Well, we survived the first two nights of Next Big Nashville. It’s been rough on our day jobs, but we’re willing to sacrifice sleep in the name of high-quality entertainment (and sneak a nap in on our lunch break).
The festival kicked off on Wednesday night with the first public screening of a locally made film, Make-Out With Violence. The Belcourt was packed for both screenings, and we heard that folks were turned away from both. Anticipation was high, and Make-Out With Violence did not disappoint, though it certainly had its confusing and startling moments. The film has been four years in the making, and in typical Nashville form, the soundtrack played a key role in guiding the audience through the (sometimes difficult to grasp) character development and plot. Check out the movie’s website (linked above) for in-depth explanations and streams of the songs.
We ventured down to 12th & Porter next to catch Derek Webb & Sandra McCracken. We just can’t ever pass up an opportunity to see them. They played songs from their joint release, Ampersand EP, including their Bob Dylan cover of “If Not For You.” This is where we found out the best thing about Next Big Nashville. All of the shows run on time, and all of them are 30-45 minutes long. Yes, you heard us right – the shows run on time. It’s amazing.
After the extremely punctual Derek Webb/Sandra McCracken set, we had some time to kill before heading back to the Belcourt for The Noncommissioned Officers‘ farewell performance. The group was formed for the sole purpose of creating and performing the Make-Out With Violence music, and they are now disbanding. Having just experienced the film several hours earlier, our expectations were higher than perhaps appropriate, but the experience was uniquely “Nashville” and just a tiny bit surreal.
Highlights from Thursday and our picks for the weekend coming soon.
Related posts:
- Free Music: Nashvillians Have The Right Idea
- Tonight: The Nashville 9 Concert & Premiere
- Thursday: We Started To Drag [Next Big Nashville 2008]
- Dear Nashvillest, What Shows Should I See This Weekend? [Next Big Nashville 2008]