Nashville undoubtedly is
known for its music. Having such a rich history dating back into the 1800s the
city was basically built on music from its beginning. Country music seems to be
generally the focus of mainstream appeal to Nashville although beneath the surface the
city has a lot more to offer. I have never been to Nashville, although on my bucket list, so I
am not going to bore you with a history lesson. With nicknames such as “Music City”
and “The Songwriting Capital of The World”, Nashville
may very well be the most connected city in America to music. In the recent
days here at bandcamp I have randomly noticed several amazing albums that all
call Nashville
home. Although Country Music is the mainstay of Nashville, there is a thriving rock and roll
scene exploding from within the underground. Bands such as Howling Giant and All Them Witches, who we’ve
raved about here before set the precedence to what is possible outside the
mainstream Nashville
discussion. There is somewhat of a diverse concoction of music I’ve noticed
about the Nashville
scene, especially in the heavier rock meets psych scene. That said, I’ve
included a few recent discoveries lately all calling Music City
their home and it shows.
Lee Ann Womack
Having
discussed the fact that Nashville
is home to more than just country music I’m starting off with god damn country
music. Lee Ann Womack is no stranger to the Nashville scene. In fact she was mainstream
for quite a while and I remember her name from when I was still living with my
parents and hearing her on the country radio station. Since then she has grown
up a bit and while enjoying and appreciating her successes in the spotlight,
she realized that the popular side of the fence had its drawbacks. This is her
second album gone solo so to speak and it’s a great modern country album with
integrity, which is often what is lacking in the commercial arena. Read the
story on bandcamp for an idea. I bought the 2LP vinyl blindly going out on a limb,
which paid off big time.
Lahire – Faded West
I stumbled
upon this one from a guy I follow on bandcamp randomly checking the feed. The
one song available was remarkable as was the description of the band on the
page. I had to hear more. After visiting
the website I decided to order the CD directly from the artist and then
commenced to get in contact via email where we discussed his bandcamp presence
and the need to turn the album off of Pre-order status so the fans could stream
it. Since then a few people have purchased the album who are also on my
followers list, so they no doubt saw the album in my collection on the feed and
decided to purchase. That’s how it works folks. This one is great and for fans
of the darker more rock oriented Americana
of the likes of Jason Isbell, Bruce Springsteen, Ryan Adams and Lucero. It’s a
very well-constructed album that has limited filler and flows very nicely. I
dig it.
Nora Jane Struthers & The Party Line –
Champion
I found this
one on another site I visit from time to time and the first thing I do is copy
and paste the band into the bandcamp search engine to see if they are on
bandcamp. Boom, Norah Jane was here and I fell in love instantly with her
somber, yet hopeful mixture of classic country meets bluesy and Americana meets dark
folk. At 13 songs in length there is sure to be a song or two that really
strikes gold for any fan of the genre. It’s a very pleasant listen with dark
moody songs as well as happy go lucky songs. Great songwriting, and fantastic
orchestration of music. This needs to be on vinyl.
Year of October – Trouble Comes
Found these
guys from a friend’s recommendation on facebook. The tag of being from Nashville and shared in a
group of folks who are into hard rock and roll has become somewhat enticing for
myself in recent years. It’s funny that this weird enigma of styles seems to
bring a refreshing sound to the table. Year of October contains both elements
that the hardcore heavy rock underground fan would enjoy and a sultry pop
swagger that should appeal to a more mainstream/indie rock crowd. I like bands
that can pull from both sides. The singer is definitely a highlight on this
one.
Sky Temple Blues
– Vanilla Dome
I think I’ve
shared my love for these guys before on here, but my memory is going to shit.
Anyway, another Nashville
based rock/pop/blues/psychedelic hybrid of sorts, Sky Temple Blues brings us a
pop-tinged psychedelic blues rock that blends equal parts progressive hooks to
eclectic pop rock. Here’s what I said about their self
titled EP released a couple years ago that still holds up.
Agile
psychedelic stoner pop akin to the masters of classic 70's Rock jammed with
arcane riffs mimicking a modern Woodstock
in the spirit of Nashvillian Blues. A Walk in the Dark lights a fire so hot
you'll be peddling laps into a tie-dyed western sunrise.Favorite track: A Walk
in the Dark.
This are
just a small sample of what is going on outside the Grand Ole Opry and in my
opinion a statement of what a music town’s impact has on the variety of great
bands thriving just beneath the surface. I can’t wait to get to the city
someday and experience what Music
City has to offer. Until
then, camp out in the Grand Ole Bandcamp site. You never know what will pop up next.
-The
Huntsman
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