music journalist Jason shrum Archives

Monday evening was elevated to a whole new level thanks to RockNite.Nash and Skinny Dennis in Nashville. Along with curator, and guitar Goddess, Grace Bowers, they put on a banger of a FREE show, and it was exactly what we needed on a school night. Three stupefying bands raged the stage with a bewildering showcase that had the crowd moving in both chaos and tandem. There was crowd surfing, moshing and a meshing of community that found the perfect home for folks to let off some steam. Thank you to everyone that made this show happen. What a joyous occasion. Thirsty Thursdays have their place. Taco Tuesday can be pretty great. However, Mosh Pit Monday was exactly what I needed before the work week officially got hectic. The Criticals,Lombardy Band and Bad Bad Luck put on a stupendous show at Skinny Dennis and I was right up front to soak it all in and I feel great for saying YES! to a weekday show.

FEATURED LIVE REVIEWS

May 11, 2026 Jason Shrum

Toadies on tour with a New Album after Nearly a Decade

The current tour is built around a new album called The Charmer. It was released on May 1, 2026, via Spaceflight Records, and it is their first full-length studio release in nearly a decade. Produced by the late Steve Albini in 2024, the 13-track album features a raw, fast-paced sound born from “pandemic-era introspection”. Frontman Vaden Lewis had said in a statement, “This album has been a long time in the works, and it’s such a joy to see it come together, we went back to basics for this session: all analogue, live takes, high energy.” Drummer Mark Reznicek added, “I’ve been a fan of Steve Albini’s since I first heard the albums he recorded with the Pixies and PJ Harvey, so being able to record with him is really a dream come true. In fact, when we first signed with a major label, they asked us who we would like to work with and we all said “Albini!” Well, for whatever reason, the label didn’t go for it. And now 30 years later, it finally happened!”

B Sides LIVE REVIEWS MUSIC NEWS

May 6, 2026 Jason Shrum

Music City Madness, Dee’s Lounge & Everything Local | Vendors, musicians & community came together to create a space filled with harmony

This month’s event was hosted by Dee’s Lounge in Madison, Tennessee. Owner, Amy Dee says of her place, “I couldn’t find a classic country venue around Nashville when I moved here, so I opened one”. Since 2016 it has grown to so much more than just a hub for country music, as the venue host all types of genres with just three simple rules: Pay Your Tab, Don’t Be an Asshole and You Must be 21 to Enter. It remains a classic “dive-bar” with lovely locals and a fantastic staff that want to make your experience a great one. The decor is straight out of the 1970’s (think Urban Cowboy) and you feel like you’vefound a second home when you walk through the doors. Not only is there a space to play music inside with nice sound quality, but there is a space out back with a large stage and plenty of seating and room for dancing on those sunny days. This was one of those days.

ALBUM REVIEWS B Sides MUSIC NEWS

April 27, 2026 Jason Shrum

The Weird Sisters Have a New Single Out

When you see them play live, it is a cavalcade of foot pedals and knobs turning, all while playing their instruments and singing melodic harmonies that match the tonality of lasers and humming spaceships. They are wildly mesmerizing and talented as all get out. So, when a new song comes from the depths of the minds from this dynamic duo, you know that the work has been put in and sonically it will be different from anything you typically hear in the mainstream.

ALBUM REVIEWS FEATURED

April 8, 2026 Jason Shrum

What Is The Meaning of Life?

“’meaning of life” is about giving depression company,” meg shares. “It’s being fucking tired, stuck in self-sabotage and procrastination, feeling nothing and living vicariously through other people instead. It’s a pretty goddamn selfish song.”

She further explains, “It’s also about ruining normal, sweet moments with nihilistic thoughts, like what happens when I die while I’m trying to find that a Bed Bath & Beyond coupon.There’s no reason to it. And if there’s no reason to it, then maybe there’s no reason to me. It’s about the freedom and relief in realizing that maybe it’s not about everything being meaningless, but about how hard it is to find meaning when there’s no reason to it.”

ALBUM REVIEWS FEATURED

April 7, 2026 Melinoe Macaria Mourningstar

Maria Magdalena’s New Single ‘Smell Me I’m Running’ Is A Mystical Journey

In this modern era, in some small realms of the world, a woman is mostly able to ponder these questions. She is able to act out what it may mean to be a free woman of this world. A woman free from the biased lens of our inherited patriarchal mold. What if we were written without the venom that is the Male Gaze? Not the Masculine gaze that Worships the Goddess, but the Male Gaze that imprisons us all, even themselves. As the song concluded, I had to replay immediately. I wasn’t too sure how I could label the song. There were components of a more Gothic and/or Vampiric Undertone. A scene that could express various moments in time, however particularly, the 40’s-60’s came to mind. We have the melody cloaked in an essence of Femme Fatale, with a subtle bop that reminds one of Marina. Giving the song a connection to the Pop Femme Frequency. There is a darkness and lightness to the song. A duality that only an integrated soul could express. There is a sound in alignment with those who enjoy workings from artists such as, Alexa Dark, Luvcat and Portishead. An eclectic tuning that embodies the complexity of what it means to be a woman and feel as a woman feels.

ALBUM REVIEWS B Sides FEATURED MUSIC NEWS

April 3, 2026 Jason Shrum

Hussy Fit Wants You To Listen

To engage with Hussy Fit is to mix all your favorite cereals together. They are dynamic in flavor. The band pulls from genres past and present and keeps their personal style at the focal point. The band consists of Cordie Nicole adding synth flare to her vocal prowess, Izzy Cring – bass, vocals, Nick Doukas – guitar, Saige Cordero – guitar, backing vocals, and Jackson Tsukahara – drums. For this single they brought Seth Lake in for multiple guitar parts and let producer Lonny Cagle chime in on those gang vocals for the track.