A line grew at the door of The Basement in Nashville, Tennessee, as fans of all ages arrived, eager to see Match Records’ first artist showcase of the semester.
Guitarist Kyelen Arora kicked off the night, taking the stage backed by drums and bass in a very John Mayer Trio fashion. He caught the guests’ attention with a cover of High Fade’s “Burnt Toast and Coffee.”
With energetic soloing and back-and-forth jams, Arora then led onlookers into a dance circle and brief moshing before introducing his latest release, “Who Are You.”
“I’ve got a new song,” Arora said, moving on. “I haven’t played it except in the studio, and they (his band) haven’t heard it.” Next came “Do You Read Me,” the only piano song of the set.
With a patterned button-up hanging loosely from his shoulders, sweaty curls and a cheeky smile, he wordlessly prepared his audience for what was coming.
“I smell Hendrix,” someone shouted from the back of the room. Arora was met with cheers from the crowd before tearing into “Voodoo Child.”
“I’ve been wanting to cover that one for a while,” Arora said with a grin.
Shifting from Arora’s loud guitar riffs and pop rock sound, the next artist arrived to enchant the room with her smooth voice and soft instrumentals.
Josie James greeted the room full of fans with a sunny smile. Her otherworldly vocals met the band’s unique style in the perfect spot, combining her classical training with the indie-pop sound many know well. A jazzy piano topped it off, setting James apart from others in her genre.
James told the crowd how excited she was to play in a venue like The Basement, going from what she called “jazz clubs with a ton of old people” to rooms of people like the one before her. She used this to introduce her cover of Ella Fitzgerald’s “Misty.”
“Don’t fall asleep, guys,” James said. “I swear it’s gonna be so exciting. Riveting, even.”
James ended her set with a fan favorite, “Pizza Tonight,” which features a call-and-response chorus that demands crowd participation.
Match Records members, along with the bands, jumped into action for speedy transitions between sets, preparing the stage for the next artist on the bill.
Bewitching the room with her red curls and an arm full of patchwork tattoos, Savannah Spann, known as Sav, performed with her four-piece band, The Ages.
Combining pop vocals inspired by the likes of Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan with bluesy guitar riffs provided by The Ages’ lead guitarist Anderson Judd, Spann enchanted listeners with a genre-bending sound.
She introduced “Child’s Table,” the first song she wrote after moving to Murfreesboro. The song will be released on April 14 — Spann’s 21st birthday.
Surprising the crowd, Spann belted a cover of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” displaying her ability to make a song her own.
“This is my favorite song. It’s a love song,” Spann said, preparing the audience for her final song. “This is me telling you guys I love you.”
Braving the tornado watch in their signature mismatched suits, band tees and patterned button-downs, Cade Ortego and the Mood Swings took the stage. Bassist Ian Fisher danced on stage, ran around and jumped on the speakers, immediately heightening the sweat-soaked crowd’s energy.
For the first time, the band tried a short acoustic set. It began with their newest release, “Sophia.”
With hair stuck to his sweaty forehead, Ortego continued into “Choose Me” as onlookers cheered, undeterred by the steam of the hot room.
They moved back into the full electric band setting with the debut of “Long Haired Woman,” which immediately sparked interest and got the whole room dancing. But it didn’t stop there. They played their own version of The Red Clay Strays’ “Wondering Why” before transitioning into Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey,” bringing a country twist into their otherwise electric set.
Despite the dreary weather, with pounding rain and a tornado watch in Davidson County, Match Records packed out The Basement with a display of talent spanning across genres for a successful first show outside of Murfreesboro.
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