Though accompanied by only a one-sentence writeup, hometown locals Kopecky Family Band have found a home for the premiere of their new song, "Heartbeat," over on the Rolling Stone website. The track will be featured on the band’s forthcoming debut album, Kids Raising Kids, but you can keep the song on repeat by downloading it for free over at Rolling Stone.

Kids Raising Kids will be released October 23rd.

At a Daniel Ellsworth and the Great Lakes show, the only people in the room who may be having more fun than you are Daniel Ellsworth and the Great Lakes. The band took control of the High Watt stage on Friday night in a local music blowout, where they shared the stage with Umbrella Tree and SXSW Deli alums, Heypenny.

Utilizing their ability to fill the stage with energy and the room with sound, Daniel Ellsworth toggled his talents between the keys and the guitar while the band raised the bar for opening acts across the map. As one of the few openers worth showing up early for, the four-piece will reward your punctuality with a solid rock show, an audience-assisted clap/stomp-along during their standout jam "Shoe Fits," and a guaranteed appearance from resident Don Draper doppelganger/lead guitarist, Timon Lance.

Heypenny closed the show and led us straight into Saturday with their sweaty, dance-friendly set list. Making their first Nashville appearance as a power trio, Ben Elkins, DJ Murphy, and Aaron Distler proved that they can make new fans with every gig, and make their old fans sweat almost as hard as the band does. Heypenny’s animated, high-energy live show is one of the best in Nashville, and DJ Murphy’s bass face is unrivaled.

If you’ve yet to see either band, the split bill is worth a road trip to see them both play this Saturday in Chattanooga. —Brianne Turner

For a song that successfully blends the Nashville vibe with a California feel, Rayland Baxter‘s video for "The Mtn. Song" takes the theme literally and features the singer-songwriter in a cross-country voyage from, yep, Nashville to California. With seemingly little more than a couple of friends, a camera, the spirit of adventure, and probably a road map crammed into his ’69 Plymouth Valiant, Baxter documents the trip while hitting all of the proper landmarks: the wide open highway, an obligatory stop in Vegas, more highway, a gig, some beach, and then more highway. But, caution: Some of the shots he grabs along the way are truly breathtaking and may cause a sense of wanderlust. If you start school soon, you may want to get that dreamy sense of adventure on lock before you press play.

You can grab Feathers and Fishhooks on August 28th via ATO. —Brianne Turner

Shortly after playing at this year’s Bonnaroo festival, synth-soaked electropop duo Wild Cub have seemed to catch fire. Recently announced as one of the bands on Soundland’s 2012 lineup and landing a spot on our ultra-prestigous Artist Of the Month poll, Wild Cub have now found their debut album, Youth, being given the full-stream treatment over at MTV Hive, where film composer-turned-indie band frontman, Keegan DeWitt, reminisces about being a teenager (because: MTV) and talks about how he and bandmate Jeremy Bullock recorded the upbeat and dance-friendly Youth in their home studio.

If you’ve missed Wild Cub’s recent local shows, they will be playing the Nashville Cream anniversary party at the High Watt on August 25th. For more tour dates and the chance to grab a pre-order of Youth (out on August 14th), visit their Bandcamp page. —Brianne Turner

Last week, three childhood friends from Alabama released their first official collection of songs to the the public. Available on the typical digital platforms (Amazon, iTunes, Spotify), American Spirit, the new EP from The Paranormals, is anything but mundane and may be one of the most exciting debuts Nashville has seen this summer.

“All three of us were raised in the Birmingham area. I think we probably all met in the sixth grade, if I remember correctly,” says guitarist Jarrod Randall. Like most musicians, Randall, lead singer David Sutton, and bassist Heath Hendricks played the customary game of musical chairs with other bands before reuniting and forming The Paranormals. “It’s definitely not a rare case by any means, but growing up where we did and being into the same stuff, that’s made what we have today so great. Heath was the best man in my wedding. David is my brother-in-law.” And their tight-knit nature translates seamlessly to their sound. While many musicians flirt with the thin line between “talented” and “overdeveloped,” each member of The Paranormals carries their weight in a skillful and unique way without falling victim to sounding too polished.

In a surprise Phil Collins/Don Henley-esque twist, the lead singer of The Paranormals also spends all of his time behind the drums, which can bring a rare and tricky element to live shows. “It was challenging at first– you have to figure out how to write with that in mind. But now it just happens. Some shows, I’ll turn around and [Sutton] is sweating like a pig and I just smile, thinking, ‘Man you are doing all the work here.’ It’s a challenge to make sure the energy translates when your front man is behind the kit. But we wouldn’t have it any other way,” says Randall.

American Spirit was recorded over the course of one weekend, and the EP’s title track was finished live and in just one take. In keeping with the band’s family-friendly vibe, Rick Sutton, David’s father, made a trip to the studio to play slide guitar for the song. “I’m glad that [song] is on there because it shows kind of a basis for the vibe that all our songs come out of,” adds Randall. With less than 30 hours to record the EP, the time crunch played a definitive role in the result of American Spirit. Working with just a small window of time, the band had no chance to over-think or elaborate. The result is immaculate. “Being a three-piece, we didn’t want the recording to sound like a five-piece.”

When asked about his band, Randall says, “Our band is the real us, you know? Like, how long we’ve known each other and being family. Nothing is pieced together or forced. And we’ve had great support from our friends, but we’ve tried to avoid Kickstarter, etc. on purpose for this EP. Because we wanted it to really just come from us. Then whether someone digs it or not lies solely on if they dig it, no other motive or obligation.”

Between defining their sound and recording songs in one take, The Paranormals make creating great music look easy. Sweaty Southern rock has rarely sounded so thoughtful, and in their two years together as a band, The Paranormals have carved out a niche most musicians spend their entire careers trying to create.

The official release party for American Spirit will take place at The End on August 25th. Lulu Mae, Gnarly Charlies, and Cory Taylor Cox round out the bill. We will see you there. — Brianne Turner

Tonight at Douglas Corner protean, DIY-centric musician, Cory Taylor Cox, will take the stage with Florida’s Goodnight Neverland for their first-ever Nashville show. Tonight’s set marks Cox’s first live performance since the announcement of Sons Of Old Town, the record label he co-founded with Jarrod Randall, guitarist of The Paranormals.

The show starts at 8 pm, with a $6 cover charge. But if you’re poor (or cheap) and you can’t justify paying for a night of live music, go here to steal Cory Taylor Cox’s album We Made These Songs Together and call it even.

It seems as if "short but sweet" is Next Big Nashville‘s state of mind these days. Last year, the event’s name was shortened to simply "Soundland," and this year the Nashville festival has been condensed to just one day of music. A self-described "one-day outdoor extravaganza," Soundland has a new home on the Riverfront Park lawn (which is such an ace venue in October, good choice) and the 2012 lineup features some local acts as well as some My Morning Jackets and some Young the Giants.

Local favorites such as Jonny Corndawg, Kopecky Family Band, and PUJOL are just a few of the supporting acts on the event’s roster, but if the highlights aren’t enticing enough, we have the full initial lineup here, too:

Soundland takes place on October 6th. Tickets are on sale now.

If you still haven’t bought your tickets to the sixth annual Nashville Cream anniversary/birthday bash, it’s probably because you haven’t checked out the lineup yet. Taking place at Mercy Lounge and the High Watt, the party spans two venues for the price of one $8 ticket. At the Mercy Lounge, Natural Child, Pujol, and Sparkle City DJs have been announced as the evening entertainment, while over at the High Watt, Wild Club and Future Unlimited will be followed by the weekly Y2K dance party. And, just to heighten the sense of mystery and anticipation, there is still at least one more special guest that is set to be announced.

In addition to hours of music, the party will feature the typical blowout essentials: booze, prizes, dancing, liquor, a photo booth, free posters, and (most importantly) alcohol. Everything takes place at 9 pm on August 25th. You can get tickets here or at Grimey’s, The Groove Record Shop, or Parlour & Juke Salon. — Brianne Turner

Diamond Rugs is a collaboration consisting of Deer Tick members John McCauley and Robbie Crowell and including members from The Black Lips, Los Lobos, Six Finger Satellite and Dead Confederate. The members infuse folk, Americana, and ’70s rock into the indie, punk rock framework. The result is a raw but well-produced collection of songs with fuzz guitar tones, brass, a few synthesizers, lap steel guitar, lo-fi drums and some organic jamming within quality, structured songs.

The lyrics on their self-titled debut, Diamond Rugs, are a little more fun than what youʼd expect to hear on a Deer Tick record, with party songs like “Gimme A Beer” and “Call Girl Blues.” Fortunately, not all of the songs on the record are light-hearted, though they all contain some sort of carefree, melancholy vibe. When it comes to instrumentation, things change from track to track, which is exciting because you can tell the musicians were experimenting. I particularly enjoyed “Totally Lonely,” which is a throw back to the ’50s, and it even sounds like they used an old mic from the period to track the vocals. Very cool.

Thereʼs not a lot of fresh melodic material from Diamond Rugs, but then again, thatʼs probably not their goal. Whatʼs left is perfectly raw and enjoyable rock n roll sound, with insightfully placed and eclectic instrumentation thatʼll open up your ears.

The band recently announced that they are offering Diamond Rugs as a limited edition gold vinyl. You can get all of the details on how to get your hands on one here. –Drew Creal

Though tonight’s jam session isn’t Ernie Halter‘s first time on the Whiskey Jam stage, it’s also not likely to be his last. Having recently traded in L.A.’s beach scene for Nashville’s bar scene, Halter is making himself at home in Music City, and one of his first stops is on tonight’s roster for the weekly Whiskey Jam lineup.

Known well for its special guests, tonight’s show will be especially impressive. Ernie Halter and previous Deli Musician Of the Month winner Peter Terry & the City Profits have been confirmed as guests, but yet another surprise guest has been announced, and with the event’s track record of last-minute announcements (from Grammy winners to contestants on your favorite primetime singing competition), you’ll want to get there early.

The Whiskey Jam takes place at 8 pm at Winner’s Bar & Grill. To keep up with the Whiskey Jam, follow them on Twitter. — Brianne Turner

Monday night, Passion Pit canceled their show at Marathon Music Works, so the band that was going to open for them (Future Islands) scheduled a free show the same night at the Exit/In. I hadn’t really listened to Future Islands much, but I went anyway. And god, I’m glad that I did. This post isn’t about them, though they’re great– it’s about their opening band, Nashville-based Tristen.

I smoked a Lucky and walked in. The three band members were onstage, setting up. There was the lead guitarist, Buddy, the bassist Jordan, and then Tristen on acoustic. Everything seemed pretty relaxed, soundcheck and all. But then they started playing. And she can sing. She can really sing. You know those high notes that you wince at because no one can ever hit them and you wish they just wouldn’t try? Well she can hit them, and there’s a timbre to her voice that is too perfect. It reminds me a little of Neko Case, but a little more raw. She can get guttural (don’t you hate that word?) and screamy too. She gave me goosebumps.

And what a great show! They’re all talented. Buddy, who I’ve found out is actually Tristen’s fiancé, is a great lead guitarist. I enjoyed watching him; his blues influenced licks make their edgy folk even edgier. Jordan is a solid bassist and sings great harmonies. When they sang “Heart and Hope To Die” I shivered every time they harmonized. You can check that song out below.

They’re playing another show tonight. It’s at the Exit/In, and if you don’t go, I’ll be disappointed in you. –Ben Dunn

If someone says "California" what do you think first? I know you don’t think about the sluggish traffic, smoggy cities or ridiculous movie stars. If you’re like me, California makes you think of sun, sand in your butt cheeks, and margaritas when the sun goes down. But, hell, if you’re reading this, you probably aren’t out there– just like me. All that aside, I ran across this band– rather, solo project– called Arcadia Gardens. The dreamy, sunny music caught my interest, so I started doing some super hi-tech research: I Googled the band name. Turns out the first search results were places out in good ol’ So Cal. Coincindence? Who knows, but it would make sense if Arcadia Gardens was named after some pleasant place in San Fransisco or L.A. The sounds transport me straight to a California beach, and I don’t even have to brave the traffic to get there.

Ironically, Daniel Rutstrum (the guy behind the curtain pumping out the tunes as Arcadia Gardens) isn’t from California, but hangs in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. I bet that he wishes he were there just as much as I do, and that wish inspires his music. It’s hard to describe the music itself. I could compare him to bands that you may or may not have heard of like Grimes mixed with a little MGMT and then the spaceyness of Beach House. But I think what would be best is to desribe the feelings I get when I listen. The bass beat pounds slowly. I feel like dancing– but it’s slowed down enough that the dance would be more interpretive and smooth– like Napolean Dynamite’s dove hands. Nothing would feel better than to let my hands float into the sun as white birds while I listen to "Relax Tonight," from the album Memory Machines. Dramatic, I know, but listen and you’ll understand fully. He plays a lot with reverb on melodic synths, keys and guitars, giving his music a special ambiance, and yet he doesn’t lose the space of the sound; it doesn’t get muddy or mixed up. Well done. His vocals are airy, simple. And they’re as they should be. Simple tunes over spacey music– lovely. His voice reminds me a little of Ben Bridwell from Band of Horses. It’s not perfect, but this is his second album. I look forward to him playing a show near me soon so I can check him out and have that sunny beach right in front of me. –Ben Dunn