Their first show was in March, and they’ve already played to a packed crowd for the Hammer Museum’s “I Also Like to Rock” series. Last night was the first time I was able to see Milo Greene at The Bootleg Theater opening for Races. I was mesmerized by all the beautiful voices…especially when they started working together to create gorgeous harmonies or counter melodies. I was also excited to see a couple familiar faces up on stage, former members of the sadly defunct LINKS. If you want a comparison, they remind me a bit of Seattle’s The Head and The Heart (an LMN fave). But really, you should check them out for yourselves. Their next posted gig seems to be at Sunset Junction. In the meantime, get to know the band! Here follows the appropriate links…
UPDATE: Milo Greene announce tour with The Civil Wars. Touring all over. Check out the dates here and get your tickets before they sell out: http://milogreene.com/live.html
After Bonnaroo, we were covered with dirt and grime. Unshowered and not having slept, the last thing we wanted to do was immediately get on an airplane for 4 hours. Instead we decided to hit up the nearest Steak N Shake, find a hotel with a pool, and spend a little time in Nashville…it is, after all, the music city. We explored the Country Music Museum learning about the history and nuances of country music as well as a lot more about Hank Williams and his family than I really cared to know. There were some fun artifacts including horse lover Webb Pierce’s tricked out car, Elvis’ golden piano, and most excitedly (for me), Carl Perkins’ actual blue suede shoes! In association with the museum, we also toured RCA Studio B where hits from the likes of Elvis, Dolly Parton, and The Everly Brothers were recorded. I picked up a t-shirt with the museum’s slogan, “Honor Thy Music”
My favorite part of our Nashville adventures, was the evening we spent at local bar, 3rd & Lindsley. I wanted to get a taste for the local scene (as well as some fried pickles) and I was overly pleased when I noticed that 3rd & Lindsley was having an evening jam-packed with Nashville-based artists! The evening began with a group from Winston-Salem, NC (a town I incidentally spent a summer living in back in ‘05). Katelyn Marks and her two guitarists got the evening off to a great start, even playing a cover of Nashville natives, The Civil Wars’ hit “Barton Hollow”.
The second act was a songwriters in the round featuring three Nashville-based musicians; Jaron Boyer, Jared Crump, and Neal Carpenter. I enjoyed each of these artists for different reasons. Jaron Boyer was the country boy with fun, smartly-crafted tunes that would flow seamlessly on the local radio. Jared Crump was the sensitive singer-songwriter with the heartfelt love songs that can make you feel all mushy inside. But it was something about the way Neal Carpenter sang his tunes that made me stop and put down my fried pickles every time he picked up his guitar. I was dismayed to find only one tune available on itunes. Give a listen to “Don’t Give Up”…this guy is definitely going on my watch list. Can’t wait ‘til he comes to LA!
The ‘Round was fantastic, but the evening was really just beginning. The final portion of the night was reserved for The Podunk Sessions, a family of Nashville-based musicians who like to get together and play music with each other. Each artist would get on stage and play a mini-set of 3-5 tunes…perfect for sampling. The evening began with Dave Pahanish, a guy whose name you might not know, but whose songs have been sung by the likes of Toby Keith, Keith Urban, and Tim McGraw. My favorite part of Dave’s set was when his wife, Kristin Lee joined him for a tune or two adding her soulful voice to his country twang.
The night continued with an impressive line-up. From the too cute for words Rachel Loy and the up-and-coming country star Eric Paslay to Brain Wright’s Nashville doppelganger Hugh Mitchell and self-proclaimed “downer” of the group, Brad Tursi, there was seemingly no end to the talent that took the stage. My favorite of the evening was probably the still nervous when she sings but will knock your socks off with her stunning vocals Bonnie Bishop. There were also a string of guests whose names I just didn’t get who were equally impressive and most likely great artists in their own right.
Individually, all the artists were such a treat to listen to, but the true magic of the evening lied in their collaborations. As the evening continued, musicians seemed to be coming out of the woodwork. I began to wonder if there was anyone in the place who wouldn’t at one point get on stage to sing, pick up a guitar, or at the very least lend some enthusiastic background clapping. The event left me with the most favorable impression of the local scene as a talented and collaborative community of singers and songwriters.
We left the party early (a bit after midnight) because we had one more aspect of Nashville to explore: the late night dining experience. We ended up at Cafe Coco which had a comfortable indie vibe, plenty of interesting artifacts on the walls, and an impressive array of food options. We each tried a couple of different things and it was all quite scrumptious. I was especially pleased with the turtle cheesecake…
All in all, I’d say LMN’s first trip to Nashville was a smashing success…plenty of music to investigate and new artists to keep tabs on. We got to visit some historic sites and got a tiny glimpse of the local scene. I found myself wishing I could live in Nashville for awhile. As much as we saw, there are so many more music venues to explore and artists to discover! Maybe someday…
Want to learn more about all these great artists coming out of Nashville? Here are some links to the music and pages of the musicians we came across on our trip:
This year’s SXSW experience was a little different than in years past (ie I actually got to GO instead of my usual just listening to all of the artists). Still, I wanted to maintain the spirit of my annual SXSW Mix being a list of artists that are mostly new to me that I somehow discovered or was inspired to write about due to my SXSW experience. I am so excited about every one of these artists/groups. I can’t wait for them to come through LA and play!
These LA natives just get better and better every time I see them. They also get the award for favorite band to photograph at SXSW. Check out a couple pics and download their song “Fashion Kills”. Keep tabs on my calendar for their upcoming shows.
Another Scottish band to add to my list. I love how this song builds. Plus, it features a clarinet (my favorite instrument)! What’s not to love about this song and this band?
The more I listen to Brett Hite’s album, “Visible”, the more I fall in love with it. “Look Away” is the tune I kept coming back to. I also enjoy this video which has Brett playing this song acoustically as we get treated to a lovely view in Brett’s home state of Washington. I would say I can’t wait for Brett to come play in LA, but maybe I’d rather take a drive up north…
New music from Fair to Midland! They finally have a new CD coming out!!! If you’re a fan of the band, you will know how exciting this is. We’ve been waiting years for a follow up to 2007’s brilliant Fables from a Mayfly.
Arrows & Anchors is officially released on July 12. You can buy the first single, “Musical Chairs”, on Itunes, but Fair to Midland is offering a free download on their website of the song “Armadillo Sleeps on My Pillow”.
It’s new music Tuesday! Anything you’ve been looking forward to? The return of The Cars? Or perhaps, the much buzzed about Christina Perri…or maybe SNL spawned The Lonely Island? Gleeks out there might be interested to check out Matthew Morrison’s new album. While you’re in the music-buying mood, might I suggest some CDs I’ve been looking forward to that officially come out today:
Against The Grain– Kill The Alarm
I’ve been a big fan of anything by Garen Gueyikian for quite some time. He hasn’t put out much in the way of new original music in ages, so I’m most excited about the release of this EP, Against The Grain, from his band, Kill The Alarm. I can’t wait to give it a proper listen (here).
Here’s an acoustic performance of the first single, “Don’t Run Away”
Old Tyme Religion– Hugo
I first came across the bluesy-rock of NYC-based Hugo at SXSW. I’ve been jamming out to Old Tyme Religion for a couple weeks now, but it’s official release is today. To learn more about Hugo, read this recent interview. To go straight to the downloading bit, here’s the itunes link.
You might be familiar with Hugo’s take on Jay-Z’s “99 Problems”, but I’m really digging this track:
The “I’ve Got Friends” hitmakers have a new CD out today. I haven’t heard any of Simple Math yet, but I don’t need to to know that I will need this album in my collection. This band puts on one of the best live shows and I will need to be familiar with all their new tunes to more fully enjoy their June 2nd show at The Music Box.
The band stopped by the studio for my favorite radio station in December. Here’s an acoustic version of the title track off their new album.
I am pleased to see that my favorite Chicago band, Empires, has made it to Round 3 (of 4) of the Rolling Stone cover competition for unsigned bands. This is most exciting to me because it means they are one step closer to being at Bonnaroo (AKA when I could see them play again). I’m actually really happy with all of the bands that made it to round 3. You can download new songs from all four groups here.
Below are a couple Empires tunes. If you have a few seconds, please go to their page and rank them five stars!
Since its release, I’ve been listening to a lot of Hugo’s Old Tyme Religion. It’s a great CD and I’ve been enjoying it…but driving into work the other day, my roommate and I made the decision that the general tone of the album was just too positive for our current state. Posing questions like “what in the world were you born to do” was just too much…
I needed to find a song that more accurately reflected my current outlook on life. I flipped through my Ipod until I landed on this song. Tracy Bonham’s “Mother Mother” fit so perfectly I put it on repeat. Tracy may scream “everything’s fine” but we all know what she really means. Plus, it’s highly cathartic to join in.
I’ve seen The Veronicas do a version of this song live. Jess does a fine job with the screaming…
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