Tag: alternative

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Concert Photography

The Pretty Reckless at Bridgestone Arena

Is there anyone else you’d rather be singing about going to hell with than The Pretty Reckless? We didn’t think so. The band opened for Shinedown on The Revolution’s Live Tour, following Diamante and stepping onstage to a warmed up crowd. The Pretty Reckless had previously had to cancel their own headlining tour twice due to the pandemic, so it was a long-awaited sight for all to see them performing live.

The Pretty Reckless kicked off their set with a bang and a cover of Soundgarden’s “Loud Love” before moving into their own “Since You’re Gone” followed by their most recent single “Only Love Can Save Me Now.” Frontwoman Taylor Momsen had the crowd sing along with the call and response in “Heaven Knows,” while also asking for audience help singing “Going to Hell,” where everyone enthusiastically screamed the lyrics. “Going to Hell” featured a guitar solo by Ben Phillips, where he walked the length the runway and treated us to a couple of minutes of pure guitar goodness.

With a truly stacked setlist, they fit as many fan-favorites as they could in the 8 song set, which only left the audience wanting more.

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Concert Photography

Shinedown at Bridgestone Arena

Shinedown stopped by Nashville with only a few shows left on the Revolution’s Live Tour. Shinedown formed in the early 2000’s, so they’re no strangers to the stage, and they certainly gave us all a show. With an opening to the set that celebrated getting back out to tour after shutting down for the pandemic, the members walked proudly out on stage to the deafening cheers of the audience. That would be the last time for the night that anything as slow as walking would be done on the stage.

Starting us off with “The Saints of Violence and Innuendo,” the energy in the arena could not reach a higher peak. Lead vocalist Brent Smith had the arena with their hands in the air while guitarist Zach Meyers and bassist Eric Bass ran up and down the runway, giving their all into their instruments, and drummer Barry Kerch kept up the headbanging at the back of the stage. Towards the end of the song, the stage was lit up with pillars of flames, making the audience roar along with Smith.

The energy, of course, did not dim throughout the night. Shinedown played old favorites and new, including the title track off of their upcoming seventh studio album Planet Zero which comes out July 1st.

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Concert Photography

alt-J // The Dream Tour

Nashville celebrated the night of Mardi Gras by attending the co-headlined Dream Tour at Nashville Municipal Auditorium, and alt-J was the final band to play. alt-J opened up their set with “Something Good,” and revealed to the audience the screened-in box that made up their stage. Projected images danced across those screens, resulting in visuals that were ethereal, abstract, and mesmerizing.

alt-J played songs off of their latest album The Dream, including “Bane” and “U&ME.” The screens around the stage lifted for the duration of “Matilda,” in which the audience was invited to sing along to the more intimate song, and then the screens came back down for the rest of the night. Along with the new music, alt-J played all of our old favorites, closing out the show with “Left Hand Free” and “Breezeblocks.”

Take a look at our gallery for photos of the night!

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Concert Photography

Portugal. The Man at Nashville Municipal Auditorium

Nashville celebrated the night of Mardi Gras by attending the co-headlined Dream Tour at Nashville Municipal Auditorium. Portugal. The Man took the stage before alt-J, playing fan-favorite singles such as “Live in the Moment” and “Feel It Still,” along with their latest “What, Me Worry?” The audience raved for the wild light show that accompanied the set, and sang their hearts out as Portugal. The Man ended their portion of the show with “Purple Yellow Red and Blue.”

And the most meaningful part of the night was just before Portugal. The Man took the stage, where they acknowledged and honored the Indigenous people whose land they were performing on. In this case, the Cherokee and Shawnee tribes, among others. The moment was much appreciated by all in attendance.

Take a look at our gallery for images from the night!

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Concert Photography

iDKHOW at Brooklyn Bowl

I Don’t Know How But They Found Me opened up their show in Nashville on February 21st with their latest hit “Leave Me Alone” to the delight of hundreds of fans. They kept the energy high up until the proclaimed sad portion of the show where they played “Need You Here” and “Door” before moving into the proclaimed selfish portion of the evening. Here, lead singer Dallon Weekes decided to play a cover of “Someday” by The Strokes just for his own enjoyment.

iDKHOW also included a couple of songs from The Brobecks, the former band of Weekes and drummer Ryan Seaman. The band had the crowd sing along during these two songs, even going as far as to have the audience harmonize, which was a daring decision with beautiful results.

They closed out the show with fan-favorite “Razzmatazz” while teasing that it was up to everyone at Brooklyn Bowl if that was going to be their last song or not. Of course, the crowd chose encore performances.

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Concert Photography

Walk the Moon and Jany Green

On November 2nd, St. Louis gathered at The Pageant to see headliner Walk the Moon – who were back for the first time since 2018 – and opener Jany Green on the Dream Plane Tour.

Jany Green kicked off the high-energy show, and had everyone moving and dancing early in the night, especially while singing his hit single “Little.” Though only joined on stage by his drummer, Jany Green had no lack of presence and captivated the audience completely with his infectious personality and music.

Walk the Moon took the stage after, and front-man Nicholas Petricca asked about how many people in the crowd were at their first show back since the pandemic began. Nearly everyone raised a hand. The magic and gratitude that was felt in that moment from everyone in the venue was palpable. St. Louis had another special moment – Nicholas Petricca grew up in the Lou and had family at the show! The crowd gave them a bunch of applause, too.

And of course, Walk the Moon had the entire house bouncing from start to finish. They played hits including Shut Up and Dance as well new music from their upcoming album that releases on November 12th titled Heights. They came back out for two encore songs, finishing with fan-favorite “Anna Sun,” which, if I do say so myself, was a spiritual experience.

Take a look at the gallery below with photos from the night.

Photos by Lauren Hayes

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Music News

slenderbodies release dreamy EP “are we”

The indie-pop duo slenderbodies released their latest EP today titled are we. Having already dropped four of the tracks as singles before now, we were excited to listen to the other half and the EP as a whole.

slenderbodies gives us dreamy, slightly groovy, feel-good, indie jams that seem like the perfect music to welcome summer night drives with the windows down. The songs invite you to flow, and it’s impossible to not move with the smooth falsettos and snapping beats.

Take a listen to are we, and watch the lyric video for “mirror” right here.

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Music News Reviews

Killed by Rock and Roll and The Pretty Reckless

The Pretty Reckless released their fourth studio album on February, 12, ending a several year wait for new music. Titled Death By Rock And Roll,” I knew that I and fans of The Pretty Reckless would not be disappointed. With 12 tracks, an average length of four and a half minutes per song, and features with Tom Morello, Matt Cameron, and Kim Thayil, Death By Rock And Roll is here to provide us with an incredible amount of rocking out.

The album kicks off with the title track, which we are all familiar with as it was released as a single previously. Somehow this means that “Death By Rock And Roll” may end up being only one of your many favorite songs on the album. So get excited.

Mixing soft, haunting melodies and tolls with headbanging drums and guitar solos, the music of Death By Rock and Roll is going to stick with you. Constantly touching on themes of life and death and with passion emanating from all of Taylor Momsen’s vocals, the album tells a story and could easily be the soundtrack of its own movie.

The Pretty Reckless graces us by turning it down for a couple of songs. One of them is “Got So High,” which both makes you want to cry and scream the lyrics joyously at the same time. And then they throw in a little interlude with “Broomsticks” that’s a little Halloween fun and sets us up for “Witches Burn.”

So what’s worth living for? And what’s worth dying for? Is it love or rock and roll, or is it nothing at all because the world is so messed up? Take a listen and you might find out for yourself.

Take a listen to Death By Rock and Roll, and then join me in impatiently waiting for The Pretty Reckless’s rescheduled tour dates to finally happen.

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Music News Reviews

Nightly’s alternative EP night, love you.

Nightly, an alt-pop band based in Nashville, released an EP today that re-imagines a few songs off of their previous album night, love you. which came out last year. This alternative EP shares the same name, so don’t get confused!

The tracks on the EP include a stripped down version of “Not Like You,” acoustic versions of “So Sly” and “Summer,” and a live version of “Older.” To the average listener, these alternative takes might not sound all that different to you. “Summer (Acoustic)” is the one that stands out the most and invites you to learn how to play the song on the guitar. But upon a couple of listens, you may grow to really appreciate the nuances between versions, especially in “Not Like You (Stripped),” just as we did.

If you’re already a fan of Nightly, you’ll be disappointed that there are no new songs, of course. But if you’re new to Nightly, night, love you (alt ep) might be the perfect bite-sized introduction to the band you need! And then you can dive headfirst into the rest of their discography, starting with the album night, love you. We know we’ll be following them and waiting on more music!

Categories
Music News Reviews

Sound Of Kalima releases “6789ten”

Here’s a duo to pay attention to. Sound Of Kalima is made of up Pete and Sal, two young musicians from Vancouver. They captured the USA’s attention with their single “Wild Trash,” an urgent commentary on the destruction of our planet. Self-described as having “no respect for the limitations of genre,” Sound Of Kalima is here to give us electronic music that holds a human element. Today, the duo released their latest, “6789ten.”

“6789ten” is a song filled with variety. The electric guitar and percussion make you want to jam, there’s prevalent anger, and yet some element makes you want to dance. The refrain of “6789ten” is easy to get stuck in your head, but my favorite part of this song are the verses. The melodic contrast with the chorus grabs your attention and the lyrics run deep.

In this world I’m not an equal / that’s not heartbreak to you, why should I bother?

“Wild Trash” showed us that SOK isn’t afraid to write about controversial topics, and “6789ten” is no different. The lyrics address prejudice based on skin color, racial injustice, and lack of faith in the system, and the siren that seemed like a fun sound effect on first listen takes on a new meaning as you pay attention to the words.

I’ll be keeping tabs on SOK, eagerly awaiting to see what they have to say next. Until then, take a listen to “6789ten.”