The buzz around local techno-poppers Venus Hum continues to grow since the release of their eponymous debut LP earlier this year. Scattered national airplay on college radio has pushed Venus Hum as high as No. 115 on the CMJ Top 200 chart, and a slot at SXSW has attracted interest from a handful of U.K. record labels (always on the lookout for the next hot thing from Nashville). The band is planning to travel to England this autumn for a couple of shows.
Additionally, Venus Hum will appear later this year on Swan Dive’s EP Words You Whisper (released on a Spanish label), and on the Not Lame Records E.L.O. tribute album, for which they’ll be backing Neilson Hubbard on a cover of “Xanadu.” And there’s still hope for wider distribution of the 12-song (plus remix) debut, which remains a magnificent bridge between the stimulating vibrations of modern electronica and the humane expression of early-’80s synth-pop.
As Alison Moyet’s soulful shouts were to Vince Clarke’s gurgling machinery in Yaz—and, to an extent, as Annie Lennox has been to Dave Stewart in Eurythmics—so Annette Strean’s deep, mournful voice adds color and shape to the ear-catching modernistic electronic constructions of Tony Miracle and Kip Kubin in Venus Hum. For proof, check out Strean’s vocals on the slow, bouncy “Wordless May,” in which she works with the echo track, creating harmony between the high notes and her own reverberating low notes; or try the uptempo “Run Annie Run,” in which she shifts her singing into a cadence to match her bandmates’ polyrhythmic button-pushing.
Live, Strean also provides a compelling visual counterpoint to the usually static performance of synthesizer-derived music. Venus Hum’s next local appearance comes July 7 at 12th & Porter, and, given the way their fan base is rapidly expanding, no clued-in Nashville music fan should miss it. Similarly, no one should pass up the chance to buy the self-titled CD—a surging, bracing, and ultimately charming collection of dance music that stands among the best of what has been an outstanding year for local music.
—Noel Murray
Local band width
Technology is easier to comprehend when it’s described in metaphor, and for the past 10 years, pundits have attempted to position the Internet as the CB radio of the 21st century. As it happens, these days, the Internet is better likened to a radio radio. Computer owners with fast connections have long been using the Internet to tune in both “real” radio stations from around the world and specially designed Web radio stations; as such content burgeons and the lines get swifter, so do the ranks increase of office workers who can type away at their desks and simultaneously tune in, say, a Toledo Mud Hens game.
What does this mean for Nashville musicians? Well, a plethora of local artists have uploaded their songs to MP3.com, from which the music can be downloaded to or simply streamed on a computer audio player. Potential listeners can search and sample acts, or they can pick their favorites and collect them into a virtual jukebox that will play only tunes from Nashville. And if they feel like sharing that jukebox with the world, MP3.com patrons can establish their own “radio station” on the site and allow other MP3.com patrons all over the world to play an unbroken string of Nashville-originated music.
Perhaps the most comprehensive page for Nashville music on MP3.com is the simply titled “Nashville Music,” which features a diverse assortment of genres and songs by the likes of SWAG, Jay Joyce, and Venus Hum. Created by local music legend Aashid Himons, “Nashville Music” joins the likes of “Channel Zero,” “Aashid’s Space World,” “Drum,” and 8 other stations that Himons has established on MP3.com since joining the service in 1999.
Similarly, wired-up Nashville musician Tony Gerber offers “The Nashville Eclectic Service” among his 20-plus stations on MP3.com, and features his own band Spacecraft alongside an impressive assortment of suitably “eclectic” Nashville artists, from The Floating Men to Ron LaSalle to Milkshake?. Other noteworthy Nashville-centered MP3.com stations include “Nashville’s Alternative Music” (dedicated primarily to the local “teen scene”), “Nashtunes” (which has enough perspective to include The White Animals and The Groove Crickets), and the self-explanatory “NashvilleHardMusic.”
Each of these stations offers users the opportunity to pick and play songs from the station’s playlist, or to let the station cycle through the list itself. In all, entering the word “Nashville” in the site’s search engine turns up over 100 stations, only some of which actually originate from Nashville and are dedicated to a generous sampling of the local music scene. Others use the word “Nashville” as a way of defining what they are not—or if they do originate from Music City, they feature primarily music of the station manager and some of his or her friends.
Nevertheless, there’s enough thoughtfully maintained stations—and enough Nashville music online in general—that there’s no reason to complain anymore if the traditional radio stations don’t play local artists. They’re out there and can be easily heard by the connected.
—Noel Murray
Where are they now?
Since leaving Nashville for London a few years back, femme-rocker Katoorah Jayne has found a receptive audience for her funky, confrontational songwriting. Taking full advantage of the promotional possibilities of MP3.com, Jayne has topped several of the Web site’s charts and won an MP3.com-sponsored “Women in Rock” contest. Now attempting to reestablish herself in the States, Jayne has moved back to her original hometown of Denver and is rereleasing her self-titled debut CD with extra CD-ROM content—including lyrics, photos, and the unsettling video for her provocative song “Daddy Daddy.”
“Daddy Daddy” is a heavy, high-energy number reminiscent of Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know” in sound and content. In a series of dispatches to her father, her mother, and her ex-lover, the song’s protagonist declares that her sexuality will not be controlled by anyone but herself. The video adds a disturbing incest theme to “Daddy Daddy,” interspersing shots of Jayne singing the song with black-and-white footage of a sad little girl sitting next to her dad.
That sort of edge-pushing is commonplace on Katoorah Jayne, which features 11 tracks that have the basic structure of angry singer-songwriter folk, layered with hard rock and metallic soul. The record was produced by Nashvillian John Rich, a frequent collaborator of Kenny Alphin (currently leader of the local rock band LuvjOi); the Rich/Alphin co-written song “Trip”— originally slated to be on Alphin’s unreleased Hollywood Records debut under the name Big Kenny—is covered by Jayne in one of her record’s highlights.
Jayne makes a homecoming of sorts this week as she returns to Nashville for three shows: She’ll be at Exit/In on Monday, July 9 at 9:30 p.m., and then later that night she’ll be at 12th & Porter. The following Thursday, she opens for War at Dancin’ in the District. When Jayne left town, she was just beginning to make the transition from folkie-with-Music-Row-aspirations to in-your-face rocker. It should be interesting to see the fury of a woman transformed.
—Noel Murray
A nice pair
Nashville vibist Jerry Tachoir and guitarist Van Manakas’ current release Improvised Thoughts (Avita) will remind astute jazz listeners of the tasteful encounters between Gary Burton and Chick Corea, or between Burton and Keith Jarrett. Tachoir doesn’t rattle off many clusters of notes or complex rhythms. Instead, he carefully explores the instrument, delivering soft, soothing melodies and brisk harmonies to contrast Manakas’ fleeting, elegant phrases. The duo’s exchanges aren’t so much duets as sympathetic collaborations, with Manakas’ fills and refrains crisply embellished by Tachoir’s bright chords and solos.
The best of the disc’s eight songs are the title cut, “Township Square,” “Ba Fafah,” and “Odyssey.” Tachoir, an accomplished clinician and instructor as well as an experienced session player, eschews flashy progressions on vibes, although his marimba work has a harder edge and more intensity. Manakas’ electric accompaniment is also more assertive than his acoustic solos, but he’s a good contributor on either instrument. The compositions are sometimes somber, other times spirited, but overall, this is an impressionistic work that generally displays both players’ technical prowess.
Interestingly, Tachoir and Manakas were far more energetic during a recent live performance at Gibson’s in Opry Mills. Still, this disc offers a good approximation of their musical attributes. It’s available for $16.50 from Avita Records at P.O. Box 764, Hendersonville, TN 37077-0764. Or visit www.tachoir.com for more information.
—Ron Wynn
Hot numbers
Violinist Mark O’Connor swings with joyous vigor on “hot-styled” jazz, Texas swing, or bluegrass, yet he’s also a superb classical musician. His improvising abilities are nicely displayed throughout the invigorating new release Hot Swing! (OMAC), which pairs him with bassist Jon Burr and guitarist Frank Vignola. O’Connor’s solos dip, sway, and snap, delivered with such fluency and ease it sometimes seems as if he’s coasting. The three musicians rip through such songs as “Minor Swing,” “Pickles on the Elbow,” and “Swingin’ on the Ville” with a precision and pace that are both demanding and impressive.
O’Connor lacks the bluesy tinge of a Sugar Cane Harris or Stuff Smith, but his lyric touches and wonderful technique reveal the influence of Joe Venuti and Stephane Grappelli. Burr, who formerly played with such jazz greats as Stan Getz, Chet Baker, Horace Silver, and Art Farmer, spent 10 years working with Grappelli. He strikes the right balance between blending with O’Connor and Vignola and driving them with strong licks and booming rhythmic foundations. Vignola shows his adeptness at playing slow, tantalizing phrases and at matching O’Connor’s speed bursts and dashing forays.
Hot Swing! was recorded last February at the South Street Community Theatre in Morristown, N.J., and is a fine example of updated “hot” jazz fare.
—Ron Wynn
