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!

This week there have been several bands that have caught my attention & most, if not all, have been from the UK. So for this week’s Free Music Friday I’m going to be highlighting a band from across the pond, Admiral Fallow. NPR called them their band to watch at this year’s SXSW festival & even wondered if they could be the next Mumford & Sons. In other words this is a band well worth checking out & one I’m sure will be making an impact here in the states very soon.

Admiral Fallow is Louis Abbott (guitars & vocals), Kevin Brolly (clarinet, piano & drum), Philip Hague (drums), Sarah Hayes (piano, flute & background vocals), & Joseph Rattray (upright bass). Admiral Fallow hales from Glasgow & it’s easy to hear the influence of Irish & British folk music in their songs & even a bit of early jazz. Their debut album “Boots Met My Face” weaves together these influences to create something unique. In fact this is an album that rewards the listener with repeat listens just so you can hear its finer nuances & influences. Check out “Squealing Pigs” to hear a song that cries out for repeat listens. It starts off simple with Abbott’s heavy Scottish vocals, & an acoustic guitar but starts to build one layer after the other. Sarah Hayes’ background vocals, Phillip Hague’s drums & Kevin Brolly’s clarinet adds depth & uniqueness to the song. Our free track this week & one of my personal favorites from “Boots Met My Face” is “Subbuteo”. This is a song where we really hear Brolly’s clarinet front & center. In fact this song sounds a lot like it could be a missing track from the Dave Matthews Band’s masterpiece, “Before These Crowded Streets” with its intensity & musical layers toward the end of the song. Its lyrics speak of re-connecting with a lost friend & the memories you once shared as kids, longing for those days of innocent recklessness that has long since faded. To hear more songs from this stellar debut album, check out Admiral Fallow’s Band Camp page. Not only can you preview the entire album but another free song is available titled “The Sad Clown Cast”.

AdmiralFallow.com

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

This week for FMF I’m going to introduce you to another one of my favorite bands that resides outside of Nashville, Missouri’s own Ha Ha Tonka. If you haven’t heard of Ha Ha Tonka then it’s about time that you do! With a sound comparable to Kings of Leon, they bring something that is a little more raw & a lot more real than the boys from Nashville have been bringing lately. Ha Ha Tonka is Brett Anderson(keyboard, guitar, and vocals), Lennon Bone(drums & vocals), Lucas Long(bass & vocals) & Brian Roberts(guitar & vocals).
Formed in 2001 under the name Amsterband, they changed their name to Ha Ha Tonka, which is a park near their home in the Ozarks of Missouri, in 2006. Their first independent release under their new name was “Buckle in the Bible Belt”, which was later re-released in 2007 on Bloodshot Records.  “Buckle in the Bible Belt” is a strong debut and in turn has gained them a lot of critical acclaim. Check out the songs “St. Nick on the Fourth in a Fervor”, “Caney Mountain” & “Up Nights” which stand out as some of my favorite cuts on the record. In 2009 they released their follow up album “Novel Sounds of the Nouveau South”.  “Novel Sounds of the Nouveau South” contains some of Ha Ha Tonka’s best songwriting & continues with the rocking & unique sound that only they can bring. Stand out tracks include “The Outpouring”, “Walking on the Devil’s Backbone” & “Close Every Valve of Your Bleeding Heart”. On their most recent release, 2011’s “Death of a Decade”, Ha Ha Tonka continues to refine their sound making this follow up release even better than their last. One of my favorite cuts on this record & our free track this week is “Usual Suspects”. “Usual Suspects” kicks off with a rocking mandolin rift & dives right into Brian Roberts’ unique, southern tinged vocals. Roberts’ had this to say about the lyrics in “Usual Suspects”, “Lyrically, it’s a simple play on the tried and true good girl likes bad boy(s) motif all within a small-town setting, made complete with a nod to both ‘Casablanca’ and Keyser Söze”. This is a song that is indicative of what we’ve come to expect from Ha Ha Tonka, uniquely written lyrics mixed with edge of your seat southern rock & roll!

Ha Ha Tonka Website

Passion-Seekers.mp3

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

This week’s band comes to us from Georgia; Little Tybee.  Their name comes from a tiny island off the coast of their native Georgia where legend has it, an undetonated atomic bomb from the 1950s lies missing (source).  Little Tybee is made up of 5 amazingly talented musicians. 

Brock Scott, the vocalist, guitarist, and pianist,  Josh Martin who plays an 8 string guitar, followed by Nirvana Kelly who is the only female and plays a sultry violin, Ryan Donald the bassist and lastly Pat Brooks who plays percussion.  Each of them brings their own flavor to the band who then crafts the sound into what I would call “melodic overload.” The band has already had some great placements on MTV, Paste Magazine, Spinner, and Metromix just to name a few.  What makes this band so great and the single Passion Seekers so catchy is how each instrument carries either a melody or counter melody during the song.  The same ideal carries through the entire album.  Everything from the percussion to the violin has its place and point to shine on the album.  Each musician is supporting the other through the songs as if they are waiting for their turn to shine.  Little Tybee may not be as well known as “Mumford & Sons” or “The Civil Wars”, but give them some time. With a sound and feel like theirs, there is no doubt they will be all over the airwaves soon. Check out there music video below and make sure to buy their record!

Check out there website here.

Little Tybee – Passion Seekers from Christopher Chambers on Vimeo.

Last week I mentioned how every artist has someone who has inspired them. Some create an album almost indistinguishable from the person they’re being influenced by, while others take bits & pieces from those musicians who inspire them to create something strangely familiar but uniquely their own. This week’s Free Music Friday artist, The Bridges, do just that with their EP Our Monster.

Formed in 2002, The Bridges are not only unique in their sound, but unique in the fact that they are all family. Brittany Painter, the bands lead vocalist, moved from North Carolina to Alabama to live with siblings Natalie (piano & guitar), Stacey (guitar), Isaaca (vocals & bass) & Jeremy Byrd (drums). Brittany first formed an acoustic group with Stacey & Natalie called Long Story Short, playing mostly at churches & coffee houses. Their sound took a new direction when Isaaca & Jeremy joined the band. Knowing they would have to figure out a new approach to their music, with the addition of drums & electric bass, they started pulling influences from bands they had previously been discouraged to listen to because of their very conservative household. The music of the Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, and CS&N started shaping their sound and lyrics, and eventually became the foundation of their newly formed band, The Bridges. On their first release since 2006’s major label debut, Limits of the Sky, their independent release, 2010’s Our Monster, is ripe with evidence of these influences. On the opening track, ‘Misfits’, we hear influences of Heart & Blondie with a sound that is a mix of other late 70’s & early 80’s rock bands. One of my favorite tracks and our free track this week is ‘Captured’. Musically, its sound is similar to George Harrison’s song ‘Wah-Wah’ with its grittiness & layered vocals. Lyrically this is a very poetic song that could very well be left to personal interpretation. What I take from this song is an example of The Bridges’ Christian background. Isaaca sings of the rapture & how her heart is ready, knowing that death no longer has its sting and that her place after this life is certain. Isaaca Byrd has taken lead in a lot of songs on their new EP with her unique & haunting voice. Check out ‘Wild Canyons’ to hear Issaca’s vocals front & center. Her beautiful voice & lyrics are timeless, creating a fitting end to a project rich in 70’s rock influence but still sticking to a sound that is uniquely The Bridges.

WeAreTheBridges.com