Two similarly genre-bending, pop accessible, buzzyworthy breakout acts, Brooklyn’s American Authors and LA’s Magic Giant, both no strangers to Nashville, are teaming up for an inspired co-headlining tour, which brings them back to Music City Feb. 19 for a show at The Basement East. With support from Cincinnati kindred spirits Public, this show is a must for fans of catchy, modern, and fun rock and pop, and tickets are still available right here while they last! Read on for more about the show, and enter for a chance to win below.
AMERICAN AUTHORS
While one-upping their massive, career-making 2013 breakout single “Best Day of My Life” has seemingly proved to be somewhat elusive, Boston formed, Brooklyn based alt/indie/pop rockers American Authors have nonetheless stayed a consistent presence on the rock landscape in subsequent years, appearing at virtually every festival you can think of, and releasing two more solid full-lengths, most recently last year’s Seasons. Technically formed all the way back in 2006 (though not known as American Authors until 2012, shortly before springing to national fame), the band members- frontman Zac Barnett, guitarist James Adam Shelley, bassist Dave Rublin, and drummer Matt Sanchez- met while attending the Berklee College of Music in Boston, spending their early years as The Blue Pages, under which they released several records and toured with acts like Cash Cash. After relocating to Brooklyn and changing their name, but retaining their original lineup, American Authors perfected their infectious pop and alt rock sound, incorporating elements of folk and even hip hop across three successful and nuanced releases. Early tunes like “Believer” and “Best Day of My Life,” the latter one of the most widely placed songs across commercials, trailers, games, and beyond in recent memory, coupled with an electrifying live show, helped the band find early success, and by the time their first album Oh, What a Life, dropped in 2014, they were already a major new act to watch. Subsequent years have seen huge tours, festivals, television appearances and more, with 2016 sophomore effort What We Live For producing another breakout track, “Go Big or Go Home,” and 2019’s Nashville-recorded Seasons flexing the band’s range with more ambition and complexity. A group we’ve enjoyed watching play Nashville since their earliest days, American Authors’ return is guaranteed to be one of the winter’s most fun events!
MAGIC GIANT
Essentially primed to be a perfect festival band and an accessible and uplifting act for fans and newcomers alike, LA’s Magic Giant are made up of three eclectic and accomplished multi-instrumentalists, whose sensibilities meld to produce a bold, infectiously catchy, bombastic, and slick brand of poppy indie folk, drawing comparisons to acts like Imagine Dragons, The Lumineers, and Walk the Moon (and certainly sharing a sonic kinship with American Authors). Formed in 2014, the band released an eponymous debut EP the following year, swiftly earning press and landing them on the bill of festivals like Electric Forest, Wanderlust, and Lightning in a Bottle. With 2017’s debut full-length, In the Wind, and breakout singles like “Window” and, particularly, “Set on Fire,” the group have found their stock rapidly rise, appearing on the road with the likes of Mike Posner, The Revivalists, and Atlas Genius, and debuting at events like Firefly, WayHome, and Coachella, met with positive praise from the likes of NPR, Rolling Stone, and Billboard. Catchy, joyous, and seasoned in concert, Magic Giant haven’t made it to Nashville as often as American Authors in their swift but exciting run, despite having ties to Music City, and with new music starting to arrive, their inclusion is all the more reason to make this outing a top priority!
PUBLIC
Made up of high school friends John Vaughan, Matt Alvarado, and Ben Lapp, buzzy alt/pop trio Public were already amassing a cult fan base and online buzz by the release of their debut EP, Red, in 2012. In the years since, the Cincinnati released numerous well-received singles, another EP, 2017’s Sweet Lemonade, and have been a regular touring fixture, sharing the stage with groups like Twenty One Pilots, Neon Trees, and Walk the Moon, and appearing at fests like Forecastle, SXSW, CMJ, and Bunbury. Energetic, genere-bending, and endlessly catchy, they’re a perfect match to open this show, and, though Public have been around for a few years already, it feels like they’re only just getting started, poised to break out in a major way before long. Don’t sleep on their opening set!
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ENTER TO WIN TICKETS
Enter to win tickets by filling out the form below. 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 Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 6 p.m. CST, and will receive one pair of tickets. Good luck!
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American Authors, Magic Giant, and Public will perform Wednesday, Feb. 19 at The Basement East. The show is all ages, begins at 7:30 p.m. (doors at 6:30 p.m.), and tickets are available to purchase for $25-28.
