February 13, 2018 · 10:04 pm

Soccer Mommy comes to Syndicate Lounge with Phoebe Bridgers

Sophie Allison is from Nashville. She spent her youth in the Music City throughout the ‘00s and ‘10s as a scene once known solely for its country music grew into a scene rich in punk and garage rock. She released her first record as Soccer Mommy when she was still a teenager, heading off to school in New York City. Now, she readies her highly anticipated LP Clean as she heads out to open for Phoebe Bridgers. After that tour, she’ll headline her own.

Before the tour stops in Birmingham for a sold out date at Syndicate Lounge, she spoke about writing songs at an early age and growing up within the Nashville rock scene.

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December 31, 2017 · 7:36 pm

2017 Concerts of the Year

 

I only fudged one spot on this list this year, and surprisingly, it was not Isbell-related. And I saw George Strait in Las Vegas and that didn’t even make the list! That’s how you know you had fun.

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December 21, 2017 · 4:27 pm

Albums of the Year 2017

This may have been the most difficult year that I have ever tried to rank my ten favorite albums. There wasn’t a record really–other than perhaps my favorite–that was superior to everything else recorded this year, but there were 100 that were great. I could have easily stretched this into something much longer, but I think I’ve kept at this concise list for a decade or so and there’s no reason to deviate now. It was a great year for pop music, and I didn’t even include the shockingly fabulous Harry Styles debut.

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December 12, 2017 · 4:19 am

“I always wanted to play music” – a conversation with Bully’s Alicia Bognanno

Bully made a huge mark on Nashville’s new rock sound with this year’s Losing, a critically acclaimed sophomore effort that is topping everyone’s year-end best-of lists. Raised in Minnesota, Alicia Bognanno formed the band when she came to Middle Tennessee State University to pursue a degree in audio engineering.
On the band’s way into Birmingham, Bognanno talked about how engineering remains a passion, signing with Columbia Records and maintaining “cred” while on a major label.

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November 29, 2017 · 10:11 pm

Cindy Wilson of the B-52s brings solo material to Saturn

 

Cindy and her brother Ricky Wilson were among the founding members of Athens, Georgia’s B-52s. The band is currently celebrating its 40 th anniversary, and simultaneously, Cindy is celebrating the release of her first solo record, Change. It’s a dance record that she always wanted to do, and as her legendary band wraps touring, she’s finally found the time to live out that dream with the help of Kill Rock Stars.

She splits her time now between Athens and Atlanta. On her way to Birmingham, she talked about the legacy of the B-52s and how her first solo record was realized.

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November 7, 2017 · 1:24 pm

Living Colour

Living Colour was part of a huge wave of guitar and bass-driven funk that emerged in the late ‘80s, and they were responsible for recording one of those songs that transcends generations. “Cult of Personality,” which appeared on their 1988 debut Vivid, was the type of song bigger than most any band; it has appeared in television shows, movies, video games, sports arenas—most any place that can use a soundtrack—for nearly 30 years. Continue reading →

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October 18, 2017 · 10:21 pm

Perfume Genius comes to Saturn

Perfume Genius has one of the year’s most critically acclaimed records, No Shape. It’s the brainchild of Mike Hadreas, a 36-year-old Seattle native now living in Tacoma, Washington. For this album, he teamed up with Blake Mills, the coveted producer behind work from the Alabama Shakes, Fiona Apple, John Legend and Conor Oberst. Continue reading →

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October 13, 2017 · 9:38 pm

Philadelphia’s Sheer Mag lands at Saturn on Sunday

Sheer Mag is a rock and roll band that calls Philadelphia home. They’re a little bit punk; they’re a little bit glam. The five-piece released their first full-length studio album Need to Feel Your Love this year to critical acclaim. In 2015, Rolling Stone included the band among “10 New Artists You Need to Know,” and this weekend, you’ll have an opportunity to get to know them for free. Continue reading →

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September 29, 2017 · 9:42 pm

The Head and The Heart begin showing “Signs of Light”

Jonathan Russell moved from Virginia to Seattle, Washington in 2009 and accidentally created The Head and The Heart. It wasn’t really the goal; he thought his musical path was going to sound much more like The Killers than the folk rock AAA mainstay. But a chance encounter with Josiah Johnson led to what would become the band that released its third studio album, Signs of Light, in 2016.

Tracks like their first single, “Lost in My Mind,” and newer tracks like “All We Ever Knew” and “Rhythm and Blues” remain in regular rotation at Birmingham Mountain Radio. And the band took licensing to a new level when they physically appeared in the pilot of Cameron Crowe’s 2016 Showtime series Roadies. Continue reading →

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September 20, 2017 · 9:45 pm

Mary Chapin Carpenter discusses the women that inspire her ahead of Lyric show

Mary Chapin Carpenter is the only artist that has ever won four consecutive Grammys for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. But she’s hardly “country” these days, a radio format that is more interested in tight jeans and pickup trucks than quality songwriting. The spot she best fits now is what has become known as “Americana,” but as she says, Americana isn’t a new concept. She’s a songwriter. She’s a rebel that broke through country radio two decades ago but refused to conform.

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