It Never Comes Easily; And When It Does, I'm Already Gone...*

Another fantastic weekend here in Music City.

To kick it off, Li'l Kates hosted another bi-annual Wine & Cheese party. Molly and i made and brought these lovely brownie bon bons as well as our beverage contribution:

[They were delicious!]


Saturday was full of busyness and errands and the things one must do when one owns a house . . . especially when one has family coming in for a big holiday . . .

But the culmination of the weekend was the best part, if you ask me:
[Kates, Kelly, & myself]

These girls and i attended another fine show here in Nashvegas. i love this little venue for its Sunday night shows (in particular), fried food (i don't fry things myself - ever), and no smoking status. (i still can't believe i missed Dar there on Saturday . . . ::sigh::)

First up was Matt Hires:


This Florida native's songs were beautiful, simple but poignant, and still managed to be both heartwrenching and heartwarming. i suggest checking him out; i'll certainly be buying his EP. He and the next artist seemed to share an affinity for whistling...and they were both quite impressive with the skill.

Meet Meghan Smith (pronounced Mee-gan):


While Miss Smith's stylings did not always suit my personal preferences, there is no denying that this singer/songwriter has a phenomenal voice. She is full of funny, personal anecdotes and has a quirky style all her own.

And then . . . the headliner for the evening . . . Eric Hutchinson!


i believe that my exact description of the evening's music was "bluesy rocking fantasticness" - and i'm sticking to it. i don't know if artists are at their best here in Nashville, or if it's just that the artists that i prefer and have seen perform lately have great stage presence . . . but the man was funny. He owned the stage with both his performances and his sarcastic pokes at himself, his writing, and his audience.


Overall, he is a great musician, with a great band, and a voice that does not disappoint in a live performance. And then, in another one of those Nashville moments that i adore, we glanced over and noticed a very enthralled Matt Wertz enjoying the concert (and singing along to every word) right along with us:


The girls and i gave in after the show and took advantage of this photo opp with Eric:

[Fantastic!]

*Title taken from lyrics for Ok, It's Alright With Me - i. Love. It.