April Concert Calendar Playlist

4 April: Lightning 100 Presents Maggie Rogers [SOLD OUT]

Venue: Marathon Music Works

Featured Song: “On + Off”

With bursts of passion and oscillating energy Maggie Rogers creates glittering triumphant pop music that tells fragmented stories of self-unearthing. Roger’s songs are synesthetic –a colorful intertwining of the senses through sound and feeling. In “On + Off” electronic beats emulate the feeling of constantly shifting mental states through a countering clock like synth. That take you back in time nostalgic magic is an ability Roger’s has finely crafted with her lyricism and theatrical melodies. Maggie’s show is sold out, but you can check out her Lightning 100 in studio performance of “Give a Little” and “Falling Water”. Be sure to listen to her debut album Heard It In A Past Life.

5,6,7 April: Gary Clark Jr.

Venue: The Ryman

Featured Song: “Pearl Cadillac”  

Gary Clark Jr. fuses blues, rock, and soul music into his own electrifying concoction. Clark Jr. was inspired to play the guitar after hearing his childhood friend Eve play. Gary and Eve played shows together through high school and would watch old footage together of blues guitarists while trying to mimic their technique. Clark Jr. reached mass exposure when he was invited to Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival where he grabbed the attention of a major label. Shortly after he released his first album and has been putting out music and touring since. “Pearl Cadillac” off Clark Jr.’s third studio album shows off Clark’s emotionally charged lead guitar fills and the soulful falsetto end of his vocal range- it’s one of the more romanticized moments on his lasted release This Land. Get tickets to see him play at The Ryman and check out This Land.

6 April: Rival Sons, The Sheepdogs [SOLD OUT]

Venue: The Cannery Ballroom

Featured Song: “Feral Roots”

Rival Sons, from Long Beach, CA have established themselves as a modern classic rock band through their original blues/rock sound. They have a strong collaborative bond with Nashville producer Dave Cobb (also has produced Brandi Carlile and Jason Isbell), which has allowed them to grow through their albums, but also maintain their signature sound. The band has opened for many classic rock greats such as; Alice Cooper, AC/DC, Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath. “Feral Roots” the title track of the bands latest release features soring vocals and complementary lead guitar melodies that climb alongside acoustic guitar chord progressions reminiscent of Led Zeppelin. Check out Rival Sons on their North American tour alongside The Sheepdogs and listen to their backstage interview from 2018’s Live On The Green.

7 April: Lightning 100 Nashville Sunday Night: Ron Gallo

Venue: 3rd & Lindsley

Featured Song: “Love Supreme (Work Together!)”

With a punchy drumbeat over a futuristic synth and narrative voice Ron Gallo channels the sounds of the Talking Heads in the track, “Love Supreme (Work Together!)” off his third studio album Stardust Birthday Party- a new wave-flavored successor to the sound he unveiled on his debut release Heavy Meta, full of fuzzed out guitars it takes a retrospect on sounds of classic 60s rock. “Everybody gets a piece 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.5, 11” sings Gallo in “Love Supreme (Work Together!)”. Gallo explores the unity of humanity in this song through his witty lyrics delivered with well-crafted cadence. Check out Ron Gallo’s new album Stardust Birthday Party off New West Records and Get tickets to catch Ron Gallo at 3rd & Lindsley performing for Nashville Sunday Night. If you can’t make it tune into our airwaves for a live broadcast from 8:00-10:00pm.

9 April: Lightning 100 Presents Robert Ellis – Texas Piano Man w/ Ian O’neil of Deer Tick

Venue: The Basement East

Featured Song: “Nobody Smokes Anymore”

Texas native Robert Ellis was signed to New West Records in 2011 and has recently released his latest work Texas Piano Man- pictured on the cover in a bright white suit and cowboy hat, Ellis looks like a true showman. Although he is no stranger to a suit or a piano, having the piano at the forefront of instrumentation is a smooth transition for Ellis. Texas Piano Man has heavier emotional moments balanced out with humorously clever tracks. “Nobody Smokes Anymore” takes a lighthearted approach to exposing the heaviness of self-awareness. “When did everybody get so self aware? What happened to the good old days?” sings Ellis after proclaiming “No one has fun anymore, Everyone acts like they wanna live forever, And nobody smokes anymore, The last years of your life are so shitty anyway”. While tackling the daunting seriousness of life and making you wonder where the line of being too self aware is, this song may make you want to go light a cigarette or pick up your vape… which is probably why Ellis sings about how he can’t find a lighter.

12 April: Lightning 100 Presents Sister Sparrow

Venue: Exit/In

Featured Song: “Can’t Get You off My Mind”

Formerly the front woman of Sister Sparrow and The Dirty Birds, Arlie Kincheloe or Sister Sparrow has embarked on a solo career. Her latest album release Gold off Thirty Tigers takes flight from the runway of her soulful roots but veers off into the realms of R&B and contemporary pop. Opening with a washed out harmonica and transcending into a rock and soul frenzy, “Can’t Get You off My Mind” is a dance-ready groove. In this track she sings, “Well you must be too shy, Not gonna make a move, Well I guess I’m gonna have to be the one to talk to you”- Gold is full of these kinds of empowering moments and radiates an infectious sense of confidence. You can see Sister Sparrow live at Exit/In and listen to her in-studio performance from with The Dirty Birds from our Lightning 100 archives.

15,16 April: Death Cab for Cutie

Venue: The Ryman

Featured Song: “Gold Rush”

Thank You For Today is Death Cab for Cutie’s ninth studio album and is the first release since the departure of founding member, Chris Walla. The band added two new members and worked with producer Rich Costey (Foster The People, Muse, Sigur Ros) who produced their last record Kintsugi. The single “Gold Rush” features a sample from Yoko Ono’s 1971 song “Mind Train” which gives the song its industrial texture. Frontman Benjamin Gibbard wrote “Gold Rush” about the booming growth of his hometown city Seattle. Initially, the song sounds like a plea to halt the overpopulation and construction as Gibbard sings “And they keep digging it down and down, so that their cars can live underground”, but the bridge of the song reveals that his emotional attachment to the city runs deeper when he declares, “I’ve ascribed these monuments, a false sense of permanence, I’ve placed faith in geography, to hold you in a memory.” Listen to Thank You For Today and get tickets to see Death Cab for Cutie play The Ryman.

Click here for tickets!

19 April: The Tallest Man On Earth

Venue: The Ryman

Featured Song: “The Running Styles of New York”

“The Running Styles of New York” is the lead single off The Tallest Man On Earth’s upcoming first album release in four years. Swedish Singer/Songwriter Kristian Matsson produced, engineered, and recorded almost all of the album in the comfort of his Brooklyn apartment.“The Running Styles of New York’s warm analog sound harmonically aligns with Matsson’s vocals distorting like the crackling of a campfire making it feel like he’s telling you a story around one. I Love You. It’s A Fever Dream. will be released on April 19th the same day as his Ryman performance, so if you can’t make it to the show check out the new album and The Tallest Man On Earth’s in-studio performance from our 2015 archives.

20 April: The Claypool Lennon Delirium

Venue: Marathon Music Works

Featured Song: “Blood And Rockets: Movement I, Saga Of Jack Parsons – Movement II, Too The Moon”

The Claypool Lennon Delirium is the assimilation of Sean Ono Lennon and Les Claypool of Primus. The duo just released their second album South of Reality, which feels like a walk into a psychedelic house of fun. With washed-out harmonies and lyrical revelations, it sounds as though the two are picking flowers from the sonic environment of The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper. Album and planting them within their own soundscape. The second track from the album, “Blood and Rockets” was written about the famous rocket scientists Jack Parsons, and the motifs in the song allude to his life in a cult. The bass virtuoso and Lennon make a great pair and you can catch them out on tour this month as they stop at Marathon Music Works.

21,22 April: Lord Huron

The Ryman

Featured Song: “Wait by the River”  

“Wait by the River” off Los Angeles based indie-folk band Lord Huron’s latest album release Vide Noir seamlessly stitches together a Motown inspired sound with modern folk. The song features a doo-wop style melody washed out in reverb with flourishes of fairytale sounding synths. “If I can’t change the weather, maybe I could change your mind, If we can’t be together, What’s the point of life”- singer Ben Schneider declares his love with powerful lyrics, but the darkness of the songs undertones suggests that he subconsciously knows the waiting won’t be rewarded. This track is hauntingly beautiful with emotion spilling out from every layer. French for Black Void, Vide Noir adds an edge and eeriness to the vast modern folk soundscape Lord Huron is known for. Catch them at Nashville’s mother church a venue perfectly suited for the bands reverb-laden sound. Below you can find a link for Lord Huron tickets and their Lightning 100 secret show.

23 April: Matt Maeson [SOLD OUT]

Venue: The High Watt

Featured Song: “Hallucenogenics”

Matt Maeson began his career traveling and performing as a part of his father’s prison ministry. Maeson’s music recalls his rebellious experiences through a blues colored indie pop sound. Lyrically he is extremely vulnerable in all of his songs, by painting a vivid picture with details that strike a chord hard to ignore. “Pushin’ past the limit trippin’ on hallucinogenics, my cigarette burnt my finger cause I forgot I lit it” is a stand out hook not only for its simplistically genius rhyme scheme but for the potent tone it sets- you don’t necessarily picture a guy burning his finger, more so, you’re able to fathom the load of emotion that the experience carried.

24 April: Neko Case

Venue: Marathon Music Works

Featured Song: “Gumball Blue”

Hell-On is Neko Case’s seventh studio album. Case self-produced this work and included a lot of collaborators such as Mark Lanegan (Queens of the Stone Age, Screaming Trees) and pop producer Björn Yttling. In “Gumball Blue” Case sings “Sometimes where there’s smoke, there’s just a smoke machine, honey, honey”- her songwriting is full of thought-provoking atomic revelations. Hell-On requires an in-depth listen to fully appreciate its wisdom and nuances, so give the punk-rock hued alt-country album a go and get tickets to see Neko Case perform at Marathon Music Works.

25 April: Lightning 100’s Music City Mayhem

Venue: Marathon Music Works

Music City Mayhem 2018 Recap Video Below

Come see the final four bands in Lighting 100’s Music City Mayhem contest battle it out at Marathon Music Works. Vote each day for a chance to win VIP tickets to Live on the Green, two tickets to see Tame Impala at Ascend Amphitheater, and tickets to see Dave Matthews Band at Bridgestone Arena. Visit the Music City Mayhem page to stay up to date with the competition.

28 April: Nashville Sunday Night: Emily King w/ Jennah Bell

Venue: 3rd & Lindsley

Featured Song: “Remind Me”

“Remind Me” by New York pop-soul singer Emily King sounds like how a summer drive with the windows down feels. The 80s’ vibe song is textured with King’s vocals and finely layered instrumentation- which resembles a flashmob dance that keeps building to this huge explosive glimmering moment found in the song’s chorus. King made the move to upstate New York after living on the same downtown block for her whole life. The transition reflects itself in her aptly titled latest album release Scenery. Be sure to check out this song and get your tickets to see Emily King take the stage at Nashville Sunday Night or tune into our airwaves from 8:00-10:00 pm.

30 April: The New Respects W/ The Rally Club

Venue: The Basement East

Featured Song: “Before The Sun Goes Down”

The New Respects is made up of twins Zandy and Lexi, brother Darius, and cousin Jasmine Mullen. The Nashville natives hone in on their modern retro sound in the title track single “Before The Sun Goes Down” with twinkling guitars and a delicate use of synths. The ascending vocal melody coupled with the bands harmonies evokes a happy go lucky groove found throughout the bands debut album’s entirety. Be sure to tickets to see the band take the stage at The Basement East, if you need anymore convincing listen to there full Nashville Sunday Night here.

Don’t forget to check the Lightning 100 ticket window for a chance to win your way into some of these shows. Thanks for reading! Let us know in the comments what your favorite songs were.

Written by: Raeleigh Tochtenhagen