Can’t Miss: Ty Segall & Mikal Cronin make “weird” sounds with Heavy Cream, D. Watusi and Slammers at Exit/In tomorrow

by Dave Sharp on Sep 20^th, 2011

Weird is a word tossed around a lot in word bubbles regarding Ty Segall and Mikal Cronin.  Their singular boat make sense because they’re long-time cronies and collaborators.  The word “weird” though, is so subjective, but it came up even in my conversation with Ty himself.  “It’s going get a little weird,” he said about his show with Mikal and hometown three-piece Heavy Cream at Exit/In on Wednesday.

At this point, you and everyone else have no choice but to take the man’s word for it and, if you’ve caught Ty any time he’s been through town (especially when he played with JEFF the Brotherhood at the End last year) you know the show will be, again in Ty’s words, “Way fun.”

The opening slew of locals reads like a virtual guest list to the underground Nashville rock hall of fame: Slammers (featuring Cy Barkley), D. Watusi (featuring Dylan Watson and Ben Todd) and Heavy Cream (all-stars on the Inifinity Cat label and ambassadors of Nashville’s awesomeness across the nation).

Ty and Mikal’s long-running musical partnership culminated in the 7-inch Pop Song and a 2009 LP Reverse Shark Attack and it makes this tour something extraordinary for the musicians. “We’ve known each other for so long we don’t even think about it [on stage]. If you’re thinking about it too much, something’s wrong. Mikal is one those people for me; we never think about it. It rules,” said Ty.

If anything, this show will be a full representation of the contra-country movement that’s sweeping through middle Tennessee.  It starts at Infinity Cat with Heavy Cream and trickles down to D. Watusi and Slammers; artists creating truly unique rock with respect for their hometown roots.  Although, he formed his musical career in San Francisco, Calif., Ty understands the importance of Music City’s roots.

“Listening to country music has been a hue influence,” he said. “But I’ve never been able to write those songs. Too many people assume country music means Garth Brooks or new country.  That’s so not true.  Sun Studios, Johnny Cash, Townes Van Zandt…that’s all country to me.

“Blues mixed with country made rock music. I’m not talking about Maroon 5, I’m talking about MC5.”

Ty has a 3-song 7-inch coming out in just over a week on Drag City and a slew of releases between now and early 2012 including a few more mellow tracks on a 7-inch that didn’t make the cut for Goodbye Bread, a compilation of singles, a collaboration with Tim Presley of White Fence, and a LP on Drag City due out early 2012.

Catch Ty Segall & Mikal Cronin playing with Heavy Cream, D. Watusi and Slammers at Exit/In Wednesday, May 21 at 8pm.

A sampling of tomorrow’s sounds: