Archives For Causing A Scene

CALEB: CAS Preview

LarryKloess —  November 15, 2012 — Leave a comment

As a sound engineer, I went to college and was trained to listen for the best sounds possible.  Sometimes it doesn’t matter how much I try to EQ a drum kit or a guitar; I just have to realize that it’s never going to sound any better.  However, the band CALEB sits on an entirely different level.  Their sounds are some of the most tasteful that I have ever had a chance to work with.  From their profound, inspiring lyrics to their giant guitar tones it never gets old mixing a set.

The front man Caleb Chapman and brother/drummer Will Chapman started the band as a duo in 2010 and quickly added guitarist Scottie Mills.  Together as a three-piece,  they have released 2 excellent EPs “Trouble” and “To the Ends of the World,” and have some exciting future plans in the works that you’ll be hearing about soon.

As a friend of the dudes, it has been a great experience to see them grow as individuals and as a band.  Each of their efforts comes together and creates so much passion that is exuded from their music.  When they’re on stage and when we’re driving ten hours cross-country to play a show, it is always apparent that they love doing what they do.  I’m pumped, to say the least, to see what happens to these guys in 2013.

We had our first show with Seryn, Julia Sinclair, and Foreign Fields Tuesday night at the Bottletree in Birmingham.  Those dudes (and ladies) are a blast and we’re so excited to be sharing a few shows with them this week.

We are particularly excited about playing in our hometown of Nashville, Tennessee at 12th and Porter this Saturday 11/17 . We really couldn’t be more eager to be back home playing in front of so many people we love!  It’s a real joy seeing our friends and family and hope to even see some new faces in the crowd as well.

-Riley Vasquez

In Causing A Scene, Nashville Concerts , , , ,
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Seryn: CAS Preview

Jameson —  November 14, 2012 — Leave a comment

I met Chris Semmelbeck in Midland, TX at a mutual friend’s wedding. Our conversation quickly turned to music and I found out that he was in a band. Later on in the trip, Chris showed me and a group of friends one of the songs that his band had just finished recording. The band was Seryn. The song (if I remember correctly) was “Our Love”. About 6 months after this encounter, Paste Magazine included Seryn in their Best of What’s Next.

If you’ve never seen Seryn live, you need to. It’s a surreal experience. Each member is a multi-instrumentalist, even shuffling instruments between songs. And my guess is that you’ve never heard this combination of traditional folk/bluegrass blended with anthems that could fill Madison Square Garden. The music is beautifully crafted, with sweeping landscapes of violin, banjo, and guitar over heavy percussion. When you experience Seryn, you realize quickly that you’re experiencing far more than well-crafted lyrics and melodies you can sing with. You’re experiencing an orchestra. It’s not about one voice, or one lyric, or one instrument. It’s music as a whole. It’s a comprehensive sound. With just 6 people. And each person is completely lost in the music that they are creating

It’s truly a beautiful thing.

If you haven’t seen Seryn, then you have your chance on November 17th at 12th and Porter.

You can also check them out at www.serynsound.com/

In Causing A Scene, Nashville Concerts, Show Reviews , ,
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Levi Weaver: CAS Preview

Jameson —  November 13, 2012 — Leave a comment

Levi Weaver

Let me start with a very bold statement: Levi might beone of the best lyricists of this generation of musicians. I’ll stand by that as long as I have to.

Levi also has one of the most entertaining Twitter accounts out there.

If those 2 things haven’t caught your attention then I don’t know what will…

The first time I saw Levi perform was at a house show near Little 5 Points in Atlanta. We were acquaintances, and he had asked me to come open up the night. I knew very little of Levi’s music other than what I had heard from friends who knew him. From the moment Levi took the stage, I was completely captivated. He does this whole looping thing that’s pretty incredible, but what struck me most was the songs! Levi has the gift, or curse, of telling the story of the heart of humanity. He’s a philosopher poet, bringing intelligent commentary on existential thought and the human experience.

Levi’s most recent full length record, The Letters of Dr. Kurt Godel, is a hefty 15 tracks deep. Intricately crafted to highlight the lyrics and characters that Levi has created, this album delves into a great search for truth and purpose. Whether it’s wrestling with a struggle for morality in “Good and Evil”, or running away from the past in “I Am Certain I’m A Train”, Levi

His most recent release, I Am Only a Tiny Noise, is more bare, bringing forward the raw honesty that makes Levi so captivating in the first place. The EP kicks off with a beautifully soft-spoken line “I’ve never told a lie I didn’t wish was true” in “Never Want You Back”. It concludes with the Johnny Cash-esque “Dark Clay”,

    I am dark, dark clay 

    I’m all made up of earth and ugly rain

    But even when I twist myself to sad and awful shapes

    You find a way to love me anyway

    You keep finding ways to love me anyway

Just think on that one for a minute… And then come see Levi at 12th and Porter on Saturday, Nov. 17th With Seryn, Caleb, and Julia Sinclair

Levi is currently working on a new record that will drop sometime in 2013! Be on the lookout!

In Album Reviews, Causing A Scene, Nashville Concerts , , ,
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Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes on Tour

LarryKloess —  November 12, 2012 — Leave a comment

Our good friends and house show alums Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes have been getting a lot of buzz lately, and rightfully so. In the past few weeks they’ve played several showcases at CMJ along with a fantastic set at Communion’s November showcase in Nashville. Their fast-paced six-song set reminded us quickly just why they’re one of our favorite bands to come out of Music City recently.

Just last week, their brand-spankin-new song “Passenger” debuted on Grey’s Anatomy. Couple that appearance with the band’s first Daytrotter session being recorded today in Rock Island, IL, and it’s a safe bet that the current buzz around this band just may grow exponentially as the rest of the country finds out what we in Nashville have been excited about for awhile.

The boys are on tour the rest of November, heading up and down the West Coast with a few stops in Texas before concluding their tour at Memphis’ famed Hi Tone Cafe. If you happen to be in any of the cities listed below, we highly recommend you run, not walk, to their show. Oh, and bring your dancing shoes, because these guys know how to throw a party. Check out the aforementioned “Passenger” below. It really showcases a different, more restrained side of the band and allows their harmonies to take center stage. We wholeheartedly approve.

11/9 – St. Louis, Missouri – Blueberry Hill (The Duck Room)
11/10 – Carbondale, Illinois – The Hangar 9
11/11– Rock Island, Illinois – Rozz-Tox
11/12 – Rock Island, Illinois – Daytrotter
11/13 – Colorado Springs, Colorado – The Modbo
11/15 – Seattle, Washington – Seattle Living Room Show
11/16 – Seattle, Washington – Comet Tavern
11/18 – Redding, California – Vintage
11/20 – Sacramento, California – Torch Club
11/21 – San Francisco, California – Hotel Utah
11/23 – Santa Monica, California – TRiP
11/25 – Long Beach, California – DiPiazza’s
11/26 – Yosemite National Park, California – Yosemite National Park **Private Event**
11/28 – San Antonion, Texas – 502 Bar
11/29 – Austin, Texas – The Parish Underground
11/30 – Fort Worth, Texas – The Wild Rooster
12/1- Memphis, TN- Hi Tone Cafe

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Darlingside

LarryKloess —  August 16, 2012 — Leave a comment

Darlingside 3

Back toward the end of last month, Cause A Scene had the joy of hosting Massachusetts-based “string-folk quintet” Darlingside, for what was one of the most fun house shows we’ve ever hosted. One of the really unique things about our houses shows is that for the most part, the people that attend aren’t all that familiar with the artists playing that night. If you’ve been keeping up from our beginning several months ago, that’s no surprise to you. Well, back on July 28th, an entire roomful of people were converted to Darlingside fans and the chatter following that show was more noticeable than after any show we had hosted up to that point. The buzz was palpable and if the band had played a second set, I don’t think anyone would have complained.

The five guys (Auyon Mukharji, David Senft, Harris Paseltiner, Sam Kapala, and Don Mitchell) play with such a great deal of heart that it’s easy to get completely swept up with the fervor exhibited on stage. Simply put: their songs mean something. And after seeing their latest video for “Terrible Things”, I think it’s safe to say that their videos mean something, too. It’s at once poignant and hilarious and a great reminder to love people even despite all of their faults and missteps.

Their debut album, “Pilot Machines”, is available now.

In Causing A Scene
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