Edgehill is stoked for what's to come
The Nashville-based indie rock band anticipates a year of vulnerable songwriting, more live shows, and an exciting EP.
Sandwiched between sets by young Nashville musicians Michael Alan Scott and Palmertrees, Edgehill Band delivered a standout performance at The Underdog in East Nashville on Tuesday, August 16. Every song was a crowd-pleaser, from covers by Harry Styles and Backseat Lovers to their originals, like “Shooting Glances” and their latest release, “Jonny’s Friend.” Their music felt at home in this dark, neon-sign-lit, classic American bar, between the slower, swaying songs and the more energetic, jumping-up-and-down ones. Performing underneath the “Edgehill” marquee, with an upside down exclamation mark standing in for the “i,” they played into both the energy of the heavily college-aged crowd and that of their fellow bandmates, with frontman Chris Kelly leaning, microphone in hand, into the close-up audience and turning to face guitarist Jake Zimmerman for some very rock-n-roll, guitar battle moments. Passionate drumming from Jonny Wilson and Andrei Olaru’s skillful work on the bass rounded out the band’s sound and literally rocked the bar, sending vibrations through the floor and barstools.
“Undoubtedly The Music Room brought us together,” says Chris, explaining that the four band members connected during weekly jam sessions on Vanderbilt’s Peabody Lawn. Having only formed as a band within the last year, Edgehill has found themselves on an exciting upward trajectory, from playing historic Nashville venues like EXIT/IN to recording new music in preparation for the release of their first full-length album. I had the opportunity to chat with band members Chris Kelly and Jake Zimmerman around Music Room founder and Edgehill manager Christiana Gatbunton’s dining room table. We talked about the show, their image as a band, and what we can expect in the future while Chris ate a bagel and Jake was on lunch break between work-related Zoom calls.
The band’s vision and sound have evolved, and continue to evolve, as they’ve grown as individuals and as a group. Jake believes he and Chris have “both gotten a lot more honest as songwriters…. [and], lyrically, [they’ve] both evolved a lot too.” For Jake and Chris, becoming closer friends has enabled them to reflect the vulnerability they can have with one another in their songwriting. “We’re totally putting ourselves out there, and that’s something I haven’t done much in my songwriting before,” says Chris.
Still, the band’s upcoming few months won’t be without a few challenges. Chris, Jonny, and Andrei are starting back school at Vanderbilt, and Jake, who graduated from Vanderbilt in the spring, has a full-time job in DC. While school, work, and physical distance have the potential to make things difficult, Edgehill is more determined than ever. “I’m so stoked about the new songs,” says Chris, who is excited for the “potential for cool live shows this year…. [and] maybe even opening for someone more established.” Jake is hopeful that this new phase will “[come] with as many opportunities as it does challenges,” partly because he’s “the most creative when [he’s] not focusing on music 100%.” The limitations on the time he’ll have with the band when in Nashville will motivate him to make the most of it.
All of their opportunities to play live shows have provided a great jumping-off point for Edgehill as they build experience and a fanbase before, hopefully, taking their music beyond Nashville to perform in other college towns across the south. But for now, they are focused on getting in the studio to record for their EP which they plan to release at the beginning of next year. They can’t wait to show everyone what they’ve been working on, and I think we can expect exciting things. “The upcoming stuff that we’ve been writing, I think is miles better than anything we’ve released or recorded so far,” says Jake.