3/17 Clownvis' St. Patrick's Day Special at Exit Inn (Nashville) and National tour with The Blasters

In a Facebook Live broadcast on Saturday January 13th, Saint Louis musician Clownvis Presley announced that on Saint Patrick's Day, March 17, he will be performing a special St. Patrick's Day show at the famous Exit Inn with Hillbilly Casino in Nashville Tennessee, as part of his 2017 'Make Entertainment Great Again' tour.  The tour, with the rockabilly group The Blasters, will begin in California and will also make stops in Newport, KY, at The Sanctuary (May 24th), Columbus, OH, at Rumba Café (May 20th), and Asheville, NC, at Grey Eagle (May 25th).

Clownvis' Facebook Live press conference 

Nashville’s Biggest Shows of 2016

Nissan Stadium

By: Patrick Kay

Nashville might be the premier city for country music. It is, after all, home to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum as well as the famed country music venue, the Grand Ole Opry. However, the city is large and receptive to all sorts of music genres, and some very big names have been in town this year.

Beyoncé The woman who led an unforgettable halftime show at this year's Super Bowl also has the highest-grossing tour of the year. In October, Beyoncé stopped by Nissan Stadium and added more money to her blockbuster Formation World Tour. The $126 million and counting dwarfed the earnings of her nearest competition.

Justin Bieber Love him or hate him, you can't deny that Bieber fever is stronger than ever. With over $73 million grossed from his first 45 shows, Bieber has the third most popular tour of the year so far. He stopped at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena this past June and even praised it as one of the best stops of the tour.

Adele Fresh off of the biggest selling album of 2015, Adele brought her soulful style to the Bridgestone Arena. If you needed any more evidence that Adele is wildly popular and then some, she had two shows at the arena, and they both sold out. The average ticket price on the resale market was over $300.

Rihanna Bridgestone Arena seems to be a very popular spot for pop artists making stops in Nashville. R&B superstar Rihanna came by with rapper Travis Scott for a stop on her “Anti World Tour” in March.

Guns N' Roses The thought of the classic lineup of Guns N' Roses reuniting once seemed unthinkable, a "when hell freezes over" scenario. However, Axl Rose, Slash, and Duff McKagan took the stage at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. The "Welcome to the Jungle" hard rock legends have made $26 million and counting on their "Not in This Lifetime..." tour.

Omissions While Nissan Stadium and Bridgestone Arena were able to bring forth plenty more big names, including country superstars like Blake Shelton and Carrie Underwood at CMA Fest 2016 and rapper Kanye West, a few notable touring names did not make the list.

Among them are Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band and legendary Beatle Paul McCartney. It's no doubt that Nashville gets some big shows, but it might not be getting all of them anymore. Still, if you are a music fan in Nashville, there's a good chance there are more than a few great concerts coming your way.

Bridgestone Arena

Review: Fred Armisen releases limited 12" vinyl single about chicken for FREE

Today, December 13th, is the day that 12 record stores across the nation will give away copies of Fred Armisen's new 12" lathe cut vinyl single about Hot Chicken, billed under the name “KFC’s Nashville Colonel and His Fabulous Band.” The chosen stores received about 7 records each in the mail and were told to hide them around the stores and those who find one can have it for free.
Guestroom Records in Louisville is one of the stores and plan to have their 7 copies of the single hidden in the shop before the doors open at 11 am.

Armisen recorded these 2 songs as part of his new gig portraying Colonel Sanders for KFC, the latest in a long line of doomed actors who have tried their hand at the cursed role before getting the axe. The songs themselves consist of one track about Colonel Sanders' suit and one about Nashville, the home of Nashville style hot chicken (at Prince's Hot Chicken Shack at 123 Ewing Dr, Nashville). The songs are in the Country Standard Style, bordering on stereotyping the genres of the regions, so much so that natives of Kentucky and Tennessee might find it offensive.

The song about Nashville, called 'Nashville-Centric Boogie', is literally Armisen reading facts about the city from Wikipedia (he even admits this in the song), and 'C-O-L-O-N-E-L', the song dedicated to Colonel Harlan Sanders, is about how the Kentucky Colonel went insane from wearing the same suit everyday. Both songs seem like the comedian walked into the recording studio without  forethought of what the songs should be and without any knowledge of the subjects he intended to sing about.

Regardless of  the semi-offensive nature of the songs, news of the limited edition scavenger hunt sent audiophiles and hopeful collectors searching the isles of Guestroom Records in Louisville a full day before the release date to no avail. All 7 of the hidden copies at Guestroom were found within minutes of the store opening.
Other record stores that have hidden copies of the single include Grimey's in Nashville and Landlocked in Bloomington Indiana, find the full list here.
  

Review: Langhorne Slim @ Headliners

On Thursday 8/20 Langhorne slim played (on his 35th birthday) at Headliners with opening act Clear Plastic Masks from Nashville.
Clear Plastic Masks started at 8:20 with a blend of 60s psychedelic and 50s standard Rock. Lead man Andrew Katz rambled on between songs about his observations of Louisville, including not knowing how to pronounce the town name and how people here love horses, and at one point sneering at and harassing audience members for talking during the set. Multi-instrumentalist Matt Menold was the saving grace for this off-start by jumping seamlessly back and forth from keys to guitar and presenting the best performance of the band, aside from the talented drummer Charles Garmendia from the Dominican Republic.

Andrew Katz and Clear Plastic Masks

Langhorne Slim and The Law

Langhorne Slim and the Law took the stage at 9:30, thanking headliners for a birthday cake and gift of a personalized Louisville Slugger before breaking into title track from the new album The Spirit Moves, emulating the horn section from the recording by singing "bam bam bah bam!" to great applause. The second song of the night, Pull it Together, also from the new album, was in turn followed by favorites from his seven album catalog.
Langhorne Slim took command of the stage working the crowd into a frenzy as only a master performer can, and at times embodying the spirit of Marvin Gaye; howling and rolling about the stage before dropping into a very quiet and intimate rendition of Wolves, the last track from The Spirit Moves.
At one point the band went back stage as Slim serenaded the audience with just his guitar and several songs before the band returned for an explosive encore, beginning with the song The Way We Move; and ending the evening with the song Fire (from the album The Way We Move) while parading through the crowd in a masterful finale to a fine crafted performance.

Langhorne Slim singing FIRE from within the audience during the encore.

10/1 All them Witches @ Zanzabar

Rock & Roll is alive and well and living in Tennessee. Nashville Bands like Megajoos are keeping the torch fires burning for the time when the rest of the country decides to return to the church of rock n roll. a relatively new Nashville rock band, All Them Witches, will be playing on oct. 1 at Zanzabar.

7/30 Now's your chance! American Idol XIV auditions: Nashville

If you have ever wondered why your 15 minutes of fame haven't happened yet,  head down to Nashville this Wednesday for the newest round of auditions for American Idol!

this guy gets it

WHEN: Wednesday, July 30 @ 7 am (there will not be a separate registration day) WHERE: Nashville Municipal Auditorium, 417 4th Ave. N, Nashville, TN 37201

Review: Megajoos, Roman Polanski's Baby, Thelma and the Sleaze at Keghunters (Lexington)

After a fiasco that resulted in The Haymarket canceling the March 22 Megajoos, Roman Polanski's Baby, and Vibrolas show just two days prior to the scheduled date, we at 37flood were worried that there wouldn't be a chance to catch some of Nashville's finest before they headed further North on tour. Luckily though, they were able to score a couple slots at Keghunters MCC Clubhouse in Lexington. With only a small handful of promotions online, one telling attendees to "bring your own bullwhip," we knew we were in for an experience. Good or bad, it's a story to tell, right?

Immediately upon entry to the clubhouse backyard all doubt was devoured, we were greeted by a single member taking money at the gate and throwing in "free limited edition beer koozies while supplies last." 

With such a small audience and most of the bands showing up early to get situated before the performance, the atmosphere was more like a community cookout than the conventional show dynamic where artists and audience are separate at all times. Everyone was just hanging out by the fire and having a good time, which provided a very intimate environment for performers and spectators alike.

Lexington natives Tenth House performing in an early slot

There were five bands total performing, including Lexington natives Tenth House and The Jive Hounds. Megajoos took the stage right as the sun was setting, opening their set with "Salads and Greens." Immediately the presence of this band was overwhelming. Similarly to their studio work, Megajoos' live performance had an energy and depth that is rarely achieved by a two piece band. We've never understood how they get such a huge sound. In a rare move, the frontman removed his mask after the second song, which added an unusual amount of familiarity to this performance. They even shared "Hungry for Souls and Funyuns" from their upcoming Culture Cringe split 7" with Roman Polanski's Baby.

Megajoos (sorry. all identities protected on 37flood)

Up next was Roman Polanski's Baby, and at this point Lexington was in the low forties with strong winds. However, this didn't deter guitarist Rachel Warrick from delivering a knockout performance with supercharged punk riffs and precision accuracy. Lead singer Katie Miller set the trend for the rest of the evening, deciding to forego the stage altogether and sing from the audience, running back and forth with a presence reminiscent of Darby Crash (sans self mutilation). RPB also shared new material from Culture Cringe's approaching split single.

Roman Polanski's Baby

For those who believe showmanship is a dying art, I submit Thelma and The Sleaze. Adorning less-than-insulate stagewear, these girls played for nearly two hours into the night with temperatures steadily declining. Vocalist and lead guitarist LG was stationed in the audience with the rest of the band playing from the stage accompanied by an illuminated nativity angel that had its face painted like King Diamond. Their sensually natured subject matter and explicit stage presence combined in a manner that was both speculative and engaging for the audience. In true rock n' roll fashion, they kept jamming until the cops arrived to break up the party.

LG rides Chase's bass drum while shredding

In all, this was a unique experience that I've never found anywhere else. Shoutout to Keghunters MCC for knowing how to have a good time, and shoutout to all the bands for being genuinely cool people.

Megajoos and Roman Polanski's Baby Spring tour dates:

3.20 Athens, GA at The Caledonia Lounge with SHEHEHE

3.21 Asheville, NC at The Skanktuary with The Dimarcos
3.22 Louisville, KY at The Haymarket with The Vibrolas
3.23 Cleveland, OH at Now That's Class Matinee show
3.23 Bowling Green, OH at BLV House with Don't Get Bored and Dog Bosser
3.24 Detroit, MI at Garden Bowl with Peach Pit
3.25 Chichago, IL at The Burlington Bar with The Holy Alimonies
3.26 Minneapolis, MN at Eagles Club 34 with Vellhouse, Blood Cookie, & Kitten Forever
3.27 Omaha, NE at O'Leaver's
3.28 Kansas City, MO at Mills Record Company matinee in shop
3.28 Kansas City, MO at Vandals with The Bad Ideas & Faultfinder
3.29 St. Louis, MO at Foam with SKULL & Kenshiro's

Lucero on tour (2/17 @ Zanzabar SOLD OUT)!

In a departure from their last years, Lucero is reliving their roots by not playing Headliners, and instead playing the relatively intimate  Zanzabar on the 17th... for $30 a ticket. which is sold out, so if you were not lucky enough to grab a ticket (like me, it'll be the first time in maybe a decade i'll miss a louisville Lucero show) they will be hitting surrounding areas, albeit in larger venues:
2/16 NASHVILLE $3!!!(It seems to be some sort of lottery system: details)
2/19 Detroit $30
2/23 Chicago $30
Louisville & Cleveland are sold out

Read our review of the Lucero 2010 performance at Headliners here.

Friday: Wayne Coyne at Guestroom Records

Chocolate skull

Wayne Coyne is doing a short Record Store Tour this week to promote the re-release of the Flaming Lips' first EP and Second Cassette Demo on signed green vinyl. On the tour, though, Wayne will be slinging more of those candy skulls everyone loves with the record and a gold coin inside which enables the recipient to attend any Flaming Lips headlining show. He will be visiting Guestroom Records on Frankfort Ave. this Friday. Full tour dates below:

12/19 Nashville – Grimey's

12/20 Louisville, KY – Guestroom Records

12/20 Chicago – Permanent Records

12/21 St. Louis – Vintage Vinyl

12/22 Lawrence, KS – Love Garden Sounds

Official Re-release Promo Poster

Wayne Coyne,  cat shirt guy, and John King at Guestroom

11/9 Marquee Mayfield @ Hideaway

Southern Indiana native (now residing in Nashville) Marquee Mayfield and his band (including drummer Philip Turner from Louisville folk band Jubalson) are playing November 9th at The Hideaway with The Blue Soul Gypsy's from Louisville. it's white boy R&B in the realm of Mayer Hawthorne so grab your best wing tips and get some dancing done. 10PM $5.