A frequent special guest on bills organized by FMRL (the eclectic booking operation of local promoter Chris Davis), the three-person folk-pop Voltron that is Styrofoam Winos made its recorded debut in 2021 with a self-titled LP for Louisville’s stellar Sophomore Lounge label. The Winos’ Joe Kenkel, Trevor Nikrant and Lou Turner are all working songwriters with distinct points of view and solo albums of their own, but full-band live shows — the more intimate the venue, the better — are where the trio sounds most at home. Winos sets feature lots of instrument switching and funny asides, their informality a refreshing antidote to the slickness that surrounds here in Music City. But songs like Nikrant’s punky “Stuck in a Museum,” Turner’s sweeping “Roy G Biv” and Kenkel’s tender “Once” stick long after the show’s over.
Best Rock Band
Styrofoam Winos
Styrofoam Winos at The Chili Factory, 5/23/2021
