Out the Other

#paulsimoncountdown

If you don't follow me on twitter, you may (or if you suck may not) be missing out - since I am excited BEYOND WORDS that I'm finally getting the opportunity to see Paul Simon tomorrow night at the Ryman, I'm counting down by listening to his entire solo catalog, in chronological order. And tweeting about it!

Follow along and you might learn a little about one of my favorite singers and songwriters of all time, like who's the chick on the cover of The Paul Simon Songbook, what the frog sound in "Papa Hobo" is, and where the hell "Late In the Evening" came from.

Follow @outtheother!

"Stranded In a Limousine" (from 1977's Greatest Hits Etc.)
"American Tune" (from 1974's Paul Simon In Concert: Live Rhymin')
"The Sound of Silence" (from 1965's The Paul Simon Songbook)

TONIGHT! Vetiver @ Exit/In!

I've been spending the whole week wishing it were already the weekend - the temperature in Nashville is promising to make an upward climb over the next few days, which means sunshine instead of snow on my two days off.  Considering the fact that it's been in the balmy thirties lately, I'm 100% ready for spring.

And the things I'm looking forward to this weekend - not just the nice weather and nice weather-related outdoor activities - seem rather spring-like.  The Oscars usually signal the end of winter, and Alice In Wonderland is out - what's more springy than tea parties and white rabbits?  And to cap things off, tonight the weekend kicks off with a band that, now that I think about it, sounds an awful lot like a musical version of spring.

Vetiver are breezing through Nashville tonight to play Exit/In with Scout Niblett and Caitlin Rose, and it's a show I've been excited about since it was announced.  Last year, the band's fourth full-length album, Tight Knit, made the list of my favorite releases of 2009, and finally brought my attention to a group that has been been endearing itself to music lovers since the release of their self-titled debut in 2004.  Their association with Devendra Banhart found Vetiver dismissed by many (including me) as "freak folk" for years, but Tight Knit stands on its own two feet, and is enough to make anyone want to peruse the band's back catalog.

One of the highlights of last year's SXSW for me was the short set I saw Vetiver perform indoors at the Mohawk in Austin - the room was so completely packed, I was forced to stand on the other side of the bar, but poor vantage point aside, it was still one of the best performances I caught at the festival.  It left me hoping and wishing for a Nashville date for the better part of a year, and tonight we finally get to see Vetiver here in town.

The show kicks off at 9 tonight; tickets are $10 at the door.  Two songs to go with the sunshine:

"More of This" (from Tight Knit)
"Been So Long" (from To Find Me Gone)

White Denim, Brazos and And the Relatives @ The Basement TONIGHT!

Back in August, I got a super exciting message from Mike Grimes over at the Basement - "you heard of White Denim?"  YES, I replied - because not only had I heard of White Denim, over the course of several trips to SXSW, they had become one of my recurring Texas favorites.  From the first Wild Turkey-fueled St. Patrick's Day set I saw them play in 2007, I knew the Austin band was something special - they were like this three-piece ball of frenetic energy, teetering on a balance beam of awesomeness that they somehow managed to never topple off of into certain disaster.  I've seen them several times since then (not hard, since they play like a gagillion shows at SXSW), and I've been hoping that their increasing success and popularity would one day bring them on a tour through Nashville. Today happens to be that day.

It's hard to put into words just how freaking fantastic White Denim is live, so I'm just going to give you some tunes and the promise of greatness tonight at the Basement.  The greatness is further cemented by the phenomenal additions to the bill - Brazos, another Austin band, who I've been falling madly in love with for the past two weeks via their new album Phosphorescent Blues, and Out the Other local favorites And the Relatives, who are working on a new album and sounding absolutely incredible these days.  Tonight's cover is $10, which is a bargain when you realize it's three dollars and change per each kick-ass band.

Me? I'll be there for sure, most likely shake-shake-shaking it since I had the foresight to take tomorrow off from work.  A show like this is certainly going to require a day of recovery.

White Denim - "I Start To Run"
White Denim - "Shake Shake Shake"
Brazos - "My Buddy"
And the Relatives -"Dixie Cups"

Win tickets to the SOLD OUT Pretty Lights show @ Exit/In tonight!

 
Guess what?  If you were planning on buying tickets to see Pretty Lights at Exit/In tonight, you're S.O.L.  The show is sold out, which means you're not going to get the opportunity to see the DJ/producer and live drummer duo that's been packing out venues on this latest tour. That is, UNLESS you win free tickets from me!

Just shoot me an email - outtheother at gmail - before 11 a.m. (central!) this morning, with "Pretty Lights" in the subject line, and you'll be entered to win. Or, you can retweet this message on twitter, if you follow @outtheother.

I didn't get the chance to catch Pretty Lights at Bonnaroo this summer - but I'm glad I have another opportunity tonight. Colorado-based producer Derek Vincent Smith and his live drummer Cory Eberhard wowed a few of my friends at the festival back in June, and for good reason - they deliver what my friend Sean described as "smooth sample-delic jams" with a "funky, soulful spin on booming breakbeats and slinky electronica." The first two Pretty Lights albums were released for free on the internet, and with 6.15 million track downloads between them, it's pretty obvious that Sean's not their only fan.

October 6 saw the release of Passing By Behind Your Eyes - another FREE release that's available for download on PrettyLightsMusic.com.  So go nab it, and best of luck nabbing those free tickets.

"Sunday School"

Win tickets to Sea Wolf at Exit/In this Saturday!

There have definitely been a few great shows already this fall, but I feel like this Saturday's Sea Wolf show at Exit/In is about to kick off a killer few weeks.  Pretty Lights, Black Lips, The Whigs, The Features, Edward Sharpe, Fool's Gold, Local Natives, Bowerbirds, Elvis Perkins, A.A. Bondy and The Mountain Goats all in the space of four weeks? Holy crow. And that's not even everything.

Planning to hit that many shows of course means planning accordingly with your wallet (though I think we can all agree it's worth living on ramen noodles in order to see all of those awesome bands).  But Out the Other is here to help!  In addition to the passes I already gave away on Monday night's show, I have one more pair of free tickets to give away to see Sea Wolf at Exit/In this Saturday with Port O'Brien and Sarah Lov. 

I've seen Sea Wolf a few times (twice at Exit/In alone, I'm pretty sure), and I can promise you this will be the perfect kickoff for the month of kickass shows ahead. White Water, White Bloom dropped a month ago on Dangerbird Records, and I've been listening to it since quite a while before that, so I can't wait to hear what the band does with this new set of tunes live.  They're definitely one of those groups that amps up the "rock" in their particular brand of folksy rock when they play live, and seeing how album opener "Wicked Blood" sees them starting to leave the folksy side of things in the dust (or the "Black Dirt"? sorry - totally couldn't help myself) I think we're in for a particular treat this time around.  Plus, yesterday saw the release of their new tune "The Violet Hour" on the soundtrack for the new Twilight movie, New Moon, so this may be the last opportunity we have to see Sea Wolf without being mobbed by teenyboppers who think Alex Church is way cuter than Edward Cullen. (Think I'm joking? That shiz is #4 on Amazon right now.)

So how can you win?  Just leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite Sea Wolf song, and I'll draw a winner first thing tomorrow morning!  You'll score a guest list spot with a plus one to the show on Saturday night.  And just make sure you include your email address when you comment, so I can get in touch with you if you win!

And if you don't win? Tickets for the show are only $10, which isn't too bad for a Saturday night's worth of great music. 

Good luck, and hopefully I'll see you there!

"Wicked Blood"
"The Violet Hour"

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"