Last night, or is it today? It is difficult to tell anything. The party still continues from the show at the Mercy Lounge on Thursday. It ain’t a party without smoke talkers on the back porch taking in the view of Gotham Nashville. The landscape is soon to be a giant parking lot once the convention center is built. The city is already a cement sea. We go inside the venue and immediately the music of Thief is engulfing. The song "Cadillacs" has just begun. Like most songs, the melody is classic, and the guitar-laden riffs blanket a heartbeat-style drum section and walking base. The song about ideals lost on the back roads of Tennessee is impossible not to dance to. For a band with a guitar-centric energy, Thief's melodies are rhythmic and explosive. Thief was once known for 12-minute songs that played out like classical movements rather than short, to-the-point songs, but Thief remains drenched in the same reverence for creating complex musical landscapes textured in walking base lines, pounding drum beats that never get off beat, reminiscent of John Bonham and a guitar that transcends all genres, from Spanish classical to blues and jazz. Lead singer, Matt Tubandt, has become a frontman to reckon with in Nashville. "I have never seen a more entertaining performer on stage," says an audience member. Tubandt brings a fearless altruism, draining his energy out on every song so that the crowd can live vicariously through his onstage turmoil and reluctance to give anything less than his best.
 

Like all Thief shows, and I have been to a couple, the band bled their musical energy dry. It was a symphony of raw Nashville talent, and rehearsed elegance as a band coming together toward the creation of something unique. Thief cannot be compared to the local garage scene in Nashville. While the band would love to play with bands in that scene, they are happy creating their own niche. For bands like Thief, who do not fit into any mold that Nashville has readymade, gaining a fan is the same as gaining a friend. It happens one person at a time. The band invites anyone interested in hanging out after the show to come over to one of the guys’ houses to continue the night’s festivities. Because, like true rockers, to the guys of Thief, each show is a night-long spectacle. The guys will be playing at The 5 Spot on Feb 9 along with the Joy of Painting, Mom and Dad and the Mike Coleman Quartet. Expect a romping good time in East Nashville. The bar will be packed and the stage will be set ablaze with a night of live music and dancing. Come to the show. If you plan on filming the show or taking pictures, let the guys of Thief know, and they will get you in for free. See you there. – Dh Wright