YouTubing Nashville Rock - Today's Hitmakers

Once upon a time, I had the editor of a small national music magazine seriously ask me if we "wore shoes" down in Nashville. Long suffering from a sort of "Hee Haw" complex, many people didn't think that the Music City -- the home of country music -- could spawn any sort of rock music scene. These days, some thirty years after "the other side of Nashville" first showed its face with artists like R. Stevie Moore, the White Animals, Afrikan Dreamland and Jason and the Nashville Scorchers, the "Athens of the South" is a thriving rock & roll metropolis with a talented crop of future hitmakers. Here are the top ten YouTube videos from a slew of today's best Nashville bands:

10. The Pink Spiders "Little Razorblade"
What the boys don't know, the little girls understand...Nashville's favorite pop-punk trio the Pink Spiders have earned their reputation by touring constantly since the 2006 release of Teenage Graffiti, their major label debut. This is the official label video for "Little Razorblade," one of the band's best tunes and a creative interpretation of a rollicking little number that helped put the Pink Spiders on the pop culture map...especially with their predominantly female audience.

9. Be Your Own Pet "Bicycle, Bicycle, You Are My Bicycle"
Another Music City buzz band, the teenage members of Be Your Own Pet weren't out of high school when their ascent to fame began. Signed to Ecstatic Peace, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth's label, the band has made a name for itself both in America and abroad with its unique blend of noisy pop and guitar-driven garage-rock. This video for "Bicycle, Bicycle, You Are My Bicycle" is like a miniature film-noir in black and white...and it rocks, too!

8. Paramore "Emergency"
Nashville's next big thing is Paramore, an indie-rock band signed to Fueled By Ramen and pursuing a sound that is equal parts lush pop and chaotic rock. "Emergency," from the band's album All We Know Is Falling,, is moody, atmospheric and alluring, just like much of Paramore's music, the song driven towards ecstasy by singer Hayley Williams' beautiful vocals.

7. Glossary "Daylight Saving"
Ten-year veterans of the Murfreesboro, Tennessee club scene some thirty minutes southeast of Nashville, Glossary's thoughtful Americana sound and roots-rock vibe is tempered by a noisy independent streak and a willingness to go crazy if the song so requires. This video for "Daylight Saving," from Glossary's 2003 album How We Handle Our Midnight, shows the band's softer acoustic side, sounding like an outtake from Springsteen's Nebraska album, but with a signature that is entirely Glossary's.

6. Feable Weiner "Sally Be"
The best band out of the Music City that hasn't been snatched up by a major label as of yet, Feable Weiner kicks out the jams with a sound that plays as a cross between Weezer and Cheap Trick. This clever, well-made video for "Sally Be" is a fine representation of Feable Weiner's trademark brand of rock, and a heck of a lot of fun to watch as well.

5. The Comfies "Your Sunshine"
Videotaped during a live performance at Grimey's Music, Nashville's only indie music store, "Your Sunshine" shows the Comfies hitting their groove, playing an original blend of discordant pop and cluttered melodic rock. The video's sound quality suffers a bit at the end, but that's part of its charm. "Your Sunshine" comes from the Comfies' recent six-song EP, Close To Me.

4. Kings Of Leon "Molly's Chambers"
Perhaps the best-known of Nashville's new generation bands, the Kings Of Leon have been stars in the United Kingdom for nearly four years, their notoriety partly based on the riff-rock sound of "Molly's Chambers," the band's first hit. This song comes from Youth And Young Manhood, the Kings Of Leon's debut album; the video is a nifty lil' '60s throwback with swirling, trippy visuals and a great rock & roll song.

3. The Features "A Million Ways To Sing The Blues"
Once described as a "head-on collision between Ray Davies and Elvis Costello," the Features are one of Nashville's best straight-ahead, no-frills rock & roll bands. The Features recorded one great album, Exhibit A, for a major label before finding themselves thrown back into the indie-rock pond; Universal's ignorance is the band's gain, however. As shown by the label video for "A Million Ways To Sing The Blues," the Features are a talented band with a bright future ahead of them.

2. Will Hoge "Rock & Roll Star"
Often called "Nashville's own Bruce Springsteen," Will Hoge displays a similar blue-collar lyrical slant as the Boss, but with more of an Americana soundtrack and the heart of a hopeless romantic. This video for "Rock & Roll Star," from Hoge's 2001 album Carousel, is one of dozens posted to YouTube by Hoge's growing legion of fans, providing a mere glimpse into this talented performer's dynamic live show.

1. Bonepony "She's My Religion"
A funky Southern rock groove introduces "She's My Religion," from Bonepony's 2006 album Feelin' It. Long one the Music City's favorite hometown bands, Bonepony's rootsy mix of rock, country, blues and bluegrass is delivered with stomping acoustic fervor and reckless country soul. Making a lot of noise for three guys, Bonepony never fails to deliver for its audience. You can't go wrong by watching any of the band's many YouTube videos.