This week’s UMC20 is packed with gorgeous soundscapes, heartfelt stories, and even a few bangers sprinkled in.
We’ve had a couple weeks to re-load our stockpile of fresh jams, and we’re reaping the musical harvest here today. Have a seat at our table and dig in!
Listen to UMC20
Y’all… we may have just happened upon the duet of the year.
Hear the single
Artists from near and far came to The Cobra Nashville this past Tuesday night, showcasing their talents at a memorable NashLive! and Music City Movement collaboration — where community building was the order of the day.
See the photos
Autumn has always been known as an emotionally-stirring time of year. As the warm summer sun fades and the seasons change, we assess the journey as we come to the year’s home stretch. We learn what to keep near, as well as which layers to shed.
These three songs deal with the latter part of that equation — and the ways we often struggle to do so, in search of brighter days.
Hear What You Should
Ria Barkr has been hard at work throughout 2022 releasing soulful R&B cuts — and doing it her way. The Virginia native went inward during the COVID-19 pandemic, and emerged refreshed and ready to present her artistry in an entirely new light.
Learn about Ria’s journey in this conversation, and stick around to learn about her latest single, “monday,” and the value of recharging in a “hustle culture” that isn’t always what it seems on social media.
#GetSpunn
On Tuesday, September 27, we’ll head back to The Cobra Nashville to bring you a diversified lineup featuring the talents of Nashville’s Aaron Friend & The Enemies, in between touring artists Edgar Derby and Leoncarlo.
Edgar Derby has been making music for over two decades. He was born and raised in El Paso, Texas, and is currently based in Denton, Texas. Derby’s music fuses acoustic, lyric-based folk with a unique songwriting style and energetic performances. He treats a live audience to a multi-instrumental show that includes vocals, guitars, a resonator, and harmonicas. Edgar Derby’s sophomore LP, Dancing in Death/The Place Where the River Makes a Sound, was released February 13, 2021.
Urgent, uplifting, and wildly anthemic, the music of Aaron Friend & The Enemies radiates a brilliant energy that boldly amplifies its emotional power. With captivating vocals and soul-baring lyrics, Nashville-based singer, songwriter, and producer Aaron Friend created his latest body of work after a period of personal upheaval and self-discovery, channeling his deepest pain and uncertainty into songs that question, confront, and endlessly illuminate. The result: an essential soundtrack to self-reflection, raw catharsis, and life-changing transformation.
Leoncarlo is a musician, violinist, and educator based in North Texas. His career took shape while attending the University of North Texas for violin, as Leoncarlo would begin to travel nationwide, performing and speaking at reputable events such as SXSW Festival in Texas, Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado, TEDx Conference in Fargo, and more. He has had the honor of collaboration with esteemed musical acts like Polyphonic Spree, Alejandro Escovedo, and Melanie Safka, to name a few. Off stage, Leoncarlo offers various audio production work, as well as music lessons at Soundbox MusicWorks (formerly known as Bonduris School of Music) in Denton, TX.
Tickets for this show are just $10, and you must be 21 or older to enter. Doors are at 8 p.m., with music promptly kicking off at 8:30 p.m.
Do you feel that chill in the air? Better put on some FIRE to keep us warm.
This month was full of fire, and we’re here to let it burn. These 20 tracks are a glorious snapshot of what September had to offer, weaving through genres and moods to create one true eclectic, yet unified masterpiece.
Let’s not delay. Get to it!
Hear the Best of September
Earlier this week, we announced that we’re giving you a daily taste of our Official Podcast, The Quinn Spinn, by sharing the show’s most insightful, inspirational, and/or hilarious moments on-demand.
We encourage you to subscribe to UMC on YouTube, to ensure that you don’t miss a moment. However, we’re also making it easy for you to find the goods every weekend with our new Sunday Replay feature, right here on UMC!
Every Sunday, we’ll roll all of the week’s clips into a recap, giving you the opportunity to catch them all under one roof. From there, if you want even more Quinn Spinn goodness where that came from, might we suggest the following links?
#GetSpunn
Spotify
Apple Podcasts
Instagram
Anyway, onto the first-ever Sunday Replay!
Catch Up here
In my previous article for Muze, we took a dive into the ways independent artists can book more shows, more often. From relationship building with venue managers and fellow artists, to making sure you deliver a complete, organized pitch, the steps are outlined to ensure that you find greater success, as you strive to bring your live show to new audiences.
But… you know what they say about a tree falling in a forest, right? If nobody is around to hear it, does it really make a sound? The final step in that article was to make sure you promote your show once it’s booked, to get people out and ensure that the venue is happy (thus, increasing the likelihood that you will be booked again in the future).
Last time, I promised to come back with ways to make your gig stand out as special, and to make it the place to be in any competitive live music market. That’s what we’ll do here today!
We have new tunes blowing in, like the gentle early-autumn breeze currently sweeping through Nashville.
This week’s Songs You Should Hear lineup features three emotionally-gripping new tracks from female artists. We start by whisking you away to the scenic Pacific Northwest, before transporting back in time to the 1980s — with a twist! Then, we close with a frantic pop anthem about the difficulties of finding love, when we find it hard to love ourselves.
Hear What You Should