If you were a fan of live, alternative rock in Nashville in the early nineties, you knew of the band Chagall Guevara. Yes, the name is a conscious conjuring of an aesthetic and an ethic that fuses the painter Marc Chagall and the revolutionary, military theorist Che Guevara together. Think surrealist guerilla artfare. Chagall Guevara […]
Singer-songwriter Abby Hwong, who records and performs as NoSo, joined me in their hotel lobby on the morning of their first show in the U.K. NoSo’s first album, Stay Proud of Me, had been out for less than two weeks, and the artist told me how special it was to be able to do headlining […]
Back when the New Respects were a new band, and couldn’t resist turning their amps all the way up at practice, they didn’t face the threat that hangs over so many young groups: noise complaints. There was an old building on church property where they were permitted to be as loud as they pleased. “We […]
Midway through May, which is Mental Health Awareness Month, is as nice a time as any to recall and then share your own “warm bath” (credit: Adam Culver) songs. What’s your go-to source of sonic swaddling?, we asked WNXP listeners. And, per usual, you delivered. Stream the May 12 #ThematicStatic (👇) and, per usual, visit […]
There was a time when the New Respects didn’t appreciate anyone pointing out their pop leanings. “We had a friend who was like, ‘Y’all are pop kids,’” lead singer Jasmine Mullen recalls with amusement. “And we’re like, ‘We’re going to beat you up for saying that. We’re rock and roll.’” She and her band mates, […]
It’s only fairly recently that disco has gotten its due as a musically and culturally significant pop art form. For decades, it was treated like a ‘70s novelty that paled in originality and staying power next to the work of the rock bards, but it’s clear now what a woefully incomplete and straight, white, dude-centric […]
Sometimes it’s the small gestures in music that convey the greatest insight. There’s ample proof in the singing and songwriting of Erin Rae, a Tennessee native who started life in smalltown Jackson, taking in her parents’ easy harmonizing at home, then cut short her college studies to focus on voice and guitar lessons and open […]
The band Brassville has made a name for itself playing all across Music City, from an initial street corner performance during the 2019 NFL Draft to dates at The Basement East, Exit/In, Acme Feed and Seed and other venues. Similar to the selection of songs in the group’s curated playlist, the band performs a wide […]
The reverb-rich drums and twinkling keys throughout I Don’t Live Here Anymore, the fifth studio record from Philadelphia rock group The War on Drugs, surely recall soft rock sounds of previous decades. But make no mistake—front man Adam Granduciel leads a world class 21st Century guitar band. At base level, Granduciel and his five musical […]
Plenty of rappers who’ve been in the game for a while understand that establishing their place in an ever-expanding lineage requires not only referencing and paying homage to the sounds and figures that preceded them, but engaging with new ones rising up. The impulse to evolve might propel an artist through multiple, distinct aesthetic eras. […]