'Ville #5 Jacob Markus (October 2022)

JacobMarkus JacobMarkus

Vol. 5

PLUS:

possumstock-Toyrun-blindfeline- SadieFine

Artsville - Jake Hughes - poor mans - Spoopy Fest

882 B Kraft St.

'VILLE

Possumstock2022-6

JacobMarkus-10

SadieFine-18

Possumstockpullout-26

FreeThrow'sJakeHughes-28

ToyRun-34

BlindFeline-38

poorman'scountryclub-42

Artsville -45

KindaSpoopyfest-48

POSSUMSTOCK POSSUMSTOCK POSSUMSTOCK 2022

Cheyanne Parkans

Jacob Markus

Photos and Story

Jon Duncan

Clarksville’sHistoricDowntownDistrict,and throughthewhitenoiseoftrafficalonesaxophone isechoingoffthebuildings.Thebreathynotes amblethroughanabstractcomposition-complex, jazzyscalesthatdanceupanddownlikeachild chasingabutterfly,onlytofallintodeep, contemplativetones.Shoppersanddinerswalking alongthesidewalksmileanddropafewdollars intotheopencaseontheground.JacobMarkus stopsjustlongenoughtogiveashysmile,hislong jet-blackhairswingingashenodshisthanks.He’s tallandslim,hisbroadshouldersandstrongjaw payingtributetobothhisnativeInuitbloodand hisunyieldingperseverance.At25yearsold,he’s livedamorecolorfullifethanmostofthepassersbycouldeverguess.

It wasn’t easy learning from the best. “My step-dad was kinda tough, man! He set the standard for what adults wanted to hear, I guess,” Markus laughs. “He always wanted me to play country, because that’s what he played, but he was a perfectionist. If you want to play in Nashville, you know, it’s gotta be perfect. Even to this day playing country kinda gives me a panic attack, because If I got too busy playing over his vocals or other leads, he’d literally stop the song- he’d do that onstage, too! I had to learn pretty quick not to mess around, you know?” For Markus, positive reinforcement is now something he focuses on. “When I teach music to young kids, one of the things I try to make sure of is, are they having fun? Because the other stuff will come later, they just need to get used to the dopamine rush of having an instrument in their hands.” Markus counts one of his step-dad’s friends as a mentor as well. “Johnny Hiland, he was a renowned session player,” Markus remembers. “He would show me stuff when he was hanging around- I copped a lot of his bending techniques. He taught me to think of music like Classical music, in terms of themes and variations on those themes.” Markus continues to evolve his phrasing and improvisation. “Since I’ve been playing jazz, I’ve been soloing over a lot of chord changes, but you have to keep in mind when it’s just one or two chords, you gotta keep it interesting for like 15 minutes, that’s why I listen to bands like the Allman Brothers and others like that- they can keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time.”

For some, playing music is a pastime- a creative outlet to fill the hours between other, more pressing obligations. For Markus, it’s the lifeline, the singular constant in life’s chaotic equation. “The first time I remember seeing live music I was three years old. My dad was playing in an acoustic trio at the Jack Daniels Saloon at the Opryland Hotel, and I was just dancing, having a good time- and I was like, I wanna be around music the rest of my life!” Born in Connecticut and raised in Smyrna, Tennessee, Markus’s first musical influence came from the legendary figure of his Grandfather. An extroverted Vietnam Vet who played banjo during the height of the Upstate New York folk movement, his grandfather had made friends with Little Jimmy Dickens, one of the early golden-age stars of Country Music. Dickens’ drummer Gary West caught the eye of Markus’s mother and would soon become his stepdad, as well as one of his primary musical influences. With a home recording studio and a steady rotation of professional session musicians jamming out, it wasn’t long before Markus was holding an instrument - at 7 years old, he first tried the fiddle, but after struggling with the instrument, he soon turned to guitar.

After his-step dad and mom split up when he was 13 years old, Markus used music as his escape from the world. “I just came home from school every day and played. I didn’t have a lot of friends growing up.” Markus’s older brother had introduced him to the heavy side of rock music- death metal, punk, grindcore. “I just really liked the guitar harmonies in that stuff,” Markus says, finding beauty in a sound that some might find harsh.

After moving to Clarksville and starting school at Rossview, Markus joined the school jazz band. “They passed out a sheet of paper and you had to list your top three instruments you wanted to learn. Saxophone was my number one choice. Something just inspired me about how sax players were always chill, but also so sophisticated, you know? Really diverse, too.” It was here that Markus started learning the fundamentals of jazz. “It showed me that jazz is complicated, but not impossible! And it was kinda rebellious too, but my stepdad couldn’t knock it in the same way he could rock music.”

Through school, Markus met Patrick Long and started playing music together along with bassist Daniel Walker in a band called The Wicked Pines. “Patrick was an incredible R&B Soul singer and played guitar, so we were playing Jazz on the Lawn, Strawberry Alley, and Section 125 at age 16, you know?”

Without the financial means to pursue music at a college level, Markus knew there was only one way forward- start a band and go for it. He moved to Murfreesboro with drummer and songwriter friend Greg Gibson, and recruited Zac Pine on guitar and Andrew Shields on bass. Despite widespread differences in music taste, they started playing house parties together as an alternative rock/metal band, calling themselves From Worlds Alike. The sound was shaped by the influences of Nirvana and the Foo Fighters, with some metal and jazz in the mix as well. They moved into a five bedroom house together and, with Markus producing, recorded about 30 demo songs. After releasing “Pay to Play” as a single in 2017, the band recorded a full LP at Daniel Walker’s Cumberland Sound Studio, calling it “Joint Energy”. “I was given a couple grand for my inheritance from my grandfather. I thought, ‘What’s the most important thing I can do with this money?’ You can pay off some bills, but you can’t get back time and you can’t get back a legacy. I’m gonna hire all the session musicians, a recording engineer, and make this happen!” Markus put everything he had into the arrangements-writing out all the parts for the horn sections, and even using a chamber orchestra in one part. He ended up getting the album pressed to vinyl. “When I’m feeling nostalgic, I’ll throw it on. Henry Rives played on that album,” Markus says, referring to the well-known local musician who passed away earlier this year. Rives had played sax on “Breaking News” and “Want to Be.” “You can hear the last few notes on the song…it brings me back, you know?” In 2019 the band released an EP called “Whatever’s Clever,” recorded at Shed Recordings in Nashville.

The group also shot an underground music video together at the abandoned Frosty Morn factory in Clarksville. With that video and a collection of live show footage to go with it, they set out booking shows. “We’d have runs where we’d go out for a few months and play 50 gigs. It takes like six months to plan for that, I’m telling you I’d be sending a hundred emails a month, and you’d get like, five or ten gigs out of that. We were mainly hitting the East Coast- there’s just more towns, more venues. We played from Connecticut all the way down to Florida. Being a naive 20 year old, I was booking door gigs without guarantees.” This was a hard-learned lesson, as without guaranteed money paid by the venues the money collected at the door often failed to meet their expectations.

By age 22, Markus was feeling the pressure of time. “Time goes by so quick, man, and I didn’t want to be an old man regretting not taking those chances, you know?” He set out on booking the most ambitious From World’s Alike tour yet- all across the Western United States, from Mississippi down through Louisiana and Texas, up to Oklahoma and Kansas, New Mexico to Colorado, Nevada to California, Washington and Oregon, then Montana to North Dakota. After learning the ropes touring on the east coast, Markus knew the biggest expense for the band was lodging accommodations. To head that off, the band pooled their money and purchased a motorhome for themselves and their gear. “It was an ‘86 Ford Escaper! That thing was a P.O.S! It was falling apart- it had spray paint all over the sides and everything.” The band spent weeks getting everything ready for the tour, including having some 7” vinyl albums pressed along with some CDs and other merch. “We were already down to our last bit of money when we LEFT,” Markus laughs, entertained by the thought of it. “That tour was a disaster from the time we left until we got back.”

From the first stop, which was the Tour de Ville in Clarksville, the band had an almost comically bad run of luck. The RV overheated 15 minutes into the trip, so they filled it with radiator fluid as they went and made the Tour de Ville gig, which had disappointing attendance due in part to the band not having an established connection to the area. “We still went all out for anyone who stayed to watch,” Markus remembers, smiling. “I broke a beer bottle on the mic stand and started using it as a slide on my guitar! But it wasn’t how we really wanted to start a tour, you know?” Directly after the gig, they had to cancel two others while the RV was in the shop. “It cost $700 to get it fixed, and we had to live in it for two days with no air conditioning while they worked on it.” After losing a license plate in Mississippi, they barely had enough money to get to New Orleans. To add to the troubles, the RV’s gas tank wouldn’t take more than a quarter tank of gas at a time before it overflowed. Due to the frequent stops necessitated by the problem, they barely made the next show in New Orleans. “We made a couple hundred dollars and headed up to the next gig in San Antonio- and when we got there, they didn’t even know we were coming! The venue owner had asked for a show poster, and when they didn’t get one, they just canceled it.” Markus shakes his head. Following that they had a rough set at a street festival, with the Texas heat getting the best of them, and a small turnout. “Everyone was getting an attitude by then. Afterwards it had started raining, and I was standing under an awning, watching the motor home, when it started shaking back and forth-I started hearing screaming and yelling from inside and sure enough, the bass player tackled the guitar player right out the door and into the mud and rain, just fighting! I couldn’t believe what was happening in front of my eyes!”, Markus says, still in disbelief at the situation. Andrew Shields had had enough of playing bass in From Worlds Alike. He called his girlfriend to pick him up, cleared out his gear and some of the cash, and left them with nothing but a bass guitar. “I told Zac (the guitar player) he’d better learn to play bass by tomorrow or he was going with him!” Markus laughs. “We went to Guitar Center the next day and got a bass amp, and that’s what he did!” Things were going from bad to worse. “We were so broke we were busking at every Wal-Mart and Kroger on the way to Tulsa just to get gas money. I ended up having to shower at a homeless shelter before the next show,” Markus says, shaking his head.

Now unexpectedly a trio, they had to adapt the set list quickly. We couldn’t play a lot of our originals, as they were written for two guitars. That left us with a lot of country music covers, which actually worked in our favor in that part of the country!” The three of them set off for Las Vegas, where Markus had somehow booked a gig at a long-standing jazz lounge. “That was a disaster, man! Halfway through the first set, the owner came up and asked where our piano player was- he told us he’d only pay half what we agreed to, told us to get out after the next set,” Markus recalls, laughing as he shakes his head. After leaving Vegas, the RV again broke down, this time in the middle of Death Valley. “It was like 115 degree heat, and I just stopped caring at that point.” With no one to call, the band cleaned up some corroded battery terminals and got the old wreck moving again, just long enough to get them to the middle of Los Angeles on the infamous I-5 interstate, where it again left them stranded. “We were stranded for a week in LA while it got fixed. Greg started a Go-Fund me and it brought us $1200. I’m not the guy that asks for help, so I hated it, but it really helped.” At that point, they knew the RV wasn’t going to make it the rest of the tour, and they made the call to cancel the remaining 20 or so gigs and head for home. “We couldn’t risk being stranded out in Montana with all our gear, so we headed for home. It took 35 hours,” Markus laughs. That was the end of From World’s Alike as well. “We put out a couple albums and honestly, I learned everything I needed to from that,” Markus says, looking for the bright side of the whole experience.

The reset Markus needed was right around the corner, after meeting an artist in Indiana named Taylor Hernly. Hernly was getting traction as a dark folk, Americana singer-songwriter, and Markus hit the road with him going west again. “We had a good run, and it paid better than last time for sure! He opened for Jamie Johnson, and then Afroman just last month,” says Markus, impressed with Hernly’s momentum. Markus ended up playing sax on Hernly’s debut album “Sidewalk Preacher.” Soon after that, the pandemic shut the world down, and Markus moved in with his brother and his brother’s girlfriend. During the lockdown, Markus would deal with his stress by going out and playing in parking lots at 2:00 AM. “At that time, I didn’t have a lot of friends in Clarksville, so I just started going down to Open Mic night at Revel House. I guess people were impressed, and I started making connections and getting opportunities.”

Markusfeltaweightlift,anditrenewedhisdrivetopursuethedream.Theconnectionspaidoff,withMarkusnow playingsaxwithRaistlinDelisle’sbandCurlie,andguitarwithSamIsaac’sgroupOomami,whohejustrecordedademo with,recordedbyGavinGatesfromWyntonExisting.“Samisaninsanelytalentedsongwriter,justareallysmartdude.I wasecstaticwhenIgotaskedtoplayguitarwiththem.Itturnedoutreallygood,soyouneverknow!”InFebruarythis year,hetraveledwithEliPerron’sbandNewSuedetoPennsylvania.“Wehadtwoawesomeshows,cuttinguptogether, justgreattimes.”MarkusisnowthrowinghishatbackintotheNashvillering,aswell.“Istartedgoingdownthere almosteverynightrecently.Ididn’thaveanyconnections,butI’djustgopostupinPrinter’sAlleybythisbeautiful muralthatsays“Icandreamallday”orsomething-it’sgotabunchofbutterfliesandrainbows.Iwaslike,it’sperfect!” Markuslaughs. I’djustplayforhours.ThefirstnightImade$400intips!”Hegotnoticedquickly,andhasbeenpicking upgigsaroundMusicCityplayingsax.“ButIt’shardtomakeitasahornplayerthere,”Markuspointsout.“Bandscan’t alwaysaffordtopayahornplayerwhenthey’vealwaysgotaguitarplayerrightthere.Sothepathisn’talwaysclear.I havetofindasmanyone-offprojectsasIcantostayafloat.”

ThesedaysMarkuscanbefoundgiggingat105SocialonFranklinStreet,anewerclubwithaR&B,jazzyvibeheloves.“I alsoloveplayingPeppersMercado-thatplacehasalotofcharactertoo!Thesoundguyisawesomethere,hehassome bignamesbehindhim.Andofcourse,RevelHouse-Dawnisamazing,”Markusadds.“Themusiccommunityhereisjust unmatched-there’salotoftalentedpeopleherethatwanttoseeyousucceed.Eveniftheydon’tlikeyourband,they’ll comeoutjusttosupportyouasaperson.Also,thesupplyanddemandformusiciansherestaystogether-inNashville, thesupplyeclipsesthedemand.”

Wheredoesitalllead?ForJacobMarkus,it’saboutputtinginthework:“Ifyou’vegotaheadonyourshouldersandare determined,you’regonnamakeit-somehow,downsomepath.Successfulpeoplehavefailedmoretimesthanafailure hasevereventried!Everyminuteofthedayhastobespentdoingsomethingthatwillcomebackinsomepositive way.”Markusleansforward,speakingwithanintensitybornofhard-wonexperience.“TherearesomanypeopleI’d lovetoplaywith,butIhavetobecarefulwithmytime,doingthisforaliving.Certainthingsareworththeinvestment. Butit’sagamble,andit’sneverclearwhichwaytogo.Alotofit’stherighttime,therightplace.”Markussitsback, alreadythinkingaboutthefuture.“Myultimategoalistobemakingamuchmorecomfortablelivingoffmymusic-and thebestwayforthattohappenistopickupanartistgigasasideman,someonemakinggoodmoneyandtouring.Ifthat doesn’thappen,I’llputmystuffinstorageandplaycruiseshipgigswhilesavingupmymoney.”Markussmileswiththe do-or-dieconfidenceofamanwhoknowsthefutureiswaitingonhim-“Ittakesalotofworkandeffort.Yougottahave avision-anddon’tgiveup!”

I was there for the video shoot for Caleb Lake's song "Gloria".

I was there because he needed to borrow my drum set for the shoot, I also used it for an opportunity to possibly get him into my fledgling magazine. Never have I regretted that meeting! We have given this Hopkinsville native a lot of our attention in our five issues to date, and look at him! Up for three Josie Awards at the Grand Ole Opry! He absolutely KILLED at our show for Artsville. People are still complimenting his voice and musicianship. So happy to know this talented guy, Best of luck, Caleb!!

James Cargill, editor 'Ville: A Rock and Roll Magazine

Sadie Fine

ByKyleCargill

Last time Ville interviewed Sadie Fine, she was an upand-coming 15-year-old songwriter who was just beginning to garner the attention of Clarksville’s growing scene. Sadie spoke of humble beginnings and the future she envisioned for her musical careerhaving just signed with the LA-based indie music label “Sign From the Universe.” Making the decision to broaden your horizons as an artist can be daunting for anyone, let alone someone making the decision to balance their school performance and friendships on top of a musical career. Sadie Fine, however, seems to be right on track.

“I’ve started thinking of it from a producer’s standpoint-” Sadie remarks, in regards to the way that her view of making music has changed since taking her career westward, “I’ve realized that there are songs where production could really make or break it.” She cites recent changes in her writing, mentioning that she feels as if a peek into the production side of things has given her a newfound sense of complexity to explore in her work. Sadie’s producers are definitely far from nobodies, too- she’s been working primarily with Stefan Skarbek and Nabes, both notable as producers and as individual musicians.

Making new career-altering steps is definitely stressful, but Sadie cites her friends and family as an amazing support system as she’s making her way to recognition. “I have a great group of friends,” she says, “They come to all my gigs and support everything I do.” It seems that Sadie’s really found a great network in our scene for herself, which is especially amazing to see in someone who’s really just starting out.

Sadie’s new music should be coming soon, though in the meantime you can catch Sadie on TikTok where she’s decided to spend more time advertising her music and building a reliable network of other musicians and followers. “Artists [on TikTok] will respond and tell you that they like your covers, repost it- it’s definitely a lot different than anything else,” adds Sadie, when asked about expanding her social media reach. In the age where anyone with a phone can be a pop star, it’s hard to stand out. Despite the challenge, Sadie Fine is making a name for herself. You can find her at @Sadie_Fine on TikTok.

Photos by @averagecowgirl on Instagram

Photography by Cheyanne Parkans

Photos by Chris Layton

FreeThrow's FreeThrow's Jake Hughes

ByCodyParson

In so many ways this rock n roll life has led me to meet many incredible people. One such group of guys is the dudes in Free Throw. I was given the pleasure of sitting down with Jake for lunch shortly before the guys left out on their National Tour with Mom Jeans.

The first time I saw this act in its current form was shortly before the whole world changed forever In Early 2020 They were supporting on The Wonder Years national tour and catching them in Nashville left an impression on me that sent me down the rabbit hole of their catalog It’s traditional for musicians to tell you where they are from when they introduce themselves and this bill was no different, but by the time FreeThrow took the stage the energy in the room was peaking You could tell by the number of shirts adorned by the crowd whose territory the tour had gotten to. “Hey, We’re Free Throw… From RIGHT FUCKING HERE!" The down beats hit, the guys kicked off their single “The Coroners Dilemma” and I watched the room come unglued as hundreds of kids screamed these songs at one another in the pure joy of the moment. People crowd surfed, moshed, rode the rail with their hands held high singing in unisoned angst It was the kind of energy you feel when you're surrounded by people that all feel the same thing as you Very spiritual The kind of energy you die for as a musician

Photosby EmilyChavarie

Now here, 2 and 1/2 years later that same feeling encapsulates the night. My favorite thing about bigger shows is they defy the night of the week hit that many local shows just can’t take. This fine evening is a Tuesday and there’s really no sign from the fullness of this parking lot that it’s any different than a Friday or Saturday. This is what happens when you have a fat bill. Throw some hometown heroes on board to open for the touring act and you’ve got a certified Banger. If they haven’t played in town for 8 months and they’ve been out on the road, then expect this to be homecoming. Pure electricity in the air. I had never been to this venue, a killer open floor with a smaller side stage, upstairs surrounding balcony and a stage akin to an old theater complete with huge fine production curtain. You would never think this 750 cap, mammoth of a room is behind a bowling alley, but the angle of new Nashville is producing many new large-scale productions.

Likebefore,thetonsofFreeThrowapparel surroundingtheroomspokevolumesofthe location AndasitoftengoesinNashvillehalfthe roomkneweachotherandsotherewasa communityaspectofreunionsaplentyandhot excitement Imadesuretotraversethecrowd, newtshirtintow,togetasclosetothestageas possible.Ifnottherail,thenfullfledgeintothe pit.ThereturnoforiginaldrummerZachHall mademeexcitedforasetofclassicbangersfrom thefirstrecordandtheboysdidnotdisappoint Uponthecurtainfalltheclassicbackdropofthe bottleadornedreaperignitedafrenzyofthe locals Thefirstfewnotesof“SuchLuck,”aslow builderoffthefirstrecordcutthescreamsand theentireroomjoins“Iknowthatwefuckedup!”

Cut back to a month before this night on a fine Sunday Brunch with Guitarist Jake Hughes and James Cargill in downtown Clarksville. Jake sat down and gave me the rundown on the early life of one of the busiest emo bands in the country.

Moving to the Nashville area from Oklahoma City back in 1995, Jake started playing guitar at 10 getting into blues and artists like Stevie Ray Vaughan before he moved on to more modern acts like My Chemical Romance and Senses Fail as he got older. “I was really into 'Jackass' and would listen to anything I heard off there,” he said. He formed his first band at 15. “Three Thumbs Up. We played Blink 182 songs” He spent his teenage years in middle Tennessee and grew up playing music and integrating into the regional scene. After graduating Independence High School, he moved to Franklin to play drums for a band called Sunset. “I was into locals like Diarrhea Planet, and I was really into this band Prove Them Wrong.” he said. Prove Them Wrong consisted of Brothers Cory and Justin Castro and lifelong friend drummer Zach Hall. They all grew up in Fairview and pretty much “played music together their whole lives” but following a few different bands and lineups they formed Free Throw in late 2012. “Those were the guys. They were my local heroes," Jake said.

6 months later Jake joined the band as a third guitarist. He recalls during his first tour in the fall of 2013, he wasn’t even supposed to be in many of the venues they were playing. “I was 19! I've always been the youngest and a lot of times they would say 'Okay, you can play, but then you gotta wait outside!' I mean I didn’t drink then so I didn’t care.” Jake goes on to explain those early days of touring usually consisted of 2 week runs 3 to 4 times a year. Larry and Cory would really use a DIY approach of emailing and messaging setting up tours for the band to take a few times a year. Jake explains those first few tours were all the same consecutive runs to build presence in multiple markets. “The goal was to get to New York City. We had friends that could put on awesome house shows so we knew if we could get up there and back it would be solid. But we did a few runs that were really hard.” He details a run to Florida that was hell on the band and the van. “We drove like 14 hours in the summer heat. We all had our shirts off.”

Free Throw continued this pattern of regional touring and supporting bigger acts integrating into the national touring scene. Their fan base started to grow as they supported national artists such as Tiny Moving Parts and The Front Bottoms. On the heels of their first full length record “These Days Are Gone” the band suffered a heavy hit. Drummer Zach left the group and was replaced by Boston Native Kevin Garcia who up and relocated to Nashville to join the roster. Almost immediately following the lineup change the band made their first international push with a European tour with Austrian band and label mate Rika. “We rented gear, shared gear. Went real DIY with it. We went out with Rika…They were our label mates on 'Count Your Lucky Stars' that first label that released our ep and LP. That was the full circle moment. That’s when we knew it was it. When we were all there on the other side of the world together.”

CodyParson

Part 2 in the next issue

ToyRun2022 ToyRun2022 ToyRun2022

photos by

JonDuncan

Revel House

Dancewiththedevil

Halloween Ball

october 29th

Good times, Great food

Killer Shows

Blind Feline

When you need a jam to awaken your soul with a hook you can’t forget, what you need is Blind Feline.

This Southern-to-the-core psychedelic rock-n-roll band has been making music since their debut “Lost in the Moss” in 2018. They have been a Louisville-based band, but lead singer, songwriter and guitarist Oliver Sayani recently jumped state lines and moved to Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

“I try not to stay in one place for too long,” Oliver said. “I’m a drifter. I’m a troubadour by nature.”

Oliver’s wandering spirit and openness to new experiences feeds his songwriting so much that the band’s 2023 album-to-come is titled “Kentucky Drifter.”

“It’s stories from our path up to this point,” Oliver said.

So, following suit, the next album will be steeped in Tennessee

There’s the romance of new places, always, but Murfreesboro also fits Oliver at this moment because he is following up his degree in jazz guitar, music and new media from The University of Louisville by studying music recording at Middle Tennessee State University.

Oliver grew up in Tazewell, Tennessee. But long before he returned to live in his home state, Oliver and his bandmates, Kurt Spoelker on bass and Matt Griffin on drums and vocals, became honorary locals in Clarksville’s music community. It all goes back to 2018.

“When we first played at Possumstock, something happened. We lost our mic signal. It’s your worst nightmare, singing and your mic sound cuts out,” Oliver said. “There was that awkward moment… then we decide to belt it out, to keep singing. A few people started singing along, then danced up to us, and we hung out with them all weekend. From that moment on we were part of the family.”

Since then, they’ve been regulars in the local scene.

“We’ve traveled throughout the country and met a lot of amazing people, especially in Clarksville!” said Matt Griffin, 27, a drummer who actually got his start playing piano. “I’m having such a great time being a part of Blind Feline.”

Back in 2017, when Blind Feline was just a spark in Oliver’s imagination, he and his friends rented a house in Louisville and started hosting multi-band house shows. Hosting shows gave them street credibility “and established the beginning of our band,” Oliver said.

However the good times didn’t last. The crowds at their house shows got rougher. Someone – they suspected a certain show attendee – stole all of the new band’s equipment. In a moment, Blind Feline lost several guitars, amps, a bass, the cymbals from their drums and anything else that seemed expensive.

“There was a lot of craziness around us, a lot of chaos,” Oliver said. As dark as it all felt, the band arose from the flames a new kind of strong, like forged iron.

“It was a complete rebirth of the band, and myself,” Oliver said. “I had to remember where I came from. From that point on, there was no more being influenced by outside things.”

It’s about “always trusting my gut; it never lies,” Oliver said, quoting a lyric from his song “Daisies.”

Oliver is the only band member remaining who went through the wringer in 2017.

“Matt Griffin, our drummer, came in right after the purification happened. He’s solid,” Oliver said. “Kurt Spoelker has been playing bass with us for about 3 years.”

It’s a tight 3-piece, with funk, twang, bluegrass, blues,do-wop and the whole gumbo, really, flavoring this this Southern rock band’s souldeep storytelling.

As a storyteller, Oliver is quietly, mystically powerful. When he opens his mouth to speak, he is as old as the mountains, and twice as wise. His stories carry an air of being eternal.

“He’s an old soul, when it comes to writing,” said Brian Foster, a fellow Louisville to Tennessee defector who makes sure to catch Blind Feline’s shows whenever they play in Clarksville, which is often!

Oliver knows to give it his full attention when part of a song suddenly comes to him.

“When it happens, you have to put everything down and chase that vision,” he said.

Some songs get Frankensteined, he said.

“The chorus will come to me all at once, then I’ll come back to it five years later and it’ll get stuck in my head and I’ll write all the verses for the song. Maybe I’m gonna change it from a country rhythm to more of a funk rhythm.”

Oliver has a reverence for the audience who will hear the songs he is writing.

“When you’re really genuine about writing a song, when other people hear it they relate to it in some way. You’re connected to the human experience and human nature in a way that’s real, so that other people can also feel what you’re feeling,” Oliver said. “My songs are made for you, whoever ‘you’ is.”

Blind Feline performed at Possumstock for a short time, but they hung out and enjoyed the dozens of other bands performing over three days and nights.

“We have a lot of fun playing soccer, camping, and just being outside,” Griffin said.

At Revel House, they played a stacked out show with Nordista Freeze last month, and have another planned for Nov. 12. You can get a preview on Spotify or YouTube, but there’s nothing like Blind Feline live.

Stacy Leiser

Poorman’s Country Club A.K.A Jumper’s

The first time I took a step into this place I knew I was in the right place. I’ll never forget. The folks that hang around here vary widely. Everyone is appreciated and what they bring to the table is seen. So, like normal people, we just try to do our best. 2017 is the year I got to Poorman’s. Worked here, drank here. Everyone was unique and I got to learn a lot about a whole world I had never known. It took a bit to learn the dialect- I was born and raised in Riverside County, CA Little bit different.

Let’s jump into the music scene for a bit. Did you know that Poorman’s is a major hub for spontaneous singer songwriter nights? Lol I’m laughing but I am not joking Some of the most insane nights of music happen when everyone is just hanging out after working all day. Let’s imagine I’m bartending one night, so Isaac comes in to chill for a bit and then maybe Andy walks in and harasses him to play house guitar until everyone is laughing so much that Ike goes and grabs it It could stay like that for a while, maybe Damnit I am letting you know right now that some random best friend we haven’t seen in a while is gonna pop in for a beer cuz he saw someone’s truck and it might be Jeff Smith for all we know and now it’s Saltines & Jim Beam baby it’s on! I can personally attest to watching groups of critically skilled musicians start pouring in where I’ll have to stand up on the bar to get a good picture. But, of course, a picture is only worth a thousand words. It’s the type of situation where You Have To Be Here.

Alright, Alright let’s talk about sports You like Sports? Just like any beer bar you find, you are gonna find sports fans and man do they do it up. You like food?! Find yourself here for College Football, Titans game, Predators game..you name it buddy..there is going to be some sort of food situation spread up on our snack hutch. Come for the game, talk some shiz niz, eat some food Life is good Happy Hour 3-6pm on weekdays. Have you heard: $2 Monday?? COME ON DOWN! You Have To Be Here!

A note on golf we have many avid and novice golfers who come to drown their woes in camaraderie. They encourage with the spirit of vikings and press on.

There’s a lot that goes on in this here ol’ bar and stories to educate you on what life was like way back when This place opened its doors in 1939 and to even scratch the surface of legends I have heard would be silly. They’re not my stories yet, all I have is what I know and that’s five years worth of history and differing opinions and friends being allowed to disagree and still love each other and just a down home spirit that makes what happens here thrive. Whether the dudes are preaching original music or a fresh face is covering their favorite song, we’re all here and if the music breaks out in the middle of a football game I bet someone’s bitchin and the rest of us are laughing. Either way, You Have To Be Here. ;)

Love,

Ashley Frost

Caleb Lake Easton Parc

PhotosbyCheyanneParkans

FEST

photos By Ray Rose