What’s Up Tuesday 9/23

Matthew Perryman Jones has a voice that calls out with intensity, truth and emotion. Jones began his career in 1997 in Decatur, GA, and then, after moving to Nashville to pursue music full-time, he issued his first solo release, Nowhere Else But Here, in 2000. As American Songwriter describes, “Matthew’s voice ensnares listeners with a rare authenticity and gritty strength.” In 2006, Jones released Throwing Punches in the Dark, a departure from his previous Folk/Americana sound toward Pop Rock. In 2008, Swallow the Sea with break-out hit “Save You,” solidified Jones as an artist worth watching. Performing Songwriter Magazine noted Jones as a talent that follows “in the footsteps of Leonard Cohen and John Lennon.” In 2011, Jones released Until The Dawn Appears which contains retellings of his most popular songs including “Save You,” whose video features Jaimie Alexander (Kyle XY, Thor, The Last Stand). Written shortly after his father’s death, Jones’ latest CD, Land Of The Living, is a courageous personal Odyssey through life’s most troubled waters of love and loss. One of the most sought-after songwriters in Nashville, Jones builds on his accomplishments with his 2013 single, “Anymore of This.” The duet, written and recorded with Mindy Smith, was featured on ABC Family’s “Switched at Birth” in January. Jones’ songs have also been featured in television shows including Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Bones, Pretty Little Liars, NY Med, Flash Point, One Tree Hill, The Hills, and Eli Stone as well as in the 2012 movie release What To Expect When You Are Expecting. In addition to Jones’ own headline tours, he has shared the bill with Katie Herzig, Matthew Mayfield, and Joshua James and has opened for such artists as Ingrid Michaelson, Shawn Colvin, Patty Griffin and Paula Cole. Jones is also an original member of the nationally acclaimed Nashville collaborative artist group “Ten Out of Tenn”.

“Virginia natives Carbon Leaf weave their signature indie-rock blend of Celtic, Appalachian, folk, and country into a rousing new brand of music best described as ‘ether-electrified porch music’. The five-man band’s steadfast arrangement of guitar, bass, drums, and mandolin is rounded out with more exotic instruments, like the bouzouki, fiddle, accordion and penny whistle, all tied together by lead singer Barry Privett’s bold, straightforward baritone.
Long beloved in their hometown of Richmond and known for high-energy live shows, the group entered onto the national scene in 2002 by winning an American Music Award with the Irish-tinged hit “The Boxer,” a narrative about a fighter who’s at the top of his game but scraping the bottom of love’s barrel. Pioneering dreams, broken hearts, Love’s renewal  – all traverse the American landscape as common themes in Carbon Leaf’s music, as is reflected in the dark, bluesy “Another Man’s Woman,” and “Miss Hollywood,” a Southern-twanged ballad about the angst of dating an enormous sign.”

Formed in a small town in South Dakota, a state not widely recognized for its contributions to the world of music, PARADISE FEARS has set out with a unique mission: tell a real story. “We wanted to write songs that matter,” says lead singer Sam Miller. “Simple as that.” Now a 5-piece, 10-instrument alternative rock outfit, the moniker has served them well: despite never being represented by a manager or a label, the band has built a remarkably widespread and loyal following, with hundreds of thousands of fans subscribed online and millions of streams on Spotify and YouTube. Their enormous touring and online audiences serve as a testament to the band’s tireless ethic and complete control of their own creative process. The group started began with high school friends, their first recordings paid for by their full time jobs at grocery stores and sandwich shops. After two years of touring and two albums, the band is still evolving and perfecting their unique brand of theatrical alternative pop, infusing orchestral soundscapes and even spoken word, their central tenant as remained the same: honest lyrics and “songs that matter.”