We’re no strangers to the music festival scene here in Tennessee…there’s the Americana Music Festival, the CMA Music Festival, and of course, there’s Bonnaroo. Six years ago, the Rhythm N’ Blooms Festival was born in Knoxville; held over three days in the jewel of the Volunteer State’s historic hill country, Rhythm N’ Blooms is set for April 10-12, 2015, and will “showcase first-timers, chart-climbers, and highly lauded acts from varied musical backgrounds.”
This year, of the nine confirmed artists performing, five are bands hailing from the Music City. It’s an official invasion.
So who are this year’s players on board so far? Buckle your seatbelts…
1) The Decemberists–Portland-based indie-folk rockers The Decembrists have been on the scene for over a decade, and are well-known for their eclectic live shows. Their seventh album What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World came out today!
2) The Dirty Guv’nahs–Knoxville-based six-man roots rock outfit The Dirty Guv’nahs will be playing for the hometown crowd at Rhythm N’ Blooms, and are no strangers to the festival circuit, appearing at SXSW, Arkansas festival Wakarusa, and Bonnaroo. The band’s latest album, Hearts on Fire, was released in March 2014 and debuted at #1 on Billboard Magazine’s Heatseekers chart.
3) Delta Spirit–I can attest to the intensely fantastic live performance you can expect from Southern California’s Delta Spirit; their music is pure indie rock n’ roll, and their latest effort, Into the Wide from Dualtone Records, was released last September and is the band’s highest charting album in the States yet.
4) The Apache Relay–SWOON. One of my favorite bands is Nashville’s Apache Relay (who have been featured twice already on this blog); I can’t sing enough praises about this band, whose eponymous LP came out last spring, and featured a new sound for the alt-folk quintet. If you haven’t experienced The Apache Relay, your life is incomplete.
5) Humming House— This Nashville Americana quintet will be releasing their new album Revelries in March, and will be appearing at SXSW and touring with the likes of St. Paul & the Broken Bones and Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors this year. I’ve been told they are not to miss live, and I’m going to heed this advice. Stat. PS–I’d love to chat with you, Humming House. Holler at me!
6) Alanna Royale–Fronted by sassy songstress Alanna Quinn-Braodus, supported by a two-piece horn section, and propelled by a solid rhythm section, this sextet hit Nashville like a freight train in 2012 and hasn’t stopped since. While Alanna Royale blends elements of soul, funk, and pop, they have a style that is uniquely their own.
7) Guthrie Brown & The Family Tree–Nashville-based up-and-comer Guthrie Brown and his accompanying band The Family Tree’s brand of Rockicana (Americana and Rock…just go with me here) will keep your toes tapping, your head bobbing, and your heartstrings tugged. This band’s lovely sound is (literally) music to my ears.
8) Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes–This Nashville-based indie-rock band features the smooth tenor of lead vocalist Daniel Ellsworth, and makes me want to get up and shake what my mama gave me. The band’s music has been featured on television shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Esquire magazine named Daniel Ellsworth & the Great Lakes one of their 15 Bands to Watch in 2014, in anticipation of the 2014 release of their latest record, Kid Tiger.
9) *repeat repeat–Nashville-based indie-pop trio *repeat repeat may be landlocked but have California-style surf-y reverb down pat; the band will be releasing their sophomore album this year, and I can only anticipate that it will be a smash. Even though their sound could be described as “throwback,” they are definitely propelling their genre forward.
So there you have it! This festival is going to rock (see what I did there?) and the tickets are only $60 for all three days! Unbeatable.
Leave a Reply