Memphis-originated rock band Fireworks Over London debuted a collection of new songs and a new line-up at the Rutledge on April 7.

Since relocating to Nashville in 2009, Fireworks Over London has continued to evolve, and as someone who has been aware of this band since their days in Memphis, I can say that this most recent presentation is the most solid yet.

Sounding focused and mature, the band played a set consisting of all debuts. Singer Daniel Kenney opened their set by informing the crowd that this was the group’s first time to publicly perform any of these songs, and humorously added, “This is only a test.”

Newly-added auxiliary player Kyle Kelly added depth to the performance with background vocals, guitar accents, and floor-tom booming. An injection of tasteful technology in the way of an iPad acting as another auxiliary player without distracting from (or doing the job of) the live musicians. Most notably, the songs, as a collection, were the best I’ve heard from the band. Complementing their signature jangly guitar riffs and powerful drums and bass, I noticed a more focused song structure giving the tunes a feeling that these guys have hit their stride.

You can keep up with Fireworks Over London at their newly renovated website, fireworksoverlondon.com. –Jonathan Parrish

We’re excited to announce that, on April 26th, we will be bringing our latest party to the Stone Fox in west Nashville! Partnering with Apple Road (the media family behind our beloved East Nashville Underground), we are bringing to the stage Milktooth, The Gills, and Vinyl Thief!

Over the course of the next two weeks, we’ll help you to become acquainted with the bands who will be ruling the stage throughout the night. First up, we have Vinyl Thief, the electro-rock four-piece who are recently home from a successful run at SXSW. Though the band has been around for a few years, they have been making a lot of noise over the past few months, from their fantastic set at East Nashville Underground, to their performance at Road To Bonnaroo, to their stop at OurVinyl, where they performed the three songs from their Rebel Hill EP, including "Faces," which you can watch below.

Details about the show are available here, and we can’t wait to see you!

A.V. Club’s "A.V. Undercover" series invites bands to choose a song from a list of hits and obscurities of A.V.’s choosing and dares the band to do their best while recording the results. Nashville’s own Night Beds recently took the challenge, opting to cover Robyn’s "Dancing On My Own." Stripping the song of its Swedish dance-pop elements, Night Beds slow things down a bit, making the sadness of the song’s lyrics sound just a little more heart-wrenching.

Night Beds cover Robyn

Night Beds’ Country Sleep is available now via Dead Oceans, and you can see the band play Nashville again at the Mercy Lounge on May 24th.

In the third and final stage of Road To Bonnaroo on April 15th at the Mercy Lounge, the last round of musicians will play for their chance to head to Bonnaroo this summer. Round one winners Alanna Royale, and round two winners Ranch Ghost are already on their way, but competing for the final spot will be:

Billy Swayze
Cy Barkely and The Way Outsiders
Jacob Jones
Meth Dad
Ponychase
Richie
The Wans
Tipper Whore

Your vote counts, so make sure you grab your ballot at the door and submit your pick before you leave!

Now that the weather seems to be warming up and the mud is turning back into dirt, Musicians Corner have announced their spring schedule. Taking place in Centennial Park and beginning May 4th, food trucks and music will take over the lawn in the park every Saturday afternoon throughout the duration of May and June.

As of now, Ruby Amanfu, Ravello, The Kingston Springs, The Delta Saints, Alanna Royale, Matt Wertz, and more are scheduled to fill your (hopefully!) sunny Saturdays with an excuse to attempt a tan while supporting local music. Additionally, the event is free.

If you’d like to get a head start on planning your weekends, the full schedule can be found here.

Late last night, Magnolia Sons debuted their video for the song "Baby That’s You." Directed by Victor Huckabee, the video captures the band in all their dapper glory and features Lydia Elise looking especially gorgeous.

Magnolia Sons will also be playing their next Nashville show at the 5 Spot with Star & Micey on April 26th.

After voting The Paranormals into round two of Lightning 100’s Music City Mayhem, they need your votes again to proceed to round three. The winner of Music City Mayhem will take the stage at Live On the Green this summer and, for the sake of loyalty and legitimate enthusiasm, we’re still rooting for the second place winners of our Best Emerging Artist poll.

For the price of a few seconds and an email address (to verify that you are a breathing human, not for spamming purposes), you can vote for the local three-piece here. Voting ends at midnight, so don’t forget to get in there.

If you’d like to catch The Paranormals live, they will be playing 8 Off 8th at the Mercy Lounge tonight. Doors are at 8, and it’s free to attend and to vote in the poll! Supporting indie music has never been easier.

Our local basketball team, the Nashville Pioneers, who officially introduced themselves to us back in December are throwing a party tonight at Cult Fiction Underground. DJ John Stamos and DJ Tanner are on DJ duty in the main room, while the cinematic masterpiece, Space Jam, will be playing on a loop all night in the theater room. So if you’re a music fan who doesn’t really give a shit about sports but does enjoy dancing, drinking, and nostalgia, then this is right up your alley!

Festivities kick off at 10 pm, and the event is 18+ and free, though a suggested $5 donation will go toward the benefit of a local non-profit. All of the other information you may need can be found here.

Tonight Road To Bonnaroo returns to the Mercy Lounge with round two of their three-round competition that will send three local acts to– you guessed it– Bonnaroo this summer. Alanna Royale beat out the competition in the first installment, and tonight eight new acts will take the stage to perform for their chance to be the round two champions. The lineup includes:

Andrew Combs
Blackfoot Gypsies
Hanzelle
Little Bandit
Ranch Ghost
Ravello
Shannon LaBrie
Vinyl Thief

Doors are at 9, and entry is free, but the venue will fill up fast, so get in line early (and bring a coat) so you can cast your vote at the end of the night for your favorite band.

After taking second place in our year-end Best Emerging Artist poll, The Paranormals are at it again, this time competing in Lightning 100’s Music City Mayhem for the chance to play Nashville’s summer concert series, Live On the Green. 

For the price of a few seconds and an email address (to verify that you are a breathing human, not for spamming purposes), you can vote for the local three-piece here. Voting ends at midnight, so don’t forget to get in there.

We all know we’re going to Live On the Green this summer, so we may as well choose who we’re watching while we’re there.

Photo by Bekah Cope

A recent high school graduate travels up the road from Macon, Georgia to our beloved Nashville to attend Belmont University with songwriting aspirations. This is a fairly common tale in Music City. You’ve probably heard it before, interchanging cities and towns of origin. In this version, the protagonist is played by Mackenzie Scott whose given name is less recurrent than this common storyline. Lately though, you probably have heard some heavy buzz surrounding Scott’s musical monicker, Torres.

Since releasing her self-titled debut in late January of this year, Torres (which is Scott’s grandfather’s last name) has seen her pseudonym take shape in the public eye with warm reception. The 22-year-old wrote and recorded her debut while enrolled at Belmont, pulling double duty as college student and recording artist; neither effort suffered as a result of the other. Scott graduated from Belmont, and Torres put out a gripping record filled with 10 songs showcasing maturity and depth not often found among debut releases.

With a background in writing (poetry and short stories), Scott taught herself to play the guitar at the age of 16. She began performing in Nashville in 2009 in acoustic settings (read: Americana, folk, coffeehouse, granola). Unlike many songwriters in Nashville, she broke out of the writers rounds and developed a sound she describes as having the "teeth" she couldn’t achieve in the acoustic format. The dynamics and production of Torres are notable in that they display a specific mood and atmosphere without acting as bells and whistles. Torres’ vocal performance is emotive without feeling forced. She pulls listeners along her journey instead of pushing listeners into emotional submission. If you’re pressed for time, give a listen to "Chains" and "Jealousy and I." When you get some more time, have a go at the whole record.

Torres is representing Nashville and supporting her record with a run of performances at SXSW. She’ll be playing The Deli‘s Hangover Hideout on March 13th at 4 pm. –Jonathan Parrish

Tonight at The Basement, local indie-rock legends, Glossary, will play their final Nashville show before heading overseas for their European spring tour. A few weeks ago, we got the chance to catch up with frontman Joey Kneiser, who recently released his solo album, Moonlight for the Graveyard Heart, during a rare break from touring and recording with his band. Now the band is nearing the end of an extensive American tour, and in true Glossary fashion, they seem to have no intention of stopping any time soon.

Throughout seven albums and countless tours, the Glossary sound has remained as solid and unwavering as the tour schedule they maintain. "That was always the plan, to be an American band. We just took all of the things that we loved about American music and tried to squeeze ’em in the band and make them our own. I mean, we are from the South, so most of modern American music, you know, that’s the origins of it. That’s all the Stones were doing– they were trying to sound like an American band," says Kneiser. With a legitimate foundation as a bona fide Southern band and a strong sense of what they want their sound to be, Glossary’s textured rock adheres to a straightforward approach. "In the end, it’s just pop music. We’re just trying to do the song justice, keep it simple and have space, and just try to make the best kind of put-together pop song we can."

Maintaining the balance between rock n roll and soul music, Glossary’s sound can be difficult to define, sometimes causing it to fall into the vague generalization of being described as "Americana music." But with auto insurance companies and banjo players in ironic vests currently claiming the genre as their own, the term "Americana" may not properly represent the music Glossary creates. "Music fads come and go," says Kneiser. But with their feet planted firmly in the roots of their musical heritage, the Murfreesboro five-piece are creating music that is anything but ephemeral.

If you’d like to add a few Glossary albums to your music library, the band is offering some free downloads here, including my personal favorite, The Better Angels Of Our Nature.
Tonight’s show at the Basement begins at 9 pm. Kent Goolsby will be supporting. –Brianne Turner