Browsing Tag

Nashville Rock

Find the inspiration to cut out the static and reconnect with Mikey Wayne’s indie Americana serenade, Back to You & Me

Posted on 31 August 2024

Nashville-based rock troubadour Mikey Wayne has followed on from the success of his critically acclaimed EP Echo Mountain Sessions with his serenade, Back to You & Me. The indie Americana ballad is sonic kryptonite for the diehard romantics with its sweeping orchestral crescendos and equally as lush harmonies which deliver the raw emotion and warm melodicism of Bryan Adams.

The authentically affecting release brings back the energy of a full band, tied to the roots of Wayne’s Nashville country sound and echoing the influences of his Southern California roots and Alabama upbringing, resulting in a potent mix of open-hearted lyrics and passion-driven progressions.

The ornate orchestral motifs pull you right into the core of the unfeigned sentimentality of the single which implores listeners to turn away from distraction, tune out from the static of the world and lose themselves within the sanctuary built by connection. In an era where it is seen as more entertaining to stare at the selfies of strangers on Instagram instead of the eyes of one they love, it’s easy to lose sight of what matters most, which will never be found on an Instagram feed.

The official music video for Back to You & Me will premiere on August 31st; stream the video on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The sands of time slip away in Jeff Batson’s transmission of Americana-tinged college radio rock, End of the Grains

Posted on 12 May 2024

The feel-good fervour in Jeff Batson’s latest single, End of the Grains, allows you to imagine a parallel universe where Slash turns his iconic riffs to quintessentially uplifting college radio rock which effervesces with full-bodied and finessed to the nth-degree twangs of Americana.

The sentimentality within this sticky-sweet reminder of our mortality rings with immense sincerity, allowing the warmth-infused waves to crash over you as you catch the Nashville-based star’s indomitable lust for life. If you take each one of the mantras rhythmically laid out in the uplifting anthem, your life will start to feel like a utopia before the outro comes around and compels you to dive back into the melodically enriching tour de force.

Virtuoso may be a word that gets banded around a little too readily in the music industry, but Jeff Batson is a rare artist who warrants it with his mettle, which led to a Grammy nomination for writing the chart-topping single, The Rock, for fellow country star, Tracy Lawrence.

Batson’s career has been an endless series of triumphs, from sharing stages with Hank Williams Jr, Tracy Byrd, and Collin Raye to performing on TNN’s Prime Time Country show. With a presence that could light up any room, he deserves to be championed to the end of the earth.

Stream End of the Grains on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Don Pedigo darkened the roots of rock n roll with his dusky track, Messenger

Posted on 5 August 2022

‘Messenger’ is the latest dusky feat of roots-deep rock n roll from the Nashville artist Don Pedigo. From an intro of surfy, swaggy, Gretschy tones, the single opens up through narrative lyrics, which follow the same revelatory path as the likes of Dylan & Tom Petty, reeling you into the depths of Pedigo’s candour and originality.

Each new verse is a testament to the solo artist’s proclivity to pour out his heart lyrically instead of dotting together the usual rock cliches, and there is just as much distinction in the dark production, which puts Messenger on the same level as Nick Cave’s Red Right Hand.

Messenger will officially release on August 5th. You can hear it for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Post-Punk Meets Nashville Rock and Roll in The Rhythm Bullies’ Latest Snarling Triumph, Smoke Rings

Posted on 20 April 2022

Just when I thought I was getting to the aurally jaded stage of being unable to drop my jaw at new sonic amalgamations, The Rhythm Bullies came along with their discordant cocktail of 80s post-punk & Nashville rock and roll in their latest single ‘Smoke Rings’.

The bluesy psychobilly-Esque heat meeting the chillier post-punk tones under the Gothically drawled vocals and blisters of surf rock proved to be a viscerally alchemic combination. That’s before you factor in the hedonistic nihilist lyrics, such as “the world is burning baby, so grab a cigarette”. Smoke Rings finds a generously subversive way of saying the world is burning, whether we want to see it or not, so you may as well get accustomed to the noxious air.

With riffed-out solos that make the Black Keys and Bauhaus simultaneously sound pedestrian, The Rhythm Bullies have an immense amount of snarling potential. We can’t wait see what they do with it.

You can check them out via Facebook, their official website and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast