You might pass a hundred singer-songwriters in the Music City every day, whether they’re lawyers, cashiers, or even your best friend who has a secret diary which you don’t know about. Often times, they’re university students, as is the case with Nicole Jackson. The Portland-born singer-songwriter studies the music business at Belmont University, but she’s also put out a collection of four tracks called Radio Silence. The EP showcases a talent with songwriting on par with indie up-and-comers like Snail Mail and big names like Kacey Musgraves and Carrie Underwood. Tracks on Radio Silence range in intensity from barnstormer "Disappear" to post-punk tinged "Ghosts" to the ballad title track. It’s a promising debut from one of the many aspiring musicians who walk among us. Take a listen to Radio Silence below. – Will Sisskind

Maybe you like the Allman Brothers Band. Maybe you like Chris Stapleton. Maybe you’re looking for that sweet spot between Southern rock and good old Americana country music. Put your faith in Kyle Daniel‘s music. His sophomore LP What’s There To Say? comes out on March 15th, and it’s already received write-ups from the press including big names like Billboard and Rolling Stone. The lead track "Born To Lose" sheds light on Daniel’s football field-ready voice, the roar of his band’s organ and electric guitar, the smooth dance of the strings, and the light swing of the drums. Any fan of country music will see that Daniels does it right; if you’re that fan, take a listen to "Born To Lose" below. Daniels is touring the Southeast to support the new album; he’ll be back in Nashville on March 26th to play Twang Tuesday at ACME Feed and Seed. – Will Sisskind

There’s a certain type of pop-punk or alt-rock that came out around 2008 or 2009, a sort of prototypical Imagine Dragons sound that still had a bit of the MCR/Fall Out Boy/Panic! drive that fell away once bands started getting militaristic and neo-Teutonic with their sound. The Ivins capture that transitional rock that set the tone for the turn of one decade of insecurity to another. And now, on the eve of yet another strange and unknowable ten years, the band will release their new single "Certain", an alt-rock anthem that will introduce new fans to The Ivins’ sound and bring long-time listeners want more. Although The Ivins have a few years behind them in their careers — as well as having their music used on Fox Sports — they’ll play New Faces Nite at The Basement on April 9th. While "Certain" is still a month away, get pumped for the release by watching the video for The Ivins’ previous single "Roam The World" below. – Will Sisskind

The music industry can tear you up. If it does, you either get out, or you go all in. (In some cases, you throw caution to the wind, start your own label, and send hundreds of emails a day booking shows or hawking albums.) Hailey Whitters knows this all too well, as she chronicles in her new single "Ten Year Town". The song, which comes from her upcoming self-financed album The Dream, talks about her life in Nashville over the past decade as she’s tried to make it in the music world, with every failed single, radio station rejection letter, and empty venue giving her the drive to keep going. "Ten Year Town" is a stripped-down and honest song about how raw trying to live creatively can make a person, but it also explores the idea that no matter how hard it gets, there’s always a little bit of hope left over. Take a look at the video for "Ten Year Town" below, and stay tuned for the release of The Dream later this year. – Will Sisskind

One of the toughest things to do when writing about classic music is figuring out where it falls on the genre scale. How do you classify artists like Roy Orbison or the Righteous Brothers, whose music falls under the catch-all AM radio species of "oldies"? Regardless, that’s the kind of sound Indianola have emulated on their latest single "Too Good To Be True", although Mississippi-born songwriter Owen Beverly has always had a crooner-like bend to his music. As Indianola, Beverly will release his debut LP Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye in May, with "Too Good To Be True" leading the tracklist. The album will follow the song’s style of taking from all different classic genres, from the crooner and doo-wop age of the Fifties to the psychedelic Sixties and the soft-rock Seventies. You can hear those influences mesh on "Too Good To Be True" in Beverly’s voice, the haunting strings that sound like they come from a Mellotron, and the slowed-down drums that echo with the Spector-like sound. The video for "Too Good To Be True" pays homage to the B-movies of these eras by mashing scenes from horror films into a well-done montage. Take a look for yourself below, and don’t miss Indianola when they return to Nashville to play the High Watt on May 2nd. – Will Sisskind

Struan Shields — who performs music on a first-name basis as Struan — takes the stage to open for Mike Mains & the Branches at The End on March 14th. The indie pop artist released two singles over the course the past several months which have been raking in the Spotify listens. The first track "Better" brings on the synth-pop of the early 2010s which might give listeners hints of The Naked And Famous or YouTube retrowave artists like FM-84 or The Midnight. The latest track, called "Always", slows things down to a tempo fans of The 1975 or CHVRCHES might find familiar. Struan gets the indie pop formula right, and it’ll be worth your while to see him execute it live. Take a listen to "Always" below. – Will Sisskind

One of the fun parts of writing about the local music scene is that you get to discover new musicians, even if they’re just new to you and have been around for an album or two. Stacey Randol‘s one of those musicians with a couple of records under her belt, but only with the release of Songs in the Soil, her sound brings in elements of legendary artists like Stevie Nicks or Kate Bush as she spins weaving melodies and mellow mood-rock instrumentals into timeless songs. A single listen to "Realize" or "Hammock Cat" will give you a burst of the vintage influence that Randol fuses into her music; you’ll hear why her music has appeared on TV shows like Say Yes To The Dress or All My Children. Check out "Hammock Cat" below. – Will Sisskind

Blues rocker JD Simo has a busy spring ahead of him; having just wrapped up a tour of the States, he’s headed out to Europe to take on the UK and the Netherlands with Tommy Emmanuel before he returns to our side of the pond to support the Allman Betts Band. Plus, Simo has just put out a new record called Off At 11, in which they channel the gritty sound of Clapton, Hendrix, Lightnin’ Hopkins, and B.B. King. The songs retain all of the energy and drive of a live performance of the blues; you can hear the passion in Simo’s guitar solo on the title track as if it’s blistering your eardrums before your eyes. Simo says about the album: “There’s an underlying theme of LOVE that permeates the album. Both outward love but also inner and self love. These days, everything is so heavy, but I just want to point out some joy, love and deep passion; in this world, we all share that spirit. OFF AT 11 does that.” Take a listen to "Off At 11" below. – Will Sisskind

The groundhog predicted an early Spring, but it’s still a little chilly here in Nashville, which means we’re all fools for taking weather advice from something that lives in the dirt. So if you need to warm up, pour yourself a tall glass of brown liquor and throw on Della Mae‘s new EP The Butcher Shoppe, which contains six new tracks of their spirit-lifting bluegrass music. The group of women roots rockers recorded these songs at the Butcher Shoppe Studio in town, bringing in collaborators such as original Della Mae guitarist Avril Smith, as well as Molly Tuttle and Alison Brown. Tracks include a smoky cover of "Sixteen Tons", the rapid-fire instrumental "No-See-Um Stomp", and the lead single "Bourbon Hound", which suggests that you make yourself another Old Fashioned. We agree.

Della Mae is bassist Zoe Guigueno, guitarist Celia Woodsmith, fiddler Kimber Ludiker, and mandolinist Jenni Lyn Gardner, all of whom share vocal duty in wonderful harmony. Take a listen to "Bourbon Hound" below. – Will Sisskind

What do you do when you’ve received accolades from the press for your debut album, toured Europe, performed with Greta Van Fleet and the Regrettes, and been compared to Kurt Cobain? You come home to Nashville and you play a show for your friends. That’s what Welles — the moniker of singer-songwriter Jesse Wells — is doing on March 16th, as he thunders back into town to play a rip-roaring set at the Basement. If you’ve missed out on his smash single "Seventeen" or his debut album Red Trees and White Trashes, think of Welles’s sound as Ty Segall meeting Jay Reatard and going at it all over the genre spectrum. On stage, Welles’s higher-octane tracks will have you jumping as he gets in your face; his more soulful tunes will leave you standing in awe. Check him out at the Basement on March 16th, and take a listen to "Seventeen" below. – Will Sisskind

If you’ve popped past the Cambria Hotel lately, you may have noticed Tony Lucca playing in their True Music Room. The Americana artist will continue his monthly residency in the venue with a performance on March 4th, playing songs from his catalog and including ones from his upcoming album Ain’t No Storm, which is set to drop on March 29th. This new set of tracks — which has a sound eager to please fans of Jason Isbell or Dawes — stands as one of the most raw the artist has ever crafted, as Lucca does away with LA flash and focuses on making the base elements of each song shine. With good production and minimal overdubs, as well as collaborations from East Nashville musicians like Ted Pecchio and Patrick Sweany — songs like "Other Side of the Clouds" help Lucca further claim his stake among the top in the Nashville Americana scene. Take a listen to it below. – Will Sisskind

Playing with Andrew Leahey at 3rd & Lindsley on March 3rd is Boo Ray, whose outlaw sound and rough voice will have you smelling whiskey and swamp water psychosomatically. The artist’s new video for "Back Down To Georgia" — a track from his latest release Tennessee Alabama Fireworks — traces the journey of a woman delivering a recipe in parts to Ray to help him make Nashville’s famous Hot Chicken. The track has Boo Ray and his band’s signature sound of a tight group that’s thundered up and down the roads of the Bible Belt together over the years, their vocal cords becoming coated with smoke and their instruments loud enough to shake the Delta. Take a look at the video for "Back Down To Georgia" below, and catch Ray on March 3rd at 3rd & Lindsley. – Will Sisskind