Casey PhillipsFor the past four months, my opportunities to get out of the house for anything, let alone a concert, have been slim and none. The last show I attended was the Tennessee Rounders’ reunion in September celebrating the last days of Rhythm & Brews.
Having a kid will do that.
The husband’s adage is that his wife is “the old ball and chain” – which no man should ever say unless he’s a raging sexist, it’s 1953 outside and he wants to sleep on the pullout forever – but the truth is babies are way worse. They have about as much social buoyancy as a battleship anchor.
Unless you want to pay a teenager to sit in your living room and make sure your infant doesn’t try to eat a steak knife, just getting out the door means bringing along a diaper bag, spit-up cloths, pacifiers, an extra outfit or six and a mountain of other accouterments. On no episode of “Man vs. Wild” was Bear Grylls better equipped for unforeseen eventualities than a parent taking a newborn to the grocery store.
Becoming a crazy shut-in and acting out an amateur staging of “The Shining” is a real danger for new parents. That’s why I’m excited about the Out of the House Family Music weekly concert series starting Sunday, Jan. 3, at Granfalloon. The event will run 2-4 p.m. every Sunday through Jan. 31 and include an hourlong performance by a local musician, as well as food, coffee and beer.
Tara Viland, the Southside venue’s manager and a mother of two, says she started the series because she understands all too well the obstacles parents must overcome to attend social events. The idea behind Out of the House, she says, is to offer an all-ages performance where adults can mingle and listen to great local music without feeling judged for having their offspring in tow.
“It can be really hard to get yourself out of the house and engage with other people, even your friends, when you have small children,” Viland says. “I want to see those people who feel overwhelmed taking the extra charge to get out and get engaged and feel accepted, even with milk stains on their shirts.”
Viland says she’d like to see Out of the House continue past January, which it could with the help of a few sponsors. In the meantime, the solid lineup features Amber Fults (Jan. 3), T.J. Greever (Jan. 10), Ryan Oyer (Jan. 17), Kindora (Jan. 24) and Danimal Pinson (Jan. 31).
Assuming we can summon up the willpower – and enough spit up cloths – my wife and I might brave the social wilds again to attend. Lord knows, we could use the fresh air.
Contact Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6205. Follow him on Twitter at @PhillipsCTFP.