Machines are People Too, Vinyl Thief, Joy of Painting Show Review
- by Terra James-Jura
Last Friday the lineup at 3rd and Lindsley read like a Best-of Deli Nashville list: Joy of Painting, Vinyl Thief, and Machines are People Too (one of the bands in our “Artist of the Month” poll!). It was a Music City synth-pop showcase; an evening of bright young musicians wailing on keyboards and looking damned good doing it.
Joy of Painting, fresh off the high of the May release of their EP “Tender Age,” was the first in the lineup. They did an excellent job easing the ample crowd into party mode (especially any jazz aficionados held over from the early show.) Their set was tight and bouncy, and their energy was enough to get each head at each table bobbing.
Vinyl Thief was next, and might have won the “Best-Dressed’ award of the night (how often does one see a drummer with a pocket square?) They set out a snare stage left, and proceeded to beat the living salt out of it for the next 45 minutes. Grayson Proctor of Vinyl Thief has the same industrial grade of pipes as Nathan Willett of Cold War Kids, punctuated here and there by a Freddie Mercury yip or yap. The band gleefully screwed with the audience’s expectations with every unpredicted bridge or key change, like playing their new single, “Smooth” with a marching band rhythm.
Machines are People Too closed the night. Fueled by the exuberance of youth (translation: hormones and Skittles), they wove a soundscape of rollicking drums, ocean-y keys and feel-good sing-along choruses. I’m torn between which was the standout song of the night: their recent single “Do What You Love,” where they managed to dial it up one more notch when it seemed there were no more available, or “What is Love” which came completely out of left field, and overwhelmed me with delight once I realized what was happening. (Are they even old enough to recall Jim Carey hosting that particular SNL? It doesn't matter. Well played, Machines are People Too. Well played.
It was a great night of entertainment, and drove home the fact that Nashville has a potent concentration of incredible talent. Each band just is one well-placed song in a Nissan commercial away from exploding. It would be attention well-warranted consiidering the drive and dedication involved. Check out each band’s respective website, as they are all hard at work on new and exciting things.
https://www.facebook.com/MachinesArePeopleToo
http://site.vinylthief.com/
https://www.facebook.com/joyofpainting
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