Cherub brings a dose of electro dance funk to Mercy Lounge…and we talk shop over mimosas at Mad Donna’s
Written by Sarah Sharp
Photography by Josh Carter
Photo by Josh Carter
Nashville’s electronic music scene is on the rise like a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at any minute, with Nashville’s own avante-guard electro-pop outfit, Cherub, at the forefront.
After releasing their second LP, Mom and Dad, and touring around the country, Cherub returned to Mercy Lounge on Friday to show some love for the city that created all the buzz about them. Nashville was itching to get rowdy for its beloved Cherub boys, Jordan Kelley and Jason Huber.
They’ve come a long way from nights locked away writing music in bedrooms, have relocated from Murfreesboro to East Nashville, and this summer they are embarking on quite the tour, with festival stops at Bonnaroo, Electric Forest, and Forecastle.
I had the chance to sit down with them at Mad Donna’s over lunch and mimosas, and even got to leave with my very own pair of Cherub panties, which they shouted me out for wearing at the show.
How do you think you fit into Nashville’s music scene?
Jordan: We don’t, but we do. We definitely have become a forefront for different genres in Nashville. Every time we go somewhere else, people think we’re gonna be twangy, but we do have a very singer-songwriter approach…which is Nashville.
Do you have any plans to leave Nashville?
Jason: We love it here. We’re part of Music City USA, why would we ever move
What sets Cherub apart?
Jason: We play dance music, but we play live instruments. It’s a sweaty dance party, but we’re actually playing.
People compare you to Prince all the time…
Jordan: The fact I can make people think of Prince is super flattering. He has crazy fashion, rockin’ high heels, rips the guitar. My ideal future includes high heels.
How do you go about songwriting?
Jordan: I write all the lyrics. I don’t want to alienate people. They connect with the lyrics and sing with us. Seeing people everywhere getting a hold of our music is the best feeling.
How do you complement each other?
Jason: Jordan is a little hook machine. What I bring to the project on the production side, and without the network of people in the beginning, we would still be in Murfreesboro not touring.
Jordan: Without Jason I would be making music in my room and burning CDs for people. Tell me the story behind “Casa del Obispo.”
Jason: We were touring in Mexico for two weeks with Indian Summer Music. We apparently went down in infamy in Querétaro. We threw a rager on the rooftop of our hotel, Casa del Obispo. We found out our promoter, Ed, had to pay off the cops and the newspaper for not slandering us. We can’t wait to go back. What do your parents think of Cherub?
Jordan: My mom took our logo off one of our condom wrappers and made a Cherub t-shirt out of it. She has never been this supportive of anything I’ve done…even college.
Jason: And some of the content… is….well…we’re open books. We don’t hide anything. The “Love You Right” video is of chicks beating us with bats…and my Mom shows it to her friends at work. What song do you enjoy performing most?
Jordan: “Hold Me.” I’m still pretty self-conscious about slow songs, especially because people want to get rowdy. We want a live band. I don’t want to lose the crowd. When people don’t dance, I feel like a monkey in a cage. Now to the important stuff…Cherub’s sexual orientation?
LOTS. If Cherub were a movie genre?
Jordan: Drama. Because it’s all about the emotions.
Matt Vasquez from Delta Spirit joined us in the studio before his show at Cannery Ballroom. The other guys apparently wanted to “sleep in”, but we’ve just got a hunch that they remembered the small size of our studio. Check out this solo performance of the sad version of “California” and Matt’s first solo live performance of “Yahama”. We’ve been playing “California” on Lightning 100, any other songs on the album you would like to hear? Leave a comment below and let us know. Click here to see our other in-studios with Delta Spirit.
Thanks to Justin Hammel from Lightning 100 for covering the show for me last week while I was in L.A. for NARM. Here’s Justin’s playlist.
The playlist for May 12th:
Andrew Bird – Eyeoneye – Break It Yourself First Aid Kit – The Lion’s Roar – The Lion’s Roar Beach House – Myth – Bloom Yellow Ostrich – Daughter – Strange Land Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes – Man On Fire – Here Truth & Salvage Co. – Hail Hail – Truth & Salvage Co. Dana Buoy – Call To Be – Summer Bodies Admiral Fallow – The Paper Trench – Tree Bursts In Snow Typhoon – Summer Home – A New Kind Of House Lee Fields & The Expressions – I Still Got It – Faithful Man SKATERS – Are We Just Doomed? – Schemers EP
Congratulations to Roots for Rebellion for winning the 2012 Music City Mayhem. Next time we see the guys they will be on stage at Live On the Green performing for thousands of fans! We want to say a special thanks to Kansas City Bible Company, Hot Mess and Billy Swayze for being apart of the contest.
In 1981, I was actually the Program Director of a COUNTRY station here in Nashville (WKDA). Rock music was going through an identity crisis, and as a result, some of the “Urban Cowboy” crossovers were finding their way to the top of the Pop charts and on to Rock radio as well! The clubs were also beginning to heat-up with long, rhythmic, unknown tunes that year. Hello, MTV! Enjoy today’s show! — Fred
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ARTIST
TITLE
ALBUM
The Moody Blues
The Voice
Long Distance Voyager
Santana
Winning
Zebop
Dan Fogelberg
Run for the Roses
The Innocent Age
#1 THIS WEEK – Kim Carnes
Bette Davis Eyes
Mistaken Identity
Rodney Crowell
‘Til I Can Gain Control Again
(self-titled)
Novo Combo
City Bound
(self-titled debut)
The Steve Miller Band
Heart Like a Wheel
Circle of Love
Squeeze
Tempted
East Side Story
Al Stewart
Indian Summer
Live / Indian Summer
Soft Cell
Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go? (12″ mix)
Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret (debut)
Greg Kihn Band
The Breakup Song
Rockihnroll
Phil Collins
In the Air Tonight
Face Value (solo debut)
TV THEME
“Hill Street Blues”
Triumph
Magic Power
Allied Forces
Laurie Anderson
O Superman (for Massenet)
Big Science
Stray Cats
Rock This Town
(self-titled debut)
Styx
The Best of Times
Paradise Theater
MOVIE – Christopher Cross
Arthur’s Theme
“Arthur” (OST)
Quarterflash
Harden My Heart
(self-titled debut)
Utopia
Last of the New Wave Riders
Adventures in Utopia
U2
I Will Follow
Boy (debut)
Adam and the Ants
Antmusic
Kings of the Wild Frontier
King Crimson
Matte Kudasai
Discipline
LOCAL – Jimmy Hall (live)
Keep On Smilin’
Volunteer Jam VII
LOCAL – Ronnie Milsap
Smoky Mountain Rain
Greatest Hits
LOCAL – The White Animals
Tobacco Road/Need Somebody to Love Me
Nashville Babylon (debut)
LOCAL – Steve Winwood
While You See a Chance
Arc of a Diver
The Police
One World
Ghost in the Machine
Rush
Tom Sawyer
Moving Pictures
The John Hall Band
Crazy (Keep on Falling)
All of the Above
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
I Love Rock ‘N Roll
I Love Rock ‘N Roll
Rick Springfield
Jessie’s Girl
Working Class Dog
Rickie Lee Jones (live)
We Belong Together
Pirates
THEN – Joe Walsh
A Life on Illusion
There Goes the Neighborhood
NOW – Joe Walsh
Lucky That Way
Analog Man (forthcoming 6/5/12)
Little Feat
Front Page News
Hoy-Hoy!
Journey
Stone in Love
Escape
Lindsey Buckingham
Trouble
Law and Order (solo debut)
Daryl Hall + John Oates
I Can’t Go for That
Private Eyes
Ramones
Rock ‘N’ Roll High School
Rock ‘N’ Roll High School
BEATLE – Paul McCartney (live)
Comin’ Up
(Live in Glasgow)
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NEXT SATURDAY: 1976
Thanks for listening + your requests and comments! Please share this playlist with all your friends!
