Wow, what a week I’ve had!

My luck must be about to run out. Since I wrote last I’ve been to two concerts, a barbecue and a recording studio. The concerts were impromptu instances of luck, as in “Hey, Jill, come to this!” Who am I to turn down an invitation?

Last Thursday I had the pleasure of seeing Butch Walker and The Lets Go Out Tonites at City Hall in Nashville. I left Columbia in a frenzy to meet friends, Brian and John, at the sushi bar next to the venue.

We caught one of the two opening acts, As Fast As, who threw me for a loop when they covered Radiohead’s “Creep.” This could be my only chance to see this song performed live — and the singer played it with a ukulele.

Butch Walker rocked and rolled more than I ever would have believed had I not been there to witness it. Walker has been in the spotlight lately because of the television contest “RockStar: Supernova.” Once the band (Motley Crue’s Tommy Lee, Guns N Roses’ Gilby Clark and Metallica’s Jason Newsted) chooses a lead singer, Walker will produce their first album. He participated in the premier night’s performance critiques. His fame began as front man for Marvelous 3, the kitschy Atlanta band best known for “Freak Of The Week.” Then he wrote a hit song for another artist, and is now an award-winning producer and touring fiend with The Lets Go Out Tonites. His latest album “The Rise and Fall…” was released earlier this month.

He tore up City Hall by playing M3 songs including “Every Monday” and “Cigarette Lighter Love Song” and by covering Gnarls Barkley’s Top 40 smash hit “Crazy.” Walker also did the unthinkable by leaping from the stage and into the crowd. Finding his way to the middle, incidentally in front of me, he asked everybody to get down on the ground — that’s when I found myself on the filthy floor with Walker’s torso and head on my lap. As he continued to sing, the hidden motherly-side of me wiped his sweat-glued hair from his eyes. When we all jumped up, I assisted by gripping his waist and launching him upwards. He gave me a pat on the back and returned to the stage. (You’re welcome, Butch.)

Saturday night I attended the Nashvillerock.net meet-n-greet barbecue. I write for them as well under the banner head “Jill Loves Rock.” I met my “bosses” Dave, Chris and Kyle, and their lovely wives, charming friends and beautiful children, and felt like a geek compared to the amount of coolness projected by them. The site has recently released the “Nashville Rock Vol. 1” compilation disc featuring Destroy By Design, Guns A Go Go, Ready Empire and many more. If you see one in a store, at a show or on a buddy’s desk — be sure to pick it up!

On to Monday night, I sat in during a recording session at Smash House in Columbia. Smash House Entertainment is a label and recording studio founded by Daz “Young Dizzle” Goodman and Shey “XP” Spears. With the four rap artists on the roster, and a busy schedule of for-hire sessions, Smash House could be in the running for the “next big hit” in the Southern rap scene. On this particular evening, however, Daz began working on a possible crossover tune with male and female vocals over a beat with prominent electric guitar melodies provided by The Daily Herald’s own Skyler Swisher. Friends Ken and Angela sang a clever chorus with the premise of we’re-breaking-up-“but I can do better.” I have visited Smash House before in pursuit of studio and recording knowledge, but there is no bigger compliment than asking a music writer their opinion. Daz has always welcomed my input — and helps me believe that I really know what I’m talking about. Smash House’s next public exhibition will be during C-Town’s Best Of Tha Best event on Aug. 26 at the National Guard Armory in Columbia.

Having been at the right place at the right time, I received tickets to see Willie Nelson and John Fogerty on Tuesday at Starwood Amphitheatre. We arrived a little late, but we managed to hear Nelson perform “You Were Always On My Mind,” “On The Road Again,” and “Whiskey River.” His guitar was a sight to behold! I wish I knew its biography — it looked as though it had been set on fire, thrown in a river, run over by a truck, punched by Mike Tyson then abandoned in Death Valley.

My obsession with the evening’s guitars continued with John Fogerty. If I counted correctly, he traded 10 guitars at least 17 times, including one resembling a Louisville Slugger during “Centerfield.” When he said, “the Vietnam War is happening all over again,” I thought a riot was going to breakout because the crowd responded with cheers and boos, but mostly because of the two men near me whom exchanged expletives. If you remember my review of Hootie and the Blowfish, I wrote of how hyper and active the band was. Well, Fogerty could run circles around them. I can’t believe how well he played while running, jumping and contorting his body to the groove. My wild week of rockin’ and rollin’ ended with “Proud Mary.”

The remainder of the week I had to work and recuperate. Even rock stars, as well as obit writers, sometimes have two jobs. As I type this I could be in Cool Springs attending yet another show, but I had to turn down the invitation to remain somewhat sane.

But like Willie sang, “The life I love is makin’ music with my friends/And I can't wait to get on the road again.”