Sean McConnell Releases ‘Live from Basement East’

In the relatively short five years since Basement East opened its doors on Woodland Street, the East Nashville venue has been a home for musicians and music fans alike; a neighborhood haunt capable of introducing a few hundred new friends at a time. New artists look forward to making the jump to Basement East from its smaller capacity sister-venue across the river, the Basement, and seasoned vets fill the room like it’s the biggest house party their community has ever seen—on a nightly basis.

So when Basement East took a massive blow from March 3rd’s early morning EF3 tornado, it became the centerpiece of news coverage and a symbol of devastation for the people of Nashville. One of those people is longtime Nashville resident and music scene mainstay, Sean McConnell.

“It was heartbreaking to see that Basement East was so terribly damaged during the horrible recent Tornados,” says McConnell, who released his new album, Live from Basement East, today. “It’s one of those evenings I will replay over in my head for a long time,” McConnell recalls of the night from which the album was culled. “It was the last show on the Secondhand Smoke tour, so not only were we primed and ready but it had the added emotion of ‘this is it, guys!’”

To McConnell, it seemed fitting to use this release to do some good for the community that surrounds Basement East. “With them in mind and the continued need for aid, the proceeds from this record will go towards helping Nashville rebuild.”

Live from Basement East is available to purchase or stream here. 

Live from Basement East was recorded by Alex Gilson during McConnell’s May 11, 2019, show at Basement East then mixed and mastered by band member Justin Tocket. Joined by Ben Alleman (keys), Eric Guidry (drums), and Tocket (bass), McConnell also shares the stage with Nashville’s own McCrary Sisters for “Shaky Bridges” and Audra May for “Shotgun.” 

Featuring a number of songs from his most recent album, Secondhand Smoke, as well as a sprinkling of tunes from his bountiful career, Live from Basement East gives fans a taste of what it’s like to be at a lively Sean McConnell show, especially in this day of live streams and anticipation of getting back to the life we knew just a month ago—all while perpetuating efforts to rebuild and relieve in the wake of this tragic storm. All proceeds from Live from Basement East will be donated to the Middle Tennessee Relief Fund.

Live from Basement East Tracklisting:

01. Secondhand Smoke

02. I Could Have Been An Angel

03. Shaky Bridges feat. The McCrary Sisters

04. Rest My Head

05. Maybe You Can Love Me Anyway

06. Queen of Saint Mary’s Choir

07. Shotgun feat. Audra Mae

08. Wrong Side of Town

09. I Don’t Want To Know

10. Reckless Love

11. Everything That’s Good

12. Bottom of the Sea

13. The Devil’s Ball