Archive for the ‘Nashville Music’ Category

Rock and Roll Hall of Famers ZZ Top are bringing their iconic blend of Texas blues-rock to Nashville tonight.  The action gets started around 7:00 pm local time and opening acts include The Pretenders and The Stray Cats.  These three touring together should set The Sommet Center on fire (figuratively speaking of course).

ZZ Top’s MySpace

ZZ Top’s Wikipedia entry

I can hardly contain myself right now…

According to their official website, the Ryman’s website and Pitchfork (so it must be true), Nashville’s own Kings of Leon have added a second Ryman Auditorium date to their fall tour.  Ignoring the Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans, this means that the Followill boys will be ending their North American tour with two (sure to be sold out) nights at the hallowed church on Fifth Avenue.

And don’t forget that Black Rebel Motorcycle Club will be opening.  I’ll be at one of those shows, no doubt.  Anyone else going?  Maybe we need a Kings meetup that evening before the show?

USA Today has the details. Ms. McCready allegedly scratched her mom on the face during a scuffle and then resisted arrest when the sheriff deputies showed up. All of this is apparently in violation of her probation stemming from a 2004 prescription drug charge.

The article says that there is another potential probation violation on the way as a result of her 2005 arrest for drunk driving. Wait… if she was on probation in 2004 for illegal prescription drugs, how was a 2005 drunk driving charge not a violation of that probation? I don’t understand the freaking legal system, but I do understand that Mindy McCready is slowly but surely becoming country music’s Lindsay Lohan. God I hope she gets some serious help this time around.

Nashville is definitely in for a treat tonight when soulful garage rockers (and Bobby Bare Jr. labelmates) The Detroit Cobras sink their teeth into The End crowd tonight at 8:00 pm.  Think Amy Winehouse - r&b + punk + real instruments.  And The Willowz are opening?????  Geez, that’s going to be one hell of a show…

I’ll let you decide.  Nashville Cream has the details.

This saddens me a little because I’m so ga ga (no pun intended) over this new Spoon album.  Hmmm… Spoon is coming to town in October.  I wonder if HIBTB shows up with their rumble clothes on?  Maybe Spoon calls the boys from the ‘Boro up on stage with them for that number?

Wow, it looks like the Gin Blossoms have all grown up.

I grew up on these guys and all of their great “You” songs (Til I Hear It From You, Found Out About You, Follow You Down), so it does my heart good to see that they’re still going strong.  The GB’s are bringing their solid brand of pop rock to the Wildhorse Saloon tonight.  The show starts around 6:00 pm.

Side note: Writing this post caused me to start thinking back about some of the GB’s albums.  New Miserable Experience was really, really good.  I wore that thing out in high school and a lot of the tracks, if I ever hear them pop up on Lightning 100, instantly take me back to a day when I was desperately heart-broken over Jeanine or Debbie or Robin or Brea or Kim or any one of the many “loves of my life” in high school.

What about you?  Are there any songs or albums that, when you hear them, whisk you away to a particular moment in your past?  Isn’t it cool how music does that?

Every now and then an opportunity arises to witness a master craftsman do his thing on a special kind of stage. Think Johnny Cash at The Ryman or Ray Charles at Carnegie Hall.  If you really enjoy seeing legends go to work, then don’t miss the Grand Ole Opry tonight.  The one and only Charlie Daniels Band will be headlining with some of that country-fried rock and roll that Nashville is famous for.  Bill Anderson, “Little” Jimmy Dickens, Dierks Bentley and The Grascals are among the opening acts, so it should be a great show.  Things kick off at 7:00 and some tickets are still available.

…Nashville is kind of known for being a pretty good music town. Yeah, maybe you had heard but I wasn’t sure so I thought it was worth mentioning. Anyway, being fortunate enough to live here, I have the opportunity to feed my live music habit pretty hard over the next couple of months. Shows I’ll definitely be attending between now and the end of the year include, *but are not limited to:

• Modest Mouse w/ Band of Horses @ The Ryman - 8.22.07
• Ben Kweller @ Exit/In - 8.24.07
• Interpol @ The Ryman - 9.22.07
• Kings of Leon w/ Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ The Ryman - 10.18.07
• Spoon @ Cannery Ballroom (Mercy Lounge) - 10.26.07
• Smashing Pumpkins @ The Ryman - 11.5.07

So far my wife is being very supportive. It absolutely helps that A) I’ve never had a stretch of shows like this in my life, B) I have a pretty big birthday (30) coming up in October and C) I’m a great husband and father (at least that’s what she tells me).

*God help me if Wilco, Arcade Fire or Ryan Adams decide to add a Nashville date this Fall. That conversation wouldn’t be pretty, but it’s not like I’d really have a choice, right? I’d have to go to them all. Seriously.

So what about you?  Any good shows coming up that you’re really looking forward to? 

You can check out a great review of yesterday’s “Live show of the night” over at Music City Bloggers.  Sounds like it was a great show!

Diana Krall, otherwise known as Elvis Costello’s better half, will be gracing the stage of The Schermerhorn (official site) this evening. The divine Mrs. Krall should be starting things up around 8:00 pm. The show is sold out.

Hey, maybe Elvis drops by to sit in with his wife for a little while? That would be pretty freaking cool, right? Don’t get your hopes up; Mr. Costello is playing a jazz festival in Norway tonight.

SIDE NOTE: I’m a huge Elvis Costello fan, but seriously, that woman is too good looking for him. It’s cool though: I married up too.