The warm weather has been warranting a festival, and Marathon Village has you covered with an afternoon shindig, but this weekend also features some unique bills that we don’t see that often around town with hip hop and EDM dominating one of the city’s oldest rock clubs. The venues on Cannery Row are slammed with choices, there is a solid night of punk shows at The End, and that’s really just the tip of the iceberg. Head below to have a look at all of our staff picks in this week’s edition of TWiN!
FRIDAY
JAMES AND THE WILD SPIRIT
@ Soulshine Pizza Factory | 7pm | FREE | All Ages
Local indie pop group James and the Wild Spirit gained the attention of Lightning 100 with their melodic rhythms and infectious melodies. Their sound, which feels like a fresh mixture of the Wild Feathers and Lord Huron, is sure to get you grooving along to the beat. Make sure you catch them for FREE Friday and get ready to dance off all those delicious slices of pizza. [LL]
THIS IS ART W/ KDSML, UNDISCOVER, AND TACO SUPREME
@ Exit/In | 9pm | $5 | 18+
The second edition of the Hot Like Butta dance party takes place on Friday night featuring sets by psychedelic producer This is ART, local DJ extraordinaire KDSML, local rap supergroup Undiscover, and multi-media artist Taco Supreme. If you need to dance this weekend, this is definitely the show for you. [MH]
HOUNDMOUTH W/ LUCY DACUS
@ Cannery Ballroom | 8pm | SOLD OUT | 18+
No strangers to Music City (read this post or this post) indie-folk Americana rockers Houndmouth are returning to Nashville, all be it without Katie Toupin, who left the band to pursue her own musical endeavors. Touring in support of their latest release, Little Neon Limelight, which was produced by Nashville virtuoso Dave Cobb, HM will still be bringing you the songs you know and love, despite the change in line-up. Get there early for indie rocker Lucy Dacus, and maximize the tunage for your hard earned dollars. [JR]
NODAWAY w/ CAPPA, MOTE
@ The High Watt | 9pm | $10-15 | 18+
Three alumni of our Acme showcase series, and three of our favorite acts of Nashville’s thriving indie pop scene, Nodaway, CAPPA, and Mote are performing this weekend at The High Watt! All three recently released, or are about to release new music, and dove headfirst in 2016 with a ton of buzz; we’d recommend any of these performers individually, but together, they’re a no-brainer. [PO]
THE DEAD DEADS
@ The Lipstick Lounge | 7:30pm | $7 at the door | 18+
Local, all-female glam/metal/punk outfit The Dead Deads have been 0n our radar for a while now (read this post), and we can say definitively that they wail. Give them the intimate confines of The Lipstick Lounge, and you sure to have a loud, intense, hot and sweaty mess of a show. Throw in some of the best karaoke in town after the performance, and you have the recipe for a kick ass night. Start practicing your interpretation of “Purple Rain” now. [JR]
VETIVER W/ SUN SEEKER
@ Mercy Lounge | 9pm | $15 | 18+
California freak folk jamsters Vetiver’s latest release, Complete Strangers, is a work of art, and worth a heavy listen. You can check them out in person for under a twenty spot, and with local chamber pop outfit Sun Seeker kicking things off (read this post), we are sure it’s worth every penny. So don’t waste a second of your weekend, and get out to see some live music. [JR]
HEATHEN SONS W/ LEAH BLEVINS AND SHANE PIASECKI
@ The Basement | 9pm | $5 | 21+
No Country Presents alum Heathen Suns will be shredding at the original Basement Friday, and it’s easily one of the top low dough shows of the weekend. For just five beans, you also get alt-country blues tinged singer songwriter Leah Blevins, and yet another alumnus of our Acme showcase, Shane Piasecki. We couldn’t give a bill much more of a stamp of approval, so be there or be lame. [JR]
SATURDAY
LITTLEFOOT W/ JORDN, DON KEW, AND RAIN
@ Exit/In | 8pm | $5 | 18+
Exit/In is keeping it urban hip this weekend. After the Hot Like Butta party on Friday night, they host a night of local hip hop on Saturday featuring some young rhyme slingers that are worthy of your attention. Get to know Littlefoot below, but get there early enough to check out all the talent, if you, like us, believe this is a sorely under-represented genre in Music City. [MH]
MARATHON VILLAGE BLOCK PARTY FT. KALEO, ROOTS OF A REBELLION, FUTURE THIEVES, SIMO, MATT WALBERG AND THE LIVING SITUATION
@ Marathon Music Works | 4pm | $15-55 | 18+
We’ve been hyping this one for over a month now, and we even gave away a pair of tickets for free. Now the time has finally come for the much anticipated Marathon Village Block Party. Icelandic indie pop rockers Kaleo will be headlining, with help from local reggae outfit (and Bonnaroo bound) Roots of a Rebellion, local Americana blues rockers Future Thieves, plus psych rockers SIMO and shredder Matt Walberg and his band The Living Situation. Doors to the venue open at 3 pm (music starts at 4), but get to the Marathon Village area even earlier to enjoy the “indie Nash” spring market, food trucks and the chill block party vibes. [JR]
NICOLE ATKINS W/ FORT FRANCES
@ The High Watt | 8pm | $10-12 | 18+
Art-pop singer/songwriter Nicole Atkins has been crafting songs about faded glamour, personal turmoil, and sharp hipster-culture takedowns since 2007. As a host of SiriusXM’s The Spectrum, it’s a treat to catch Atkins performing live in between her radio show duties. Chicago indie band Fort Frances opens up the night at The High Watt. [MH]
POLIÇA W/ MOTHXR
@ Mercy Lounge | 9pm | $15-17 | 18+
There are few groups out there with a sound as sexy and entrancing as Poliça. Their latest album, United Crushers, takes a more obvious political stance than any of their previous releases. Tackling everything from social injustice, the effects of gentrification and feelings of personal isolation, lead vocalist Channy Leaneagh puts her heart and soul into every line. You can hear it for yourself when they hit Mercy Lounge with Brooklyn’s buzzy synth-pop band MOTHXR this Saturday. [LL]
THE WALLFLOWERS W/ MARC SCIBILIA
@ Bridgestone Arena | 7pm | $35 | All Ages
Legends of late ‘90s roots rock revival, The Wallflowers are blowing through Music City to wow audience members at Bridgestone Arena. Almost everyone knows about frontman Jakob Dylan’s famous pedigree (his father is Bob Dylan), but did you know they’ve dropped six records since their 1994 debut? With such a wealth of songs to choose from, it’s sure to be a good one. Enjoy the song that put them on the map below, and don’t miss your chance to catch them live when they bring down the house with help from Marc Scibilia. [JR]
OBN III’S W/ HANS CONDOR & SOFT OPTION
@ The End | 9pm | $8 | 18+
Austin, TX based rock juggernaut OBN III‘s are known for their raucous live show, and are well known in the Nashville’s Dead / Freakin’ Weekend crowd. They are winding down a few weeks on the road with a couple of Tennessee dates, including Nashville on Saturday. They are paired up with blog faves Hans Condor and Soft Option for a low dough show that will let you take out your rock angst frustrations. Check out the sweet ass video for “No Time For The Blues” below to get an idea of what kind of party this is going to be. [MH]
SUNDAY
QUIET ENTERTAINER, CHIP GREENE, SHUT UP, DEAD CURES, AND JAMES FATE
@ The Basement | 8pm | $5 | 21+
Quiet Entertainer wraps a three day weekend “fest” at The Basement on Sunday with a live set, and sets from blog faves like Dead Cures, Chip Greene, and Shut Up. If you need a cheap chill to end your weekend, this is your final stop. Full weekend details can be found here. [MH]
THE FRONT BOTTOMS w/ BRICK + MORTAR, DIET CIG
@ Exit/In | 8pm | SOLD OUT | 18+
Seemingly out of nowhere, New Jersey indie rock/emo revivalists The Front Bottoms, a longtime underground favorite of ours, are suddenly blowing up. They grace the lineups of several prominent summer festivals this year, and their Nashville return, in support of their 2015 Fueled By Ramen-released fifth LP, Back on Top, is totally sold out; an impressive feat, considering they’ve always played smaller rooms in the past. Brick + Mortar and Diet Cig open, and if you managed to snag tickets when we announced the show earlier this year, you’re sure to have a blast. [PO]
B.O.B. w/ SCOTTY ATL, LONDON JAE
@ Mercy Lounge | 9pm | $15-20 | 18+
Unfortunate misunderstanding of the earth’s shape aside, there’s no denying that the thing that Atlanta’s B.o.B is actually famous for, his hop hop, is top notch. Though the young MC has yet to recapture the breakout success of his debut LP, 2010’s The Adventures of Bobby Ray, he’s still put out a respectable string of releases since, 2015’s Psycadelik Thoughtz being the latest. Supporting B.o.B are two artists from his No Genre imprint, Scotty ATL and London JAE, so if you’re looking for a solid rap show this weekend, this is not a bad option. [PO]
STRAY FROM THE PATH w/ ENTERPRISE EARTH, ANIMALITY, THRESHOLDS, HERETICS
@ The End | 7pm | $12-14 | All Ages
Looking for an all ages, low cost, hardcore show to finish out your weekend? Look no further. Long Island metalcore mavens Stray from the Path, still out in support last year’s Subliminal Criminals, headline this ferocious bill, which also boasts Enterprise Earth, Animality, and Thresholds, guaranteeing that if you want to spend your Sunday night in a most pit, you’ve got a place ready and waiting. [PO]
[JR] Jacob Ryan
[LL] Lorie Liebig
[MH] Matt Hall
[PO] Philip Obenschain