Justin Townes Earle Leads the Charge at the Festival Formerly Known As
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September 22–28, 2011 I volume 30 I number 34 naShvilleScene.com I free Justin townes earle leads the charge at the festival formerly known as next Big nashville Justin townes earle leads the charge at the festival formerly known as next Big nashville Photos By eric england Photo assistant: sinclair kelly or five years, the Next Big Nashville music festival grew exponentially, incorporating more and more venues F and more and more local and national bands. It sprawled from Lower Broad to East Nashville to Germantown and The Gulch. Exciting though it was, NBN’s vastly inclusive, scattershot lineup proved to be somewhat self-defeating. Likeminded bands played in conflicting slots. Some venues were packed to capacity, while others languished emptily. For the festival’s sixth installment, NBN chief Jason Moon Wilkins retooled his formula, reduced the number of venues and bands, and rechristened the whole thing SoundLand. Read on to see what’s changed and why (p. 18), an overview of SoundLand’s inter-venue shuttle system (p. 18) and conference-like, informative “field trip” schedule (p. 20), along with our crit- ics’ choices for the hottest performers and bills, from Justin Townes Earle, Yelawolf, Big K.R.I.T. and Bonobo to locals like Keegan DeWitt, Madi Diaz, Tristen, Natalie Prass, By Lightning!, Uncle Skeleton and more (p. 20). Justin Townes Earle at the Tennessee State Fair SoundLand’s Jason Moon Wilkins stresses quality over quantity, Sound Investment and explains why the Next Big Nashville moniker is no more By D. Patrick roDgers ner. Events, he says, like the ones Next Big and the outdoor 12th Avenue Block Party and the gumption to roll with the punches ow in its sixth year, the Nashville- Nashville co-sponsored at last year’s South by Stage; The Station Inn a few blocks away in and tailor what needs to be tailored. based music festival newly christened Southwest music conference in Austin, Texas. The Gulch; Mercy Lounge and Cannery Ball- But maybe you just don’t like the name SoundLand (née Next Big Nashville) While South by Southwest is the quintes- room on Cannery Row and their neighbors “SoundLand.” If that’s your qualm, I’d like N has undergone an extensive overhaul. sential template for city-based music festivals, Third Man Records and The Basement. The to call your attention to three completely In years past, the fest sprawled to incorporate Wilkins says that SXSW isn’t exactly what less central War Memorial Auditorium and absurd-sounding words that most of us have dozens of local venues — from rock and hip- he’s going for. He instead sees Seattle’s suc- Neuhoff Factory will host a show each, and become disturbingly accustomed to say- hop clubs to honky-tonks and theaters — and cessful Bumbershoot music and arts festival venues including The Belcourt and The Gib- ing: “Lollapalooza,” “Bumbershoot” and hundreds of local bands. This year, festival (now 40 years old) as the ideal — “more of a son Guitar Showroom will host “field trips” — “Bonnaroo.” SoundLand — a moniker that honcho Jason Moon Wilkins has reduced city festival that is multi-genre and reflects the educational component of the fest and this Wilkins says was at least partially inspired the number of participating local venues what the city is into and what the city cre- year’s alternative to single-venue conferences. by the memory of our dearly departed to a much more manageable 11, eliminated ates,” he explains. Wilkins also references the As far as the local-artist submission process Opryland — doesn’t sound so bad now, does the local-artist submission process and re- defunct Nashville Summer Lights festival, goes, Wilkins claims it was something he was it? In three years, you won’t even notice. newed his focus on pulling in national acts. which attracted rock, pop, country, jazz and never a fan of in the first place. Describing the “[The name SoundLand] does So the obvious question: Why children’s performers in the ’80s and ’90s. process as “more dishonest than honest,” he kinda sound like the name of a tape the change, and why now? But if SoundLand is to be as lasting as explains that he would rather trust the tastes and CD store in a mall in, like, 1995,” “When you say ‘Nashville’ — regardless Wilkins hopes — like, say, the 40-year-old and insights of his colleagues — promoters, Wilkins concedes. “Fair enough.” of what I think, and regardless of what we’re Bumbershoot — the festival and its archi- venue owners, bookers and critics — than Email [email protected]. trying to do, and regardless of who’s even tects’ aspirations need to evolve right along continue to utilize a process that requires >> p20 booked — sponsors, consumers, whoever, with the city itself. Wilkins says that one of so much time and resources and inevitably would still think ‘country,’ ” says Wilkins. He’s the most common complaints he received disappoints countless applicants anyhow. an astute businessman with sharp taste and a in previous years was that the event wasn’t So alongside successful non-local pop, keen awareness of the music industry. He has centralized enough. Bands with overlap- hip-hop, rock and folk artists like Yelawolf, artist-management experience, but he mostly ping fan bases were occasionally found Big K.R.I.T., M. Ward, Foster the People stays out of that end of the business these playing opposite one another at separate and Ghostland Observatory, Wilkins & Co. days. Except, that is, to represent local DIY venues — on opposite sides of town. booked the most exemplary artists Music indie-punk songwriter Daniel Pujol, whose Wilkins partially attributes the difficulty City’s respective scenes have to offer. project PUJOL will release an EP via indie in booking a centralized music event to what Hard-touring, on-the-rise artists with gatekeepers Saddle Creek Records in October. he calls Nashville’s “facilities issue.” He hopes new releases and critical acclaim, like “[Running a festival called Next Big to incorporate the forthcoming convention JEFF the Brotherhood, Those Darlins, Nashville] was tough, you know, because center into the conference side of the fest in Tristen, Caitlin Rose, Chancellor Warhol, obviously part of it was always to try and the future, but for this year, a major part of Keegan DeWitt, PUJOL and Madi Diaz improve that image to the point that it means making SoundLand work was paring back — not to mention former and sometime country plus all these things,” says Wilkins. the participating venues and eliminating the locals like Justin Townes Earle, Jonny “At some point, you have to realize there’s problematic sprawl. “It was difficult not to Corndawg and Jessica Lea Mayfield. only so much a guy with no budget can do use Exit/In and The End,” says Wilkins. “It It’s clear that Wilkins’ primary goal against millions and millions of dollars that was difficult not to work with people who is to give Nashville a non-country mu- brand [Nashville] that way every year.” have been so cool with us, like The Rut- sic festival that will continue to grow Wilkins explains that Next Big Nashville ledge and Hard Rock Cafe and The 5 Spot. with and benefit the city. And hear- remains the name of the LLC behind Sound- Tough, emotional, personal decisions.” ing him apply the lessons he learned Land, and that he hopes to plan other events The venues that remain are mostly in a from Next Big Nashville’s five-year throughout the year under the NBN ban- tighter cluster: 12th & Porter, the nearby Mai run, you can’t deny he’s got the gall Blasting This year’s SoundLand shuttle Off service sees a significant upgrade he nation’s shuttle program may have blasted off for the last time, but the SoundLand Shuttles are fully operational. The fleet of trolley- style mini-buses (a visual upgrade from previous years, thanks to Gray Line) will be delivering SoundLanders from venue to venue T th th throughout the festival — running from the 12 Avenue area (Mai, 12 & Por- ter and the outdoor stage) to The Station Inn and on to Cannery Row (Mercy Lounge, The Cannery Ballroom). On Saturday only, The Basement will also be part of the circuit. Show-hoppers don’t need to worry about parking for the entire night — or making bad decisions about driving. Shuttles run from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., and are free for wristband holders and VIPs. —steVe HarUcH Jason Moon Wilkins coverstory_9-22-11.indd 18 9/21/11 10:12:48 AM nd everywhere from Vogue to W to Pitchfork. Thursday, 22 And rightly so. Validating the incessant buzz This year’s SoundLand that’s surrounded Cults since day one, their trades conventional eponymous release finally re-casts the oft- Daytripper conferences for “field MERCY LOUNGE referenced Brill Building sound in a new light, While, say, 90 percent of this year’s lineup distinguishing the band from peers like Vivian trip” sessions features bands we figured we would see sooner Girls and Best Coast — peers who have mined BY SEAN L. Maloney rather than later, we never thought Bonobo early ’60s pop with less inspiring results. 8:15 court for a case study with breakout folk duo was coming to town, SoundLand or otherwise. p.m. at the 12th Avenue Block Party Stage —RYAN et’s just say it up front and honest- The Civil Wars (1 p.m.) and music streaming And we’re not going to lie: We did a whole lot BURLESON like: Conferences kinda blow. upstarts Grooveshark (2 p.m.), then over to of jumping and shouting when we found out Uncomfortable seats, awkward the Grammy House to shoot the shit with this UK chill-out champion was on the festival FOSTER THE PEOPLE L conversations, cold weak coffee, industry attorneys Loeb & Loeb, and then lineup.