Show Review
Autovaughn EP Release Show
Friday, May 9th
The Cannery
Nashville, TN
As long as I have been in Nashville, Autovaughn has been one of those bands everyone was sure would break it big nationally. Having just caught my first show of theirs, I am starting to see why. If you follow music in this town, you would probably recognize the last Autovaughn show as a veritable who’s who of the Nashville Rock scene. And if you were at the show, you would probably know why—those boys can play.
This Nashville four-piece took over the Cannery Ballroom last Friday with help from the Pink Spiders and De Novo Dahl (who get the “Best Dressed” award, hands down). The show was a record release for AV’s new The Cycles EP. The EP started as part of a deal with major label, Epic Records. Now free, however, from the shackles of multi-national corporations, AV seems to be in the best position possible: record in hand and no attachments.
Autovaughn is a great fit for people who like the U2 school of Rock— that is not to say they sound too much like Bono and company. It is just that lead guitarist, Stephen Wilson’s Stratocaster, drenched in delay, sounded like the Edge on Human Growth Hormones. Fans of the Killers and even Morrissey will dig Autovaughn for the up-tempo, yet dark grooves. Even hardcore Coldplay fans could get into this band, if they have had enough Red Bull. Those fans will also like lead singer Darren Edwards—had I only heard him sing, I would have sworn he was from across the pond.
The music of Autovaughn sounds like it was made for arenas. This is a Rock band I would not want to see in a small club. The show is loud, energetic, and has an air of grandiosity that will draw even the most dedicated wallflowers to the front of the stage. During the show, I closed my eyes and I could see them running down huge catwalks in front of a Jumbo-tron at any major arena. It’s refreshing to see a band at the end of a show that looks like they just got out of a sauna—I actually kind of felt sorry for bassist Ben Graham’s green “Recycle” t-shirt. For all you music geeks out there, you will appreciate Autovaughn’s stunning sense of rhythmic and melodic variance in their arrangements. There aren’t many straight eighths.
Judging from the crowd at the last show, chances are if you have an extremely attractive girlfriend, she already likes Autovaughn. You should probably get onboard.
The only thing that separates Autovaughn from the all the band you hear on the radio is songwriting. They have got a good look and they can play, but I often found myself wondering just what the hell each song was about. On a first listen, I could not sing a single scrap of the set back to you and though that may be good for artistic integrity, it does not win you any Miley Cyrus fans. It is sad but true that that is what it takes to make it these days. Whether you love them or hate them (probably because they are better/ more successful than your band) Autovaughn is good for Nashville. They carry on their collective eight shoulders the hope of the Nashville Rock scene being recognized for what it really is: great.
Good luck catching Autovaughn any time soon as they will be out on the road for a bit. Next Nashville show is at 12th and Porter, July 19. Visit autovaughn.com or myspace.com/autovaughn for more details and Amazon.com to buy the new EP.
Reviewer: Max Beizer