Best Local Rock Songs Ever, Part One [MEEMAW, Lone Official, The Features, How I Became the Bomb, AutoVaughn]

Not so long ago, I

something or other about MEEMAW's "Blue in the Black Light" — along with every song ever by Lone Official — setting my personal standard for excellent, enduring local rock music. Our town has seen scores of rock bands come and go — some going on to attain international celebrity, others existing in obscurity and then vanishing altogether, many of them ending up somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. But whether these bands burn out, keep on trucking or rocket to stardom, in their wake remains a trail of songs, many of them very, very good. And that's what I'd like to explore.

In this series, which I've of course dubbed "Best Local Rock Songs Ever," my colleagues and I will dip into the finest songs ever made by Nashvillian rock artists. While I am indeed a Nashville native, my first-hand knowledge of locally created rock 'n' roll music doesn't chronologically extend much past, say, the days of Jason and the Scorchers or Joe, Marc's Brother or Self. We will thus be calling on many of our older, more distinguished cohorts to enlighten us in regard to some of the 20th century and/or deep-cut stuff.

So, what say we do this thing in batches of five songs at a time? If you've got suggestions, complaints or kudos in regard to the Best Local Rock Songs Ever, let us know. We're gonna keep plugging away at this thing, and who knows? Maybe by the time we get up to 40 or 50 or 100 songs, we'll have a vote to see which ones are officially the best. As for now, allow me to start it off ...