The Warm Up with Heartless Bastards

03/07/2012 By
The Warm Up with Heartless Bastards [ 20:42 | 47.4 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

What a special treat it was to have Heartless Bastards stop by Ardent Studios this afternoon to record some stripped down songs from their brand new record Arrow!

The Austin-based recorded with Spoon‘s drummer Jim Eno. Did you know he is not only a a record producer on the side but also a semiconductor chip designer? What?

Anyway, back to the band at hand! We had a great time spending the afternoon with them! We chatted about their recording process and who their influences were on the new record.  And of course, they played us some tunes! So take a listen and if you are headed to SXSW, you’ll have plenty of chances to catch them play during one of their eleven sets during the conference!

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The Warm Up with Leatherbag

03/05/2012 By
The Warm Up with Leatherbag [ 12:59 | 29.73 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

We’ve been trying to get the Austin-based power trio Leatherbag in Ardent to record since last year. The stars finally aligned when they booked a show at The Hi-Tone last night. They drove all the way from Norman, Oklahoma to hang with us yesterday. Alas, with all the recording happening at Ardent on a Sunday afternoon, we could not find a corner to plug-in!

Luckily, the band was off today and spent most of the it with us driving around Memphis and taking in all the local musical history! Thanks to our good friends at Sun Studio for a fantastic tour! Did you know if you’re in a band and bring in your CD, the tour is on the house?

We usually like to do stripped down sessions during our little podcast, but this band is a POWER trio and there was no way to represent their sound without at least a snare drum. Check out the video from the show for their new song “Living in the Dark” and then listen to the show to hear two more great tunes! If you’re gonna be in Austin for SXSW, be sure to check out these guys and get yourself some jalapeño fried chicken at Lucy’s Fried Chicken. The full line-up is on their website.

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5 Questions with The Dunwells @folkalliance

02/29/2012 By

One of the biggest buzz bands at The 24th International Folk Alliance Conference was The Dunwells. They traveled all the way from Leeds to charm the attendees with their British take on Americana music. This was their second visit to the bluff city, the last time they were here they got signed to their record deal and were whisked away to Austin, TX to record their debut album at Willie Nelson‘s Pedernales Studio.

The quintet seemed to be quite big fans of Memphis music history as we chatted about the sound board that Led Zeppelin mixed their infamous third album on in Memphis back in the early 70s. Hopefully they are big enough fans to come back and record in Memphis real soon!

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The Warm Up with Matt the Electrician

02/24/2012 By
The Warm Up with Matt the Electrcian [ 28:20 | 64.83 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

We remember being at The International Folk Alliance Conference last year and wandering into a room we saw some friends in. As the singer began to sing, we all looked at each other with a knowing look. We had stumbled upon something really magical! It was Matt the Electrician and after his performance we cornered him in the hallway to invite him to come to Ardent. He told us that he did not tour through Memphis very much but would probably be back at the conference the following year. We told him we would wait.

Now our patience has paid off. Matt dropped by this afternoon to chat with us about who he is looking forward to seeing play this year, his favorite part of the conference and co-writing songs with people from all over the world. Matt also plays a brand new song called “See You Better” – he named it this afternoon. Check out the show and look for him in a town near you…

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Nice Playlist, Brah: Best Friends of 2011 by Brandon Kinder of The Rocketboys

12/15/2011 By

2011 has been a great year for new music. And in a world where “Best of 2011” lists flow like wine and “Top 10“ lists flock to our RSS feeds like the salmon of Capistrano it can get a little overwhelming, and a little redundant honestly. We all know that Bon Iver released an incredible album this year, we’ve all heard Adele crooning at us every second on the radio, and surely by now the Black Keys are a household name for most of us.

I decided I wouldn’t just add to the noise by telling you which releases of this year’s bonafide “Top 50” were my particular “Top 10.” Instead, here is a list of some my friends that have released new music this year. One thing I love about being in a band is the opportunity to meet and be inspired by other bands that you meet along the way. You may have heard of some of these groups, but hopefully, if not, I can give you something you’re unfamiliar with that will inspire you, or at least entertain you for a bit. These are my top songs from each album. Click to Stream.

1. All Get Out – The Season – Charleston, SC
I met these guys about 3 or 4 years ago in Houston and just kept running into them everywhere we went. They have such a great, energetic show and The Season definitely captures that. It took a while to get it out, but It was definitely worth the wait.

2. Andy Zipf – Jealous Hands – Washington, DC
The Rocketboys did a little run with Andy a couple of years ago, he didn’t have a band backing him up, but still managed to silence the room as soon as he began singing. He’s such a great songwriter. Also, If you listen close to the first song on Jealous Hands you can hear our bass player Josh and me singing some sweet BGVs on the first song.

3. Black Books – An Introduction To – Austin, TX
Every once in a while I hear a song and then put it on repeat for a few days. Green Screen from their An Introduction To EP was definitely one of those songs. They’re finishing up their first full length and I couldn’t be more excited.

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The Warm Up with The Rocketboys

11/12/2011 By
The Warm Up with The Rocketboys [ 23:43 | 54.28 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

We were thrilled to have Brandon Kinder back in the studio this weekend, this time with his band The Rocketboys. The native Memphian now calls Austin home (the city we seem to keep losing all of our best talent to!) but the bluff city is still a staple on the band’s tour roster.

The Rocketboys always put on a great show and sound amazing live. Tonight they’ll be headlining at The Young Avenue Deli with opening acts The Winter Sounds and Memphis’ very own Jeremy Stanfill.

Check out our podcast to hear several brand new songs that will probably end up on their new album due out in the spring. Then we’ll see you at the show TONIGHT!

The Rocketboys is an indie rock band from Austin, Texas. The band was previously known as Homer Hiccolm & the Rocketboys. Since their formation, they have gained popularity from playing such festivals as Austin City Limits Music Festival, Next Big Nashville, CMJ, and South by Southwest.

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Thee Ardent Sessions with Keegan Dewitt

01/26/2009 By
Ardent Presents: Keegan Dewitt [ 43:44 | 80.08 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

When the invitation first came to be part of the Ardent Sessions,there was little to no hesitation. Of course, that’s a yes. Ardent had served as a birthing place for so many artists that I revere, love and swear by and I sprung at the chance to be able to spend an evening soaking up the aura of such a special place. In many ways, it was a secret excuse to get to peak inside such a hallowed place.

We spent most of our free time wandering around the halls, pulling one another aside to point out cool pieces of the space. In many ways, the toughest part about our trip to Memphis, was feeling like we didn’t soil the grounds. How do you not feel a little silly knowing what has proceeded you in those rooms?

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