Show Review: Jay Z at Vanderbilt

It doesn't take a genius to see that I don't listen to a whole lot of hip hop, but I have picked up to listening o a little, particularly since finding out about the Jay Z show at Vanderbilt this past weekend.

My little brother had never been to a show before this one and I knew he'd kick me if he missed out, so I passed along word right before tickets went on sale and -next thing you know- we were sitting in expensive seats in Vanderbilt's Memorial Gym, second balcony, able to see the stage fairly well, yet unable to see most of the large video screens once the curtain dropped and Jay came through the floor.

But first things first: Wale opened for the show and I will admit, I freaked out when I read the Nashville Scene and saw he was playing before the main event. I'd only really heard of Wale through his work with Mark Ronson and I dug the stuff, so I was pumped. Evidentally Wale dropped his album, Attention Deficit that past Tuesday and even did a meet and greet in Antioch before the show, so it's easy to say people are into it what he's doing.

His set was a good one and by the last two songs or so, he even had the higher up sections moving around, hands in the air. My overall thoughts on the set revolve around one statement: I really hope he comes back to town and plays at a smaller venue, headlining. It would be a killer show.

Once Jay Z hit the stage, obviously, the crowd freaked out, to say the least. He puts on quite an awesome show, complete with lights, the aforementioned screens and all kinds of big show goodness (you'll have to excuse my getting excited over such things...I rarely attend large, arena sized shows). In some instances, I would have worried a little about one person running such a large show by themself, but this guy knows how to do it. He came complete with a full band, including horns, and plowed through most of his radio hits, along with some lesser known songs.

The coolest part, though, was getting to see my little brother experience his first show and see the excitement of hearing the songs he had been singing along to for a long time, in real life. I'm proud to say, yes, that was my brother in the first balcony that was singing along so loud to those songs you could hear him over Jay at moments. The whole experience reminded me why music is amazing live and why people do it- to elicit responses like my brother gave- I can't help but think he "gets" music more now. Thanks, Jay.

Overall, this was probably one of my top 2 shows of the year (perhaps a list will appear later on the blog). I highly suggest seeing Jay so you can get the triangle symbol out of your system, also so you can see how charming of a dude he is (the statements about the "pretty ladies" in the audience were in slight abundance, but in a totally adorable way).  This man knows what he's doing, he knows you want to know what he's doing and, well, it's worth the money to see what he's going to do next.

Fall Music Update

As far as sporadic bloggers, I'm back for a little bit & getting my head wrapped around all the amazing live music coming up in the next few weeks in the Nashville area... forget school, it's awesome concert season.

Looking for some suggestions, eh? You know I've got them....

1) This Sunday (27th), The Decemberists visit the Ryman with the last leg of their "Hazards of Love" tour, in which they play their latest release in full. The show isn't sold out and decent tickets are still available, plus you could possibly find your way into a ticket from the Nashville Cream caption contest. Check out the Ryman's twitter for up to date info.

I lucked out and found a friend who has an extra ticket, making for my second trip to the Ryman, second time seeing the Decemberists, also. If it's anything like the first time, with the epic "Mariner's Revenge Song" encore that lasts for 15 minutes, it'll be an amazing nite.

2) Dent May & His Magnificent Ukelele are coming back to Nashville October 26th at the End. I'm hopeful he and his crew will actually be headlining this time, as opposed to when they played at Mercy and went on second. According to the End's myspace, the show's with Bows and Arrows and is only $6. That, friends, is something worth seeing- trust me.

3) Grimey's Big Outdoor Sale & Party (or whatever they're calling it this time around) is coming up next weekend, October 3. Most of the info hasn't been released yet, but keep your eyes peeled to their website for what has traditionally been my favorite events to go on in Music City

4) The end all be all of Nashville's music scene- Next Big Nashville- it's coming soon! If you haven't experienced this juggernaut of a festival for local and regional acts (including out of town folks such as Lucero & Phospherescent), try your darndest to make it out. The price of a wristband may sound a little steep ($40 plus fees, which only came out to $45 & some change), but consider how many acts you can see, how many of your friends you can hang out with at numerous shows a nite, and yeah... if you're reading this, chances are you've already checked it out.

There's a lot of other rad shows going on, but this is the quick, "I haven't blogged in ages" version. More album reviews and thoughts and comments on local and national music will be posted at points in time when I find I'm more excited and not run down with school work (graduation in 3 months...eep!).

Hope to see you out at some shows, Nashville.

Moustache May

Photo Credit: artvandelay

Before hitting the Shakespeare paper and studying, wanted to make sure everyone knows about the Moustache May website. Mr. Michael Eades who runs yewknee & also is part of we own this town has the site up and running for gents {and ladies if they so wished and harnessed the power to grow said moustache} to boast about what's above their lip through out the month. The site has theme days in which the guys can participate in, such as show us your work [place, that is], formal friday and more. As to not condone cheating, registration was cut off slightly before May 2nd hit and the boys are going strong thus far.

Alas, seeing as today is Cinco de Mayo, some of the guys went all out on the theme and deserve being seen somewhere besides the main website...

Photo Credit: chadmcclarnon


Photo Credit: Burney


There's plenty more of where these came from, so check out the website and get to know the moustaches near and far.

[And I vote the artvandelay for moustache mayor tomorrow, Mr. Eades]

The Only Sons "Steel Hearts" Review

**EDIT: The band has changed their name to The Only Sons (from Ribbonpigeon), in concurrence with a physical release of this record. Hopefully that clears up any possible confusion.**

It's the way bands should always make albums: record one sounds similar to record two, yet record two isn't quite the same as the first, growth is visible but the band still sounds the same. "Steel Hearts" achieves this with ease.

Genre-wise, it's still safe to call the band an Alt-country act but there's more obvious rock influences, from the guitar on some of the songs and a Springsteen-esqe quality more recognizable in singer Kent Goolsby's vocals. The 12 tracks flow well through the entire record, with even catchier lyrics this time around and an overall more upbeat tone. Don't get me wrong, Mr. Goolsby still gets his harmonica and slower song in on the record, songs like "Stranger Here Myself" & "Taking Your Time with My Love", but overall the release is one for rocking out by yourself or friends...it could very easily be my personal "hanging out on porches" soundtrack for the upcoming spring and summer nites here in Murfreesboro.

The band's touring all over [including a ton of shows locally], with a lot more road to be covered this summer, I'm sure. You can check out their myspace or go straight to the source to get download your copy and then pass it around to your friends. Try listening to the closing track, "We Will Get By", and not have to take another listen...

More Dance Parties!

1) Left Can Dance :Just dug up on the internet: Left Can Dance is djing at Aerial on Feb. 27th at a Happy Valley party... that's all it says, but you can see it for yourself at the LCD myspace

Also found a video of the Robot Rock II Left Can Dance party at the End a few weeks back..it's mainly an interview with the folks that run it and doesn't feature me dancing stupidly (thankfully).

Check it out at NashvilleCream.

2) Jensen Sportag, Fly Golden Eagle, Make-up and Vanity Set & Fan Fiction: Performing at Mercy Lounge Wed. Feb. 18th. It is hump day, but that doesn't mean you have to take a break from dancing...given the line up it will definitely be worth the trip up to Nashville- plus it's cheap! Only $2 for 21+. More info on the facebook event.

3) The 5 Spot Monday Nite Parties: If anyone knows me at all, they will know how much I LOVE the 5 Spot- it has inspired me to move to East Nashville at some point [next summer if my life went ideally]. It's just a nice, cozy venue with awesome people who don't ever seem to look down on people, moreso just smile at them invitingly (seriously, one nite this guy just smiled at me and didn't give me the "what are you doing here?" look). Every Monday nite they have dance parties & I hear they're getting pretty big these days...I've yet to get up there for one, but any place I can run into some friends who moved out of the Boro & where they play songs I actually own inbetween bands (not crap, that is), plus see awesome bands and shake my booty, that's my place.

Few quick notes...

Three quick things:


1) 4th Anniversary party @ The Basement- FREE, 8 PM

The line up has changed some and here's what's going on, according to Nashville Cream:

• Howlies
• Madi Diaz
  Miles Nielsen
• Ricky Young
• Those Darlins
• Jason Jones and the Shelby Street Revival
• The Ettes

The Ettes are heading overseas to tour with Kings of Leon, so come out to the show and see them for free instead of having to shell out $20 or something pricey to see them live when they get back to the states...

And in regards to the show being free: if you went to any of the shows the week that Mercy Lounge celebrated 6 years old a few weeks back, you'll know to come early and stay late (Mercy had to stop letting folks in around 11 on that Friday nite & it's a bit bigger than the Basement, if that gives you any idea...)

2) Howlies instore at Grimeys- 6 pm, Free (of course)

I know, I can't shut up about how awesome these guys are, but they're one of my favorite live bands in the entire southeast. Their surf-punk sound is catchy to the max and easily provokes thoughts of the 50's rock...don't listen to me though- the band has been the Band of the Day on spin.com & also band of the week on Paste magazine's site, so just check out what they have to say about the boys from Atlanta.

Their record dropped on Tuesday (with vinyl coming in March- def. worth the wait after hearing their "Sea Level" 7" ) and a brand new video for the track, "Angeline" is up on their youtube page, along with a few other gems worth checking out.

More info/shows on the band's myspace.

3) Bonnaroo 2009

The line up is here- I know you've probably seen it already, but just incase check it out...

Not sure how the hippie crowd feels about it, but this indie snob finds it to be a very good line up with a few of my favorite bands [Okkervil River, Decemberists, Jenny Lewis, etc] on the roster. Hopefully it'll work out and I can go this year...we'll keep our fingers crossed!

Thoughts on these events coming up?

Music City is Alive & Well

Since making the pilgrimage back to Murfreesboro [for school, of course] a little less than 3 weeks ago, I've been reminded why I love this part of the world: There is almost always awesome live music.

2009 is shaping up to be an even better year than the last for the Nash/Boro scene, as proven by what's already happened and what's up next....So here's a recap and a look at the next few months...

1) Left Can Dance: The second nite I was back in town, this was happening. Of course, LCD was the main reason I headed back before classes started up. The party was Robot Rock II [the first one being late summer 2007 when Make Up & Vanity Set released his Protomen remix record] and I had to make it to the second since the first was my only experience at LCD.

The party at The End turned into a big 80's dance party, with lovely projections going all nite, including a Wham documentary or something of that nature (as pictured below). These are always an awesome time to just let go and dance and hang out with friends. So, if you like to dance, keep your eyes and ears open to their myspace for future parties.[Photo by the rad Steve Cross of Myself and Heather. And George Michael.]

[Justin from Protomen]

2) The Protomen: I can't escape them lately. Caught the boys and girls twice last week and enjoyed every minute of it. Their performances are so energetic and fun, you can't help but headbang and just move around. Never thought I'd be one to dig a band that you headbang to, but it's the most voluntary response that I have and I know it is the same for others [plus quite a bit of fist pumping]. Trust me on this one, just give them a listen or go to a show and try to stand still- pretty sure it's impossible. Here's a few shots that I grabbed while at the shows- and there's plenty more where they come from on the flickr:

3) Free Shows: I love it when venues have anniversaries, particularly when that means free shows. Case in point, Mercy Lounge turned 6 years old last week and had 6(ish) bands playing each nite, no cover, Monday- Saturday. Do the math and that's quite a few bands before the week was up. I wound up trekking up to Nashville for the Friday nite show, catching Protomen [the 2nd time that week seeing them], How I Became the Bomb, Hot Pipes, Eureka Gold and a few others. I'd never been to Mercy except for a very much smaller show or two, but by the time we got there around 10:15, I saw just how many bodies the venue would hold. On top of that, around 11-ish they cut off letting people in due to capacity. [Not any photos from there yet, but should be some when the disposable camera gets developed. I was too busy dancing during the sets].

Last nite the free-ness continued with "Funaguration" at the Basement, lead by the very patriotic Hey Penny. The nite came complete with a president of the party, cabinet members being named (who got banners) and a long line up bands (such as Parahute Musical & Tommy & the Whale). Even though it isn't my normal "scene" and the crowd was a bit different than the ones I normally go to shows with, it was still a good time. There's something about hearing the Star Spangled Banner, "USA!" being chanted throughout the song by the crowd, and a sweet cover of "Born in the USA" that just makes something be epic. Did cut out a little early due to being exhausted from work/school, but it was still worth the trip and I look forward to getting to catch Hey Penny play sometime very soon (their single, "Parade" is a little addictive).

4) Not forgetting about Murfreesboro: You know a line up is awesome when it doesn't matter the temperature outside. Try 10 degrees. In Tennessee. It doesn't get that cold here- ever- yet the Velcro Stars, Glossary & The Features had a large turn out. Truly one of the most solid line ups that I've seen in the past few months.

Shows Coming Up:

Friday, Jan. 23: "3 Bands and a Baby" house show (Murfreesboro): The Middlemen, Blastoids & Moonlight Bride - @ Scotty's Basement (Ewing St.), 9 pm

Saturday, Jan. 24: Los Campesinos!- Grimey's Instore: 2pm/ Full show: Exit-In

Friday Jan. 30: Lucero- Mercy Lounge// YCAC all ages show: We Were The States, The Lake and Kindergarten Circus @ The Vine (Mufreesboro: fundraiser for YCAC. Give them your money.)

Saturday Jan. 31: Lucero- Mercy Lounge

Friday Feb. 6: The Basement 4th Anniversary party: Howlies, Those Darlins, DangerBear, Ricky Young & TBA (FREE!!)// The Features- Mercy Lounge

Friday Feb. 13: Meemaw, The Tits, The Fork Hunts- The End

Saturday Feb. 14: Dr. Dog, Drug Rug - Mercy Lounge// Grimey's Instore- Drug Rug -5 pm

Check out the shows, support local and touring bands, let me know if there's anything important I missed & keep an eye out for some more reviews and photos coming soon [inbetween Shakespeare & british lit, that is!).

SXSW: as seen from TN

My thoughts on what I read/saw, via "the blogs"

-I will give Pitchfork props on the photos, particularly the amount of them
[Pitchfork's Culmination of SXSW coverage]

-Nashville Cream- Not as in depth as Pitchfork, but much more entertaining. SXSW without a badge as expereinced by free food and drink taking, couch hopping Seth con Queso is quite entertaining. I'm looking for a wrap up after he recovers.

-Speaking of Nashvillites, The Nobility posted some nice photos on their flickr.

I vote the photo of Caitlin Rose, from their page, pretty much the most adorable thing ever:


-I was suprised to not hear a huge huge fuss about Vampire Weekend. Maybe they're running down a little bit...? I read around that their set was good, but not the hype like has been going on as of late.

-Jens Lekman, the previously mentioned Vampire Weekend, My Morning Jacket, Bon Iver, etc. all have sets on NPR. The party was in conjunction with other stations/independent outlets, such as KEXP and a few other folks. I'm not sure if they're downloadable yet, but I have listened to Jens and part of VW and it was pretty good stuff, great sound. NPR is one of the best sites I know of for live sets, regardless what time of year it is.

- Surprisingly enough, some of the band I would have thought to draw a crowd/press only garnered a little bit of coverage, from what I have seen so far. Some of these bands are Los Campesinos!, No Kids [who I got back into after seeing a few photos and reading a short paragraph on some blog. They're quite eclectic and cover a lot of territory..just check it out.], Okkervil River, etc.

- Bands with profanity in their names, guess they're in this season..

-I can't find the source or the quote, but there was a thought that if you are able to ever see Moby and Justice play a party in a warehouse, go. Personally, if I could ever go to a Justice party, I'd be a pretty happy camper for a while.

-I'm going to hold out on the bands that seem to have gained the most hype due to playing the festival. It's too early to say, at this distance from the actual shows.


And I have to say, I was hating on SXSW but I'll admit it- I deep down wanted to go. And we can call that most of the reason I was hating.

Just don't tell anyone I admitted to that...

Have any thoughts on Austin and their little gathering of artists, journalists and music lovers? Let's compare notes...

Have a great one!
Jenny

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And yes. the Wilco show review is still on its way. I'm trying to get it together to use for a short paper in my art appreciation class, too. I've just gotta sit down and write down what's floating around my head...