On Saturday, July 31st at 7pm campers from the Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp (SGRRC) will showcase the skills they honed throughout the week with a concert at the Siegel High School Auditorium in Murfreesboro.  Admission will be $10; children 9 and under are admitted free of charge. SGRRC will raffle off over 20 items to raise funds for the camp. Among the items up for grabs are a vintage Gretsch guitar donated by the Gretsch Foundation, a Daisy Rock guitar, and VIP tickets to the Next Big Nashville Music Festival. 

The Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp is a week long day camp that focuses on empowering young women through music. The day camp features instrument instruction in guitar, bass, drums, vocals, and keyboard as well as workshops in songwriting, recording, diy arts & crafts, screenprinting, zine making, photography, music HERstory, and hip hop performance and theory. SGRRC’s mission is to support a culture of positive self-esteem and collaboration among girls while building community through music. SGRRC is a program of Youth Empowerment through Arts & Humanities, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based out of Murfreesboro, TN.

Make sure you goooooo! Lotsa Nashville ladies in your favorite bands will be volunteering, and it’s always a good time!–Deli Staff

 

On Friday July 30th, Max and the Wild Things will celebrate the release of their self-titled debut album at The End with The Roses, The Grayces, and The Pipeline.
The album features members of Space Capone, The Protomen, Darla Farmer, Kat Smo, and The Coolin’ System. Be sure to check it out, and also go to the showwwww!–Deli Editor

Sunday morning started off with a text from my friend reading, “Where is everyone at this festival?” I’m not sure if people were simply too mind-blown by the fully-hyped and beautifully-delivered Bassnectar set from the night before, or if everyone felt similar to the man tripping acid behind me screaming “I have to fucking work tomorrow!” Regardless, Sunday’s crowd was a little sparse compared to the day before, and those of us that were there had a lot of room to fill. Nashville’s DJ John Napier literally started the day off with his semi-engaging 1pm set at the Ocean Stage. Eventually drawing about a dozen people from the shadows of the surrounding hills to dance, Napier did a solid job of keeping the crowd entertained, while the infamous purple blanket man jumped from the closest tree and ran circles around everyone. I feel confident in saying that the crowd would have been much more receptive to DJ Napier had we been in a LED enhanced warehouse, instead of a brightly lit patch of grass on a Sunday afternoon. Still, Napier held his own as he set the mood for Quantum 38 and Sam Gracie to follow.
While waiting for Paper Route to go on, I was able to share a plate of blueberries and a few smiles with Flaming Lip’s front man Wayne Coyne (who is just as mysterious and fascinating when silent, as he is walking over a crowd in a man-sized hamster ball) reminding me of their ever approaching set. Like clockwork, herds of people started filtering in anxiously to get the perfect spot for the Lip’s headlining set. This surge of people also happened to give Paper Route’s 7:30 slot a nice appeal, as the band started serenading us just before sundown. With matching Ray Bans, Andy Smith (vox/guitar) and J.T Daly (vox, keyboards, percussion) really helped give the band an image with their polished looks and voices to match. Paper Route’s sound varied between mellow mixes of Death Cab harmonies atop slower breakdowns, and tight grooves over some pre-recorded beats. Drummer Gavin McDonald proved to be quite the beast and really locked in with bassist Chad Howat to give the crowd something to dance to. Touring with bands like Paramore and Passion Pit, Paper Route has created quite a buzz in the past few years, most recently with their hit “Carousel” off their latest album Absence.
After leaving the festival I found myself delightfully pleased with how well Nashville’s locals stood out amongst other big name groups. Hopefully next year will bring in even more Nashville natives and the word of Forecastle will continue to spread. Regardless, I left the festival with a new obsession with electronica music, and a bitter confusion as to why my All Access pass didn’t continue working in the real world.–Mackenzie Grosser

When your day starts out in a sea of sweaty, glow-stick-enhanced, C-walk attempters, you know the chances of you enjoying yourself are considerably high.  When the pulse that’s moving the masses is coming from a Two Fresh set, the odds are even better. Like all great electronica shows, I found myself mesmerized by not only the man in the cardboard box running circles around me, but also the twin brothers delivering the beats. Sherwyn and Kendrick Nicholls are the heart behind the hip-hop and jazz infused trip-hop sound, with the help of live drummer Colby Buckler. Spinning hits off their latest album, Baker’s Dozen, the twins did a pretty damn good job of hyping up the midday crowd for Mimosa. Playing music and making beats since they were freshman in high school, the Nichols brothers have been touring non-stop with names like Pretty Lights, and can be seen at upcoming festivals like Camp Bisco. Their set really proved that two heads are better than one – especially when those two heads are syncing up on some of the hottest beats at Forecastle. Although Mimosa followed with a team of rave-party-girl dancers, equipped with fishnet tights, furry boots, and zippers in places where no one should imagine, Two Fresh remained fresh in our minds as the day continued on.–Mackenzie Grosser

Nashville local band, Awake! Awake!, delivered a unique sound to a mixed crowd at Third and Lindsley Friday night, flooding the airwaves with intense melodies, high-energy riffs and melodic background noises. They followed an 8-piece indie folk band, which set the bar pretty high for the following acts. Awake! Awake! prepared to take the stage, strategically placing household lamps hooked up to kill switches, enabling the band to turn the lights off and on during the set, along with bright blue Christmas lights.  Awake! Awake!’s set lacked fluid transition with a few sound issues, but the band, like most of its members, is fairly young.  Despite technical difficulties, Awake! Awake! delivered big sound to the audience, particularly with new songs “Distance” and “Daylight,” both of which are on the album “Bittersweet Horizon,” released early July. The band’s unique sound makes them difficult to compare with others. Small similarities can be made, such as the fullness of Paper Route or the high resonance from the guitars used by a lot of postmodern rock bands. Yet Awake! Awake! mixes their ideas and influences and twists them to produce a sound that is hard to pinpoint.  The lead guitarist produced a variety of sounds with his pedals to keep the audience listening, and the bassist moved about the stage wildly, which was matched by the drummer. Instrumentally, the band sounded great, but the lead singer, who sounded confident when the tempo was slower and the sound of the band was lower, needed to open up his voice so he could be heard over the band. The band’s talent is still evident despite a few riffs in the show, and their distinctive sound warrants a listen. Check out their MySpace for some free downloads of songs worth a listen off their new album.–EJ Hirsch

Friday night was all kinds of classy at the French Quarter Café, where a drag show-themed concert took place. The night was hosted byThe Aeronauts, and featured performances by local bands,The Little Bear, Junkyard Girls, Pushy Lips, and Lazy Susan. Things started off early around 7 pm with a performance by the new Infinity Cat band, The Little Bear. Imagine the combined voices of Fiona Apple and Leigh Nash, but singing pretty, pop/alt-rock—somewhere along the lines of Vedera or A Fine Frenzy.  I only caught their last song—something about a parachute—but it was good enough to make me want to investigate their next show more thoroughly. (It will be on July 28th at The End). After Little Bear’s set, there were a number of people scuttling around in drag, which was piquing everyone’s interest for the next band, Junkyard Girls. The Nashville experimental/ambient/singer/songwriter group was only in duo form, featuring lead singer/pianist, Aaron Phipps, and violinist, Caroline Yoder. Clad in a sensible navy blue and white, polka-dotted dress and Kelly green wig, Phipps oozed the quiet drama of Dame Judi Dench, as he serenaded the audience with autobiographical ballads about intimacy in its many forms, in addition to some real talk concerning drugs, politics, and aliens. Compared to previous Junkyard Girls shows, it was clear that several of the songs had been revamped a bit, such as “The Intimacy Is Absent,” “Fantosmia,” and “Aliens.” The trusty, “Tell’Em I Sent You” was played with a Latin-infused, bossa feel, created by Phipps on the autoharp, and the dramatic melodic enhancements of Yoder’s violin playing. “Caged Bird,” was a new one, and interestingly enough, sounded like something that came off of Beach House’s second album. Any sort of finalized ensemble formation has been long-awaited, although the acoustic setup was good for Junkyard Girls because it showcased Phipp’s voice and his lyrics, which seem to be his strong points. Speaking of points, that’s when it was time for me to skedaddle. This was unfortunate, because I foolishly missed the other bands, (especially the Aeronauts, who sound like Muse), and didn’t get to participate in the high-heeled drag racing. Get it?! Drag racing? Oh well—better luck next time.—Erin Manning

 

It definitely took me a minute to gather my bearings when walking into Forecastle. It was confusing to see your average festival hippies interspersed among a school of circus performers, and forty-somethings dragging their kids around – while still maintaining a connection to the city limits. Sandwiched in between Indiana, the water, and downtown Louisville, this year’s festival was held at a much larger and more attractive space known as Waterfront Park. Feeling more like Lollapalooza than anything Bonnaroo-esque, the Forecastle Festival bonds together urban life, with the skate ramps under the overpass, and festival life, with rows of environmentally-friendly vendors and the obvious slew of stages. The crowd started coming in around 7pm, filling out just in time for Manchester Orchestra, and leaving enough kandy kids to dance at the Ocean Stage.
Around 10pm the festival-goers weeded themselves out to form two groups: those who like jam bands, and those who do not. For those who did not, Memphis’ own Lucero stepped in to close out the East stage with their Southern punk/country infused rock sound. Singing about whiskey and women, lead singer Ben Nichols’s deep Louis Armstrong-like voice represented the South well, as did the crowd… Surrounded by shirtless drunk men singing along as though, “I kissed the bottle, I should’ve been kissing you” was their anthem, I found myself in a sea of devoted fans, who had come out just for them.
The band had some tight breakdowns with help from keys/organ/accordion player, Rick Steff, and rhythm section John Stubblefield (bass) and Roy Berry(drums). Their energy reciprocated well with the highly receptive crowd, allowing people to leave the festival and board the Belle of Louisville for the after party in good spirits. Until tomorrow.–Mackenzie Grosser

   

If you had shown up at the Hard Rock Café Thursday night at 9:45, you would have only caught the tail end of the second act.  When performances actually get rolling at the scheduled time, you know you’re in for a classier show experience.  Hard Rock is ideal if you’re not up for being packed into the room so tightly with fellow showgoers you’re absorbing their sweat.  You can enjoy a table inside or on the patio during the show, which on Thursday consisted of Blackfoot Gypsies, Bravo Max, and Overzealous.

Seeing Nashville/Murfreesboro band Overzealous play live for the first time was something of a shock.  In person, founding members Dustin Sellers (vocals/guitar) and Brad Crittenden (vocals/bass) seem affable but subdued.  Onstage, they prove there’s something to their name and deliver a high-energy performance.  Newest Overzealous member, drummer Nick Morro doesn’t seem to have a problem keeping up, either.  Last year, Sellers and Crittenden were still looking for a drummer that would stick; now they’ve got Morro plus a new EP to follow up the previous sunny “Yellow Jr.”

Melodies echo all the regular guys who rocked the late ’90s and early ’00s – Foo Fighters and even Jimmy Eat World at times, plus traces of Nirvana when they decide to shred a harder riff – but the lyrics are Sellers’ own.  “Really every song I write is an echo of what should have been,” he says.  Sellers crams a lot of personal experience into his lyrics, and the new EP “The Valley” is no different.  Worth checking out if you’re into any of the aforementioned artists, or just want to see an energetic and fun show. – Jessica Pace  

The Deli Nashville is pleased to be providing coverage of this year’s Forecastle Music Festival, in Louisville, KY, this weekend, July 9-11. Our very our Mackensie Grosser will be attending, and will keep us posted about the Nashville bands that will be playing, which are….

Two Fresh: Saturday, 5-6pm

Paper Route: Saturday, 7:30-8:10pm

John Napier: Sunday, 1-2:15pm

Lucero: Friday, 10:30-12:00am

More juicy info and photos to come from The Deli. We’ll give you the low-down 😉 —Deli Editor

 

It doesn’t really get much better than Shel Silverstein; unless of course you put his brilliance to music, and unless that music is written by our very own Nashville favorites. In an interview with local musicians, Brady Surface and Jared Ziemba, I got to finally meet the creative little monster that everyone is talking about.

 

 It seems safe to say that one late-night lightbulb has snowballed into the unification of Nashville’s underground music, and will serve as a prevention program for kids. One thing is apparent – these are no lazy dudes. While currently traveling around the States, playing music, starting new bands, and working on patents for speakers, Brady Surface and Jared Ziemba have managed to put together a Shel Silverstein tribute album in their spare time. Consisting of 36 Shel Silverstein poems from Where The Sidewalk Ends, the album entails 35 local artists to relive, revive, and reproduce Silverstein’s genius in the form of music. Hand-picked with careful consideration, Surface and Ziemba were very cautious of which poems to give to what artists, the results rearing some serious creativity. A good chunk of the album was produced at The Nest with producer Ryan McFadden, with a handful done at Welcome To 1979, and other name and home studios around town.

 

It seems that when you give artists like De Novo Dahl, Natalie Prass, and HeyPenny a little creative room to play, the results are anything but ordinary. Surface and Ziemba found that this project not only pushed artists to explore new genres, but has also proven what can happen when you write for reasons other than yourself. “It is more like ‘birds in a flock’ than ‘runners in a race’” Ziemba believes, recalling that this collaboration has created a friendly environment for artists to “just be themselves.” The album, ranging from 50’s surf rock to electronica, reggae to blues, has created quite the community of local musicians, and simultaneously honored one of the greatest writer’s in American history.

 

As if buying the album for mere pleasure isn’t excuse enough, all profits go to the organization Teach For America, allowing you to hear some music and change the world at the same time. Surface and Ziemba believe this album appeals to all age groups, but hope it introduces kids to Shel Silverstein or whatever art they may be close to. “Let’s get Miley Cyrus off the radar, introduce the kids to good music. I don’t want that to die,” Brady preaches, “I don’t want the next generation growing up to listen to shitty music.” Calling it a “prevention program” and nothing short of a revolution, the guys are proud to announce the release of the album this fall, a year after the idea baby was born.

 

With the help of a kid-inspired CD release party, Ziemba and Surface are working hard to “put Nashville on the map – to show people that there is more than just Kings of Leon, Paramore, and country music coming out of Nashville.” This album has big plans already, and will serve as an honorary gift from our Nashville music family.–Mackenzie Grosser

 

Current list of featured artists:

 

Brady Surface

Heypenny

De Novo Dahl

Sam Stewart

Cortney Tidwell

Natalie Prass

Oscar Anthony

Clinton Wilson

Ben Ringel

Cody Uhler

Pico Vs Island Trees

Madi Diaz

Neil O’ Neil

Uncle Skeleton

Kyle Andrews

Heidi Feek

Sharon Lang

Future

Simon Kerr

Michel Ford Jr.

Ben Ford

Daniel Pujol

Andrew Combs

The Fireman’s Daughter

Rae Hering

David Condos

Rayland Baxter

Goose Gosset

Evan P. Donahue

Heidi Feek

Bobby Hamrick

Gabe Vitek

 

 

Head out to Chapmansboro, TN for a pre-Independence Day Bash (that means July 3rd), to hear local bands The Looking Glass, Funstix, Natural Child, Pujol, and Denney & The Jets. It’s hosted by NASHVILLESDEAD, and it’s for a good cause too–raising money for some flood victims. Click here for more details.–Deli Staff