REVIEW: The Weeks w/ Chrome Pony & Junior Astronomers | 12.4.15 @ The Basement East

The Weeks
w/ Chrome Pony, Junior Astronomers
The Basement East; Nashville, TN
Dec. 4, 2015

Review by Julian Ciany. 

It’s always nice when the good shows pick back up after the holiday period. This weekend was chalk full of them, and it began Friday night with Nashville rising stars The Weeks and Chrome Pony and out of towners Junior Astronomers at The Basement East. The venue was packed with eager fans and all three bands delivered.

We weren’t able to have a photographer there, but we have our review below. Check it out, and keep an eye on all three of these groups because they’re all gearing up for a busy 2016.

I arrived to the show a little late, and Junior Astronomers had already started. Having only been to The Basement East a few other times, this was the most crowded I had ever seen it. The  North Carolina band, the brainchild of guitarist Phillip Wheeler and vocalist Terrence Richard, were doing a stellar job at warming everyone up for the rest of the night. The crowd was taken by Junior Astronmers’ intense energy, which came full force in their layered guitar parts and and post-punk attitude. Having just released a 7″, the band are really coming into their element as a powerhouse of pop and punk sensibilities. One by one, the audience began to grow bigger and bigger, making it very clear that the night was just getting started. It was soon time for Chrome Pony to keep the party going.

After a short break, locals Chrome Pony came on. Last time I saw this group, they were just a trio. Since then, they have added a keyboard player, and it has done nothing but bring even more of a kickass force to one of our favorite bands. Chrome Pony led the crowd through some new and old material, while frontman Tyler Davis kept everyone going with his groovy high-pitched vocals. His brother Kyle Davis has such a unique ear for what drum beat is perfect for each song, and every single hit served some sort of purpose in furthering the material to its fullest potential. Now with Ric Alessio on organ, he and bassist Jota Ese work together in establishing a solid foundation to these sporadic and heavy-hitting punk songs. This band have always been one of our most favorite groups to cover, and we had a blast inviting them to Acme a few times this year. They have a such a distinct punk sound that it sets them apart from many other bands in town doing similar things,  something fans should certainly take notice of. That’s why I wasn’t too happy when people started yelling “Bring on The Weeks! That’s who we came here to see” before Chrome Pony finished. No matter what the situation is, don’t ever do that to an opening band at a show. They simply just don’t deserve it.

The attendance of the venue reached capacity. The smell of weed grew and grew. Iggy Pop’s “I Wanna Be Your Dog” started playing, as The Weeks took the stage. Now if you’re going to walk out as a band to that song, you must follow it up with killer performance and that is just what we were to witness.

The local boys opened with one of their singles “The House That We Grew Up In,” immediately claiming the attention and devotion of everyone in the room. As they jumped around on stage with sheer joy and excitement, the crowd followed suit. The band have come a long way with their rise to fame since signing with Kings of Leon’s label Serpents and Snakes, working to combine their southern rock charm with a blanket of pop that appeals to the masses. Singer Cyle Barnes showed an immense amount of enthusiasm and amazement at where he and his band have come through these past few years, often exclaiming “This is fucking awesome” in between songs only to be met with cheers from fans that felt the same way. The rockers continued with a set full of their best songs such as “Altar Girl” and “Slave to the South.” When they finished their set with the pop hit “Ain’t My Stop,” the crowd begged for more. The Weeks’ set was a great example of how this band just keeps gaining more and more momentum. Moving here from Mississippi and, only a few years late, opening up for The Flaming Lips and headlining The Basement East shows that these guys are well on their way to even bigger things.