Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 21, because we’re partnering up with our friends over at Palaver Records to bring you the second annual East Nashville Crawfish Bash, a free day-long event with crawfish, beer, and music from some of our favorite local bands. This year ELEL, The Gills, The JAG, Twiggs, The Beech Benders, KiND, Glen Martin, and Whoa Dakota are some of the acts that will be playing starting at 11 a.m. in the grassy lot next to Bongo Java in Five Points. Crawfish will be provided by Sehrt Seafood and beer will come from Yazoo Brewery.
While the event itself is free, VIP passes are available that get you a pound of crawfish, $1 off beer all day, and either a commemorative koozie or t-shirt for $10 or $30 respectively. We’re giving away a pair of VIP passes to one lucky reader, so read on to find out more about the bands in the lineup and enter for your chance to win.
ELEL
The indie pop band ELEL are prepping their debut full-length record Geode to be released this summer, and if the success of their already released singles and EP is any indication, this could be a monster summer for the talented Nashville stars. We’ve been raving about them for forever, so, if you are somehow still in the dark, get familiar below.
THE GILLS
The alt rock band The Gills just released their self-titled debut full-length record this spring. Their new material is grittier than their previous pop-rock sound heard on 2012’s Motor Running. They also took hilarious advantage of the fact that their single “Lemonade” was unfortunately released on the same day that Beyonce’s album of the same title was surprise-released by making a parody trailer for their own video.
THE JAG
The JAG are a psych rock quintet that dropped their sophomore record Pondermental Wonderment in Hypocricity in the fall. Frontman Aaron Tyler King told us at that time that the three year wait between albums was taken for him to go through personal struggles and that the album takes some jabs at Nashville’s music industry.
THE BEECH BENDERS
The Beech Benders are an instrumental surf rock band with such an animated live show they more than make up for not having a singer. Their music is inspired by ’60s surf, spaghetti western soundtracks, and the desert. The talented musicians in the group have been in other Nashville bands, and they released their first official singles back in February.
TWIGGS
The blues-rock group TWIGGS have been on our radar for awhile, having played one of our Acme showcases and been covered by us consistently since their 2013 self-titled album was released. Their 2015 follow up continues to spotlight their firm grasp on bluesy Americana-rock infused with a tinge of grunge and haunting male/female harmonies.
KiND
The electropop band KiND started out as a side project, but we’re convinced that they’ll turn into much more than that based on the reception of their first album Eunoia and their killer live show. Check out the video for their single “Gloss” that we premiered last summer below to get a taste.
GLEN MARTIN
Americana singer/songwriter Glen Martin is a native of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and a fan of all the nostalgic music of America’s old timey past, from Hank Williams to Neil Young to acoustic Bob Dylan.
WHOA DAKOTA
The bluesy singer Whoa Dakota has taken on a more poppy, electronic sound in her recent music with the release of her new EP I’m a Liar last year. We’ve been talking about her for awhile, and she wowed us with her live performance at Acme last year, so if you haven’t heard her new stuff, take a listen to the single “Banshee” below.
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ENTER TO WIN TICKETS
Enter to win tickets by filling out the form below. Must be 18+ to enter. After you have entered, there will be the option to share this contest via social media. For each person that you refer to the contest, you will receive an additional entry. If you experience any trouble with the contest widget, or have any questions, feel free to email us at [email protected].
Winner will be announced Thursday, May 19, and will receive one pair of VIP tickets. Good luck!
[contesthopper contest=”74123″]
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The East Nashville Crawfish Bash will happen Saturday, May 21 at the grassy lot next to Bongo Java in Five Points. The show is free, all ages, and begins at 11 a.m. If you’re not lucky enough to win the pair of VIP passes described above, they are available for purchase for $10 and $30.