Live On The Green Rolls On Tonight With Dawes, Kurt Vile & The Violators, and The Record Company

Live on the Green kicked off the first two weeks of their 2016 season with a bang. Week one featured a spectacular lineup of Andra Day, Allen Stone, and White Denim, and then they managed to set the bar even higher in week two with Jenny Lewis, Passenger, and JR JR. It’s not going to slow up this week either when the annual free outdoor fest continues tonight, Aug. 25 at Public Square Park with another unbelievable bill featuring Dawes, Kurt Vile & The Violators, and The Record Company.

Following the format adopted a couple years back, and expanded last year, Live on the Green this will wrap up the weekly Thursday format after this week, and, next week, they will host an epic three-day, two-stage Labor Day finale on Sept. 1 through Sept. 3. Per usual, LOTG is free and all ages, and music will run from 6:15 p.m. to 11 p.m. Gates open at 5 p.m., and there will be plenty of food and beer vendors on site to meet your needs. Parking is just $5 at the Public Square Park Garage below the festival site, and various other garages and street parking options are available on the surrounding blocks, as well as across the bridge at LP Field. Finally, if you’re looking to up the ante on your LOTG experience, VIP tickets and backstage passes are typically available for purchase, however they generally sell out in advance. Find out more about this week’s installment below, and find out more about the entire season on Live on the Green’s site.

DAWES

Born out of the ashes of Los Angeles indie/post-punk outfit Simon Dawes, Dawes have managed a quick and well-deserved ascent in their seven year lifespan. Made up of brothers Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith, and rounded out by Wylie Gelber and Duane Betts, the group’s rootsy, folk-rock aesthetic is the product of early jam sessions with the likes of Conor Oberst, Chris Robinson, and Pat Sansone. Influenced by the “Laurel Canyon Sound,” the band have adopted a nostalgic, rock informed flavor of folk, which has nabbed them tours with the likes of Oberst, Mumford & Sons, Shovels and Rope, and M. Ward, and helped them quickly become road warriors and festival mainstays, graduating to big stages just a couple years into their career. Dawes have steadily released LPs every other year since their 2009 debut North Hills, and are currently gearing up to break the odd year cycle with the release of We’re All Gonna Die on Sept. 16. Known for their engaging, authentic live performance, the band have played the Nashville area numerous times over the years, most recently at last year’s Pilgrimage and Bonnaroo festivals, and their own headlining show at The Ryman. Their live show is definitely not to be missed, and, framed in Public Square Park, they should fit right in the vibe of Live On The Green. Dig into their latest single “When The Tequila Runs Out” to get a taste of how you will end your night.

KURT VILE & THE VIOLATORS

Kurt Vile was raised in Philadelphia, and first made a name for himself as co-founder of The War On Drugs in 2005. He broke out on his own with the release of his debut solo album, Constant Hitmaker, in 2008. Though revered in a cultish way by music aficionados, that album didn’t gain mainstream appeal, nor did his subsequent three albums. It was the release of Wakin’ On A Pretty Daze (which won our Best of 2013 staff poll) that really put Vile and his backing band, The Violators, on the map with universal stellar reviews, and last year’s follow up record, b’lieve i’m goin down, which again ranked high in our staff poll, has further cemented his rising star status. Vile’s success is largely due to the wide array of audience demographics that he can reach with his heady guitar playing and arrangements that provide swirling soundscapes to get lost in, but also his ability to craft ear worm singles that you find yourself humming for days upon days. He’s been a regular fixture in the Nashville area of late, headlining Marathon Music Works early this year, returning to pay homage to Bob Dylan later in the spring, and playing a killer Sunday afternoon Bonnaroo set earlier this summer. If you have somehow missed the boat on Vile, or didn’t get the chance to catch him earlier this year, there really isn’t an excuse for you to miss his LOTG set.

THE RECORD COMPANY

Based in Los Angeles, buzzy blues rock trio The Record Company’s roots can be traced to 2010, when frontman Chris Vos relocated from his home of Wisconsin to pursue a dream of making music full time. After getting in touch with bassist/multi-instrumentalist Alex Stiff and meeting drummer Marc Cazorla, the three discovering their shared, common interest in blues, roots, and classic rock. An initial jam would prove immediate chemistry, and “The Record Company” was born as soon as they realized the name had inexplicably not yet been taken. On the strength of two early, independent EPs, 2012’s Superdead and 2013’s Feels So Good, and thanks to hard work and self-marketing , the band soon bagged a jaw dropping assortment of TV and film placements, most prominently the center piece for a Miller Lite ad. Their debut full-length, Give It Back to You, arrived earlier this year through Concord Music Group, but even before that release, the band managed to play numerous festivals, and to share the stage with the likes of B.B. King, Social Distortion, Buddy Guy, and Grace Potter. Blending delta blues, soul, ’50s and ’60s rock, protopunk, and guitar rock influences, The Record Company are right at home on the airwaves of Lightning 100, and they make perfect sense to kick off week 3 of LOTG with a bang.