Its been a while since I’ve written a show preview/review. I’ve had the opportunity to see a ton of amazing artists while in Nashville. Most impressive by far was the talent of undiscovered musicians. It seems every single week I’m seeing someone that has the potential to make a career out of music. A perfect example of this is Valise and Author.
Valise and Author are currently on tour together, mainly because of they both recently record at The Vangard Room, a studio in Florida that is co-owned by Aaron Marsh (Copeland). Their month long tour started a couple weeks ago in Minnesota, where Author is from, and will finish up in Texas, home of Valise. They made a stop in Nashville, TN at Rocketown on Saturday, and completely stole the show.
I’m a skeptic when it comes to bands that sound a lot like Copeland. Copeland was and will be one of my favorite bands of all time. Let’s be honest, they were great. In my opinion they cleared the way for a new sound in music, one that many bands have tried to imitate. Many also fail, but Valise doesn’t. Their twenty-minute set was perfect. From the rich,smooth vocals, to the reverb-affected guitar riffs, everything was put together wonderfully. I had heard these guys recorded, but the fact that they could produce the same sound live was awesome. Most impressive during the set was the lead guitarist, Jared. Just paying to see the songs Monster and Scary in the Dark are worth every penny.
Prior to the show, I wasn’t as familiar with Author. I had listened to them once or twice, but never really sat down and payed attention. First off, the singer looks a lot like Bruno Mars, but cooler. Second, every guy I talked to in the band was super nice and hilarious. As far as the music went, they were awesome. The best I can describe them is solid indie-rock songs with backing-tracks that blend everything together. They were melodical like As Tall As Lions, with hints of Colour Revolt and Lydia. On the song Seperation, lead singer Trevor Barlett really shows his vocal range.
Both of these bands are playing in South Carolina this week. TONIGHT, Valise and Author will be playing at the Radio Room in Greenville, SC @ 9pm. On Tuesday, 8/7, the bands will be in Charleston, SC @ The Sparrow. Make sure to get to one of these shows and check these bands out, buy a CD, and meet some cool guys. It’ll be well worth every penny.
