Asher Horton has always been a quietly busy individual. He’s released music as part of Fox Fun, as a member of Sun Seeker, under his own name, under side-project pseudonym Hot Car and two excellent albums under the name Rainsticks. The latest of which, October Onwards, propelled the project into new atmospheres of pop enjoyment and included guest performers Rodrigo Avendano, Austin Hoke, Spencer Cullum and Scott Schmadeke.

“Moss Curtain” comes early in the album tracklist and Horton tells us of the lyrics:

“…the song was written in my usual mode for Rainsticks songs which I’d consider a composite of scenes from my daily life (breakfast next to Circle K / awkward house show, bad PA) and more abstract, stream of consciousness imagery intended to invoke a particular mood.”

And strike a mood it does! The laid back 12-string jangle of the song fits perfectly with Horton’s light and poignant vocals. Visually, the official video depicts the full Rainsticks band (for the very first time!), performing in a woodland set and running around performing various antics. In summary, it’s delightful.

October Onwards is available on Bandcamp and streaming services. Follow @rainsticks4kicks on Instagram to keep up with all the latest Horton projects.

Cold Lunch Recordings is continuing to regularly publish their series of performance videos aptly entitled Live at Josh’s House (though, truth be told, this one was filmed Live at Scott’s House, not that it matters). If you didn’t see the debut Heaven Honey set, mark that one to watch later. Right now, dive into the latest release featuring Harpooner.

The 16-minute set features main-man Scott Schmadeke behind a piano and surrounded by a perfectly-absurd-but-oddly-appropriate number of candles as he performs stripped down renditions of various tracks from his forthcoming Cold Lunch release, In Two Minds.* These versions of the songs are particularly compelling because Harpooner is, generally speaking, a layered pop extravaganza – so it’s refreshing to hear Schmadeke’s voice front and center with such delicate accompaniment.

While we’re only two episodes into the Cold Lunch series, it’s becoming quite evident that the artists chosen aren’t afraid to bare a bit of themselves on camera. Over the course of a quarter hour, Harpooner lays himself out with a bare vulnerability that is rarely seen but always appreciated.

Be sure to follow the series on Youtube and treat yourself with a deep dive into the Harpooner back catalog.

In Two Minds is set for release via Cold Lunch in the future but it’s also available exclusively on Bandcamp right now for a limited time. So, if you want it, you can get it if you act fast.

With hindsight, March of 2020 was probably one of the worst times to release a record in recent memory; especially as a Nashville musician. Not only was the whole planet grappling with the notion of a new novel coronavirus but, locally speaking, folks were reeling from the March tornado. As such, you might have missed the release of the Louis Prince full-length album, Thirteen as it rolled out on March 10th, 2020.

Fortunately, the promotion of the album has continued along in the interim and Prince has just released the official video for the semi-title track, “The Number Thirteen.” Created by animator Joel Plosz the piece is a delightful dose of chaos told through an adorable band of animals done in a dithered vintage style. You may not be quite old enough to have participated in the heyday of computer graphics done in this style but anyone’s that ever stared at a chart of Susan Kare icons or even just enjoyed a blast of Google Chrome’s Dino Runner will appreciate the style.

While the visual appeal of the entire 4:17 piece is undeniable, the song itself should not be overlooked. Lazy journalistic tendencies push me to compare it, favorably, to Luke Temple or Here We Go Magic but more eloquently put; it’s a unique combination of softly pattering drums, gorgeous falsetto and subtle flourishes of shimmering guitar. There is very little music being made in Nashville that comes close to this style and perfect execution.

If somehow the draw of the video and song weren’t enough, the whole thing is being presented in collaboration with Weak Coffee on Gallatin Rd as it’s own special coffee blend featuring Plosz’s art. It’s a Win, Win, Win situation with this one. Don’t miss it.