Saturday, May 30, 2026
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FEATUREDLIVE REVIEWSMUSIC NEWS
Jason Shrum

I Believe in a Thing Called The Darkness 

My passion for the British rock group began back in 2003 when I first heard the single ‘I Believe In A Thing Called Love’, off their debut album Permission to Land.  Now singer/guitarist Justin Hawkins, his brother guitarist Dan Hawkins, bassist Frankie Poullain, and drummer Rufus Taylor (son of Queen drummer Roger Taylor) are back with their eighth studio album. If you know anything about The Darkness, then you know about a high level of intensity when playing live gigs.  As the band first emerged on the scene there was this inkling that they were some kind of joke band.  That they were spoofing the 1970’s hard and glam rock scene, but those ribbings were quickly left by the side of musicality road.  This band is absolutely enthralling.  Listeners and critics alike fastly found themselves realizing the technical fortitude of this sonically reverent band. 

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FEATUREDLIVE REVIEWS
Jason Shrum

Bully Packs A Punch at The Blue Room

I was back at The Blue Room again in Nashville to cover the Bully show with Jawdropped supporting on the second evening of a two-show engagement.  You know you spend a lot of time at a venue when you walk up to the ticket person and they say, “Oh, it’s you again”.  I laughed.  Live music venues are my happy place, so I was certainly glad to be there again.  This would be my third time seeing Alicia Bognanno and her band.  “Bully” refers to her “inner bully” or the “inner demons” she confronts in her music and life. The name Bully also represents the initial band she fronted a decade ago but later became synonymous with Bognanno herself as the sole member.  

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FEATUREDLIVE REVIEWS
Jason Shrum

Arts Fishing Club Drops Lines in Blue Room Waters 

Their sound is hard to root down and that’s why I am excited about their future.  You can say they are this or that, but their ability to play just about anything is evident in their music.  At the core, Arts Fishing Club is branded as an indie-folk rock band, but I am not sure that’s the best descriptor of what they are about, although I am not sure how I would list them if I had to.  The music is fun.  The band plays tight.  It’s fast when it needs to be but slows down with all the right accents tapping directly into all the listeners emotions. They keep it light between songs too, letting the audience know just how much fun they are having.  On this Thursday, in the dimly lit architectural aqua-bowl of a room, our guiding light was AFC. 

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ALBUM REVIEWSFEATUREDMUSIC NEWS
Jason Shrum

Dann Huff | When Words Aren’t Enough | Album Review 

I must imagine that putting together a record of this magnitude would be daunting.  That is, to say what you want to say in one short playlist, oh, and it’s all instrumental.  I am not a guitar player or a musician of any sort, but I do understand the complexities of music to a degree.  I can hear the storytelling and grasp the imagery of the bard. I can close my eyes and be swept away sonically, as easily as the next and I know what I like.  I really like this record. 

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FEATUREDMUSIC NEWS
Contributing Author

meg elsier Returns with New Single “sportscar [scrapped]”spittake Deluxe LP Out July 25

Meg Elsier is one of Rock Oracle’s favorite Nashville artists. Our Editor-In-Chief, Jason Shrum, has written a couple of pieces about Meg and her band. Jason had a chance to chat with Elsier and her bass player, Jashaun Smith atop The Bobby Hotel before a show curated by WNXP and became an even bigger fan. Meg’s music is both soothing and jagged in the best ways. Her sound tends to ebb and flow like the tides and takes the listener on an joltingly emotional exploration. We are here now to share Meg’s newest project. This from her management:

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FEATUREDLIVE REVIEWS
Jason Shrum

Billy Idol & Joan Jett Still Crushing It

Billy Idol followed about a half hour after Joan and her Blackheart mates finished their set.   Idol, now 69, also looked fantastic and I wondered how he would sound. I have been a long-time fan of both musicians since I was about 12 years old.  I knew about Runaways and was also listening to Billy’s former band Generation X thanks to the older kids that I knew when I was in middle school.  Again, these formations broke-up long before I was listening, but I had catching up to do.  

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FEATUREDLIVE REVIEWS
Jason Shrum

Spinning The Black Circle Of Life 

I was beyond thrilled that I was in the right place at the right time to complete this journey of mine.  I still have my Lollapalooza ticket from 1992 and I was sure to get an actual ticket from this show as well (it’s in the mail-hopefully). I write about many shows, as I go to a lot of concerts, but this one rang special.  I do not know if I will ever see the band live again, but I got to see them when they were just starting out and now, I have visited them as one of the biggest bands in the world. I am glad we all got to live this long and navigate this floating rock together.  

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