independent thoughts on alternative music
While Nashville is known for being the home of country music, there are so many other genres that live and thrive here in the Music City–gospel, pop, alt-tock, and of course Americana. Even the Barbershop Harmony Society is headquartered here! That’s why it makes our hearts smile to have the chance to introduce our … Read more PREMIERE: “HOW WILL I KNOW” by HOWND
Singer/songwriter KaiL Baxley‘s experiences are as diverse as the day is long–the Los Angeles-based South Carolina native and son of a couple of outlaws who learned to dance from James Brown–the Godfather of Soul himself–has been an amateur boxer, a gunshot survivor, a football star, and a traveling troubadour. Those narratives naturally inform his … Read more PREMIERE: “THESE ARMS ARE OPEN” by KAIL BAXLEY
It’s been said that trends come and go, but that style is eternal. Los Angeles-based chanteuse Haley Reinhart has style in spades, which is beautifully showcased on her forthcoming release Lo-Fi Soul. With the album’s shimmering introductory notes, a veil is lifted and the listener is drawn into the experience like Homerian sailors unable to … Read more ALBUM REVIEW: “LO-FI SOUL” by HALEY REINHART
I’ve been told all my life, ‘Oh, you should be a singer.’ I’ve never thought of anything else,” says Nashville-based artist Devon Heath, who will release his latest EP, Gathering The Good, on August 3rd. As it goes, Heath’s path has been a long and winding road, one that began in a tiny town in West … Read more ALBUM PREMIERE: “GATHERING THE GOOD” EP by DEVON HEATH
Husband-wife duo JT Nero and Allison Russell, otherwise known as Birds of Chicago, relocated to the Music City not too long ago and will perform their first proper gig in their new hometown at free summer concert series Musicians Corner on June 15th. The pair met in 2006, and there were fireworks between them from the … Read more PREVIEW: BIRDS OF CHICAGO at MUSICIANS CORNER on 6/15/18
”I am literally folding t-shirts,” says Ryan Harkrider, frontman of 10-piece Austin-based alt-soul outfit The Nightowls. The band was gearing up to begin touring in support of the release of their latest album, We Are The Nightowls, out on April 27th.“We travel in this big RV. I picked it up this morning and drove it … Read more PREVIEW: THE NIGHTOWLS at THE 5 SPOT on 5/22/18
From finding their wildly popular YouTube cover videos to recently releasing their debut album, garnering over a million Spotify streams, and touring with the one and only Chance The Rapper, it’s safe to say that soulful New York City-based trio Thirdstory has had an exciting journey so far. “Chance’s musical director contacted us about performing … Read more AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with THIRDSTORY
“The winters are still brutal, and I haven’t gotten used to it even after five years. Every time winter rolls around I ask myself “Why?? Why did you move here?” laughs Christine Fink, frontwoman of Omaha-based alt-soul outfit High Up. “We’ve made so many good friends here though, there are a lot of opportunities and … Read more PREVIEW: HIGH UP at THE BASEMENT on 3/5/18
Nostalgia in pop culture is at a current all-time high. Social division and unbridled technological advancement runs rampant, and has left many longing for something that feels familiar–for something safe, warm and comforting, something easily agreed upon and easily understood, a shared sense of time and place we can confide in to lift spirits as … Read more ALBUM REVIEW: “YOU ARE HERE” by HIGH UP
Sanders Bohlke, the Virginia-based Mississippi native, dad of three, and one of the most creative folks we know, has been refining his musical palate. “I listen to a lot of kids music these days,” he reveals with a laugh. “It’s funny how when you first hear some of it, you’re like, ‘Man, is this really … Read more AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with ROOKIE SEASON