Jennifer Kirk

Do you know what makes Music City so great? Well, I couldn’t tell you for sure until last week. That’s right ladies and gentlemen — we finally got Fat Tire in the great state of Tennessee! And on Thursday of last week I enjoyed said beverage while watching one of my favorite acts on tour today — Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit. The performance was stellar. The show kicked off with Sway and then quickly moved into one of my favorite tracks on Sirens of the Ditch — Chicago Promenade. “If I die now before I’m old my story will be less than told” are some of the simplest words, yet so meaningful — it gets me everytime.

[All photos by Jennifer Kirk]

The majority of the set was from Sirens of the Ditch. Eventually came Psycho Killer and I don’t know about you, but I love when bands cover the Talking Heads in any way, shape or form. It got the Mercy Lounge dancing that’s for sure. One of the highlights of the evening was a performance of It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue with Isbell on acoustic. Shortly after that Dress Blues was played and the performance left me with goose bumps. No, I’m serious. The song is a great story-telling piece and inspired me so much that I wrote a piece abou a couple of months ago. Overall, the show was a great one and I can’t wait to see Isbell the next time he’s in Music City — who knows maybe I’ll buy him a Fat Tire, or two.

READ ON for more pictures of Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit in Nashville…

What is it about a lyric or a guitar solo that evokes so much emotion in people? Or for that matter — even the lack thereof. For example, the part in Divided Sky when there is silence and Trey just waits and waits to feed off the crowd for that exact timing and then it just explodes into this momentary epic masterpiece of bliss. That, my friends, is why I love Phish so much. It was never, ever the lyrics that grabbed my attention (sorry Tom Marshall) — it was always about the sounds that the instruments made and the way the boys talked through their instruments. How many bands could do that and do it so fucking well?

Not to sound too cliche but music is my life. It has been ever since I can remember. You can ask anyone of my friends or even my family, I always prefer to go to a concert or a music festival over taking a vacation to the beach, mountains or a foreign country. And much to my families dismay, I prefer concerts over church. It’s simply because music speaks to me personally more than anything I have known or probably ever will know. It simply is and that’s it for me. I can’t imagine myself doing or being anyone else.

Now, I know music doesn’t speak to everyone in this way but music is an important part of our country and our world. It’s a form of communication that everyone can understand and relate to in one way or another. For this reason, it’s very important for political candidates to pick the correct theme song for their campaign. These songs are something that the candidate’s supporters can relate to and it helps to create a feeling, mood or even a memory. Much like the ending of The Sopranos these songs are meant to evoke an emotion and often times serve as inspiration to people to believe in the individual they are supporting. So now, let’s take a look at some campaign theme songs from some of the candidates from this race. READ ON to see what we think Obama’s theme song should be…

Today I find myself sitting on my couch next to my mounds of used facial tissue, Robitussin and other miscellaneous drugs procured from the local Walgreens, as I’m STILL recovering from this year’s ‘roo. On Saturday of last week I found myself getting sicker and sicker while working in Centeroo. It t’was a combination of cold and allergies according to my doctor. But no matter what it is — I’ll still call it the Bonnaflu. And let me tell you getting sick at a festival is the absolute worst — I would not wish it on anyone except Kanye West.

This was my sixth Bonnaroo, I’ve attended every year except 2005 when I opted for Summer Camp instead. It’s very hard for me not to go to Bonnnaroo as it’s less than 30 miles down the road. And over the years, I’ve learned how to pack for it and be prepared for anything because, unlike most of my friends, I have yet to attend the festival in the luxury of an air-conditioned RV.

For the second year in a row, I attended with HeadCount to register festival goers to vote. We arrived on Wednesday to absolutely wonderful weather. We got our booth in Planet Roo setup for the next day and setup our campsite as well. We spent that evening grilling out, catching up, watching the sunset and just having a good time. And even though I go to Bonnaroo for the music, sometimes the time spent at the campsite is just as important and just as fun. The team we had this year was fantastic. Every team member was top notch and I was once again, very proud to be a part of something as awesome as HeadCount.

READ ON for more of Jennifer’s thoughts on her ‘Roo experience…

As I sit here typing up this week’s LoC I am witnessing history and for the first time in a while, I’m actually proud to be an American. Why? Because unless you are living under a rock, you know that Barack Obama has become the first African-American presidential candidate to win a major party’s nomination in our country. And while Clinton would have ‘broke the glass ceiling’ for being the first female candidate, Obama’s nomination is just as important to our nation’s history.

But this week, I’d like to address something a little different that is a very pressing issue, not only for our country, but the whole world. The issue you ask? Poverty and hunger. This week, world leaders were discussing this very issue. While the numbers are a little skewed on the food production output needed and increase in prices to consumers, we need to address world hunger and poverty. The recent natural disasters and the increasing cost of fuel are forcing more and more people to rely on food banks to help supplement their nutritional needs. This includes our country. READ ON for more of this week’s LOC to find out what you can do…

Earlier this week, I watched the new HBO movie “Recount.” The movie tells the story of the 2000 presidential election and the debacle that occurred in the great state of Florida. It’s a great depiction and even though it did have it’s obvious democratic leanings, it stuck to the story pretty well.

This week we also saw the release of former Press Secretary Scott McClellan’s tell-all book entitled “What Happened” which apparently highly criticizes the Bush Administration and their actions with everything from the war in Iraq to the handling of Hurricane Katrina.

The movie, along with the news of McClellan’s criticisms on our current administration got me thinking – what if Al Gore had won the presidency in 2000? Well, for one, he certainly wouldn’t be living in Nashville…

“No matter how hard the loss, defeat might serve as well as victory to shake the soul and let the glory out.” – Al Gore

READ ON for more about what Gore and Bush accomplished since 2000…

Instead of dwelling on the ever increasing price of gas, the war and everything else wrong with our country or the rest of the world we thought it would be nice to take a breather from all the bad vibes and have some fun.

So this week we’re going to take a look at a few celebrities that are endorsing or aligning themselves with presidential candidates and hopefully get a laugh or two in the process. Welcome to the first round of Political Celebrity Death Match 2008.

I’ve gathered some research on celebrities and who they endorse; now they must battle it out Celebrity Death Match style in your imagination! The best part is that you, the HT reader, get to decide the winner! This week we have a tag team match up pairing pianists/composers with action heroes for the three remaining candidates. READ ON to cast your vote for Round 1 of P.C. Death Match…

“Built to last till time itself falls tumbling from the wall”

So here we are once again. The democratic race rolls on, inflation continues to rise and natural disasters occur all over the world. Myanmar gets devastated by a cyclone, China gets destroyed by an earthquake, tornadoes rip through the south, and someone decided to start a bunch of fires in Florida. What the hell is going on?

Myanmar’s government is having problems accepting disaster relief. China’s death toll continues to rise. And we still have New Orleans.

New Orleans and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is an interesting tale. Unlike Myanmar, our government did respond. Efforts to rebuild and restore have been hit or miss. Albeit disheveled, highly criticized and costly – New Orleans DID get relief. As evidenced by the recent natural disasters and using a little common sense, we will never be able to defeat Mother Nature and her awesome power. What we can do is prepare for the inevitable (unlike duct tape terrorist prevention). This leads me to the levees. READ ON for more of LoC…

Over the last couple of weeks we’ve seen various news reports on the supposedly ‘elitist’ Barack Obama and his choice of food and drink. Is it really that elitist to eat leafy-greens? I mean seriously folks; Obama is getting slammed for some pretty stupid things lately: bowling, arugula and not wearing an U.S. flag lapel pin every waking minute of his day. Is the press serious with this shit?!?

We as a society need to do a much better job of criticizing the candidates who will potentially be our next leader by asking questions that are relevant to the future of our country and not whether they prefer McDonald’s to Ruth’s Chris. And why is no one criticizing Hillary Clinton for this? She just spent $6.4 million more on her campaign. Is it not elitist to donate that much money to your own campaign? Oh wait, I forgot it is okay with Middle America because she consumes beer.

Barack Obama grew up in a single-parent household and on food stamps for a time. He attended some of the best colleges in the country because of his determination and ability to receive financial aid; he was a community organizer for a time in Chicago that paid little to nothing. I think Karl Rove said it worst, “You argue the son of a single working mom can’t be an elitist. But it’s not where you start in life, it’s where you end up.” Wow. Way to crush what I thought was the American Dream. The dream that no matter who you are, where you are – that if you try hard enough, have the desire and work ethic that one day you too can be as successful (read: rich like you Karl) as anyone else in Hollywood, in the political spotlight, or perhaps even a musician…which leads me to this weeks music related content: Hospitality Riders. I mean if we’re going to criticize what the candidates consume, we might as well do the same with the artists that we know and adore. READ ON to find out what musicians need to perform…

HeadCount recently announced the latest addition to its ever-growing artist roster. Looking to diversify and reach a larger concert-going base, HC has teamed up most recently with Pearl Jam, John Mayer, Foo Fighters, Ani DiFranco, Jack Johnson, Colin Meloy of the Decemberists and Megadeth. Much like the diversification of the Bonnaroo line-up, HeadCount is looking to reach a new crowd to help meet its goal of registering 100,000 new voters before November.

With the addition of new artists and upcoming summer tours HeadCount is seeking individuals that will be the official Touring Team Representative for entire tours of Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer, Jack Johnson, Pearl Jam and more artists to be announced in the coming months. According to the HeadCount press release, “Our volunteers will tour with these world-famous performers and register voters at each stop on their respective tours. Participating artists and HeadCount provide transportation, lodging, a stipend, and entrance to shows. This is an incredible opportunity for people who have a great work ethic and leadership experience.” READ ON for more on HC’s “Ultimate Summer Gig”…

Roger Daltrey of the Who was quoted as saying, “the last thing the planet needs is a rock concert…the questions and the answers are so huge I don’t know what a rock concert’s ever going to do to help.” This week, LoC is going to examine music festivals and their impact on politics. No, I’m not talking about Bonnaroo, Woodstock, or the South Park Hippie Jam Fest of 2005…

I’d like us to take a look at festivals that are put on for the sole purpose of pushing an issue or supporting a specific cause. So here we go…

Last weekend the Green Apple Festival took place in eight cities across this country. The purpose of the Green Apple Festival is to “[present] a wide variety of organizations and educational displays on the theme of environmental awareness.” The event is also produced with the smallest carbon footprint as possible.

READ ON for more of this week’s Land of Confusion…