Feature photo by Nicholas Evans
Story by Nicholas Evans
On Nov. 13, MTSU’s student-run record label Match Records held a multi-genre artist showcase at Hop Springs.
The night featured two solo artists with accompanying bands, two hip-hop artists, two solo singer-songwriters and one band, each having approximately fifteen-minutes in front of the enthusiastic and compact crowd.
Opening the event was Sav., accompanied by her band “The Ages.” She celebrated the release of her debut EP “Waiting Game,” which hit streaming services Oct. 18. Throughout the set, Sav. and the Ages blazed through the singer-songwriter’s indie pop and folk-leaning discography. The set mostly consisted of songs from her recent EP, alongside an inspired cover of “Taste” by Sabrina Carpenter.
Caroline Bowling and her band “The Pins” followed. She performed “My Better Man” solo, promising the audience she had a band before the supporting members arrived on stage. The set included performances of songs that could easily be mistaken for Lowertown deep cuts and the awe-inspiring “Redo,” which held the energy of a Latin jazz classic.
After a genre switch to hip-hop, JDK hailed to the stage as the first artist of the night without a backing band. He opened with “Dennis the Menace,” a single that dropped on Halloween. Throughout the set, he displayed introspective lyrics in songs like “Decisions,” where he looks back at his own life and career after his friend got signed to a label, and “Tragic,” a track that follows his brother after getting involved with the wrong people.
“I’m done being sad,” JDK said before his final song. “This next song’s gonna make up for that.”
In his last song of the night, JDK brought out fellow Match Records musician Kasino Black as a surprise guest. As the song concluded, Black remained on stage, seamlessly transitioning into his own set. From the moment he entered, the crowd became the rowdiest of the night, with mosh pits forming and dissolving repeatedly throughout Black’s performance. His first song featured a beat with heavy jazz influence, while the remaining songs were more traditional in production, but more energetic in presentation. Most notable was “Goodfellow,” a song he recorded in MTSU’s Studio B.
Next on the bill were two singer-songwriters performing back-to-back sets. Indie folk artist Josie James opened with “Victimless Crime,” a song she co-wrote with Brayden Watts. James noted that she doesn’t typically perform co-written songs live, but felt that “Victimless Crime” was special enough to merit its own moment. James’ set was more conversational than the rest. She traded jokes with the audience and told stories, while also playing some of her more humorous songs like “Pizza.”
Tucker Wilson immediately followed, performing original compositions that leaned toward country, incorporating longer, more story-based songs. Notably, Wilson performed the song “Addictions and Accident,” a song he doesn’t include in his sets often. Similar to JDK, Wilson closed his performance with a happy song, contrasting the previous songs in his set.
“We’re gonna end it on an upper, how about that?” Wilson said.
Closing out the showcase was rock band Buzie, who, within the first song, managed to garner the highest energy of the night. Throughout each of their heavy-hitters and power ballads, the band achieved a clear and chaotic bass tone, passionate drum beats and a high-energy guitar performance that captured the audience.
“If you’ve stayed this long, you’re officially an unofficial member of Buzie,” vocalist Susie Sullivan said.
She also reminded the audience to tip their bartenders.
Match Records returns to Hop Springs on Nov. 19 for the Are You a Match? Finale show featuring Toby Bradner, Auburn, Kyelen Arora, Fatal Affair and Cade Ortego and the Mood Swings.
Nicholas Evans is a contributing writer for MTSU Sidelines.
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