JOSEPH LEMAY 

Joseph LeMay: a twenty-one year old songwriting fellow, a soon-to-be married gentleman, and most importantly, a chap full of humility who is in no way affected by them rats racing round’ him. Joseph has got a timeless vibe. He’s fascinated by the good ol’ colloquialism of Mark Twain, amused by the sounds of Kristofferson and Townes Van Zandt,  and is inspired by the grounded tones of John Foreman. Joseph was telling me that his intent is to be known and heard in a transparent manner. Whether it’s finished carpentry, being a husband, or (most likely) a musician, his audience will hear honest emotions and authentic, fluff-free content; which he hopes will help people sort out any troubled situations applicable. I’m all for his aim, because just through hanging with the guy, I can tell that Joseph has got a rare type of  patience that ascends the noise around him. His path may not be littered with instant milestones and praise anytime soon because I’m thinking he’ll be a legend for his heart rather than solely his sound (which tends to take a little more time).  Joseph has got a well crafted EP out right now entitled A Precursor to Earthtones, I encourage a listen to all. The song in the video above is a new one, and when I asked him how the next album is coming along he told me that he writes a lot, so the songs that he feels absolutely cannot be left unheard, will be on the record. Once again, Joseph is not just writing songs to make a record, they’re a self portrait of all that he believes in. I can attest that he’s already achieving his intent because my simple conversation with the guy served as a lesson in humility. So right on Joseph, the world needs a sturdy man like you.

I was given the great privilege of seeing Joseph live in late January, and most fortunately, two friends (Josh Cypher & Charles Miller) and I had cameras to document the event that your’e watching above. Below is my favorite song he performed that night, it’s about his fiance. 

JOSEPH LEMAY // ‘Molly’ Live @ The End by TONITE!TONITE!

DEERHUNTER / alive and live

DEERHUNTER / Live at Exit In by TONITE!TONITE!

Late last week, if you were watching Conan you may have stumbled upon Deerhunter as they closed the show with their hit jingle ‘Helicopter’. If you were in Nashville, at the Exit In late november, you may have more intentionally ($18 ticket) heard these guys. Bradford Cox is the chief of the band. He’s also the hands behind Atlas Sound and various other creative sprouts. The recording above is ‘Helicopter’ from their most recent album ‘Halcyon Digest’. Bradford is quite prolific with his art, he’s pumpin’ out piles of edible sounds weekly.

I believe Deerhunter’s music is justified to be praised (and receive lofty album reviews) but in the performance that I held witness too they appeared jaded. It was the last show of the tour, and it was probably the thousandth time they played that set list, but as I listened it provided a little insight into the dilemma that artists must face when popularized: All the music that you once made for reasons of passion, an outlet, recreation, or monetary intent has now turned into a product that requires responsibility. Think of the front lawn as your band or musical career, you’ve got to mow it, rake the leaves off of it, plant seed, and water it just to make it look good. By the time you get around to playing soccer or badminton on it you’d best hope you have enough energy to perform or your guests are going to go next door to the Jones’s. Can you digest that metaphor? let me know.

ACTION! / ‘Sandpiper’ / the moral of the story

Lets talk about marriage. In marriage, I see a shared bank account,  a queen sized bed, a collaboration of health insurance, a mother, a father, an attraction, some love. I don’t usually see (or hear) a mutual creation of pleasantly stimulating, hand crafted compilations of seasoned tunes. Action! consists of a couple, a married couple, Dan  & Robyn Burns. I’ve been fortunate enough to see them live twice. Robyn steers the ship with a guitar and a microphone. Dan tends the engine room with his drum sticks and high & dry vocals. The musical relationship is reciprocal, and to the ears, perfectly minimal. They’re a cohesive family that doesn’t over consume in synths and pedals. For me, the take home message from a live listening of Action! was an overwhelming sense of inspiration for the creative potential of marriage. Jam on you married couples!

Friend Weakend is their current listen. The video above is a piece of it. Check out their bandcamp, give it a purchase and some appreciation.  

ENTRANCE BAND / Live in Nashville / you decide

ENTRANCE BAND // Live at Exit/In by TONITE!TONITE!

Entrance Band visited us in Nashville at the Exit In in Nashville the other night via their short yellow school bus. I stood there among the others, wide eyed and paralyzed by the floaty tones and hypnotic psych they hurled at us. They’re real natural on the job. They pay a loose grasp to their saddles atop the powerful body of sound they ride wildly. The recording doesn’t nearly reflect the sensory overload of the Entrance experience, so go see them! 

On a political note, Entrance Band stirs up some serious mixed feelings among the masses. The loyal fan base that follows Entrance’s psychedelic scent praises front man Guy Blakeslee’s epic guitar tangents, drools over bassist Paz Lenchantin’s fence-jumpin style and sways to drummer Derek James’ breezy beatz. On the contrary, Pitchforkian representation vents a different, more opposed view. Draw your own conclusion. You like? 

AVI BUFFALO // Live at Exit In / tremendous twang

AVI BUFFALO / Live at Exit In by TONITE!TONITE!

Avi Buffalo kicked off their Headline tour here in Nashville at Exit-In Wednesday night. Myself and thirty other people were there. Yes, the crowd was minimal and at times inattentive, but in no way does the audience’s spirit reflect the talent and twangy brilliance that pumped out Avi’s Fender Jazz Master. Front man Avigdor Zahner-Isenberg (Who goes by Avi) syncs his vocal melody with his guitar, conducts an orchestra of effects pedals, and addresses the crowd in an intimate manner, all the while wearing running shoes and standing on his toes to reach his lofty mic placement. The fine lady on drums is quaint and precise, and rounds off Avi’s cutting vocals in times of need. I didn’t catch the bassist name, but I can tell you that he thoroughly enjoyed himself, hence his wide grin that lasted the entire show. Listen to the set above, sorry about the yahoos in the crowd who at time dilute the recording. See more pictures here. 

NATALIE PRASS // A real worthy listen / really!

NATALIE PRASS // Live at The Basement by TONITE!TONITE!

Good afternoon and welcome. Today i’d like to present an artist that is justifiably worthy of a listen. Her name is Natalie Prass and smooth infectious melody is her sport. While she’s fancifully melodious, she doesn’t let you off easy, she’ll incur a somber tension that’ll strangle your attention, then she’ll turn around and let you slide into the cool waters of her clean, high ranged, vocal-tastic oasis. At The Basement that night, Natalie’s sound was skillfully made whole thanks to the guys from Majestico. I’m not going to preface your listen with the classic line ‘This girl is not your average noisemaking songwriter’ because the caliber of her presence and tone is in an entirely different class. She has a strong undercurrent of  honesty in her sound that has appeared to have scathed the bullets of the suffocating ego and ambitious brown nosing. I could be mistaken with my elaborate analysis of her personality, but when we shortly conversed after her show, the humility in her sound aligned perfectly with her demeanor. So call me naive, but I’m putting my money on Natalie Prass for this years recipient of ‘Most Genuine Sound’      

Click here for more pics, and here for the audio (which is also located above) 

THE NATIONAL // Live at the Ryman Auditorium / listen here!

THE NATIONAL // Live at the Ryman Auditorium by TONITE!TONITE!

// Last night I braved the cold and rode my newly purchased, craigslist special, schwinn bicycle down to the legendary Ryman Auditorium to see THE NATIONAL perform. Matt Berninger (lead vocals) wears a suit n’ tie and sips his white wine (on the rocks) in between baritone solos (songs) If you’ve listened to The National then you’re familiar with the bottom-end baritone nature of Matt’s voice, but for fresh ears, It can be startling to hear the guy sing to you in his continuously low, drone-like tone. They can come off as awfully serious fellows, so take note of their cheeky lyrics. Here’s my scientific conclusion, after much discussion: At times, The National may emit a similar tone to that of your monotone history teacher (the opinion of my anti-national friend) but this is easily trumped by their fatherly, comedic presence and ironic implication between timbre and lyrics. Reserve 34 minutes to listen to an abbreviated version of their live set at the Ryman (located above or here) To view the rest of the photos that I took that night, click here.

 The order of songs in the recording is as follows:

1.  Afraid Of Everyone // High Violet
2.  Mistaken For Strangers // Boxer
3.  Anyones Ghost // High Violet
4.  England // High Violet
5.  90 Mile Wall of Water // Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers
6.  Mr. November // Alligator
7.  Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks (Acoustic Performance) // High Violet