Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Next Big Nashville 09 Thursday Recap



Three nights, five venues, eighteen bands, and too many beers to count. That was my Next Big Nashville 2009 in a nutshell. Not quite as crazy as NBN08, but still one hell of a good time. So now that the ringing in my ears has died down, let the recapping begin.

Thursday night we kicked things off by meeting Tyge from
The Opening Acts at the Basement to catch The Carter Administration. Unfortunately they suffered the sparse crowd curse that often accompanies an early slot, but they still turned in a great set of classic power pop. Bassist Andy Wilhite was MIA due to work obligations, so new guitarist (and former Superdrag and Guided By Voices bassist) Sam Powers moved temporarily into the rhythm section. It's a testament to their tightness that the casual observer never would have guessed they were operating from a deficit position. We also managed to catch a few songs of Wheels On Fire's classic garage rock before pulling up stakes and moving the party to Elliston Place.

Once we hit the Rock Block, the plan was to alternate between The End and Exit/In for the evening, but what was supposed to be a quick pit stop at the Gold Rush turned into an extended gab session with friends. We had such a good time that it's hard to complain, but it did limit our exposure to the evening's lineup. I did manage to get across the street to catch
Jessica Lea Mayfield, who was utterly fantastic. With a backing band that included Richie Ghostfinger, she sounded like Mazzy Star covering Fleetwood Mac. We finished off the evening with David Vandervelde's retro-fueled shimmery pop before calling it a night.

The Carter Administration - "Oxycontinental" (mp3) from Air Guitar Force One
David Vandervelde - "Someone Like You" (mp3) from Waiting For The Sunrise

photo of The Carter Administration by Chris Wage

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