villin
villin was a short-lived music blog published at villin.net (2014, 2017-18), focusing on Nashville-based artists. In 2022 it became a vehicle for audio & video projects, a podcast, and playlists. Click here to read more about villin.
- villin: “yezzir” ()
The “yezzir” beat was made using GarageBand, Audacity and an Akai Professional MPK Mini MKII. The video was made using Premiere Pro with audio and video samples including Pharrell Williams from Snoop Dogg’s “Let’s Get Blown” music video, Home Alone, Home Alone 2, Kevin Durant’s interview on My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David […]
- villin on the Fringe Radio Show, Round 2 ()
On Monday, June 20 host AL-D invited me to select another hour of music for his radio show, which hit the radio airwaves on Radio Free Nashville, featuring 20 tracks from Nashville artists: 1) Kaby & Brian Brown “Showstopper” (produced by Ohdee)2) 2’Live Bre feat. Kyle Jefferson “Put The Work In”3) Jody Joe “Nonchalant” (produced […]
- What is villin? ()
Why Iowa & Nashville? A self-indulgent reflection on how villin came to be… I love a lot of different types of music and have graduated through various stages of fandom over the years. When I was in grade school, for example, I loved dance mix compilations, packed with techno, house, and radio-friendly hip-hop. From there […]
- villin: “v-sides” ()
<a href=”https://villin.bandcamp.com/album/v-sides”>v-sides by villin</a> The v-sides EP includes three tracks I made in January of 2022 using the BeatMaker 3 iPad app, released as a collection on May 1. “styles” samples the “Which Cup” loop from thricedotted’s 2021 Music Loop Variety Pack!, while “ching ching” samples the #11 loop from Hip Hop Makers‘ “Free Synth Sample Pack.” Listen on Bandcamp […]
- villin on the We Own This Town Podcast ()
For well over a decade, We Own This Town has been a staple in Nashville, putting local music in the spotlight via their blog and podcast. I was asked to take part in WOTT’s 300th podcast episode, selecting a track for the milestone mix, which went live April 19, 2022. To celebrate, I went with […]
- villin on the Fringe Radio Show ()
On March 7, 2022 host AL-D invited me to select an hour of music for his radio show, which hit the radio airwaves on Radio Free Nashville, featuring 19 tracks from Nashville artists: 1) B. Cooper “The Introduction” (produced by Dirty Rice)2) Negro Justice “G.T.S.H. (Got That Shit Honest)” (produced by JustVIBEZ)3) Mike Floss “Never […]
- villin: Nashville Lunch Counter Sit-Ins ()
This past month I’ve dedicated myself to learning more about the Nashville lunch counter sit-ins, which began in February of 1960. Moved by the process, I’ve made a two-part audio/video collage in tribute to the heroes who so greatly impacted our city (and nation). Part one (released February 2, 2022) is titled “peace, quiet and […]
- villin: “king’s breath” ()
The “king’s breath” beat was made with a sample from YAVANE‘s “Vocal Chords,” using the Beatmaker 3 iPad app. The video uses excerpts from “The Flow of Zen” with Alan Watts, retrieved from the Internet Archive. The track also features a brief audio clip from a separate Alan Watts recording, in which he says, “And […]
- villin: “for thich nhat hanh” ()
This video was created in appreciation of the life and teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh, serving as a mediation on breathing, happiness, and being. The track underlying “for thich nhat hanh” was created using a singing bowl drone from myNoise, in conjunction with a selection of singing bowl samples from a “Crystal Singing Bowl Healing Sound Bath” video […]
- Please Yourself ()
December 2017… There was a little voice inside me saying, “Don’t do that because, really, who the fuck are you, anyways?” but in August I sent Ron Gallo an email asking for an interview. “Aside from your music,” I wrote him, “I’m really interested in talking about some philosophical ideas… for instance, I’d read (or […]
- Beyond Trinity Lane ()
“I heard Bruce Springsteen say something along the lines of ‘the beauty of a song is that the meaning changes from person to person.’ So why take that away from people by spelling out how I wrote this exactly about that? I’ve done that, but I’m starting to lay back on it a little. A song can mean […]
- FJØRA Interview ()
Born in Canada and now stationed in New York City, FJØRA isn’t a traditional “Nashville artist,” despite the roots of her debut release being firmly planted in the city’s musical landscape. Having moved to Nashville to attend Belmont, she expanded her presence in the city’s scene following her graduation last year, establishing herself within an […]
- Jon Santana ()
“I used to get kind of stressed about my age,” says Jon Santana, sitting outside Steadfast Coffee in Germantown, reflecting in between sips of a coffee soda. “Especially when I was twenty-one [or] twenty-two. I was like, ‘Zedd’s twenty-three – I got two more years! I gotta make it!’” But that sense of artistic dread […]
- Magnetic Forces ()
“Lots of people think they’re thriving, and all they’re doing is surviving,” reflected Aaron McNutt (aka MC Nutts), speaking of his rhymes on Magnetic Forces’s “VITAL VINYL.” “And I’ve been there, so I recognize that.” The meaning behind McNutt’s personal favorite from the duo’s new album, The Vision on Multiple Occasions ÷x+-, eclipses his prescribed […]
- Kevin Kendall ()
“I always half-assed doing something in those first seven years,” says Kevin Kendall, reflecting on his time in Nashville prior to relocating to South Western Mexico in 2014. “The Mexico thing was me deciding to do something different, and I wasn’t sure if I was coming back here or not.” Having moved to Nashville from […]
- Taking it Slow ()
“It was a big blessing in disguise.” Early in 2012, six songs that had been recorded for Penicillin Baby’s debut LP were mistakenly deleted. Someone got ahead of themselves at the studio and in an attempt to clear up some hard drive space, wiped the session without double-checking to make sure it’d been backed up. […]
- Just Let Go ()
In “Just Let Go,” the most raw and emotionally satisfying track from Sturgill Simpson’s Metamodern Sounds In Country Music, the singer looks within before turning his gaze outward and graduating to a feeling of wholeness. “Woke up today and decided to kill my ego / It ain’t ever done me no good no how / […]
- Identity Control ()
“The old me and the new me are in a fist fight!” As howled in PUJOL’s “Manufactured Crisis Control,” the lyrics help paint an obvious scene of conflict, revealing an individual struggling for an objective view while commentating on an overbearing I against I scenario. While the new album, KLUDGE, “idiosyncratically captures life as it […]
- The Metamodern Gospel of Sturgill Simpson ()
Does Sturgill Simpson ever consider giving up? “Every fucking day,” he said over the phone, speaking to the internal doubt that haunts his professional direction, emphasizing how the well being of his soon-to-be expanding family rests on his success as a musician. It’s a conflict that breathes through Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, and one […]
- Sturgill Simpson at Grimey’s (Nashville, TN) ()
Photos of Sturgill Simpson taken May 13, 2014 at Grimey’s New and Pre-Loved Music in Nashville, TN. [These photos were first published on Villin.net]
- A Whole New You ()
William Tyler‘s Lost Colony isn’t quite a rebirth, but for being only three tracks deep there’s a surprisingly bold message that breathes through the release. “Tailor made for epic, exploratory road trips,” the EP is led by a pair of the guitarist’s catalog songs — now revisited with the support of a band — and […]
- Penicillin Baby at The Basement (Nashville, TN) ()
Photos of Penicillin Baby taken May 10, 2014 at The Basement in Nashville, TN. [These photos were first published on Villin.net]
- Into the Wild ()
“I’ve been back and forth between Cleveland and Nashville a lot in the past five years,” writes Christopher Wild, emailing en route to Nashville from L.A., returning from a trip to the Mojave Desert. “Both cities feel a bit like home,” he continues, “but also a bit less than a place that I feel like […]
- Sturgill Simpson at The Station Inn (Nashville, TN) ()
Photos and video of Sturgill Simpson taken May 8, 2014 at The Station Inn in Nashville, TN. [These photos and video were first published on Villin.net]
- D’ark Was the Night ()
The roots of D’ark wind through Nashville, back to Portland, and all the way to Maui, where six years ago the band Copperfox was conceived between partners Lisa Garcia and Rory Mohon. Their 2011 debut, From The Den, ended up running four tracks deep, revolving around a sound that Garcia calls “moody alt-country.” While those […]
- Rashad Tha Poet ()
“Her parents gave her the best of things, but they never gave her the best of them.” Taken from his 2013 TEDx presentation, this potent line speaks to Rashad Rayford’s flare for provocative commentary, a quality which has earned him his place as one of the key voices among Nashville’s spoken word community (in addition […]
- Wrinkles and All ()
“I’m troubled by the industry convention that would require me to summarize my creative process in a dozen ‘fully baked’ songs,” explains Lizzy Ross, speaking to the “guts” of her still-expanding Naked in My Living Room release. “As if an album were a thesis to defend or a product with a warranty to uphold.” At […]
- JOTA ESE “Super Dank III” ()
“My last three tapes I put out were made for smoking […] filled with bong sounds and things. The tracks are all 10-15 minutes long and made to be extra blunted.” While looking out for herbal connoisseurs with his last few productions, JOTA ESE’s Super Dank III isn’t strictly for the smokers. “Despite the name,” […]
- Shake and Bake ()
“I know this is somewhat cliché, but I still enjoy smoking to a lot of original dub reggae and original ska records. Those records have always had an impact on me musically.” KDSML’s five-track Nug Life EP is hardly a throwback to the days of King Tubby and Super Ape, but it does reflect the […]
- Turbo Fruits at Fond Object Records (East Nashville, TN) ()
Photos of Turbo Fruits performing as Misfruits taken April 19, 2014 at Fond Object Records in Nashville, TN. [These photos were first published on Villin.net]