It all began with a Twitter follow….a band called The Joy of Painting started following me on Twitter; it piqued my curiosity, so I clicked “follow” and looked them up. Strangely enough, that very same day, it seemed like everyone I talked to had some sort of connection with someone in the band. I then picked up a Murfreesboro Pulse, and lo and behold, I turned to (and read) a review of their new album, Tender Age. I figured that this was a sign, and who am I to ignore a good sign? It turns out that the band was going to be performing at Grimey’s the very next day to promote their new album. I decided to check them out…of course, it didn’t take too much to convince me to make a trip over to 8th Avenue. I love going to Grimey’s. I love the old wooden floors. I love the exposed brick walls. I love that there is wall-to-wall music. I love the atmosphere. When I arrived, there was already a good crowd, not so great for me, but fantastic for The Joy of Painting. We were a hot and sweaty pack, crammed in there elbow to elbow, shoulder to shoulder, but the band sounded fantastic. I tried to snap a photo so that I could share the scenery with you, but this is as close as I could get:
Even so, I could hear everything, it sounded great, and I was all smiles. There’s something special about experiencing music in a crowd of people; it creates an atmosphere of unity, acceptance and appreciation. It’s so inspiring. At one point when performing Good Mood, Kyle McCormick (keys, saxophone), jogged through the crowd holding his saxophone in the air yelling, “I need to buy the new Vampire Weekend album!” He then resumed playing while standing by the cash register behind the crowd (and directly behind me, much to my delight). They have so much fun performing, it’s an infectious good time. Afterwards, I was able to speak with Kyle and Chris Hauser (drums) for a bit; Chris cited Radiohead as a major influence. Kyle describes The Joy of Painting’s sound as “what would happen if” the worlds of The Strokes and Weezer collided. Their sound reminds me of one of my personal favorites, The Postelles: a very catchy and bright retro-inspired rock sound propelled by tons of energy. I can’t wait to see where this band goes. I’m predicting success, and I hope they play in town again in the very, very, very near future.
Tender Age is “colorful and delicious like your favorite cereal, full of groovy gravy beats and mom-approved hooks.”
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- The Joy of Painting: Stream Full Album (willowwoodmusic.com)
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