Indie Ville TV #13 Nashville Up and Coming Rock Goddes Asheira

Written by Omari Byrd

This week I got the chance to sit down with Asheira, an up and coming rock goddess making noise in the Nashville music scene. Blending classic rock ballads with tunes catchy enough to be heard on your local radio, let’s see what makes Asheira tick!

DA: Where are you from and how long have you been in Nashville?

ASH: I'm the product of a military family so I'm a little bit from everywhere; but I spent 10 years in Mobile, Alabama and fought my way to Nashville,Tennessee and I've been here for about 3 years now.

DA: What’s your favorite thing to do in the city and why is it your favorite thing?

ASH: Definitely music and looking for the right people to work with! I've been collectively writing and co-writing with different people, finding musicians that mesh with my style, and after 2 years of looking for the right people, the band just came together this year and here we are. We've self produced an EP album and released one single that has been getting a buzz on 102.9 The Buzz, and that single has led us to other producers and new opportunities! We're actually in talks with Mark Neill, producer of the The Black Keys Brothers album, it's unofficial as of now but we hope it pans out; it's very exciting!

DA: Wow! Very swagged out, I love the work ethic; it definitely sounds like you're working around the clock. So tell me about the band!

ASH: Well the band is made up of drummer Dustin Roberts, Wade Blair on guitar, Steven Thomas on bass, and Jeremy Brading on rhythm guitar. They're amazingly talented and like family to me.

DA: Beautiful; that's the way it's supposed to be. What artists would you say inspire you?

ASH: I like artists with their own style like Jimmy Hendrix, Jack White, and Led Zeppelin, but especially artists like Dan Fenton of Feedback Revival who inspired me and actually helped produce and co-write some of our songs; I love him. Also I love Jeff Buckley, he's one of the best vocalists ever and the only reason I say that is because his songs are more of a passionate, emotional release. He's mastered his character and that's what it's all about.

DA: I hear you with the "mastered his character" statement... you really know something about mastering a character don't you? What movie are you going to be in again?

ASH: Well yeah, I do act, and I play a lead role in the independent film "Race With The Devil" that will be coming out very soon. Be sure to check me out!
DA: Oh, I surely won't forget! Now that we know who has contributed to your sound, how exactly would you describe your sound?

ASH: I definitely have an eclectic sound of 60's, 70's, and 80's rock & roll, mixed with modernized pop elements and different pieces put together. I get No Doubt, ACDC, and The White Stripes comparisons all the time; I love it!

DA: Wow, I must say your music actually had that effect on me! I definitely caught that eclectic, No Doubt vibe when listening to your single "Riding in Cars". Now if you can describe it, what effect would you like your music to have on people?

ASH: I just want people let go of the corporateness of music and feel cool/have fun! It's no secret that you can go to a show in Nashville and see people  with their arms crossed still standing there. Why!? I want people to be themselves because nobody's perfect, and the imperfections of rock & roll are what make it rock and roll. My goal is just to make Nashville dance again.

DA: Now that's dope; I couldn't agree more on that. As Goodie Mob once said, "they don't dance no mo"! Here's a wild question, say you could work with any artist EVER... who would you work with?

ASH: It would have to be Freddie Mercury of Queen. He's one of my favorite vocalists in the world! He's just so quirky and fun, I know we'd make a high energy record.

DA: Awesome. Insert Freddie Mercury meme here! So I know you've released some songs and you definitely have a lot in the chamber, but which of your songs would you release to the people if you could only choose one?

ASH: I'd probably release our song "Do or Die". It's about letting go of everything in order to do what you love with the people you love to do it with. Life is so short, you've got to do what you love. It's such a positive song, and that's the one I would love to give to people.

DA: Yes. It is all about positivity, and empowering people to do what they need to do, and the fact that you say that now means I know you'll follow up on the mic. That's very cool. Now I have a very serious question for you... soft shell or hard shell tacos?

ASH: Soft shell, because you can have more at one time!

DA: Those are my sentiments exactly! Now Asheira, you have one chance to say something to the entire world. Go!

ASH: I would tell the world do what you love, life is short, and live it with the people you love!

DA: There we go, a cool response from a cool chick. Asheira, thanks for taking time out to tell me about yourself. Be sure to catch Asheira around town at one of her various  upcoming performances at the High Watt, Exit Inn, The End, and 5 Spot. Also check out her music, Facebook, Twitter, and everything else Asheira on www.reverbnation.com/asheira

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.

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.

Indie Ville TV #8 Look What I did lead singer Barry Donegan

Written By Beau Cooper

Look What I Did is the musical representation of chaos, and I mean that in the best way possible. Yet amongst the dissonant, genre clashing mayhem, this band gives the listener a fresh melodic center to grasp onto. This center may be hard to find, but Look What I Did does this by design. “We make it hard to listen to on purpose,” said vocalist Barry Donegan. Their intention is not to give you the easy route; a three and half minute song focused around basic structure and harmony, but to instead give you a gut wrenching journey that may or may not follow up with a pop song hook. It’s the process of struggle and reward, and Look What I Did is great at doing this.

            The group moved to Los Angeles in the early 2000s due to the “stagnant” music scene existing in Nashville at the time. But Nashville has stretched its ears and opened its mind to a new scene, and for the past seven years Look What I did has continued what it originally began in music city. With a recent show at Exit/In, Nashville has definitely shown a new musical shift, and an interest in even the most niche styles as of music. With the exception of a few technical difficulties, Barry Donegan considers the show an overall great time and success. “If anything goes wrong, act like you did it on purpose.” This is a great piece of advice, especially when encountering the downfalls of technology.

            Looking forward, Look What I Did has a new album on the way, and it’s not just any album. Oh no, this will not be the twelve track, conceptually disconnected, “every song speaks on its own” album we might expect from most bands. Instead, this will be a rock opera. The album will be based on a cartoon skit from the band’s first music video from their first album. Following in the footsteps of their prog-rock ancestors, it will be a plot-driven rock opera that is “inspired by all rock operas”, with no specific influence in mind. The band’s new album will feature surprise special guests, and a guaranteed theatrical sound and performance. The album is expected to be released on vinyl.

            Look What I Did doesn’t care about what’s in, out, cool, or not cool. Their only concern is creating music they enjoy for people that share their musical like-mindedness, even if it is a niche crowd. Singer Barry Donegan says, “We make music that goes against each other.” While their music clashes within itself, it also goes against what is typical in the mainstream and even most local scenes. With a recent show at Exit/In under their belts, writing in the process, and a rock opera on the way, people have a lot to look forward to from Look What I Did. Indie Ville TV

Indie Ville TV #6 High and Late Drummer Jake Costenaro

Written by Josh Baker


Twenty minutes after the scheduled time and five minutes before I was planning on leaving I get a phone call from Goon’s drummer, Jake Costenaro, telling me he just passed the coffee shop we plan to meet at. He finally shows up but since there is nowhere to sit we walk down to the nearest park as he speaks on about who knows what and tries to show me tattoos. We sit down at some park benches near the playground and he fires up a cigarette. We go back and forth about the hardcore bands we’ve seen and grew up listening to. After some small talk and random occurrences things start moving forward.

Goon is the brainchild of Jake and bassist, Josh Hearing. The years led them in and out of bands together or pursuing separate interests. What started those years of band-hopping was when they were in their first band together, The Carry-Out Special. Jake was sixteen years old and only a beginner on guitar. A while after playing guitar for them he sat down behind the drumset one practice session because the drummer was always late. After never having played drums before he found himself at home on the drummer’s throne.

“Any idiot can do this,” he says about the drummer while air-drumming, “why is he always late?”

Fast forward to Goon’s first album, “Guardian”. This full-length was written in the typical broke-musician situation: Jake was living in a storage space after a breakup. They utilized this space to write their debut album and had a friend help them out to record those songs. This friend is Echelon Studios’s owner, Joseph McQueen. The songs were recorded in Alabama and sent out west for production. Their first single recorded at Echelon, “Carry You Home”, made a short trip from it being recorded to airplay. Twenty-four hours after recording the song it was in circulation on 102.9, “The Buzz”. Those hours break down like this: eighteen(18) hours to record, mix, master, blah, blah, blah, and six(6) hours to find it’s way into the hands of the people putting it on the air for the ears of the listeners to hear. Jake was obviously surprised when that happened, “We’re not touring famous with our own t-shirt company but, wow, we’re on the radio.”

Goon took advantage of an appreciable quick turnaround and released their next single, “Due To Me”. This song won them such a following that Goon had to retire from the voting boards since they won so often. In 2012 they were voted 102.9’s, “Band of the Month”, three months in a row. That same year they won “Band of the Year”.

They haven’t had much of a live presence during the life of the band(2011-present). Their last show was Halloween of 2013. But, what they may lack in quantity they make up for in quality. Goon’s first show was opening for The Misfits with subsequent shows opening for Saliva and Saving Abel.

Fans have been asking the members of Goon(Guilty Of Our Nature) when they are going to start playing out again. And, those fans just may have their answer. Jake mentions that this Fall (2014) is when Goon will be picking up where they left off last year. But, this time around they are slightly altering their sound. It’ll be a mix of Goon and classic hardcore with influence from the direction he says new punk is going, “dreamy guitars over syncopated rhythm with aggressive vocals”. Basically, that sound translates into hearing distorted machine gun firing while you are steadily and endlessly backflipping through space with someone shouting at you. Alot.

“I just want people to move”, Jake says about the anticipation of getting new material out there, “I want kids to fucking lose it.”

They are currently working on an ‘E.P.’ that kids will probably fucking lose it to. Unlike “Guardian” this new collection of songs will be a more structured release thus giving them an opportunity to build a supporting live campaign. Will it happen? I don’t know.

So, here’s Goon’s line-up:
-Josh Hearing, Bass/Vocals
-Jake Costenaro, Drums/Vocals
-Steven Jackson, Guitar/Vocals
-Johnny Fiction, Guitar/Vocals

Yeah, everyone does vocals. Want to know why? I have a quote from Jake to answer that question, “I like the thickness of group vocals. It really pushes the sound.”

I found my way through Jake’s blabbering-about-whatever-it-was to get what you readers (you) need to know about Goon. So, remember, even through my babbling, that Fall-2014 is when you can start looking for these guys.

Will you like them? IF you like these artists, or even if you don't, you may: As I Lay Dying, Norma Jean, Every Time I Die, Underoath, Fear Before The March of Flames, Being as an Ocean, Sofia

Twenty minutes after the scheduled time and five minutes before I was planning on leaving I get a phone call from Goon’s drummer, Jake Costenaro, telling me he just passed the coffee shop we plan to meet at. He finally shows up but since there is nowhere to sit we walk down to the nearest park as he jabbers on about who knows what and tries to show me tattoos I don’t want to see. We sit down at some park benches near the playground and he fires up a cigarette. We go back and forth about the hardcore bands we’ve seen and grew up listening to. After some small talk and random occurrences (him making me listen to bands he’s currently into that I didn’t ask about) things start moving forward.

Goon is the brainchild of Jake and bassist, Josh Hearing. The years led them in and out of bands together or pursuing separate interests. What started those years of band-hopping was when they were in their first band together, The Carry-Out Special. Jake was sixteen years old and only a beginner on guitar. A while after playing guitar for them he sat down behind the drumset one practice session because the drummer was always late. After never having played drums before he found himself at home on the drummer’s throne.

“Any idiot can do this,” he says about the drummer while air-drumming, “why is he always late?”

Fast forward to Goon’s first album, “Guardian”. This full-length was written in the typical broke-musician situation: Jake was living in a storage space after a breakup. They utilized this space to write their debut album and had a friend help them out to record those songs. This friend is Echelon Studios’s owner, Joseph McQueen. The songs were recorded in Alabama and sent out west for production. Their first single recorded at Echelon, “Carry You Home”, made a short trip from it being recorded to airplay. Twenty-four hours after recording the song it was in circulation on 102.9, “The Buzz”. Those hours break down like this: eighteen(18) hours to record, mix, master, blah, blah, blah, and six(6) hours to find it’s way into the hands of the people putting it on the air for the ears of the listeners to hear. Jake was obviously surprised when that happened, “We’re not touring famous with our own t-shirt company but, wow, we’re on the radio.”

Goon took advantage of an appreciable quick turnaround and released their next single, “Due To Me”. This song won them such a following that Goon had to retire from the voting boards since they won so often. In 2012 they were voted 102.9’s, “Band of the Month”, three months in a row. That same year they won “Band of the Year”.

They haven’t had much of a live presence during the life of the band(2011-present). Their last show was Halloween of 2013. But, what they may lack in quantity they make up for in quality. Goon’s first show was opening for The Misfits with subsequent shows opening for Saliva and Saving Abel.

Fans have been asking the members of Goon(Guilty Of Our Nature) when they are going to start playing out again. And, those fans just may have their answer. Jake mentions that this Fall (2014) is when Goon will be picking up where they left off last year. But, this time around they are slightly altering their sound. It’ll be a mix of Goon and classic hardcore with influence from the direction he says new punk is going, “dreamy guitars over syncopated rhythm with aggressive vocals”. Basically, that sound translates into hearing distorted machine gun firing while you are steadily and endlessly backflipping through space with someone shouting at you. Alot.

“I just want people to move”, Jake says about the anticipation of getting new material out there, “I want kids to fucking lose it.”

They are currently working on an ‘E.P.’ that kids will probably fucking lose it to. Unlike “Guardian” this new collection of songs will be a more structured release thus giving them an opportunity to build a supporting live campaign. Will it happen? I don’t know.

So, here’s Goon’s line-up:
-Josh Hearing, Bass/Vocals
-Jake Costenaro, Drums/Vocals
-Steven Jackson, Guitar/Vocals
-Johnny Fiction, Guitar/Vocals

Yeah, everyone does vocals. Want to know why? I have a quote from Jake to answer that question, “I like the thickness of group vocals. It really pushes the sound.”

I found my way through Jake’s blabbering-about-whatever-it-was to get what you readers (you) need to know about Goon. So, remember, even through my babbling, that Fall-2014 is when you can start looking for these guys.

Will you like them? IF you like these artists, or even if you don't, you may: As I Lay Dying, Norma Jean, Every Time I Die, Underoath, Fear Before The March of Flames, Being as an Ocean, Sofia

Indie Ville TV