On Saturday, August 12, some friends and I piled five-deep in a jeep and headed down I-24 to The Next Generation in Nashville, Tennessee to catch an all-ages show. Four different cities in two different states were represented on the bill. Louisville, Kentucky sent the punk band The Cobalt; Dyersburg, Tennessee sent Lapp Dog; Nashville’s own Skard made an appearance, with Clarksville’s F.S.N. taking the headliner spot in the line-up. Unfortunately, the crowd was on the smallish side all night, probably due to Lynyrd Skynyrd appearing in concert the same night. The thirty-something people that showed up to support the local music scene were treated to a fine performance by all of the bands that played.
The Cobalt was the first band on stage. The three-man punk band from Louisville made their final stop on a weeklong tour of the southern states. Justin on drums, Adam on guitar, and Andrew on bass comprise the five-year old band (I forgot to get last names; sorry). I’m going to be the first to admit that punk rock isn’t exactly my cup of tea. Almost every punk band that I’ve watched so far has sounded like different variations of the same three chords; The Cobalt shattered that impression. The three musicians played off each other like old friends, with each one at one point or another carrying the music throughout their set. The thing that stood out the most about this band was how the vocals were handled. Each member of the band sang lead on at least one song, including Justin (imagine how hard it would be to keep up a breakneck time on drums and still sing the vocals without missing a beat or slowing down; pretty damn impressive, if you ask me). Several three-part harmonies popped up during their set as well, something that you don’t find very regularly in punk music (at least in the music that I’ve been exposed to). They pulled off a helluva set, despite only playing to around fifteen people. Their music went a long ways towards convincing me of giving punk music another chance. After their set was over, Andrew gave me a copy of their latest CD, "Thicker Than Blood".
Skard was the second band to play the show. This was the first time that I’ve seen the band from Nashville. The four-man band is still fairly new, having gotten together in February of this year. Jesse Arnold, drummer; Bill Johnson, bassist; Kevin Crotts, vocals; and Dave Goodwich, guitars, comprise the band, all in their mid to upper twenties. At times throughout their set they showed flashes of potential; Dave in particular showed off a lot of talent. Goodwich is a talented guitarist. He had several top-notch solos during their set. Whereas some guitarists go solo crazy while onstage, Dave knew when to solo and when to let the song stand on its’ own. Crotts has a decent voice (he had a couple good screams) and a somewhat intimidating stage presence, given his stocky appearance. Arnold and Johnson laid a solid foundation down for the majority of their set. Just as they showed flashes of potential, they also showed some signs of needing some serious work. It seemed to me that they are having a hard time figuring out their sound. Some songs sounded cluttered, while others didn’t have enough behind them. I think, though, that if these guys work hard at it they could make a name for themselves in the scene.
Lapp Dog played the third slot in the line-up. The three-man band from Dyersburg, Tennessee-comprised of guitarist/vocalist Cris Brown, bassist Jereme Hubble, and drummer Kevin Scott-make the three-hour long drive from over near Jackson to play their brand of music. Brown, a rather hefty front man, has a very surprising vocal range despite supplying the music’s riffs and guitar lines. He easily switched from a guttural growl to an almost soothing tone and back again like it was nothing. Scott, who joined the band two weeks before the show, made his fourth appearance with the band. He made it seem like he had been playing in the group for years with the way that he handled the drumsticks. Hubble, one of the few bassists in the area who uses a lot of effects on his bass lines, bounced around the stage enjoying the music immensely; he wasn’t the only one. The smallish crowd bounced their heads up and down to the beat of the music throughout their set. "Closure", a rather spooky original, and their cover of The Eurythmics’ "Here Comes the Rain" really stood out. They put a helluva twist on the cover song, making it (in my opinion) the coolest cover being played right now. All in all, their performance left a lasting impression on myself and the audience.
F.S.N., in their fourth appearance at the all ages venue, captured the headliner spot in the line-up for the first time. The quintet from Clarksville-vocalist Alexis Brown, guitarist Dustin "T-Bone" Wright, guitarist J.J. Hankins, bassist Jason Owenby and drummer Ben Ross-played their third show in as many days (they played The Warehouse in Clarksville on Thursday and a friend’s party on Friday before making the drive to Nashville on Saturday). They almost didn’t make it to the show in one piece, though. Owenby and Hankins, along with J.J.’s girlfriend, got side-swiped in a friend’s truck on their way to pick up the equipment by a black truck when the driver of the vehicle, age sixteen, ran a red light. Aside from Hankins going to the hospital for a stiff neck, the threesome made it through the wreck relatively unscathed. They managed to get a hold of Charley Grubbs, drummer for Lowboy, who loaded up their equipment in the back of his truck and drove it down to Nashville in time for the show. As if that wasn’t enough shit working against the band, Brown complained of losing her voice before the show; once onstage, however, it was a completely different story. Early on she struggled to sing her lines at times. Midway through their set she dug down deep and found her voice again. Her entire presence changed in an instant, and the rest of the band followed suit. T-Bone and Jason exchanged mock punches and slaps during "Leaving Me", coaxing the audience into a little bit of movement. "Cozy" sounded especially tight as well. They even felt good enough to bust out a song that they wrote the night before; a weird little song called "Psychathenia". Despite the obstacles the band faced before making it to the show, they put it all aside and had a great time playing. I enjoy myself every time I see these guys (and girl) play.
Despite the smallish crowd, this was an all-around great show. The bands who played are very talented and they all had very respectable sets. Their fellow bands in the scene also showed up and shown a little love, as representatives from Lowboy, Gnosis, Lower Unit, Down Theory and Reflex all came out to support the music. The amount of love and support that was displayed that night put a smile on my face. The Cobalt, Skard, Lapp Dog, and F.S.N. were smiling the most, though. That’s what a music scene is all about.
