One of the best things about Nashville is the amount of talent that calls Music City home; new artists debut in a debutante-like flurry at 12th & Porter, veteran songwriters hang on six-strings at the Bluebird Cafe, caffeine-fueled covers spill out of honky tonks onto a buzzing neon Broadway, an old man at Bobby’s Idle Hour takes the guitar from the wall and serenades a long work day gone.
Though YEP Rewind, the stars-of-tomorrow-studded lineup that takes over the Basement East once a quarter, is brimming with talent, it’s not just the roster that makes it great. Wednesday night, as choker-clad Grammy Award winners danced side-by-side with newly signed songwriters, YEP’s Millennium Night proved yet again that this is where troubadours come to unwind.
The result is unbelievably fun. CJ Solar wailed through the Foo Fighters’ “All My Life,” J. Human bounced through R. Kelly’s “Ignition (Remix).” Chuck Wicks tapped into his R&B side and kicked it “back to middle school,” while Maggie Chapman and Jackie Lee did their best Britney. In a moment incredibly reflective of Nashville, one song of the evening wasn’t a cover: “Kiss Me,” which was performed by Sixpence None The Richer lead singer and current country artist Leigh Nash.
Led by band leader Evan Hutchings, the tight musicianship and impressive vocals were matched only by the performers’ exuberance in performing them. The event, sponsored by BMI and presented by Young Entertainment Professionals, sold out Nashville’s Basement East to raise over $2,500 for Musicians On Call.
Whether you missed Wednesday’s event or are crying a river that it’s over, mark your calendars for November 8, when YEP Rewind returns with classic country.
Set List:
Aaron Eshuis / “California”
Jillian Jacqueline / “Crazy”
Kree Harrison / “What A Girl Wants”
CJ Solar / “All My Life”
Ryan Kinder / “Smooth”
Brandon Lay / “Burn”
Nickolas Wayne / “Cry Me A River”
R.Lum.R. / “Let Me Love You”
Ruston Kelly / “Mr. Brightside”
Maggie Chapman / “Toxic”
Chuck Wicks / “Back At One”
Leigh Nash / “Kiss Me”
Maddie & Tae / “If I Ain’t Got You”
Jackie Lee / “Oops I Did It Again”
J. Human / “Ignition”