Archives For Causing A Scene

Luella and the Sun @ Good People Brewery – 02.11.13

LarryKloess —  February 19, 2013 — Leave a comment

Luella

In front of every good band is a good frontman. In the case of Luella and the Sun, it’s an excellent frontwoman.

From the moment Luella sings her first note into the mic, it’s a voice so different and unique that you can’t possibly be anything other than smitten.  And if her voice doesn’t immediately pull you all the way in, her sweet dance moves certainly will. There’s nothing more fun than watching a performer who’s having fun and that’s something Luella absolutely brings to the stage.

But it’s definitely the guys—Adam, Jon and Joe—that set the overall sound of the band, with their smooth guitar licks and solid drum beats. And while the fast upbeat songs will have your head noddin’ and your feet tappin’, it’s the slower songs that really showcase what the band is capable of and just how magical their sound is.

And speaking of the band’s sound, like most bands these days Luella and the Sun are hesitant to put a label on just exactly what their “sound” is.  I guess it is a bit tricky trying to describe songs that seem to weld together soul, funk and rock. But just take a listen to their single “Fly so Free” and you can define their sound for yourself.

It’s really amazing just how cohesive their sound is, considering they haven’t been playing together for very long. Although a couple of the bandmates have known each other for a while and some have even played together before on other projects, the four of them have only been playing together as Luella and the Sun since sometime in mid-to-late last year.

As a recently formed band in Nashville, they describe their newness as a positive aspect, comparing their musical purity similar to that of a child. Their sound is new and fresh and un-tampered with by outside sources. For a band that’s already experiencing the success that Luella and the Sun is enjoying so far, that’s a pretty significant accomplishment.

If you’re in the Nashville area, I highly recommend you get out to a Luella and the Sun show…and quickly. Through the fueling of upcoming shows at SXSW in Austin, Texas this March and the Hangout Music Fest in Gulf Shores, Alabama this May, these cats are gonna blow up fast. Something tells me you will be able to catch them in cities far and wide outside of Nashville very, very soon as the buzz around this band stretches shore to shore.

For now, though, you can catch Luella and the Sun in their home city of Nashville at Music City Roots from the Loveless Cafe on February 27th and the Mercy Lounge on March 2nd.

– Christen Lewis

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Interview: COIN

LarryKloess —  February 15, 2013 — Leave a comment

COIN

 

Cause A Scene’s Adam Naylor recently had a chance to chat with Nashville’s latest buzz band, COIN, to get to know the guys and their music a little better. Hilarity ensued.

How did you guys come up with your band name?

“We were on this eternal search for this one word that had never been used for a musical project. For all we knew,    every single word had already been taken. Just when I thought we would have to  take on the likes of a terrible name like ‘Titan and the Predators’ or ‘Casual Friday’, I found the unlikely. I was looking through race horse winners in a book in an antique store; there, I saw a horse by the name of Golden Coin. I like both of those words.” – Chase

Where in the world would you most like to go on tour?

“Australia seems like some kind of paradise.”- Joe

“I want to see everything; I want to play everywhere. However, the UK seems to have great appeal to me. I feel like success in a European market would be very neat.” – Ryan

From where do you draw your inspiration for the band?

“I find lyrics in a textbook and melodies while playing Sega Genesis. I am strangely inspired by the 90s. Oh, I have a love affair with Talking Heads. So, David Byrne often inspires me.” – Chase

“Coffee.” – Zach

“I try to rely on my mind when it comes to Coin. Obviously, I have influences, but I am always trying to create the thing that hasn’t been created.”- Ryan
“I just want to dance and feel good. Whatever does that, yes.”- Joe

When are you planning on releasing your album? Does it have a name already?

“You can expect to see a seven track EP in the Spring entitled ‘1992’.
“I think you’ll like it. Well, maybe not. But, I’d like to think that you would.”- Joe

What is your favorite thing about Nashville?

“I love the general camaraderie among all the artists and people in this town. Everyone is so supportive. It also seems like Nashville is in the middle of somewhat of a renaissance; so, that’s pretty  neat to be here for that. Also, the food isn’t too bad.”- Joe and Chase

“Broadway.” – Zach

“FROTHY MONKEY”- Everyone, in unison.

 

COIN’s upcoming shows:

East Nashville Underground      Nashville, TN               Feb 16

The Jewish Mother Hilltop         Virginia Beach, VA       Feb 21

The Jewish Mother Hilltop         Virginia Beach, VA       Feb 22

The Social                                 Orlando, FL                  Apr 9

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Atlas Genius

LarryKloess —  February 1, 2013 — Leave a comment

Atlas Genius

A farmer who relies on his crops for a living will plow and plant his fields in order to receive a good return at harvest time. It is not enough to have a bounty of sunshine, rich soil or adequate rainfall. He has a role to play. The real risk, however, is in the gamble with the weather. The hopeful farmer can spend toilsome hours preparing his acres and still yield nothing in a season of drought or flood. Such is the music industry. Many artists and bands enter into it with high hopes of building a fan base and traveling the world, but find that they don’t end up traveling so far from home and their only avid fans still put new socks in their stockings. Success, as in the fields, is dependent upon many variables. In the case of Atlas Genius, a four-piece band from Adelaide, South Australia, that variable was timing.

I first heard of Atlas Genius last spring when my friend, Jordan, returned from spending a few months in Australia. She played a song called ‘Trojans’ through her iPod dock and said that this band was blowing up over there. The song was contagious and attached itself to the inside of my skull. After learning a little more about them, I found out that they had almost called it quits and were going to return all of their focus to school. However, their springtime arrived just in time. Dozens of record labels began to contact them and after spending last spring in the states, themselves, they decided to sign with Warner Bros. Their debut EP, “Through the Looking Glass”, continued to receive warm welcomes from new fans worldwide.

Keith Jeffrey, Michael Jeffrey, Steven Jeffrey and Darren Sell took a different approach than most bands in the making of the album. For two years, they spent their days building their own studio that fit to their likings, and played shows at night covering songs by bands like The Police and The Beatles. “We had a lot of song ideas and it was important to us to have our own studio where we could experiment and hone in on our sound,” drummer Michael Jeffrey shared.

Just a year later, their lives have drastically transformed. They are beginning to be a common name on iTunes charts, they are selling out most of their shows, and they have recently finished their first full-length album, titled “When It Was Now”, available on February 19th, and you can pre-order your own copy now on iTunes. You can also download a free song off of their new album on their website. It’s funny to think that the guys of Atlas Genius were known mainly as a cover band for almost three years and now they’re on their way to being covered by other bands.

With a colorful groove, stirring beats and catchy melodies, it’s hard not to like them. Try them out for yourself and they might become one of your favorites, too. For some bands, it’s all in the timing. Atlas Genius stuck it out through the drought and now they are riding upon a deluge that is carrying them around the world, and picking us up along the way.

– Adam Naylor

The band will be touring the US extensively throughout 2013, with a stop in Nashville for 3rd & Lindsley’s “Nashville Sunday Night” on June 9. If the first leg of their tour is any indication, you may want to get your tickets well in advance as every show has sold out thus far. With their debut album “When It Was Now” out on February 19, we’ll be hearing quite a bit from these Aussies for years to come.

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Machines Are People Too

LarryKloess —  January 30, 2013 — Leave a comment

MRP2

The pulsing dance beats and wailing synth riffs that Machines Are People Too dish out are atypical to the sounds most think of when they hear music from the east Tennessee hills. Formed in Chattanooga in 2010 by Brian Sylvester (vocals) and JJ Clark (production) and quickly joined by additions Cain Lassiter (keys) and Ivan Garcia (drums), they began infecting the Southeast with a sound uniquely their own.

With synth-pop instrumentals and hauntingly distinctive vocals from Sylvester, the band has spent the last two years touring across the country playing a wide range of venues spanning local bars and clubs, to festivals such as Bonnaroo and Nocturnal Wonderland. In July of 2012, they released their first EP, Dreams, produced by Lars Stalfors, who has worked with the likes of The Mars Volta and Matt & Kim. Dreams represents the band’s eclectic range spanning five tracks. The composition begins with the trance inducing dance tune, “Freaks,” and closes with the more subtle and emotive, “Better Than This.” Dreams is available for purchase on iTunes.

While Machines Are People Too got their start in Chattanooga, several of the members grew up in Nashville, and they have not forgotten their music city roots. The band has played a number of shows around the city lending their diverse sounds to the ever-growing cultural and musical melting pot that is Nashville. Their most recent Nashville appearance was at Mercy Lounge’s 10 Year Anniversary Party, alongside other talented acts such as, Magnolia Sons, Cherub and Jeff the Brotherhood.

You can catch the next Machines Are People Too experience on February 15th at The East Room, where they will be headlining the Winter 2013 East Nashville Underground. They are also due to play at the Showercap Festival in Athens, GA on April 20th. The band recently finished recording the first track for their second EP that is set to release this spring.

– Christian Lerchenfeld

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Seryn Premiere New Song “Ivory Black”

LarryKloess —  January 10, 2013 — Leave a comment

Seryn2012

Cause A Scene has been on a bit of a blogging hiatus lately as I’ve been planning out a spring calendar of house shows for 2013 and taking some time to reflect on our first year (more on that next week). There are a lot of things I’m really excited to see in 2013, and one of the biggest things I’m keeping my eye on is the sophomore release from Seryn, out sometime in the first half of this year. If you’re new to Cause A Scene, then you should know that Seryn is the band that started it all for Cause A Scene, setting everything into motion with our first house show back in the Fall of 2011.

Over the holidays, our favorite Dentonites (Dentonians?) released a live video of their brand new song “Ivory Black”. In typical Seryn form, the song takes the listener through several movements, ebbing and flowing in tempo with equal parts tenderness and raw emotional energy. “Ivory Black” displays some of the richest harmonies I’ve heard from this band so far with some finely intricate guitar work from lead guitarist Nathan Allen. In short, it stands as one of my very favorite Seryn songs overall and has me even more excited about what is to come from this band in 2013 and beyond.

– Larry Kloess

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