Revival Music Fest | Ticket Giveaway!

Birmingham’s Revival Music Fest  is on Saturday, August 24th at Railroad Park.
7 bands…1 day…and we’ve got 2 tickets for you!

Who wouldn’t want to spend the day with The CO, Elenowen, Leagues, The Apache Relay, The Dirty Guv’nahs, Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors and Jason Isbell? Food trucks also will be on-site so y’all can enjoy some of Birmingham’s finest culinary offerings. Tickets go on sale tomorrow (Tuesday, May 21), but you can enter to win a pair starting today!

Leave a comment on this post to enter! Make sure to include your name and email.
Double your entry by Tweeting:
I want to party at the @RevivalBham music fest! Ticket giveaway on @backdownsouth! http://tinyurl.com/rbham

Additional high fives for liking on Facebook:

A winner will be announced on Monday, May 27th.

Drink This | Bully Boy

Earlier this week, I was perusing the BarNotes app in search of something new. I wanted it to be bourbon based, and I wanted it to be refreshing. When I read the recipe for the Bully Boy, I thought it sounded a lot like a recent favorite in our house, Jacob Grier’s Shift Drink. His cocktail (Rye, Fernet-Branca, ginger syrup, and lemon juice) was exactly what I was in the mood for, but I was out of ginger syrup. I’ve also been looking for ways to use my homemade ginger liqueur, so the Bully Boy was the perfect solution…

The Drink: Before I tasted it, I’d already convinced myself it was going to be way too sweet. Instead, it’s incredibly balanced and perfect for warmer weather. Bourbon and bitter balanced with lemon and ginger liqueur…seriously delicious. It’s sweet, but not too sweet. For me, it’s the Shift Drink meets the Mélisse Whiskey Sour (sans egg white).

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake well.
Strain into a chilled lowball glass with a large ice cube (Tovolo sphere).
Garnish with lemon peel.

The Glass: Pat O’Mara lowball glass.

The Attire:

Danielle

Photographed in Nashville, TN

Raised in:
Saratoga, the Adirondack region of New York.

Lives in:
Nashville, Tennessee

What brought you down south:
I moved to Nashville for a grad school program at Vanderbilt, but I stayed in Nashville because of the amazing community. I live in East Nashville which is one of the most creative and supportive communities that a small business owner/artisan could hope to find! Plus, biscuits and gravy are now my favorite meal.

Now would ya look at that:
Meet Danielle, the woman behind New York to Nashville. After moving from New York to Nashville (hence the name), she began selling vintage western wear through an eBay storefront. “Sometimes I would find amazing cowboys shirts that were missing the pearl snap buttons, but the fabric clearly still had a story to tell. I decided to begin crafting pocket squares, cufflinks and earrings from that reclaimed fabricFor every fabric, I let it tell it’s story and name it after a famous (or infamous) historic/Southern character. The South is full of stories that are yet to be told.”

Larry

Photographed in Nashville, TN

Raised in:
Nashville native, moved back 3 years ago and doesn’t plan to ever leave.

Lives in:
Nashville, Tennessee

Last band you saw live:
I see quite a few shows (10 last week alone), but a few have really caught my attention: Sir Sly, based out of Los Angeles has a sound in the realm of Foster the People, Imagine Dragons and Alt-J. They put on one of the best shows I’ve seen in the last year. I think they’re poised to breakout in 2013. Pickwick, from Seattle, was much the same way, with a Pacific Northwest take on indie soul and garage rock that makes for one gigantic party in a live setting. Can’t get enough of their debut record Can’t Talk Medicine. Charleston’s Steven Fiore played one of our house shows recently and had the whole crowd entranced with his Jason Mraz-esque vibes. He covered Jeff Buckley’s “Lover You Should’ve Come Over” better than anyone I’ve ever heard. Definitely one to watch for.

Now would ya look at that:
Larry of Cause a Scene Music making his second apparence on the blog (see his first).

Music Monday | Bess Rogers

Photographed by Deborah Lopez

Why yes, this is the second Music Monday post featuring a Gin Blossoms cover (this was the first).

Brooklyn based Bess Rogers has started a cover series called Bess Rogers Presents: Songs Other People Wrote. Each month, she’ll be releasing a new cover song, available for free download, on Bandcamp. If the rest are anything like her first, we’re all in for a treat!

Stream: “Found Out About You”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Get it here.

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For more than 200 great covers, enjoy my Go Covers playlist.

Harris

Photographed in Nashville, TN

Raised in:
Cookeville, Tennessee

Lives in:
Nashville, Tennessee

Favorite local BBQ spot:
Edley’s. It’s the best all around BBQ that I have found so far here in Nashville.

Now would ya look at that:
Meet Harris, the newest employee at Volunteer Traditions, standing outside their new office (1004 8th Ave South). The new space, which will include a showroom, is set to open at the end of May! It’s been so fun to watch this company grow from Mason‘s apartment, to an office, to two offices, and now this new location. Stay updated.

Music Monday | Elim Bolt

Photographed by Jamie Clayton

I didn’t know who Elim Bolt was until Jamie showed me this photo he took of their frontman, Johnnie Matthews. When I asked about them, he directed me to their song “Field” first.

“Grew up in South Carolinaaaa…”

Well, that’s a good start.

Twangy guitars, a voice somewhere between Elvis and Roy Orbison (but still very much his own), songs about the South by a band that sounds new, yet familiar…Why yes, I like it all very much.

Stream: “Field”

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Raised in:
Elim, South Carolina

Lives in:
Charleston, South Carolina

How Charleston influences your bands sound:
Charleston is a wild, beautiful, and dirty city. Living here has put me around some great musicians. There’s lots of parties, lots of medication, and lots of pretty people. It’s a city where being a slacker like me is socially acceptable, which is cool.

Now would ya look at that:
Johnnie, Elim Bolt‘s lead singer.

  • Willow hat from the movie. “It was a gift from a friend and my most prized article of clothing.”
  • Ray-Ban club masters glasses.
  • American Apparel shirts. “I like the simplicity of their clothes, and I wear multiple collared shirts a lot.”

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Get familiar with Elim Bolt’s album Nude South.
iTunes | Spotify | Bandcamp