[Preview] Nashville Scene Sounds Like Summer | Mercy Lounge, Cannery, & High Watt | 7.19-7.20

I don’t always go out. But when I do, I usually prefer to go out to Mercy Lounge, Cannery, or High Watt. As I mentioned in last week’s  TWiN, there is no better place to “maximize your weekend-ly intake of beer, loud music, and general shenanigans than at good ‘ol 1 Cannery Row, Nashville ,TN. It should come as no surprise that Mercy, Cannery, and High Watt are hosting the bills to beat for not one but both nights this weekend. This Friday and Saturday, local blogosphere competitors (and friends) Nashville Scene/Nashville Cream will be taking over all three venues for their Sounds Like Summer/Nashville Cream Anniversary Party with a stellar lineup that might even give our own recent 2-Year Anniversary Party a run for its money. Just maybe. And here’s a little extra sugar to sweeten the deal: No Country writer Phillip Obenschain will be spinning tuneage at Mercy Lounge in between sets on Friday, and yours truly will be taking over Cannery Ballroom on Saturday. So rest assured, you’ll be hearing great music all night long!

Follow after the jump to get the deets for both nights, and I’ll be giving you a pick for each venue on each night.

Friday

Here’s the full lineup for Friday night:

The Cannery Ballroom:
The Features
Morning Teleportation
Hotpipes
Black Sea Royalty
Coach (DJ)

Mercy Lounge:
Those Darlins
Turbo Fruits
Promised Land Sound
Bully
No Country For New Nashville (DJ/afterparty)

The High Watt:
Plastic Visions
Buffalo Rodeo
Fair Weather Kings
SCHOOLS
& more

Make sure to see:

Cannery Ballroom: I gave the Hotpipes‘ recent album DUST a glowing review, and I don’t take back a single word of it. The Features will probably draw the biggest crowd on Friday night, but I have a funny feeling the Hotpipes will draw the most devoted one. The band’s five year hiatus only served to drive their followers’ clamor for new material up to a fever-pitch, and DUST does not betray their expectations. I couldn’t find my favorite track off of DUST, “Caroline”, on Soundcloud, but make sure to check it out here in addition to “For Cowboy” on the sampler below.

Mercy Lounge: In addition to having the most appetizing album cover of any local band, Turbo Fruits consistently churn out some of the most solid, fuzzy, piping-hot garage-rock this side of the Mississippi (as well as the other side, I guess). That’s really all that needs to be said – just go familiarize yourself with their catalog if you haven’t already.

High Watt: Fair-Weather Kings are the latest Cage the Elephant inspired rock-band to invade from Bowling Green, and I say that in the most eager of tones. Their jaunty, fizzy brand of indie-rock may not be as loud or in-your-face as fellow Friday-night Highwatters Plastic Visions, but it is every bit as enjoyable. I couldn’t find them on Soundcloud, so check them out here.

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/7868728″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]

Doors are at 8, show starts at 8:30, and tickets are available here for $10 for one night or $15 for both  (gets you in to all three venues).

Saturday

And here’s Saturday:

The Cannery Ballroom:
The Weeks
The Whigs
The Kingston Springs
Sol Cat
No Country For New Nashville (DJ)

Mercy Lounge:
Tristen
Kyle Andrews
How I Became the Bomb
Gavin Shea
Noisefloor (DJ/afterparty)

The High Watt:
Bad Cop
Clear Plastic Masks
Majestico
The Dead Towns
& more

Make sure to see:

Cannery Ballroom: Fun fact. Once upon a time in 2007, my high school band cast our lots into Lollapalooza’s annual “Last Band Standing” competition. Despite being number one in fan voting for the first round, we didn’t make it through to the second round – probably because we sucked. But you know who did make it to the second round, and who didn’t at all suck? The Weeks. That’s right, 1 degree of separation. I remember being scared of how good these guys were back then, and they’ve only gotten better since. I included “Buttons,” the song that first got my hooked in 2007 in the sampler below, but check out “Dear Bo Jackson” for an idea of their more recent work.

Mercy Lounge: Tough call. I like all three of these artists, but How I Became the Bomb takes the cake. Their sound, which is equal parts Vampire Weekend, Ramones, and Styx, is just too fun to refuse. I included “Secret Identity” in the sampler, but also check out “Fat Girls Talkin’ Bout Cardio” if you really want to get a sense for their irreverent hilarity.

High Watt: Bad Cop. I’ve always liked these guys, but never more than on “Light On” from their new E.P. (of the same name). It’s the kind of raw, rough around the edges, emotive, yet still supremely catchy, garage-rock that so many bands shoot for but very few attain. I’ll be doing my best to shoot up to the High Watt to catch at least a bit of their set.

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/7869945″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]

Doors are at 8, show starts at 8:30, and tickets are available here for $10 for one night or $15 for both  (gets you in to all three venues).