TWiN | This Week in Nashville | July 6-8

It’s the first full weekend of July, and while the spring and summer season of Musician’s Corner has come to a close, and we’re still recovering form a mid-week Independence Day celebration, plenty of options abound for those looking to have a musical weekend. From Grammy winning pop stars to promising indie rock up and comers, local punk, funk, indie, alternative, and Americana to classic rockers, competitions, touring artists, and more, there’s plenty to pick from as the summer rolls on. Start making plans with our latest edition of TWiN!

FRIDAY

BOTTOM BRACKET, PETERS JACKET, PORTSMOUTH, PULASKI
@ The Beehive | 7pm | $5 | All Ages

One of the coolest shows of the weekend is a Friday night house show at The Beehive (ask a punk for the address), headed up by Illinois mathy emo act Bottom Bracket. For just $5, you also get lo-fi indie/emo act Peters Jacket, alt/emo outfit Portsmouth, and alt punks Pulaski, all local and some of the most understand acts in Nashville’s underground scene. If you like thoughtful, emotional, earnest emo and indie punk, this will be a highlight of the entire week. [PO]

THE PLEASANT TENSE, BLOND BONES, ZIGTEBRA, PLASTIC FRIENDS
@ The Cobra | 8pm | $5 | 21+

You can always count on rock dive bar The Cobra for cool, wallet-friendly, under the radar weekend affairs, and Friday night’s option is no exception. For just five bucks, you get genere-bending local soulful rockers The Pleasant Tense, surf-tinged dreamy indie pop group Blond Bones, Chicago spooky synth pop duo Zigtebra, and Bowling Green and Nashville based alt rockers Plastic Friends– a solid bill from top to bottom! [PO]

LIGHTNING 100’s MUSIC CITY MAYHAM: VACATION MANOR, BORN ANIMAL, JOEL LEVI, JACKSON BRUCK, WILD LOVE
@ Marathon Music Works | 7pm (6pm doors) | FREE | All Ages

Per annual tradition, Lightning 100’s Music City Mayhem is once again underway, with a spot at Live on the Green at stake (as well as heavy radio play, and a sweet distribution package, merch, recording session, music video session, and more, all geared to help kickstart an artist on the rise). This year’s competition has come down to four well-deserved local acts: Vacation Manor, Born Animal, Joel Levi, and Jackson Bruck, plus wild card Wild Love, who’ve progressed to this final showdown through a battle of the bands style bracket. Be there in person to see them for free, and cast your vote to help determine this year’s final winner. [PO]

CHUCK PROPHET & THE MISSION EXPRESS w/ JEREMY AND THE HARLEQUINS
@ The Basement East | 8pm (7pm doors) | $15 | 18+

Acclaimed singer-songwriter Chuck Prophet first rose to recognition in the ’80s as part of Green on Red, the group he joined after relocating to San Francisco from his native Whittier, CA. Shifting from psychedelic and desert rock-tinged early efforts, influencing the Paisley Underground movement, to more country-leaning songs with later releases, the band provided a launchpad for Prophet’s prolific solo career, which began with 1990’s Brother Aldo. In the near three decades since, Chuck has become a staple of the alt-country scene and an in-demand, successful songwriter, drawing comparisons to artists like Ray Davies and Tom Petty. A gifted singer and lyricist with eclectic musical sensibilities, Prophet’s music has been featured in numerous films and TV shows, and he’s collaborated with or written for the likes of Lucinda Williams, Jonathan Richman, Heart, and even Bruce Springsteen. Throughout the ’00s, the singer has found something of a second wind, first through New West Records then more recently Yep Roc, where a prolific stream of full-lengths, most recently 2017’s Bobby Fuller Died for Your Sins, have garnered attention both stateside and abroad. See his return Friday at The Basement East, along with Jeremy and the Harlequins. [PO]

FOREIGNER w/ WHITESNAKE, JASON BONHAM’S LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE
@ Ascend Amphitheater | 7pm | $32.95-$125 | All Ages

Aficionados of ’80s rock rejoice, because two legends of the era are ready to bring you the tunes you love. Although their lineup has shuffled many times over the years, headliner Foreigner have been going strong since the late 1970s, and they are easily up to the task of serenading the masses with a linty of soft rock hits. Look for legends of hair and glam metal, Whitesnake, to help make this an epic night of nostalgia, and Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience to get things started on a very high note. [JR]

SCATTERED HAMLET w/ THEM VIBES, THE GREAT AFFAIRS, BORN CROOKED
@ Little Harpeth Brewing | 8pm (7pm doors) | $10-18 | 18+

Self described hillbilly rock and rollers Scattered Hamlet will be kicking off a busy month of July, starting their tour this weekend in Nashville, with help from some super talented local performers. Look for blog favorites Them Vibes, plus pop rockers The Great Affairs, and alt garage rock duo Born Crooked to all jumpstart a kickass night of awesome tunes. So that’s three resident rock outfits, plus a touring national act, PLUS excess to awesome locally brewed beers, all for under twenty bucks; seems like more than a fair deal to us!  [JR]

RUSTY SHIPP, 5 STORIES, ANCHOR THIEVES, THEM FIXES
@ The Local | 9pm (8pm doors) | $7-10

SATURDAY

SAM SMITH w/ CAM
@ Bridgestone Arena | 8pm | $31.35-120.50 | All Ages

The ascent of soulful English pop singer Sam Smith over the last several years has been staggering and well-deserved. After first rising to prominence guesting on Disclosure’s “Latch,” Smith found widespread critical and commercial success for his 2014 debut, In the Lonely Hour, which garnered multiple Grammys and saw massive hits in tracks like “Stay With Me,” “Lay Me Down,” and “I’m Not the Only One.” Last year’s “The Thrill of It All” proved just as worthy a followup, and Smith returns to headline Bridgestone with local breakout country singer Cam, at the start of what’s shaping up to be a long and flourishing pop career. [PO]

POOL KIDS, PEPPER SAID, NOSEDIVER
@ The Beehive | 7pm | $5 | All Ages

For a second night in a row, DIY space The Beehive is the spot to be for fans of a under the radar, substantive, earnest emo, indie and punk. In from Florida, up and comers Pool Kids adopt a mathy, lo-fi indie sound we can’t get enough of. They’re joined by poppy local indie rocker Pepper Said as well as Nosediver, all for just five bucks! [PO]

SUPER DOPPLER, LASSO SPELLS, REVERENDS, CAZZ VI & THE IMMIGRANTS
@ The East Room | 8pm | $7 | 18+

Southern fried psych rockers Super Doppler are in from Norfolk, Virginia, and ready to melt some skulls at the East Room this weekend. They’re topping off a staked bill booked to celebrate the second full year of the Nashville Psych Alliance’s existence, and some other familiar faces will be helping to make the party easily one of the best gigs of the weekend. Friends of the blog Lasso Spells, plus Atlanta shoegaze space rockers Reverends, and Cazz VI & The Immigrants (featuring members of Kansas Bible Company) will help make this birthday bash (of sorts) one to remember. If you love Nashville’s underground psych scene, or you want to see what said scene is all about, this show is a must see. [JR]

SHANGHAI THEATER, FUGLY SCREW & THE 2×4’s, RECKLESS THREAT, SMALL WARS
@ The Cobra | 8pm | $5 | 21+

Another cheap, cool find for fans of punk, locals Shanghai Theater and Fugly Screw & the 2×4’s top a bill of rowdy, raucous punk and alt rock acts, which also features Knoxville punk purists Reckless Threat and Knoxville and Nashville based Small Wars, all at a price that won’t put a dent in your wallet. [PO]

STAYING FOR THE WEEKEND w/ MILLENNIALS, LUKE KRUTZKE & THE HIGH TIDES
@ The High Watt | 9pm (8pm doors) | $5-8 | 18+

A local group we’ve been buzzing about now for a number of years, indie garage rockers Staying For The Weekend mix anthemic, pop energy with stylish, garage rock fuzz, making them both substantive and accessible, and always a blast in concert. The young group have really experimented with and honed their sound since they fell onto our radar in 2012, and with their eponymous new EP, which they’re celebrating with a show at The High Watt, they’re sounding especially poised to be Nashville next breakout garage rock success story. Millennials and Luke Krutzke & The High Tides support, and the cover is a bargain. [PO]

ZAC CLARK (of Andrew McMahon and the Wilderness) w/ BOB OXBLOOD, KATIE PRUITT
@ The Basement | 9pm (8:30pm doors) | $10-12 | 21+

Multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Zac Clark has been traveling the world the last few years as part of Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, but that hasn’t stopped him from release two full-length solo LPs, with a third on the way. The Vermont native is on the road this summer to celebrate, featuring a stacked live band and support from Bob Oxblood and Katie Pruitt, when he brings his spaced out, country tinged indie rock to The Basement this weekend. [PO]

MOUNTAINWALKER, ISAAC GILL, KACIE WILLIAMS
@ The Local | 5pm | FREE

If you’re jonesing for some free fun this weekend, The Local has a cool early bill to get your Saturday started right. No Country Presents alum Mountainwalker, a poetic, alternative hip hop rooted performer tops the bill, along with indie folk singer Isaac Gill and earnest, powerful singer-songwriter Kacie Williams. That’s a lot of local talent worth paying for, but fortunately this show is totally free. [PO]

THE AQUADUCKS, AARON KAMM & THE ONE DROPS w/ PLAINVIEW VIBES
@ Exit/In | 9pm (8pm doors) | $7-10 | 18+

Funk-tastic party starters The Aquaducks are easily one of our favorite local bands to watch live, so whenever we see that they’re headlining a bill anywhere in town, we’re probably going to have to tell you about it. Throw in reggae and blues flavored jam outfit Aaron Kamm & The One Drops, down from St. Louis, and openers Plainview Vibes, and you have the recipe for a spectacularly eclectic night of tunes. This might be one of the best value tickets of the weekend, but if you attend, you better be ready to shake your groove thing, because people will be dancing up a storm all night long! [JR]

THE EAST SIDE GAMBLERS w/ DENMAN
@ Mercy Lounge | 9pm (8pm doors) | $10 | 18+

SUNDAY

SNAIL MAIL w/ BONNY DOON, REALITY SOMETHING
@ Mercy Lounge | 8pm (7pm doors) | $12-14 | 18+

The solo vehicle of 19 year old Baltimore based indie rocker Lindsey Jordan, Snail Mail absolutely blew us away with her 2016 debut EP, Habit. The earnest, lo-fi, folk-informed effort is a personal, raw emotional masterpiece of an album, and firmly established Jordan as an artist to keep an eye on before she was even out of high school. Now signed to Matador, Snail Mail just dropped her even better full-length debut, Lush, on June 8, and ahead of its release, has already toured with the likes of Girlpool, Waxahatchee, Beach Fossils, and Japanese Breakfast. Needless to say, this young talent is gifted beyond her years, and alongside kindred spirits like Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus, Soccer Mommy, Liza Anne, and Jay Som, is helping firmly establish a new wave of lo-fi, intimate, substantive indie rock that feels more personal and relevant than just about anything else in the rock sphere today. She plays her biggest Nashville show yet this Sunday, at Mercy Lounge with Bonny Doon and Reality Something, and for our money, it’s the top pick of the whole weekend. Head here to find out more. [PO]

GREG POPE AND THE POPMONSTERS, THE APARTMENT CLUB, THE LONELY OWLS
@ The Cobra | 8pm | $7 | 21+

There are an abundance of budget-friendly local happenings this weekend, and The Cobra has yet another enticing option happening Sunday night. Greg Pope and the Popmonsters play gloriously catchy, expansive, new wave-y power pop and indie, which’ll have you hooked from first note. The Nashville group are joined by South Carolina alt/indie rockers The Apartment Club and local psych/indie rock outfit The Lonely Owls– a wonderful pairing of complimentary acts sure to end your weekend right. [PO]

DIAL DRIVE, THE CRIMSON GHOSTS, NO LOVES, BALMORA
@ Springwater Supper Club | 8pm | $5 | 21+

On the road from Florida, Dial Drive play fast, loud, old school pop punk that we don’t hear enough of nowadays. The group head up a cool, off the beaten path $5 bill at Springwater on Sunday, also featuring surf rock Misfits tribute The Crimson Ghosts, as well as local rockers No Loves and heavy rockers Balmora. Fans of loud, no-bs rock and punk can’t go wrong with this one. [PO]

SUNDAES, HOUSTON KENDRICK, SILLYKING DENNY
@ The East Room | 7pm | $5 | 18+

We’ve been intrigued by local project Sundaes since first stumbling upon their debut EP last year. With New York roots, the project appears to be largely solo, sometimes fleshed out by a full band in person, and wavers between dreamy, indie rock, dance-laden electro rock, and intimate, deconstructed folk. Along with soulful, alternative hip hop artist Houston Kendrick, and local underground rapper Sillyking Denny, this is perhaps one of the coolest under the radar finds of the whole weekend, and at just $5, a super cool way to sample some of the best Nashville talent on the rise. [PO]

FERO LUX, OFFHAND, BAZOOKATOOTH, WITHERWILT
@ That 70’s House | 7pm | $5 | All Ages

It’s a weekend full of solid DIY and inexpensive options, and dependable house space That 70’s House has another cool show on deck for Sunday. Florida mathcore outfit Fero Lux, celebrating their new LP Cheap Funeral: For You, top the lineup, along with local hardcore group Offhand, punk outfit Bazookatooth, and mathy, sludgy noise rockers Witherwilt. This is a great bet for hardcore fans- just be sure you respect the house. [PO]

BISHOP GUNN w/ MAGNOLIA BAYOU
@ 3rd and Lindsley | 8pm (6pm doors) | $10 | All Ages

Mississippi bred, Nashville based rockers Bishop Gunn have earned the top spot in another wonderful Lightning 100 presents Nashville Sunday Nights showcase at 3rd and Lindsley. Hot on the heels of their stellar new full-length release, entitled Natchez, the band have been generating more and more much-deserved positive press, including a mention in Rolling Stone, and we can’t wait to see for ourselves what all the buzz is about live and in person. Blues rock outfit (also hailing from Mississippi) Magnolia Bayou will tip off a distinctly southern delta inspired night of awesome tunes. Don’t let another Sunday night pass you by, get out and enjoy live music! [JR]

THE SOCIAL ANIMALS w/ BILL EBERLE
@ The Basement | 8pm (7:30pm doors) | $7-10 | 21+

JODY BEE, CALI CASH, GEE SMIFF, MRJUNBUG, DNK, LIL MERK
@ The End | 7pm (6pm doors) | $11 | 18+

[JR] Jacob Ryan
[PO] Philip Obenschain