[REMINDER] Don’t Miss Arlie w/ Briston Maroney | TONIGHT @ Mercy Lounge

Though newcomers to the local rock scene, Vanderbilt-bred, retro-infused, pop-primed rockers Arlie have had a pretty stellar year, with major festival appearances (Bonnaroo, SXSW, Live on the Green), national tours, a major label record deal ahead of their debut EP, and ever-growing buzz, making their hometown headliner tonight, Dec. 7 at Mercy Lounge, as much a victory lap as it is an exciting end of year appearance. Primed to be Nashville’s next big breakout rock act, Arlie’s live show has been honed from a year on the road, and after the recent release of their first EP, Wait, it’s a great time to see them with more tunes in their arsenal. Tapped for support, local singer-songwriter Briston Maroney is enjoying a new wave of buzz for his latest and best EP to date, Carnival, and helps makes this billing even more essential. Grab tickets here, then read on for more about the show!

ARLIE

If you’re dialed into the up and coming local rock scene, you undoubtedly often see bands spring out of Belmont and MTSU, but Vanderbilt, perhaps the most academically prestigious local school of all, seems to less frequently incubate musical acts- which is why buzzy new group’s Arlie‘s alma mater (most of them anyway- one member did, in fact, hail from Belmont) first caught our eye. The roots of the project trace back a few years, when frontman Nathaniel Banks started taking his solo music in a different direction, eventually recruiting Adam Lochemes and Carson Lystad to fill out a proper band in late 2016. With the early 2017 release of their debut single, “Big Fat Mouth,” Arlie managed both to attract an enthusiastic local following (largely of fellow students) and to find national acclaim throughout the blogosphere, earning enough buzz to begin to tour. Through last year and into early 2018, Arlie gained further buzz through a string of additional tracks, “Didya Think” and “blackboard.edu,” each release further honing their dreamy, indie, lo-fi, and alternative rock that simultaneously channels both retro psychedelic vibes along with more modern indie. In the months before finally releasing their debut EP, Wait, which just arrived in September (and spawned even more buzzworthy jams, like “Barcelona Boots” and “Water Damage”), the band played SXSW, toured with Rostam, debuted at Bonnaroo and Live on the Green, and inked a deal with Atlantic, all stunning accomplishments for a group of any size, but especially one without a record, putting them on course to become Nashville’s next exciting rock and roll success story. If you haven’t check out Arlie yet, there’s no better time than a hometown headliner, and if you have, then you already know this is a must-see show.

BRISTON MARONEY

Knoxville raised, Nashville based singer-songwriter Briton Maroney first found a taste of fame as a contestant on American Idol several years back while still in his teens, but these days, the young singer has branched out far beyond his reality TV days to become an eclectic, well-rounded, and exciting artist to watch. Taking time to refine his sound and style, Maroney found critical praise and a growing new fanbase with his excellent 2017 EP Big Shot, and with a handful of singles since, culminating in stellar recent EP Carnival, continues to flex his interesting range as a songwriter and instrumentalist. New single “Under My Skin,” particularly, channels a longtime love of blues rock with a folk flair, landing in the vein of contemporary greats like Jack White and Dawes. Those are some lofty comparisons, but so far, Maroney hasn’t failed to impress, and this up and comer is a songwriter you should be keeping a close eye on. Show up early and see what he’s all about!

Arlie and Briston Maroney will perform tonight, Dec. 7 at Mercy Lounge. The show is 18+, begins at 8 p.m. (doors at 7 p.m.), and tickets are available to purchase for $12-14.