Photo courtesy of NBN Summit

Venue hopping between Exit/In and The End wasn’t a bad way to spend the last night of Next Big Nashville, what with Cheer Up Charlie Daniels, some colorful out-of-towners and The Pink Spiders’ original lineup playing one of their many “last shows.” I walked into The End when The Lonely H was midway through an outstanding set. The term “Americana” makes me cringe, possibly because the term is so general and overused, or because so many play/try to play it. But if any band can jam blues, folk and rock and roll together and execute it in such a meticulous and infectious manner, it’s The Lonely H. Though the crowd was small – just a few Kings of Leon look-alikes in skinny jeans and hats who all seemed to know each other, it was roots-and-hard rock candy to the ears, made ten times better by the smiling bassist who just looks absolutely thrilled to be in the band.

Across the street, what was possibly one of the most theatric and visually compelling sets of NBN was heating up. Cheer Up Charlie Daniels and Kyle Andrews had already played, but when you walk in and see a clutter of TVs onstage, you know Heypenny is there. Seeing a Heypenny show is like being in Munchkin Land for a dance party. They’re colorful, costume-clad and ridiculous, and whether you laugh at them or with them, comedic lyricism and Ben Elkin’s aptitude for banging out a good beat on the keys makes it worth seeing at least once. Peelander-Z followed, a Japanese group based in New York whose heavy riffs are sort of a bonus to their crowd interaction. Few bands are so interested in the audience that they’d start a conga line in the crowd, pull showgoers onstage to play their instruments and engage in a game of human bowling.

The Protomen brough in a lot of people from outside Nashville, though their crowd was smaller than what they’re used to. A friend told me you have to acquire a taste for Protomen, which may be true; while the people close to the front were clearly big fans, some showgoers near the back seemed less than interested in this masked and face-painted band. I found all the beckoning to the audience a bit arrogant and one attendee remarked that they didn’t play their best songs. Though the songs didn’t really resonate with me, at least they’re loud, ambitious and capable of playing. Plus if you didn’t like it, by closing day of NBN, you probably couldn’t hear it anyway. –Jessica Pace

Photo by Jordan Jacquess

It was an hour later than scheduled with a line snaking down the side of the building before the show at Third Man Records was filled with the din of garage rock and snarly pop punk. It was basically punk night at Third Man, and the venue was pretty much packed for the first set. A super-elevated stage made my usual 5’3”-girl-stuck-standing-behind-a-6’-guy problem nonexistent, which was a pleasant surprise because there was a lot to see in terms of band presentation . Cy Barkley, a fairly new trio of boys who like noise, went on first. They’ve got a 7” out now and are looking for a new moniker for the band, which is currently named after their lead singer and founder. Their gritty Ramones-reminiscent punk riffs and the guttural shouts of the frontman were good, but stage presence paled in comparison to the foursome that followed.

Heavy Cream’s pixie-like frontwoman (Jessica of MEEMAW), clad in skintight leopard print, stole Karen O’s orgasmic vocals and Iggy Pop’s gyrating movements, and it was captivating throughout the entire set of under two-minute songs about stiff legs and girls named Tina. Her squeals and howls were befitting for the grating guitars and percussive rumble backing it, and as a side note: a dollar for every time she showed us the whites of her eyes would have bought everyone a beer or two.

Cheap Time’s mash of scratchy garage rock and punk sentiment with elements of ’60s pop makes for a dynamic set, and towards the end of the erratic session of stripped guitars and cymbal-heavy percussion, Jemina Pearl (formerly of Be Your Own Pet) joined them onstage for a song. That was the last set I caught at the venue, but I’ve little doubt pop-rock trio The Ettes kept up the same energy before JEFF the Brotherhood finished the night. – Jessica Pace