“I have such talented friends!” – It’s something you hear a lot in this town and over the years I’ve realized how true this can be.  The independent Nashville music scene is bigger than ever and about to burst. My friend Matthew Perryman Jones is one who is set to explode.

His current CD Throwing Punches in the Dark is full of beautifully crafted melodies, thought provoking lyrics and a commercial viability that makes you go “why isn’t this guy already a huge star?”  His music has been heard in a number of T.V. shows including Kyle XY and Eli Stone and he recently wrapped up a tour with Ingrid Michaelson who’s “Sweater Song” (The Way I Am) was featured in an Old Navy commercial. 

Stand out tracks from Throwing Punches in the Dark :: “Refuge” “Waiting On The Lights To Change” “Beneath The Silver Moon” – but seriously the whole CD is a great listen.

I’ve been lucky enough to hear Matthew’s new CD Swallow The Seathat will hit stores this August.  I can honestly say that Matthew, along with producer Neilson Hubbard, have taken it to the next level!  The sound is much bigger than the previous album but it still captures who Matthew is as a song writer.  I can’t say enough good things about the songs so I’ll just say this – Get it when it comes out.   You can hear two tracks from the new CD here; “Save You” – which was featured in the T.V. show Kyle XY and “Without A Clue”

If you’re in Nashville – Matthew Perryman Jones and Sixpence None The Richer are playing a show on Sunday July 13^th at 3^rd and Lindsley that will be part of a live broadcast on Lightning 100.     – Brian Thiele

Have you ever received an email from a friend that says something like, “Hey, I want you to check out this great band.” Even though it’s a friends recommendation, skeptisim instantly sets in. Party because of working in the music business with spin doctors and hype machines and party because of personal musical tastes.

I had a friend that sent me one of those emails several months ago and he really wanted to know what I thought of the band and because I love music and can be quite opinionated in regards to it, I relented. I loved what I indirectly discovered.

Eyes Around was one of those musicial artists I heard once and was instantly into. From the very first track “The Maze” to “Cautionary Tale” to “Another Source of Light”, I was hooked. I have yet to see them live, but plan to do so when our schedules match up.

It was a good lesson for us. Number One: Listen to friends; Number Two: Always be open to new music since you never know what you will find. The Music Advisory will take that sound advice and give you some of our own – check out this great band here.

The Lucky Bucks were in the studio for a while with producer Radney Foster and you can get a taste of what they cooked up on their MySpace site and on YouTube. One of the videos is below.

This is an extremely talented group of guys. Jay has prime vocals, Matt can own the drums and bass (at the same time!) and Andy blazes on lead guitar. Together they have a sound that must be heard and a show that needs to be seen live.

Word has it that the guys lost their major label deal at Warner Brothers after being courted by them and Sony/BMG. This even before a debut single was released to radio. Another story coming out of Music Row that doesn’t make any sense, but The Music Advisory expects their luck to change for the better and that we will be hearing more exciting offerings from The Lucky Bucks.

Chasen is a band I was turned onto in February after their first single cracked the charts and their debut album was set to be released. I immediately gravitated to their fresh sound and found half a dozen tracks that I thought were stellar. They are a recently successful Contemporary Christian act, but they could easily be heard over multiple formats because of the quality of their work. In much of the same way that Switchfoot made the impacting move across genres, so could this band eventually if they wanted to.

Lead singer/songwriter Chasen Callahan, guitarist Evan Silver and drummer Aaron Lord recorded their own independent project and it eventually found its way into the hands of OMG, a new indie label in Greenville, South Carolina.

Their debut album, Shine Through the Stars, was released in April and was produced by Noel Golden, whose credits include Matchbox Twenty, Edwin McCain, and Lee Ann Womack.

Where so many bands fall short because they are banal and one dimensional, Chasen successfully finds relevance and distinctiveness. The Music Advisory highly recommends.

www.myspace.com/chasen

One of those artists is MuteMath.

I first saw their intense show at the Exit Inn in Nashville several years ago and was blown away. Witnessed the four piece band several more times in Nashville and Austin. From the initial EP to their first official full length release, they have never failed to impress me with their music and talent.

Check them out for yourself with the creative “backward” video of their single “Typical” below and their Mute Math Myspace and Wikipedia sites. You may find they have a sound reminiscent of The Police and U2. Definitely has an 80′s tint to it.

Here’s a video from the second Exit Inn show I saw them at in 2006. It is the uniquely instrumental song “Reset”.

*The Music Advisory will be a regular element on this blog and will spotlight new or established artists I think stand out from the rest.