Saturday, September 26, 2026
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Author: Jason Shrum

FEATUREDLIVE REVIEWS
Jason Shrum

BIG STAR QUINTET PLAYS NEUHOFF DISTRICT’S RIVER STEPS CONCERT SERIES!

My prize was going to be in the Neuhoff District at the River Steps, along the Cumberland River, for a FREE show that flew under the radar somehow.  This curation was also put on by a radio station but had limited advertising and was in the realm of IYKYK. Lightning 100.1 FM kept their promotion fairly low key, but if you were following along on The Gram you knew.  The semi-secret show was one that severely caught my eye with Big Star on the bill.  More specifically, Big Star Quintet, which is an amalgamation of legendary musicians who have recently joined forces to bring you the timeless music of the 1970’s indie power-pop band from Memphis, Tennessee. In fact, they were playing the bill alone with a gorgeously managed 7pm start time.  The beauty of seeing older bands is those early start times that lead to early end times. 

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ALBUM REVIEWSFEATURED
Jason Shrum

Rachael Rose and ‘Butterfly’ Look for Answers about the Afterlife

‘Butterfly’ takes us down that winding road of the inevitable…death.  However, this isn’t a gloom and doom song about the end of days.  It is a beacon of light that begs the question of “what really happens when we die?” and combines that with a glimmering and optimistic answer.  Hopefully we are with the ones that went before us, and if we are first, then hopefully our loves will follow us there. Rose says of the track, “Overall the song is about the idea of being so deeply bonded with someone that you believe you would stay connected in any and every lifetime.”

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ALBUM REVIEWSFEATURED
Jason Shrum

Tower Brothers | All The Dogs | New EP Review

The band is originally from Boston, but has made a home in Nashville and is on the label Red Guitar Music. RGM is a record label based in the Music City and founded by Travis Fairley of Catchfire. Signing with the label means full service. RGM handles A&R, booking, publicity, recording, mixing and producing. I have had excellent music pushed my way by the label including Catchfire, Carl Pariso, and Daisy Sellas. The band under my current light is made up of the brothers Jackson Tower (Keys / Bass / Vocals / Guitar) and Owen Tower (Guitar / Vocals), alongside friends Thomas Prescott (Guitar) and Quinten Cohen (Drums / Vocals).

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B SidesFEATURED
Jason Shrum

Kathie, Kathy, Dolly and Punk Rock

On August 25th, 2026 the world stopped with the news that Dolly Parton had passed away.  It was a shockwave that was felt by so many.  Everyone who had ever been touched by her music and her kindness was saddened to learn that the earth would keep spinning without The Smoky Mountain Songbird. We were so lucky to live in a timeline that saw us floating on this space rock with such a bright and selfless human being.  So how would we cope?  For me this bombshell coincided with my mom, Kathie, coming up to Nashville to see my new house and celebrate her birthday.  She was also arriving in Music City with her friend, Kathy, who was also celebrating her birthday.  The best thing that we could do was to dive headfirst into the sounds and soul of Dolly.

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ALBUM REVIEWSFEATURED
Jason Shrum

Rosemary Shultz: “Tied to You” Single Release

As I yapped my way into another friendship post Bowery performance, Rosemary and I slowly developed our own connection. I ventured to the Teakwood Garden (RIP) to dive into Rosemary’s Musical World once more. I was there when she performed the Harmonica for the first time live. I took a day off my neurotic schedule to dress up like a fairy princess, and enjoy some tea at the Troll House Cottage. I badgered my husband to take me to the 1865 Club when we were counting pennies to support our evening out. I fought my way to show up to house shows haggardly when I felt like the social experience would be a direct cause of my death. And after I bit the bullet to write my first Rock Oracle Article? Rosemary’s TreeHouse Collab was the first local show I covered as an Oracle for Rock Oracle. To get to my point, it has not always been easy for me to nurture a connection with Rosemary. In fact, both of us have been on the hustle with our Earth energy, and Watery Dreams. Yet, there has been a String Tied to You, Tied To Me.

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FEATUREDLIVE REVIEWS
Jason Shrum

WNXP Summer Line Series with Bully and Massie99

This summer’s shows hit a little bit different than last summer’s shows because now, Rock Oracle is a building a team and we had our first team building exercise at WNXP’s Summer Line Series. We were in attendance for the second of four events curated by Nashville Public Radio Station WNXP (91.1 FM) for this summer. By we, I mean myself, plus new additions to the squad Sarah and Stacey who, along with Florida Oracle, Mooney, have been instrumental in taking Rock Oracle to the next level.  The first WNXP event was with Devon Gilfillian and was deemed a huge success as people filled the Ascension St. Thomas Landing at Nashville Yards on June 26th.  The sophomore installment of this well orchestrated showcase was Bully and Massie99, on August 22nd, at the outdoor venue.  I was thrilled to introduce these artists to my team and share in a magical night evening of music community. 

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FEATUREDINTERVIEWS
Jason Shrum

Meet Musician Jon Worthy

Jon is a grinder. A hustler is the greatest sense. A go getter of all things and he will not be bogged down by the way that the music industry is dictating how you should go about your tactics. Go back to 2019 when he played 121 shows – including a handful of festivals such as Musikfest. In 2020 (you remember that beautiful year), Worthy pivoted to recording and production where he set up a studio in his house and began releasing self-produced tracks. Songs such as “She’s Alright,” “Remember When” and “I’ll Be Ok” were released at that time. Worthy has also worked with several prominent names including Lincoln Parish (Cage the Elephant), Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes) and Arlie. Also, in 2019 Worthy released his third full-length album called Something’s Gotta Give. This album veered towards more of an indie-Americana-folk blend than his prior releases. The album has amassed well over 300K streams and radio play across the country including heavy rotation on Nashville’s Lightning 100. 

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