My Spring Tour

     The next few weeks have turned out to look really promising.  Hell my calendar is full of shows from next Thursday all the way till June 1^st.  It is perfect timing since spring has arrived and it is time to fly the coup.  Just like the new birth of spring I am throwing myself into the rock n roll gauntlet and checking out some music that I do not know that well and have never seen.  This will be a new experience for me since I have been on a very strict outlaw country and jam band diet for the better part of thirteen years, if not longer.  Some these shows include some psychedelia, quasi hair pop metal,  a few indie giants,  one classic crooner and a touring machine.  Here are a few of the bands that are hopefully getting ready to rock my world.

      The first band on spring tour is the Black Angels.  A friend of mine in Denver got me into them a few years ago.  They are a hard rocking group from Austin, Texas.  They named themselves after the Velvet Underground song “The Black Angels Death Song.”  I figure any band that is that into the Velvet Underground are alright by me and should be pretty good.  They remind me of a modern sounding Iron Butterfly with some Jefferson Airplane influences.  The songs, “You on the Run”,” River of Blood”, and “Manipulation” I am really getting into recently.  I have only had these guys in a steady rotation for about six months now.  From what I know the Black Angels pack enough of a punch to keep me interested and wanting for more.  Hopefully a live dose at the Georgia Theatre will be enough.  I am expecting a lot of guitars, major strobe light action, and a constant wave of dope smoke.  This combination is a perfect recipe for a great show.  It will be an interesting night to say the least.

      There are people in my life that I respect deeply.  Some for their moral code, work ethic, faith, knowledge, well you get the point.  This holds true for people in my life that have a deep love and understanding for music.  The one thing these few people agree on is how amazing My Morning Jacket is.  Some of these people I went to high school with, some I have seen a plethora of shows with, and others are just those people that are there and I am not sure where they came from.  Fortunately for me they are playing a free show here next weekend.  This will hopefully give me the opportunity to see what everyone else sees and maybe decide to spend some money on a real show of theirs.  After all, I have been battling with My Morning Jacket for the last two years at least.  There are not many bands my friend Paige and I disagree on, shit I think this is the only one.  But since I hold her taste and love for rock n roll in such high esteem, I feel that I have to like them on principal.  Yet after several tries, listening to them just does not cut it. So, I will take Paige’s and everyone else’s advice and go see them live.  I really hope this show is the turning point in our relationship.  The love and hate is really starting to drive me nuts.

                I have really been working to branch out into the land of indie music these days.  I enjoyed so much what Dave Grohl had to say in his Key Note Speech at the SXSW festival this year.  Hearing him talking about being completely in charge of his career, having been down a different path with Nirvana, I am inspired to listen to more bands that take that same approach.  Why? Cause fuck the system, it’s my music.  I am not really one for festivals these days, but The Shaky Knees Festival is highlighting some if the bands that have this attitude towards their music.   A few such as Drive by Truckers and Lucero are a some of my favorites.  Bands like Frontier Ruckus, Murder by Death, Shovels and Rope, Road Kill Ghost Choir, and Death on Two Wheels are few on the lineup I am really excited about seeing.  All the way around this weekend will not be disappointing.  Early May in the south and a full weekend of great music outdoors will surely be amazing.

     Son Volt, Widespread Panic, Jerry Joseph, and Bloodkin will be rounding out the gaps of the spring tour.  Old faithful’s I would call them in a vast see of new music that I am seeing.  Lots of old friends, old favorite tunes, and great causes, will accompany these shows and leave me feeling satisfied as usual.  I cannot wait to see all the familiar faces and making new friends along the way.  My Spring Tour is looking like a beast. What about yours?   

In the words of Patterson Hood, “I’ll see you at the Rock Show.”

GO SEE LIVE MUSIC