Everyone keeps asking me what the "must-see" shows at Next Big Nashville are this year, and to be perfectly honest, it's pretty tough to pick anything specific. I'm a little overwhelmed by the amount of talent playing this year's festival - I love a lot of these artists and I'd love to check out even more of them - but at the same time I don't really feel a ton of pressure to SEE THIS NOW (like I do at something like SXSW), because I've seen many of these bands, and if I miss something excellent I will hopefully have another opportunity to see it again soon.
That said, I think there is one real "must-see" show at Next Big Nashville - The Non-Commissioned Officers. And that's because (as I discovered through the process of doing this mini-interview) their show on Wednesday night at the Belcourt is their last show ever.
The story of The Non-Commissioned Officers is super closely tied to the story of Make Out With Violence, the film that is premiering at the Belcourt on Wednesday night as part of the festival. It's actually probably best if you read about it there (just click on "soundtrack" when the site loads), but the basic story is that The Non-Coms evolved out of the soundtrack and score of the film, which was composed by Jordan and Eric Lehning. In 2006 the "band" was actually formed to perform the soundtrack at shows, in order to raise money for the film. I was fortunate enough to stumble upon them one night at the Basement back then, and was completely impressed. I'm even more impressed by the phenomenal soundtrack, much of which you can stream on the MOWV website.
I highly, highly recommend you check out one of the two screenings of Make Out With Violence on Wednesday night - the film is showing at 6:30 and 8:45 p.m. The Non-Commissioned Officers will play their last show at 11 p.m., following the second screening. If you don't have a wristband or badge you can get into the screening and show for $7.
Eric Lehning (who also stars in the film) answered a few questions for me about the band, but first here are two tracks from the soundtrack:
"Sweet Eleanor"
"No Means No"
So I understand your band actually first formed to perform the soundtrack of Make Out With Violence - how long have you been playing together now, and how has your band evolved?
We've been playing together since June of 2006. We play so infrequently
and with such a diverse line up that it's hard to say how we've evolved. There
is a lot of information about the writing of the music on
Makeoutwithviolence.com. I highly recommend checking it out. Our first two
guitar players were Brad Sample of the Brad Sample Band, and Jeff Carney of
Imagine Asians. Then Jordan returned from Boston and took over for Brad, and
Buddy Hughen of Eureka Gold took over for Jeff. Since we last played, Matt
Hungate (keyboards) joined De Novo Dahl, and our drummer, Craig Bond, was killed
in a canoeing accident. For me, Craig is an incalculable loss. He was a dear
friend and was swiftly becoming a brilliant drummer. Currently Aaron Irons of
All We Seabees is playing keys with us, and Adam Gold of Eureka Gold is on the
drums.
Please describe your music in five words or less.
Moody Enoesque Pop
Now that Make Out With Violence is set to debut at Next Big Nashville, when can we expect your album (which is the soundtrack, right)?
Actually this is the last performance of the Non-Coms. The soundtrack
will be released when we can pay Jordan a ton of cash to work his 70+ cues into
a solid double disc.
What can we expect from your performance at the festival?
Well, I gained about 20 lbs. but the performance is going to blow your
mind. We're playing some new material. We plan on going out with a bang.
What do you think is the best thing about the Nashville music scene?
The constructive competition.
And finally, what are a few of your favorite movies?
Lawrence of Arabia, Badlands, A Woman Under the Influence, and I really
like Coppola's latest: Youth Without Youth.
The Non-Commissioned Officers will be playing Next Big Nashville on Wednesday, September 10 at 11 p.m. at The Belcourt. Visit http://nbn08.sched.org to view the full festival schedule, or create an account to plan and share your own schedule.
Check out more of Out the Other's Guide to Next Big Nashville 2008.
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