Jon Jackson

Nashville may be chock full of singer-songwriters strumming their way through 10-minute sets at open mic free-for-alls, but Jon Jackson is one well worth cherry-picking from the crowd of acoustic guitar slingers. Unsigned and gigging his way through Music City's cheap seats with a steel-toed, bootstrap wit—while up for a seat in the District 5 State House—Jackson's mischievous brand of country folk epitomizes the sound of a bedroom artist slogging through countless late nights of broken picks and longneck-induced noodlings. But listening to his out-of-pocket debut Green Apples, one hardly gets the impression they're hearing bathroom demos or Pro Tools prop-ups. Backed by steel-and-string guru Vee Maurice and a sturdy round of friends, Green Apples may have cost half a year's wages, but every dollar is put to good use.
Sat., Aug. 9, 8 p.m., 2008