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Well, as you know 2009 was certainly an interesting year.  I saw a lot of music I normally wouldn't have, and I'm a bit better of a person for it.  I've been dragging my heels on doing a year end wrap up now for the better part of December, but I suppose I needed to do so.

This was definitely the year of house shows, at least in my world.  Two of the hands down, best shows I attended were either in the living room or the back yard of houses. 

Austin Lucas, after suffering major car troubles in Arizona or New Mexico, had to unfortunately cancel his scheduled Juanita's date, but still made good on his word and came to Little Rock.  We were lucky enough to have someone volunteer their back yard, and I can't even describe how amazing it was to see him that closely.  We huddled around him while he howled and sang with power.  It was a chilly night to begin with, but his talent sent extra chills down my spine.  Besides being one hell of a singer/songwriter, he is one of the nicest guys I met over the last year.  He's got a pretty sweet sense of humor too!  If you don't own his solo record, Somebody Loves You, it's definitely worth a listen.

The other house show, that was just superb, was Micah Schnabel, of Two Cow Garage.  He recently released his first solo effort, When The Stage Lights Go Dim.  It's simply phenomenal, and we were lucky to keep him in town for three shows.  He first opened for Slobberbone on a Tuesday evening.  Then we convinced him to come back Friday to play this house show.  He was previously scheduled to open for Lucero, but somewhere along the lines there were conflicts and he got bumped from the ticket.  Not all was lost though, about 25 people made it to an extremely last minute house show, and Micah played his heart out.  He covered much of his new album, and several Two Cow Garage songs.  He is an exceedingly heartfelt performer who puts so much effort and care in to his songs that it astounds me.  He's one of the most humble men I have ever met, and if you have yet to hear any TCG or his solo album, I strongly recommend them even if you aren't in to the whole alt-rock, partially americana scene. 

As for venues, White Water Tavern was by the far the best of the year especially for bringing in random bands.  They had two awesome international acts that some may scoff at, but a bar that size being able to bring them is pretty amazing in retrospect.  Besides those two, Matt White & co at the bar worked on bringing not just the usual fare alt-country that the place has been previously associated with.  I noticed a trend in White bringing more blues people than I'd ever seen there.  T-Model Ford & CeDell Davis stand out in my mind.  They are simply living legends and each of their shows was mind blowing.  I have no idea if they'll make it back in the next  year, but I'm certainly gunning for them to. 

WWT also brought in Zydeco, Punk, Metal, Rock, Indie, & just about anything else one could want.  It was a diverse year, and those who entered that smoke filled bar at least once this past year were more than guaranteed some of the best music around.  Thanks to all there.

However, Chris King needs a mention here as well.  He was able to bring in a bigger, diverse ticket as well.  We saw the likes of Langhorne Slim, Wax Fang, Cursive, Dead Confederate, Dinosaur Jr., and Elvis Perkins In Dearland to name a few.  Obviously he has a bit more money to work with at the larger venues, and he deserves a pat on the back for what he's brought to a stage near you this year.

As for favorite Little Rock bands this year, I've been following Magic Hassle and The See rather closely.  Each are different in style and sound, but both put forth an amazing effort and it certainly shows whenever I catch one of their performances.  I've talked on and on about both but they're worthy of it.  I'll say keep your eyes open for some of their upcoming shows, and I'll leave it at that.  However, even that was really hard to decide because there have been so many strong band forming in town over the last half year.  I was actually a bit conflicted, but have no fear, I love all of you even if you weren't mentioned on here!

The wild card Little Rock band, who has only played once and hopefully not the last time, is Sweet Eagle.  Yes, Sweet Eagle.  I really hope these guys make 2010 bow to them.  I'll guess we'll have to see.

I have been putting considerable thought in to my favorite, under the radar band, of the year and have finally settled on Red Collar of Durham, North Carolina (Mike Jackson, 1/4 of RC pictured singing with fans).  No matter what I listen to, I always come back to their first full length, Pilgrim.  It is one of the genuinely few albums I own that keeps my attention throughout its eleven tracks.  There seriously is not a dull moment on it, and that is one of the hardest things that bands seem to struggle with these days.

Red Collar has apparently broken through that barrier and rightfully so.  They tour hard and play even harder.  Alt-rock & indie with punk throwbacks have all been mixed finely to create a sound that everyone seems to love, but seemingly many don't know about.  It's truly a pity because these guys & gal have earned more acclaim than they have been given, and if you're interested in grabbing a copy of their CD or recently pressed vinyl, swing on over to Suburban Home Records.  Their effort is honestly worth it, and I hope they garner more support than ever in 2010. 

I've seen them now several times, and I swear each show just gets better.  The Little Rock audience feeds off their energy and in turn Red Collar feeds off the audience.  I was blown away the first time I saw them, and will continually be so each time they make their way through in the future.  As far as I'm concerned, they will always be welcome in town, and I hope they come back sooner rather than later. 

Obviously this is my opinion, and I'd love to hear what some of your favorites of the year have been.  Thanks for all the support, and I'll be ringing in with a New Year's Eve report around the 2nd or so.  Have a wonderful night, and don't get in to too much trouble!

-L

(Photo by: Lizzie Burnham)