Nashville Music Blog

​Who won Friday night's battle of the vintage bands? "Beatles, Beatles, Beatles," griped one Stones-loving observer. Despite the injustice, the event felt like a big love-fest--a festive crowd filled the Basement as The Privates played their set: "Run for Your Life," "Happiness Is a Warm Gun," and "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey," complete with cowbell. In Grimey's estimation, "they killed it."

Reno Bo's band attempted to address the imbalance. The stylishly dressed group launched into a full and loud version of "Stray Cat Blues," with Zack Setchfield's slide guitar giving it a bluesy feel. The followed with an appropriately sexy "Ventilator Blues." The song's rhythm inspired a few ladies to writhe around by the stage, one in black sequined hot pants. Bo called for more keyboard in preparation for "Loving Cup." Of drummer Dillon Napier (formerly of Mother/Father), our companion noted, "best drummer ever," and we agreed. They closed with "Let's Spend the Night Together."

"I dunno if it's more blasphemous to have your way with a Beatles song or to try and do it like them," observed Trea Gunther of Tommy Hans and Friends. (The ad hoc group was fronted by the former Tommy and the Whale frontman.) They seemed to strike the right balance. Featuring a Santa-hatted Mike Grimes on bass, the group played "Back in the USSR," then insisted they were "only playing two. Two-and-a-half-ish." They followed it up with "Come Together," and, from the same album, that one "You Never Give Me Your Money" song that opens the medley. Throughout, we were impressed with the two backup singers, Heather Rigby and Tommy's wife Leisa Hans, who added a rich soulfulness to the songs. By the end, the girl dance area in front of the stage had expanded, and who's to say we didn't join them?

Next up was Will Holland (of the Lonely Hearts), in a group featuring Josh Taylor from Red White Blue on lead guitar and Will's brother Josiah Holland on keyboard. Us: "That guy reminds me of someone I've seen, but I can't think of who." Our companion: "It's Zach Galifianakis." It sure as hell was. They launched into a quirky, impassioned version of "Rocky Raccoon." Their playing imparted a folk-pop charm to "Don't Pass Me By" and "A Day in the Life."

The crowd had thinned slightly when the final band, Oblio, took the stage. Their first song, "Love in Vain," inspired in us the following pedantic objection: "This isn't a Rolling Stones song! It's a Robert Johnson song that the Stones covered!" After the preceding bands, Oblio's smoother take on the Stones sounded a little tepid to our ears (or, as our companion unkindly put it, like "the Fatboy Slim version of Moby"). Nevertheless, they rounded off the evening with a solid, and slightly tougher, rendition of "Jumpin' Jack Flash." At 1 a.m., it wasn't time to go home, but it was time to go in search of parties.