Live In The Library

Aura Child is the psychedelic bass and electronic project of Jordan Gwarjanski, now based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Jordan got his start in music by playing guitar in punk and hardcore bands in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. After years of playing in the scene, though, punk and hardcore riffs lost their luster for Jordan, and so he decided to try his hand at an entirely different genre of music: electronic. With some coaching from friends and a lot of online research, Jordan slowly learned how to build an electronic track and be a live DJ. Now, a few EPs later, Jordan as Aura Child is playing festivals and regular gigs in the Chattanooga electronic scene. His set for us at the downtown public library was so fun and funky that we all struggled to stay in our seats. Check out his latest work “Star Burst” and add Aura Child to the list of local electronic DJs you just can’t miss.

From the studio in the Chattanooga Public Library, this is a session featuring Abe Partridge who is both a visual artist and a singer and songwriter.

In a profile in The Bitter Southerner, Tony Paris wrote “Partridge writes to make you sit up and think. He wants to jar your reality. Sometimes, his lyrics are sly and subtle. Sometimes they come at you with a roar and thunder, as if the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse were approaching, and the heavens were opening up to herald a warning."

Together with his co-producer Ferrill Gibbs, Abe Partridge also makes the Alabama Astronaut, a podcast in which he and Gibbs explore songs previously undocumented at churches in Appalachia. Partridge also chats with Holiness preachers and looks into the practice of snake handling. It was in the Top 10 documentary podcasts on Apple Podcasts within days of its release and now has over 50k downloads and a 4.9-star rating.

From the studio in the Chattanooga Public Library, this is Abe Partridge.

For this session recorded in the studio in the public library, we are delighted to feature two gifted veteran musicians, guitarist Denny Jiosa and percussionist Michael Moryc, from Nashville together with Michael Salter from Chattanooga playing drums. Together they are The Ambient Monkeys. The objective of these sessions is always to capture a live performance with all its in-the-moment energy, but only occasionally do we have musicians making music in the moment never to be repeated. That happened with this session from Ambient Monkeys thanks to the consummate skill of the three musicians along with the engineering and mixing by Sam Mentzer.

Symatree is a four-piece band from Cleveland, Tennessee that plays an electrifying fusion of rock, funk, and jazz…all with psychedelic improvisation at its core. All four members of the band are extremely talented musicians. The rhythm section is tight and reliable, communicating effortlessly even amidst the drummer’s penchant for performing with his eyes closed. The keys and lead guitar dance creatively in the melodic space of each song. Occasionally, when improvisation goes off the rails, the entire band takes the ride together as they work their way back to the main structure of the song. The set they performed for us at the downtown library was absolutely seamless, as each song melted into the next with sonic perfection. Even though we were indoors, behind glass, and devoid of a crowd, the band still put on a rockin’ show complete with matching red jumpsuits – their, now traditional, winter ensemble. In the summertime, you can expect to see Symatree rocking their breezy 2-piece set with the iconic 90’s blue and purple “jazz” theme. With all their high energy and improvisational jams, each and every performance from Symatree is a unique journey, ensuring that they are a live band you don’t want to miss.

From the studio on the second floor of the Chattanooga Public Library, this is a session featuring a band fronted by Corbin and Caroline Fawley. According to their bio, Corbin and Caroline “believe in country music beyond nostalgia, writing about the things they see in the present tense. Their shows are intimate and intense, emphasizing lyrics that could be read as blue-collar poetry and the relationship between two voices.” When they first began performing it was just the two of them. They’ve since expanded to a band and for this session, they added another member bringing them ever closer to the sound Corbin hears in his head.

From the studio in the Chattanooga Public Library, we have a session—a master class, really—with Jimmy Galloway and his harp guitar. Bruce Kaplan, writing about Jimmy Galloway, called him “the best guitarist in Chattanooga that most people don't know about.”

From the studio in the Chattanooga Public Library, this is a session from Gig City Swing featuring Spencer West playing drums, Dakari Kelly on bass, Zach Simoni and Christian Oliveri playing guitars, and Sarah Oliveri on flute.

This session features Brownie Lee Hamilton, first solo and then with his band. For the solo session, the irrepressible Brownie walked into the studio, sat down at the piano, introduced himself, and launched straight into a rousing take on a familiar song that could have been written for him. After a few songs by himself, Brownie joins the band and the energy level rises. By the end of the session, the band is wailing.

From the studio in the library downtown, we have a session featuring singer and songwriter Rachel McIntyre Smith who’s been a guest at least once before, but for this session, she brought a couple of friends—Emerald Butler playing fiddle and Amber Fults singing a seamless harmony. Rachel grew up in Cleveland and many of her songs are about her friends and family when she was growing up and in high school. Her first ep was called Glory Daze—as in feeling dazed—and like her first single “The Woulds” as in I would—her songs are filled with clever wordplay and insights from a distance. She’ll be releasing an ep of new songs this Summer. Details are on Facebook and Instagram.

From the studio in the downtown Chattanooga Public Library, this session features a band of gifted songwriters called Pan-O-Ram Club.

All four members of the band—singer, pianist Kathy Veazey, singer and guitarist John Rawlston, bassist and producer Dan Myers, and singer and percussionist Kathy Webb Myers-- are songwriters. While they do include a range of covers in their sets, for this session they played mostly songs they’ve written.