Wax Mistress’ members represent the trifecta of Nashville-area universities–Vanderbilt, Belmont, and MTSU. With an already-well-developed sound and ubiquitous presence, playing tons of shows all over the city, these newcomers are certainly more than the sum of their parts.
Continuing with our artist highlights of Thursday’s Turkey Jerky Jam at The End, we have the Nashville-based Born Animal. If you want a preview of this excitement before you see their set live, check them out here, and keep reading below to learn more.
WRVU’s Turkey Jerky Jam artist highlight continues with Spirit Week. We are very excited about these people. Elated, in fact. You will see just why they are so praiseworthy in person at The End on Thursday night, but in order to satisfy your pre-show jitters, sprinkle your ears with the sweet jams they have on their bandcamp.
Our next WRVU Turkey Jerky Jam artist highlight is Boyscott. Oh boy. These guys are something real special, folks.
If you haven’t already heard the word around the block, WRVU is hosting a show at The End on November 3rd at 8 pm (7 pm doors). We wanted to highlight the artists gifting us with their presence, and first up is: THE PILLS.
If you’re reading this, you probably like music. (Nice! Us too.) If you also live in the Nashville area, you would be remiss to forgo the opportunity to see…
Everyone’s new favorite band, Whitney, has captured the hearts of many an ironic-flower-crown American millennial with just half an hour (exactly half an hour) of recorded music. At Exit/In Monday night, they recaptured those same hearts during the first show of their fall tour.
Parquet Courts released Human Performance April 8th, and admittedly, after their last album, I can’t say my expectations were very high. Perhaps that is why Human Performance was so easily lovable—or, perhaps, it was because it was the band’s most innovative album yet, exploring new territory and playing with sounds they hadn’t ever touched before.
“I’m twenty, washed up already,” Frankie Cosmos proclaims in the aptly-named “I’m 20,” the eighth track off her newest release, Next Thing. With poignantly simple lyrics that paint her persona as one fearful of being a corporate sellout, “I’m 20” most notably marks a transition point in both Greta Kline’s latest album and in her career as Frankie Cosmos—marking a kind of profound recognition as she fears it’s happening, rather than after the fact. With words that touch on the flirtatiousness of being playfully young and also scared of not being young, Frankie Cosmos’ Next Thing is a monument of youth and its fading, and adds tremendously to her body of work, showcasing both consistency and novelty.
When Sufjan Stevens sings with raw vulnerability about “Death with Dignity,” or Alex G warbles about “Thorns,” or Frankie Cosmos draws you in with “Sad 2,” or King Krule weeps with deep-voiced, buttery droning through “Bleak Bake,” you are being sold an emotion just as much as a song. Naturally, a degree of sadness can be a fuel for inspiration, pushing artists into more creative realms, donating their hurting to public consumption—offering a source of relatability for the general populace, giving us solace in melancholy solidarity. Sad songs, then, are incredibly important: sobbing in the depths of the saddest song you can find on your Spotify playlist is often an unmatched catharsis. Sadness sells, and often is mutually beneficial for consumer and producer alike.
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.
Kurt Vile tickets were in such high demand that the show moved from Exit/In to Marathon; they eventually sold out there as well. Everyone, it seemed, was clamoring to see the man behind the deep, droning voice whose b’lieve i’m goin down… rounded out the latest addition to his successful solo career.
Saturday night, Unknown Mortal Orchestra played a crowded show at Exit/In with Lower Dens. The show delivered delicious energy and excitement without being over the top, proving it was worth that possibly-pricier Stubhub purchase after the tickets sold out.
Sun Seeker, whose newest single, “Georgia Dust,” has become a Third Man Records favorite, played some of their undeniably catchy and easily lovable tunes at Grimey’s last Saturday.
When I was in high school, a close friend of mine introduced me to the hilarious and often ridiculous wonder that is Ezra Koenig’s twitter. I initially dismissed his posted jokes as self-indulgent banter with a worshipping fan base. But, admittedly, I was intrigued, and started listening to Vampire Weekend. I got almost immediately hooked, and rapidly transformed into a person who listened to their self-titled album and Contra every day after school.
There is a possibility that Monastic Living won’t make you angry, of course, but I’m willing to bet to the contrary. Angry, hurt, or—at the very least—a little cheated.
On Wednesday night, Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, and Bill Kreutzmann joined John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge, and Jeff Chimenti to continue the group’s much-anticipated tour as Dead and Company.
Nest—a local Nashville favorite—Alex G, and Title Fight make for quite the trifecta. It’s no wonder the show sold out rather quickly with a venue as intimate as The End. It’s just as well for those who managed to snag tickets: there wasn’t a dull moment in the small space throughout the show, culminating in Title Fight’s all-out chaotic performance that garnered some of the most intense and committed crowd-surfing I’ve ever witnessed.
Of Montreal has solidified a well-deserved reputation for being a band best enjoyed live—not just for their intense light effects and dancing characters, but also because of Kevin Barnes’ engaging onstage presence and captivating antics. And the Athens-based group’s latest Nashville appearance did not disappoint, with dog costumes, crowd-kissing, and one ephemeral image of Donald Trump.
Beach House is one of those bands that has a “brand.” Not in the consumerist sense, per se, but in an artistic one. In other words, if there’s one thing you can expect from Beach House, it’s good-old-friend reliability.
Alex Giannascoli—Alex G, as he is known—has been particularly prolific this year, releasing Rules earlier this year, and then, satisfying the anticipation of his small but loyal fan base, Beach Music last Friday. Beach Music does far more than just satisfy, though: in typical Alex G fashion, it will take you on an introspective journey that is far from kitschy and saccharine, and yet remains surprisingly accessible.