I must admit that I didn’t quite know what to expect upon receiving an invitation to attend the Next Big Nashville festival in October. Oh sure, I knew that ‘Music City USA’ was a lot more than the capitol of country music. While the Opry & Music Row may be front-and-center to the general public, most insiders know that the city has become a hotbed for all sorts of independent artists covering a wide range of musical styles. We regularly saw a steady stream of indie bands travelling north for gigs in Cincinnati and to play a Lounge Act session for us in the WOXY studios, so with that in mind, I checked the lineup and made my reservation.

Once I’d arrived in Tennessee, I met up with Future Sounds’ Larry Little, as both WOXY & Future Sounds teamed to present a string of showcases featuring the likes of Phosphorescent, The Black Angels, Bear In Heaven, Twin Tigers, and Jemina Pearl, formerly of local favorites Be Your Own Pet. We also partnered with American Songwriter magazine and Gibson guitars to record a string of stripped down performances either on the Gibson tour bus or at the magazine’s offices.

I eased into the Festival by catching excellent sets from Phosphorescent and newcomers Alberta Cross, a rootsy, almost Southern rock influenced New York-based band formed in London and fronted by a Swede. All the while, I’m wondering how the sound of the Allman Brothers made it to Scandinavia.

The following night brought us to our first session on the Gibson tour bus with Jessica Lea Mayfield, who I’d interviewed previously and whose With Blasphemy So Heartfelt I adored. In the year since meeting her, she has been constantly touring both here and abroad in support slots for Ray LaMontagne, Tony Joe White, and her mentor, The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach. She let loose with the fact that he’ll be producing her next album, as he did her first, and played us a new song that should feature on the release.

We also sat down with the Dexateens, fresh from a rousing performance at the Exit/In. I was particularly interested in hearing from lead singer/songwriter Elliott McPherson about his “Granddaddy’s Mouth”, which touches on the lingering effect of racism from this proudly Southern band. I left the interview a new convert.

The Festival continued into Friday, and a lengthy session with David Vandervelde. A relative newcomer to Nashville, the Michigan native seems to have found a sense of place after a brief spell living in Brooklyn. He discussed the critical reaction to 2008’s Waiting For The Sunrise and shared some fond recollections of the late Jay Bennett, whom he closely worked with early in his career. He, too, shared some yet-to-be-released songs exclusively for our session.

The schedule for my final night in town allowed me to catch two bands worth mentioning, Disappears and Twin Tigers. Disappears, from Chicago, featured a driving art rock sound that reminded me of another band from the Second City, The Ponys. Sure enough, a little online sleuthing revealed Disappears front man to be none other than Brian Case, The Ponys (who’ve recently returned to active duty after a nearly two year hiatus) guitarist.

Athens, GA.’s Twin Tigers were a revelation. Flying in the face of the nu-folk revival that’s permeated the indie scene, hearing a band to whom Sonic Youth was an obvious influence was refreshing. Their debut Gray Waves is out digitally on Old Flame Records. (The proper CD release is next month)

The final sessions on the Gibson bus were with Madi Diaz and Jeremy Lister, both veterans of the Ten Out Of Tenn tours that sees a collection of Nashville-based musicians hitting the road for loose, collaborative and free-wheeling performances. Diaz, a bonafide School of Rock graduate, is another Nashville newcomer, having moved from Boston with her cohort Kyle Ryan. She possesses a lovely voice and along with Ryan’s harmonies, make for sweet sounding, acoustic based indie pop.

Lister’s a Southern boy, growing up in Mississippi. He’s been recording his major label debut, due for a 2010 release, for some time, and was the headliner on this evening. You’ll hear a lot of Jeff Buckley in his voice, which he’ll admit as a huge influence.

I left impressed with both the Festival and the city itself. Next Big Nashville went a long way towards reiterating that there’s a lot more than country music that’ll draw a crowd in the city. The showcases I went to were well attended even on a Thursday night and I’d love to return again next year.

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