De Novo Dahl has been a staple band in the Nashville indie music scene for quite some time. I remember seeing them play an amazing live show at Exit/In for Movement Nashville’s Halloween Bash two years ago, but it wasn’t until buying their album Move Every Muscle, Make Every Sound a few weeks ago that I got hooked. The quirky and catchty pop-filled album is incredibly fun to listen to. Below you can listen to “Shout”, the lead track on the album.
This week I introduce you to American Bang (formerly Bang Bang Bang), who was labeled as ‘Nashville’s quintessential rock band‘ by The Nashville Scene. Along with Autovaughn, who I featured in my first New Music Monday post, American Bang is one of the flagship local bands in Nashville. After forming in 2005, they quickly began to sell out some of Nashville’s premier club venues. They are now signed to Warner Bros. Records and are set to release their full-length CD later this year. Their music is rootsy yet catchy, with just enough pop flavor to be labeled radio-friendly. Below you can listen to “Rock n’ Roll Queen”, the first track off of their pre-label EP, American Ride.
There are a number of good bands in Nashville that I enjoy listening to, but lately I have been extremely impressed by some of the local solo artists. Most songwriters in this town sell their music to other artists. It is refreshing to see excellent songwriters performing their own music from time to time, and doing so extremely well.
This week, I present to you Brandon Young (formerly know as b. young). To cut to the chase, the most impressive thing about Young is his voice - both recorded and live. I recently saw him at small Nashville venue, and was floored, once again, but the purity of his vocals. Below you can listen to “You Can Be the Light”, my favorite track from his recently released Breakthrough EP, which is available for purchase on MySpace.
Yes folks, you have read my headline correctly - today’s New Music Monday feature introduces you to Enjoy the Zoo, one of the newest and most fun bands in Nashville. A friend of mine informed me about ETZ several months ago, but I never took the time to give them a listen. However, this Saturday I was browsing through the music listings in All the Rage and came across their listing for at show a 12th and Porter that night. Like any responsible local music fan would do, I quickly pointed my browser to their myspace page.
If you don’t like their music, you can at least appreciate their brilliant, bright-colored marketing scheme. They use this same scheme when dressing for their shows, which is a fun way to keep the crowd engaged visually. However, it’s not as if they rely on this gimmick to keep your attention - they have the charisma any signed band should, and they can only get better. In the words of one of their fans, “Once the songs are as good as their charisma, they will have IT.” IT is not something you come across on a daily basis. With a few tweaks, they clearly have a shot at taking it to the next level.
Below you can listen to my favorite hip-pop-flavored tune of theirs, appropriately titled “Teenage Girl Killer”.
Sean McConnell is creating a buzz in Nashville with the release of his newest EP, Tell The Truth. His live show is extremely professional, featuring some of the best local players I have seen supporting a local songwriter in several years. The lyrics are incredibly honest and the music, which is a mixture of pop and folk rock, is polished and extremely well produced. Below you can listen to music from Tell the Truth and Cold Black Sky.