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Interview with Ryan Horne

In preparation for his upcoming show THIS FRIDAY, June 6th, we got the chance to ask Ryan Horne some hard-hitting questions, including where his inspiration comes from, and what it's like hearing your songs on hit TV shows like Sons of Anarchy. Keep reading for the full interview, and don't miss his show!

Eddie's Attic: You’ve had a lot of your songs placed on TV shows, including on MTV. Do you watch the episodes your songs appear on? What’s that like? 

Ryan Horne: It is always fun to hear something you wrote on a television show or what not, so most of the time I do watch the episodes. With my placement on FX's Son's of Anarchy, it was a blast to watch because the show is pretty badass in it of itself. Also, it didn't hurt that it was on the season finale. The song that got pick of for WB's Hart of Dixie was good too but I cannot say that I am a huge fan of that show (no offense to anyone who is). I do not think hearing your songs played out will ever get old.  

EA: You’ve written 7 albums over the past 10 years. Where does your inspiration come from?

RH: Inspiration comes from anywhere and everywhere. Not to sound so vague, but I could be sitting on the toilet and start hearing a song in my head. I have started writing songs in my dreams, which is always fun. I wake up, remember the melody and the chords and the idea, and run with it. Makes my job so easy, you can literally do it in your sleep, ha.

EA: How do you feel like your music has evolved over the past decade?

RH: Well, I believe and hope it will always be growing and pushing the creative threshold and I thrive to create something better then the last output. I feel with each record that I have recorded, the listener can hear the growth that comes with the time spent between the making of each. I am pretty OCD, so I have to make things better and better.

EA: What’s your creative process like? Do you usually write the lyrics or the melody first?

RH: It is ever-changing. Sometimes lyrics first, sometimes melody first, sometimes I will just have a nice fun little hook to wrap the song around. No real process, just hear things in my head at all times and I run with whatever is floating around up there. 

EA: If you couldn’t be a musician, what would you be?

RH: Well I went to school and graduated with a degree in Music Production/engineering from Middle Tennessee State University, so, if I wasn't writing and making records as an artist, I would be behind the scenes engineering,  mixing, mastering records for other people I believe in. If not that, I would like to interrogate criminals because I watch tons of shows on the ID channel. Ha.

EA: Who are some of your favorite artists to collaborate with?

RH: There are too many writers and artists to list in this category that I enjoy writing and being creative with. If I see talent in someone, I enjoy their company and their creative output. It pushes me to be a better artist.

EA: What’s your favorite aspect of live performances?

RH: The way that music can make someone feel. The reaction to a song, a word, a melody that is shared during the performance or after. 

EA: What’s the one takeaway you want people to get from your music?

RH: I hope they can hear the hard work that is put into making music. It takes more than just one person to make something creative. It is a group of people that come together to form something beautiful. 

Don't forget to get your tickets to see Ryan with special guests, Paul warner and Cam! Tickets can be purchased here.

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Interview with Hope For Agoldensummer

We got a chance to interview Hope For Agoldensummer, a folk/indie band who will be gracing the Attic stage next Sunday. Read on to find out if this sister band ever has sibling rivalry, what they do as a day job, and more!

Eddie's Attic: What’s it like working with your sister? Is there ever any sort of sibling rivalry?

Hope For Agoldensummer: Now it rules.  We are allies and soulmates. But, it ain't always been like that.  Page & I were often at odds when we were younger.  As kids, our room was the attic.  We fought a lot.  In moments of peace, we dressed our cat, dug holes in the yard, and composed jingles for our favorite foods.

EA: Where does the name “Hope for Agoldensummer” come from?

HFGS: It is mainly cynical.  The summer of 2000 was particularly godawful for me.  My pal & fellow musician, Henry Hibbert, offered to record a 3-song demo of the gut-wrenching, depressing songs I was writing. It was called The Golden Summer Demonstration.  When I started HFags in 2002, I needed a band name and still liked those words, so they morphed into Hope For Agoldensummer.  I was hoping that this band would make us all feel better.

EA: What was the inspiration for your newest album, Life Inside the Body?

HFGS: Sex and babies.  I am a doula (childbirth attendant), so I see a lot of births and pregnant ladies, so I had all that on my brain.  Plus, Page was getting biological urges to procreate, so she also had it on the brain.  Ah, being a woman your 30's is even weirder than the 20's.  I expect hormones will only continue to make things more & more strange.  Here's a link to my other life:  www.twobeebirthservices.com

EA: You’ve used a lot of unconventional instruments in your music. What’s your favorite object to use as an instrument?

HFGS: My favorite object to use, aside from vocal harmonies, is pedal steel.  I don't personally play one, but we hired Matt Stoesel to play on our 2nd album, Ariadne Thread, and I was SO excited to finally have pedal steel on one of my tunes.

EA: What do you like best about travelling?

HFGS: New sights, people, & food.  And, I know this sounds strange, but there is a bit of stabilty in the unpredictability of the road.  Sometimes you might make out with a dude in a photo booth.  Or share the stage with Des Ark. Or get hives from the bedsheets in a cheap hotel.  Or visit the stalagtite organ deep in a cave in VA.

EA: Who are your influences?

HFGS: Currenly, I am heavily influenced by 88.1 EZFM, our hometown easy listening radio station.  They play a lot of old timey stuff, the old crooners and balladeers.  I am definitely not their target demographic, but their entire catalogue of music really appeals to me.  In fact, I have learned two of the songs they have in heavy rotation right now: "Tennessee Waltz" by Redd Stewart & "Dream (When You're Feeling Blue)" by Johnny Mercer.

Make sure to get your tickets to see Hope For Agoldensummer with special guest, Book Club live on Sunday, June 15th. Tickets are available here.

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Interview with Joshua Fletcher

We sat down with Atlanta native Joshua Fletcher to ask him a few questions about his inspirations, his music, silly quotes on his website, and more! Check out the complete interview below and don't forget to grab your tickets for his show with Tyler Lyle on June 3rd!

Eddie's Attic: If you were given the opportunity to work with any artist in the business, who would you choose and why?  

Joshua Fletcher: I've had the opportunity to work with some of my favorite artists (Butch Walker, Alex Dezen/the Damnwells, Gasoline Heart, Tyler Lyle) and there are still tons of artists I'd love to get the chance to work with, but if I had to choose one it'd be Ryan Adams.  At this point that's kind of the cliche answer, but hearing "Heartbreaker" for the first time literally changed the way I approached songwriting, and set me on the course that I've been on for the last ten years or so.  So I guess for me that's sort of the top of the mountain.

EA: What exactly is a “destroyer of worlds”?

JF: A question I thought I'd never have to answer, mostly.  There's a guy named Brad Neely who makes these hilarious, off the wall animations that are worth watching if your sense of humor is like mine, which is to say a little off-kilter.  One of his projects was to overdub the entire first Harry Potter movie and put it on YouTube.  Somehow one of my friends found it and sent it to me - and in one of the scenes, Harry says "I am a beautiful animal, I am a destroyer of worlds..."  and I thought it was funny, so I put it in my bio because I figured no one ever read those things anyway, and it made me laugh.

EA: How do you see yourself growing as an artist, and how do you hope to grow in the future?

JF: I think right now I'm moving away from writing exclusively these over-dramatic heartbreaky songs.  I still love those songs, and I think there's probably enough heartbreak in every day life to stay connected to that feeling, but it's hard to write a convincing heartbreak song when you're as happy as I am.  I also think I've learned, and continue to learn, that the real struggle that folks deal with is not so often external, so I'm turning my focus inward.  I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm learning to write in every situation, whereas previously I only wrote when I was upset.  In the future I hope to do more of the same, and I'd love to try my hand at fiction writing, as well as get back into creating visual art on a regular basis.

EA: Which artists have inspired you the most?

JF: I've always been inspired by Ryan Adams' work, as well as the work of Alex Dezen and the Damnwells.  There are so many artists that inspire me to try and create something worthy of creating.  My good friend Tyler Lyle, who is also playing this show [at Eddie's Attic on June 3rd], is one of those folks.  His approach to creating songs is one that I've admired for a long time, and the success he's enjoying is well deserved, and well earned.  I also am feeling constantly inspired these days by the newest Jason Isbell record, which is pretty close to a masterpiece in my opinion.

EA: What’s your favorite show you’ve ever performed?

JF: I've been lucky to be a part of some really incredible shows.  My favorite was probably opening for Butch Walker at a sold-out Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, but there have been so many moments that I'm incredibly grateful for.  Opening for the reunited Damnwells in Brooklyn was a great moment, and the sold out Eddie's Attic show that Tyler and I did a few years ago will forever be one of my most memorable times on stage.

EA: What do you miss most about Atlanta?

JF: I miss basically everything about Atlanta.  That's home.  My friends are there, my family is there, I know all the roads, I know exactly where I can get a burrito at 1am, the folks at Octane know my name and never cared when I was there for way too long.  I miss Braves games, and I'll miss Georgia Tech games when the season comes around.  It was time to go, and I'm glad I made the move when I did, but it'll be real good to be home.

EA: What’s your favorite part about being in Nashville?

JF: The community here is great.  There is so much talent, and so many folks that just love music.  It's a pretty small town, but it's growing really quickly, and there's such a cool vibe about this place that it's hard not to step your game up and keep creating.  I love that about it, and I love how supportive everyone is of each other's art.  It's a great place to be right now, for sure.

Don't miss Joshua Fletcher live with Tyler Lyle on June 3rd! Tickets available here.

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We had a blast with Lucy Wainwright Roche and Suzzy Roche last night! Here's a picture of Lucy inviting some fans to join her on stage!

Shouts out to Gina Breedlove for opening the show. Photo credit to our awesome door guy, Chris Moon.

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Last week's Open Mic winners, Lowland Hum!

Come out tonight for another night of great live music, and be sure to check out Lowland Hum again at the Open Mic Shoot out on June 7th!

Tickets & Info

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Photos from Saturday night's performance with Rebecca Loebe & special guest Robby Hecht, courtesy of Lens Itself photography

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Rebecca Loebe performed beautifully on Saturday in front of a packed room! (If you're thinking she looks familiar, it's probably because you've seen her on NBC's The Voice!)

Special thanks for Lens Itself Photography for these and other awesome photos.

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It was so great to have Joe Pug back at the Attic for his second time, this time for a SOLD OUT show! The crowd was captivated by his soulful, poetic music and enchanting performance.

Special thanks so Brandon Mishawn for the amazing photos!

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David Ramirez opening up a spectacular, sold out show last night with Joe Pug! Photos courtesy of Brandon Mishawn

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Who's ready for Robbie Fulks with special guest, Dean Fields TONIGHT?!

Music critic Ken Tucker on alternative country artist Robbie Fulks' new album ” Gone Away Backward:”

With Gone Away Backward, Fulks has made an album that feints in the direction of nostalgia while grappling very much with the here and now. Even for a singer-songwriter known for his clever twists and turns, it’s a considerable achievement. “Where I Fell” finds a softly beautiful melody encasing a lyric about an economically depressed area that’s left the narrator hopeless, jobless and, perhaps soon, homeless. He feels trapped, and trapped and bitter is a mood at which Fulks excels; it exhilarates him.

photo via fater

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We're happy to announce Carrie Newcomer will be returning to the Attic on Saturday, February 22nd!

Carrie's spiritual and introspective music has been critically acclaimed, with Billboard calling her “a soaring songstress,” and Rolling Stone insisting she “asks all the right questions.”

 “We all know when a song is candy-coating things or just going for shock value,” says Newcomer. “But when a song places its finger on the open palm of something true, it shakes the world just a little bit. Part of my work as a writer is to put into language and music moments of wonder that have no words.”

Carrie is currently on tour in support of her latest album, Kindred Spirits: A Collection, which is being hailed as “both sacred and ordinary, reflective and forward thinking.” 

Get your tickets for Carrie's performance here, or by calling 404-377-4976.

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Check out our photos from Wednesday night's show with Jacob and the Good People! We loved Jacob's catchy music and energetic performance. One fan remarked his sound had "a little bit of a Macklemore feel," and couldn't wait to see him again.

Thanks to Dave Roland and Neil Cribbs for opening such a fun show. Photos courtesy of our awesome door guy, Chris Moon

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Photo Credit: Chris Lewis (via Eddie’s Attic FB page)

Another very special throwback to the annual holiday show with Kristian Bush! Always an attic favorite :)

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Throwback to our 39th Bi-Annual Songwriter's Open Mic Shootout, where singer-songwriter Tyler Childers took home the grand prize!

Tickets are on sale now for our 40th Shootout in June! It might seem far away, but the November Shootout sold out fast, so don't miss out on these tickets! 

Tickets & Info

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Check out this clip from Zara Sky's SOLD OUT show last night! We were so glad to welcome Zara back to the Attic for this incredible show.

Special thanks to Caitlin Bell and the DuPont Brothers for giving great performances, too!

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Chinua Hawk has been in the music industry for nearly two decades. He’s performed at venues like Madison Square Garden, recorded with Talib Kweli and Kanye West, and even won the Performer of the Year award from the APCA—yet despite these huge accomplishments, he’s still known for his intimate performances and his desire to connect with each of his fans.

We were so glad to have Chinua back at Eddie’s Attic on Saturday. He performed everything from jazz, soul, pop, R&B, to even hip-hop, and the crowd loved every minute of it!