Sol Cat

There is no such thing as a landlocked island, except the one where Sol Cat seems to live. It’s like a place where the mind isn’t fully aware of its surroundings, and confusion welcomes the creativity it inspires. Sol Cat’s eponymous self-released de-but album doesn’t necessarily transport you to South Florida from Nashville, TN, but that is an appropriate enough concept. If Music City defines firm lines between genres, Sol Cat’s album champions redistricting, creating challenging new sounds in this arena of the traditional.

Think of a midnight drive somewhere warm, certainly the top is down, and yes, a beauty is in the passenger seat. The six-piece band suggests you can take this foggy, dreamlike scenario with you wherever you go. However, Sol Cat finds its own contentment and happiness in the valleys of Middle TN, grateful for the opportunity to tap into the mystical and spiritual musical foundation on which the land is built. The Athens of the South has an appeal any artist can feel — an enticing, drawing temptation.

Before relocating, Sol Cat’s members spent their time across the country, Miami to Los Angeles, New York City to The Gulf of Mexico. Musical influences span just as wide, yet an eclec-tic and oceanic resonance remains prevalent in their sound. Smooth grooves along the lines of George McCrae mix with semi-psych synth layers, while the likes of The Talking Heads and Laid Back inspire bouncy bass and slick guitar riffs.

With such a range of cultural and artistic influence, the creative process is equally interesting. Vocalist and writer Brett Hammann steers the musical direction of the band while guitarist Johny Fisher leads the group into new and uncharted territory. Drummer Ryan Usher provides the rhythmic backbone for bassist Aaron Martin, who also acts as Sol Cat’s Art Director. Lead guitarist Jaan Cohan brings catchy licks and skills to melt any face, leaving keyboardist and studio engineer Jeremy Clark to play intuitively as the music essentially produces itself. The group is now prepared and eager for the road, with its groundwork set for the message to spread. The Sol Cat sound is not as unfamiliar as it is forgotten; and those feelings and emotions poured into music past are ready to gracefully wash over a new generation. And for that, we salute you! 

Check out this video from their debut album!

Paper Airplanes

In a generation that is engulfed by technology, many entrepreneurs are allowed the opportunity to distribute their ideas through the wonderful world of the Internet. Although much of The Yacht Club Company production is done in-house, from our living room, we depend solely on online market places for the exponential growth of our brand through online retail and distribution. We are constantly inspired by some of the work we find on sites like Esty, Storenvy, and Big Cartel. These sites allow creative business owners the opportunity to distribute music, art, and fashion at little or no cost. We had the opportunity to see this growth first hand through our dear friend and visual artist, Natalie Rose.

Natalie Rose moved to Nashville, TN from San Francisco, CA about 3 years ago. She has been painting since as long as she can remember. Through her own personal and professional network, Natalie was able to sell several of her psychedelic pieces, but she recently decided that Etsy was such a great way to share what she love doing to an online community of over 15 million buyers and business owners.

She just launched her new series titled "Paper Airplanes," and we can’t tell you how excited we were to see the collection after much anticipation! This series is all about stirring that inner youthfulness and innocence in each of us. There is typically only one solid time in each of our lives where we truly believe we can do or be anything. We believe the best in people, and we believe we deserve the best. Fear is not something that we know yet. Failure is not something that has a hold on our soul yet. Life is full of wonder and possibility.

“Often times as we age, we forget about the simplicity of life and clutter our world with work, money, everyday problems, and it becomes so overwhelming that the innocence inside of us fades and we find ourselves walking the streets with a scowl on our face and a bitter taste in our mouth. Suddenly, something sparks our memory and we are left with a question of "what happened"?”

Natalie Rose has been such an inspiration to us by creating art that is colorful and whimsical. Each piece in the “Paper Airplanes” series serves as a constant reminder of some sort of child-like feeling. And for that, we salute you!

Hummus Chick

December is upon us and the end of the year is near. If the ancient Mayans are wrong and the world does not end on December 21, 2012 A.D., then you should expect to celebrate a new year. When listing your Top New Year’s Resolutions, we encourage you to formulate a plan to make the best of your todays be the worst of your tomorrows. If your New Year’s resolution is to eat healthier, you’re in luck. We know a friend that produces a healthy snack that is high in fiber, high in protein, and low in cholesterol. In the heart of Nashville, Hummus Chick blends hummus with love.

“Living is the art of loving.

Loving is the art of caring

Caring is the art of sharing

Sharing is the art of living.

If you want to lift yourself up,

lift up someone else.”

-Booker T. Washington

Hummus Chick is the creative venture founded by Javaneh Hemmat. Java is a true believer that food made with love tastes better when it’s shared with others. Java has found that her passion is truly in cooking for her friends and exploring how beautifully spices can compliment one another. The inspiration for these unique flavors began in her childhood. Born to Persian parents in the oasis of United Arbab Emirates, she had the opportunity to interact with cultures outside of her own community by taking trips to exciting locations, making new friends from other countries, and creating family meals using colorful spices from the cultures she encountered. All the while, she never realized just how deeply this exposure to different culinary traditions would impact her life.

It was during her surfing trip to California that she experienced one of those life-changing moments that you often hear about but never expect to happen. While sitting on her surf board in the Pacific Ocean waiting for a wave, she was struck with a sudden realization: if cooking for her friends was her passion, then she should start a company that allows her to share her love of food and flavors with others. And so, Hummus Chick was created. And for that, we salute you!

"Be Kind to your body, eat hummus."

HeatSpine

    Heatspine may not cure your grandparent’s aching back, but it’s sure to send chills down your spine. Although there are many ways to describe Heatspine, we, The Yacht Club, understand Heatspine to be the photographic crumb trail from the life of Stephanie Thomas. Based out of Nashville, TN, Stephanie has truly found her passion to be in fine art, event, and portrait photography.

    Upon purchasing her first camera, at the age of 15 for an art class, she had never even considered any significant thought about photography in her entire life up until that point. Yet, since that moment and up until now, you can see her carrying a camera on her at all times. Unfailingly cemented to her side for 7 years, her camera has truly become a fixture of her person that one day showed up, and never left. 

    Stephanie’s transformation into a photographer has been an unceasing journey of learning and creating her own personal language. However, there are no words involved, only light. Stephanie spends her days in constant observance of what she sees, waiting for that fleeting moment of raw, unrefined beauty that shows itself to her. When she sees it, she captures those moments through her camera lens. With the press of a button, she immortalizes tiny moments of time that would otherwise be gone and forgotten. 

    Her romantic view of photography makes her relationship to her passion one of ambivalence. Her personal desire to express what she sees doesn't leave much room for conventionalism. She has no time for rules and regulations that most consider concrete truth. To Stephanie, the art of photography is strictly about setting forth her very own testimony of beauty with a single image, with one goal in mind… the possibility of inspiration. And for that, we salute you!