Next Big Nashville brings out best in local music

Next Big Nashville wrapped up during the wee hours of Sunday morning after four nights of showcases, awards and parties rocked downtown.

With conferences by day and shows by night, the event, which lasted from Oct. 7-11, was more or less a nonstop throwdown. Orchestrated for the fourth year by co-founders Ethan Opelt and Jason Moon Wilkins, the festival sets the bar high and raises it higher each year.

In 2008, more than 15,000 people attended Next Big Nashville, and this year Nashville’s most renowned venues, which are legends in and of themselves, were again teeming with area artists, people within the music industry and those in support of what Music City has to offer outside of country.

“Watching the community come together for the good of music is inspiring,” says Meredith Kotas, publicity handler for Next Big Nashville.

In terms of non-country music, Nashville has a lot to show for itself, and Next Big Nashville is dedicated to spotlighting the growing foundation of alternatives to country in the music scene.

The indie and alternate forms of rock scenes are expanding, and in the past four days, venues like Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, Exit/In, 12th and Porter and Mercy Lounge have been filled with support.  With multiple lineups of bands performing simultaneously around the city, showgoers had to pick and choose which sets to attend.

Next Big Nashville is like an urban Bonnaroo, except with a profound sense of community.  Most artists onstage repeatedly praised other musicians partaking in the festival, and expressed deep gratitude to be a part of it.

American Songwriter was among the many sponsors backing Next Big Nashville.

“Together we can strengthen the Next Big Nashville brand by adding exciting new sponsors,” says Mindy Grimes, music and national

advertising and events director at American Songwriter.

“Personally, I love the festival and the idea of featuring superb local and national talent throughout Next Big Nashville,” Grimes says.  “Nashville, Murfreesboro and the surrounding areas have incredible indie rock, Americana and other genre bands, and it is fantastic to be able to spotlight them with a comprehensive festival and conference at some of Nashville’s coolest venues.”

Though the venue owners, A & R representatives, publicists and music journalists who determine the lineup typically accept only area musicians, Memphis-based band Lucero and Los Angeles’s Nico Vega were among the headliners.

“This year, there were higher profile artists, and it’s great, because some of them played previous NBNs as ‘unknowns,’” Kotas says.  “It’s a great testament to this city, the loyalty of its fans and the festival itself.

“The whole premise of NBN is to support all the great music that’s made here in Music City, especially the budding artists.”

Among the musicians graduating from the fine print to featured musicians was Heypenny, which performed a midnight Mercy Lounge set on closing night of the festival.

The band blew away other artists through pure showmanship, extending their songs and performing Beyonce’s “Single Ladies,” but ending quietly.

“We decided to try something quiet and soft for a sweet ending instead of a rock-your-skull ending,” Heypenny bassist DJ Murphy says.

The set was closed with acoustics and a string section as strands of white Christmas lights were stretched through the crowd, different from the standard rambunctious blowout for which Heypenny usually opts.

Next Big Nashville was packed with surprises; during singer/songwriter Jeremy Lister’s set, Alison

Krauss joined him onstage, an impromptu performance that was the first time the two had played live together.

“It was quite spur of the moment,” Lister says.

Apart from approximately 200 bands performing, conferences were held during the days of the festival were open to individuals with VIP passes.

The Nashville Music Awards was held Oct. 7 at the Cannery Ballroom, at which Taylor Swift took home three awards, and Jack White received one for top instrumentalist.

Robert K. Oermann’s “How Nashville Became Music City”  featured a historical account from the author and journalist about how Nashville earned its musical reputation.

“What’s Next for Nashville?” involved representatives from the Nashville Music Business Council – which includes Next Big Nashville co-founder and president Jason Moon Wilkins, Jack White and Emmylou Harris – discussing the future of the Nashville music scene.

Other conferences offered constructive information from and about artist managers, booking agents, indie labels and copyright law.

There was minimal filler music in Next Big Nashville 2009, and more consistent good sound, from the satirical hip hop of Lord T and Eloise, the grungy-bar blues of Black Diamond Heavies or the fiery, blatant rock of Modoc.  If the variety did not impress festival-goers, the tightness or enthusiasm of musicianship of 200 musicians who really wanted to be there was bound to.

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2 comments

Nowhere near Bonnaroo

Thu Oct 15 2009 13:52

I see what you're getting at - but Next Big Nashville is nowhere near the level of an "urban Bonnaroo" at all... Not even close. As someone who is close to both festivals - I know this to be fact. But the lack of deodorant with the performers probably is where your comparison came from! Ha ha!

I was happy to see you point out that the festival is actually geared towards "indie and alternate forms of rock" - because that reflects the tastes of co-founders Ethan Opelt and Jason Moon Wilkins... Who are heavily involved in selecting the acts - as they should be... They need to broaden their horizons though - because their tastes (and the acts reflected in past festival lineups) do NOT accurately reflect all the genres present in Nashville... They focus on their favorites and not much more... Which they have the right to do - as long as they aren't claiming they're doing more... (which they are)

In fact - the "hip hop" groups weren't exactly hip-hop... and not all the groups labeled as "rock" were rock and roll...

hrossaman

Mon Oct 12 2009 12:25

Freakin eh!

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