and I am. But the piece that has most deeply affected me, the one that makes me sure of exactly why I chose to study to be an artist, and the one with which I responded in class was “Life On Mars?” by David Bowie. This song is, without hesitation, my Mahler Five, my Beethoven Nine, my Rite of Spring. But its impact on me (as well as Bowie’s impact) stretches back years before I ever decided to compose.

Leon Bridges Takes Nashville Back to the 1950s

March 3, 2016

IMG_0849

After selling out Marathon Music Works in October, contemporary 1950s-soul artist Leon Bridges was back in Nashville last night at a sold-out Ryman Auditorium. The crowd surprisingly consisted of all ages compared to the Marathon Music Works show, which was a glaring majority of young couples. The ability to sit down in pews likely contributed to the older crowd’s attendance, and there was also the benefit of not having to watch hundreds of couples slow-dance and make out to Leon’s jams. In general, as my friend astutely commented, “There are a lot of good hats tonight.” Leon’s vintage style permeated the crowd, transporting us to the 1950s.

The Life of Kanye West’s Career

March 2, 2016

 (Written by Corey McCloud and Linzy Scott)

Nobody will ever imitate Kanye West. Not even Kanye himself. With the release of his most recent effort, Life of Pablo, the eclectic rapper-producer megastar proved once again that he isn’t afraid to change his style and push rap forward with every release. So against the cries of his fans demanding old Kanye, against people saying he was getting too artsy, or too egoistic with Yeezus, and against everybody who thought he might actually be losing his mind, Kanye dropped the a-bomb with Pablo. The album’s sonic range alone is impressive and the first six tracks are among the best stretches of tracks in hip-hop history. I hate to sound like a fanboy, but at this point we are 2 weeks removed from the release of the album. It’s been a week and a half since I first bit the bullet and got a Tidal trial account to try it out, and yet I somehow find myself going back to this album multiple times a day.

2015 AOTY Winner

February 21, 2016

WRVU AOTY

As mom used to tell me, the best things in life are worth waiting for. The 2015 Album of the Year Tournament Crowning of the Champion is no exception, and I am happy to announce that we have our results. After careful consideration and several rounds of voting, your 2015 AOTY Winner is……….

House Music Will Never Die

February 16, 2016

As my mother once told me, “Disco never died in Europe.” Although it is glaringly obvious that our transatlantic cousin continent has embraced electronic music more than we ever have, I was still taken aback by her statement. When I initially decided to study abroad, the last thing I expected to find was a time capsule of a 1970s discothèque in the heart of Prague. But there I was, wading through a crowd on that iconic glowing Tetris floor while loops of reverberating vocals flooded the club. Disco had, in fact, not died at this one hole-in-the-wall locale. It seemed surreal, but moms are typically always right — my case was no exception.

Why You Should Be Listening to Remixes

February 16, 2016

my rig

My favorite thing about electronic music is that possibilities for creating different instrumental tracks are endless. One thing that I do on a daily basis is find different remixes for a song and listen for new combinations of beats, chords and synth effects that mix well with the main melody. It’s definitely interesting, and it’s taught me a lot about different sound effects that I can incorporate into my own music.

Above all, listening to remixes is a lot like listening to a song for the very first time. Oftentimes, I will hear a song and wish that it were a little faster or slower, with a little more bass, or a few extra beats here and there. Remixes can make these ideas into reality, and it’s really cool to hear someone make variations to a song in the exact way that you had envisioned. Other times, a remix can show you a version of a song that you never expected would work. Either way, it’s a lot of fun.

Below are 10 of my favorite remixes/ covers (in no particular order)

In Defense of Trap Music

February 12, 2016

Following the release of the Rites lineup, one of the most common complaints I heard was that Future had no business being invited to perform. Many of these critics complained that his lyrics left something to be desired. Others found the songs repetitive. Even then, others found him too simplistic and not deep enough. People have a right to their opinion, but in this instance I think many critics of Future and trap music in general are doing themselves a disservice by ruling out the genre. All the things that give trap rap a bad name are the same things that give it a valid place on the musical spectrum. Let’s take a look.

“Some Things Last a Long Time”: An Evolution of a Song

February 7, 2016

The art of spotting a sample has faded to technology. Now all a good ear has to do is a quick google search or peruse a blog to reveal the mystique of an eloquent beat. But an infectious hook, loop, and vocal can haunt me for an afternoon. Or a few days. Or this past week. Red Pill’s 2015 release Look What This World Did To Us has been on regular rotation on my Spotify feed. Rum and Coke especially speak to my Friday nights’ struggles between a girlfriend, a graduate student’s bank account, and a bar tab. Yet that’s not what this post is about. On the self-titled track “Look What This World Did to Us”, Red Pill tells a Bukowskian tale with an acerbic tongue. Familiar to early Atmosphere, the track speaks of a guarded regret singular to the loss of youth.

Monday Music

February 1, 2016

Everyone knows that Monday is the worst day of the week. Even if you don’t agree, it’s usually true to say that having a full week of meetings, assignments and…

Stressed Out, Snowed In: A playlist to help you survive December

November 30, 2015
If you can relate to this picture, keep on reading.
If you can relate to this picture, keep reading.

The distress of December is upon us. It’s cold. It’s wet. You have three papers, two tests, and a group project due within the next 4 days. Facebook just notified you about the 11 events you won’t be able to attend this week. To top it off, you might have just found your first gray hair–even though you can’t remember the last time you used a brush, or took a shower for that matter.

It may officially be socially acceptable to listen to Christmas music, but there’s nothing holly jolly about the massive pile of work you’ve got to plow through. Never fear! While I can’t pass your Spanish oral exam for you, do your Chemistry lab report, or help you with your thesis, I can provide you with a playlist to boost your focus and (marsh)mellow your vibes.

Uncovering the Secrets Behind Rozwell Kid

November 24, 2015
Rozwell Kid
Photo by Rozwell Kid

As I walked up to the Exit/In an hour before doors were set to open, to my surprise a sizable line was already beginning to form in front of the venue’s locked entrance. Based on the number of cut-off sleeves and smell of fresh cigarettes hanging in the air, it was safe to say these diehard fans were there for the folk-punk headliner Andrew Jackson Jihad. However, I was there early for a different reason: I had the opportunity to sit down with Jordan Hudkins of Rozwell Kid—one of the openers for the night alongside Nashville locals Pumpkinseed and touring buddies Jeffrey Lewis & Los Bolts.

From No-Wave to Indie Rock: A Sonic Youth Primer

November 9, 2015
via The Quietus
via The Quietus

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been coincidentally talking to several different people about some of my favorite bands.  Whenever I bring up the name “Sonic Youth” as one of those bands, people usually know the name, but have reduced their knowledge of the group to “oh yeah, aren’t they the weird band that had a song on Guitar Hero?”  I’ve even talked to a few people at WRVU about Sonic Youth, and, surprisingly, some of their reactions have been similar.

WRVU’s Top 10 Mom&Dad Music

November 6, 2015

Many of us owe our first musical experiences to good ol’ mom and dad. Every generation has its musical highs and lows, but sometimes there comes along an artist that seems to transcend time. This list is dedicated to those universally appreciated artists. Here we have the top ten most popular artists that our parents taught us to love.

10. The Grateful Dead

10 Reasons to Love Eddie Vedder

November 1, 2015

eddie vedder with a ukelele

Anyone who knows me well is aware of my reverence for Eddie Vedder. The above picture has been the focal point of my dorm room decor since my sophomore year. More often than not, people who visit my room ask me “who is that dude holding the ukulele?” Even worse, some of them have never heard of Eddie Vedder and I am forced to condense his brilliance to a mere sentence or two. If you are unfamiliar with Eddie Vedder and still want to be my friend, this post is for you.

Here are 10 reasons you should love Eddie as much as I do:

  1. Lead singer/guitarist of Pearl Jam since 1990. A quarter of a century later and Pearl Jam is still performing and producing great music. Check out this awesome footage of them playing at the Pinkpop festival in the Netherlands back in 1992
    (note the extreme 90s hair).
    http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGO-L0–BkA

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