Out the Other

Me and My Arrow: Harry Nilsson night @ Mercy Lounge TONIGHT!

If you caught this Monday's show (I'll be posting the playlist later today with some mp3s), you already know about the fantastic event going on over at the Mercy Lounge tonight, which I fully expect all of you to attend.  Me and My Arrow is both a tribute and a benefit show - a crazy number of fantastic musicians coming together to celebrate the music of Harry Nilsson, all to benefit Terry Price (from Nashville's own Oblio), who was recently diagnosed with Bell's Palsy and hit with some serious medical bills (if you didn't already know, Oblio may be the biggest Nilsson fans in town, seeing as how they're named after the boy from The Point).

So who's on this amazing bill?  The Features, Brendan Benson, Heypenny, Pico vs. Island Trees, Eureka Gold, Oblio, Jon Rogers, David Mead, James Wallace and the Naked Light, Daniel Tashian, Carl Broemel, and Marc Pisapia. Things will kick off at 9 p.m. with James Wallace, and the cover is a $10 donation that will benefit Terry Price.

See you there?

And a mini-mix of Harry Nilsson tunes, of course:

"Everybody's Talkin"
"Jesus Christ You're Tall"
"Coconut"
"Let The Good Times Roll"
"What's Your Sign"

Cinco de Mayo @ La Paz today/tonight, with How I Became the Bomb, Jensen Sportag, Heypenny, Shoot the Mountain and MORE!

I am so excited about tonight's Cinco de Mayo celebration at La Paz, I even got up this morning to go for a run to earn my margaritas.  And as you read this, I'm sure I'm back to working my ass off so I can actually get out of the office in a timely enough fashion to enjoy said celebration.  But you needed a friendly reminder of the awesomeness going down in Green Hills tonight, so here I am on my uber-brief lunch break to provide one.

So the La Paz 30th Anniversary Cinco Bash actually kicks off at noon this afternoon, but most of the local awesomeness that will reel you in starts around five.  Here's the latter part of the lineup (in the order they're performing):

Coral Castles
Justin Kalk Orchestra
Mean Tambourines
Shoot the Mountain
Heypenny
How I Became the Bomb
Jensen Sportag

Like I said, Coral Castles are on around 5, and the whole thing will be wrapping up at 11.

Admission is $10, which seems a little steep, but not so much if you consider the fact that the 21+ crowd gets a free draft beer with admission. And if you decide to go early, leave and come back, you'll have a wristband (or something along those lines) that will prevent you from paying twice. Plus there are specials on draft beer ($4) and margaritas ($5) and I believe delicious snacks as well.

Okay kids, see you there - and save me a margarita, por favor.

How I Became the Bomb - "Fancy Meeting You Here"
Jensen Sportag - "Jackie"
Heypenny - "Parade"
Coral Castles - "Phatic, Static, Magic!"

Junior Boys at Mercy Lounge TONIGHT!

If you've had half the week that I've had, I bet you're counting down the hours until tonight too. Why's that? Because tonight, Junior Boys are going to be in town to play the Mercy Lounge, and the heat of their synthy goodness is going to melt away the past five days of stress, frustration, long work hours and cubicle monotony. This has been the shimmery, electronic light at the end of my beige-colored tunnel since Monday, and I've earned it dammit. I'm ready to put on my drinking/dancing shoes and get swept away a little.

I haven't written yet about Junior Boys' new album, Begone Dull Care, since its release earlier this month, but the record has definitely been in the mix lately - reviving me on afternoons where the clock creeps to a halt, propelling me that extra half-mile when I'm about to wrap up a run, subtly reminding me of its awesomeness when it pops up on shuffle.  And that's exactly what the album is - subtle.  While it didn't knock me over the head the first time I gave it a spin, Begone Dull Care consistently sounds better and better every time I pull it up for a listen. And I think hearing some of the songs live tonight will solidify my appreciation for the album and probably bump it into regular rotation for the rest of the year.

Last time Junior Boys were in town, I had the opportunity to catch about half of their set at Exit/In, and while the room was pretty empty, the duo still got everyone moving.  Reports from the road have mentioned a live drummer and dance competitions, so I have no doubt we're going to be treated to a great show at the Mercy Lounge tonight. Which, at the close of a brutal week, is exactly what we deserve.

"Dull to Pause" (from Begone Dull Care)
"In the Morning (Hot Chip Remix)" (from Dead Horse EP)

Tonight's show kicks off at 9 p.m. with Max Tundra.  Tickets are $12 at the door, and it's 18+. See you there!

An Horse and Appleseed Cast with Shoot the Mountain and Heypenny @ The End tonight!

I'm spending this sunny spring day cooped up in a cubical and wishing I were outside, but I think listening An Horse's debut Rearrange Beds is helping to keep me from feeling too terrible about being trapped indoors. The Australian duo's tunes are indie pop with an extra punch, and the album is definitely serving to get me excited about their appearance tonight at the End.  I heard great things about them at SXSW but didn't managed to catch them myself, so I'm glad they're making a stop in my neck of the woods.  Here's a tune from Rearrange Beds so you can hear why I'm excited:

"Postcards"

An Horse are in town tonight with Appleseed Cast, with local acts Shoot the Mountain and Heypenny rounding out the super solid Thursday night bill.  The show kicks off at 9 (ish? I'm not sure what time rock o'clock hits the End these days), it's 18+ and the cover is $10.

And speaking of Shoot the Mountain - have you listened to the new We Own This Town podcast featuring one of the new tunes from their forthcoming EP?  The podcast was posted yesterday, and it's all Theory 8 artists, which pretty much rocks.  Expect to hear a bunch about Shoot the Mountain here on OtO as they gear up to release that EP - and mark May 4 on your calendar because they'll be joining me on the radio show that evening.  And catch them tonight at the End, of course. 

Imaginary Baseball League reunion/farewell show TONIGHT at the 5 Spot!

There are a few things I've been lamenting since I've become more familiar with the Nashville music scene - that I wasn't around to see The Features in the early 2000's, that I missed many a Hotpipes set back when I wrote for NashvilleZine, that in general I was pretty much oblivious to all the great local music Nashville has to offer until more than two years after I moved here. 

But I think the #1 thing I like to whine about is the fact that I completely missed out on Imaginary Baseball League.

IBL broke up in October of 2005, and I "discovered" them almost immediately afterwards.  Fortunately I was quickly introduced to the solo ventures of lead singer Aaron Robinson (his solo stuff has in fact become a favorite here on OTO), but the more I listened to the IBL albums that were posted for free on the band's website - particularly Revive, which is probably one of my favorite local albums - the sadder I felt about missing out on the band's heyday.  And I'm positive that mine wasn't the only pouting face in Nashville - IBL kind of fizzled out at a pitifully attended show in Dayton, Ohio, and no one really had a chance to bid the band farewell.

Well, as Aaron began a recent email to me, "your time of redemption is upon you."  Imaginary Baseball League will be reuniting tonight, for a one night only farewell show at the 5 Spot in East Nashville.  It's a chance for everyone to see the band one last time, and it will also serve as drummer Ryan Rayborn's going away party.  If you are or ever were an IBL fan, this show is not to be missed.

Things will kick off around 9:30; the cover is only $5 and like all shows at the 5 Spot this one is 21+.  Also on the bill are The Privates (local favorites of mine as well) and Eric Wilson & Empty Hearts.

All of Imaginary Baseball League's recorded albums are available for free on their website, and it was hard to select which songs to share with this post.  Here are a few of my favorites off of Revive:

"Fat Boys Are Not Athletes"
"A Lot to Say"
"Don't Call At All"

Delta Spirit @ The End TONIGHT!

Once in a while a completely unfamiliar opening band can be an incredibly welcome surprise - case in point, Delta Spirit.  In March of last year, I went to Mercy Lounge one night to see Cold War Kids and Tokyo Police Club play, and went home wondering why I had never heard of the San Diego band that had kicked off the show.  They sounded amazing that night - and seemed to be having an amazing time on stage - so I made a mental note to check out their album if I ever came across it. 

And come across it I did.  Ode To Sunshine has been an absolute staple on my iPod since I first heard the album, and I was recently thrilled to hear that it will see a re-release on Rounder Records on August 26.  That, paired with a tour with Dr. Dog in the fall, means that more people will be introduced to Delta Spirit in the months to come, and I'm pretty sure that as people get to know the band, they will be making their fair share of "best of" lists by the end of this year. 

And you get a chance to check out the band tonight - they'll be in Nashville to play a show at The End, a pretty intimate venue for a band I last caught at the cavernous Buffalo Billiards in Austin at SXSW.  I'm super excited I'm going to get another chance to see them live, and you should be too.  The album may be excellent (and it completely and totally is), but in my opinion the songs are really meant to be heard live.

"Trashcan"
"Children"

Also on the bill tonight - a Murfreesboro band called Childhood TV Stars and a Clarksville band called Toby the Fugitive.  The show kicks off at 9 p.m. - the cover is $7 and it's 18+.

Frightened Rabbit @ Grimey's this evening, and @ Exit/In with French Kicks tonight!!

Hopefully you've had this one on your calendar for two months now, but in case you haven't - here's your friendly reminder that Frightened Rabbit and French Kicks are in town tonight to play over at Exit/In.  I have been SUPER excited about this show since it was announced - not only are French Kicks one of my favorite bands, but I've been head over heels for Scotland's Frightened Rabbit for the past six months or so as well. 

I got a chance to see Frightened Rabbit back in March at SXSW, and one of my few regrets from that Austin trip is the fact that I only got to see them once.  But today, here in Nashville, we have the opportunity to see them twice!  The band is also playing a free in-store at Grimey's at 6 p.m., and I highly, highly recommend you check it out.  While you're there, you should also pick up a copy of The Midnight Organ Fight, which is pretty darn high in the ranks of albums vying for the title of Janet's Favorite of 2008.

I actually played two tracks off the new album on last night's show (you can stream it right here), but in case you need extra persuading - here's another new one and one from Sing the Greys as well.

"The Modern Leper" (from The Midnight Organ Fight)
"Music Now" (from Sing the Greys)

I've been going on and on about French Kicks literally for years now on this blog, and I hope everyone who is reading this already got a chance to see them one of the last times they were in town (at the Basement or Exit/In).  Tonight is the first time they'll be visiting Nashville since the recent release of Swimming though, and I'm most definitely looking forward to hearing the new songs live.  I played two on last night's show (remember - here) but here's another pair:

"Said So What" (from Swimming)
"One More Time" (from The Trial of the Century)

Tonight's show kicks off at 9 p.m. with The Weather Underground - tickets are only $10 and the show is 18+.  See you there!

The Jealous Girlfriends and Sea Wolf @ Exit/In tonight!

The concert calendar has been a little light lately, which means it has been two weeks since I've even been to a show - pretty much the longest I've fallen off the wagon since last December.  But I'm itching for live music and tonight presents an excellent opportunity over at Exit/In - Sea Wolf is in town again, this time with Brooklyn's The Jealous Girlfriends.  I've already seen Sea Wolf - they played Exit/In back in October with Nada Surf and put on an excellent show - but the latter band is new to me, and I'm pretty excited to see them live.

Last month, The Jealous Girlfriends released a self-titled album that I've been spending a bit of quality time with this week in preparation for tonight's show, and the more I listen, the more I love what this band has to offer.  There's a lot of diversity on the disc - it's alternately hazy and dark, sweet and summery, shoegaze-y and poppy at the same time.  I'm even falling for Holly Miranda's enchanting vocals - and if you know me, you know I'll take a male's voice over a female's 90% of the time.  And The Jealous Girlfriends even present the best of both worlds - Josh Abbott shares lead vocal responsibilities, and I'm discovering that I'm a sucker for his vocals as well.

"The Pink Wig To My Salieri"
"I Quit"

And here's some Sea Wolf too if you aren't familiar with them yet.  Last year I was pleasantly surprised to discover that their live sound is even more developed and filled out than I expected - exactly what you'd hope from a band that's fairly subdued on the record.

"Black Dirt"
"Middle Distance Runner"

Tonight's show kicks off at 9 p.m. with Daniel Ellsworth - tickets are $10 and the show is 18+. 

TONIGHT - AutoVaughn and De Novo Dahl, plus Spring Hill Spider Party's LAST SHOW EVER

Just a friendly reminder - tonight both AutoVaughn and De Novo Dahl will be at the Cannery Ballroom celebrating their new albums with a dual release show/party that promises to be the best way possible to spend a Friday night.  If you caught my show last Saturday, you've already heard all of AutoVaughn's new EP, The Cycles, (if not you can check out the archive) and I'm sure you're as excited as I am to hear the new tunes live.  And De Novo Dahl's Move Every Muscle, Make Every Sound has already been out for a bit - but the band is headed out on the road tomorrow for a month-long tour with Tally Hall, so you can be sure their warm-up tonight is going to be worth catching.

AutoVaughn - "The Cycles" (from The Cycles)
De Novo Dahl - "Heartbreaker" (from Move Every Muscle, Make Every Sound)

The Pink Spiders are also making an appearance tonight and will be kicking off the show at 9 p.m. (no really, probably right at 9, since rock o'clock tends to come early at the Cannery).  The show is 18+ and tickets will be $10 at the door.

And if THAT weren't enough, after you spend a few hours boozing and dancing with three great Nashville acts, get ready to bid farewell to my favorite local crazy-ass dance party band, Spring Hill Spider Party.  Alas, the band is calling it quits, so their after party performance at the Mercy Lounge tonight will be their LAST SHOW EVER.  Sigh.  Nashville just won't be the same without headlamps and male go-go dancers and Basement dance-offs with creepy kitten posters as the prize.  I think I might cry a little tonight... but to be honest it will probably be because I'm laughing too hard to breathe.  I mean, this will be the last time I'll hear these live:

"Kevin's Bacon"
"This Club is Full of Boys"

The after party kicks off right after the Cannery show wraps up - Jensen Sportag will also be making an appearance to keep the dance party going.  It's free if you paid to get into the show next door, otherwise it's only $5 to get in. 

8 off 8th TONIGHT at Mercy Lounge!

In lieu of a Monday morning mini-mix today, you're going to get a nice mp3 preview of all the bands playing at tonight's 8 off 8th at Mercy Lounge !  Which, if you happened to forget, will be hosted by yours truly, along with fellow WRVU DJ/local music fan Joe Baine Colvert of Indie Ghetto (he happens to be a freshly minted blogger too). 

Joe and I have an amazing lineup set up for you - including three long-term OTO favorites that I've been talking about for ages, so if you haven't seen All We Seabees, And the Relatives or Hotpipes yet, here's a chance to see all three of them in one go.  And to sweeten the deal, you have another five excellent acts on the bill - some relative newcomers and some familiar Nashville faces - Orange In Circles, Meemaw, Michael Harrell, Esposito and Stories That Live.

Here are the bands in the order that they'll be playing tonight, along with a taste of each via mp3:

Orange in Circles - "My Shaker Mover"
Meemaw - "Fever Dreaming"
Michael Harrell - "Private Joke"
All We Seabees - "Horse"
Esposito - "Wig Out (recorded at practice)"
And the Relatives - "Simulated Blindess"
Hotpipes - "Brain and a Vegetable"
Stories That Live - "Whatever It Takes"

Pretty amazing right?  The show kicks off at 9 tonight (and we will really do our best to make it kick off right at 9), so show up early and stay late.  The beautiful thing about 8 off 8th every week is that it's F-R-E-E, but keep in mind that it's also 21+.

Okay - go check out the tunes, and see you tonight!!!