independent thoughts on alternative music
It’s typical Nashville story—people who make music move to Nashville from all over the planet, meet each other in the Music City, join forces, and make plans to the conquer the world. It’s the story of alt-pop outfit Elliot Root, but they’re anything but typical. Soulful-voiced frontman Scott Krueger came to music in his late … Read more PREVIEW: ELLIOT ROOT at LIVE ON THE GREEN on 9/2/17
Evolution is the the gradual development of something, especially from a simple to a more complex form; it’s a process that can be slow and painful, but one that is absolutely necessary in order to grow into whom we are meant to be. Such is the story of Erin McLaughlin. McLaughlin, the creative power behind … Read more AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with RUBY FORCE
When she was in high school, Deborah White was inspired by iconic bass players like Kim Deal, Kim Gordon, all the Kims, not only because they rocked, but also because they were girls who rocked. “Getting to see females playing music was so important,” she recalls. “A lot of girls, like me, didn’t grow up … Read more AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with LEATHER GIRLS
Nashville-based singer-songwriter Ryan Harris Brown will release his debut full-length, Stranded In The Present Tense, on May 12th—a fitting title, given that a deadly illness kept the young artist stuck in precarious limbo, his life in the balance, and his career on the back burner for over a year. Recorded during his recovery throughout the entirety … Read more PREMIERE: “BEGIN” by RYAN HARRIS BROWN
If The Beatles were correct and all we really need is love, then The Heights, the long-awaited and much-anticipated debut album from Arkansas-based pop rock outfit Knox Hamilton, is the cure for what ails you. At 13 songs strong, the album’s offerings are sweet but never saccharine, and showcase frontman Boots Copeland’s nicely-honed lyric-crafting sensibilities. The … Read more ALBUM REVIEW: “THE HEIGHTS” by KNOX HAMILTON
Almost two years ago, San Fermin lead vocalist Allen Tate decided to write songs for his forthcoming solo debut, Sleepwalker, and took “solo” to the extreme. “San Fermin had a month off from touring, so I spent three of those weeks in Copenhagen by myself. I’d been wanting to go someplace to write, to get out … Read more AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with ALLEN TATE
Nashville-by-way-of-St. Louis singer-songwriter and Season 4 constant on The Voice, Caroline Glaser, will release her self-titled debut album on Friday, June 24th. “I’ve always loved music but never pursued it fully until after my experience on The Voice,” she says. After the show wrapped, Glaser hit the road to tour, and two years ago, decided … Read more AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with CAROLINE GLASER
Kaleo, the four-piece powerhouse from Iceland, brings some serious heat with their debut album, A/B, out June 10th via Elektra/Atlantic Records. Listening to this album from cover to cover is like going to a decorative dessert buffet with only a toothpick…you have to keep going back for more. Actually, “smorgasbord” would be a better way … Read more ALBUM REVIEW: “A/B” by KALEO
Sometimes I hear an album that feels so genuine and unique, it refreshes my musical palate, bringing new flavors I didn’t even know I liked. My musical experience had been missing something for a while, but I didn’t know what–until my first listen to John Fatum’s debut LP, Locked Up in My Mind, due for release … Read more ALBUM REVIEW: “LOCKED UP IN MY MIND” by JOHN FATUM
“I’ve always had a thing for lyrics,” says Son Little, the artist formerly known as Aaron Livingston and literal son of a preacher man, who recently released his self-titled debut album on label ANTI- Records. “I’ve written a lot of songs in the last few years, and had done a lot of work where there … Read more PREVIEW: SON LITTLE at THE HIGH WATT on 11/7/15