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Character, a flashing of knives and green water

If you’re a young whipper-snapper, you may not remember Character, a Nashville band that explored the richness of post-rock soundscapes. It’s a very finely crafted bit of ambient atmospheres that builds and builds. What set them apart from other bands of that time and genre is that the music wasn’t about the impending explosion of a wall of guitars (though that does happen) but simply about exploring a space. Sure, that sounds about as pretentious as you can get when talking about music but it’s my way of saying it leans more on the ambient tendencies of post-rock, than on the more aggressive rock side, somehow without losing the appeal.

The music itself is highly notable and everyone involved in the undertaking over the years is a notable piece of our Nashville music scene. The likes of William Tyler, Dave Paulson, Ryan Norris, Eric Williams, Scott Martin, Eric Andre, Sam Smith, Luke Schneider and Phil Pomeroy are undoubtedly names you’ve heard more than once.

The EP is not an easy one to track down digitally. Possibly intentionally? Regardless, the band is playing for the first time in many many years at The Basement East tonight as a fundraiser for, and a loving tribute to, the Ferguson family. Don’t miss it.