The Spin
Still popular
We recently saw Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone on TV, just a couple of weeks after catching Goblet of Fire in the theater; seeing Harry, Ron and Hermione arrive for the first time at Hogwarts, looking so fresh-faced and naive, we found ourselves pondering the inevitable changes wrought by the passage of time, for humans and wizards alike. A similar opportunity presented itself Sunday at the Exit/In as we watched NADA SURF rampage through their set in front of a raucous sellout crowd. Ten years back, during the summer when “Popular” ruled the airwaves, we were much younger, a touch thinner and decidedly more angsty—that’s what braces and too much grunge will do to you. If we’ve aged half as gracefully as this New York City trio, we win. That same dark wit that made “Popular” an anthem has been applied to more grown-up subjects like love, aging and inertia. The polished pop rock of their latest album The Weight Is a Gift was given a shot of adrenaline by their raw performance, imbuing lead singer MATTHEW CAWS’ knockout songwriting with even more punch. Nada Surf came at the audience with a wall of sound; their playing was simultaneously lush and frantic, and their harmonies were tighter than Dubya’s lips after an unscripted question. Caws’ staccato dance moves and bassist DANIEL LORCA’s kinetic energy were vintage nerd rock, as was their affable humility. They made it clear they thought it was really cool that so many people had come out to see them on a school night. Well, fellas, we thought you were pretty cool too.
Selmanized
THE SELMANAIRES play the type of rudimentary garage rock that makes seasoned musicians in the crowd think, “For chrissakes! I could play like that when I was 16!” Yeah, maybe you could—but you can’t now, mainly because you’re too far removed from the unfeignable exhilaration of musical discovery. (Spin writers’ therapy session stops here.) The Atlanta trio kicked off their set last Wednesday at The Basement with their statement of purpose, “Selmanaire Rock,” a four-on-the-floor instrumental groove that sounded like the Un-Funky Meters. And that’s not meant as a dig—combine guitarist HERB HARRIS’ austerity, his twin brother JASON’s direct, syncopation-free drumming and bassist TOMMY CHUNG’s deep understanding of the oft-overlooked “My Sharona” bass octaves, and you have a confection that’s unsophisticated but hard to resist, like a glazed Krispy Kreme. All three took turns on the mic, and Herb and Tommy displayed some mildly spastic geek-rock moves that, in tandem with the music’s allure, would make them the perfect band for a prom scene in a Napoleon Dynamite sequel. We dare you not to like them. Double-dog-dare...
Rock ’n’ roll escort service
Who doesn’t love a good ole-fashioned “Take it off!” chant, especially when the target (KELBY CALDWELL of BANG BANG BANG) is a lanky guitar player with spaghetti arms and a curly mop, coyly exposing his wife beater for all to see. The man-meat was out in full force at the Mercy Lounge last Thursday night for the Rock ’n’ Roll Bachelor Auction benefiting the New Orleans Musician’s Relief Fund. The heavily male crowd seemed to enjoy the music, not to mention the spectacle of a cabal of young ladies bidding their little halter-topped hearts out. When the price for LIGION (the whole band) hit $600, we wondered if perhaps the bidder would be interested in paying our rent instead. We’re good at housework, and puns. That $600 was by far the highest bid, which was particularly baffling considering the worst musical moment of the evening occurred during Ligion’s performance. Midway through their song, faux-hawked lead singer ERICK ANDERSON asked the crowd, “Do any of you like U2?” Anderson then lamely howled a couple bars of “Sunday Bloody Sunday”—quite the audacious move, especially considering U2’s five Grammy wins the night before. If money (and pride) had been no object, we would have gladly bid on Tiger Beat-worthy B. YOUNG, whose wonderful, rangy voice was reminiscent of a younger, and prettier, Jeff Buckley. Honorable mention: the Wichita Stallions’ JUSTIN SKELLY, whose acoustic cover of R. Kelly’s “Ignition Remix” made us feel like a 14-year-old girl again.
That’s one way to get big in England
We expected a small crowd at the JETPACK (UK) show Friday night due to the expected snowstorm, but we were delightfully surprised to see a good 80 or so people filling the floor of The End. After Knoxville’s THE ROCKWELLS started things off, followed by THE LONELY HEARTS’ made-for-the-radio pop rock, JETPACK (UK) took the stage for their first headlining show in several months. They had the crowd of both devoted fans and newcomers rocking to every song, even the brand-new ones. You must be wondering, “What’s with the ‘(UK)’ in Jetpack (UK)?” According to them, they discovered that a surf rock band in California had already copyrighted the name “Jetpack,” thus they had to do something to make theirs different enough that they won’t be sued when they become famous rock stars. Which will be any day now, we’re sure.
NJO gets Frank with us
The spirit of Ol’ Blue Eyes is coming back to haunt Vandy’s Ingram Hall Friday, for an evening dubbed “NASHVILLE JAZZ ORCHESTRA SINGS SINATRA!” In their own sweet ways, Nashville singers RAUL MALO, PERRY DANOS and preternaturally advanced Vandy student MATT BELSANTE will all keep up the swagger, rubato and intimate storytelling that are at the core of the Sinatra legacy. The NJO, featuring top local session pros, won’t just be sticking to the Harry James and Tommy Dorsey arrangements, but promise to hit the Rat Pack era, too. No doubt they’ll find the touches of class lurking beneath the Vegas froth.
More shows this week
• Local singer-songwriter MICHAEL KELSH gathers a few cohorts together at The Basement Saturday, Feb. 18, for a good cause: raising funds for the ANN STEVENS SCHOOL IN SAN EDUARDO, ECUADOR, which is supported by St. Augustine’s Episcopal Chapel at Vanderbilt. Joining Kelsh are DANNY FLOWERS, MARCUS HUMMON and RUSTY YOUNG. The show is from 6 to 7:30 p.m.; tickets are $15 (adults) and $5 (students) and will be available at the door.
• Country singer THAD COCKRELL, whose duet album with Caitlin Cary made numerous 2005 best-of lists, plays 6-8 p.m. Feb. 22 in Tootsie’s back room. We can’t think of a more fun and appropriate place to hear Cockrell, whose unsanitized country goes great with sawdust, smoke and a few PBRs.
• Put some stank in your step with BUMP CITY, a Tower of Power tribute band featuring some of Nashville’s funkiest players. The boys will be answering the age-old question “What is hip?” Thursday, Feb. 16, at Mercy Lounge.
Send news, tips, guitar tabs and lyrics to thespin@nashvillescene.com.
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