Lightning 100 highlights local artist in a new way each week on 100.1 FM. We spin a lot of local tunes, but now we are featuring local artists in heavy rotation. Tune in Lightning 100 to hear a new local artists and then join Wells Adams for a live broadcast every Friday at Soulshine Pizza Factory for a special Happy Hour from 5-7pm followed by a performance from the featured artist of the week! Click here to find out how to submit your music to the local guys at the615. The Local Artist of the Week and Happy Hour is sponsored by Lightning 100,Soulshine Pizza Factory, and Batch 19.
Lightning 100 is proud to announce that Lulu Mae is the 2013 Music City Mayhem Champ! The band will receive heavy airplay on 100.1 FM, recording time at WELCOME TO 1979, snare drum from Fork’s Drum Closet Nashville, promotional package for NTS Promedia, and a slot at Live On the Green! Thanks to Ovation Awards & Engraving for the trophy!
Written by Kaitlyn Crocker
Outside of Midtown’s Tavern I catch the boys mid-conversation and end-cigarette with an old friend, looking like every other Nashvillian in need of a good beer by Tuesday night. Snarky comments and a functional dysfunctional bickering between these guys should always be expected… they probably hate each other more than anyone else – and love each other more too.
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[some.... girl] “The City Profits… What, are you like all about making a profit or something?”
[Terry] “Well no, but everyone has to make a profit, everyone has bills… money is something everyone can relate to, it’s a common denominator.”
Peter Terry & the City Profits, even when faced with boldly pointed questions from an unbeknownst audience member, know how to respond with the cool collection of a band who acknowledges reality and still knows what they are all about. As for their city profiteering, they have made something of themselves in Chicago and now in Nashville.
In a city culture riddled with wannabe musicians and aesthetic dreamers who dig Nashville’s niche-industry of re-surging “vintage” songs recycled from artists’ parents’ old vinyl collections, Terry and his profits have found it difficult to find their place here in music city. Cellist Stephen Juergensen and percussionist Chris Spann add unique elements of classical and Old Soul/R&B and Jazz sounds to Terry’s 50s Doo-wop / 70s and rock background.
Although all three band members claim the same Indiana roots, their individual backgrounds contribute in a unique way to the classical/pop/rock/blues trio.
Growing up in a household full of trained classical musicians, it is amazing that even at the age of eight Juergensen followed suit with a hunger for strings. Cello became his go-to.
Spann studied jazz at college in Chicago where he got together with mutual-student friend Terry whom he had oddly enough gone to high school with.
Chicago was the middle ground where they found each other, whether again or for the first time. Even with a large audience-on-command, the boys were looking for something more than friend-fans bleeding from the heart of a city that only beat routinely for them. The perks of rebuilding a local audience outside of their home state is knowing that new fans really dig their music, who they are and will stick around and support. All three had agreed that moving to Nashville seemed the best next option for them as uncomfortable and uncertain as that seemed at the time. As Juergensen so elegantly put it, they had to “just do it.”
As their sound has progressed, there is something of symphony and of pop running alongside their growing desire to make music that “people can dance to.” A significant power lies still within the lyrics that are somehow just as meaningfully crafted into songs as the intricately layered music itself. With their 2011 I Am Jackson album , stories besides their own were portrayed, but in the future more importance is being laid on their own experiences in this upcoming album that they’ll be getting under way with in June at the Tracking Room. They hope that even this late-spring planting will yield an August album harvest.
One past-album lyrical gym [lyrics here], Miss May and Dean kay originated from… “the Chicago tribune. Dating prior to the Korean war, a soldier went to war leaving the sweetheart of his yesteryears. When he returned much later she had married somebody else, and he in turn got married. They had their own lives, and 40 years later one sent a Christmas card to the other one, just checking in, and they started talking via letters and ended up starting a relationship and got married at 65″ -Peter Terry
The latter represents days past for the band, and now their focus is being narrowed to their experiences, struggles, and aspirations to engulf contemporary surroundings. Somewhere in between the Black Keys and Bruno Mars you will find them chasing after something brilliant that makes them echo “Hallelujah!” in the new Daft Punk album.
This team of profit-snatching bandits (as some people might like to see it) has their own interpretation of their band whose name they currently hate – and that fact which they will shamelessly and unforgivingly publicize – and would rather identify themselves as Lewis - “Like Lewis and Clark… the spirit of adventure.”
Written by Kaitlyn Crocker
Levi Weaver is one of those artists who substantiates our hopes that “Someday I’ll make it big! I’ll get lucky!” And while Levi is definitely one lucky man, he has hoards of talent to back it up.
No one place belongs to Levi, and he belongs to no one place. Small town Texan turned immersed-European turned Nashvillian, Levi doesn’t define his home as a singular place. His “geographical commitment issues” may have spurred him to the road, but he has consciously made the decision to run down it with no backwards glances. Following his heart and marching forward blindly – literally – landed him a six-week tour gig with Imogen Heap and five previously released albums. The blindness I speak of, fear not, is this: I closed my eyes, spun a map, and pointed. This is how Levi pulled his lucky card again and landed in Nashville.
He had so much experience to bring too, after only a span of two years abroad.
When I couldn’t get on another tour, I started booking my own, saving up bus fare and playing around the country. I was in a new country with no professional contacts with musicians or studios… I’m proud that I learned how to work.
I know England still colors my music. As does Texas. As does Tennessee, now… It’s just the flavor I know how to cook with…
He has put himself in the unique position of starting over new many times. This from-scratch musician has cooked up a homeade career that has turned out to look like a gourmet 5-star meal. His lyrics are “something akin to food. The lyrics are the vitamins and minerals, and the music is the food. You can take the vitamins by themselves, and they’re still effective (poetry) and you can eat things that have no nutritional value (brainless pop music) but they are just so much better when they come as a team.
Levi’s far and wide search for his sound and his soul’s niche therein might not have always left him feeling full, but he is certainly satisfied with where he has come.
When I lived in a small town in Texas, I remember feeling like “I think I know where I want to be, but I can’t see any bridge that leads there”. I was — like, seeing a bridge but not being able to cross it would be frustrating, but this was something else altogether. Something like despair, I think. Moving to England was, in a sense, the experience that showed me that no one else was going to build that bridge for me, but hey – here are a bunch of materials and – no blueprint, but here’s a book about leverages and engineering, so… your move, pal. I mean, you absolutely need other people, and no one person can do everything that a career needs to be successful, but you can’t just sit back and expect it to come to you.
Expect his new album to drop some time around October!
Lover of the classics, nature and water and the outdoors, Josh Farrow is making his own path in the music industry. He may be walking under the hot sun of Nashville’s song-writers’ spotlight, but he is well shaded by inspirations of Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder and The Beatles. Josh knows the beauty of things past and how to recycle his loves into meaningful lyrics and current tunes.
Since the tender age of 10 when he got his first guitar, music has been a constant in his life. It may not have been till age 19 when he began singing and writing hardcore, but he certainly has come a long way very quickly. Josh has been highly involved in years past with Lightning 100, and he has a record of popping up as one of their featured artists. Josh has experienced a wonderful give-and-take partnership with Lightning 100:
“I’ve played some sponsored shows for them, have been at their Christmas parties, and love supporting those guys!”
A fruitful relationship with the radio station has been just one of the high points of his career here in Nashville. Producer Dexter Green has inspired Josh not only by his intense involvement with the artist and in his support, but he has also challenged Josh through a respect warranted by his own talent. In Josh’s own words: “My biggest encourager so far has been my producer Dexter Green. He’s by far the most talented person I’ve met in this town, and has been willing to help me greatly.
Nashville has been the biggest blessing in my music career. From an overwhelming response from music city roots with Leon Russell, to meeting everyone I know from the 5 spot, the reception has been unreal.”
If you are ever in the area, you should stop by 5 Points Pizza and say ”Hey!” to this fellow. After all, he promises that it’s the “best pizza in the south.”
It’s doesn’t take much to see that Josh truly loves this city.
“Nashville has put a little more country in me, kicked me in the ass a little bit, and pushed me to be the hard-working motivated person I am today. Nashville can wear you down in the music industry, but if you recognize your weaknesses it can pick you right back up.
“I don’t plan on leaving this beautiful city, especially East Nashville where I live. I’m going to be touring most of the summer, including some shuttle bus gigs for Hangout Fest and other festivals like Merlefest in 2014.”
Josh’s most recent releases include two singles titled Devil Don’t You Fool Me and The Worryin Kind. During a fairly stressful time in his life he turned yet again to music to learn to channel the tumultuous context of his life. True to the single’s name, he explained “I’m a worrier by nature and am learning to get it out creatively.”
But how exactly did Josh come to call himself an immersed Nashville native? For love of a woman, of course! Spring Break can do many terrible things to our lives, but in his case it did one thing tremendously right. Four months after a trip to Daytona Beach he moved to Murfreesboro to be with her, and five years later they are still going strong. Two years ago he made the official move up the interstate to pursue music full time in Nashville. He has dug his urban roots deep here, but he has not let go of his rural ties either.
“I feel like I write mostly about the natural elements of life, and it translates to music from a love of being alone in the outdoors. And being in water. Too many of my songs are about water…”
So what is on the up-and-coming for Josh?
“The new singles, and new songs I’m tracking in the studio right now are a lot more mature (naturally) and have a lot more harnessed energy and soul in them. A bit dark, a bit soothing, and a bit haunting. Southern Drag was all about a very young and fresh outlook on living and writing in a new place – the south.
“I’m expecting to release a new full length album in the later part of this year.”
Written by Kaitlyn Crocker
Boston born and California raised, Mercy Bell is no stranger to new places. New York embraced her and Nashville has made her a comfortable home. With all of these different regional sounds surrounding her, Mercy has kept her balance by digging deep to her west coast roots. You can catch glimpses of the western horizon in her music, distinctly American folk with a progressive touch of the 90s songwriter stamp etched onto her from her childhood.
Her first and most recent 13-track album “All Good Cowboys” was produced in the big city that sprung Mercy from the shadows to the folk spotlight and gave her wings enough to catch flight to Nashville to expand her career. Produced in Brooklyn with her dear friend Danielle DePalma – producer, musician and engineer – this album resonates with the experiences of a young, poor, and emotionally confused songwriter trying to figure out who she was and wanted to be.
I was alternately sad and elated on any given day. I was going through a lot of difficult personal experiences during that time that I made the album, but she [Danielle] helped me by giving me a refuge and turning the album-making process into a communal process (with tons of home cooked food).
With her love of big, wide, open spaces – of possibilities – it’s safe to wonder if Mercy plans on nesting into Nashville for a bit?
I know in my bones it is where I need to be right now. My girlfriend and I moved here after only visiting once. We wanted an adventure and change after Brooklyn and Arkansas. It’s funny, I moved to NYC after seeing a license plate that said “be brave”, made up my mind. We moved to Nashville after hearing this Alan Jackson song “gone country” while driving Highway 321, and we decided that’s where we needed to be. I knew there was a huge Americana scene here and that was so exciting to me.
But whether here or there, Mercy’s passion for the aesthetic recallings of the west coast ever linger about her.
I love any music or any art that evokes horizons. It’s the “western” in me. My granddaddy was a Georgia boy who died in San Diego, but had travelled the world in the Air Force and was the cowboy I associate with in my heart. He was into horizons. He and my family and California instilled that in me.
She assures that a new EP will be on its way this summer, so keep an eye on that horizon, the one Mercy loves so much.
Diamond Carter is a music project based in Nashville, Tennessee. Mr. Carter was born in 1990 in Southern California, where he was drawn to the 60′s revivalist groups that were sprouting out of Orange County. He began playing the guitar when he was thirteen, and music soon became the most important thing in his life.
Diamond started and played in several local bands throughout high school, all inspired by the sound of the 60s. Mod, Mo-town, and surf rock became his primary musical focus. After scraping by the last year of high school, Diamond and a couple close friends bought an old van from a “dead head”, who, once learning of the boys intentions, drastically lowered the price and offered to continue paying for the satellite radio as long as the boys promised they’d only keep it on the Grateful Dead station. They kept this promise, as they drove through the states playing several house parties, and dive bars getting paid in food, liquor, and the occasional bag of mushrooms and a place to stay. They’d perform on the street by day to get gas money to get to the next town, and leave immediately after each gig because they had no place to spend the night. During these drives, Diamond became fascinated with the Dead’s approach on folk and country music and began to start writing a catalogue of acoustic songs. One of the boys got arrested, and Diamond and the remaining member temporarily planted themselves in Santa Cruz,where they lived in a 100 square foot lockout space in an old warehouse by the train tracks. During this time, Diamond developed a deep love for Santa Cruz, and it’s weirdness. He spent his nights indulging with the crusties and singing the blues with the old timers on the avenue. The good times slowed down as his new friends began getting picked up by the cops, or moving on to a new town.
He decided to change his scene once again, and moved to Los Angeles where he played solo at house parties and lounges until he captured the eye of a music manager, who decided to represent the project. This gave birth to the identity of Diamond Carter. The origin of the name can be found in the lyric of Mark Levine’s 1968 album ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’. The name was taken from the lyric “Diamond Carter was a writer, and a singer too. A far-out author of some far-out tunes.” Mr. Carter felt this line spoke of the new identity he was to assume as a writer and performer. Diamond put together a band and began playing through Los Angeles, most notably at the silver lake speak easy “The Overpass.” The debauchery that ensued at these shows, complimented by the band’s groove, gained them a bit of buzz in the local scene, before re-locating as a collective to Nashville.
Diamond Carter’s music spans from the acoustic singer songwriter vibe of songs like “Clarksdale”, a tale of the devil, to the more indie pop sound of songs like “Beg” or “Let Yourself be loved”. He attributes his major musical influences to artists like Sam Cooke, the Louvin Brothers, Conor Oberst, and Lou Reed. In the spirit of these inspirational artists, Mr. Carter writes about things that he knows, mainly booze, mind-altering substances, and torturous women. Diamond Carter includes Drummer Trevor Hunnicut, Michael Gigante as Producer/Keys, Tenor Saxophonist Cameron Black, and background vocalists Jordan Rogers, Janay Byrd, and Jennifer Roberts . Diamond also enlists help from several other instrumentalists when the song calls for it. The band will continue to be rooted in its classic foundations while constantly pushing forward and absorbing the strange world that surrounds.
After escaping a tumultuous childhood, Bethany faced an entirely new stomach-gnawing heartbreak. In 2007 she had an affair with a teacher, a woman, at her…See More
Hailing from the state of Florida, Gavin Shea has brought his eclectic sounds to the mecca of music today.
Since his arrival in Nashville, he’s been turning heads with performances of his “Alive and Well” EP, a collection of pieces that combine a mathematical intelligence with the intuition of a forward thinking artist. True to form, Shea’s band features skilled studio musicians from a variety of locations and backgrounds. Together, they possess a remarkable ability to extract beats and formulate original compositions, while remaining consistent in the story-telling experience of Shea’s newly-released EP.
Stay tuned for what they’re bringing, it won’t disappoint.
Everyone is curious to what the Future will bring. Is it honest? Is it urgent? Is it enduring? The Future brings all this and more with their contagious, tightly layered tracks that will force even the most inept soul to cut a rug.
Escondido is Nashville, TN based artists Jessica Maros and Tyler James. Recorded live in a single day, their 10-song debut album is due out Feb. 2013. Their sound is a washed out desert landscape steeped in American roots music. “We wanted it to be like Clint Eastwood playing pop songs at one of the honky-tonks downtown,” James mused. “But we’ve been told it sounds like desert sex.” The pair met while James was recording their mutual friend at his home studio. “Jess was quietly strumming this song Rodeo Queen on the couch while everyone else was making drinks in the kitchen. I pushed record and added a little groove before folks got back in the room. Later that night we listened to it and both said ‘You wanna make a record?’” They spent the next two months crafting the songs and bonding over a shared love of spaghetti westerns and 70’s music. “We’d put on Ennio Morricone every morning,” says Maros. “It’s an easy process when you both love the same stuff.”
The two gathered some musician friends and cut the record on October 18, 2011 at The Casino Studio in Nashville. “We wanted to capture that initial instinct,” says James. “The talent in this town allows you to set up in one room and let ‘em do their thing.” Musicians Evan Hutchings (drums) and Adam Keafer (bass) give the backbeat to Scotty Murray’s washed out western-style electric guitar. Maros’ seductive vocals bring to mind Mazzy Star as they float atop James’ sparse guitar, trumpet, and keyboard work. Escondido’s songs range from the Tom Petty/Fleetwood Mac influenced pop numbers Cold October and Bad Without You, to the lovelorn country ballads Special Enough and Willow Tree. “The record was an outlet for me,” says Maros. “Each song brings back where I was, what I drank when I was writing them. It was a dark time and this album got me through it.” The band’s heavy sentiment is balanced out by the playful twang of songs like Don’t Love Me Too Much and the Keep Walkin’. “Music helps us forget the very conflict it grows out of,” says James. “But my favorite songs embrace that dissonance.”
The album marks a new chapter for both members. Maros, a Vancouver, British Columbia native, found success as a clothing designer after initially moving to Nashville with a record deal. Her jewelry has been worn by the likes of Prince and Lady Antebellum, her handmade dresses gracing the red carpet at the Oscars and Country Music Awards. James, a small-town Iowa native, has spent the last decade on the road as a solo artist and member of Los Angeles based Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. “We both wanted a change of pace,” says Maros. “I wanted to focus on music again and Tyler wanted to spend more time in town making records.” The result is the formation of Escondido, a band whose songs are a tale of love lost across the western sky.
Since the release of his critically lauded debut album, Dead Language, in 2007, k.s. Rhoads has become one of Nashville’ʹs most sought after collaborators. Whether as a string arranger, co‑songwriter, producer, or multi‐‑instrumentalist, he has come to be regarded as one of the most creative minds in all of Music City. For the past few years, when Rhoads wasn’ʹt working on other artist’ʹs projects, he has been meticulously crafting new songs in his pursuit of a bolder, more explosive sound. Now, with his sophomore album due out March 5th, fans will certainly not be disappointed. The Wilderness is a brave exploration of k.s. Rhoads’ rare and expansive musical ideas.
In 2008, Rhoads was asked to be one of the artists, as well as the bandleader, of a highly regarded tour of Nashville musicians called Ten Out of Tenn, and this tour became the subject of a critically acclaimed documentary entitled Any Day Now. Other Ten out of Tenn alumni include Joy Williams of The Civil Wars, Mikky Ekko, Ashley Monroe of The Pistol Annies, Butterfly Boucher and Gabe Dixon, among others.
In summer, 2011, Rhoads was invited to perform with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra at WRLT’s, Live On The Green. In front several thousand people, k.s. Rhoads and The Nashville Symphony Orchestra hammered out over an hour of Rhoads’ʹ music, all of which was composed, written, and arranged for the orchestra by Rhoads himself. It was a first for both he and the orchestra.
For the production on The Wilderness, Rhoads chose to collaborate with Cason Cooley (Matthew Perryman Jones, Derek Webb, Katie Herzig). Though they had known each other for years, this was the first time they joined together on a major project. With Cooley’s subjective ear, Rhoads found the perfect musical sparring partner, and over the course of a year, they finished Rhoads second album.
Refreshingly sincere, ferocious, and imaginative, The Wilderness offers impressionable and uniquely relatable stories about life. Rhoads’ mastery of words along with his instinctive gift of composing confirms his exquisite skills as a writer, arranger and producer. To no surprise, he was recently honored with the ASCAP Foundation’s prestigious 2012 Sammy Cahn Lyricist Award, and was asked to perform in spring 2012 for the much celebrated TEDx talks.
On the eve of the album’s March 5th release, k.s. Rhoads hopes fans and listeners will get to the heart of the album, which he says, “is about the grappling with mankind’ʹs feeling of abandonment in this universe, and the hope that against all odds, we can, and will, be illuminated.”
The Delta Saints are not what they say they are. Delta? Absolutely. But saints? One might call them “cautionary tales” long before the term “saints” ever came to mind; however, there is something devout about their bayou rock, a dirty, distinct sound they’ve zealously refined on their debut full-length, Death Letter Jubilee. Ben Ringel (vocals/dobro), Dylan Fitch (guitar), David Supica (bass), and Ben Azzi (drums) each moved to Nashville for college in 2007 and first found common ground as old-world-loving, good-bourbon-swilling musicians. As the searing harmonica and howling vocals of their live show began garnering notoriety, The Saints rode their roots rock wave right into the studio. On the heels of 2009’s Pray On EP and 2010’s follow-up A Bird Called Angola, the band toured tirelessly, playing more than 150 shows a year, including a slot at Arkansas’ Wakarusa Festival and two summers headlining in Europe during which they performed on the long-running, renowned German TV show Rockpalast.
The title track is by far the most magnetic on the album. There’s something eerie about its cacophonous Orleans-inspired chorus, the warm buzz of harmonica, the tinny trumpet whine, and the way one can’t help but be swept away by the utterly irreverent revelry. “I love songs where sonically you get one emotion from it, and then you look at the lyrics and it’s not at all what you expected,” Ringel says of the song’s musical inspiration. “And everybody has certain emotions that they’re not proud of. The idea that you can be glad about somebody’s ultimate demise… it’s such a negative thing, but everybody feels something a little like that.”
At once danceable and reflective, familiar and nostalgic, Humming House is a musical experiment gone right. Woven together from diverse backgrounds (Americana, classical composition, bluegrass, soul, and traditional Irish music), their playground of musical exploration has something for every generation. Unmistakable pop sensibilities mixed with a depth of lyrical narrative give their whimsical songs an irresistible quality that can only be described by the imagery of the name – Humming House.
Fresh from recording their debut album (unreleased) with Grammy-winning producers Vance Powell (The White Stripes, Chris Thile, Buddy Guy) and Mitch Dane (Jars of Clay), Humming House has hit the ground running. A whirlwind of press has followed as the band had been featured on NPR’s Live in Studio C and All Things Considered, Nashville’s Lightning 100 local spotlight, and STETSON’s Center Stage artist of the week.
Blending elements of folk and pop, his work brings the poetry and lyrical depth of the folk tradition into the infectious melodies and subtle grooves of a pop singer/songwriter.
After 2 European tours in 2012, Michael is now back in the studio writing and working with Grammy award-winning producer Jacquire King (Kings of Leon, Norah Jones, Tom Waits, Modest Mouse), wrapping up a new album and gearing up for another UK and Netherlands Tour again in 2013.
Growing up in the small town of Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, Michael learned to play guitar, piano and harmonica in living-room jam sessions with his family playing old Tom Paxton, Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash songs. He started writing songs when he was 12 years old. After high school, he spent a year touring in the US and Canada playing shows in prisons before heading to Nashville to attend university. After graduation, he signed with Combustion Music and traveled through Spain, Italy and France where he wrote many of the songs that would become his debut album. He is now signed with Nettwerk Music/Moraine Music.
To stay in the know about tours, new music, etc please go to www.michaellogen.com and join the email list.
Lightning 100 debuts “My Love Will Never Fail You” by Marie Hines. Marie Hines is a creator. She cooks dinner, she bakes cupcakes, she’s an avid DIY-er, and true to her Southern charm, she’s not afraid to get down in the dirt if it means cultivating something colorful and fragrant. Drawing inspiration from nature, The Tide and the Sea boasts music that mimics the fine lightness of a summer wind and the rolling current of a cool autumn stream. By broadening her scope and expanding her thematic obsessions, Marie has fallen right into place between Ingrid Michaelson and Sara Bareilles, an artist as vibrant and smart as she is talented.
Marie nurtured her musical abilities early while growing up in small-town South Carolina: “I started taking classical piano when I was about six. Music was kind of something I developed on my own. I started writing at the age of twelve.” And something struck with a chord with Marie, who moved to Nashville in 2005. “I came to ‘Music City’ to surround myself with people that were better than me. I knew I needed that constant challenge in order to become a greater musician.” Marie found inspiration among fellow songwriters as well as larger acts like Norah Jones and Coldplay, all the while developing her own class of bright, satiny melodies
Those familiar with Marie’s debut, Worth the Fight, or her follow-up EPs, The Living Room Sessions and HeartCrash, will recognize her characteristic feminine grace, billowing piano refrains, and incandescent strings, but there’s something new and exciting in this collection of love songs. On The Tide and the Sea, Marie’s brush strokes are broader, more confident. Like a bright-eyed bride lifting her gauzy veil for the first time, letting the sun dazzle her and the wind brush her skin, the young Nashville singer/songwriter is stepping out and making strides.
“The title comes from the idea of love as a push-and-pull; it’s a tug-of-war type thing; it’s a dance. The tide rises and falls back into the sea, but it always falls back into the sea. Love is not easy, but when you’ve found that one right person, it is constant,” says Marie. “I guess that is maybe how I experience love. It’s comforting and protective, and these songs have that theme in common.”
The Tide and the Sea begins briskly, a crisp breeze fluttering through spring grass, playful and steady. “My Love Will Never Fail You,” the expansive, glittering single, makes confident declarations on the origins of love with lyrics like, “I don’t believe in chance. I think it’s the choice we make, and I choose you for the rest of my days,” its melody expanding into broad, undulating layers of a soaring orchestral spectrum. “In My Arms,” co-written with fellow Nashville songwriter Justin Halpin, is a richly textured, sanguine tune with a spirited rhythm that reminds Marie, “Yes, I’ve had my heart broken, but it’s all washed away when you have this one person.”
The golden, ebullient “Always Been You,” another Justin Halpin co-write, boasts the title lyric – “You be the tide; I’ll be the sea. The rise or fall brings you home to me, brings you home to me. It’s always been you, love.” – and acts as the magnetic, whimsical cornerstone of Marie’s rosy ballads. “Forever Falling for You,” co-written with Justin Tam of Nashville folk band Humming House, is a glowing, ethereal track with lyrics warm and hopeful: “We’ll build a house someday; we’ll build a home in the meantime.” And the lilting, dramatic “Forever Mine,” co-written with Justin Halpin and featuring background vocals by Marie’s new fiancé Ben Ringel of Nashville blues band The Delta Saints, swells and diminishes in arresting, elegant strokes, closing the album with an exultant, richly resonant ballad of halcyon love, repeating the chorus: “Oh my love, my life, always you and I, steady as we rise; be forever mine.”
Marie’s music has seen commercial and critical success with a feature in WalMart’s Valentine’s Day in-store promotional campaign in 2010 and 2011 and the top prizes in the Intel Superstars Competition, the Intel Video Superstars Competition, and the Avon Songwriting Competition. Following the release of Worth the Fight, Marie embarked on a national tour, playing venues like LA’s famous Hotel Café, Nashville’s Bluebird Café, New York’s The Living Room, and cafés, house concerts, and coffeeshops all along the way. In 2012, she was invited to play Toronto’s NXNE Festival.
Marie’s songs have provided background music for hundreds of wedding videos; MTV, iTunes, Hallmark, Delta Airlines, Spotify, and Forever 21 have showcased tracks in various capacities; and the music video for “Perfect Kiss” was featured on CMT Pure.
Lightning 100 debuts “Animal” by Alanna Royale! Alanna Royale is comprised of 7 members, 6 beards, 3 horns, and 1 lady. This is the only combination that could give you the soul pop (with little bit of rock) sound that has brought this band immediate recognition in the Nashville music scene. Their debut single “Animal” hit the radio waves one week before the release show for their EP “Bless Her Heart” and the response was impressive. The release show was held at one of Nashville’s landmark venues, The Basement and no one would have known by the sold out room of over 275 attendees that this was only the bands 7th performance.
The Kicks may be young, but they are quick to admit that in a decidedly non-hipster way, they do indeed plan to rock you. Never interested in moping, navel gazing or wallowing in the emotional muck and mire that permeates so much of the modern music culture, Jordan Phillips (lead vocals, rhythm guitar,) Adam Stark (lead guitar, keys, backing vocals,) Gabriel Anderson (bass, backing vocals) and Lucas Cummins (drums) intend to take your breath away with massive melodies, epic guitar riffs, irresistible rhythms and lyrics that practically force you to sing along. Though perfectly comfortable in clubs, this is music made for stadiums and with every intention that’s exactly where The Kicks are heading.
The Kicks came together after meeting in college in 2008. The chemistry was immediate and within just a few gigs the band became one of the most talked about non-Country bands in Nashville. Club audiences around Music City and the general Southeastern corner of the US grinned and grooved as these impossibly gifted and improbably young musicians delivered shows that regularly earned them favorable comparisons to their heroes. They earned coveted opening slots supporting heavyweights like John Mayer and Los Lonely Boys and performed at the Austin City Limits Festival and South By Southwest and the Van’s Warped Tour. Their song “Good Morning” was heard by millions in a national television ad campaign for Lowe’s and other songs were heard in shows like Vampire Diaries and Pretty Little Liars.Four years, two independent records and countless breathless gigs later the band has delivered “Tonight Changes Everything”, a new full-length album that continues to celebrate and honor the best rock and roll of the last half century while simultaneously embracing many of the most impressive aspects of today’s modern music scene. With the guidance and expertise of Grammy Award winning producers Mitch Dane and Vance Powell (Jack White, Raconteurs, Kings of Leon) and a collection of guitars, amps and effect pedals that in other circumstances would qualify as a decent inventory for a boutique music shop, this third Kicks release is potent, focused, perfectly realized and brutally catchy. For Stark, Tonight Changes Everything accomplishes everything the band set out to do musically and lyrically. “From what we are singing to how we are singing it, this is a record about hope,” he says. “Hope is what sustains us through struggle and allows us to keep pushing through – even when we feel like we’ve got nothing left.”
Lightning 100 debuts “More of the Same” by The Young International on 100.1 FM. Click here to buy the song on iTunes. Familiar but foreign. The Young INTL is like nothing you’ve ever heard, like you’ve never heard it before.
Six years ago 4 college students began playing music together in a 2 bedroom apartment. They knew there was nothing new under the sun but decide to spend their days chasing it together.
Constantly honing their craft, members Kaleb Jones, Chase Gregory, Thomas Doeve and David Deaton have forged their names in the Nashville music scene and beyond with their lush soundscapes, soaring and hauntingly emotional vocals and intoxicating rhythms.
After years of writing and releasing songs, producing records, touring the United States and even appearing on a national television show, The Young INTL are primed and ready to take their music to the next level and beyond.
Jacob Jones has spent his entire life on the move and so between alt-country music and his GQ-approved KEEP ON MOVIN! Dance Party DJ sets, so pursuing a life of a troubadour wasn’t quite the stretch for him as it might be for others. Having lived in various Indiana, Kentucky and Georgia towns by the age of ten and spending a brief stint of time in New York City before recently making Nashville his home, Jones has been pursuing Americana rock ‘n roll in earnest for over half a decade now.
Thus far Jones has found success with his LP Bound For Glory and EP Volume One EP, consecutively. “Jacob’s brand of whiskey-fueled, hangover loomin’ country tunes (chased with rock and roll roots) makes for a raucous good time at his live show and supreme listening on his self-released LP,” said American Songwriter.
But this January 29th 2013, Jones will be releasing his next full length, Good Timin’ In Waynetown. This record combines the alt-country tones of Jason Isbell and the raw rock sensibilities of Chuck Berry to make for the sounds of the perfect southern gentleman.
Whether its an anthem about a night out on the town like the title track, a rollicking call for more good times on “Play It Loud, Ray!” or a swoon worthy song to his sweetheart on “My Girl Is Sweeter Than Yours” Jacob Jones knows how to, as his website’s headline suggests, “honky tonk yourself to death.”
Lightning 100 debuts “Take Me to the Mountain” by Great Peacock on 100.1 FM. Andrew Nelson and Blount Floyd make music enriched by their native South. Influenced by Pop Melody as well as Traditional Folklore. It’s old art for the new generation. Tune in all this week to hear this up-and-coming band and then see them perform live at Tin Roof 2 in Cool Springs. Plus…..the show is free!
Nashville-based singer/songwriter Adam Burrows was born and raised in Northeastern Ohio. His songs reflect his small town upbringing and draw the listener in by celebrating life’s everyday moments and embracing those that are fleeting. His lyrics capture the beauty of easy conversation, and his characters remain with you like old friends. Adam’s stories touch his listener simply but deeply, evoking emotions and images of less complicated times. His recollections of hope and heartache are framed by percussive finger-picking and catchy melodies, melodies you will find yourself humming for days.
Adam’s enthusiasm and endearing smile are a given at every show whether he is playing solo or with other artists. Recently Adam began performing as a duo with talented musician Josh Preston. Preston sings harmonies and plays guitar, glockenspiel, melodica, and other various instruments.
“I think Adam Burrows is one of the best lyricists in this town, which is saying a lot in Music City, USA. At this point I have lost count of the number of times I have featured him on my radio show and I’m itching to spin more of his records. He has played our showcases and left audience members and fellow musicians alike in awe. This guy is the real deal…” – Wells Adams
There’s no escaping it, Josh Doyle was destined to be a world-class singer songwriter. Before he was even old enough to drive, the UK native was compelled to pen songs from the age of 13. He funneled his lunch money into studio fees, and cut his first formal releases culling from hundreds of songs he had already written. While attending Chichester University, he founded buzzing and budding rock outfit The Dumdums as vocalist and guitarist. The group’s debut album for MCA Records, It Goes Without Saying, spawned four UK Top 30 hits including “Everything”, “Can’t Get You Out of My Thoughts”, “You Do Something to Me”, and “Army of Two”. They performed at arenas in England supporting Robbie Williams and appeared on the cover of tastemaker publications such as Melody Maker. They even sold out co-headlining tours in Japan and Germany as well as their own headline jaunt in England. However, the band split in the midst of working on their sophomore follow-up.
Doyle relocated to Nashville and began to traverse a new road. Distancing himself from the music industry, he took a day job. Depression and anxiety had started to overcome him as he faced the doldrums of ‘normal life’ severed from the creative pursuits he’d been inextricably linked to. However, the fans beckoned him back. He received an overwhelming number of requests online to return to music. His rabid fan base, brandishing tattoos of his lyrics and name, let him know how important it was he return. Crafting 2004’s cathartic EP, The End of Fear, he independently released the effort and personally sent each fan that was supporting him a copy. The title track received numerous placements and it galvanized his new endeavor as a songwriter.
Once again in 2009, his fans supported him to the extent that they donated the money to record both Values and Virtues and Middletown two reflective and powerful EPs illuminating his growth as a musician. It was a landmark moment for him as the fan support inspired him to continue writing and more so put him back on the road. His music inspired and resonated with them, and they returned the favor in a big way. After a successful UK tour, he returned to a “Music City” studio and recorded Songs From The Nuclear War Vol. 1 & 2.
After over a decade in the music industry, now as an independent artist, it wasn’t long before he received serious recognition from the mainstream again in 2012. Guitar Center named him “the nation’s top undiscovered singer-songwriter” in the brand’s very first singer-songwriter competition. In front of a packed audience of clamoring fans, he performed his original, “I’ve Figured The World Out”, beating out more than 17,000 entries and receiving a three song EP by Grammy Award-winning producer John Shanks as the competition’s victor. Impressed with Josh’s talent, John decided to seize the moment and, with Guitar Center’s blessing, record a full-length album instead of an EP. Capturing the services of legends old and new, Leland Sklar (James Taylor, Warren Zevon), Matt Chamberlain (Bruce Springsteen, John Mayer), Dean Parks (Elton John, Billy Joel) and Patrick Warren (Fiona Apple, Ray LaMontagne) he has set out to record an album that will no doubt see the same kind of fanatical fan response but now in the mainstream arena.
After continued indie success on his own, he’s now teamed up with CTK Management and Neil Warnock of The Agency Group, and the road in front of him is wide open. With big music business muscle behind him, and the best talent in the world backing him up, the next chapter is bound to be the greatest for Josh Doyle.
