Nashville Rocks

By Mike Farley

Nashville Rocks... Doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, does it? As someone who lived in Cleveland, Ohio for twelve years, hearing that any other city rocks just sounds strange. And for that matter, most people outside of middle Tennessee have this perception of Nashville as the country music capital of the world. And that’s because it is. But just because all of country music’s biggest stars and their labels reside here, and because Nashville is home to some of the best pickers, fiddlers and country songwriters in the world, it doesn’t mean that other forms of music don’t exist and even thrive here.

The rock scene in Nashville is actually vibrant and home to some great up and coming talent, including hard rock bands, indie rockers and everything in between. And while the local perception is that The Rock only lives in a short block of Elliston Place, that couldn’t be farther from the truth.
 

“I think that is pigeon holing our scene a little too much,” says Aaron Hartley of Theory 8 Records, whose roster includes indie rock bands De Novo Dahl, Forget Cassettes, Apollo Up and The Carter Administration. “There are quite a few great clubs in town that aren't on Elliston. Mercy Lounge, The Basement and The 5 Spot come to mind. A lot of my bands are able to play these venues and have great turnouts. I think Elliston gets its reputation because of Exit/In and The End who have done their part in helping nurture the rock scene, but it has greatly expanded over the past few years.”
 

What also matters is not just the style of music, but the talent and the work ethic of each band or artist. Hartley explains that he expects his bands to work as hard as he does. “I want to see a band who can make their own direction and who can set their own goals,” he says. “When you find an artist who can say ‘Here is where I want to be next year and this is how I am going to do it, can you help?’ then the answer is easy. Finding an artist with that kind of drive is key to their success.”
 

This kind of ambition is what makes Nashville rock band Feable Weiner tick. “Feable Weiner’s music is fun,” says front man Atom Andersen. “We have had a great deal of success in Nashville because we’re promotion animals and we’re really great at what we do.” He also believes it’s up to each individual band to do their own part in helping to build the growing rock scene. “I think we’ve got a really strong scene in the making,” he says. “But ultimately it comes down to what each band does on their own to get noticed.”

Usually, what doing it on their own means, as it does in any genre, is getting to tour outside of that market. For Nashville rock bands, touring in other cities brings a warped perception that there is some kind of country flavor to its music. But those that work here know better. Zigz, afternoon drive radio personality for powerhouse rock station 102.9 The Buzz, says that he has to field that question often. “Many are surprised at first because Nashville is synonymous with country music,” he says. “But once I explain the scene and what it’s really like here, then they come around.”
 

Chris Slack, who fronts rock band Slack, says that when his band plays shows out of town, the questions he gets are not about the country flavor of anything. Rather, they are about other rock bands that are touring. “When out-of-towners find out where we’re from, they usually ask us about other Nashville bands who also tour frequently like Feable Weiner or the Pink Spiders,” he says. “They don’t talk about the bands that don’t tour.”

Maybe that is because anyone that comes to visit Nashville as tourists limit themselves to the lower Broadway area, and has no idea that the rock scene is so alive. So the rock bands have an extra incentive to tour, and kind of let the world know they exist. Little by little, people like Hartley are doing their part to spread the word. His Theory 8 Records had a showcase at the CMJ Festival in New York City this past September and he says that it generated attention on a national scale. “De Novo Dahl were mentioned by CBS News and the New York Times,” he says. “Forget Cassettes were featured on Stereogum.com and Venus Magazine is doing a feature on them in their next issue.”

It’s that kind of coverage that should ultimately turn heads and alter the perception of out-of-towners, because those of us that live in Nashville know that the talent is here. Zigz mentions a few of his favorites to break out of Nashville and onto the national scene. “Ligion just needs the right break and they could be huge,” he says enthusiastically. “Return to Self is a young band with a lot of talent. And Deadsun, the true grit rockers, are another band that if the right producer gets a hold of them can really put out solid material.”

But what do industry types in, say, New York City, think about the rock scene in Nashville? "I always try and keep my finger on the pulse of what is going on in Nashville,” says Diana Fragnito, VP of A&R for Epic Records. “Besides its country legacy, there are really great artists in other genres of music such as Blue Merle, Will and Josh Hoge, Griffin House, Dave Barnes, Matt Wertz, and Be Your Own Pet, just to name a few."

Octone Records General Manager David Boxenbaum is another New York based industry executive who keeps tabs on The Rock of Nashville. “I’m definitely aware of bands in Nashville,” he says. “Nashville seems to have a more eclectic, diverse, and less judgmental rock scene than New York does.”
 

But for a “scene” to develop a buzz that goes from regional to national, it is important that all of the artists get along and help to create that buzz together. Local rocker Josh Jackson (of the Josh Jackson Band) says that the Nashville rock scene has really come around and falls into that category. “There are a lot of great bands out there right now that are willing to work together as opposed to the past where there seemed to be so much turmoil caused by unhealthy competition,” says Jackson. “I think bands have finally figured out that if they work together, so much more can be accomplished.”

And when the talent is aided by support from radio stations, local newspapers, and record stores, there is no telling how far the scene can be developed. “I think that if one rock band from Nashville gets signed, then several may, like Seattle in the early 90's,” says Jackson. “I think there is no doubt the talent is here, we’ve just got to find out a way to get it to the rest of America.”
 

Peter Roselli of independent publishing company Bluewater Music points out that some rock acts from Nashville have already been signed, such as Will Hoge, and that there are plenty of other talented acts that are making a national splash. “One funk/R&B singer, Joey Richey, is quite talented,” says Roselli. “He has one of the more soulful voices I have heard in awhile.” Roselli also mentions Harsh Krieger, Beauty School Dropouts and Ligion and adds, “All of these bands have an outstanding local following.”

So America, you can open your eyes and take off your cowboy hats. The Rock is alive and well in Nashville, and it just may be coming to your town too.