Lawrence and Joe Hertler bring the heat to a new Nashville venue!

By Ryan G

Full disclosure: I work for the company that property manages the True Music Room and Bar in Nashville. Nonetheless, I feel compelled to write about this show. My company didn’t tell me to do this.

I’m definitely biased, but True Music Room is becoming one of my favorite places to hang out in Nashville! The room merges touristy-class with a touch of local flavor. I was really excited to see what psych-funk rockers Joe Hertler and the Rainbow Seekers and sibling led soul pop collective Lawrence would bring to the table.

Joe Hertler filled up the stage with color that translated both visually and aurally. The backing band’s moniker “Rainbow Seekers” isn’t merely something they pulled out of the air. They take it literally. The band takes care to don garb of all the colors of the rainbow, presenting an aesthetic that lands somewhere between 60s hippie and, well, modern hippie. This isn’t to say they weren’t approachable by us common folk, though. The band’s whimsical brand of funk rock translated well to the crowd and they expressed their appreciation at being given a chance to hit the road with a band that fell outside of the jam band scene. Also, color props were frequently made use of onstage, for no other reason than to be quirky and fun.

Lawrence is a band I hadn’t heard of prior to them being booked at True, but seeing them live made it easy to understand why they’re quickly gaining buzz and selling out venues. Like Joe Hertler, they packed out the stage. 8 people! They present a down to earth, neighborly image. Not too clean cut, not too hipster. Just fun and approachable soul pop. As someone who lives in Columbus, I kept thinking of how well they’d fit on a bill with Doc Robinson or Jared Mahone. I wasn’t familiar with the music ahead of time, but they certainly brought the heat and knew how to engage the crowd on a level that I hadn’t seen in the genre before. With the amount of jumping that occurred, one would have thought that you were at a pop punk show. The next step is a mosh pit at a soul pop show. Can we make that happen?!

Also, shout out (again, I already mentioned this on social media) to Lawrence for their impeccable choice of covers. A soul pop funk cover of Sean Paul’s “Get Busy” was super fun. And, they threw it back to 90s Nickelodeon with the Hey Arnold! theme song, with their horn section absolutely nailed. Grace Lawrence’s impression of Helga calling out to Arnold was also spot. I should mention that she didn’t shy away from showing off her singing ability, with complemented the old vibes of her brother, Clyde, very well.

A promising show in a promising room. That about sums up my thoughts on the night.

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