[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

Justin Townes Earle - You Can’t Leave

Elliston and Eighth will mostly focus on the indie indieness in Nashville, because the rock is pretty much what I’m into and what I like to cover.  But I have to admit, nearly six years in Nashville has helped foster respect for certain facets of more country-ish music, particularly for artists like Justin Townes Earle.  Steve Earle’s son certainly sways farther toward honky-tonkin’ than I’m always comfortable with, but he has earned quite a bit of respect and praise from the hipsters (see his Daytrotter session), and his sound is far more classic than CMT.

This week sees the release of his second full-length, Midnight at the Movies, but this song is actually from his EP, Yuma.

And the Relatives (photo by Jonathan Kingsbury) (listen to “Dixie Cups”)

And the Relatives (photo by Jonathan Kingsbury)

(listen to “Dixie Cups”)

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

And the Relatives - Dixie Cups

Alphabetical order isn’t the only thing keeping And the Relatives at the top of the list of my favorite Nashville bands.  The trio has been consistently playing and recording great music since I was introduced to them a year and a half ago, and last year’s EP, Animals, was one of my favorite releases of 2009.  The band is in the midst of demo-ing for their first full-length record, and they’re using their freshly-launched website to showcase a few rough cuts of new tunes.

This track, “Dixie Cups,” is one of my favorites off of Animals, and a very light dose of swearing keeps me from playing it on the radio, so I thought I’d share it here instead.

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

Cortney Tidwell - La La

In honor of me heading out to see Cortney Tidwell tonight, I thought I would share one of my favorite songs by the lady with the crystal clear voice.  “La La” appears on 2006’s Don’t Let Stars Keep Us Tangled Up.

The greatest picture that has ever been taken of Jon Burr, of How I Became the Bomb. (listen to “Secret Identity”)

The greatest picture that has ever been taken of Jon Burr, of How I Became the Bomb.

(listen to “Secret Identity”)

How I Became the Bomb (listen to “Secret Identity”)

How I Became the Bomb

(listen to “Secret Identity”)

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

How I Became the Bomb - Secret Identity

How I Became the Bomb (usually abbreviated as HIBTB or “The Bomb” here in town because we’re all lazy and don’t always want to say/type the full name) is currently in the midst of a year-long release blitz of three-song “volumes,” all of which are/will be free downloads on the band’s website.  This song is from their 2006 debut EP, Let’s Go!, and it’s both classic HIBTB and the best possible introduction to the band, in my opinion.

Spring Hill Spider Party (listen to “Kevin’s Bacon”)

Spring Hill Spider Party

(listen to “Kevin’s Bacon”)

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

Spring Hill Spider Party - Kevin’s Bacon

Spring Hill Spider Party is a bit of a joke band, and the best kind of joke band at that - they play danceable music with such hilariously wacky and inappropriate lyrics that you spend 25% of their shows dancing and the other 75% crippled by laughter.  The group disbanded last year when their lead singer Dr. Carlos Mandible (actually the extremely talented poet Derrick Brown) moved to LA to pursue his writing career, but they still play random one-off shows here and there when Dr. Mandible is back in town (like tonight at Mercy Lounge).  A must-see if you enjoy bananas, headlamps, sexual innuendo, male go-go dancers in denim cutoffs and laughing.  Best enjoyed when exceptionally drunk.

The Features - Some Kind of Salvation (2008) (listen to “The Temporary Blues”)

The Features - Some Kind of Salvation (2008)

(listen to “The Temporary Blues”)

1 of 2
Themed by: Hunson