2009...a year of fecality

In all of my life, there have been very few years that I've been so ready to shove out the door as 2009. While it doesn't take the crown for the worst year (2002 holds that honor), it's had all the charm of a large, odoriferous pile of summertime dogshit attached to one's shoe. No matter how diligently the foot is shaken, the funk is there and it will follow closer than a shadow. Heartbreak, heartache, pain, confusion, boredom, frustration, mental mutilation and an ice storm beyond belief...yep, it's been a bitch.



It is said that which doesn't kill us only makes us stronger. That quote holds a lot of water, sort of like the Stanley Cup only less ornate. Among friends, I can say that there were moments when I seriously felt like the times were getting the best of me and I wasn't putting up much of a fight. That's what happens when indifference rises to the top like the cream of the crap. It tends to stifle the sparkle in the eye leaving a dull glaze in its place.



In the final furlong, I'm still here and maybe I am stronger for it. I guess the jury is still out on that one. For all I know, 2010 will be so thoroughly savage that I will pine for the good ol' days of its predecessor. The mere thought makes my blood run cold, but anything is possible.



This is not to say that the entire year was a barge ride down Shit Creek. There were indeed moments of goodness lurking in the funk-ridden weeds. The kind of goodness that I'd forgotten still existed in this world. Unfortunately, much of this goodness was served up with the kind of chaser that dropped me to my knees. It's ironic that the sweetest moments were often followed with an extremely bitter pill to swallow. It happens. That's life.



The afterglow left me staggering around in a haze trying to figure out just how in the hell I'd bottomed out onto the rocks so hard. I'm still trying to figure that one out. Considering the outcome, I'm not sure it's wise to think about it even in passing. Looking back, I don't think I'll be accused of being wise anytime soon.



Rather than sprinkling additional blood, piss, and venom on the parade route, I'll look at the materialistic goodness simply because it's easier. For once, I am taking the easy way out.



10 albums that made the days better (no particular order, as everyone says when it comes to this kind of shit):



BB King - One Kind Favor

Cracker - Sunrise In The Land Of Milk And Honey

Michael Dean Damron - Father's Day

Daddy - For A Second Time

Cheap Trick - The Latest

Ace Frehley - Anomaly

Drivin N Cryin - Whatever Happened To The Great American Bubble Factory?

Lucero - 1372 Overton Park

Micah Schnabel - When The Stage Lights Go Dim

Tom Waits - Glitter And Doom Live



Some of them were a tad disappointing (Cheap Trick) while others rose above already high expectations (BB King, Cracker, Lucero) and by far, the one that got the most spin-time and thoroughly kicked my ass was Father's Day by Michael Dean Damron. That man consistently delivers the musical goods and yet is largely unknown. If there was an ounce of justice in this world, his name would be spoken with the same respect that goes to the finest songwriters. His music has certainly made some of the worst days seem not-so-bad.



I don't get out and on the road to culture like I used to do and for the most part, I'm okay with this concept. Rather than list the best shows that I saw, I can easily list all of the shows that I saw in '09.



Sponge--Phoenix Hill Tavern, Louisville KY 3/14/09

Tommy Womack--Creme Coffee House, Owensboro KY 4/2/09

Two Cow Garage/Austin Lucas/Mike Hale--The Basement, Nashville TN 8/2/09

Tommy Womack--Boiler Room Bar, Owensboro KY 9/--/09

Motorhead/Reverend Horton Heat/Nashville Pussy--The Pageant, St. Louis MO 9/23/09

Buddy Guy/Stillwell, Rodenburg & Company--The Centre, Evansville IN 11/8/09

Lucero/Cedric Burnside & Lightnin' Malcolm/Dirty Streets--Headliners, Louisville KY 11/21/09

Cheap Trick/Superdrag--Ryman Auditorium, Nashville TN 12/3/09



In a nutshell, Sponge were good, Tommy Womack is always great (even in a certified shithole like the Boiler Room), Two Cow Garage (and openers) restored my faith in humanity, Motorhead were Motorhead (which is to say that they were great and they were fucking LOUD), it was one of the finer Buddy Guy shows that I've seen, the Lucero show was wonderful for a variety of reasons which I won't go into here, and Cheap Trick always put on a great show. Whew.



In that regard, 2010 is already looking promising as I already have tickets to see Willie Nelson in February and BB King in April. There is hope that Michael Dean Damron will indeed tour outside of the Pacific Northwest as either a solo act or with the reunited I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch In The House. Either way is fine with me.



I do hope that I will eventually make peace with the year and look back at it with reflective fondness at some point, but for now, I will just lift a middle finger aloft when thinking of 2009.