It was something of a ladies night (save for the Billy Goats) at The End Saturday night as two of Nashville’s acts opened for two touring girl-trios from Texas. Of all the groups in a seemingly mismatched lineup, no one really paled in comparison to another. Solo artist Erin Manning (one of The Deli’s own editors) started the evening and proved she can play music as well as write about it. Though accompanied by other instrumentalists and a backup vocalist, Manning was the powerhouse with the keyboard, and she had what few female vocalists in Nashville have: my attention. Like Amy Winehouse, but stable, Manning puts all the soul into it without the tragedy and high glamour, singing of Harry Potter lore (check out “The Basilisk”) rather than Rehab. The key-driven songs are at once whimsical and semi-seductive, and their writer expects to release an EP in December of this year.
If you had never heard of the Billy Goats and were going to make an assumption based on their name, you might guess rockabilly or some cheeky indie strain, not what two showgoers cited as the best hip hop group in Nashville. It’s a fair assertion, as they doled out more bass- heavy beats to a dancing crowd than The End is used to, and they even worked in an intentionally off-key “Happy Birthday” before a humble exit – “Aw, no I wasn’t,” said ILLER after someone offered an enthusiastic “You were great!” And though The Deli strictly shows the love to Nashville artists, it must be said that the ladies from Texas knew their stuff as well, including Agent Ribbons (three wide-eyed and affable hillbilly-punk dolls working violin and guitar in plaids, ringlet curls and bows, whose set included some unexpected Bowie, Ritchie Valens and Patsy Cline covers) and the three tattooed, raven-haired vixens of Girl in a Coma (these girls, of Joan Jett’s label Blackheart Records, finished the night with an overwhelming stage presence and complete ownership of their instruments – they rocked the bass-drum-guitar combination with unbelievable skill and energy). – Jessica Pace