In Tune: Looking for rain during the early dry spell

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Welcome to the winter lull, folks.

As is usual during this time of year, there's not a whole lot going on in the Scenic City right now, as far as live music is concerned. Before you let the prospect of a dry spell harsh your holiday buzz, however, know that better days most assuredly are coming.

If you feel the January blues coming on, keep these upcoming shows in mind to help you get through the next couple of weeks:

-- On Jan. 10, The Honest Pint will host local alt-songwriting duo Woodford Sessions alongside The Recruits Birmingham, Ala.-based songwriter The Magic Math.

If you're not excited about Woodford Sessions, which consists of Glowing Bordis bassist Dan Pinson and Michael Gallaway, then check out their video for "Better Days" at Youtube.com/WoodfordSessions. You can thank me later.

-- If you enjoy electro pop with sticky hooks, check out Nashville-based Cherub. This duo will bring synth-heavy "dance music from the future" to Rhythm and Brews on Jan. 11 alongside jazz/funk artist Smooth Dialects, one of my favorite local musical discoveries of 2012. Get pumped up by checking out Cherub's "Doses and Mimosas" on Youtube.

-- Track 29 is kicking off 2013 in style with Texan singer/songwriter Robert Earl Keen on Jan. 17. Keen earned my eternal love and adoration for the song "Merry Christmas From the Family," arguably one of the most honest Christmas songs of all time. Keen balances sensitive story songs and up-tempo board-stompers and is often spoken of in the same breath as Nanci Griffith, a comparison that speaks for itself.

-- In 2012, classic album tribute collective Black Jacket Symphony collaborated with the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera for start-to-finish renditions of Led Zeppelin's "IV," The Eagles' "Hotel California" and The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." They're ringing in 2013 on Jan. 18 with a performance of Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours," one of the band's recording high points.

That's hardly it, though, because things really heat up after January. Bakersfield Sound pioneer Merle Haggard will play the Tivoli Theatre on Feb. 13, and country legend George "The Possum" Jones is at Memorial Auditorium on March 22.

Come to think of it, maybe we should be thankful for a couple weeks of rest.

Contact staff writer Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6205. Follow him on Twitter at @PhillipsCTFP.