ReLapse, a band that includes two Lipscomb alumni will perform with Jordan Baron, a former Bisons pitcher, at Mercy Lounge Dec. 14 at 9 p.m.
Andrew Glass, the band’s front man and one of its founders, says the group hopes to see a large Lipscomb crowd at the concert.
“I really loved going to Lispcomb,” Glass said, “and I think Landon really loved going to Lipscomb and I know Jordan loved going to Lipscomb. We would really love to see a lot of Lipscomb people come out. I really just want to engage that Lipscomb network because it means so much to where I’ve come from and probably where I’ll go in the future. It’s a part of me.”
ReLapse has been doing various gigs in Nashville for almost a year, and most recently played at Lipscomb’s annual dodge ball tournament in November.
“The Lipscomb crowd is one of the most fun crowds we’ve played for,” Glass said. “They’re just a really fun group of people to play for.”
Baron has been touring on the West Coast with the stage name Harrison B., and the Mercy Lounge performance will be his homecoming show.
“He’s really had success out there,” Glass said, explaining Baron’s popularity in the North West. “It’s really cool to see what he’s doing.”
Glass, a 2009 Lipscomb graduate, started the band with Landon Rives, a 2010 graduate. The two lived together in High Rise with Barron when they were sophomores.
The two began jamming together during their free time and realized they had a good sound. Now, Glass and Rives co-write all of the band’s songs.
“We would just play music all the time,” Glass said. “Jamming together at night, we would make up these little grooves, riffs or melodies. I would start making up lyrics to them. I just started thinking. Wow, we’re writing some good stuff … we need to be out here showing people our music.”
Glass and Rives began looking for more people to add to the band. They brought in some of their talented friends and eventually used the Internet to aid in their search.
“I didn’t know anybody who played horns,” Glass said, “but we knew we really wanted a horn section. I actually put out an ad on Craiglist.”
The band is now an 8-piece group with Glass and Rives as steady members and various musicians rotating in and out as they have availability.
“The funk and soul circle is really small,” Glass said, describing the music community he discovered in Nashville. “Once we started playing shows with them, it was really crazy how much I found out. It’s so supportive and interconnected. We just help each other out. We made that our family of bands that we hang out with.”
Glass described the group’s sound as “very funky, a lot of soul, with a natural groove and dance feel to it.” The band’s influences include Mamiroquai, “a funk-acid-jazz pioneer” and Mo-Town-esque musicians like Al Green and Teddy Pendergrass. The band is well versed in a broad range of music including Stevie Wonder, the Jackson 5, KC and the Sunshine Band, The Temptions, Frank Sinatra and Fred Astaire.
Band members include: Andrew Glass, Landon Rives, Evan McKee, Phil Turner, Jeremy Quarles, Justin Kenney, Jovan Qualio and Jesse Tomes.
Glass said regardless of whether students attend the band’s show at Mercy Lounge, he thinks it is important for them to experience the Nashville music scene while they have a chance.
“Whether it be our show or any show really, I think students at Lipscomb should get out and experience this music culture in Nashville,” Glass said, “because if you move away from Nashville after college, you might never have that opportunity again. It’s just a cool culture to explore if you give it some time.”
To learn more about ReLapse and Jordan Baron, check out the following sites: