Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Muddy Water Mix

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Last night, I made my weekly pilgrimage to Fran's Eastside Tavern on a rainy Wednesday night in East Nashville. Fran's on Wednesday is a bit hard to explain unless you've been there (and maybe even if you have).  I haven't been to Fran's on any other night, so I am not able to say anything about those other nights.  Just to keep in simple, Fran's is a dive bar, smoky beyond ever what you might expect from a dive bar, with cheap beer (cash only), regulars, a pool table, and the added tension of being in the midst of the East Nashville "scene".  Most Wednesday nights, it is Tim Carroll and Darrin Bradbury holding court with original songs and a wildly unpredictable nature that has included a world-class trombone player, a Christmas Carole in early October, and the Music City Roots bus.  With Tim Carroll on tour, Zachariah Red filled in last night - not an easy task - not an easy gig.  Having missed much of Zach's set the last time I went to see him (it may or may not have involved my keys getting locked in my van) and having heard his demo EP, I was looking forward to this.

As I listened, the words understated brilliance came to my mind.  But, I think it is more unassuming brilliance. A quiet personality -  a calm, smooth delivery - definitely enjoyable. I don't know if this will make sense to anyone but me, but when Zach sang a Kris Kristofferson song, it came to me. When Kristofferson sang with the Highwaymen - Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, and Willie Nelson were such larger than life figures with legendary figures with such storied reputations for hard living... and it was not that Kristofferson wasn't larger than life and it wasn't that he didn't live just as hard... but relatively, he seemed unassuming to me. And, that is how I feel about Zachariah Red. His original songs are awesome and the brilliance hits you in subtle waves rather than in a massive attack. 

And Darrin Bradbury...  what can I say - it is fun to watch this amazingly talented guy really hit a stride and start to get some well-deserved recognition.

To the shuffle: