The Medders' Gunslinger Video....

I shared a track from Nashville based band-of-brothers, The Medders, a while back. Since then, 'Gunslinger' has been on a heavy rotation in my player. It's the only track to be released from their upcoming self-titled debut (September 1), although you can stream some more tracks on their MySpace.

Found a link in my inbox today to the official video for Gunslinger. Enjoy.



The Medders: [Website][Facebook][MySpace]

The Low Anthem @ The Basement - Nashville, TN

Although my trip east was for the Big Surprise Tour, I managed to find another show in the area while there. The Low Anthem, a band I've only recently become acquainted with, played an opening set for Langhorne Slim at The Basement in Nashville.

The Basement is a quaint, little venue that, although cramped and stuffy (kinda like a basement), is one hell of a place to catch a band like The Low Anthem. The dark, intimate setting is perfect for a mellow, harmony-focused three-piece.














I downloaded the band's Oh My God, Charlie Darwin a few days before the trip and immediately loved what I heard. I hadn't, however, looked up much info on the band themselves. I was under the assumption that there were at least two primary lead singers, due to the fact that the album portrayed two very different vocal styles. To my surprise - and delight - I found that Ben Knox was the one and only lead vocalist. The polar opposites of silky, airy vocals and grungy warbles show this guy's range. Check out these tracks for examples:

The Low Anthem - (Don't) Tremble
The Low Anthem - The Horizon Is A Beltway

Ben is joined in the band by Jocie Adams and Jeff Prystowsky. The three of them together play a total of 65 instruments.... OK, a little exaggeration, but not much. That night at The Basement showed the band constantly trading instruments and places on stage. Ben and Jeff shared duties on both the organ and the drums. Ben and Jocie both played guitar (acoustic and electric). Jeff thumped a stand-up bass for the majority of the time, while Ben had an array of harmonicas around his neck. Jocie plays the clarinet and the crotales - I had to ask her after the show what it was. At one point, Ben stepped away from the mic to show his skills on the alto horn. But just when you thought they couldn't possibly pull out another trick, Ben closed out a particular tune with some well-controlled cell phone to cell phone interference - that is during the song, he pulled out a phone, called another phone conveniently placed on stage, and let a couple harmony notes echo back and forth between the phones and through the mic. Skills.














The Low Anthem, however, shines brightest in their harmonies. The crowded bar was often mesmerized down to silence due to the band's captivating 3-part vocal showcasing. Don't beleive me? Listen...

The Low Anthem - Cage The Songbird

I haven't even had the chance to mention that Ben's lyrics are often as unbelievable as the band's musical skills. I never like to get too in-depth decoding lyrics anyway, so I'll trust that you check 'em out for yourself.

Buy Oh My God, Charlie Darwin (vinyl available!) and please catch this band when they come your way.

The Big Surprise Tour: Nashville, TN

Checkin' in from the hotel in Nashville before I head down to the banks of the Cumberland to enjoy night 1 of my Big Surprise Tour double-feature. I feel like I've already been on vacation for a week, but have yet to experience the real reason for the trip. We've been in Music City for 3 nights now - checked out Lower Broadway, the uber-tourist, live music strip in downtown Nashville, as well as some other, less-cheesy areas of the city. We caught an amazing show from The Low Anthem in a quaint, little brick joint known as The Basement. I will put up a full review of the show complete with photos when I get the time.

The venue couldn't be more in the heart of Nashville. Riverfront Park is a grass lawn overlooking a stage/barge docked in the Cumberland River. The area backs up to the corner of First St and Broadway. The backstage area not only consists of the river and various bridges, but the Titans' LP Field also serves as a scenic backdrop.

The bands are no-doubt in full stride by this point in the tour, having had numerous stops from New Hampshire on down to Tennessese, and the last stop tomorrow night in Knoxville promises to be a blowout of a finale. Full reviews/photos to follow.

The Felice Brothers - The Big Surprise
buy Yonder Is The Clock (2009)

"One eye on the sunrise, one eye on the clock..."

Hayes Carll - Little Rock
buy Little Rock (2005)

Passing through Arkansas today; spending the night in Memphis. Let me know some things to do if you know the area.

"Take me to another place. Take me to another land..."

Arrested Development - Tennessee

That song steps a little out of my normal genre realm, but how can you not love it? As I searched my library for 'Tennessee,' it was the first result. Immediately, I was taken back to raiding my sister's CD collection when I tired of my own crappy, country cassettes.

"A game of HORSESHOES!"


Tomorrow (in spite of being warned that Tennessee sucks in the summer), I head east to catch two instances of the Big Surprise Tour. If you don't know, it's pretty much the best folk lineup in this young century. Old Crow Medicine Show headlines an August-long set of dates with help from The Felice Brothers, Justin Townes Earle, and the spectacular duo of Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings. Yeah.

The showcase is said to feature all acts "shar[ing] the stage, taking part in each other's songs, resurrecting old standards, and playing newly written collaborative material as they go." Ketch Secor says of the lineup: "If there is a ‘scene’ around the music we play, these artists make up the better part of it." I couldn't agree more.

We're making a road-trip out of it, taking our time getting there, and spending a few days in Nashville before catching the last two dates of the tour in Music City and Knoxville.

Gillian Welch & David Rawlings ft. OCMS - Odds n' Ends

Gillian Welch &David Rawlings - I Want To Sing That Rock and Roll (live)
buy Time (The Revelator) (2001)

Old Crow Medicine Show - Fall On My Knees (live)
buy OCMS Live (2003)

The Felice Brothers - Hey, Hey Revolver (live)

Justin Townes Earle - Chitlin' Cooking Time In Cheatham County (live)

"The best country singers die in the back of Classic Cars..."

(One Liners is a recurring feature at This Mornin' I Am Born Again that offers a single song, paired with a photo taken from my personal library, with one lyric highlighted for effect.)

Bright Eyes - Classic Cars
buy Cassadaga (2007)

Check out more One Liners at ThisMornin.com

"She left me for a Hollywood movie star. She liked the way he spelled his name."

Matt Powell - The Hammock Song
buy Dragonfly (2002)

More on Matt Powell here.

Check out more One Liners at ThisMornin.com

"Your blue blood runs like it's got some important place to be."

Joe Pug - Black-Eyed Susan

Pick up the rest of Joe's new EP, In The Meantime, for FREE on his site. It's good.

Check out more One Liners at ThisMornin.com