Little Bandit: "Heaven or Hell"

Everyone in Nashville knows each other, and they're all in (good) bands. You may recognize a lot of familiar faces in the above photo montage, from Tristen to Caitlin Rose, to Ponychase and more. Little Bandit is the new band from Alex Caress, younger brother of Jordan, who fronts Ponychase (a new addiction) and held down the rhythm section in Tristen's band on numerous tours and recordings. We're getting a heavy Dawes vibe, with touches of Sweetheart-era Byrds, and of course, a little Gram on the side. All that in addition to some rad beards and solid songwriting make Little Bandit a band to watch out for. Their self-titled Debut EP is out now.

Country in NYC

Texan Hayes Carll just announced he will return to New York on December 6 to play at Union Hall. Carll is touring behind his most recent Lost Highway effort Trouble in Mind which has been receiving rave reviews in major music publications. The Americana Music Association awarded him the song of the year for the track "She Left Me for Jesus." Even Mr. Crumudegeon himself, Robert Christgau offered up some praise here...

"...a familiar type-a mushmouthed drawler who's smarter about the beat than his shambling ways would make you think and funnier than shit when he wants to be, which is often." 4 STARS - Robert Christgau, Blender

Trouble in Mind is out now...

Elsewhere in the Universal Music world is fellow country counterpart Jamey Johnson. Johnson's excellent record That Lonesome Song is too good to be lumped in with the other commercial stock that comes out of Nashville these days. Johnson dedicated this record to his ex-wife, without whom most of these songs of heartbreak and loss would not be possible. I'm sure both Johnson and Carll will end up on more than a few year end lists.

Johnson (2nd from right) and some other people at Stark hangout Robert's in Nashvegas

Breaking News: The Hold Steady & Drive By Truckers to Tour

Breaking News -- The Dream Ticket

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood. You read correctly -- The Hold Steady and the Drive By Truckers are ready to make dreams come true. Two of America's great Rock 'n Roll bands will unite on what will be a 23-date touring run. Stark sources reveal three important tour dates with more to come:

Halloween @ The Ryman, Nashville
Nov. 6 & 7 @ Terminal 5, NYC

For now, just bask in the beautiful revelry that is the Dream Ticket. How about a double whiskey coke no ice while I drive around my friends, getting haircuts and jobs.
More mangled lyrical mixes to come...

Nashville Review: Personal Thao Concert

Ask most concert-goers in Nashville about Thao and The Get Down Stay Down and they will respond, "who?" "You know, the band that has been opening for Rilo Kiley all summer..." Still nothing. Well, I know who Thao and the boys are and last night they played an empty dive bar, much to my personal enjoyment - did I mention they were the headliners?

I ended up traveling solo to the show, and I am glad I did. Thao, drummer Willis, and bassist Adam were just sitting at the bar when I arrived. Immediately striking up a conversation with the trio over Red Stripes, we ended up hanging out together for the rest of the evening. They didn't know anyone at the show, and neither did I. We had that in common.

Willis explained that they had been on the road with Kiley going on six weeks now and they were looking forward to some time off. Thao admitted that she was tired and ready to head back to her current residence in San Francisco after the tours end. I had a chance to ask the band what they have been listening to record-wise while on the road and they cited Santogold, Fleet Foxes and a few others that slip my mind.

It was amusing talking to Thao about her newest record, We Brave Bee Stings & All and how some, if not most, reviewers find it a "summery" album. She laughed and said that it was obviously not her goal when she began writing, but she couldn't disagree. Thao soon slipped away to sit by herself, awaiting the call to the stage.

12:00 a.m. - Thao, Willis and Adam take the stage ripping into an amazing set, that fell mainly upon deaf ears, save a few. Come on Nashville you are better than this. Thao's beautiful auburn-hollow bodied guitar, coupled with her expert and unique playing style made for a rich sound. Stripped down to a trio, Thao becomes even more of the focal point, as does her playing ability. Willis and Adam did well to sit back, lay down the grooves and let Thao do what she does. Unusually soft spoken off stage, Thao becomes an act to behold on stage, gyrating around and screaming vocals with an unrestrained elegance. The band's presence was too big for the venue. The evening's set list read: (order of songs not exact)
-Beat (Health, Life And Fire)
-Geography
-Feet Asleep
-Bag of Hammers
-Violet
-Swimming Pools
-Travel
-Fear and Convenience

I was seemingly the only Thao fan in the audience, and after the show, the band expressed their gratefulness - they will be heading to Athens, GA., for a recording session at Paste magazine, then Virginia and then back home to D.C. Check them out if you can, and say Vince from Nashville sent you.

Thao Myspace


After the jump.

Nashville Review: The Tallest Man on Earth @ The Basement

By Vince Amoroso

He was not the tallest man on earth, but rather a living irony. This cliché will soon become commonplace as this Swedish troubadour gains fame. Shallow Grave, the new album from Kristian Matsson, a.k.a. Tallest Man on Earth, received an 8.3 out of 10 on Pitchfork. For gaining hipster-indie-cred, Pitchfork’s rating system is tops.

“He was like a caged tiger on stage” one performer said alluding to Matsson’s set. Well, he was some sort of animal up there. (Hold back the Metallica puns, please.) Matsson’s performance centered on his stalking abilities - be it through long drawn out soul-ensnaring stares pinpointing certain audience members or his unpredictable pacing.

Matsson is small though. We are not joking about that. He sported tight jeans that made his legs seem transparent. Widely hailed as "Dylanesque", Matsson's lace-up leather boots exemplified the analogy (his rustic singing voice helps too.) With a hair quaff and a childishly contrived mustache, Matsson had our attention before he even sang. He worked the crowd in all possible ways.

The power of the Tallest Man’s voice humbled audience members. At any given point during his performance, one could observe hands on chins and elbows on knees, people seemingly in awe of this man. His guitar playing was utterly flawless – fingerpicking at its best.

Matsson was the whole package. He captured the emotions of his songs in facial expressions and through his stage presence, venturing into the crowd at times to dramatize everything that much more. Every breath and lyric sung was heartfelt and delivered in an unassuming, mature fashion.

Check your local listings. Tallest Man on Earth is definitely worth checking out.
Myspace

Continue on for a video.
After the jump.

Stark Heads to Nashville

That's right, we are heading to Nashville for the weekend and we hope to see some special people there. Cory Branan, Lee Stabert of the Nashville Scene, Caitlin Rose and Wax Fang are the headliners for this, our first tour of the historic country stomping grounds.

We've never been to Nashville, however, it is a prerequisite for all music writers regardless of genre specification. Look for some updated posts from central Tennessee in the coming days.

Whoooo Nashvegas, ain't no place for a poor boy like me.