Long time, no see. It's the end of the year in the college town that has no clue what it wants to be when it grows up. Murfreesboro doesn't want to be a college town, but it most definitely doesn't want to lose the disposable income. Murfreesboro wants to be the second coming of Brentwood/Franklin, a plastic, soulless place where everyone who got in on the ground floor got really rich. At least seems that way, judging by how the people in charge of this fair city treat anyone who tries to cultivate an alternative culture.
Where to start? It hasn't really been slow on the concert circuit, but I've been so swamped with work that I haven't been able to get to a whole lot of shows recently. Wiffleball's been over for a couple of months, and with exams finishing, Murfreesboro is preparing itself for the one-month hibernationof winter break. The problem with this whole year-end deal is that I only remember about six months of it. I guess that's a starting point, huh?
10. The art shows at House House, featuring talented artists from within the MTSU art program as well as throughout the community. Lots of good, mind-bending pieces. Hey, I'm no art critic.
9. A recent eight-band show at The Country House. I'm not usually one to venture out of the city limits, but this show was a doozy. MEEMAW, Turbo Fruits, Awesome Shirt, Frat Attack and Tenderbear, maybe my favorite band name of all time, with The Alabama Goddamns. It's actually quite possible that you were there, as there was a ridiculous mob of people in attendance.
8. Kelly Kerr and the Distractions. Hear me now, Nashville, this band is really good. Kelly's been a staple of the music scene in the 'Boro for a while, and he's hitting on all cylinders now. You are really missing out if you haven't heard "Man vs. Cheetah" and "Paid in Cocaine."
7. Two Cow Garage at Tomato Tomato. This show started out with Joey Kneiser and a large portion of the Glossary kids playing a set of moody Southern rock. Then Ohio's Two Cow Garage came out and ripped face. Definitely more on the Lucero side of country rock, with whiskey-soaked voices and lyrics to match. They closed out the night with an awesome cover of The Replacements' "Can't Hardly Wait."
6. North at Wall Street. North brought their sweet, atmospheric metal out for a night on the town with Evil Bebos. Both bands killed it.
5. Diorama-rama at Wolfcastle. As close to a "school's almost back in session so we've got to get some debauchery in" party as I've ever seen. MEEMAW and Target Market rocked it out in a beer-soaked living room after a long day of field games. There were dioramas, too.
4. Velcro Stars' "Gonna Get Some Strange." Hell, that might not even be the right title, but this was my jam of the summer. The uncharacteristically funky song gets Shane Spresser to sing even more like a girl than normal.
3. Most Amazing Century of Science and Kayo Dot at Tomato Tomato. This shout-out is more about MACoS' amazing 30-minute(!) set than it is about anything else. Can you imagine them playing 30 minutes(!) of 90-second songs? Do the math. Boston's Kayo Dot also played.
2. The shows at House House. All of 'em. Realicide. Foot Village. DJ Scotch Egg. Mincemeat or Tenspeed. Social Junk. Bumblebeast. Witch Detectives. Brown Swarm. At some point during the past year, House House became some sort of a hub on the national noize scene. It's a terrible shame that they stopped having shows six months ago.
1. Southern Girls Rock 'n' Roll Camp Showcase. Every year, it's the greatest musical height that this town reaches. It doesn't get any better or more punk-rock than what the campers and volunteers put together for one night in July.
