Stage Dive

Judging from the popularity of outdoor concerts, Nashvillians have a fascination with hanging out (and being intoxicated) on a hot, flat concrete slab. Case in point: Uptown Mix. It's an awkward place to see a show, thanks to the smelly Port-a-Jons, the biting insects and the horrible parking. (Where do people park when the event is in the parking lot?) Yet every week, people show up for that Wednesday night's entertainment, earning jealous looks from passersby who maybe hope to catch some free entertainment through the fence. But there are plenty of reasons why people flock to 20th and Division and pony up their $12. Foremost, there's the lineup, which typically offers a little bit of something for everyone. For instance, this week everyone thronged to see Jump and Guided By Voices. But we were way more interested in seeing the local opener, Owsley, whose nasally vocals cut through the cool summer air with fluid melodies and anthemic choruses.

Owsley started promptly at 7 p.m., playing to only a handful of listeners, but those who came early sang along. As soon as the first song finished, a fan definitively gushed, "He is unbelievable.... Brilliant." We hadn't made our minds up yet. By mid-set, the crowd had doubled, and they hushed with respected silence. The onetime Amy Grant guitarist, backed by a drummer, bassist and keyboardist, played material off his first, self-titled album and his second release, The Hard Way. Bordering on Southern rock that revealed his Alabama roots, his melodic, mellow music had hints of country, blues and jam-band grooves. His handy guitar solos relied heavily on the whammy bar, and as he played, he mimed his guitar's fluctuations, animatedly bending and grimacing with the pitches.

For all the country flourishes, echoes of "Hey Jude"-era Beatles were just as prevalent, especially in "Coming Up Roses," where his dry vocals recalled John Lennon and his lyrics offered up poetic, abstract imagery. With "Matriarch," a keyboard-driven ode to his sister, he highlighted another influence: Ben Folds, with whom he previously collaborated.

When Owsley released his debut CD, he was indie all the way, reportedly telling labels that if they didn't like what they heard, they could take a hike, because he wasn't willing to change a thing. After watching him at Uptown Mix, though, we can't help but wonder if ambition hasn't gotten the better of him. Maybe he is still fiercely independent, but his stage patter suggests that he craves commercial success (not that there's anything wrong with that, of course). He enthusiastically commented that Borders stores around the country were carrying his album. And one song, "Oh No the Radio," pinpointed his frustration with the radio's repetitive song rotation, yet he thrice thanked WRLT-Lightning 100 for putting "Be With You" in heavy rotation and playing it "a thousand billion times." Apparently, limited radio playlists are only a problem if you're not on them.