By Charlotte Fontaine
NASHVILLE, TN — This week I sat down with up-and-coming indie rock band Multi Ultra, winners of Lightning 100’s Music City Mayhem music competition. Their 20-minute live set at 3rd & Lindsley on April 27th determined who would win a plethora of prizes any local musician would salivate at, including 12 weeks of air-play on 100.1FM, recording sessions, an advertising package, gear discounts and more. The show felt more like one of their own and less of a battle against other music acts (let it be known Multi Ultra was voted for over 25,000 times through online and in person votes). With most onlookers bobbing their heads in appreciation and sipping on cold beers at the crowded venue, it was clear Multi Ultra is a band to enjoy in concert.
Singer Derrick Wesley shared, “It’s validating for us as songwriters to pour ourselves into our original art and people show up… and just listen. It’s an incredible feeling. When you can pack the room it feels like your hard work has paid off. People knowing the lyrics means they’ve listened to it more than once.” Having only formed in 2021, Multi Ultra has swiftly made a name for themselves locally, playing what seems like an endless amount of live shows that have both locals and tourists enchanted by their upbeat, feel-good anthemic rock songs. Each time I have had the pleasure of watching them perform, I’ve seen audience members dance and sing not only with the friends they came with, but with total strangers who share the same love of the independent band.
Wanting to continue growing their fan base, and dreaming of playing festivals of all sizes, guitar player Nolan Brown grinned saying what Multi Ultra has already accomplished is “really the dream…Everyone loves validation but when I get the sense that people are truly enjoying it for their own reason, when I get evidence of my music making someone else feel something… a dream come true.” No doubt we will be watching the band continue to impress and take over the indie rock scene not only locally but across the US as they begin having more opportunities to garner new fans.
“You can be anything you want to be at a Multi Ultra show, “Derrick sincerely expressed. “The emotion we want to convey is love and acceptance” he said, which one can sense is at the core of the relationship between the four band members, Chrystian Kaplan on drums and Chris Bevacqua on bass, respectively. As a new fan of theirs myself I can’t wait to see how winning this competition pushes Multi Ultra forward into the mainstream music scene, where they belong. You can listen to their music on all platforms, and follow them @MultiUltra on social media.
