Tag Archives: alt rock

Keeping Tabs: Electric Lemonade Releases ‘You’re Watching Me’

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Electric Lemonade fascinates me. Based in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, the trio made of Sarah Murphy, Hannah Mazurek, and Rob Jones prove the fact you don’t need to be in large, oversaturated music markets like New York or L.A. to be worthy of coverage. Electric Lemonade proves that musicians who focus on their own communities and stories tend to be among the most authentic, interesting artists. 

From the very first drum beat, their song “You’re Watching Me” pulls you into this organic spacious jam which highlights the band’s excellent musicianship – while reminding us that rock is far from dead. Lyrically, “You’re Watching Me” is the story of the end of a relationship, and the decision to move forward through the pain, choose yourself, and embrace who you are.

“You’re watching me, I see you in the list of viewers
On my Instagram story, you know that I can see you.
I believe that mistakes lead us to places that we’re bound for.
Can you let me go? Can you let me go?”

Those are my favorite lyrics from this song, as they highlight an absolutely modern phenomenon of the online interactions and algorithms we share with people. Personally, I haven’t had the experience of breaking up with someone and have them still watch my Instagram stories. How awkward that must be… 

On the song, the band states: “We wrote this one in the studio when we were working on our upcoming EP. It started out with a version of the lyrics and some musical ideas we had floating around for a while. We came up with a rough version to play for our producer (Jordy Walker) and tweaked it a bunch, but really, the bulk of the song was written over one jam session.”

I hope to find myself walking the streets of Whitehorse one day. It’s an amazing city nestled in brilliant mountain wilderness, and judging from what I’ve heard from Electric Lemonade, I bet its music scene is mature. I imagine hiking around the area, getting some food, and then heading to a show. Hopefully, that would mean I would be lucky enough to catch Electric Lemonade play their music. For now, I’ll be listening on repeat moving forward.

Not Sure Where to Go Next? Listen to This Song from Jon Worthy

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Nashville-based indie alt rock artist Jon Worthy has given all he has to music. He’s toured across the nation, consistently released music, and has been featured in 150 popular media outlets. He’s even been to the Lehigh Valley’s very own Musikfest in Bethlehem, where I’m from! To many aspiring artists, he has certainly made a successful music career.

After the pandemic, his music career went in a different direction. He began focusing on studio sessions, songwriting, and production, while answering the COVID-era question on every creative’s mind…

“Where do I go from here?”

Jon’s new tune, “I’ve Been Up, I’ve Been Down,” reminds you that you aren’t alone if you don’t know where to go. The dreamy, wayward tune details how his own journey changed direction, leaving him feeling like he didn’t know what to do next.

“It’s about living day by day, and just trying to enjoy life as it came to me,” he said. “It speaks to all the highs and lows of life, but being complacent and, at the same time, hoping something will really change for the better.”

I am most fascinated by the fact that Jon found healing in music, even as his path in the industry became uncertain. It’s almost like entering down the path of being lost is inevitable in order to find where to go next. It’s also inevitable for artists to create, because its apart of who we are. Expressing the confusion of feeling lost allows us to find our way. This is inspiring to me as an up-and-coming artist, and helps tame the questions and doubts in my own mind. It’s a reminder that it’s OK to not have it all figured out, all the time — just keep going and letting the music take you.

Stay on the lookout for Jon Worthy’s next collaborations, to be released in coming months. And remember: even if you don’t know where to go, have the hope one day you’ll make it

-Matt Schmoyer

Songs You Should Hear: The Return

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It’s been a little while since we’ve done one of these, hasn’t it?

Yet, with excellence all around us, it’s clear that many of the submissions we’re receiving deserve a deeper dive. And so, today marks the triumphant return of Songs You Should Hear!

Get started with these, and be ready for more on the way, every Friday at UMC!

Artist: JT Loux
Song: look into my eyes
Genre: Indie Rock/Alternative
Why You Should Hear It: The course of true love never runs smooth — and it can be made even more complicated when you’re loving from a distance. Underneath this tune’s prevailing warmth is a clear and present longing, inspired by the reality of “loving someone, but they are 2,000 miles away.”

Artist: Rex & The Rhythm
Song: Umbrella
Genre: Hip Hop/Soul/Alternative
Why You Should Hear It: Who’s ready for some April showers? This tune’s breezy sonic landscape juxtaposes well with its lyrical content, artfully illustrating the conflicting emotions experienced after a breakup.

“‘Umbrella’ is about a relationship abruptly ending, even though the forecast appeared to show clear skies and warm weather,” Rex said.

Fun fact: Rex has had the opportunity to open for artists including Rihanna, Kelly Clarkson, Ashanti, and Lauryn Hill — and, after opening up this “Umbrella,” it’s easy to understand why!

Artist: Spence Brown
Song: By My Lonely
Genre: Hip Hop
Why You Should Hear It: If you’ve ever dealt with haters, this one is for you. Brown has proclaimed this fiery new track the “anti-hater anthem”; and with how hard this one goes, it might just provide the push you need to overcome doubt.

Brown says, “As an artist, it’s always hard to deal with haters, but if you can remind yourself that what you do is good at the end of the day, you can just laugh it off. Personally, I’ve always had a hard time dealing with haters, so I made this song to remind myself that it doesn’t matter what other people think. I can get this done without their opinions!”

Got something you think we should hear? What are you waiting for?! Shoot it our way, and you could be featured in an upcoming edition of Songs You Should Hear!

LISTEN: The Trampoline Delay Confronts Social Anxiety with ‘Excuses Excuses’

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Have you ever felt like your own introversion is keeping you from living fully?

If so, you have something in common with Pete Marino of The Trampoline Delay. The indie rock songsmith penned “Excuses Excuses” as a way to address his own social anxiety — and the opportunity cost that comes with it.

“Lyrically, ‘Excuses Excuses’ is about letting your shyness or social anxiety take over,” Marino said. “(It’s about) that battle you have with your inner voice that makes excuses as to why you shouldn’t get out there and live your life.”

The song came from a moment of life imitating art; it was written and recorded in a few short hours, on a night when Marino opted to stay in, rather than go out and greet the world.

“Ironically, I came up with the verse first, which had the line,’ but excuses always keep me from my life,’ after being invited out by a friend to see a band they worked with called Excuses Excuses,” Marino said. “Like I sometimes do, my mind came up with an excuse as to why I shouldn’t go out that night… and I sort of regretted it within hours. Instead of just going to bed, I went into my home studio, wrote the verse, and basically wrote and recorded the rest of the song in around three hours.”

Sonically, “Excuses Excuses” is a bona fide alt-rock earworm, driven forth with firepower from behind the kit, courtesy of drummer Gerard Ross, while lead axe man Josh Macintosh showcases magnificent melodic sensibilities, kissed with a timeless rock and roll edge.

Check it out below, and be sure to stay tuned for more music from The Trampoline Delay later this spring!

On “Tom Cruisin’,” ROM COM Depicts a Love Like in the Movies

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We may currently be deep in the throes of winter, but today, we have a song that reminds us of summer’s golden glow.

That song is “Tom Cruisin’,” the debut single from ROM COM. The Nashville-based indie rock outfit — comprised of Aron Rosing, Tyler Murray, and Suzie Buist — proclaim that they are here “to write a soundtrack to your love life,” and with this sun-kissed introduction, we think they might be onto something.

Inspired by the iconic 80s movie, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, “Tom Cruisin'” finds our protagonists soaking in the last fleeting moments of summer love before parting ways. Rosing explains:

“You sneak into the private swim club where you lifeguarded after it’s closed down for the season to throw one last end of summer pool party, and you invite your crush, so you can tell them how you really feel before you both move off to start your post-grad jobs,” Rosing said. “The band you hired shows up in their 1994 Jaguar convertible, and proceeds to perform the soundtrack to the best kiss of your life, as the sun sets over the suburban hills of your hometown.”

On our end, we can’t wait to hear more from this exciting new project, and we won’t have to wait long. ROM COM’s next single, “Mess You Made,” will arrive on Friday, January 12.

While you wait, this will certainly hold you over. Check out “Tom Cruisin'” below!

LISTEN: f1oater. Laments Ignoring the Red Flags on ‘Don’t Know Why’

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Ever regret ignoring the red flags, even though they were there the entire time?

f1oater. explores that regret — and the associated feeling of frustration — on “Don’t Know Why,” a fire-powered pop punk single dedicated to those times when we’ve known better from the start (and then did it anyway).

“‘Don’t Know Why’ is the epitome of hindsight is 20/20, (and) being caught in the moment is a wonderful thing until you ignore warning signs flashing in your face,” said f1oater. frontwoman Laura Short. “It’s the expression of frustration of not listening to your inner intuition.”

If you’re looking for more, you won’t have to wait too long. “Don’t Know Why” is the first single from the band’s forthcoming album — and serves as the tip of a rather compelling iceberg.

“This single marks the beginning of the story we’re about to take you on,” Short said. “A tale of reaching towards the light and all that you encounter along the dark road of reawakening.”

UMC20: From Around the World (April 11, 2023)

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Hold it right there!

Did you know that you can support Underground Music Collective, any time of year? By making a tax-deductible donation to UMC via The Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville, you ensure that we can keep sharing songs and stories from independent creatives everywhere, for years to come. Click here to get started!

Anyway, onto this week’s edition of UMC20…

Listen to UMC20

UMC20: Upcoming Shows, Interview Guests, and More (Aug. 2, 2022)

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We have so much to get to with this week’s edition of UMC20, and that includes providing clues about what’s coming down the pike in the near future.

We have upcoming (and previous) Quinn Spinn guests featured here, as well as artists set for forthcoming NashLive! shows this fall. We have submissions from multiple different continents and, of course, we touch as many genres as possible across these 20 tracks.

Sound exciting to you? Good, because it does to us. Let’s go!

Listen to UMC20

UMC20: Preview ‘A Night of Nashville Hip Hop’ + More (May 24, 2022)

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First thing’s first: we’re going to need you to come to The Cobra Nashville this Friday for A Night of Nashville Hip Hop II. You can get tickets here as long as you’re 21 or older.

This week’s UMC20 spotlights the artists joining us this Friday night in East Nashville. They lead us off, and there’s plenty more fun where that came from. There’s a splash of pop, a whole lot of rock, and even a little Americana in there for your tastes.

Let’s go!

Listen to UMC20
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