Here we go again for the much loved Communion series in Nashville. For those of you not in the know, this little get together of up and coming awesomeness was started across the pond in 2006 by musicians from already “broken” bands (inc. Mumford & Sons Cherbourg, Manic Street Preachers, Travis, & Beautiful South) in the basement of a local arts club. Seven years later this little gathering has expanded to multiple continents, and has brought international attention to such folks as Michael Kiwanuka, Anna Calvi, The Vaccines, and Ben Howard, to name a few.
Nashville’s first “Communion” sessions were held at The Basement, but as of this year, they have relocated a bit up 8th Avenue to their current 2nd Thursday of the month residency at Mercy Lounge and High Watt. Just like the October session that we checked out, we have another great lineup in store for tonight. This month’s session includes Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Tennis, On An On, Savoir Adore, 4ONTHEFLOOR, VITEK, & Shelly Colvin. Let’s face it, this thing isn’t where you go to see your favorite band. It’s where you go to find your favorite band. The only difference in this and your standard 8 off 8th or New Faces Nite is that these are touring bands with a lot of hype already built up. It’s truly your chance to see a band in a small venue right before they break.
Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door, and students get in for only $7. Things get started around 8pm for those of you 18 and older. Keep reading for a full preview of tomorrow night’s acts.
NATHANIEL RATELIFF & THE NIGHT SWEATS
Possessing a voice with enough power to give you the night sweats after reading this, Nathaniel Rateliff may be best known to you for his indie folk outfit known as Nathaniel Rateliff and The Wheel. However, this new outfit that his is rocking with, The Night Sweats, is pure power R&B/Soul. Get a glimpse of what you are in store for below.
TENNIS
Up-and-coming might be a bit of an understatement for Tennis. After earning numerous festival nods over the past couple of years (we caught them most recently at Forecastle Festival in the Lou), Tennis spent a good amount of time right here in Nashville working with Mr. Patrick Carney to create their second album, Young & Old. However, the newest single, “Mean Streets,” from their most recent EP is definitely the most played Tennis track in our daily rotation right now.
ON AN ON
On An On is not a typo, it is actually two of the former members of Scattered Trees… remember them?!? Regardless of the final resting state of those Scattered Trees, we’ve been digging what we’ve heard out of the new collab since their full length release, Give In, at the beginning of this year, but it was the track “Boy From School” that released at the end of this summer that still has us tapping our feet and ready to see them live tonight.
SAVOIR ADORE
The self-coined “fantasy pop” group out of Brooklyn (hey, everyone needs a distinguisher) is a very experimental synth pop sound accented with effect laden guitar licks. One might lump these guys into a space age version of Haim or Chvrches. Regardless, they should be a fun addition to the evening.
4onthefloor
4onthefloor is going to take this party into another direction. The lively band may be based in Minneapolis, but they have a sound that screams southern blues rock. What makes these guys stand out? All four members play a bass drum and all songs are in 4/4 time, thus the namesake. Don’t just let this band be the one you’ve heard on Nashville or other TV placements, let them be the ones that you are telling your friends about in the morning.
VITEK
Hey look! It’s our buddies VITEK. We premiered their track “Sunbird” back in April, and here they are amongst the up and coming bands of Communion! It’s good to see these genre blending electo popsters in the mix over there, and they will fit right in with the stellar lineup. Take a refresher course on VITEK with the aforementioned “Sunbird” below.
SHELLY COLVIN
The lovely Shelly Colvin pings the No Country radar fairly regularly, and it’s for good reason. The talented songstress has more than her share of chops as a musician, not to mention the face to carry her onto numerous modeling shoots. We really should bring you some original music, but I just love this cover… so, you’re stuck with it.
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Tennis, On An On, Savior Adore, 4onthefloor, VITEK, and Shelly Colvin perform tonight (11/14) at Mercy Lounge & The High Watt. The show is 18+, begins at 8pm (doors at 7), and tickets are available for $10 advance / $15 door / $7 with student ID.
