fringe magazine - may/june 2011

May | June 2011ISSUE 11

FRINGEMAGAZINE.COM

FREE

plus Dallas Davidson and The TunicsChancellor Warhol • Emily DeLoach • Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors • Jenny & Tyler • The Kicks

GRACE POTTERAND THE NOCTURNALS

A BRITE REVOLUTION PUBLICATION

NEW REVIEWS, LIVE PHOTOS, MIXTAPE

MORE!AN

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CONTENTS

COVER:

28. Ooh La LaBursting with equal parts dynamism and raw talent, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals are seducing audi-ences with their energy-infused throwback sound.

MAY / JUNE 2011

CONTENTS

FRINGE 541. Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors

43. Jenny & Tyler

45. The Kicks

47. Emily DeLoach

49. Chancellor Warhol

22. JOE GALANTEFormer head of Sony Music Nashville, Joe Galante

spent 39 years developing Nashville’s top talent.

38. THE TUNICSThis budding British band is not about to

be boxed in.

IN EVERY ISSUE:

52. MAIN STREETThe Tie GuyWe are totally smitten with Otis James ... and

his artisan neckties.

PLUS:

64. REVIEWSHere, Lightning 100 DJs Wells Adams and “Lieutenant” Dan Buckley give you the skinny on what’s worth spinning and what’s better left unspun.

Meet Dallas Davidson, who penned four of 2010’s 10 most-played country songs.

61. HELLO, SONGWRITER.

54. SPECIAL FEATURE Setting the StageEntrepreneur Kristen Dabbs never stops adding

her zest to Nashville’s local fl avor.

21. LIFE ON THE FRINGE When Local Goes Global: Are we killing the local businesses we love?

4947

1064

18. FRINGE UI’m about to meet with an A&R rep at a label. Help!

FEATURES:

10. FLASHTwo spreads. Live photos. Every issue. This month, the shutter closes on Warpaint and Flogging Molly.

15. MIXTAPEFor all the rainy days in May, Kami Knake, founder of Bands Under the Radar, brings you a mixtape that will brighten your day. You can download all the songs for free at briterevolution.com.

36. BRITE NEW ARTISTSYour chance to meet the newest members of the Brite Revolution family.

26. GUILTY PLEASURESWe got some big names in Nashville to talk about who they listen to when their car windows are securely rolled up.

58. TECH TIDBITSReviews from the folks at Griffi n Technology,

pros and average Joes on some fun new gadgets

you just might love.

8. EDITOR’S LETTERFringe’s new Editor-in-Chief, Brittany Joy Cooper, talks about three weeks in Europe, summer in Nashville and why you won’t want to miss this issue.

8 FRINGEMAGAZINE.COM MAY/JUNE 2011

STAFF

PUBLISHERWinn [email protected]

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFBrittany Joy [email protected]

CREATIVE DIRECTORMackenzie [email protected]

ASSISTANT DESIGNERNatasha McCracken

MARKETING DIRECTORLibby [email protected]

SPONSORSHIP & EVENTSChris [email protected]

DIRECTOR OF ARTIST RELATIONSKami [email protected]

WEB CONTENT MANAGERTroy [email protected]

DIRECTOR: NON-PROFIT RELATIONSElaina [email protected]

EDITORIAL INTERNMatthew [email protected]

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Amanda Hensel, Junice Rockman, Matt Dodson, Erin Burcham, Francy Goudreault, Kristy Ensor, Adam Mayfield, Megan Pacella, Jamie McCormick, Wells Ad-ams, Dan Buckley, Scott Hill, Josh Roberts, Brittany Joy Cooper

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Jamie McCormick, Evan Spencer Brace, Allen Clark, Will Vastine, Lauren Dukoff, Ian Rook, Sharon Clark, Joey Cardella, Austin Gros, Julee Duwe, Taylor Christian Jones, Laura Dart, Jon-Paul Bruno

fringemagazine.comTWITTER twitter.com/FringeMagazine

FACEBOOK facebook.com/FringeMagazineADVERTISING [email protected]

© 2011 FRINGE MAGAZINE, LLC.Issue 11. Fringe Magazine is published bi-monthly in Nashville, Tenn., by Fringe Magazine, LLC. All

rights reserved. Reproduction or use in whole or in part of the contents without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. Fringe Magazine is a registered trademark of Fringe Magazine, LLC. All rights reserved. Fringe Magazine assumes no liability for the return of any unsolicited materials and may use

them at its discretion.

Be sure to check us out online at

www.fringemagazine.com

READER SERVICES

SUBSCRIPTIONSYour subscription includes six issues of Fringe Magazine per year. To order your subscription today, please visit fringemagazine.com.

BACK ISSUESWhen available, back issues of Fringe Magazine can be purchased for $6 each on fringemaga-zine.com or through email inquiries to [email protected].

FEEDBACKWe love to hear what you think, and we welcome your letters, questions and comments. Send your feedback to [email protected].

WRITING OPPORTUNITIESWe’re always on the hunt for great freelance writers. Please send any inquiries to [email protected]

PHOTO OPPORTUNITIESWe’re always on the hunt for freelance photog-raphers looking to establish themselves in the music industry. Send all inquiries to [email protected].

INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIESWe’re always on the hunt for great interns. To learn more about becoming an intern at Fringe, contact [email protected].

FRINGEMAGAZINE.COMCheck us out on the web for exclusive content, videos and live concert coverage not seen in the magazine, as well as past issues, articles and special promotions.

FRINGE MAGAZINE WAS FOUNDED BY DAVID W. KIGGINS

My husband and I recently spent three weeks stomping across Europe. We gazed at the monuments, slept in bunk beds per hostel life, tried CouchSurfing for the first time, sipped espresso like natural Italians and consumed enough bread and cheese to make a Frenchman blush. And after all our adventures

and travels, it was still so exciting and comforting to come back home to Nashville. I don’t think I’ll ever get over how beautiful this city becomes when spring takes over.

The warm weather means we can start looking forward to Shakespeare in the Park and the sounds of Musicians Corner at Centennial. Shelby Park will soon be in full bloom, and runners will literally jump out of the woodwork (where do they come from?) to train for the Country Music Marathon. Whether you’re the person who has already marked every summer show on your calendar, or if your mind goes straight to the scorching heat and mosquitos the size of golf balls (really, though, where do they come from?), the season will change and summer will come.

We at Fringe think spring is the perfect metaphor for the magazine right now, as we’re about to unveil some truly incredible new features. We’re excited to announce that Fringe is now a part of Brite Revolution, another Nashville company dedicated to helping you discover the best new music around.

What does this mean for you? Well, a lot of things, really. You’ll notice that we’re beefing up the magazine with new sections and a wider circulation around town. In the coming weeks, we’ll be rolling out an entirely new briterevolution.com and launching a new mo-bile app—giving you access to all our content in print, online and via your mobile device. Plus, you’ll be able to download FREE music from all the artists you love reading about in Fringe.

We’ve always been dedicated to music discovery, and now we’re really stepping up our game. Get ready for some of the best emerging music, the most interactive and informa-tive web platform and an even more engaging and relevant publication.

This issue, we’ve shined the spotlight on the spunky, energetic, female-driven band Grace Potter & the Nocturnals and other musicians we think you must know. We’re in-troducing long-anticipated columns—reviews from the Lightning 100 DJs, guilty pleasure music from some famous Nashvillians, Griffin Technology reviews of the hottest new products and a Brite playlist you can access online.

So, as you take in the fresh air and the new dogwood blooms that surround you, know that Fringe is committed to bringing you a spring of our own. Well, everything but the mosquitos.

Brittany Joy Cooper

EDITOR’S LETTER

http://www.briterevolution.com

FLASH


MAY/JUNE 2011 FRINGEMAGAZINE.COM 11

FLASH

Matt Hensley of Flogging Molly shot for Fringe by Jamie McCormick

at War Memorial Auditorium

FLASH


FLASH


Theresa Wayman of Warpaint shot for Fringe by Evan Spencer

Brace at Mercy Lounge

http://www.bmi.com/live

MIXTAPE

The Rainy Day Mixtape

BECAUSE WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH ...

WE MADE YOU THIS MIX

YEAH, IT’S KIND OF A BIG DEAL.

Go to briterevolution.com/mixtape to download


TRACK 1 SETH PHILPOTT - Nashville

TRACK 2 THE HEAVY PETS - Lazy Anna

TRACK 3 JEN GLOECKNER - Sleep To Dream

TRACK 4 RENE BRETON - A Thousand Violens

TRACK 5 GREGORY ALAN ISAKOV - Words

TRACK 6 LADY DANVILLE - Tired Magician

TRACK 7 THE HEAVY - Set Me Free

TRACK 8 TIGERS THAT TALKED - Holy Saturday, Gloomy Sunday

TRACK 9 FOUND - Mulokian

TRACK 10 STEVEN DELOPOULOS - Jungle Trail

TRACK 11 GABRAHM VITEK - Your Turn

TRACK 12 BEDOUIN SOUNDCLASH - Mountain

This mix tape was created by Kami Knake, founder of Bands Under the Radar, a new music podcast that focuses on unsigned bands and indie artists.

For suggestions on future themed Brite Mixtapes email [email protected]. Also, follow Kami on Twitter @butr for up-to-date info on the latest music mixtapes, new releases, music business news and more.

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I’m about to meet with an A&R rep at a label. Help!

A record label’s A&R (Artists & Repertoire) department is the creative nexus of the company. You could say it’s the corporate presence of the creativity of the music itself.

The hardest part of an appointment with an A&R person is … getting an appointment with an A&R person. You can go through several avenues to obtain such a meeting, but perhaps one of the best is networking. Once you set up the meeting, though, how do you best prepare for that appointment?

The crucial question you need to ask yourself is this: Why am I meeting with this person in A&R? If you can’t answer this question in a simple, direct way, then you really don’t belong in such a meeting. It’s very likely that a fi rst meeting of this type will be scheduled for only 15 minutes or so because A&R people are typically overworked and overscheduled. Therefore, you have to make your best impression in a short period of time.

The two most likely reasons for meeting with someone in A&R include pitching an act or a band to a label for

signing or pitching a song to a label for an artist or band already signed to that label.

Either way, you are selling something, so you must have it straight in your own mind why you are going to this meeting. Practice what you want to say (maybe even in front of a mirror), because two components are going to help you sell your project: the music itself and you as the representative of that music.

Bring a CD (or DVD if you have video) and a fl ash drive of what you want to play, and be prepared to leave both at the A&R offi ce. Some A&R people don’t want to listen to your material while you’re there. You can ask them to, but ultimately allow the label person to set the agenda for your meeting.

It should be obvious that the recording you deliver needs to be the very best it can possibly be. This may be a one-time shot. If you burn a bridge with this person by submitting a sub-quality recording, you may not get another appointment the next time around. And word has a way of getting around the music community. So, the recording itself needs to be above reproach, and the packaging needs to be professional as well.


Any “proof” of potential success is added value and may make a positive difference. Numbers of Facebook friends, professional references, viral video presence, venue performance history and similar information can help infl uence how the label representative perceives you, as well as the product you bring to the table.

Above all, remember this checklist: Bring quality music, do your homework on both the company and the A&R person and be professional.

-Dr. Timmy Tappan, Assistant Professor of Audio Engineering Technology and Music Business Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business, Belmont University

What are some of the benefi ts and drawbacks to signing with a record

label? The primary benefi t labels bring to the table is capital. Labels have the fi nances, as well as the full-time employees to pour into the furthering of your career. If you sign to a label, you’re signing on to a team of people striving to get your music heard. You gain a list of managers, promoters and agents aggressively exploiting and increasing the exposure, revenue and longevity of your career. All of this sounds pretty great, right? So what’s the catch?

Of course, traditional label deals do have drawbacks. For example, you keep less money per unit sold, you may run up against old-style decision hierarchy or executives who still view the industry through decades-old lenses or a structure that lags behind the lightning-quick technology of the marketplace.

To many on the label side, Twitter is still seen as a fad, and little planning takes place to strategize how to link sales and promotion to social media (evidenced by minimal commitment to digital staffi ng and research). Because of this, major labels must still hit homeruns in the traditional model—under the “do it the way we always have” mentality. This means that signed artists must be able to move the most product for the effort, which may mean some compromise on the artistic uniqueness in exchange for more commercial appeal.

The more you gain with a label (radio, marketing, production, retail, advances), the less you keep for each unit sold. But, then again, the pie as a whole is bigger, and you are likely to sell more in total sales in the long run. The real question here is one of tradeoff.

As an artist, do you mind devoting time to the tasks labels are willing to take on for you? Is your time better spent being an artist, or are you able to successfully balance all the necessary administrative work as well?

My best advice is this: Work as though you will never be signed, and if you are, you will bring more to the bargaining table. As an artist, you can do so much on your own, and with today’s market risk, record companies tend to pour their time and energy into artists who have steady career momentum and a buzz surrounding their name. Just like you, a label needs to consider the fi nancial side of their business and make smart decisions on bands that show some promise to succeed.

-Dr. David Herrera, Director Indiebandhub.com, Belmont University Faculty

As a full-time singer-songwriter, what can I

actually deduct from my taxes?

Typical tax preparers fi nd it diffi cult to understand the unique nature of an artist’s life and, more importantly, the artist’s business. Therefore, it’s important that you become your best resource by devoting time to understanding and researching what you can deduct. It will pay off year after year.

For all taxpayers, deductions are the secret to fi ling success. Artists, however, need to ask an additional question when reviewing their expenses each year: If I was not in this business, would I be buying this, paying for this, researching this, learning this or going to this?

You can deduct these business expenses, but you will need proof. Keep a journal of your total income, expenses and travels. This need not be complicated; simply note what you do each day and what it costs,

I’ b t t t ith signing or pitching a song to a label

From meeting with an A&R rep to fi nding the right label or fi ling your taxes, the administrative side of a creative job can quickly get overwhelming. This month, we’re making life a little simpler by pitching your questions to the experts so you can

spend less time fretting and more time on the fretboard.

whether driving to a gig, making photocopies or buying a guitar.

Basically, if you spent money to run your music business, you should be able to deduct it from your income taxes. The IRS says in Publication 535, “To be deductible, a business expense must be both ordinary and necessary. An ordinary expense is one that is common and accepted in your trade or business. A necessary expense is one that is helpful and appropriate for your trade or business.”

Here are some categories to think about (while keeping in mind that you will have to separate business use from personal/pleasure use)

Send your questions to [email protected]

It goes without saying that the IRS is an absolute stickler for the details. So make a copy just for your tax fi le of pretty much anything related to your music, such as:

•Every letter and every press release you sent

•Responses from record companies, radio stations or anyone else to verify that you have been active in the pursuit of your music

•Gig fl iers or postcards (even the postmarked “return to sender” ones are helpful for this)

•A copy of your mailing list

The extra time to track and detail your “business” will help to ensure you are in compliance with the IRS and will likely save you money every year. As always, make sure to seek the advice of a professional when preparing your taxes, as they can often offset their costs with additional deductions and tax strategies.

-Justin Oldham, Financial Consultant, The Hassan, Oldham Group of Hilliard Lyons

-------------------------------------------------

This article is meant to be general in nature and should not be construed as investment or fi nancial advice related to your personal situation. Please consult with your fi nancial

advisor prior to making fi nancial decisions.

Hilliard Lyons does not offer tax or legal advice. Please consult your tax advisor or attorney before making any decision that may affect your tax or legal situation. Securities offered through J.J.B. Hilliard Lyons, W.L. Lyons, LLC, Member NYSE, FINRA and SIPC.

“Work as though you will never be signed, and if you are, you will bring more to the bargaining table.”

ITEM

----------------------------------------(1) Instruments

(2) Equipment, gear and accessories (amps, pedals, effects, straps, carrying cases)

(3) Consumable supplies (drum skins, sticks, guitar strings, picks)

(4) Music business books, record company directories, venue directories

(5) Subscriptions to trade magazines

(6) Sheet music and “how-to” books and manuals

(7) Promotional items (CD or tape duplication for demos, photos, bios)

(8) Office supplies (paper, envelopes, photocopies, stamps)

(9) Fees related to maintaining your website and

e-mail access for your music-related activities

(10) Rent for storing your gear and for your practice space

(11) Membership in professional organizations, associations and unions

(12) Professional fees (attorney, manager, agent, accountant)

(13) Copyright and registration fees

(14) Lessons and instruction

(15) Travel expenses (keep a mileage log)

(16) Losses by theft

-----------------------------------------------------------

Grand Total

Payment Amount:

Tip: ____________

Total: ____________

X________________________________

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life on

the fringe

is good for the environment—it’s better for creativity, etc. But those judgments are too narrow. Local businesses, for example, may be less environmentally sustainable than major chains that make a concerted effort to operate sustainably. Or, an artist who makes it

big may gain the creative freedom not afforded the starving artist who has to worry about cash for next month’s bills. The supposed values of ‘local’ have only a tenuous connection to the act of supporting local—the movement has more lip service than backing.

Thus, like good parents, we must support our communities as they grow, knowing that one day, at least some of the experiences we foster and support will leave the nest. We can be dramatic,

cry betrayal and pontifi cate about lost values in a corrupt world, or we can take solace in the fact that it is not the business or the band that defi nes what is great about community; it’s us.

We are the incubators. We provide the critical basis of support for the creativity and drive coming out of our communities.

We need not be offended when the broader world takes interest because there is always more opportunity nearby. To the extent that our world is now truly fl at and experience is truly global, we can be assured that an unfl agging faith in our fellow creators is the best way to build a community.

Unless we become secure in our innate ability to imbue local life with the experiences we desire, we’ll fi nd ourselves unwittingly dragging down our best experiences and lowering the ceiling for new ones, and nothing could be less in the spirit of local than that.

This regular column is yours to shape and mold. E-mail me at [email protected] and show me what you see.


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is good for the envirrrononmoo ent—creativity, etc. But those e jjjuuuuuuuudunarrow. Local businessesesbe less environmentalalmajor chains that makoperate sustainnaably. O

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Looking down at my half-fi nished pimento cheeseburger, I lamented the fact that one of my favorite experiences will now also be enjoyed by the same folks who seek out T.G.I. Friday’s drink specials on Saturday nights. I could not support this. But then it occurred to me just how unfair my affi nity for all things local can be. I love local businesses right until the moment they “make it,” and then I ditch them. What is it about all things local that draws us in, and why do we so often renounce that loyalty at the fi rst sign of commercial success?

It’s a common occurrence, a cycle most of us have gone through: We see a band or eat at a restaurant and develop an immediate attachment. We rave about it, share the experience with friends and enjoy the thrill of being a part of something that people living elsewhere in the world know nothing about. In short, our local identity can become a projection of our own individual identities on the outside world.

But what happens when bands get big breaks, restaurants expand and open new locations or growers achieve effi ciency and higher production? An example many musicians face is the backlash from original fans when those fans have to share their adoration with a broader audience. This ignites an intuitive reaction. Bands are accused of “selling out,” and restaurants’ franchise locations are deemed “not as good as the original.” Maybe this love-loss has basis; sometimes, I’m sure, this is true. But the frequency of this cycle suggests that our fi delity to all things local might be just as restrictive as it is supportive.

It’s true that a feeling of ownership is often what makes communities great. Schools with animated school spirit are more fun to attend. Committed, well-intentioned residents make neighborhoods feel safe and welcoming. There is

real virtue in being a part of things nearby. The truest, as I see it, is wrapped up in how we defi ne and engage with our community, and indeed, rampant success can occasionally disrupt those values. When your favorite local band can no longer play local shows because they’re juggernauting around the globe from arena to arena, you have, indeed, lost a bit of your little world.

The hypocrisy comes in when we expect a limitless world of our own experiences but

demand that those local experiences stay put. I’m not advocating that we stop supporting our local businesses; I’m saying we shouldn’t cut them off when they succeed. Particularly when it comes to local restaurants that grow and expand, can’t we reasonably suggest that the fundamental experience is identical from location to location? Is a band’s perceived talent defi ned as much by the fans as by their own creativity and progression?

Fans, patrons and supporters often impose undefi ned parameters on local experiences with little regard for the individual artist or businesses’ aspirations. These judgments assume some kind of unimpeachable moral authority—local

“Thus, like good parents, we must support our communities as they

grow, knowing that one day, at least some of the experiences we foster

and support will leave the nest.”

My craving for hamburgers laced with things like bacon and pimento cheese makes Nashville’s Burger-Up one of my favorite places to “just happen to be around”

at dinnertime. Two powerful forces rule my dining experiences: appetite (the most basic) and exclusivity (the vainest). I want to eat where others can’t. That’s why, when I caught wind of Burger-Up’s plans to open a location in Cool Springs, I felt an immediate pang of betrayal.

when local goes global

BY Josh Roberts | ILLUSTRATION Mackenzie Moore


BY Scott Hill | PHOTOS Allen Clark

JOE GALANTE

FEATURE


JOE GALANTE’S NAME IS A NUANCE OF SORTS,

unless of course you’re a music industry trivia guru or

one of Galante’s many multi-platinum artists. I sit down

with him one late winter day, and he speaks more like

a friend than the former president of one of the largest

and most prestigious record labels in the world. His

demeanor is calm and relaxed as he talks candidly,

brilliantly, about the industry upon which he has penned

his name for the past 39 years.

Until June of last year, Galante sat atop Sony Music

Nashville, one of the biggest music labels in the world.

Unlike most of his story, the opening is unassuming. It

unfolds in New York in 1971. Galante, a fi nance and

marketing major at Fordham University,

graduated from college and decided to inter-

view for career day. He spoke with several

companies and received callbacks from a

few. “I was intrigued by the RCA thing,” he

says, “but I really didn’t know anything about

them. When I looked at my record collection

at that point, I had nothing from RCA, and

since I wasn’t a big Elvis fan, I didn’t know who they

had.”

Galante would go on to become the youngest label

head ever in Nashville, but it didn’t begin with lights

and fame. His career began at RCA Records in New

York. “When I started, there was no money. It was a job,

but it was a passion,” he says. “I went in and started in

fi nancial analysis. That job gave me the ability to walk

around and meet all the department heads. It gave

me a great sense in a short time of an overview of the

record company, and that allowed me to start meeting

people. I would stay at night and hang out in the pro-

motion department and ask a lot of questions.”

Galante quickly moved through different depart-

ments within RCA, jumping from promotion to mar-

keting and eventually to product manager. Those

jobs served as preparatory stepping-stones for the

opportunity he was offered next. In 1974, the gen-

eral manager of RCA called Galante into his offi ce

and told him he was sending him to Nashville to

be a part of some new opportunities. “I said, ‘No, I

don’t really have an interest in moving to Nashville.

Who wants to move to Nashville and listen to

hillbilly music? That’s not my idea of a good time,’”

Galante remembers. But his opposition didn’t alter

their plans for him. “They told me at that point,

because I was 24, I was going. So I went.”

Galante met three people in Nashville who changed

his life. The fi rst was Waylon Jennings. “I thought,

‘This is amazing, and if this is what country music

is, then I’m in,’” he says. “Then I met Dolly [Parton],

and then [Ronnie] Milsap was the straw that broke

the camel’s back. Spending time with those three

people just rocked my world.”

In 1980, Galante became the head of Sony Music

Nashville. “At that time, they were unsure that I could

run the company, so I was on probation,” he recalls.

“Within a year, people were more than satisfi ed. I pretty

much did every job there except the mailroom. It really

was a great way to learn.”

Aside from a four-year stint from 1990 to 1994, when

he went back to New York, Galante has poured his

time and wisdom solely into Sony Nashville.

With honesty and perspective at the forefront, he an-

ticipates the question every artist needs to ask: “How

do you separate yourself? What the world doesn’t need

is one more band or one more Carrie Underwood,”

Galante says. “I think people need to search out their

identity and hold themselves to a higher standard and

realize they need to go out there and build themselves

an audience.”

Galante says he believes that, coupled with talent,

entertainment has to be at the core of an artist’s

development. “You are given gifts and, unfortunately,

people don’t spend enough time thinking through the

gift of entertainment and how you really become a

better entertainer and make a better show. How do

you separate yourself in your art and in your look and

your appearance and what you believe? It is something

people need to focus on if you want a career.”

For Galante, the multifaceted job of being a

record label president produced within him a

wave of spectacular insight. He boils it down to

practicality. “The goal of any record president

in my mind is threefold: It is the discovering of

talent, nurturing executive talent so you can build

leaders and the third one is to build a catalog. If

they can look back on that catalog and say, ‘I’m

still selling those albums,’ that’s the mark of your

legacy.”

Galante, who signed Dave Matthews and helped

develop the careers of greats like Dolly Parton,

Alabama, Alan Jackson, Carrie Underwood, Brad

Paisley, Martina McBride, The

Judds, Sara Evans, Brooks &

Dunn, Miranda Lambert and

many more, doesn’t have to

second guess the infl uence of

his legacy. And he doesn’t take

all the credit for his effectual

career.

“I always believed in delegating because I was

surrounded by really smart folks that helped me

along,” Galante says. “Developing good leaders

allows you to do more. You have to give them

guidelines. You’ve got to give them backup.

You’ve got to give them resources.”

In a city that takes forever to learn your name and

a day to forget it, Joe Galante fi gured out a way

to sit on top for a long while. Thirty-nine years in

the making, he climbed from the bottom all the

way to the pinnacle of the industry and, looking

back now, the road is paved with gold and plati-

num records with his signature all over them.

“I said, ‘No, I don’t really have an interest in moving to Nashville. Who wants to move to Nashville and listen to

hillbilly music? That’s not my idea of a good time.’”

FEATURE

EDDIEMONEYMAY 13, 2011

Creedence Clearwater

RevisitedJune 19, 2011

Darius Rucker

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GUILTY PLEASURES

“Ok, I admit it. Ke$ha’s “We R Who We R” is a favorite. I love the way she sings the line, “And yes, of course we does.” It really tickles me. Seriously. And obviously “F#&! You” by Cee Lo Green. Duh.”

Annie Beaty – Bass Player for Sugarland

“My guilty pleasure at the moment is an entire genre—the mid ‘80s R&B à la Klymaxx, Al B. Sure, Jeffrey Osborne, Karyn White, Ready For the World and Luther Vandross. Is that guilty enough for your ass?”

Yes, Mike. Yes it is. Mike Grimes – Co-Owner of Grimey’s New & Preloved Music

“Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of Yes and Rush—prog rock bands I loved when I was 14 and that I’ve recently revisited only to fi nd out those records still resonate with me. I’d put The Yes Album on my top 10 list of all time at the moment, which means perhaps it’s not exactly a guilty pleasure, but that helps explain it to my more hipster-minded music buds. And don’t get me started on how awesome Steve Miller Band’s Fly Like an Eagle album is!”

Doyle Davis – Co-Owner of Grimey’s New & Preloved Music

“I’d love to say that all I listen to is something cool like Arcade Fire or Mumford & Sons, but in reality, since I have a four-year-old daughter, it’s ‘Big And Chunky’ by will.i.am.”

Perrin Lamb – Artist/Songwriter

“The band I’m currently listening to that may surprise some people is the Zac Brown Band.”

Dave Ramsey – Personal Money Management Expert and Nation-ally Syndicated Radio Talk Show Host

“I dont listen to Lady Gaga, but I’d like to see her show. I did enjoy Janet Jackson’s live show”

John Singleton – President of Sun Records

“”

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“My guilty pleasure is defi nitely KE$HA.”

Thomas Doeve – Owner, Paper Swan Studios

“The second most played track on my iTunes may be a surprise—‘Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me for Me)’ by Blessid Union Of Souls from their album Walking Off the Buzz. The fi rst wouldn’t be a surprise—‘The Letter’ by The Box Tops, which my dad published and helped put me through college!”

Scott Siman – President of RPM Management and one of Music Row’s fi nest golfers

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Ooh la la!

Bursting with equal parts dynamism and raw talent, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals are

seducing audiences with their energy-infused throwback sound. Here, Potter speaks to marrying her

band, life on a tour bus and learning how to light the spark before a fiery show.

By: Amanda Hensel | Photos: Lauren Dukoff

GRACE POTTER CALLS ME WHILE RIDING SHOTGUN in a car darting through LA. She’s bustling between recording and an appearance on Conan, and she’s trying to keep her eyes on the road and keep her boyfriend, the band’s drummer Matt Burr, out of oncoming traffi c.

“Enjoying a little sunshine in LA,” she says, pointing out that the past week had been sadly rainy while the band was working on a benefi t for the Alzheimer’s Association. “I thought I’d be coming into like some massive sunshine, but not so much.”

Potter is the lead of Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, a fi recracker burning straight out of 1960s rock ‘n’ roll. Th e sexy, female-driven rock group with roots in Vermont is quickly becoming a music industry marvel, with their infectious energy and their sheer musical prowess.

Th e Nocturnals have made appearances on shows hosted by names like DeGeneres, O’Brien, Letterman, Leno, Lopez, Kimmel and Daly, as well as on “Good Morning America.” Th ey’ve garnered kind words from Spin, Rolling Stone, Nylon, Billboard and VH1 and sold out virtu-


ally every venue they’ve recently played. Yet, speaking to the raw, edgy female rocker for the fi rst time is like chatting with an old friend for the thousandth.

“We’re like a litter of puppies. We just love each other,” Potter gushes about the band. With a laugh, she adds, “Certainly there’s a brother and a sisterhood to what we do, and also, we’re just really loud, opin-ionated people. We’re very much like a Greek family—a lot of yelling and hand gestures. But yeah, I’m defi nitely the mama.”

Potter is grounded but driven, a wild child with a light-hearted na-ture, a self-described country bumpkin-turned citizen of the world. Despite the band’s undeniable growth, the Nocturnals manage to stay connected to their dedicated fans (now more than 90,000 on Facebook alone) and are legitimately and undeniably homegrown. Potter relishes in the fact that the band is a close-knit group and that she is the mother hen to her four chicks: Burr, lead guitarist Scott Tournet, rhythm guitarist Benny Yurco and bassist Catherine Popper. Potter herself is the lead vocalist and pianist, known for her signature Hammond B-3 organ.

Th e band spends most of their time tearing up the road playing more than 200 shows a year. Potter, who shares a deep bond with her blood family back in Waitsfi eld, Vermont, admits to missing home, and she says the Nocturnals do too. “It’s very much a part of who we are as a band. We came from a low overhead and sort of built ourselves from the ground up, because we managed to convince my parents that this was our dream and that we wanted to do it,” she says, revealing that the whole band lived with her parents for a spell in a complex of wooden sheds and barns.

Potter’s parents have always been creative role models—her dad, a sign maker, and her mom, a bowl painter. “My folks are the biggest piece of the puzzle for sure. Th ey raised me and my sister and my brother to be insanely creative and have a reverence for art, so they really brought me into the fold as a creative force, even from a young age,” she says.

She relays how her mom would go to the farmer’s market—“which is, you know, sort of the local artist’s show-case”—every single weekend. Her mom’s bowls always did well, but one client in particular impacted young Potter. “Whoopi Goldberg ordered a whole bunch of them, and my mom had to inscribe them to everybody,” she remembers. “So she’s inscribing bowls to like Ste-ven Spielberg. I mean, as a kid in Vermont, that was about as far from reality as possible.”

Potter dishes that, while her artistic infl uence was strong, she devel-oped a passion for music in a roundabout way since she wasn’t al-

lowed to watch television as a kid. “Th e only reason I would be able to watch TV was if I was somehow selling it as a music project,” she explains. “So, I would sit at the piano, and I’d watch TV, and I’d play along to the shows at the piano, so my parents couldn’t yell at me for watching TV. I’d be like, ‘Mom and Dad, it’s music videos! I’m learning something here!’ I got smart, and that was my trick.”

With an innate talent and a shiny pair of spitfi re wings, Potter left home to attend St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York. It was there that the Nocturnals got both their start and their name.

Th e band came together in a popular barn on campus that was used for everything from classes to poetry slams to an Irish musician night. At fi rst it was impossible for them to reserve a rehearsal slot there … except at 2 a.m.

“We started out as a relative-ly quiet band. Not acoustic, but we were pretty quiet. We used amplifi cation, but we weren’t smashing them over the head with Th e Who songs yet. Th at came later,” Potter says. “So we would rehearse from like 2 a.m. to four or fi ve in the morning and just go home, do our homework and stay up and go to class the next day.” In the end, the Nocturnal name stuck, as did the lifestyle. “Our sleeping schedule is just out of control,” she admits.

After two years at St. Lawrence, Potter was ready to move on from school, though her parents weren’t immediately keen on the idea.

“We’re very much like a Greek

family—a lot of yelling and hand gestures.”


“Th ey didn’t want me to leave college after two years, but I did,” she says. “Th ey supported it in the end because they knew there was something really fun that was cooking with the band. Th ey were just experiencing empty nest syndrome, and I jumped back into the house and brought four people with me!”

With the band so often on the road, Potter fi lls her maternal niche to the extreme, even whipping up rich pasta dishes for the group and serving them out of their tour bus sink. “I sterilize the sink, and then I use it as a server,” she says. “Th at sounds disgust-ing, with everybody scooping pasta out of the sink, but you work with what you’ve got when you’re out on the road.” She says it’s a lot like summer camp. “Food is what fuels us, so I take it upon myself to make whatever local food from the city we’re going to. I’m really more a student of food than anything.”

While it’s public knowledge that Potter and Matt Burr are an item, Potter herself will tell you that she’s married to her band. Around June 2010, when the self-titled album released with Hol-lywood Records, Potter started sporting a new ring on a signifi -cant fi nger, which drove her fans crazy speculating about whether she’d actually taken the plunge.

“Th ey were like, ‘Is she engaged? What’s going to happen next?’” Potter says. “And what happened is the wedding was the band and the record release. Th e day we put out the record was the day I got married to my band.” Potter lives out this belief, and she claims the band really is that tight. “It defi nitely makes it hard at times, because there’s the brother/sister energy, but then there’s a lot of sexual energy, and there’s a lot of encouraging each other to take things beyond the comfort zone.”

Anyone who has seen Grace Potter playing live in one of her short, sparkling dresses can attest to how she grabs her stunned audience, taking them captive by her sensual, danceable show. She and her band share a palpable chemistry, a tangible connec-tion that invites the entranced audience to reach out and touch it.

“You have to get your sexual juices fl owing!” Potter says. “Our show is very fi ery, and if we’re not feeling it that night, that’s fi ne. I mean it’s not a schtick. It’s defi nitely very real.”

Th e Nocturnals get amped up before shows on music documen-taries, and Potter says they connect over James Brown, Iggy Pop and Led Zeppelin DVDs, to name a few.

“And we dance!” she says. “And we push each other around a lot. We grab each other by the shoulders and shake. You know, there’s this whole thing about the show where you need to come in hot. Certainly the crowd needs to warm up to you and you need to warm up to the crowd, and there’s a relationship there, but you

“The day we put out the record was the day I got

married to my band.”


Th e band has honed their sound into something like soul with a twist. “A lot of our infl uences come from way edgier mate-rial than we’re actually performing,” Potter claims, “but every once in a while we’ll pull out a Radiohead cover. Or, you know, we did a Portishead song, much to the chagrin of many of our Deadhead fans. It was just really cool to take the crowd with us and do something that’s completely out of our comfort zone.”

Rolling Stone recently named Grace Potter and the Nocturnals one of the best bands of 2010, a notable spark, but a spark Potter is ready to outlast. “I think this year will bring a more solid basis, because so many people feel like, ‘OK, there’s this one year that a band is hot and then they kind of go away,’” she says. “We’ve been at it long enough to know that we’re not going anywhere.”

Potter’s ‘motto to live by’ carries through to her band as well: “Be bold, be compas-sionate and love yourself,” she says. “Th en fi nd something else to love beyond your-self.”

For the Nocturnals, that something else is the music. Th e band has been chosen to headline the inaugural Bonnaroo Buzz Tour, beginning May 17, and they will be

sharing the main stage at Bonnaroo with the likes of Arcade Fire, Th e Decemberists and My Morning Jacket. Potter herself will also be making a solo performance with Stevie Wonder and Janelle Monáe July 24 at the Hollywood Bowl.

As 27-year-old Potter looks toward the next stage of life, she says she’s going to take the next three years to go nuts.

“Th irty, to me,” she begins, “thirty is when it’s really gonna take off . Plus, every woman I meet seems much more well-adjusted than girls in their twenties. So, I’m looking for-ward to the moment where I can just enjoy life and not be so ambitious and career-driv-en … I’m defi nitely holding out for the dirty thirties.”

With so much acclaim com-ing at the band from all an-gles, I ask Potter to explain the best part of the gig. “I love that moment when the show is over and you’ve kind of done your work for the night, and the crowd wants one more song,” she says.

“Th at’s just, like … I mean, that means you’ve given them their ticket’s worth and they want more, and you have the opportunity to give it to them. Th at’s special,” she declares.

“Th at’s the cherry on top.”

gracepotter.com

have to come in full-speed ahead. So the way we do that is by dancing, moving, screaming, shaking—lots of that.”

True rock ‘n’ roll. But perhaps the most ‘shaking’ thing for the band itself, Potter says, is that they’ve gone from playing 15-person pub crowds to sold-out venues packed with thou-sands of fans. “And you know, hopefully we can continue and it can grow and expand even beyond, because we really try to keep our fans happy,” she says.

In fact, the Nocturnals often book intentionally small rooms, not to gain the bragging rights of a sold-out venue but to give fi rst access to the fans who have been there since the beginning. “We’re trying to grow reasonably and slowly and respectfully without toppling everything that we built our-selves upon,” Potter says.

With her face-forward nature, Potter has been compared to many greats, most often Bon-nie Raitt, Lucinda Williams and Tina Turner. But in order for the Nocturnals to develop their own unique sound and stand on steady legs in the long run, the band has learned to push themselves to new and unexpected places.

“Th e way you blaze a trail is by making mistakes, or by trying things that are a little out of your comfort zone, and sort of monitoring how the crowd reacts to that and how the band reacts to that,” Potter says.

“We’re trying to grow reasonably

and slowly and respectfully without

toppling everything that we built

ourselves upon.”

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BY: Brittany Joy Cooper PHOTOS: Ian Rook

THETUNICS

Gorka Odriozola, head of artist management for Manta Ray Music London, says Costello was the initial reason he was drawn to Th e Tunics. “Th at shy, yet cocky, brilliant kid has a way with words in conjunction with music that is quite unique, and he’s had it since I fi rst met him when he was 15,” he says. “We signed the band shortly after his 16th birthday, at which stage he decided to quit school, surprisingly with the full support of his father.”

If you Google Th e Tunics, you will fi nd several stories touting them as the self-proclaimed re-turn of the guitar band. I ask them about this proclamation, and before I fi nish the sentence, I can hear Costello responding.

“Don’t believe it!” he says, laughing with an I-knew-this-was-coming tinge. “No, I did not say that. No, I was asked a question, whether I think guitar music needs a renaissance, and I said yes, kind of. But I genuinely don’t see it as though we are in any way trying to front some … renaissance of guitar music. It’s really trite, just all that rub-bish. I don’t think guitar music really went any-where.”

Booth chimes in. “It’s quite important not to pigeonhole yourselves as the return of one thing, because that thing will return and then go again,” he says.

“I think the exciting thing is the fact that, I mean, we’re adding new instruments and new things and trying out new things. And you can tell by the growth of our live per-formances.”

When the conversa-tion turns to their in-fl uences, both Costello and Booth become no-ticeably hesitant, like they’ve been burned by their own answers to this question in the past.

“I KIND OF LIED TO THIS GUY and said I had this really great band with all these great songs,” Costello admits. He didn’t have a band at all, of course, and his nonexistent band subse-quently hadn’t gotten around to writing any great songs. Still, Costello’s story landed him a gig in his hometown, the London suburb of Croydon.

Luckily, the young musician did have some friends in mind to fi ll in the blanks; he just hadn’t told them yet. With a bass player, drummer and guitar-ist soon added to the mix, Th e Tunics pulled off their inaugural live performance (minus the prom-ised original songs).

Th at was six years ago. Now, Costello is the 20-year-old frontman of the British band Th e Tunics, a band that still has one other member of its original cast—bassist Scott Shepherd. Th e two are joined by Simon Hargreaves on drums and James Booth on keys.

Costello is remarkably confi dent, yet youthfully comical. He’s likely to joke one moment about drunken shows, laughing with a bit of a boyish smirk, and then launch the next moment into a vehement and developed soliloquy against people trying to squeeze Th e Tunics into the same mold as British rock bands before them—“We don’t want to pigeonhole ourselves. I’m not Liam Gal-lagher; I’m not.”

Th e Tunics are burning just under the internation-al indie radar and are threatening to explode at any moment. I ask Booth and Costello what it’s like to see their careers evolving before their eyes.

“It’s the best thing in the world,” Costello asserts. “It’s everything that we want from this band. I love the UK. I mean, I really do. I love it, but I also love France.” He says “France” like the Queen of Eng-land or the phonetics professor on My Fair Lady. Since their fi rst international show in Holland in 2008, Th e Tunics have traveled all over Europe and are looking forward to the day very soon when their music will take them beyond those borders.

Th e Tunics released their debut album, Somewhere in Somebody’s Heart, in 2008, when they really started cutting their teeth on the solid food of live performances. In the past three years, they’ve un-dergone an evolution of sorts and announced their rebirth with their most recent record, Th e Dab-bler’s Handbook, released March 28 of this year with BMG/Manta Ray Music.

Reviewing Dabbler’s, UK music magazine Th e Fly said, “Th e upbeat, angular shadows create a won-derful sense of English melancholy and romanti-cism,” and UK music magazine New Musical Ex-press (NME) described the album as “fi ery, urgent tunes with a brutal honesty and earnestness.”


“Yeah, I’m always a little bit afraid to answer this question because often we get labeled as being a kind of copycat band,” Costello says. Booth grabs the coattails of the comment. “As soon as you say you liked Th e Libertines when you were 15, they’re like, ‘Oh, you’re the Libertines-inspired indie outfi t,’ which is not really a catch phrase we want.” Fully assured that I won’t spin them as Oasis reborn, they open up about what music drives them to create.

“Th e Beatles are an obvious infl uence,” Booth starts in. “Blur— there’s just quite a lot of bands and individual people who you wouldn’t quite think on immediate listen.” He lists among them Th e Dear Hunter, Arcade Fire, Rufus Wainwright, Paul Simon and Bob Dylan, add-ing, “Th at goes without saying.”

“I like Leonard Cohen a lot,” says Costello, “be-cause the thing is … I’m a lyricist fi rst and a guitar player second. So I take infl uence from people like Leonard Cohen before I would take infl uence from, say, Jimi Hendrix.”

A band comprised of four guys spanning the ages of 20 to 26, Th e Tunics have much to an-

ticipate. While they might not want to be the poster children for the return of the guitar band, they’re certainly not shying away from attention.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Costello clarifi es, “I am all about front covers … just preferably not with a

guitar next to me.”

myspace.com/thetunics

...I don’t think guitar music really went

anywhere.”

WHEN JOE COSTELLO WAS 14, he started a band. Well, to be accurate, he spoke a band into being.

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DREW HOLCOMB& THE NEIGHBORS

By: Matt Dodson | Photos: Sharon Clark

FRINGE

where the members of the band

lived at its beginning, and where

most of them still reside.

About their label executives, Hol-

comb says, “Th ey’re people we

know and trust, and everybody

knows the expectations we have

for each other.” Th e band still

owns the rights to all their music,

and the label, Dualtone Records,

takes care of the marketing and

management aspects for them.

“It’s just a partnership where every-

body has their role and everybody

fulfi ls it,” Holcomb says.

Th is mutual understanding has

led to a healthy level of comfort

and has also provided the Neigh-

bors with the freedom to create

outside of strict parameters. Hol-

comb tells me his main goal is to

make his music relatable. “I try to

put myself in other people’s shoes

and try to write from their per-

spective.”

Th is observational approach has

led him into many stirring in-

teractions with fans. “Th e other

night, after I played ‘Live Forever,’

this ER doctor came to me and

was telling me how much the song meant to him,”

Holcomb shares. He goes on to say that the doctor

looked him square in the eyes and said, “I see so

many people come in here dead on arrival, and it’s

just a great song for me to think about as I usher

these people out of their lives.”

“It was kind of an intense conversation,” Hol-

comb recalls, “but I just thought, ‘Wow, this is

a great place for me to put myself in this guy’s

shoes and to try to write a song from his per-

spective.’”

Th ese moments are a big part of what drives Hol-

comb, his wife Ellie and the rest of the Neighbors

to make music. Th eir songs are accessible, and

their inspiration stems from interactions with fans

and friends. And the best part of this burgeoning

band is that they’re inviting everyone to join the

neighborhood.

briterevolution.com/artists/neighborsdrewholcomb.com

THE BAND’S MOST RE-

CENT ALBUM, Chasing Some-

day (February 2011), is rocking

the charts, with a peak position at

No. 8 on the Folk Album Charts

and appearances on many more.

Th e band spent most of Febru-

ary and early March supporting

Marc Broussard, and their music

has popped up on TV shows

like NBC’s Parenthood, ABC’s

Brothers and Sisters and the FX

hit Justifi ed. But Holcomb makes

it clear from the start that the

band wouldn’t be where they are

today without a little help from

their friends and, yes … their

neighbors.

Holcomb funded his entire

album through Kickstarter, a

fan-fi rst donation website, on a

limited budget. He says he origi-

nally heard about the site from

his friends in the Dallas-based

band Green River Ordinance,

and it got him thinking, “Why

not invite people into our whole

creative process?”

Th e band decided to go for it,

and the Neighbors created a

Kickstarter campaign to raise $15,000, a small sum

when compared to the millions poured into many

chart-topping releases today. “We launched it on a

Friday morning, and by Saturday afternoon we had

half our funds already,” Holcomb says. Th e project

went far beyond the initial hopes of the band and

earned more than $23,000. But the funding wasn’t

even the best part of the process from Holcomb’s

perspective. He was just elated to see people rally-

ing behind their music.

As a thank you to their supporters, the band gave

away exclusive, Kickstarter-only packages of music,

posters and more. A $40 donation got fans an au-

tographed album two weeks early, a digital copy a

month beforehand, an unreleased EP of fi ve cover

songs and a band T-shirt. For the most adventur-

ous spenders, $1,200 secured a private living room

concert, complete with a custom setlist.

It’s just this type of grassroots, word-of-mouth

publicity, Holcomb says, that has led to the success

the band is seeing today. “If you wanted to reach

your fans 10 or 15 years ago, you had to have an

actual mailing list where you printed up postcards

and mailed them to people when you were coming

to town,” he says. But now, with email lists, Face-

book and Twitter, an artist can access their fans,

and fans can access the artist in ways never before

possible.

“I’d say pretty much all of the buzz about us was

driven by those three outlets,” Holcomb tells me.

But the community the band has built around

their music isn’t just limited to the fans. Even Hol-

comb’s record label and management are in the

neighborhood—literally. As he tells it, “Th ey’re

people that we’ve known out in East Nashville,”

I can’t think of a more appropriate band name for Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors. The Neighbors; it just seems to fit this band comprised of Drew and his wife, Ellie, both on guitar and vocals, and their friends Nathan Dugger (guitar and keys), Rich Brinsfi eld (bass) and Jon Radford (drums). With Holcomb’s grassroots approach, deep level of fan involvement and straightforward personality, he seems like a guy you would wave hello to at the grocery store.

“It’s just a partnership where everybody has their role and

everybody fulfils it.”


FRINGE

JENNY & TYLERBy: Kristy Ensor | Photos: Joey Cardella

I ARRIVED A FEW MINUTES EARLY,

grabbed a booth and had barely settled in when I

caught a glimpse of the couple wearing jeans and

casually walking toward the counter. We met and

Tyler volunteered to man the table while we gals

ordered our coff ee. At fi rst, Jenny seemed a bit shy,

but then her sweet and sincere disposition came

out, and once we got back to the table, the conver-

sation just fl owed.

Jenny and Tyler met in the fall of 2004 at the Uni-

versity of Delaware, and soon they were compos-

ing music as a duo. “When you write together, you

share emotions that go pretty deep,” Tyler says.

Eventually, Tyler, a business major with a minor in

voice and music management, began dating Jenny,

an English and history major. Th eir courtship led

to marriage, and June of this year will mark the

couple’s four-year wedding anniversary.

Both Jenny and Tyler hail from musical families.

Jenny was nurtured by the sounds of her dad

playing bluegrass and her mom layering on the

harmonies. Eventually, she and her siblings began

to sing and play along. When she was in junior

high, she and her brother formed a band, and

that’s when she fi rst began experimenting with

songwriting. “In addition to bluegrass and coun-

try music, we listened to Th e Beatles, Bob Mar-

ley—my parents were hippies in college—and Paul

Simon,” Jenny says. She’s been playing the clarinet

since she was 12, and now she wields the mandolin

and guitar as well.

As for Tyler’s musical infl uences, “Picture Barbra

Streisand mixed with Mike Myers’ impression of

Linda Richman from SNL, and you have a pretty

accurate picture of my mom,” he says. “My mom

has a very jazzy style about her, and when she and

my dad get together and play old jazz standards, it

can be magical.” He describes his dad as a musical

genius. “I didn’t really realize that until recently.

He’s part organist, part jazz piano player, part

choir director, but above all, he’s a phenomenal

classical composer.” Tyler’s dad encouraged him

to learn music theory, which he says has had a big

impact on the way he plays guitar and writes music.

In August 2008, the couple decided to settle down

in Music City. Since then, they’ve had the opportu-

nity to play music full-time. Now, their schedules

are saturated with touring and playing an eclectic

mix of venues from colleges and churches to hous-

es and cafes. Th ey book their own gigs and are cur-

rently busy promoting their latest album, Faint Not,

which they released in November 2010. Predomi-

nantly folk/rock infused with some Christian lyr-

ics, Faint Not unfolds like a story of sorts, grap-

pling with the highs and lows of belief, depression,

doubt and rest. Jenny and Tyler’s voices blend like

a brilliant fusion between Alison Krauss and Jack

Johnson.

Th eir song “Carry Me” from the album was a col-

laboration with Mac Powell, frontman of multi-

Grammy Award-winning band Th ird Day.

“We played a show with Mac Powell about two

years ago,” Tyler tells me. “He’s very kind and

down-to-earth, very approachable.” Jenny and Ty-

It was a sunny spring day when I pulled into the parking lot behind Fido in Nashville’s hip Hillsboro Village. I went with one mission in mind: to meet Jenny and Tyler Somers, the husband and wife folk/rock duo simply known as Jenny & Tyler.

ler told Powell they had an idea for a song and

they thought a specifi c part would particularly

suit him. “When I met Jenny, she had a big poster

of Th ird Day in her college dorm room,” Tyler

dishes about his wife.

In their free time, the Somers say they like to

bake and take walks, but it’s really their ardor

for music that fuels their creativity. When I ask

them about the main message of their music,

they say, “Ultimately, it goes back to the gospel of

Jesus. We want people to see Jesus through our

music.” Th eir songs are an intriguing message of

hope encased in beautiful and intricate music.

“We always say that the best part about being on

the road is meeting people and forming relation-

ships,” Jenny says. “So I think that kind of plays

in the songwriting and the records. We’re com-

municating our heart in as honest a way as we

can and hoping it will resonate and relate to peo-

ple.” Tyler agrees, adding, “Really, concerts or

shows are just conversations with diff erent

people. Th e reason why we like house con-

certs so much is we’re able to connect with

people on a pretty intimate and personal

level.” Jenny perhaps sums it up best when

she says, “Reaching people is what drives

us because, if it were just about the music, that

wouldn’t really mean anything.”

After talking for an hour, Jenny and Tyler show

me their “tour bus”—a Honda Element. When

they’re on long road trips, they plug a crockpot

into their car to heat up their meals. Talented

and practical, Jenny & Tyler are playful and fun,

open-minded yet willing to talk about what they

believe. Be sure to catch them on May 14 at Cen-

tennial Park, where they’ll be making an appear-

ance at Musicians Corner.

briterevolution.com/artists/jenny-and-tyler

jennyandtyler.com

“When you write together, you share emotions that go

pretty deep.”

“We’re communicating our heart in as honest a way as we can

and hoping it will resonate and relate to people.”

THE KICKSBy: Francy Goudreault | Photos: Austin Gros

FRINGE


“YOU GOTTA BELIEVE IN your band more than any-

body,” answers lead singer Jordan Phillips. He’s wearing

a long black jacket, a thin scarf and a face full of scruff . I

push him further. “So do you embrace the do-it-yourself

thing, or is it just a means to an end?”

Adam Stark, the band’s lead guitarist, chimes in: “You

kind of have to embrace it. If you don’t, nobody else will.

And nothing’s going to get done.”

Th is very interview illustrates their point; it wasn’t set up

through a manager or a publicist, but through the band’s

hoodie-clad drummer, Lucas Cummins. Coff ee in hand,

Lucas pipes in saying, “Being in Nashville, there’s so many

good players, so our aim was to be great players, too.” But

now, he says, the band is delving even deeper than talent

and focusing on what it means to become stellar enter-

tainers.

Gabe Anderson, the

band’s bassist, adds,

“It’s important to re-

alize that, as a live

band, it’s not good

enough just to be the

best band on a Friday

anymore. You have to be better than all the alternatives …

going to a party, going to a movie. A Friday isn’t necessar-

ily about music anymore. It can be about music, if you’re

good and you give something that’s entertaining.”

Jordan keeps it going. “To me, it’s always been about the

energy. Look back at Th e Who, Th e Beatles, Th e Kinks—

there’s energy and magic in the live performance of that

music.”

Gabe says one of the most fun things about being a

young band is getting to play new clubs. “Like in a new

city, where you’re the opener, and people aren’t expecting

much,” he explains. “You kind of get to …” He trails off ,

searching for the words.

“You get to be the underdog.” Adam says with a grin. “Yeah,

like people didn’t expect it. We do really well with that.”

Gabe says Th e Kicks are in the business of making believ-

ers out of people, one fan at a time. Talking to these four

guys, I’m getting the impression that touring and reaching

their fans is top on their list. “What’s your strategy?” I ask.

“Initially, we just took every show,” Adam tells me, “but

there comes a time when, OK, you have to play smart, too.”

“So, we picked a handful of markets, and we’re just focus-

ing on getting back to those Southeast cities as often as

possible,” says Gabe.

“Th ere’s just too many bands that play six weeks at a time,

and they always lose money, personal money,” Lucas ex-

When it comes to being a do-it-yourself indie rock band in Nashville, The Kicks could write the book. So, when I sit down with them for coffee at Whole Foods in Green Hills, that’s the fi rst thing I ask them about.

plains, before turning to Gabe and asking, “How much

money did we put in?”

Gabe smiles. “Th e fi rst thing we ever did as a band …

we each put $30 in an envelope to get to Missouri to

play a show, and it’s grown from there. We’ve never put

any more personal money into the band.”

“Th e band’s become self-suffi cient,” Adam says. “Which

is huge.”

Th ey’re right; this is huge, especially considering that

Th e Kicks have been giving away their music for free.

Th eir new double single release, as well as the rest of

their catalogue (all produced by Grammy Award-win-

ning producer/engineer Mitch Dane), are available on

their website. And they’re absolutely free. Th e band

has also worked

with Vance Powell,

a Grammy-winning

engineer who has

engineered for Th e

Raconteurs, Kings

of Leon and Th e

White Stripes.

“Our philosophy is,” begins Adam, “the sooner we can

create a business model around eliminating record

sales from being a source of revenue, the sooner we’re

going to be successful.”

Gabe fi nishes his coff ee and tells another story: “I re-

member when we fi rst decided to put the music out

for free, we were wondering if it was a good idea. We

played a show in Charlotte—we’d never been to Char-

lotte before—and these people at the show knew the

words to the songs. Th ey said, ‘We just went to the

venue’s website, then yours, and got the music.’ Stuff

like that happens all the time now.”

Each member of Th e Kicks was a singer-songwriter in

his own right before they all decided to start jamming

as a band. With that in mind, I ask them to describe

their writing process.

“Uh, a disaster?” Jordan answers with a laugh. He con-

tinues over his bandmates’ laughter. “We have to disci-

pline ourselves down to what we think a Kicks song is.

Like one of us could play a song, and we’re like, ‘It’s a

great song, but it’s not a Kicks song.’ Th ere’s a fi ltering

process that we put all our songs though.”

“With all these writers in one band, you never know

what you’re going to get,” Gabe says, and then Jordan

adds, “But we know when we’ve got it.”

His bandmates nod. Th ey all know the feeling.

briterevolution.com/artists/kicks

thekicksrock.com

“Our philosophy is, the sooner we can create a business model around

eliminating record sales from being a source of revenue, the sooner we’re going

to be successful.”

FRINGE

EMILY DELOACHBy: Junice Rockman | Photos: Julee Duwe

GROWING UP IN BIRMINGHAM, Ala-

bama, DeLoach warmed up her voice by singing

in a church choir when she was in middle school.

From then on, she pursued music on her own. “I

don’t have a musical family,” she says. “We defi -

nitely weren’t the Von Trapps singing around

the fi replace, so it was a learning process for ev-

eryone.”

What her family lacked in musical acumen,

however, they more than

made up for in active

encouragement. She lists

her mother and grand-

mothers among her most

loyal supporters. And

DeLoach isn’t the only

creative talent in her fam-

ily; her maternal grand-

mother was involved in

community theater 40

years ago and even turned

down opportunities on

the national stage to at-

tend to her family life.

DeLoach, who is quick

to glean both inspiration

and wisdom from others,

says her grandmothers

both taught her how to

feel music and not just

listen to it.

Th ough her love of music

trumps some of her other

interests, like math and

science, DeLoach says

she tries to mix it up a little by doing a variety of

things, admitting, “I get bored easily.” Th us, she

has fi gured out a way to bundle several of her

muses into one musical career.

“A lot of people don’t realize it, but on the scor-

ing and technical side of music there’s a lot of

math—making sure all the notes are all fi tting

on the same chord,” she says. “Some artists say,

‘Just do what you feel is popular,’ but I like the

‘boring’ side of it, the math, logic. Th e more

you try to understand what you’re doing, the

better you are. It shapes your mind in ways

you don’t realize.”

After high school, DeLoach came to Nashville

to study at Belmont University, where she was

amazed that she could essentially go to school to

study rock music. She graduated from Belmont

in 2004 with a diploma bearing witness to her educa-

tion in commercial music/vocal contemporary music.

She crossed one stage that day and found herself on

many more in the years that followed.

Within every song DeLoach performs lies a message of

hope, a nugget of inspiration and wisdom. She wants

listeners to know that they’re all gifted, that each per-

son has something valuable to off er and that it’s never

too late.

“It’s been a struggle at times,” she acknowledges, “but I

fi nally feel like I’m getting a grasp on it, feeling like I

have something to share, and encouraging others that

we each have something inside of us that we need to

give the world. I hope that’s a very clear message.”

DeLoach says the best part is performing. “Th e chal-

lenge is also fi nding new creative ways to get your name

out there because it’s so saturated,” she adds. “I always

say, ‘Keep your head on your shoulders and don’t listen

to every negative thing that pops into your head.’”


“Instead of avoiding the topic, I decided to go after it. Sometimes

we have to do that in life.”

On her most recent single, “Th e Lucky Ones”

(October 2010), she experiments with elec-

tronic programming, a slight deviation from

her traditional guitar sound. Th e song itself is a

deeply personal ballad for DeLoach, who wrote

it about a high school car wreck she was in that

ended in the death of her boyfriend. She says

she put off writing about the accident but even-

tually came back to it, which got her back into

the writing process after a few years of feeling

discouraged.

Th e title was born out of the

idea that the lucky ones are

those who can sleep at night

and not stay up worrying. “In-

stead of avoiding the topic, I

decided to go after it,” she says.

“Sometimes we have to do that

in life.”

Several female icons like Joan

Osborne, Sarah McLachlan,

Natalie Merchant and Chris-

sie Hynde have fed DeLoach’s

creativity and nurtured her into

the musical realm.

“I heard these powerful woman

vocalists and realized I could

keep the notes when I sang

along,” DeLoach recalls. “I said,

‘Th is must be a gift!’” When she

discovered powerhouse Jazz

artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Sar-

ah Vaughan and Nina Simone

in high school, she fell in love

not just with their lustrous voices but with the

way they interpreted songs. DeLoach says she

strives for that quality in her own music, un-

raveling the words on the page and delivering

them from her heart.

DeLoach is married to Nashville folk artist Ja-

son Feller, and she says it always touches her

heart when she gets to perform a song he’s writ-

ten. Always willing to try something new, she is

looking toward recording an acoustic EP, and

she’s also set to compete this summer at Eddie’s

Attic in Atlanta in an open mic competition

judged by industry professionals. As summer

approaches, this artist who never stops learn-

ing and taking in the world around her, says for

now she has it in her mind to try her hand at a

little gardening.

briterevolution.com/artists/emily-deloach

emilydeloach.com

You may remember Emily DeLoach as the easygoing, local indie-pop performer who made it to moments of fame on the 10th season of American Idol. Though she was cut in Hollywood, DeLoach has solidified her career not by flashes of glitz but by a faithful and ongoing dedication to her craft. Back in Nashville now, this singer-songwriter and guitarist continues to charm audiences with her powerful, yet whimsical voice and her endearing stage presence.

CHANCELLOR WARHOLBy: Erin Burcham | Photos: Taylor Christian Jones

FRINGE

IT’S HARD TO PUT A LABEL ON

WARHOL, unless it’s Marti Mcfl i, the

fashion line he launched during Nashville’s

Fashion Week in April. Described as “Tokyo

street couture,” Warhol’s clothing brand is

expanding under the slogan, “Always Ahead

of Our Time,” a fi tting mantra for Warhol’s

musical career as well.

Born Antonio Dewayne Boleyjack, the

Nashville native translates his preferred

name, Chancellor Warhol, to mean “dictator

of my art,” saying it serves as a constant

reminder to him to never compromise

his sound for the sake of fame or popu-

larity.

Warhol came into music to the sounds of

Th e Beatles and Th e Commodores until

he was taken by the rap song, “Rapper’s

Delight,” when he fi rst heard it on vinyl. A

middle school kid in the grunge era of the

‘90s, He found himself relating with two very

diff erent crowds of kids: the skaters who

identifi ed with Nirvana and 311, and the jocks

who listened to hip-hop. “Th e realization that I

could hang out with two diff erent groups of people

was the fi rst sign of how I would be as an artist,” he

says. “I found hip-hop, but rock found me.”

Warhol started listening to Pharrell Williams in

high school and drew inspiration from his distinc-

tive style. “It was so diff erent from usual hip-hop,”

he says. “He wore a trucker hat and had a mous-

tache. He wasn’t gangster, and I could connect with

that.”

When he was 19, Warhol joined a rap crew under

Hunnedspoke Entertainment, a label run by his

friends Kevin Davis (Big Kev) and Calvin

Lane (Drupy). “For my audition, I had to

rap for the CEO over the phone,” Warhol

says, laughing at the memory. At the end of

the call, the CEO told him his next show

would be the following day.

Warhol soon carved out a niche for himself

as an atypical rap artist. “I’m sure people

thought, ‘Who is this kid?’” he says. “I was

listening to Peter Gabriel but still rapping

hardcore.”

His love of fashion inspired him to even-

tually create a line of T-shirts to sell at the

crew’s shows. He says he has always tried to

dress fashionably himself, so a fashion line

just made sense. Aimed at something posi-

tive and fresh, the shirts simply said “Fli.”

“My music and design piggybacked off each

other and helped create a common ground

for fans at my shows,” he explains. “Th ug

heads were listening to my music, and

skateboard kids were wearing my shirts,

and that was really cool.”

Despite his love of performing, Warhol

almost gave up on music due to frustra-

tions with the hip-hop industry. But when

he started going to indie rock shows, he

developed an appreciation for this group

of artists known for maintaining complete

control over their careers.

To top it all off , he got to hang out with Phar-

rell Williams briefl y before one of Williams’

shows, and it was there Warhol’s music idol

told him, “Keep doing your thing. Don’t let

anybody tell you that you can’t do what you

do.” It was advice Warhol would not ignore.

In 2009, Warhol formed the group

N.O.B.O.T.S. (No Other Band Off ers Th is

Sound) with his friend Ducko Mcfl i. With

Mcfl i as the DJ and Warhol as the MC, the

duo produced a sound that forced the mu-

sic media to classify it as “cyber rap.”

Th ough he’d always known he couldn’t

be contained within a specifi c genre,

Warhol was fi nally proving it by shar-

ing the stage with groups like Hot

Chelle Rae, Wale and Enjoy Th e Zoo.

Urged on by encouragement from

friends and collaborators, he released

Japanese Lunchbox in February 2010, com-

bining hip-hop tracks with digital beats. Th e

album packs a rare but distinctive fusion of

rap, electronic, pop and dance music. A self-

proclaimed movie buff , Warhol compares it

to the 2001 fi lm Vanilla Sky.

“I put the album together with humble

thoughts,” he says. “It was completely in-

dependent and a way for me to express my

thoughts and tell my stories. Th e attention

it has received and everything else that has

happened was just a blessing.”

Th at attention has secured a place for War-

hol to perform alongside Th e Civil Wars at

the Recording Academy Nashville Chap-

ter’s annual Grammy Block Party this May,

landed his name on the Cafe Stages lineup

for Bonnaroo in June and got him a spot at

Austin City Limits in September.

Th e leader of an eclectic but loyal following,

Warhol says he loves that his music contin-

ues to blur divisions and bring people togeth-

er. “At the album release party, there were so

many diverse faces in the crowd,” he says. “It

lets you know that music is truly colorblind,

and that’s what it should be about.”

Warhol is working with a wide range of art-

ists on several musical collaborations and has

plans to release his sophomore album, Silver

Factory, later this year.

briterevolution.com/artists/chancellor-warhol

chancellorwarhol.com

It’s not every day you meet an artist who is equally inspired by Back to the Future and Pharrell Williams, but then again, Chancellor Warhol is not your everyday artist. Channeling an electro rap style all his own, Warhol says he fi nds his muse in movies and indie rock. He drove home his wholly unconven-tional sound last year with the release of his fi rst solo album, Japanese Lunchbox: A Love Story.


“I found hip-hop, but rock found

me.”

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ByByByByByByByByByBBByByByBBBBBByBBBBBBBBByBBBBBBB :::: Jamie McCormick | Photos: TTTTayaylololor rr ChChChChririririststststiaiaiaaannnnn JoJoJoJooneneneneneessssss

James’ co-worker loved those fi rst ties so much that she suggested he start making them for wedding parties, and his craft began to take wing. In April 2010, James applied for a busi-ness license and began selling his wares more widely. He decided to start at Imogene + Wil-lie because of a loose affi liation he had with the owners. “I just basically approached them one day and said, ‘Hey, would you guys like to sell my ties?’ And they were really enthusiastic.” Now, James also makes bulk orders for out-of-state clients and sells stock and custom designs through his website.

James’ ties are truly unique. Not simply cus-tom in design, they are singular in every aspect, from the material to the hand-painted tags. “A lot of the materials I use

aren’t really tie materials,” he explains. “It’s a challenge, really, to kind of wrangle the mate-rial and get it to the shape you want it so it will hold up.” And his aspirations extend beyond ties. He has already begun making hats in sev-eral diff erent styles—he’s currently trying to get the hang of the fedora—and he plans to add them to his web off erings as soon as he masters their unique demands. Though still new to the game, James is moving toward designing items for various musicians. “I’ve thought about just sending Jack White a tie or a hat,” he says, add-ing wistfully, “… maybe one day.”

James now fi nds himself on an undulating ca-reer path abounding with new challenges as well as the tedium of hand-stitching 40 button-holes in one afternoon. But the payoff will be well worth the roller coaster when he can de-vote himself to his business full-time. That day should be coming soon; in the meantime, he will simply continue to fi ne-tune his art.

The greatest thing James has learned, he says, is how to be a craftsman. “I defi nitely have a tendency toward impatience, so one thing I’ve really had to learn is how to take my time, to always do things the right way and not take shortcuts. Then, when something’s not right, to take it apart and start over,” he says. “I really value quality a lot, and that’s the only way to get it—just to always do it right.”

otisjamesnashville.com

INSIDE HIS BACKYARD STUDIO hang doz-ens of ties at varying stages of completion. Across the room, a multi-level shelf disappears beneath a mountain of cloth, which promises a diverse, brightly colored neckwear future. In a city of artists, James happened his way into the life of an artisan. He gives new meaning to the phrase

“making it in this town” by doing precisely that: He makes every single tie right here in Nashville. Though his career may have come along un-planned, James found his way to Nashville by design. Part Cali kid, part Knoxvillian, he says he has always been at-tracted to Nashville, though he can’t quite tell you why. After a stint in fi lm school, he went through a post-college period of won-dering what to do next. His conclusion: a travel hiatus beginning with a biking trip along the West Coast. When he fi nally stopped moving, he found himself in the artist’s Mecca that is East Nashville. Fashion, including ties, was never really a pas-sion or a priority for James, who speculates with a laugh that his fi rst tie was probably a clip-on. But being a skinny kid whose clothes never fi t him quite right, he began altering his attire in college, with the help of his girlfriend at the time, and he quickly found himself enjoying it. “I just like mak-ing things. I like taking raw materials and making a fi nished product,” he says. “I’m very hands-on, and I really like the problem-solving aspect of it.” With a vague plan to make custom clothing, James took a job at Street Tuxedo in Nashville and began observing and learning from tailors around town. Though he had a knack for alterations, modify-ing something and creating something out of nothing are two entirely diff erent propositions.

“I didn’t really know how to make much,” James admits, “but I fi gured I was just going to learn as I went.” When his co-worker (the daughter of the owner) asked him to make ties for her father and brother for Father’s Day, James jumped right in. Like a precocious pre-teen with a radio, he bought a tie at a thrift store and took it apart to see how it worked, then made a “practice” tie for his friend, Tommy. “It was pretty sloppy,” he says with a chuckle, “but he still has it, still wears it and he loves it. I’ve come a long way since then.”

“I just like making things. I

like taking raw materials and

making a fi nished product.”


From Newton’s apple to Fleming’s penicillin and Epperson’s popsicle, much of our modern world came about by accident. One such chance discovery happened to Otis James, serendipitous purveyor of handmade neck and bow ties.

KristenDabbsKristenDabbs


You’ve never heard Kristen Dabbs sing, but if you’ve been

around Nashville for any length of time, you’ve heard music that

points back to this entrepreneur’s community-driven creativity.

BY megan pacella | PHOTOS laura dart

IT SEEMS LIKE EVERY TIME KRISTEN DABBS TURNS AROUND, SHE HAS HER HAND IN THE

MIX OF ANOTHER BUDDING PROJECT. In the past 10 years, she has worked on Oxford American Magazine, sold ads for Paste Magazine, helped launch Musicians Corner (the free summer concert series in Centennial Park) and created American Songspace, a popular social networking site for American Songwriter Magazine. Oh yeah, and she’s also a dominant cre-ative mind behind the popular Nashville musical collective Ten out of Tenn.

It’s not that Kristen doesn’t fi nish what she starts; it’s not that at all. It’s just that as soon as she launches a magazine, organizes an annual concert series or connects a community of musicians to a larger project, she can’t fi ght the itch to, well, do it again. Currently, Kristen’s pet project is Ten out of Tenn, which she and her husband, musician Trent Dabbs, co-founded in 2004. Showcasing 10 of Music City’s most talented songwriters and musicians, the collective is an ever-growing reminder that Nashville is not just a hotbed for cowboy hats and songs about trucks. It’s also home to one of the most vibrant emerg-ing music scenes in America. As one of the founders of this now widely respected cooperative, Kristen is always fi nding new ways to feed the ris-ing music community in Nashville.

S F


“When we fi rst moved here, Trent was already doing music, and he was getting ready to put out a record. He moved here to fi nd a band, and we kind of as-sumed that we would only run into country music artists,” she tells me over a small table at Fido. “We had no idea what the scene was like, but we quickly met and be-friended all of these incredibly talented musicians.” Shortly after moving to Nashville, Kristen and Trent took a road trip to Mississippi to visit some friends. Listening to albums released by local Nashville musicians sparked an idea in their minds: They would put together a com-pilation CD with the best Nashville had to off er and put it out there for the rest of the country to hear. When she tells the story, Kristen regains that spark in her eye. “It’s just crazy that nobody outside of Nashville seems to respect what we have to off er,” she says. “We decided that by creating a community of musicians, we could get the word out to New York and LA that we are not country music city. We have it all.”

Each of the many endeavors Kristen has put her name on in the past several years is sewn together by the common thread of community.

“I think that community has always been important to us,” she explains. “It’s important to surround yourself with people who will continue to inspire, encourage and chal-lenge you to become better at what you’re doing. When you move to a place where people are doing the same thing as you, you can either be intimi-dated, or you can take that and be challenged to do better. I think in Nashville [Trent and I] have chosen to take that as a challenge to bring people together.” While Kristen and Trent have set the stage for Nashville artists to collaborate, Kristen is quick to point out that the artists bear the heaviest load.

“Our goal is to connect with people who are out there making things happen on their own,” she says. “All of our artists are already out getting shows, putting out albums, making things hap-

pen. They’re already on their way to some-thing bigger, but we’re just putting them together so that their fans become each other’s fans.”

While Ten Out of Tenn artists are do-ing just fi ne on their own, it’s nice to take a break from being a one-man act on the lonely open road to hop on a tour bus with other like-minded musicians. Instead of hir-ing a band, the artists play for one another, giving up coveted center stage spots to sing back-up vocals for someone else, or to pick up an unfamiliar guitar riff . The result is a goose bump-inducing alliance of artists playing to one another’s strengths. When Kristen explains how it works, ex-citement emanates through her voice. She tells a story about a live Ten Out of Tenn performance in Chicago where the artists stood on a bar and sang an a cappella ver-sion of Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released” to a crowd of enthralled onlookers. Just hear-ing her tell the story gives me chills.

“Of all the work I’ve done, this is defi nitely the thing that I believe in most,” she says. “I remember watching a show they were do-ing at the World Cafe in Philly, and just thinking, There’s something special about this that you don’t see anywhere else. You have all of these artists who are frontmen, and they take the side stage to play for each other. And there’s something so humbling about that.” Ten Out of Tenn will take the stage in 2011 with a few new artists in tow.

10outoftenn.com

“We decided that by creating a community of musicians, we could get the word out to

New York and LA that we are not country music

city. We have it all.”

S F

“Our goal is to connect with people who are out there making things happen

on their own.”


http://www.cityminis.com

55TECH TIDBITS

5 GADGETS WE JUST

HAD TO TRY

WHAT A TECHIE HAD TO SAY

WHAT AN AVERAGE JOE HAD TO SAY

WHAT A PRO HAD TO SAY

WHAT A TECHIE HAD TO SAY WHAT A TECHIE HAD TO SAY

WHAT AN AVERAGE JOE HAD TO SAY WHAT AN AVERAGE JOE HAD TO SAY

WHAT A PRO HAD TO SAY WHAT A PRO HAD TO SAY


Griffi n’s GuitarConnect cable

turns the iPhone, iPod Touch or

iPad into a handy, portable gui-

tar workstation. The 1/4” cable

connects easily into guitars,

basses or other instruments, and

a stereo 1/8” mini-plug connects

directly to the iOS device for

use with audio applications such

as Frontier’s iShred LIVE. The

6’ GuitarConnect cable also

provides a stereo 1/8” mini-jack

to connect headphones or an

audio cable for connection to

a home stereo, amp, mixer or

other audio source.

GuitarConnect

Our new Mic Stand Mount for

the iPad allows you to easily

mount an iPad on a mic stand

for a range of scenarios.

Whether displaying lyrics,

sheet music, tabs or otherwise,

Mic Stand Mount screws onto

a standard 5/8” mic stand so

the user can raise or lower the

iPad to the perfect height. The

Mount’s four rubber-lined grips

hold the iPad securely on all

four corners without blocking

the controls, dock connector or

audio jack.

AirCurve Play makes the

speaker of your iPhone 4 more

than 10 decibels louder, and it

works without batteries, cables

or power adapters. Just slip

your iPhone 4 into AirCurve’s

rubber dock gasket, and your

iPhone becomes the perfect

portable audio/video confer-

ence phone, video viewer,

self-contained music player or

beside alarm clock. AirCurve

is a cleverly designed acoustic

amplifi er that collects the sound

from the built-in speaker of your

iPhone, amplifying it in a coiled

waveguide within the base.

Mic Stand Mount for the iPad AirCurve Play

The Griffi n GuitarConnect

Cable is a fun little toy that is

actually pretty entertaining. Past

this, you won’t fi nd it useful in

most situations (honestly, what

do you expect?). The cable does

its job, and the software’s inter-

face looks nice, but the actual

sounds have that harsh digital

jangle. The functionality is also

below mediocre. However, one

interesting thing is that you can

play along with songs on your

iPod. Overall, it’s a little gim-

micky, slightly entertaining, but

not very useful.

This gadget is the perfect com-

pliment for the high-tech musi-

cian on the go. It allows you to

mount your iPad to a fully func-

tional mic stand. I found that

the mount wasn’t as solid when

my iPad wasn’t in its case, and

I also had to be careful how the

mic stand was positioned, as

the iPad is heavier than most

microphones. All in all, I highly

recommend this tool to any

musician who uses their iPad

for lyrics or charts during a live

performance!

NATHAN SPICER, Nashville Guitarist CHRIS WEIGEL, Nashville Bassist

Basically, I think this product

is awesome. The only thing

that makes me nervous is the

plastic part. If it were made of

aluminum or some other kind

of metal, I think it would be a

little sturdier. Also, you need

to have a weighted stand to

use this product because the

whole thing gets a little top-

heavy and becomes a little

unstable when you use the

iPad. This doesn’t work well

with the iPad 2, but for most

users, I think it’s great.

WINN ELLIOTT, Brite Revolution

GRIFFIN TECHNOLOGY GRIFFIN TECHNOLOGY GRIFFIN TECHNOLOGY

The redesigned Griffi n AirCurve

Play is a sound amplifi cation

dock that multiplies the volume

of the iPhone without using AC

power. But, as they often say,

“garbage in, garbage out.” The

iPhone’s speaker isn’t a Beats

by Dr. Dre product. There’s

virtually no bass; the AirCurve

doesn’t help this. It amplifi es the

iPhone’s tinny output. However,

FaceTime users know it’s a

pain to hold the phone while

FaceTiming. The AirCurve is a

big winner for this.

ANDY MERRICK, Aloompa

If you judge this product based

on what it promises to do,

with the understanding that

the iPhone 4’s sound quality is

less than desirable for playing

multimedia, the AirCurve over-

delivers. Designed to sit upright,

while also allowing the phone to

charge, the AirCurve Play frees

up your hands, maximizing

the functionality of the device

while using FaceTime or during

conference calls. This product

requires no batteries, cables or

power and is a responsible and

effi cient system for increasing

the iPhone 4’s output.

CHRIS VETRANO, CMENT

Griffi n’s GuitarConnect is

a very good idea. Now, I

know this was created for

guitar, but I plugged it up to

my Nord Keyboard. This is

something fun to add to the

mix when thinking up new

ideas for songs on keys. The

cord was easy to connect as

well as download and open

the iShred LIVE app. My only

reservation is that there isn’t

an easy way to share what

you create.

TROY AKERS, The CO

MUST-HAVE APPS

WHAT A TECHIE HAD TO SAY WHAT A TECHIE HAD TO SAY

WHAT AN AVERAGE JOE HAD TO SAY WHAT AN AVERAGE JOE HAD TO SAY

WHAT A PRO HAD TO SAY WHAT A PRO HAD TO SAY

INSTAGRAMby Burbn, Inc.

I love photography.

And though I’m no

Jeremy Cowart, I like

to rock the Instagram

app, whether I’m at

a live show or just

hanging out with

friends. Instagram

lets me edit my

photo on the spot

and BOOM! I’m the

best photographer

around.

POETRYby The Poetry Foundation

Whether it’s contentment &

love or nostalgia & family,

this handy (and free!) app lets

you pair topics and “spin” the

poetry spinner to fi nd related

poems from poets spanning

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Nerdy? Perhaps. Enriching?

Let me count the ways.

3.

1.


KEY RING REWARD CARDSby Mobestream Media Inc.

Problem: I have 20 discount cards from 20

different stores. Solution: the Key Ring App,

which lets me scan the cards neatly into my

phone. No more standing at White House,

Black Market awkwardly promising, “I know

it’s here somewhere!”

2.

DRAGON DICTATIONby Nuance Communications

OK, I admit that

texting isn’t my strong

suit, and I know I’m

not alone in this. Enter

Dragon Dictation,

which turns my spoken

words to written text

with scary accuracy.

It’s perfect for those of

us who struggle with

the little things—like

typing.

4.

WORDS WITH

FRIENDSby Newtoy, Inc.

My favorite app

is Words With

Friends. I’m an

English major

and a writing/

editing intern, so I

guess words are a

relatively large part

of my life. Why

not use that to my

advantage in a

game?

6.

OMAHA STEAKS: STEAK TIMEby Omaha Steaks International, Inc.

It’s getting warm, and that means grilling

season. Ever tried to achieve the perfect grill

marks and get every steak to fi nish at once? Ever

succeeded? Yeah, thought so. Look like a rock

star at your next cookout with this handy set of

timers, tips, techniques and recipes to grill every

steak to perfection.

5.

Charge your iPad while you chat

via FaceTime, or stream Netfl ix

on your iPad. PowerDock Dual is

a dual-dock charger and stand

with unique charging bases for

the iPad, iPhone or iPod. The

built-in speakers of your iPad are

unobstructed, making PowerDock

Dual the perfect platform for

FaceTime calls, bedside enter-

tainment or a quick countertop

reference. The dual dock charger

ensures that your devices stay

charged, while the built-in valet

tray keeps items like keys and

loose change organized.

PowerDock Dual Survivor for iPhone 4

The ultra-rugged Survivor,

the fi rst in Griffi n’s new

Armored collection, is a case

designed to go anywhere

and stand up to even the

toughest environments.

Designed and tested to

meet or exceed US and UK

Military Standards, Griffi n’s

Survivor Extreme-Duty Case

is designed from the inside

out to protect your iPhone or

iPod from extreme conditions

like dirt, sand, rain, shock,

vibration and a host of other

environmental factors.

As an outdoor enthusiast and

rock climber, I rely on my

phone to contact the world

beyond the wilderness. The

Survivor case protects my

phone from pretty scary

falls and bumps, and it also

defl ects rain—if the rain is

light enough. The case is

quite bulky, and isn’t fully

waterproof, but no existing

case is both functional and

waterproof. It’s no miracle,

but it’s a solid and trustworthy

case that does its job.

MATT DODSON, Avid Rock Climber

GRIFFIN TECHNOLOGY GRIFFIN TECHNOLOGY

As someone who doesn’t drive

a pickup truck or often drop

my iPhone from heights above

four feet, the Survivor case is a

little too intense for my lifestyle.

However, after examining this

case and performing some

in-offi ce tests (read: putting

an iPhone in the case and

throwing it at offi ce walls), I

think this product is great for

anyone who has a high-impact

job or lifestyle, whether you’re

driving to a construction site or

jumping into a mosh pit.

BRITTANY COOPER, Fringe Magazine

I’m always looking for easy

ways to charge my many elec-

tronic devices in a single loca-

tion. When I saw the PowerDock

Dual from Griffi n, I was excited

to use it to simplify the wires sur-

rounding my homemade charg-

ing dock. The idea is great, and

the product design needs just a

little refi nement. If you’re only

using the unit to charge an iPad,

then it topples over within min-

utes. However, the PowerDock

Dual charges the iPad and iPod

with the correct wattage and

would be a surefi re hit with a

minor balance adjustment.

PHIL COBUCCI, BAM! Solutions

I love docks. Overall, I like

this one. Pros: The semi-

moveable dock connectors

allow it to work with many

different iOS devices, and

the iPad and iPhone both

charge simultaneously (use

with an iPad 2 with caution).

Cons: It isn’t heavy enough

to lift the iPad or iPhone off

without lifting the dock. I also

can’t charge the iPad with

a case on it. I’d use it; I just

wish it were heavier.

TYLER SEYMOUR, Just Kidding Prod’s

Like Brite Revolution on Facebook for a chance to win these and other great products from Griffi n Technology

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http://nashville.sae.edu

hello, songwriter.


By: Adam Mayfield| Photos: JON-PAUL BRUNO

DALLASDAVIDSON

DAVIDSON WAS HANGING OUT at the Wild-horse Saloon one evening in early 2004. He was new to town from Georgia, and he and his buddies, Randy Houser and Jamey Johnson, knew one of the bartenders. “We were up on the third level looking down at some girls line dancing on the main fl oor,” he says. “Th ere was this one girl who was a little ‘thick,’ and she was shaking her badonkadonk back and forth. And Randy goes, ‘Th at’s a honky tonk ba-donkadonk right there!’ We all just looked at each other and said, ‘Let’s write it! Let’s write it and not care what anybody thinks about it.’”

And so they did. Notoriously conservative country radio stations were slow to warm up to the Trace Adkins single that so graphically and repetitively described swinging booties and the men who love them. But “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk,” like the shimmying posterior for which it was named, quick-ly took on a life of its own, setting new records for country ringtone sales and earning Adkins a double-platinum on his 2005 album Songs About Me. “It was a big, big, big song, and for that to be our fi rst? It was a big deal,” Davidson says.

A big deal, indeed, especially for some-one barely two years into the Nashville songwriting scene and only about three years into playing guitar. “[People up here] told me I might get a hit after 10 years,” Davidson remembers. But he wasn’t having any of that.

Other songs replaced “Badonkadonk” as the ringtone of choice for country music booty-shakers, but Davidson’s newly mint-ed career didn’t fade with the song’s shiny patina.

Back when Davidson was in college at Georgia Southern University, he befriend-ed Luke Bryan, now a Capital Nashville artist. Davidson was from Albany, Georgia, and Bryan grew up just a few miles away. Th ey became quick friends in college and writing partners after graduation.

“At fi rst, I’d call Luke and say, ‘Man, I got something here!’ and he would shoot down most of it, because it just wasn’t there yet,” Davidson remembers. His skills were get-ting sharper by the minute, though. Th e two eventually became a great writing team, giving life to Bryan’s hit, “Rain Is A Good Th ing,” which became Bryan’s fi rst No. 1 when it topped charts in 2010.

Davidson’s network quickly expanded to include fellow South Georgians Rhett Akins and Ben Hayslip. Th at gang—nicknamed “Th e Peach Pickers”—yielded a bumper crop of cuts over the next handful of years, including Blake Shelton’s

“All About Tonight,” Jack Ingram’s “Barefoot and Crazy” and Josh Turner’s recent No. 1, “All Over Me.”

Lance Houston, radio personality for country sta-tion WUBL-FM, Atlanta, speaks to the strong correlation between Georgia and country music right now. “With the success of artists like Sugar-land, the Zac Brown Band, Billy Currington, Ja-son Aldean and Luke Bryan, Georgia is to country music right now what Texas was to country music in the ‘90s and early 2000s,” Houston says. “Dal-las Davidson and others are certainly a part of that movement from a songwriting perspective.”

I ask Davidson why he thinks country mu-sic from Georgia is resonating so loudly right now. At fi rst, he speculates about diversity: “Otis Redding is from Dawson, Georgia, about 20 miles from where I grew up, and Ray Charles is from my hometown. So you have that soul music coming out of Georgia, Widespread Panic and the jam bands coming out of Georgia, not to men-tion country artists like Alan Jackson and ‘Whispering Bill’ Anderson. I think it’s just feel-good music and a blend of great sounds that people love.”

He takes a minute, and then seems to stum-ble upon what may be his magic formula. “I try to write songs like I talk. If I’m writing a song, I wouldn’t say ‘my crazy buddies,’ I’d say ‘my wild-ass buddies’ like we did in the Blake Shelton song [‘All About Tonight’]. I want to write songs that my buddies back

home will put in the truck and say, ‘Hell, yeah. Th is is what I like right here!’ Th ey’re kind of the bar for me.”

You’ll fi nd that same southern, down home voice in much of Davidson’s most successful work, and especially in his latest undertaking with Rhett Akins, Outdoor Channel host and

self-proclaimed “rowdy redneck” Mi-chael Waddell and Warner/Reprise on a hunting and fi shing-themed album called Bone Collector: Th e Brotherhood Album. Songs like “Duck Blind,” “My Baby Looks Good in Camoufl age” and

“Granddaddy’s Gun” won’t see much—if any—radio airplay, but they are see-ing success on iTunes and in specialty retail outlets like Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s.

Th e Bone Collector project, four of 2010’s 10 most played country songs and Billboard Magazine’s 2010 Hot Country Music Songwriter of the Year award have made for Davidson’s biggest year ever. But this Georgia boy doesn’t strike me as the ‘stop and smell the magnolias’ type. “I’ve got a lot more stuff to do,” he says. “I’d love to win a Grammy or a CMA or ACM Song of the Year. All I know to do is keep working hard, and hopefully that will get me to the next level. Right now, I’m just pushing hard not to drop the ball.”

dallasdavidson.com


Not even the best public relations firm can manufacture the career momentum that comes from three songs climbing the charts at once or, better still, a single mega-hit that soaks its way into all corners of coun-try society. Most songwriters have seen neither; Dallas Davidson has seen both. And because of that, he’s one of the hottest tickets in town.

“I try to write songs like I talk. If I’m writing a song, I wouldn’t say ‘my crazy buddies,’ I’d say ‘my wild-ass buddies’...”

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REVIEWS

Middle Brother

Self-Titled

Another super group? Please …

The new collaborative effort

from the frontmen of Delta Spirit

(Matthew Vasquez), Dawes (Taylor

Goldsmith) and Deer Tick (John

J. McCauley) has the boisterous

sound of the prodigal son rather

than the middle brother. I hoped

this would be a primarily Delta

Spirit-sounding record, but this

was not the case, and in hindsight

I couldn’t be happier. Vasquez

took a step back to let Goldsmith

and McCauley really shine and, in

turn, created something that far

surpasses all expectations. Re-

cord labels continue to amaze me,

however. The suggested single to

Lightning100: “Me Me Me.” Come

on, Partisan Records. Dig on:

“Daydreaming,” “Middle Brother”

and “Portland.” WELLS ADAMS

Alexander Ebert

Alexander

Alexander… is sick of people thinking his name is Edward

Alexander Ebert unshackles the

hemp chains of his Magnetic Ze-

ros with this new solo effort. Al-

though the LP lacks the Edward

Sharpe female counterpart

“Jade,” It does sound very much

like an Edward Sharpe and the

Magnetic Zeros LP. The A-side is

far more energetic than the back

… almost as if the trip begins to

wear off. Tracks like “Awake My

Body” and “Truth” rekindle the

power that swept those lovable

hippies from busking on the Ven-

ice boardwalk to the bungalows

of Hollywood Hills. Refrain from

fl ipping that vinyl, but if you love

Edward Sharpe, you’ll dig on

this. WELLS ADAMS

The Head And The Heart

Self-Titled

Thank you Sub Pop Records … again.

This Seattle-based indie/folk

group has done well on their

premier, self-titled release. The

simplicity of this record is what

shines. It spins just like you

think it would sound on stage.

Also, it’s a couple dudes and

a pretty blonde—yep, smart

and simple. Mellow acoustics,

wonderful harmonies and stellar

lyricism hit you right in the head

and the … well, you know. The

band has been giving away

“Down in the Valley” and “Lost

In My Mind” on their MySpace

page, but you should just buy

the whole record. It’s that good,

and the record label is worth

supporting. WELLS ADAMS

Lykke Li

Wounded Rhymes

Don’t take this one out of your CD player just yet …

The sophomore project from

Swedish recording artist Lykke

Li has a few tracks that jump

out right away, like the catchy

opener, “Youth Knows No Pain,”

and the evocative “Get Some.”

Tracks like “I Follow Rivers” and

“Love Out Of Lust” don’t take

long to catch your ear as well.

After the third or fourth listen,

tracks like “Unrequited Love,”

“Sadness Is a Blessing” and “Si-

lent My Song” really fi nd their

home. This is a cool record,

and I can’t wait to see Lykke Li

live. Also, check out the videos

she made for a few of these,

as they are worth your time as

well. DAN BUCKLEY

One of these things is not like the other, members of The Head and the Heart .

IN this long-awaited NEW section, we’re bringing you REVIEWS of the hottest new albums from some of Nashville’s MOST INFLUENTIALmusic connoisseurs—the DJs at LIGHTNING 100. Here, WELLS ADAMS & “LIEUTENANT” DAN BUCKLEY give you the skinny on

what’s WORTH SPINNING and what’s better left UNSPUN.


REVIEWS

Stephen Gordon

So Young Now

I think it’s pretty good: “But, After All, What Do I Know.”

This Nashville singer-songwriter

makes an impact dropping

his second record into the

sentimental hearts of the

Americana populous. Sounds

of John Denver, fellow Nashville

local Keegan DeWitt and Ryan

Adams can be heard. Gordon’s

backing band is extremely tight,

but I think the best of him lies

between himself and that guitar

… almost as if he doesn’t want

to share his best stuff with

anybody else. This is a strong

record from back to front. Focus

on “Summertime,” “Field And

Flower” and “But, After All, What

Do I Know.” WELLS ADAMS

Noah and the Whale

Last Night On Earth

I’ll need two of every album

You may remember this UK

quartet from when Laura Marling

was in the band; maybe not. The

band’s third full-length sails out

of the gates, and the third track,

“L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.,” is a hit,

ain’t no doubt. I just kept think-

ing, Who am I listening to? One

second it’s The National, and the

next, Lou Reed is waxing poetic

about a “Wild Thing.” Lead singer

Charlie Fink seems to peer deep

into the past lyrically on tunes

like “Give It All Back” and “Just

Me Before We Met,” but I think

the bright days for this band re-

side in the future. WELLS ADAMS

The Apache Relay

American Nomad

American Nomad packs a mean left hook

This Nashville-based band

delivers an excellent album with

American Nomad. It’s one of the

rare records on which every song

feels important and more than

lives up to its inclusion. Nashville

producer Neilson Hubbard takes

this fantastic live band and cap-

tures them at their best. Apache

Relay were just added to the

Bonnaroo lineup, and there’s no

wondering why. Their live show

is soon to be legendary, and

they have the perfect record to

entertain fans until their next gig.

Don’t skip any of the songs on

this album. DAN BUCKLEY

Abigail Washburn

City of Refuge

Thank God she picked up a banjo and didn’t go to school in China ...

In her fourth full-length album, City

of Refuge, Abigail Washburn fi nds

a new but familiar path to walk. It’s

the fi rst record without Chinese

lyrics, but it isn’t without Chinese

fl avor. Washburn teamed up with

former Tommy and the Whale

multi-instrumentalist Kai Welch

(who co-wrote fi ve songs with her)

instead of The Sparrow Quartet,

her usual bandmates. The fi nal

product is truly excellent. Wash-

burn, who’s married to fellow banjo

virtuoso Béla Fleck, released this

beautiful new album, and she also

knows how to put on a terrifi c live

show. If you get a chance, catch

her in town or as she returns to the

Bonnaroo stage. DAN BUCKLEY

The prodigal sons return, members of Middle Brother

Lucinda Williams

Blessed

The soundtrack for a six-pack and a setting sun

In Blessed, Lucinda Williams’

tenth studio effort, she is at her

best. Producer Don Was incredibly

captures Williams’ vocals and the

sounds of her top-notch band. The

fi rst track, “Buttercup,” is classic

Lucinda Williams, sounding like it

could have been on her breakout

album. This artist has a knack for

weaving a story, and she’ll get you

in the heart with “Soldiers Song,”

a beautiful tale of a soldier thinking

of his family while away at war.

With half the songs on this record

lasting at least fi ve minutes, Wil-

liams takes her time getting her

work done. But whose mother

didn’t tell them to chew their food

slowly? DAN BUCKLEY

Radiohead

The King Of Limbs

Crank up that stereo

Radiohead has taken the world by

storm once again, announcing on a

Monday that they were releasing a

record the following Saturday, then

putting it out a day early. This record

is full of electronic, hypnotic jams,

picking up where Kid A left off. It’s no

OK Computer, but the eight tracks fi nd

Radiohead doing what they do best.

“Little By Little” is one of my favorite

songs, as it sounds hauntingly familiar.

I’m not sure which song that bass line

is from, but I like it. Don’t be scared

off by the fi rst track, “Bloom.” Check

out “Morning Mr. Magpie” and “Lotus

Flower,” and give a listen to Yorke’s

vocals on the last track, “Separator.”

DAN BUCKLEY

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fringe magazine - may/june 2011

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