One of the bands that we caught up with at this year’s SXSW was The Rocketboys. After reflecting on their career and discussing the new album they are currently working on, we thought we’d share some of our conversation with lead singer Brandon Kinder.

Tell us a little bit about your musical journey that led you to where you are today with The Rocketboys?
I grew up in Memphis and started playing in bands when I was about 15. The first band I joined almost didn’t let me in – because all I ever did was play Pride And Joy by Stevie Ray Vaughn – but I’m so glad they did. It was because of those guys that I heard about bands like Sunny Day Real Estate, Hum and Jeff Buckley – bands that were doing really original, thought-provoking music. I decided that I wanted to make music like that; music that was original and unique, but still had the pop sense that made it easy to listen to and wrap your head around.

How has the band developed and grown over these years?
I started The Rocketboys several years ago in Abilene, Texas. Back then we were a bunch of college kids playing under the name Homer Hiccolm & The Rocketboys. We all just loved writing music together and got the itch to start a band. Since then we’ve released three EPs, two live albums and two full-lengths, gone on countless tours across the country, gone through twice as many drummers as Spinal Tap, met some amazing people, and had the best time doing it. I can’t imagine doing anything else.

How do you think living in Austin impacts you creatively?
I love getting to brag about Austin, I really think it’s the best city in the world. It’s the perfect place for creative people; there are so many creative people here already, who are succeeding at what they’re doing. It’s extremely inspiring to have so many talented friends and get to watch them do what they do, whether it’s music or any other creative endeavor. They say that Austin is the “Live Music Capital of the World,” and because of that, I can go see an amazing band any night of the week.

What/who inspires your music and lyrics?
I’ve always tried to write songs based on my own life or what I’m seeing around me. It’s pretty interesting to look back through our old records, and even though they aren’t always obvious, the songs directly relate to what was happening in my life. During the time our album 20,000 Ghosts was being written, both of my grandmothers passed away, and the result was an album that dealt with death and a lot about trying to have a good, meaningful life while you can. Wellwisher, the EP that followed, dealt a lot with the uncertainty of what was happening with the band at that time and not knowing what the future looked like, but longing to get there.

Given the changes in the band and almost calling it quits, how did that impact the result of Build Anyway?
At the beginning of 2011, half of our original members had left the band and the three of us left were wondering what was next. We knew we had to make a record, if for no other reason than just to prove to ourselves that we could. The result was Build Anyway. It was my therapy, my way of getting out all the emotions. I’ve never been more honest and direct in any songs I’ve written. After I worked through all the anger, all the disappointment, and all the sadness, we had an album. But by that time we were all again on great terms, back to being best friends; things just looked different than they used to. So we wrote “The Best,” the album closer, which is a simple apology to the guys for the rest of the songs on the album.

What’s something stretching you or that you are learning right now? 
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to be a man. I’m getting married in about a month, and so this subject is really on my mind in a whole new way. How to provide for a family, how to be selfless, how to keep my independence while putting someone else before me. It’s pretty freaking daunting and scary, but I’m pumped to start giving it a try.

In our fast-paced, consumer-centric world, more and more people are looking for reasons to slow down – to actually experience something, instead of indiscriminant consumption. In the realm of music culture, nothing epitomizes that desire more than vinyl – appealing to those who take the time to listen, whether playing a record alone in the still of the evening or letting the turntable warmly exude its sounds over the communal clanking of forks and exuberant laughter.

Vinyl is an appeal to listen – really listen – despite the hectic refrains of our own lives, and its revival is impossible to deny. Turntables now adorn the homes of both the old and young, and vinyl has been emerging as a medium of choice, with sales rising drastically since 2006.

There are several reasons for its resurgence, and they are on the forefront of Jay Millar’s mind, the Director of Marketing for United Record Pressing, which is the largest record pressing plant in the country. He is daily immersed in the business of vinyl, and views the appeal of it as a change that was inevitable.

“Digital files have reached the peak of convenience,” Jay says, adding, “Those looking for something tangible are going back to vinyl.”

It’s a physical experience, comprised of buying it at the record store, breathing in the sleeve’s smell, appreciating the design of the artwork and gently setting the needle against the record grooves. Buying vinyl signifies a commitment, while the purchase of digital music can be done on a whim, through just a few clicks, often forgotten and untouched within the recesses of a hard drive.

Vinyl also differs sonically from digital, providing a warmer, fuller dimension, and Jay points out that vinyl is an analog medium, explaining, “An analog sound wave is more realistically a true wave, while digital music is essentially dots that are replicating that sound wave. In all fairness, they’re very close together, but there’s always a space; there’s something missing.” In fact, he went on to explain that the technology of vinyl is similar to the makings of our ears, and more closely resembles what the human ear can hear.

While there are many reasons vinyl is so appealing, devotees value the engaging, personable experience that a record provides, with the occasional crackling revealing the unique personality each album hides in it’s grooves. “It’s the warmth of vinyl and the magical sound that can only be created by a needle touching the record,” Jay says. “There’s a lot more interaction. In some ways you grow with it, and it’s like a good pair of jeans. You know why that corner’s dented and it’s scratched a little. You have a real interaction with the medium even if you’re paying attention just to know when you need to flip the record.”

Perusing a record store in Nashville is one of the most quintessential experiences – and city-specific pleasures – of living in Music City. With collections of used records supplied by decades of musicians and music-lovers who have come and gone, knowledgeable staffs and a large enough population of people in town who own and use record players to justify carrying the best new records as well, Nashville’s record stores are among the best in the world.

With vinyl record sales setting a modern-era record for the sixth straight year in 2012 (up to 4.6 million from 900,000 in 2006, according to Nielsen SoundScan), one of the best outgrowths of this vinyl appreciation is Record Store Day, held each year on the third Saturday of April since 2008.

Conceived at a gathering of independent record store owners and employees, Record Store Day is a celebration of the quirky culture surrounding hundreds of record stores nationwide. At participating stores, artists make special appearances, special vinyl releases are made available, and food and other festivities can be expected.

Nashville’s participating stores are the Ernest Tubb Record Shop, Grimey’s, both of The Great Escape’s locations, The Groove and Third Man Records.

“Third Man is in a very unique position as both a record label and a record store,” says Ben Blackwell, who oversees vinyl record production at Jack White’s label. “These two entities are the spark of Record Store Day, and our fans’ voracious appetite is the fuel. At this point, I don’t think we could not do something for Record Store Day, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

The live music at Grimey’s includes Josh Rouse, The Features, Alanna Royale, Hotpipes and disc jockeys.

“This is our 7th Record Store Day event, and it is always our biggest sales-day of the year, each year eclipsing the previous,” namesake Mike Grimes says. “Also, The Basement will be open serving tasty adult beverages for those inclined and Smoke Et Al food truck will be kicking BBQ, in addition to our old pals from Jimmy Carl’s Lunchbox whipping up some special food inspired by their recent trip to Thailand.”

We vividly remember the first time we heard Wild Cub – the Nashville-based band formed in 2012 by Keegan DeWitt and Jeremy Bullock. We had just listened to Alabama Shakes bring down the house at Billy Reid’s annual Shindig, and what followed at the after party was supposed to be just the bonus part of the night. As guests sipped bourbon drinks in the small warehouse lit only with mason-jar candles, a kinetic burst of audible energy erupted from the stage and captured the attention and the esteem of the crowd.

Fast forward to last week’s SXSW where Wild Cub delivered eight electrifying live shows in four days, and it’s clear that the band, and their debut album Youth, have picked up more fans in the past few months.

We caught up with Keegan to talk more about their experience as a new, buzz-worthy band, how they developed their unique sound and what we can expect from them as they continue to become discovered and gather more fans.

How was your first SXSW experience as a band?
SXSW is truly exhausting. It is also a thrilling thing to see your crowds grow, see the reach of your music grow, all within just a few days.

What led to the formation of Wild Cub?
Wild Cub was formed early last year, initially based around our (Jeremy and my) desire to create something less about us and more about stories/tone/moments. We converted his house into a studio and wrote and recorded the entire record in a little over a month. In a very organic way, the producer (Dabney Morris) and the close friends who played on that record became the band.

Give us a look into the creative process making your debut album.
I like to write as early in the day as possible. Wake up, drink coffee, sit surrounded by a ton of books and start to write. If I wait until the afternoon, my brain just gets way too cluttered. I write and record at the same time as much as possible. For me, this is important if you are dealing with anything in the electronic world – to keep it very tactile and very momentum-driven. That’s how it continues to feel loved and homemade rather than just produced on a computer.

What or who inspires you artistically right now?
Strangely enough, a lot of the inspiration is drawn from non-musical sources. A lot of photographers and filmmakers sparked the emotions textured into Youth. Big influencers were definitely Wong Kar Wai, Antonioni, Larry Clark, Claire Denis and others. Film and music share a key piece of storytelling, which is the construct of time. Both art forms have a set length, and all of those artists dig to try and harness the idea of moments in time. They explore, literally and figuratively, what happens when you receive things, when you are waiting for things, when you are withheld things, and so on.

Talk about the variety of sounds on the record.
We deliberately tried to make the record sound as varied and dense as possible. There was a point where I sat and looked at the track listing, and knew it was long and knew that we’d be asking a lot of people with all the different stuff, and we decided to push forward. The hope is that people will dig in and the record will have a true life for people. We think about [our sound] in terms of tones that we want to explore. It’s certainly true that we really enjoy a lot of rhythm-driven 80s and 90s music, but we like to think that our approach makes it feel like you took that music and put it through the pages of a diary.

What’s your take on Nashville’s music culture right now? 
Nashville has certainly become way more indie-centered in the last four years. Early on in my time here, I also noticed that there wasn’t much progressive stuff happening musically. The things that weren’t country were pretty safe non-country. Now there is everything from JEFF The Brotherhood to Pujol to Tristen to Fly Golden Eagle to Caitlin Rose. That’s exciting.

What’s next for you guys?
We are sitting down and finishing writing an upcoming EP. In the meantime, we’ll be releasing Youth on vinyl this spring, playing festivals throughout the spring/summer/fall and returning to the East and West Coasts throughout the summer.

Born 113 miles north of Nashville in Owensboro, Kentucky, Mike Grimes says he was bitten by the music bug when he was just 3 years old. But it wasn’t until August 27, 1975, when he saw KISS live in front of fewer than 2,000 people, that he decided music would be his life.

With his store, Grimey’s New & Preloved Music, and his intimate club underneath, aptly named The Basement, Mike helps make music a bigger part of others’ lives as well.

We caught up with Mike on the occasion of the recent opening of Grimey’s Too just two doors down from the legendary record store. In addition to more of the great vinyl selections that had outgrown the original space, there is a book presence, Howlin’ Books, and a Frothy Monkey coffee shop.

What originally brought you to Nashville?
I moved to Nashville in 1989 to play in a band, Go-Go Surreal. I later found fame and fortune with The Bis-Quits (signed to John Prine’s Oh Boy Records) and Bare Jr.

You’ve said you want to put Nashville on the map in a way that isn’t associated with country music. Why is that important to you?
Up until about 10 years ago, people outside of Nashville have thought of it as a “country music town.” My mission statement is to further the profile of Nashville as the ultimate non-genre specific Music City in the world.

How did Grimey’s come to be?
I quit the band I was in, thinking I would get in another one right away. It didn’t happen, so I took my 17,000-piece music collection and started Grimey’s, the musical Floyd’s Barber Shop of Nashville, which has since turned into the city’s premier independent music retail store, thanks to teaming up with business partner Doyle Davis.

Talk a little bit about the importance of vinyl and how it’s still relevant. 
Basically playing vinyl is a physical act/experience. Humans need a tactile, warm music scenario in their lives. Records provide that. That is why it’s important to all.

For a small venue, The Basement has had some impressive names play there. How did that develop?
My previous club closed, and The Basement was located below the, at the time, newly relocated Grimey’s. We did a few shows there, and I was offered to assume the lease and take it over in 2005. Eight years later, we are still going strong and booking the best in local and upcoming national live acts. We have also had a few under-the-radar shows in the last five years with Metallica, Mumford and Sons, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett – a bunch of fun stuff.

Photo by Mark Tucker