Fresh Start for 2014 ...

I've gotten way, way, way behind on keeping up with postings, and by now the memories may be a bit too faded to do the respective shows any justice. For the sake of posterity, the latter half of 2013 was rounded out with some good ones as well as some duds:

• 5/29/2013 - Steve Martin and Edie Brickell w/ the Steep Canyon Rangers, Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Nashville, TN (super fun, great show)
• 6/13/2013 - She & Him, Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN (very long, 32 songs, fun show)
• 6/15/2013 - The National w/ Local Natives, LC Pavilion, Columbus, OH (uptempo show, very fun)
• 8/25/2013 - Huey Lewis and the News, Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Nashville, TN (went on a lark, had a blast)
• 9/5/2013 - Local Natives, Live on the Green, Nashville, TN (went w/ a bunch of friends, sat in the VIP area, very fun show, they played "Warning Sign")
• 9/8/2013 - The National, Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN (downbeat show that never clicked for me, much different than the OH show in June, did not enjoy this one a whole lot)
• 9/15/2013 - Phosphorescent, 3rd & Lindsley, Nashville, TN (totally awesome, one of my top 3 shows of the year)
• 9/21/2013 - Renee Fleming, Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Nashville, TN (once in a lifetime chance to see someone of her stature in this type of setting, unmiked, very cool experience)
• 10/4/2013 - Phoenix, Marathon Music Works, Nashville, TN (not their best set we've seen, but always a good live show)
• 10/30/2013 - Noam Pilkeny and friends, 3rd & Lindsley, Nashville, TN (unreal bluegrass show with Bryan Sutton just killing it)
• 1/9/2014 - Alive Hospice benefit at the Bluebird - this was just cool and featured the main dudes from Better than Ezra (awesome), Spin Doctors (meh) and Sugarland (not my thing, but very talented) playing acoustic/in the round ... very cool

Alright, palate cleansed ... ready to get back on the horse for 2014 ... 

The Steeldrivers, Station Inn, Nashville, TN - 05/10/2013

My wife and I took her parents to see the Steeldrivers and arrived at the Station Inn about 45 minutes before 9 PM. Already, we could scarcely find space, so those of us who could sit did while some of us stood up at the back. But they were great, and seeing shows at the Station Inn, while a bit of a pain in the neck in terms of needing to get there early, etc., is very special. They played a long, great set, and we stayed through the whole show. Worth checking out ...

The Men w/ Diarrhea Planet and Organs, The Stone Fox, Nashville, TN - 04/30/2013

My buddy and I headed over to the Stone Fox for this one (great venue) with high hopes. I really loved Open Your Heart and was excited to see the Men. Openers Diarrhea Planet were shockingly good and a lot of fun with a pretty full house for their set. The Men were very, um, intense, but it just wasn't a very "on" night. I also think that this is a show that I would have loved at a younger age but just wasn't up my alley. We left after about 6 songs, just not feeling it. And it was loud. Alas ...

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds w/ Sharon Van Etten, Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN - 03/16/2013

Finally getting things updated before the end of the year. Ugh. So this was a winner, definitely top 2 or 3 shows that I saw this year. Sharon Van Etten was very stripped down, didn't do any older songs that I knew like "Peace Sign" or "A Crime," but sounded great.

But Nick Cave blew the doors off the place. No photos from this one. The Ryman was packed (this sold out in an hour or so), and people were losing their minds when he launched into "From Her to Eternity" and the other older stuff that came after. Certain songs were as good as you'd imagine ... "Red Right Hand," "The Mercy Seat," etc. Some of the new stuff really came off well, too. He's still got it ...

We No Who U R
Jubilee Street
Wide Lovely Eyes
Higgs Boson Blues
From Her to Eternity
Red Right Hand
Stranger Than Kindness
Jack the Ripper
Deanna
Your Funeral... My Trial
God Is in the House
The Weeping Song
The Mercy Seat
Stagger Lee

Encore:
Tupelo
Push the Sky Away

Trip to Germany, 03/2013

The wife and I spent two weeks traveling around Germany (Wuerzburg, Munich, Bamberg, Berlin and Frankfurt/Cologne) in the first half of March, 2013. It was pretty awesome. I'm going to try to put some pictures and random thoughts from that time up here rather than necessarily an exhaustive rundown of the trip, though it might turn into that if I'm not careful. Just getting the ball rolling here for now ...

Menomena, Mercy Lounge, Nashville, TN - 02/23/2013

I had not seen Menomena since All Tomorrow's Parties a few years prior when they were still a three-piece. Some pals and I made a last minute decision of sorts to check this out. The expanded four-piece was a bit more rocking and certainly tighter. I really have not kept up with this band since their debut album, so I was really only familiar with "Muscle N' Flo" (which was pretty dang spot on) and "The Pelican" (which is great live). It was a fun time, and they sounded really great. Just not a band that I make a huge soul connection with.

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Exit/In, Nashville, TN - 01/26/2013

Some friends, the wife and I went to check out the JSBX, choosing it over Yo La Tengo as it had a higher potential for being pretty rocking. And rocking it was ... a lot of big hits, including "Bellbottoms," "Two Kindsa Love," and "Flavor" (with Judah Bauer doing Beck's rap toward the end). I saw the JSBX on the Orange tour back in 1995 or so at Rockafella's in Columbia, SC. That show was legendary. They've certainly aged a bit, though they can really bring it/channel it pretty dang well. Not life-altering, but a fun way to spend a Saturday night.