My friend Bill prefers Madonna, Prince and Tina Turner. He doesn’t particularly care to go to shows, but he does like Mexican food.

Having set up house in Murfreesboro a week ago with my friends Bill and Danny, I finally felt the desire to venture out and catch a few bands. I chose the Parachute Musical, The Never and The States show at Casa Burrito in Murfreesboro last Saturday. Bill asked about my plans for the evening. He wanted to accompany me. Wow. Bill doesn’t like live music. In the past five years, he’s only gone to concerts with me if (1) it’s a band from his past, whether he knows one song or their entire catalog which explains his attendance at both The Cure and Counting Crows; or (2) he feels special as in free tickets, meet-n-greets and drink specials which explains Ligion and Vanderbilt’s Rites of Spring. He went to Casa Burrito strictly to eat Mexican fare with intentions of leaving before the bands played.

We arrive at Casa Burrito with empty tummies to find all the bands members also having a pre-show meal. The bands, Bill and myself are the only diners. The restaurant soon fills with girls wearing ballet shoes, leggings, vintage jewelry and carrying huge, colorful shoulder bags and with boys wearing relaxed faded jeans, deck shoes, hoodies, blazers and shirts of the black, gray and green variety. Our crowd gazing is soon distracted by a sign with drink specials being posted in the bar area. Apparently these drink specials happen with shows¹, and “we have shows a lot,” our server tells us. Bill and I look at each other with satisfied grins. Ironically and obviously, Bill stayed a little while longer as opposed to his intentions of leaving.

Parachute Musical_

The show began nearly an hour and a half after schedule – concert pet peeve # 261. Nashville’s own Parachute Musical went on first, announcing that this was their “first full band, full set show.” Of  course their key-based music² instantly brings on notions of Ben Folds or Rufus Wainwright, but they also have a cowbell. A few of my favorite lyrics include: ‘only time will tell that you have been a disgraceful choice,’ ‘can’t find work with a college degree’ and ‘I’ll marry my music instead because she makes me feel la-la-la-la.’ My notes include phrases like Thursday vocals with Death Cab music, Guster-ish with smooth electric guitar strides, kitschy jazz bridge robs angry hunger, alt-county square dance, big band taps to Led Zep’s The Ocean riffs and a dramatic Queen ending. I ask Bill, “How many different genres can they fit in one song?” He replied, “Probably 12.” During a song that I understood to be titled something that sounds like “cross-weeder,” the patrons actually bobbed their heads and shook their hips but I was reminded of an orchestra warming up – it was too much noise. I looked at Bill with my grimaced face and began, “They try to put too much [stuff]…” we both finished the sentence at the exact same time with, “in one song.” Not impressed, Bill left.

The Never_

Minus my moral support, I settled into a lone booth near the back of the room and awaited The Never, from Charlotte, North Carolina. They were fantastic musicians but terrible vocalists. I wish I could’ve understood every word. Maybe it was the room. Maybe it was the sound. Maybe it was my delirium setting it. The best tune I heard included, ‘I hear you like a broken phone …being nice is hardest … who’ll be here to hug me when you’re gone.’ This song and the following three songs all had elements of Weezer’s Buddy Holly and Say It Ain’t So as if sung by the love child New Found Glory’s Jordan Pundik and Ben Kweller. Another great tune³ was Cavity, which utilized the reggae-punk skin thumping I endear (see also, The Police, The Clash, Interpol, Sublime, Film School).

The States_

Then, at approximately 12:02 a.m., a tsunami° hit Casa Burrito. It’s name is The States. If I was a label’s A&R, I probably would’ve signed them on the spot (although they are already with Chicken Ranch Records of Austin, Texas). This Murfreesboro band gives me hope of finding love within the new local scene I just moved into. Their brand new song SOB produced the most movement I’d seen all night. Kids were pogo’ing! As much as I mostly dislike keyboards or organs as support, their organ fit perfectly. It was subtle, not overbearing or annoying. I think someone scratched on turntables during Lights Out, but I couldn’t see to confirm that. I wanted their CD, though I slyly left without it. Seriously, they were THAT good. I don’t know who exactly to compare them to, but I jotted down the following throughout their set, lofty as they are: Rolling Stones, The Vines, The Strokes, The Killers, The Fratellis, Franz Ferdinand, Semisonic and Arctic Monkeys. Apparently Red Lion reminded me of The Beatles’ chorus ‘I wanna be your lover baby, I wanna be your man’ and Iggy Pop’s Lust For Life. I rarely namedrop that much (as it feels like sacrilege), but I was THAT impressed.

While my first Boro night out since attending MTSU was a decent success, I look forward to seeing more. I want more! With or without Bill.

¹ Casa Burrito’s schedule can be viewed at www.myspace.com/casaburrito2

² Hear the hammer’s vibrato at www.myspace.com/parachutemusical

³ The Never’s Cavity can be downloaded from www.myspace.com/thenever

° I hope you have an emergency plan: www.myspace.com/thestates