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