A week and a day ago, I left work a couple hours early and drove down to Nashville to see Charly Bliss in concert at the Exit/In. They were awesome, as I knew they would be.

A dude like me, in his late 50s, has no business driving four hours each way to see an power pop group of 20-somethings. But I love Charly Bliss’ music. And Nashville was the closest city to Cincy on their tour itinerary. Sometimes you have to roll before you can rock.

I was treated to a cool opening band, Pronoun:

A stellar high-energy set from Charly Bliss:

And as the cherry on top, Marc from the band Len did their song “Steal My Sunshine” with the band as part of the encore:

• $25 for the ticket
• $67 for the hotel room in Franklin, KY (free breakfast the next morning too!)
• $30 for gas

Totally worth it – I’d do it again in a heartbeat. In my humble opinion, Charly Bliss deserves as much attention as Taylor Swift, if not more. Better lyrics, more energy on stage, and a true band vs. a singer with backing musicians. (Put your ears on their new album Forever before you come at me, Swifties!)

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Two days ago, my friend Ken and I went up to Columbus to see Superchunk at Scully’s Music Diner. They were awesome, as I knew they would be.

Dudes like us, in our late 50s, have no business driving 100 miles each way on a Monday evening to see a concert. But — and stop me if you’ve heard this before — this tour stop was the closest they’d come to Cincinnati.

I was treated to a fantastic opening band, Quivers:

I’m a sucker for Aussie indie pop, and they were great. Their set included a cover of a Lucinda Williams song, which melted my heart. (The song is called “I Just Wanted To See You So Bad” which seemed especially appropriate given our road trip.)

I talked to the band members (Mike, Holly, Bella and Sam) at the merch booth after the show and they were super-nice and fun. (Mike took extra care in cutting the plastic album covering off so they could slide it back on after they autographed a vinyl copy of their new album Oyster Cuts.)

And Superchunk is one of my favorite bands of all time. They’ve been doing their thing for 35 years, but they still have that raw energy that makes their live show so brilliant.

And as the cherry on top, Kelley Deal (from The Breeders and R. Ring) and Mike Montgomery (R. Ring) came up on stage to do an R. Ring tune during the encore:

• $30 ticket
• $26 for a round of beers for Ken, his friend Dave, and me (Ken drove to the show)

Totally worth it – I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

One good minute could last me a whole year
One good minute will last me a whole year

Superchunk “The First Part”

I’m not, I’m not dead
Even if I was
I’d wish that I f*cked up ‘least twice as much
And had like double the fun
But I’m not dead
I’m not, I’m not done
I’m looking down from starlight, glass-eyed
I still got some time left, I’m not dead

— Charly Bliss “I’m Not Dead”