It’s another weekend in Nashville, and you are awesome. Let’s find a way to celebrate together. How about some live music this weekend? I know, I know… you are shocked to hear us tell you that, but this is another weekend of great music.
We have a dual headlining show that is likely to blow the roof off of Bridgestone, a four stage mega yacht party, and a whole bunch of completely free events. We’re gonna run down the full monte of the weekend haps right after the jump. Take your pick, and get out to see some live music.
Friday
To get things started, there are a couple of great early shows that you should check out. James Wallace & The Naked Light are playing an in-store at Grimeys at 6pm on Friday night to celebrate the release of their recently released LP More Strange News From Another Star. By now you know the routine, it’s free, and, if you are of age, they’ll toss you a can of brew. You can read our recent interview with James Wallace here to get you in the mood.
This should be a good warmup for those of you lucky enough to be at the dual headlining bill with The Black Keys and The Flaming Lips over at Bridgestone. I’m not going to waste your time or mine telling you about these bands that you surely already know about. I will tell you that this is going to be an amazing show, and a few last minute tickets were just released. If they sell out by the time you read this, it still might be worth finding a still relatively affordable ticket.
For those of you looking for a smaller (but still psychadelic) rock show, we would highly recommend hitting up Goat with Holy Waves over at The High Watt. The Swedish “afrobeat-metal enigmas” (as Eventfinda calls them) which comprise Goat will conclude their American tour tonight at The High Watt. The group released their debut album, World Music, in 2012, and recently made an appearance at Austin Psych Fest, along with the other half of tonight’s show, Austin natives and psych-rockers Holy Wave. Tickets are $10 and are available here.
Check out “The Sun The Moon” by Goat here:
In news on the west side of our state, we’re stoked to be covering Beale St. Music Festival in Memphis, which kicks off tonight and runs through this Sunday, May 5.
This year’s “Musicfest“, as it’s called by repeat festival-goers, includes The Black Keys, Alice in Chains, Bassnectar, The Flaming Lips, Smashing Pumpkins, ZZ Top, Mavis Staples, and more.
Nashville is well-represented by our own Kingston Springs, who are slotted to play Sunday, May 5th on the Bud Light Stage, and Americana darling Renee Wahl, who’s playing the same stage on Saturday.
Check out the full schedule here. There’s even a mobile app for download so you don’t miss a beat. Tickets are still available here, and will run you $35 for a single day on Friday or Sunday, and $45 for Saturday. Bring your rainboots and a poncho, since (as is tradition), it’s scheduled to be a rainy and somewhat cold weekend.
Saturday
The party (which was just moved inside, so you don’t have to worry about the weather) is going on all day long over at Cannery Row with four stages of Yacht Rock! We’ve been running a ticket giveaway for this one for the past couple of days, and we just found a couple more tickets laying around. So, keep an eye on our social media this afternoon for your chance to win! If you don’t like to play games, go ahead and grab your tickets right here.
If you’re looking for some free outdoor fun, Musician’s Corner is kicking off the new season with music and festivities in Centennial Park. Get there at noon for pre-show activities like Beer Garden Happy Hour, kids activities, and the 1st annual Food Truck Fiesta. Music kicks off at 2PM, and includes acoustic performances from Rose Cousins, Taylor Brashears, Levi Weaver, and Pony Boy, along with main stage performers Charles Walker & The Dynamites, Andrew Ripp, The Fairfield Four, and Barbershop Harmony’s 7th & Broadway. The event also includes a craft fair, sponsored giveaways (including Southwest Airlines tickets), and more! Don’t let the weather scare you, this is going to be a fun one! [CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER, SORRY!]
If you missed Vintage Trouble at Mercy Lounge last Sunday, you can still get your soul fix with Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires this Saturday at Exit/In. This Daptone-signed sultan of soul is the closest you’ll get to a modern-day James Brown, and when Charles belts out a tale of “Heartache and Pain” (see below), it’s next to impossible not to nod your head and let-loose a guttural “UGGHHH!” of affirmation. Doors are at 8, and openers Paul and the Tall Trees are set to take the stage at 9. Tickets are $15 in advance and $17 day-of.
If you missed out on your chance to grab tickets to either of Beth Hart‘s shows this weekend at 3rd and Lindsley, lucky you for — you are in luck! She’s playing an instore at Grimey’s on Saturday at 3pm [BETH HART’S IN-STORE HAS BEEN CANCELLED] and you can have a chance to get up close and personal with Ms. Hart. Jessika is a big fan because she had the pleasure of a chance encounter with the songstress back in the days of Riverstages when our wee Jessika was but a tween. Being a star struck youngster, Jessika had hoped for an autograph but Beth Hart’s people had to quickly usher the singer to stage and Beth wasn’t able to sign. Yet, after a brief email exchange in the days of dial-up, Beth snail-mailed a personalized photo-autograph to our would-be writer and sealed a loyal fan for all time. Jessika would like to thank Beth Hart for that small kindness shown some 15 years ago and so she says you all better get on out to support her at Grimey’s. And now we present Jessika’s favorite Beth Hart tune to help you get it together for the weekend! (NSFW)
Hanging around south of Nashville, or maybe you know just how awesome the Cause A Scene house parties are? Either way, you should swing by to check out another great edition for the tire-less promoters. This session brings you performances by Maggie Eckford, Alexander Fairchild & Steven Fiore. Things get started at 8pm, and a ticket will cost you $7 at the door.
Sunday
Looking for a fun way to spend your Cinco de Mayo? Do you like bikes, booze, bands, and totally free events? Our pals at Native are kicking-off Nashville Bike Month in style and launching their May issue with Cinco de Bike-o. Head to the East-Centric Pavilion at 3PM to catch performances from Colorfeels, The Joy of Painting, Future Unlimited, Photo Ops, and Machines Are People Too! The event will also feature craft beers from Jackalope, Popcorn Sutton’s Moonshine Margaritas, food trucks, activities, a Two Old Hippies pop up store, sponsor giveaways, and much more! Click the banner below for more info!
After you’ve spent the day sipping margaritas in celebration of Cinco de Mayo, head over to Mercy Lounge for a kick-ass psychedelic show featuring The Black Angels, Hanni El Khatib, and Wall of Death. Tickets are 15.00 and can be purchased here. You can check out the NSFW Hanni El Khatib video for “Family” and The Black Angels video for “Don’t Play With Guns” (off of their recent release Indigo Meadow) below.
Hanni El Khatib – Family (Uncensored Video) from Innovative Leisure on Vimeo.
