Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Indie Ville TV #12 Hunter of the group Specter

Written by Emma Sturgeon


Jacksonville, Tennessee was just far enough away from the Nashville music scene to keep Hunter from being bitten by the music bug in his youth. But when Hunter was fourteen, he was introduced to Nirvana and, like so many others before him, his life forever changed. “I heard their music and haven’t been the same since.” Nirvana, along with The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and an array of other timeless artists initially sparked his interest in music. Hunter’s band, Specter, is a three piece band, including only vocals, guitar, and bass. It has a simplistic feel to it, as if to imply that the lyrics are powerful enough to counteract the lack of musical complexity. For anyone who hasn’t heard Specter’s music, he describes it as a “harmonious combination of blues, rock n roll, Smashing Pumpkins, and psychedelic. But the short answer is alternative rock, if that’s what you’re looking for.” Specter performs at venues around the Murfreesboro area, including Three Brothers. The band prefers smaller venues because of the intimate feel it seems to create for the audience. “It’s a more personal experience for us as well as the audience.” When asked whom his ideal duet would be with, Hunter answered with no hesitation. “Jack White, definitely. He’s simply a master.” Hunter has been busy with “Halo”, a new song he’s writing for the band. He says it’s “more progressive rock than our previous stuff.” They have big plans for the upcoming year, so watch out for Specter in the alternative rock scene.

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Indie Ville TV #11 And The Walls of Our City Will Shake by The Colored Parade

Written By Monet Makohoniuk

This past week I had the absolute pleasure of speaking with Andrew Adkins, the musical
genius behind The Colored Parade’s debut album, And The Walls of Our City Will Shake,
that dropped last week.

Listening to the album in its entirety, you get taken for a ride. The music scoops you up,
and you truly do get to be a part of the fun.

Andrew is an artist inspired by many things. This album is simply a conglomeration of
all of those things, beautifully woven together and put into music that we can now be
inspired by also. His musical influences are vast—read anything about him and you will
know that—and his visual art influences are many. I asked him a few random questions
to get an idea of who he is as an artist.

MM: What is your favorite color?
AA: Clear, because you can put anything over it.
[MM: I love that answer.]

MM: Who are your biggest inspirations?
AA: Stanley Kubrick [films/directors]; Beat movement writers Allen Ginsberg and Jack
Kerouac [books]; and artist Jean-Michel Basquiat [visual arts]. And, of course, Nashville!
Everything that is going on, all the music, all of the people. Going to singer/songwriter
nights. Experiencing and being a part of the energy that is the city of Nashville.

MM: Top three favorite movies … go!
AA: 2001 Space Odyssey, Star Wars, Rocky

MM: What inspired the music video for “Hysterically Speaking?”
AA: Everything nowadays is so obvious. The Colored Parade would want to let the song
remain mysterious and stand on its own.

[MM: Let me tell you. This video definitely stands on its own!]
{{{ http://youtu.be/gptIrvhacNU }}}

Music has always been present in Andrew’s life, and before The Colored Parade, he was
in two moderately successful bands (Mellow-Down Easy and Lions for Real), but in the
end they didn’t pull through.

There were tours, fans, Ryan Gosling’s record label, and even Warner Bros., but in the
end, nothing fully panned out for the bands. “It’s sort of like, seeing a bad picture of you
from years ago,” says Andrew. As the true artist he is, he is already on to the next, while
remaining grateful that those bands added another layer to his musical history.

The Colored Parade is Andrew’s first truly solo project. For our sake, I am glad that
the past projects didn’t fully pan out. He played most of the instrumentals on it and
produced it himself. This debut album is a compilation of Andrew’s very colorful music
background and past experiences completely shine through.

And The Walls of Our City Will Shake shakes you down and brings you up. It takes you
on a ride that is mellow and invigorating. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the album as
much as I enjoyed talking to Andrew.

Check out his album on iTunes!

Indie Ville TV #10 Jet Black Orchid

Written By Emma Sturgeon

A California native and a lover of rock, Gunnar Brittany and his two brothers, Rio and
Jaggar, formed Jet Black Orchid in 2007. Their father, an avid guitar and piano player,
initially peaked the boys’ interest in music. When they decided to form a band later on,
the genre came naturally.

“We grew up listening to classic rock,” says Gunnar. “We would cover Led Zeppelin,
The Beatles and other bands of that genre, so when we decided to write our own stuff, it
just came organically.”

Jet Black Orchid is on the move these days. They are currently residing in Louisville,
Ky., but are notoriously moving around, going wherever their music takes them. The
band’s ultimate goal is to keep classic rock alive, as opposed to the over-produced,
digitized music that seems to be everywhere these days. The brothers have spent the
last couple of months in the studio. “In our new stuff, we experiment with different
sounds, but we don’t stray from our genre,” says Gunnar. “It’s the same band.” Jet Black
Orchid is expected to release their new album in the very near future. For updates, visit
jetblackorchid.com.

Indie Ville TV # 9 Queen City Heist

Written by By Emma Sturgeon

Two years ago, Skye Mangrum was part of a band called Blue Sky Alert, but the
drummer’s sudden wedding engagement initiated a transformation. The band got a new
drummer, a new name, and thus Queen City Heist was born. Their music can be loosely
classified as soul rock. “Our music is like if Paramore, Muse and Santana all had a baby,”
says Skye.

Skye’s exposure to rock came early. The founder of the band was born in Panama City
in the middle of a political riot. “My mother was in labor, and the rioters were literally
rocking the ambulance,” she says. “We had to be airlifted to the hospital.” Protesters
were blasting classic rock in the streets.

The band has spent many tedious hours in the studio the past few months, but Skye says
sit’s been worth it. “Our new stuff is way better than our older tracks,” she says. Queen
City Heist is expected to drop three new tracks in the next couple of months.