Joe Purdy Concert (The Mercy Lounge 6/8/11)

A few simple precedents to save myself from repetition.  One, and most importantly, Joe Purdy is my absolute favorite artist to listen to for pretty much every thing.  He's a powerful singer-songwriter with catchy refrains, honest lyrics, and wonderful sounds.  Two, I've seen Joe in concert once before (see this blog), and I had the bar set impossibly high.  And three, if you're not listening to Joe's music and wanna try it out, check his website where all 12 of his albums are available for free streaming.

Venue:  The Mercy Lounge, Nashville

Status:  Little air flow, but roomy-yet-intimate bar

Opening Band:  Milk Carton Kids

Main Act:  Joe Purdy

Time:  9:00pm?

The question mark that rests above in the Time spot is because my tickets said 8pm EST, even though Nashville is in CST, but Joe's website said 9pm CST.  This was a large difference, and I wanted to make sure we got there early, so we left home about 3pm yesterday.  We made it to Nashville, parked and ate (at Demos', which was quite tasty), and then decided to walk the relatively short mile to the Mercy Lounge.  Apparently, the Country Music Awards were going on last night, and the city was packed.  Still, we made the walk in muggy, high temperatures, getting further out of town, and eventually down seedy streets that may possibly have been dotted with strip clubs.  The mile trip took about half an hour, through the crowd and winding roads.  Egads.

But then we were there, and the mostly empty parking lot of the Mercy Lounge laughed at us, mocking our long walk and emptied pocket money.  Had we known, we literally could've parked at the back door for free...  Anyway, we headed inside to pick up the tickets, but there was no one there.  Joe's music was playing, we followed it and just so happened to stumble in on the sound test.  Joe & the gang were onstage singing and playing and the sound guys were getting stuff ready and that was it.  Doors didn't open* for another hour (8pm CST), so we had to go out and wait on the steps.  Later on, Joe walked out, said what's up, and hopped in his vehicle and left.  Somewhat surreal, I think.


From personal experience, I rarely enjoy an opening band whenever I go to a concert.  There's typically something odd or off-setting.  Yet, honestly, I was almost as excited to see the Milk Carton Kids open for Joe Purdy as I was to actually see Joe.  I'd never heard of the duo--Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan--until a few months ago, when I purchased the tickets for the show.  I scoured the webs and found their website, where they had a free album to download.  I did (and I boldly recommend you do so, too), and I fell in love.

The Milk Carton Kids took stage with grace, Joey introducing the band and saying they were going to play their most depressing songs from their tiny catalog.  Instead, they played their familiar-to-me songs with smiles on their faces and joy pouring from their bodies, even if the lyrics were forlorn.  But what artist doesn't pine for love?  Or hate?  Regardless, the two were brilliant, establishing a mood for the venue, starting with using acoustic guitars that were stationed in front of microphones and foregoing traditional plug-ins.  (In fact, the only instruments that were plugged in appeared to be a bass, an electric guitar, and an organ, all of which were used for the Purdy portion of the show.)  They sang to a divided crowd, many interested and listening, and many talking and chattering through the background.

This was obviously frustrating for the two, and at one point they asked the crowd to quieten down so they could play the next song with a proper feel to it.  It worked, but only slightly.  Still, the noise didn't deter me from listening enraptured by the prodigious playing of Pattengale and the smooth voice of Ryan.  The two were on fire, and they finished by asking if anyone actually knew any of their songs and had any requests.  Apparently I was one of a handful, and I yelled out "Queen Jane," to which the band played "for the one guy that asked for it."  Hey, that's pretty cool you ask me.

And then there was a short break before Joe took stage.  He played a few songs solo and then beckoned the Milk Carton Kids onstage to play with him.  They jammed and sang for the next hour, largely playing selections from Joe's latest album, This American.  The raw energy between the three was palpable.  They were stomping and laughing and generally just having a good time.  Perhaps it was because this was the first stop on the second leg of his tour and they'd all had some rest over the past week or two, but the three didn't slow down one bit.  Sweaty and sticky, their fingers moved up and down guitar necks or across piano keys.  I really liked the slowed down version of "Can't Get It Right Today."

The three played like a band that's been playing together for years, not just three months.  Unlike the last show I saw Joe play, where it was all solo, this was an altogether different experience.  Songs were filled out and fleshed.  Many had an almost newgrass feel, hammer-ons quick enough to make any guitarist in the room jealous.  Synergy was the word that came to mind last night.

By 11:20, the crowd had thinned out a bit, and the band played their last.  Pattengale had broken a string on his guitar, and then broke one on the mandolin.  The three bowed and headed off-stage for five or six seconds (a "formality," Joe said), and then Joe returned for the encore.  He opened up the floor, asking for any requests.  The crowd exploded, and Joe randomly picked a few.  Some he hadn't played in a long time, and one ("Secret") he stopped at the end and asked the crowd if there was more.  "Seems like there's another chorus or verse or something," he said, and then he fingered through the keys and re-sang the first verse.  He finished "Secret," picked up his guitar and someone asked for "You Can Tell Georgia" (one of my favorites) and he complied, putting down the guitar and returning to the piano.  This went on, open requests, for almost an hour.  Some songs Joe struggled to recall (forgivable with a catalog spanning over 100 songs in so few years), but he pulled them all off admirably.

The encore was something special.  He played so many requests it was unbelievable.  Not only was he entertaining us, but he was having fun himself, and that's always a plus when seeing live performance.  Finally, around 12:15am, the Milk Carton Kids had returned and the three finished off the night with as much energy as they had started with.  The set was over, three hours gone, but definitely not forgotten.  We walked the long stretch back to the car and made the long, boring drive home.  I got to bed just after 3am, late enough that my eyes burned, early enough that I could've stayed up and just went on in to work soon after.

All in all, the night was phenomenal.  It very likely places among the top of my favorite concerts, and I've been to a lot of concerts**.  Supporting independent artists is always good, and Joe Purdy is one of the best out there.  He's truly independent, shunning record companies to make and produce his own stuff, and that's something I for one appreciate.  He doesn't do it for the money, but for the fact that there are songs inside that just have to get out.  I believe the Milk Carton Kids are in the same vein.  As I mentioned above, if you've never heard either, follow the links and give the bands a shot.  I'd recommend starting Purdy's catalog with You Can Tell Georgia or Paris in the Morning or This American.  All the others are great, but these are just plain awesome.  For the Kids, I particularly like the song "Charlie," a poignant and resonating song about a father's love for his currently unborn daughter.  I also like "Queen Jane," "Permanent," "Broken Headlights," and "Like a Cloak."  And you have no excuse for them.  Their album is free!  So get out there and listen to some new music and hopefully find something you like.

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*The irony here is obvious.  Or perhaps I mean coincidence.  Or oxymoron.  I'm too tired to think it through.

**Perhaps I'll make this into a list and put up here...

FREE New Joe Purdy Album "This American" Available Now

Completely unexpected but infinitely grateful to Joe, I'm pleased to let everyone know that Joe Purdy has a new album available right now as a FREE download.  The album, This American, is a fifteen track piece of undeniable beauty.  Joe has never disappointed me with his music, and This American is  to par with the rest of his stuff.

If you're interested in getting the FREE download, go here to joepurdy.com and do so.  While there, you can listen to his other eleven albums in their entirety for free as well.

This is the perfect opportunity to try out Joe Purdy, my favorite singer/songwriter in the business.  This American will be free for the month of December, so hurry on over and get yours today!

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I got to see Joe in concert last year in Nashville, and I'd love to do so again if he ever comes remotely close.  Of course, remotely close to Western Kentucky is a 3-4 hr. drive.

On an unrelated note, you may notice that my blog has a slightly different appearance.  There'll be a special post about this next week. 

Happy Weekend for all who read this!

Three Quick Things, or Links Links Links!

One.  Brandon Sanderson and Tor are hosting a giveaway contest for his next book, the highly anticipated The Way of Kings, on GoodReads.  There are 40 ARCs up for grabs.  You can read all about it from Sanderson here, or go straight to the entry form here.  Tor also announced the book tour for this one, which you can find here.  If any of these cities were close, I'd definitely go.  I'm very excited about this book.  Oh, and in case you didn't know, Tor has up the prelude, prologue, and first three chapters of The Way of Kings on their website (here).  It's worth the read.  (You'll need to join Tor.com, but that's free, and it entitles you to the awesome stuff generally found there.)

Two.  It's no secret that I'm a Harry Potter fan.  Watching the previews to the final movie gave me chill bumps the first time.  It's so much darker than the previous ones.  I can't wait until November.  The 3-D thing kind of saddens me, but I suppose I'll watch this one in 3-D.  You can watch the video below, if you've not seen the preview yet.  I kind of want to re-read The Deathly Hallows before then.  Hopefully I'll find the time.



Three.  My all-time favorite singer-songwriter, acoustic mellow, bluegrassy folk artist has released his eleventh studio album, 4th of July.  I'm talking about Joe Purdy.  I've mentioned him plenty here on the blog.  Anyway, like all his other albums, the new one is up on his website, available now for purchase or free streaming.  Definitely check it out.  The guy never disappoints.  I've got all of his albums, and I'll be getting this one as soon as I get home from work today.

The Joe Purdy Concert

If you’ve followed this blog for any length of time, then you’ll know that I am a huge fan of Joe Purdy.  His songs are powerful, combining both wonderful lyrics and catchy music.  On almost any given day with almost any mood I can listen to Joe and feel his songs, feel the emotion attached to them.  With that, I’ve wanted to go to a Joe Purdy concert for many years now, and now I can finally say that I have gone.

The concert was in a bar, 3rd & Lindsley, in Nashville.  The setting was dark and atypical of what a bar might look like.  The stage was small and there were no bad seats in the place.  This environment creates an intimate setting for the show.  Luckily, me and Keisha got a seat at a table right beside the stage, and if there was a front row, then we were on it.

Joe’s opening act was a French singer-songwriter named Julie Peel.  She played about six songs with just her guitar, harmonica, and kazoo for support.  Her music was catchy and soothing, and her voice was pleasant.  Overall, a great opening choice for Joe methinks.  You can check out Julie’s music at her website by clicking here.

Joe came onstage next.  He played a solo show and the concert lasted about 80 minutes.  It was exciting to see the dude so close and to listen to him belt out familiar tunes from his large catalog, in addition to some new music, too.  The sound was perfect, and the live show sounded almost as good as the studio.  Joe played a fair mix of guitar-based songs and piano-based ones.

Sadly, I was expecting a longer show.  Eighty minutes doesn’t seem long enough to me, but I understand that Joe was probably tired.  He himself drove 9 hours to get to the show, so I’m sure he was a bit worn down.  Plus, this was the last show before he took a Holiday break.  Regardless, the concert experience was awesome.

One thing that wasn’t awesome was this drunken fangirl that kept getting on people’s nerves.  I can understand fans calling for requests, but this woman was rather rude.  She stood only a few feet in front of Joe while he played and sang and she sang along with him, if you can call it singing.  It had to have been distracting to Joe, as he kept making side remarks about acting like an adult and being respectful.  At one point she was talking so loudly and getting pictures made that Joe said something like “…that’s a good one.  You go ahead and do whatever you want.  It’s your show.”  He later on joked about hiring “somebody to choke that b------,” which was inappropriate on Joe’s behalf and likely spoken in anger.  Finally (and paraphrasing) he told the woman that if she could keep her mouth closed and be quiet through his next song then he’d play whatever song she wanted to hear.  She didn’t last very long, and Joe didn’t play what she wanted to hear.  Joe played his last song, did a one song encore, and left the stage.

Really it was disappointing and disgusting.  Do some people not have any sort of respect?  I think everyone should be required to learn etiquette and learn how to act when out in society.  I went to the restroom after the show and saw that woman’s husband/boyfriend/malefriend talking with Joe’s manager(?).  He, too, was very likely drunk.  He was yelling that that lady was Joe’s biggest fan and she just wanted to hear one song and that Joe didn’t have to act like that and that Joe was a piece of crap and that he wasn’t leaving until Joe played that song and that if he had to then he’d bust in Joe’s room and “throw a Bible at him” and bust him up and blah blah blah.  I decided to skip out on the restroom and leave.

I guess the point is nothing new.  Alcohol makes people do stupid stuff.  It also makes the rest of us think less of you if you’re drunk and stupid. 

I have to hand it to Joe, he did a great show, even with the loud distraction he had to put up with throughout a few songs.  I definitely can’t wait to see him again.  If you’ve never listened to Joe’s music, you are missing out.  He’s got all ten of his albums on his website that you can stream for free.  I’d recommend starting with You Can Tell Georgia, Paris in the Morning, Take My Blanket and Go, or StompinGrounds.

Finally, I’ll post a video of a new song he did.  Joe’s had a long history of letting fans record video and audio at his concert, but I only recorded a few songs.  It’s called “The Ballplayer.”  Awesome stuff.  (If I’m not supposed to have this video up then I’ll remove it.)

Shadows, Erosion Control, Birthdays, Nashville, and a Homeless Shelter

It’s been a rather busy week and the weekend promises to be stuffed absolutely full. So much to say so much to say so much to say so much to say. I like lists.

1. “Shadows” is a song written by David Crowder Band, from their newest cd. A friend of mine, Alex, came o’er the other night and we practiced music for a while, including this song. After he left I decided to record a cover just to put it out there. Alex plays bass, which you’ll notice is missing. Hopefully we’ll be able to add the bass-line in soon. Anyway, I recorded each instrument as one track then mixed them all together to get the end result. Enjoy. (And if you would like to hear a different song/sound all together I did, check out this one.)

So there are a few problems throughout the track, like the staggered timing of some of the instruments. But hey, I’ve only been learning the piano for a little while now. All in all, I liked the sound, but it by no means compares to the awesome original, which you can hear here if’n you’d like. (Actually, I recommend it. And if you’ve not got the band’s newest album, you should definitely consider it. Absolutely brilliant and amazing. Available as a cheap mp3 album here at Amazon.)

2. I spent all day yesterday in a training class. At the end of the day, there was an exam, which brought back memories of college… If I passed the exam (and I think I might have) then I will become a certified Kentucky Erosion Prevention and Sediment Control (KEPSC) inspector. This is a little scary, as I have little-to-no practical experience (and only a tad theoretical) in these fields. Regardless, it is something that I think I will enjoy if I get to do it, plus I’d be one of the very few certified erosion folken in my company. But for now, this takes the back burner.

3. Yesterday was my brother-in-law Clint’s birthday. He turned eight. Tonight we’re going to Chuck E. Cheese’s to celebrate. Should be a rocking crazy fun wild and imaginative time.

4. I believe I’ve mentioned it a few times here on Rememorandom, but I love Joe Purdy. The man knows how to write lyrics and create beautiful songs, from tragedy to joy, from happiness to anger. I’ve got two concert tickets for tomorrow night’s show in Nashville, and I’m taking my wonderful wife with me to go and finally see him. It’ll be my first Joe Purdy show and I am double-plus super excited. Keisha and I are going to spend the day in Opry Mills. We’ll get to see the Christmas lights and whatever else is up this time of year. Then, when the concert finally rolls around, she’ll get to hear me sing for 2 hours or so. Man o man am I ready.

5. I mentioned that Alex and I were playing some music at my house. We’ve been getting together once a week to practice on some songs. Typically, when our Sunday School class has a worship service at the homeless shelter (twice a month), Alex plays bass, I play guitar, and my Sunday School teacher plays guitar and leads the songs. This weekend, it’s just going to be me and Alex leading worship, so that should be…fun?

6. I was contacted yesterday by someone who wants to do a guest post on my blog. Since my blog is called Rememorandom, I had no problems with this. I don’t do as many random posts as I once did, but my subject matter is still random and whatever comes to mind. With that in mind, I thought it’d be perfect for the blog. Not sure when the post will come, but it will come. Hopefully. Until then, the guest blogger will remain anonymous, unless they decide to leave a comment here and reveal themselves, which would ruin the suspense but give me reason to keep this sentence going on much longer than it should, thus making it a run-on sentence, a common mistake in writing, which is the act of creating written works was invented by Barnabas K Polka-party in 2012.

That mostly sums everything up. Oh, we did get Stella’s hair cut this week. Here are two pictures for your puppy enjoyment.


If you look on the counter in that top picture, you can see the Sunday Crossword of the LA Times for this past week. And if you close your right eye and move your head a bit, you can block out my face and just see Stella on the bottom one! If you want to see more pictures than you can shake a stick at of Stella, from puppyhood to now, you can view my Picassa album here.

Three Quick Things

Joe Purdy has just announced (a few days ago) his tour dates for the first leg of his US solo tour. I've long said that if he comes to a concert that's relatively close then I'm going. So I've bought tickets for the Nashville show. The price is an unbelievably low $10. You can click here to find tickets, and be sure to check back soon for the rest of his tour dates. If he comes around you, I'd strongly consider checking him out. I've got two live albums from him, and both are amazing. (If you're interested in obtaining a free, legal, legit copy of either or both of these albums, let me know and I'll email you a link. Joe supports sharing!) And if you don't know who Joe Purdy is, click here for access to all of his catalog, or click here to read my thoughts, or here for a similar sounding post on Joe.

If you watch Austin City Limits on PBS, you may be interested to know that Dave Matthews Band will be playing a new show tomorrow night. The concert starts at 7pm CST. It should be pretty cool.

Also, Sunday night on PBS will feature an exciting show about Mammoth Cave, the largest cave system in the world located in Kentucky. As a Kentucky resident, I've been to the Cave a few times, and it's awesome. The show should be pretty cool, as they're showing never before seen stuff. It also comes on at 7pm CST.

You Can Tell Georgia, Rank #4

I first heard Joe Purdy when many other Americans first heard of him, back at the end of the Third Episode of Season One of Lost. It's the scene where Hurley picks up a cd player and starts listening to music, then he's walking around on the beach with a smile on his face and an amazing song playing over the air. That song is called "Wash Away (Reprise)." From that single song I searched out the artist and found a new favorite.

Joe is a truly independent artist. He writes his own songs, produces them himself, and is not signed to a label. Being free from the label gives him the ability to do whatever he likes, whenever he likes. And he's one of the most successful independent artists out there. Not only has he been featured on Lost, but he also had several songs played on Grey's Anatomy, House M.D., a Kia commercial, and the new Dawn commercial. Again, all of this is from being a successful and talented independent artist.

Joe's style is all over the place, but mostly falls in the range of acoustic-folk-Americana, with the occasional dose of electric guitars. This album, You Can Tell Georgia, is not as melancholic as some of the other albums, but still has traces of sadness and longing to some of the songs. The music is of such superb quality and solid that you can't help but tap your feet and sing along.

You Can Tell Georgia has the quality of a seasoned artist who's found his niche, but at the same time it feels exploratory. The album has 11 tracks and runs for almost 50 minutes. None of that time is wasted, and every song is a true joy to listen to. "You Can Tell Georgia" has a rebellious, fun feel to it. "Secret" is all about hidden love. "Can't Get It Right Today" is amazing. "Ode to Sad Clown" is one of my favorite Joe Purdy songs, and I find it beautiful.

The best part about Joe Purdy is that all of his albums are available on his website, linked here. You can listen to them in full, test out the waters. Joe has ten studio albums out now, all penned and completed from 2001 to now. I feel like telling everyone I know about Joe Purdy, recommending him to everyone that has a heart and a set of ears. He's appreciated around the world as a fine artist, and yet he maintains anonymity and small crowds, eschewing popularity and record labels. He's a brilliant, young artist, and I look forward to following his career for a long time. I could laud Joe Purdy for a long time, but really I recommend going to his website and listening to some of his albums, starting with You Can Tell Georgia, Paris in the Morning, or Only Four Seasons.

John Henry and the Old North Wind

This is my cover of "John Henry and the Old North Wind," from Joe Purdy's hauntingly beautiful album Canyon Joe. I don't give the original version any justice, but I like the song. Hope it works, and I hope you enjoy.



Egads!

Joe Purdy New Album Released

The cd is finally out. I've not yet managed to listen to it completely, as internet connection is fickle whilst on break, but I just had to post it. I'm sure it'll all be fantastic. Take care folks. The blog will be updated around the weekend for those of you who care.

A Little Miscellany

Next week, I'm excited to write, is Spring Break. My very last Spring Break ever. I'm going to soak up all the sun I can get back in the western part of Kentucky. Even though it's forecasted to rain for several days and be 60 degrees-ish, I don't care. Even though I'll be doing homework out the wazoo, I won't care. It'll be spring break, which means that I won't physically have to endure class and lecture for a week. And after the break I'll only have five weeks or so left of classes and then I'll be graduating! May 9th is when I'll officially, ceremoniously, graduate, but my semester will end April 28 or some time around there.

Since I've been hit pretty hard with spring fever, I feel like listening to the Beach Boys. Almost. Really, that doesn't hit until it consistently stays above 85-90 degrees for a while. Then it's Beach Boys time.

But, really, I'm more of a Beatles man. And an Old Time/ Folk/ Bluegrass/ Acoustic man. I noticed that itunes changed its genre classification of folk music; now the folk category is reclassified to Singer/Songwriter. I like Steve Earle, too. And Johnny Cash. Iron & Wine. My Morning Jacket. I don't want to give the false impression that I'm totally obsessed with the Counting Crows and Joe Purdy, because I'm typically not one to obsess, unless it's over a video game I can't put down.

By the way, Marky, I beat Fallout 3. I'm not sure whether or not you have yet, but I did, and I was disappointed. I don't really know what I expected, though. It seems that all games where you can completely control and choose your path has a certain branch of endings to which you are confined. I want to play a game that is truly unique, one where that if you kill the ArchEnemy early in the game, someone else rises up and takes his place. Or one where there really isn't a conclusion. I almost would prefer a non-conclusive conclusion to a crappy resolution.

And when I'm in an aggravated mood, or when I've been working for several hours on a project or something and I feel ready to die from school, I like to play Linkin Park, the White Stripes, System of a Down, or something loud like that.

The White Album or Abbey Road. It's really hard to choose between the two. A lot of folken really like Sgt. Peppers, and I like it, too, don't get me wrong, but I just don't enjoy it as much as the aforementioned. And The Band. That's another great one. Of course, as a folk connoisseur, I have to like Bobby D, the Zimmerman, the legend and master of folk, Master Dylan. And Simon & Garfunkel, who I got to see in concert my senior year of high school in Nashville.

If I could take Print Screen of my life, it would be a nice mosaic to see. Unfortunately, I don't have a Print Screen button. In fact, I don't have any visible buttons, only those ones that are internal that people like to push on sometimes.

I'm still searching diligently for a job. Still looking for a civil engineering position or an environmental engineering position. And Keisha and I are also beginning to search for our first house and to get out of the apartment lifestyle, but before we can commit to a home, I must first find a job.

I do hope you all are having a fantastic day, a great week, a blessed month, and a wonderful year. I hope the music never stops playing in your head, especially if it's anything like mine. Sorry for the rambling, but the pump don't work, cause the vandals took the handles.

Last Clock On The Wall

As I mentioned in my earlier post today, I cannot wait for the new Joe Purdy album to come out. As luck would have it, I received an email from the Joe Purdy folk asking me to embed this link on my blog, etc. Being a huge fan, I'll oblige.

If you check back within the next week the song should update to include the full album, which means that the album should come out within the week (I hope)!

Enjoy.

Joe Purdy

As an avid listener of music (is that such a unique thing?), I think my taste is rather eclectic. I mostly listen to folky-bluegrassy-acoustic stuff, but sometimes I'll feel the need for techno, pop, blues, country, rock, classical, catchy hip hop, foreign music, and almost anything that's playing. However, I have to point out and give recognition to one of my favorite artists: Joe Purdy.

I became aware of Joe during the first season of Lost, from his song "Wash Away", which appeared on one of the episodes. Joe's also had several songs featured in Grey's Anatomy, and a movie or two, too, I believe. However, he's not in the mainstream music industry largely due to the fact that he's completely independent, that is to say that he produces and makes his own stuff without the hassles of a Big Name record company.

Joe has an extensive catalog, all of which is free to listen on his website. Every album is a wonderful pleasure for your ears, and thought stimulating for your brain. I would classify Joe Purdy as an acoustic-folk artist, similar to Jack Johnson and John Mayer, but without the pop themes. Instruments include acoustic guitar, mandolin, piano, percussion, the occasional harmonica, and a wonderful voice.

I can easily recommend Joe to anyone with any taste in music, and I can almost guarantee that you'll love him. Enjoy.