Considering South by Southwest’s dizzying size, it’s no surprise that this year’s mammoth festival-conference-conglomerate will feature roughly fifty Nashville-based bands and musicians. (That’s not including countless Nashville-based “unofficial” artists making…
The band’s snappy drumwork and wild synths were complemented perfectly by their visuals, which included an impressive light array and three tireless dancers who roboted, wriggled, and rocked their way through much of the show in full space suits.
World-class guitarist and songwriter Kurt Vile, along with his backing band, The Violators, are on tour and playing Nashville for the first time in over a year — sure to grace the crowd with their stoned 70s rock sound.
Sophie Allison, also known as Soccer Mommy, has emerged as an intensely creative and moving female artist in the last few years. At only 21 years old, Soccer Mommy is already extremely accomplished: since 2016, she has released three albums including her debut album proper, Clean. Clean is a massive critical success and is cited as one of the best albums of 2018 by Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Billboard, NME, and Noisey, among others.
Women are more visible in today’s music scene than ever before and one thing is absolutely clear – they’re crushing it. From noname to Snail Mail, women have continued to release incredible, innovative music that demands attention. Beyond that, women are emerging as powerful music executives, leading the industry from behind the scenes. Using their shared experiences as a basis for understanding, women in music are empowering each other and thriving as a result.
Last week, King Princess graced us with a stop on her “Pussy is God” tour in Nashville. Debuting in 2018 with her ep, Make My Bed, King Princess is already cementing her reign as one of the premiere rising pop stars. Make My Bed is a masterful blend of catchy hooks, emotional, and self-aware digs, backed by a strong queer identity, and earned her an almost cultish following. Exit/In was a surprising venue given her popularity, and sold out nearly instantly. The intimacy of the venue, this venue was the perfect place to stage her show.
The worlds of folk and Americana music are, at best, in constant struggle between the future and the past. While some folk bands cling to what is familiar, the finest artists see the past as a springboard into fresh new sounds. This was the case with Bob Dylan’s iconic Newport Folk Festival controversy, as it was the case with Fleet Foxes’s breathtaking 2017 album, Crack-Up. Goes West by William Tyler joins this pantheon by continuing not only to push the envelope, but also to open it and slide a letter of his own inside.
The “one-person-band” known as Tash Sultana rolled through Nashville last Friday as part of their Flow State World Tour, named after their new album released at the end of August. An Australian native, Tash Sultana fuses psychedelic rock and slow, swinging reggae to create an ethereal environment that invites the listener to get lost in the sound. Tash’s captivating music has gained them avid followers worldwide, who have been known to jump the barricade after the show in order to get closer to the artist.
The 1975 has never been the band to shy away from extravagance. From the self-titled song appearing on all three of their albums to their ostentatious project titles — I’m…
Earlier this year, Ghost released Prequelle, a near-perfect arena rock record dripping with the band’s classic satanic doom-metal aesthetic and dashes of really fun pop glimmer. Every song on the album fits ingeniously and further establishes the band’s repertoire of new rock classics. Even the two instrumental pieces continue the energy of the other songs seamlessly, creating a beautifully cohesive album. Some tracks have lush orchestral intros and outros which act as gorgeous reprises or previews of other melodies on the album and enhance the overall flow. Somehow, amidst our current music climate of the widespread reappropriation of the sounds and textures of the 1980s, the clear 80s influence on Prequelle still feels fresh and exciting, balanced perfectly against 70s hard rock and 21st century dance sensibilities. Thematically, the album perfectly intertwines deliciously cheesy imagery of the Black Death with entertaining and incisive disses on some of the former members of the band who levied a lawsuit against the frontman. At a fairly concise 41 minutes long, Prequelle doesn’t squander a second; every moment on the album feels important. It’s a strong top 5 contender for my AOTY, and so I had very high hopes for the tour.
When we walked into the High Watt’s Green Room, Active Bird Community’s lead singer Tom D’Agustino was woken up by bassist Zach Slater. “It’s really cozy”, D’Agustino says with a sheepish grin. Slater later confessed that a downside to touring was the constant exhaustion.
During the guitar duet/trombone interlude in “sponsor me tape”, about five minutes into Mom Jeans’s set, two thoughts occurred to me: Wow, these guys sound even better live than they…
On October 19th, 2018, I was given the opportunity to speak with Matt Signore, the Chief Operating Officer of Warner Music Nashville, a sub-label under Warner Music Group. Mr. Signore offered unique insight to the culture and values of the company, as well as answers to questions about the internal operations of Warner Music Nashville and Warner Music Group as a whole.
It’s that time of year, the leaves are changing, the weather’s getting crisper, and folks who have never even listened to grunge are wearing flannel. That’s right, it’s time for WRVU’s 3rd annual Cranberry Jam!
Back on September 26th, myself and WRVU’s station manager Morgan Levy had the opportunity to sit down with Lillie West of Lala Lala before her gig opening for Mothers at the 5 Spot. In the parking lot across the street from the venue we talked about the band’s history, writing process, tour life, and anticipated upcoming album The Lamb, which has since been released. Her first LP, Sleepyhead, was put out on Bandcamp back in 2016 in what she considers to be a moment of “boredom.” You wouldn’t guess this by listening to the record, however, as its sound is anything but monotonous.
There’s so much music released every year, it can seem impossible to keep track of it all. That’s why WRVU Nashville has come up with a list of what we believe to be this season’s essential albums, for those who feel like they aren’t up to date, or for those who are simply interested in discovering something new.
Austin City Limits is a 3-day, 2-weekend music festival held every year in October. Nearly half a million people traverse Zilker Park in downtown Austin during these weekends to hear some of the biggest artists in the biz. This year, ACL brought in an impressive lineup, including Paul McCartney, Arctic Monkeys, Travis Scott, The National, Metallica, and Odesza. Austin is hailed as “the live music capital of the world” thanks largely in part to this festival. Here are some interesting tidbits from Austin City Limits 2018:
The number of artists who started writing music in the 1950s and are still selling out arenas in 2018 is very small. While each of the giants in this musical…
Raw, emotional, expansive, monumental, dynamic: all words to describe an era of classic rock that has seemingly come and gone. Although recent musical acts have channeled the soulful ten-minute-long guitar jams of the classic rock movement, none have transcended and embraced the purity of the music heard decades before.
One of the nation’s best kept musical secrets lies a mere three hours away from Nashville. Beale Street Music Festival, located in my hometown of Memphis, TN, consistently has one of the best small-festival lineups each year for only a fraction of most festivals’ price. I got the great pleasure of being able to work press this year, and as a result fell even more in love with my favorite Memphis event of the year.
Dropping at this very moment, WRVU has the great pleasure of releasing Lucy DK’s premiere music video, “Drama”! Inspired by the stigma that surrounds women who challenge problematic aspects of relationships, this song encompasses the frustration women experience when labeled as “drama queen,” “crazy ex,” and “psycho bitch.” Especially prevalent for women of color, this stigma reduces the autonomy individuals have over their own relationships and image in society. This song serves as a rejection of toxic individuals from one’s life, and as an acceptance of one’s own emotions, experiences, and identity. The video takes features a dual narrative, encompassing how women who face this stigma are viewed in society. One narrative stars Lucy as an actress in staged production, where she is portrayed as psycho and met with audience disapproval. The second serves as a parallel to the first, but in a completely unstated setting. It stars her trying to navigate her own life and relationships in a completely real and vulnerable fashion.