Have Mercy! • It was quite the weekend at Mercy Lounge. First, the 11th annual Imagine No Handguns benefit, the John Lennon tribute held around the anniversary of his death, descended upon the Cannery Row venue Friday night, and Nashville’s finest musicians came out of the woodwork to participate. Sadly, the same can’t be said for the audience: maybe it was the cold weather, or maybe people just didn’t know about the event, but the club and the event have definitely seen bigger crowds. Still, the music was good, and at least everyone could see the stage. Tommy Womack did a disturbingly heartfelt rendition of “Cold Turkey,” complete with screams and good ol’-fashioned writhing on the floor. Singer-songwriter Mark Huff was terrific, but he left the stage and ran out the door before we could compliment him. Jetpack performed an off-key “This Boy” that made us want to cringe, but then reclaimed their dignity with a cover of “Hey Bulldog” that may have even been better than the original. And for the record, Jetpack lead man Sean Williams bears an eerie resemblance to Lennon. But the highlight of the evening was The Privates, whose punked-out versions of “Mean Mr. Mustard” and “Good Morning, Good Morning” made us wonder if The Beatles had more in common with The Clash and The Ramones than we previously realized. The impressive range of songs, from early Beatles tracks to late solo numbers, reaffirmed just how incredible Lennon’s catalog is, and how sorely he is missed. • It was quite the weekend at Mercy Lounge. First, the 11th annual Imagine No Handguns benefit, the John Lennon tribute held around the anniversary of his death, descended upon the Cannery Row venue Friday night, and Nashville’s finest musicians came out of the woodwork to participate. Sadly, the same can’t be said for the audience: maybe it was the cold weather, or maybe people just didn’t know about the event, but the club and the event have definitely seen bigger crowds. Still, the music was good, and at least everyone could see the stage. Tommy Womack did a disturbingly heartfelt rendition of “Cold Turkey,” complete with screams and good ol’-fashioned writhing on the floor. Singer-songwriter Mark Huff was terrific, but he left the stage and ran out the door before we could compliment him. Jetpack performed an off-key “This Boy” that made us want to cringe, but then reclaimed their dignity with a cover of “Hey Bulldog” that may have even been better than the original. And for the record, Jetpack lead man Sean Williams bears an eerie resemblance to Lennon. But the highlight of the evening was The Privates, whose punked-out versions of “Mean Mr. Mustard” and “Good Morning, Good Morning” made us wonder if The Beatles had more in common with The Clash and The Ramones than we previously realized. The impressive range of songs, from early Beatles tracks to late solo numbers, reaffirmed just how incredible Lennon’s catalog is, and how sorely he is missed. • Then on Saturday at Mercy Lounge, Nashville had an opportunity to witness the enduring spirit of New Orleans in the wake of Katrina as Crescent City mainstays the Dirty Dozen Brass Band played to a sweaty, hip-shaking crowd.  Music City’s own Corleone set the tone for the evening with their funky instrumental soul-trance sound, which—according to their website (corleonemusic.com)—evolved during their “explanatory [sic] ventures in unchartered [sic] space, a foreboding region known Sector B.” Hell, they’re musicians, not editors, and they laid down some respectable grooves, recalling Sound Tribe Sector 9 with less electronica. Then DDBB hit the stage, weaving together traditional Big Easy funeral jazz with frenzied funk, R&B and rock. The crowd appeared as diverse as the group’s music: old blues fans intermingled with jam-band hippies and young prepsters, with folks trading concert stories over drinks between sets. Local keyboardist Graham Spice, who’s worked with the band as a musician and engineer previously, joined them on keyboards for the evening, and local sax phenom Bob Bowers hopped up for a couple numbers. At times DDBB can be a bit long-winded, but we gladly forgave the indulgence since they’re such exceptional players (particularly sousaphonist Kirk Joseph, who’s as funky as any electric bassist out there). It certainly didn’t keep the audience from begging for more—two encores and numerous cheers later, the band finally decided to call it quits.   3 Crow gets airborne • Forgoing an evening of nursing our hangovers on the couch (and the Survivor—Guatemala finale), we headed back to the Mercy for a third time in as many days for Drive-by Trucker Patterson Hood’s solo show. Fronting a familiar crew (which included Shonna Tucker and Brad Morgan of the Truckers), Hood opened with an acoustic set featuring some pre-Jason Isbell Truckers gems and some songs off Killers and Stars, his 2004 solo album. Things got decidedly more upbeat after he picked up his electric guitar for the second half of the show. He even threw in a comment about the cultural “War on Christmas,” saying that he was hoping to put the “Christ” back in “Christ, it’s Christmas!” That quip was followed by “Mrs. Claus’ Kimono,” a twisted little holiday number about a Rudolph-Elf cabal planning to frame Santa for drug trafficking so they can take liberties with Mrs. Claus. He also played quite a few songs from his forthcoming solo album Murdering Oscar (and other love songs), a striking departure from the spare, melancholy material he showcased on Killers. During his encore, he treated the crowd to a cut from the Truckers’ upcoming album A Blessing and a Curse. We were quite smitten with Hood’s warmth, humor and intensity, coupled with the endearing imperfection of his rough, go-for-broke voice. Not to mention that he, like his audiences, always seems to be having a great time. 3 Crow gets airborne There’s a lot to be said for the double-headliner bill, particularly when there’s no gratuitous third act opening the night; the action starts and ends refreshingly early, leaving plenty of time for all kinds of nocturnal debauchery. That’s what the owners of East Nashville’s 3 Crow Bar seemed to be thinking when they booked last Saturday’s Jetpack/The Carter Administration show. Jetpack kicked things off not long after the scheduled 9:30 start—not bad, considering Central Rock ’n’ Roll Time is usually an hour-and-a-half behind. David Dewese took the accolade for best (and reddest) Christmas sweater, while Sean Williams led the group through a rambunctious set punctuated by a heart-melting cover of the Beatles’ “This Boy,” complete with three-part, microphone-sharing harmony. “I hope John Lennon isn’t rolling over in his grave,” apologized Williams.   Diehard East Nashvillians if ever there were any, The Carters were in their element, though they seem to have shed some of their insular tendencies since releasing Air Guitar Force One earlier this year. Frontman Ryan Ervin, with his low-slung ax and grim, set jaw, fully looked the part of the rock commando, and despite a false start and some misplaced lyrics, the no-frills rockers whipped the crowd into a head-bobbing mess and then left pleas for an encore unrequited. It wasn’t even midnight yet. Unsure of what to do with an extra couple of hours, many weighed their options, convened and slapped a fresh wad of bills down on the bar. See what a little creative scheduling can do for business? Upcoming shows • Fans of instrumental acoustic music in the vein of Leo Kottke and Michael Hedges will want to check out Duology, featuring the superb guitar and compositional skills of Joseph Brunelle and Barry Coggins. The pair recently released their second CD, Like Water Falls, recorded with no edits and overdubs, though you won’t know how remarkable a feat that is until you hear it. Check them out at any of three area shows this weekend: 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Bluebird; 7 p.m. Saturday at the Brentwood Borders (330 Franklin Rd.); and 3 p.m. Sunday at Mega Used  Books (1016 Eighth Ave. S.). The Bluebird date is an in-the-round show also featuring Brunelle’s wife Tree Brunelle and Kathy Hussey, whose new CD, Moments of Wonder,  spent pretty much the entire summer in the top 20 on the folk charts. • For those who like acoustic-based music with a jammier bent, Under Shade play Friday at 12th & Porter. The Nashville quartet—three of whom have been playing together since their high school days in West Plains, Mo.—blend jazz, funk, rock and Latin influences on their debut disc, Nightly Cricket Revival, released earlier this year. Their quirky arrangements and prodigious musical talents should appeal to fans of Dave Matthews, Phish, even Nickel Creek. • Three members of Nashville’s songwriting elite will assemble at Douglas Corner this Thursday, Dec. 15, to raise money for the Salvation Army Angel Tree program. Ray Herndon spent years as Lyle Lovett’s guitar player, co-wrote the Kenny Chesney hit “Me and You” and then embarked on a career as a solo artist; Jon Michaels has had songs recorded by Tracy Lawrence and Ty Herndon; and Jimbeau Hinson has penned cuts for The Oak Ridge Boys, Steve Earle, Kathy Mattea and John Conlee, to name a few. The show starts at 8; admission is $12.