A year ago today, people across the Midstate began the enormous task of coping with the aftermath of a devastating and deadly string of tornadoes. There’s been a great deal of progress made in spots like East Nashville, in spite of the tremendous damage. But the recovery is still ongoing, in no small part due to the global pandemic that began shutting down businesses and public spaces across the U.S. about a week after the tornado.
One of many musicians deeply and personally affected by the storm is singer-songwriter and stringed instrumentalist Lydia Luce. As she told contributor Lorie Liebig ahead of her new album Dark River, Luce missed being possibly injured or killed by mere seconds when the tornado drove debris into her home, and that experience has changed her perspective on some of her songs. In the spirit of supporting the relief efforts that are far from finished, Luce organized a performance to benefit the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee’s Middle Tennessee Emergency Response Fund. There’s no cost to watch the show, but donations to the fund are encouraged.
Above, check out the film featuring Luce and two other insightful Nashville songsmiths, Kyshona Armstrong (who performs simply as Kyshona) and Becca Mancari. The session was filmed live with no audience at The Basement East, which suffered extensive damage during the storm. After a brief conversation, each plays with members of Lockeland Strings, the string ensemble and community organization that Luce leads. The complement includes Annaliese Kowert, Laura Epling, Ben Plotnick and Kaitlyn Raitz for most of the performances; Luce sits in for a couple songs as well.
The group gets to bend and sway in a different way than a traditional band. This presentation lends a special strength and agility to renditions of Luce’s melancholy “Somehow” and reflective “Something to Say,” Mancari’s dreamlike new single “Annie” and poignant The Greatest Part tune “Stay With Me,” and Kyshona’s rousing and purposeful songs “Try” and “More in Common.” The set wraps with Lockeland Strings’ performance of “Rotation,” an undulating composition by local-music MVP Larissa Maestro.
Check out CMFT’s website for more opportunities to help, and follow Luce, Mancari, Kyshona and Lockeland Strings on social media for updates. We’re also very pleased to premiere a special solo performance from Luce on our Instagram profile at 1 p.m. today — set an alarm and check that out. We’ll embed that at the bottom of this post once it’s live, too.
Also, very notably, The Basement East is making its limited reopening to the public this weekend. Masks are required, and there’s pod seating inside and out; no standing room because, y’know, there’s still a pandemic happening. There’s no cover, but space will be limited. Spice J, Jerry Pentecost, Patrick Sweany, Terry Rickards, Geezuss, Sparkle City’s Jonas Stein, and venue co-owner Mike “Grimey” Grimes himself will rotate DJ sets on Thursday and Friday 5 p.m.-1 a.m. On Saturday, the Beast opens at 2 p.m. and there’ll be live music 3-7 p.m. featuring Lilly Hiatt, India Ramey, Tim Easton, The Minks, Adams St. Trio and Tiger Beats featuring Patrick Sweany; DJ sets will follow until 1 a.m.
