For a number of years, East Nashville Underground served as a quarterly, weekend-long, drunken get-together; a showcase of some of Nashville’s finest up and coming artists (many of whom have gone on to do some very impressive things since) that grew out of its basement beginnings to literally putting The East Room on the map. It’s been a little over two years since the festival’s final installment, but we often think back fondly, not only about the incredible music we were able to catch on such a regular basis, but about the community that formed around it. Yes, ENU was a nothing short of a family, and, as families do, they’ve announced a long-awaited reunion, set to take place over three nights (and one day) this weekend, Thursday Nov. 19 through Saturday, Nov. 21 at new east side hang The Basement East.
The “magical reunion” lineup is, naturally, stacked with a ton of blog faves, all ENU alumni. We’re getting you familiar through a series of posts. We brought Thursday and Friday previews already, plus more on Saturday’s day show, and, below, we’ve got the rundown on the Saturday evening bill, with ELEL, Ranch Ghost, Ri¢hie, Tesla Rossa, and DJ Jazzy Jazz. If you didn’t grab weekend tickets for $35 ($50 for VIP), you can get single day tickets at the door for $15, while supplies last. The show starts at 8 p.m. (doors at 7 p.m.), and the event is 21+.
Head below to get revved up, and have an awesome end to your reunion weekend!
TESLA ROSSA
For years now, we’ve raved about the rock and roll prowess of local outfit Tesla Rossa, and even premiered a couple of their tracks. Following a ton of early buzz, the group, whose sound veers across the rock spectrum from indie to alternative to pop, released their highly-anticipated full-length album last year, and, more recently dropped a tremendous new EP, Heat Bath. Their live show is something to behold, and, year after year, track after track, they only seem to get better and better. A constant staple in the Nashville live scene, Tesla Rossa are inevitably poised to break out in a major way; come relive ENU’s glory days with their Saturday night kickoff set.
RI¢HIE
We’ve watched party rocker Ri¢hie go from satire to a seriously good (if not super serious) live act over the past few years, often performing in some manor of themed costume, backed by a pretty solid set of dudes from other local bands, and always operating at the highest level of energy imaginable. Though it feels like it’s been a minute since he’s dropped any new tunes, Ri¢hie remains a dependable live staple, and is never anything short of a blast in concert.
RANCH GHOST
Another long-time Nashville fixture, Ranch Ghost have been a long-running staple in the ENU landscape, and are well-suited to helping make this festival reunion every bit as great as prior installments. With a handful of fantastic releases and through countless performances over the past few years, Ranch Ghost, with their ’60s-infused, psychedelic, and surf rock tendencies, have become one of Music City’s best under the radar acts. They’re always stellar live, but we probably don’t need to tell you that.
ELEL
You should know all about indie rockers ELEL by now, since we’ve literally been bringing you coverage on the group since their very first show. But, if you need the cliff notes, the Nashville collective, led by Ben Elkins, have been putting a synthy, afro-cuban inspired twist on pop and indie rock for a couple of years now, inking a deal with tastemaking label Mom + Pop for the release of their self-titled, debut EP earlier this year, ahead of a full-length next year. With international buzz, festival appearances, increased touring, and some high-profile placements, 2015 was a huge year for these talented locals, and they seem to be following in the steps of other ENU alumni like Wild Cub, soon to breakthrough into mainstream success and broader critical acclaim. We’re thrilled to see them come back to relive the good old days, and couldn’t have asked for a better choice to finish out ENU with.
DJ JAZZY JAZZ
While we’ve never actually counted, we’d wager that Brandon Jazz, whose DJ alter ego is DJ Jazzy Jazz, has probably played ENU more times than anyone else across his various projects, and especially with his late night DJ sets. A hell of an entertainer with impeccable musical taste, we can’t think of a more fitting way to end this magical reunion.
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