12th & Porter

May 8, 1:10 PMNashville Venues ExaminerEmily Blue

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I will be replacing this photo from a picture
of the show on my camera as soon as I find the USB.

It was a cool clear evening when I pulled down 12^th Avenue to what looks like a dead end road, this street however is anything but dead. Here lies 12^th & Porter, a popular venue in town for live music whose stage has hosted such great music acts such as Townes Van Zandt (circa 1985), OURS, Jeffrey Steele, Angie Aparo, Rick Brantley, Jim Lauderdale, Jewel, Neil Young and a variable plethora of others. And according to countless reviewers and zealots, one of, if not the best (2^nd only to the historic Ryman Auditorium, home of the ORIGINAL Grand Ol’ Opry) sounding room to see live music in Nashville.

I park my car in a found spot somewhere on the street and I can hear music spilling out to the streets from the wide open room out front. Upon walking in, there is a bar directly in front of you and it is at this point that you must choose which path you are headed. Right, or left. It seems to me that the right is free and the left is where I want to be. I pay the hipster at the door my $5 and show him my ID (gratefully) and he brands me with a caution orange bracelet…it is a nice accessory to my outfit, I think to myself.

Sure beats a stamp that will inevitably end up on as a mark on my forehead the next morning..but I digress as I am want to do…

I step through the mystery door and descend the 2 or 3 steps into a lovely room, smallish to medium in size, perfect size actually. Reminds me of the Dark Horse in Atlanta, or as it is now called, the 10 High where I have spent so many of my evenings in that darkened dungeonous cellar….I am at home.

The band Death on 2 Wheels has already begun. DAMN. I missed the beginning, I kick myself a little because I walk into the best rock show I have seen from a local act in a looong time. A-friggihn-mazing! You may remember a previous review I wrote about the Mercy Lounge when they played a little over a month ago. If not, please feel free to read it here, as it is uber-entertaining, if I do say so myself.

Since I have already written about them, and I am the official Nashville Venues Examiner, I shall attempt to stick to topic. Attempt...

The room does indeed sound AMAZING. I can pick out every bow-ba-bow-bow-bow from the bass line, every crisp clear note from the lead guitarist and the rhythymic rat-a-tat-tat of the drums, even the chimes the percussionist dangles gently at the beginning of the next song ring clear and true through the depths of my soul.

The room was decently crowded, probably about 100 people, spread out nicely so as one can move around for a better view or better sounding spot (right in front of the sound board and up a few feet is where I always like to stand) without crowding anyone’s personal space. The lights weren’t overly annoying like some places tend to be, mostly just fading in and out of purple and yellows, and 5 medium size disco balls spun slowly & silently, begging to be lit up. The bartender was very nice, which I appreciate completely. I am so sick of the bartender or waitress that is too cool to be nice. Someone please tell those douche-rockets that they are in the SERVICE industry. Thank you.

I also am in the service industry, and weather I am having a bad night, day, week, life, whatever, I do not bring my personal issues to the people sitting at my bar, making them feel like they owe me something b/c my life is less than desirable at this juncture.

There I go on a tangent again..

“The time has come, the Walrus said, to talk of many things, of shoes and ships and sealing wax, and cabbages and kings, and why the sea is boiling hot and weather pigs have wings…”

The End!

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Artists Mentioned:

RICK BRANTLEY

http://www.rickbrantley.com/
http://www.myspace.com/rickbrantley

ANGIE APARO

www.angieaparo.com
www.myspace.com/angieaparo

OURS

www.ours.net/
http://www.myspace.com/oursmusic

JIM LAUDERDALE

www.jimlauderdale.com
www.myspace.com/jimlauderdale

JEFFREY STEELE

www.jeffreysteele.net/

TOWNES VAN ZANDT

www.townesvanzandt.com

JEWEL

http://www.jeweljk.com/
www.myspace.com/jewel

NEIL YOUNG

www.neilyoung.com
www.myspace.com/neilyoung