Our good friends, Foreign Fields, and house show alums have been busy these last several months, playing shows all over the Southeast, Midwest and in New York City for CMJ, including a showcase with Communion. Between a multitude of dates and their time spent working on new material, they had a chance to record a trio of songs live with OurVinyl out at my family’s farm, where we hosted them for one of the absolute favorite moments of the year, for a house show on my birthday. The guys at OurVinyl perfectly captured Foreign Fields’ gentle intensity with a bucolic background perfectly meshing with their fresh harmonies. The three videos have received nearly 300,000 views in a weeks’ time on the OurVinyl website, and it is easy to see why after watching the band perform “Names and Races” here.
Foreign Fields are playing tomorrow night at Exit/Inwith some of Nashville’s fastest-rising bands, Wild Cub, Vinyl Thief, Casa Castile and Afterlife Parade for Brite Revolution’s Poverty is Real Benefit. It is going to be one insanely energetic show. Tickets are just $5 and proceeds go to benefit Open Table Nashville. If you can find a better way to spend $5 on Saturday night, I’d love to know what you come up with. As for me, I’ll be there enjoying every second of this fantastic lineup.
Songbird. No other word so easily comes to mind when thinking about Rebecca Roubion. I went to look up the word itself, as if the very word didn’t provide its own meaning. The dictionary was kind enough to offer “a bird having a melodious song or call.” Too obvious. Then I stumbled upon Urban Dictionary of all places which provided this definition: “Anyone who consciously looks for the best in all people, places, and things; who has acknowledged and released the pains of their soul. And who entergetically help all others release the pain of their souls.” For Rebecca, or “Ruby” as she is affectionally known by many of her friends, this definition could not be any more spot on. It’s her conscious looking for the best in everything and everyone and in her grappling so deftly with the longings in her own soul and those so prevalent in the human condition that make her proper debut release, “Fields” so immediate, and so necessary.
The album lives up to its name of “Fields” as an escape from the normal, everyday routines that we so easily get entangled in. It’s an escape to a place where life is light, high-spirited, playful, whimsical, and dare I say frolicsome. Over the course of it’s 4 tracks, Rebecca’s personality shines through in the best ways possible, inviting the listener into her 12-minute study of love and the human condition. She will inevitably be compared to a young Sara Bareilles, Norah Jones or Regina Spektor, but her music has a more classic feel to it, reflecting her roots in Mobile and New Orleans, with her smoky/jazzy/”bayou” flair mixing with a bit of her childhood idol, Carole King. With all the comparisons, however, her voice and her music stands on its own as a beautifully unique creation.
Each track touches on a different aspect of love: either realized or hoped for, and any of them would sound right at home on the soundtrack of a popular indie romantic comedy. (Just listen to “Love Me Now” and tell us that it wouldn’t have been perfect on (500) Days of Summer). In Rebecca’s words the song is a “playful pursuit”, one lover trying to reach another. “It’s a flirty song; the very beginnings of a relationship.” Rebecca sings of her grandparent’s love in “Vacherie Girl” but puts a modern twist on it that makes it sound just as likely to be about madly-in-love newlyweds straight out of undergrad, with their clever back-and-forth (from Rebecca and the talented Steven Fiore.
“Here Lies My Pulse” is a “window into the soul” for Rebecca and is the track most likely to pull on the listener’s heartstrings with the expertly executed string arrangement buoying Rebecca’s delicate vocals. It’s a story, more than a song, that is sure to become a fan favorite as people find their own ways to identify with the lyrics. “Doorway” closes the album peering into the future with the fulfillment of a forever love. And throughout this album and true to the definition of a “songbird”, Rebecca’s music is a catharsis, allowing the listener to release their held-onto pain in order to chase after a greater joy. As Rebecca told us once, “I didn’t choose music; music chose me.” We’re really glad it did, as we get to peer into the soul of a dynamic talent and celebrate the inherent joy in each and every melody with her.
Tonight marks a special evening for us Nashvillians, as Rebecca is hosting her “Fields” EP Release at The Basement. Local favorites Carolina Story and CherryCase open the night, beginning at 7pm for just $5. You don’t want to miss this momentous occasion. And while we’re mentioning her EP release, we be remiss if we didn’t mention this little fact: Once 1,000 copies of “Fields” are purchased, Rebecca will release the equally remarkable sister EP, “Forests”. It’s a breathtakingly exquisite album that needs to be heard. So let’s help her get to 1,000 by purchasing on Bandcamp, Amazon, or directly from Rebecca’s website.
Nashville is so full of female singer/songwriters that it’s a rare day when one of them is able to come in and completely take your breath away. We first saw Erin Rae perform at the second Cause A Scene Collective show in July. She played 2 songs. We were hooked from the start. She and her band, the Meanwhiles, just released their new EP “Crazy Talk”. It’s simply beautiful. “Crazy Talk” likes somewhere between the folk/pop that has emerged from Nashville and across the pond with London’s “new folk” scene and a classic Americana sound.
Growing up, Erin Rae would listen to her parents sing and play music together after family dinners, playing folkier versions of Mississippi John Hurt, Doc Watson and John Prine. As she grew up and began playing at county fairs ‘before she got too old to be shy”, Erin Rae looked up to the legends of Joni Mitchell, Patty Griffin and Gillian Welch, and their influence can be felt on her debut. She shares Brandi Carlile’s immaculate sense of melody blended with lyrics that are both extremely personal, but make you feel right at home in the story. It’s an intimate album that makes an instant connection with the listener. When she sings, it’s as if you’re the only one in the room. It’s an album of transition, coming to terms with the truth that life isn’t exactly the way you thought it would be and coming to terms with reality, and being content with that.
In the title track, Erin Rae’s voice dances elegantly over a soft bed of strings and piano melodies. “I know that your life can feel threatened, it makes it hard to come alive,” she sings, and you immediately feel a sense of both comfort and wonder. It’s this sincere thought that instills a hopefulness that is present throughout each of the EP’s five songs.
In “I Hope You Get What You Need”, Erin Rae sings about the common story of lost love. But rather than the angry wails we’ve come to know and love from other female artists like Adele, Erin Rae swings the pendulum the other way to a melancholy conclusion that “it’s probably better than I don’t join you for this journey / I hope you have a wonderful ride.” Throughout Erin Rae and the Meanwhile’s debut EP there remains a soothing reminder that we’re all in this together and everything is going to be just fine in the end, no matter the route we take to get there. As her first step out into the Nashville music scene, it’s a joy to witness Erin Rae coming into her own voice and growing by leaps and bounds with every show. We had the pleasure of catching her album release show (video below) and can’t wait to see her next Thursday the 29th with Andrew Combs at the High Watt. If you want to catch one of Nashville’s brightest young talents, we highly recommend you be there.
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.
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.
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 
