[REMINDER] Catch Waxahatchee & Hurray for the Riff Raff w/ Bedouine | TONIGHT @ The Basement East

Indie/folk tinged, Katie Crutchfield-helmed project Waxahatchee, and folk/Americana group Hurray for the Riff Raff, led by Alynda Segarra, have crafted some of our favorite albums and played some of the best shows we’ve seen of the past several years. Both bands we’ve had an eye on since their early days, the two acts have passed through Nashville regularly, but when they return tonight, April 26 for a performance at The Basement East, it’ll be for a perfectly-matched co-headliner. Joining Waxahatchee and HFTRR, who both put out career-high LPs last year, is buzzy, worldly, up and coming indie folk singer-songwriter Bedouine, whose gorgeous, eponymous debut ranks as one of 2017’s most essential under the radar releases. Tickets for this phenomenal bill are still available here, but they might not last, so grab yours now and read on for more.

WAXAHATCHEE

Hailing originally from Birmingham, Alabama, Waxahatchee, helmed by singer-songwriter Katie Crutchfield, is an eclectic, indie punk/folk driven project which first rose to critical prominence with the lo-fi, bedroom recording release of her 2012 debut American Weekend. Soon relocating to Brooklyn, and subsequently bouncing between New York and Philadelphia in the ensuing years, Crutchfield returned home to craft her followup, 2013’s Cerulean Salt, which showcased a more personal, actualized, and polished batch of songs, helping further her indie darling status and grow her fervent, organic fanbase, as she toured more frequently and made countless festival appearances. 2015’s emotionally resonant Ivy Tripp continued to broaden Waxatchee’s critical appeal and cult following, and with her latest LP, Out in the Storm, which arrived last year, Crutchfield crafted her most self-reflective and autobiographical effort to date, honing her sound and building on everything that came before. With a penchant for penning personal, soaring songs, Waxatchee is a project that deserves every bit of buzz she’s received over the past several years, and if you haven’t yet seen Crutchfield and her band live (or you have, and you already know how great they are), we strongly suggest you catch their move to the east side, after two stops in 2017 at Third Man (and numerous Music City outings in years prior).

HURRAY FOR THE RIFF RAFF

Like Waxahatchee, Hurray for the Riff Raff is a project helmed by a singular musical visionary, and filled out by talented players around her, in this case Alynda Segarra, a New York native of Puerto Rican descent who now calls New Orleans home. Queer, feminist, and raised on punk, Segarra makes music for the people she calls the “riff raff,” or those on the outskirts of society who are usually ignored by all forms of mainstream art and media. The group first spring up a decade ago, finding a sound rooted in American folk, blues, and Americana, self-releasing a few records before an eponymous 2011 label debut landed national attention (and first put them onto our radar, around the time we helped bring the group to Nashville). A series of full-lengths since have cemented HFTRR as critical darlings and a prolific, adventurous act, landing them at countless festivals, their music in a variety of placements, and attracting fans from a wide swath of backgrounds. Last year’s ATO release The Navigator might be the band’s best yet, something of a conceptual return to Segarra’s roots, and their live show, primed by years of constant touring, is a must-see.

BEDOUINE

Born Azniv Korkejian in Syria to Armenian parents, and raised in Saudi Arabia before her family was able to relocate to America, where they bounced between various disparate cities, Bedouine is a truly worldly artist, who came into her own musically after immersing herself into LA’s indie folk scene. Her understated, beautiful, self-titled debut, which dropped last year, navigates her childhood and some of the geopolitical happenings that shaped her life and brought her to America, all with a hypnotic, calming, and earnest appeal that feels at home on the Spacebomb Records roster (who’ve also facilitated dreamy, retro folk artists like Natalie Prass). With less overt punk ties than either of the evening’s headliners. Bedouine will nonetheless be a folky, substantive, and buzzworthy opener that you should make a point to arrive early to see.

Waxahatchee, Hurray for the Riff Raff, and Bedouine will perform tonight, April 26 at The Basement East. The show is 18+, begins at 8 p.m. (doors at 7 p.m.), and tickets are available to purchase for $22.