Finding Music City: Part 2...of many...

I vowed yesterday to surround myself with music.
And was rewarded with a night of incredibility, and my first brush with fame.

My friend Lindsay invited me to a Jon McLaughlin concert at a little bar/venue called 3rd and Lindsley. Now, this is exactly what I had in mind in coming to Nashville. More than honkey-tonks and massive country concerts you pay hundreds of dollars for, I wanted to see incredible singer-songwriters in intimate venues, so personal you can literally feel the music being created. And I got what I came for. The tickets were $12, and I would have payed $80. Opening for Jon was jill and kate - an awesome duo with incredible harmonies who were Kelly Clarkson's backup singers on tour for 6 years. They were AWESOME - I bought their cd (from them, of course!) at the back of the venue, and am listening to it now. YouTube/Songza/Jango them, if you haven't heard yet. I particularly love the song "Skinny Jeans".

jillandkate playing at 3rd and Lindsley

The really cool part? Their former tour partner, Kelly Clarkson walked in after the first song to support them. I honestly wouldn't have noticed if my friends hadn't told me, but it was so cool how people didn't bother her, or flock her, or pull out their iPhones (at least not super-obviously). You hear that about Nashville, that people are very respectful of musicians and give them their space, but this was the first time I'd seen it first-hand. She wasn't ushered into a VIP section with her bodyguards, just stood at the bar about 10 feet from me.

Then, Jon McLaughlin came on stage, and holy stage presence batman. I could have listened to him all night, or maybe forever...what a talent. I thought one of his coolest story songs was Indiana, which he wrote when he was first flown to LA for 3 weeks of songwriting, and felt like he totally choked on his first day. He wanted to go home, but the label wouldn't let him, and he wrote this song about his home, and missing it. Which, of course, became a hit...and the rest is history.

I’m glad I never lived next to the water  

So I could never get used to the beach  

And I’m glad I never grew up on a mountain  

To figure out how high the world could reach