Usually with Free Music Friday we like to keep it local. Why? It’s because Nashville is unlike any other city in the US. We have one of the most vibrant indie music scenes in the country! I’ll argue that fact with you till I’m blue in the face & it’s because of bands like our featured artist this week, Humming House, that I’ll gladly do so!

Humming House is one of those bands that has been firmly placed on my radar every since I had a chance to catch them at Musicians Corner. There unique blend of folk, gypsy jazz, bluegrass and even a little soul keeps their audiences well entertained and coming back for more. Justin Wade Tam’s voice has a nostalgic tone, almost vaudeville esque and when blended with Kristen Rogers’ soulful voice they bring something unique to Nashville’s diverse indie scene.

H Maher Design

You can catch Humming House at the Rutledge on October 29^th at 8pm for their EP release/Halloween party. $5 gets you in the door but if you’re looking for something more than just your typical concert and EP release party, Humming House has put together a unique scavenger hunt with a company called Raven Chase. $20 will get you into the scavenger hunt, a free copy of Humming House’s EP and into the show. It all starts at 6pm, visit RavenChase.com for more details.

Download other songs at briterevolution.com

1. Bear Cub “Pulling Me Apart” [Audio clip: view full post to listen]
2. Admiral Fallow “Subbuteo” [Audio clip: view full post to listen]
3. Peter Bradley Adams “Full Moon” [Audio clip: view full post to listen]
4. Alexis Marceaux’s “Fox” [Audio clip: view full post to listen]
5. Gabe Dixon “Running On Fumes” [Audio clip: view full post to listen]
6. The Head & The Heart “Down In The Valley” [Audio clip: view full post to listen]
7. Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors “Chasing Someday” [Audio clip: view full post to listen]
8. Ben Rector “When A Heart Breaks” [Audio clip: view full post to listen]
9. Andrew Ripp “You Will Find Me” [Audio clip: view full post to listen]
10. Jake Ousley “Wait On Love” [Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Honorable Mentions (Artists I could not leave off the list)

1. Thad Cockrell “Great Rejoicing” [Audio clip: view full post to listen]
2. Parachute Musical “One More Song” [Audio clip: view full post to listen]
3. Amy Stroup “Love You Strongly” [Audio clip: view full post to listen]
4. The Vespers “Tell Your Mama” [Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Lastly, we have created a youtube playlist with all of our “Free Music Friday” songs for you to listen all the time!

Check it out and enjoy. If you are digging what we are doign here, make sure you share this!

There has been a lot of great music released this year, this month alone has seen new music from the Pistol Annies, Ellie Holcomb & our free music Friday artist this week, Gabe Dixon. If you haven’t picked up Gabe Dixon’s latest album “One Spark” stop reading this now, head to Grimey’s & pick up a copy. If you still need convincing then in exchange for your e-mail address you can get a free MP3 of the single “Running on Fumes”. “Running on Fumes” is always a crowd favorite at any of Dixon’s shows. With its infectious piano hook, background vocals provided by Gabe’s band & special guest Dave Barnes, you’ll either find yourself singing along or the guy in the car next to you will be (Yes folks it is that catchy). I can honestly say “One Spark” is one of my favorite albums from this year & I’ll have a full length review coming up very soon explaining exactly why. Visit GabeDixon.com where you can stream “One Spark” in full as well as see all upcoming tour dates. Sept. 4^th is when he’ll be making an appearance in Nashville at the newly refurbished 3^rd & Lindsley!

First up are two great albums available from Noisetrade.com, Trent Dabbs’ “Southerner” & Ben Rector’s “Into the Morning”. Both are available for free but considering how great each of these albums are please make sure to support them by giving a tip.

Next is a sampler from American Songwriter. If you’re familiar with this magazine then you know that their samplers are always top notch. The country sampler alone is always worth checking out. This week they have released their “Muse August Sampler” which is a collection of AS’s favorite new tracks. Highlights include Beirut’s “East Harlem”, John Hiatt’s “Train to Birmingham” & our focus track this week the Leagues “Magic”. The Leagues’ lead singer, Thad Cockrell, is one of our favorite artists here at MCI. The Leagues music is a unique mixture of Robert Plant meets U2. Listen to the song “Magic” & it’s easy to hear the comparison & why this was one of our most anticipated EPs of the year. Visit AmericanSongwriter.com to hear the rest of the “Muse August Sampler” & visit LeaguesMusic.com for a full list of tour dates (including an August 26^th Nashville date at the Mercy Lounge) & audio samples from their new EP.

If you’re a Nashvillian then you know that the days of 100 degree weather have come to a temporary end. So to enjoy those 60 degree mornings & 80 degree afternoons as much as you can you’re going to need some great music to play while you driving around town with the windows rolled down. Brad Cooper, our Free Music Friday artist this week, has brought his newest EP “The Way I Feel” to Noisetrade & it’s the perfect soundtrack for a perfect summer afternoon.

Cooper has become someone that has really made his mark on the pop music scene. His EP made it to #6 on the Billboard breakout chart & all the way to #16 on the iTunes Pop chart. Not bad for an independent artist! Listen to our focus track this week “The Way I Feel”, & it’s easy to hear why. With Cooper’s infectious musical hooks and lyrics and with a voice that sounds like John Mayer’s one minute & Gavin DeGraw’s the next there is no doubt he’ll continue to be a serious force in pop music. To hear the rest of Cooper’s EP for free visit Noisetrade.com/BradCooper. To learn more about Cooper & to see his upcoming tour dates visit BradCooperMusic.com

Certain regions have a tendency to produce a certain musical sound. Take for example the west coast, more specifically the cities of Portland & Seattle. These places are known for their own unique folk sound that’s influenced as much by their musical surrounding as their cultural & natural surroundings. Same is the case for the music coming out of Appalachia. In this region of the country it’s the songwriting that really stands out the most. It is songs formed out of hardships long since gone (& some still occurring) combined with a rich musical heritage formed when Scottish & Irish immigrants first settled there. One of the bands that always stood out the most to me from this region was the Everybodyfields. Their Americana sound blended with amazing songwriting & two unique voices always stood out. Those two voices were Sam Quinn & our Free Music Friday artist this week, Jill Andrews.

For those familiar with the Everbodyfields you know that they broke up several years ago & since that time both Sam Quinn & Jill Andrews have pursued solo careers. To be honest Andrews was always the one who I was most excited to hear a solo album from. Her unique voice is what first caught my attention when I heard the Everybodyfields. With her debut EP Andrews did not disappoint. With it she brought a little bit of the Everybodyfields sound while still keeping it uniquely her own. Andrews has recently released a full length album titled “The Mirror”. There is a little more of a pop/singer songwriter sound to this album but Andrews still keeps that slight Americana flair with her unique southern tinged voice. One of my favorite tracks from this record is “A Little Less”. The production is kept simple (as is the case throughout most of the record), allowing Andrews’ vocals, & songwriting to be the stars. To hear a sampling of full length tracks from both of Andrews’ albums visit Noisetrade.com. There you can find “A Little Less” & another one of my favorite tracks “These Words” which is on Andrews’ debut EP.

JillAndrews.com