Semi-Automatic

Fresh from Jacksonville, bound for Vegas, I'm on the road like Neal Cassady these days without ends to speak of or an end in sight. It's moving season to be sure, and you can bet on something (anything? everything?) substantial from upcoming posts. In the meantime, here's a rapid-fire smattering of harmless items.

My head's a paintball gun these days.

If you haven't checked out the new Band of Horses record yet and you remotely like anything I've ever mentioned in this space, I'd canter to a local record-store or an interweb retailer and make yourself useful. "The General Specific" is the 2nd best song Blind Melon ever wrote, and "Marry Song" is gorgeous and (I'm pretty sure) an indication about where this band is headed. There's also a song named after former Supersonic legend Detlief Schrempf, if that blows your hair back.

All Nashvillians be warned: I'm playing Nashville's hippest pizza-pad this week. Christopher Pizza, Thursday night. Somehow this place has become the epicenter of the Belmont revival, and they're putting on a stripped-down show for Thursday night. I'll be slinging some songs around (and singing them, too!), so come on out Thursday.

Florida-Georgia will kill a man, if he lets it. It's a worthy death, though.

Those of you keeping score at home might remember my Halloween Post from last year. The Hokie Pumpkin tradition was tested again this year and, with the loss to BC, will be retired.

In related news, Virginia Tech football is slowly, methodically breaking my spirit.

One bright point of the Hokie Pumpkin this year: I discovered that my brother is a prodigiously talented pumpkin-carver. His Hokiebird was Rembrandt.

Nope, I haven't seen Darjeeling yet. Nashville is somehow just ahead of Western Europe in the queue for new movie releases. I'll report back when I do, though. Unless it's not good. In which case I'll keep my mouth shut. For fear of angering the film gods and their conduit Wes Anderson.

Vegas coming up this week. You might remember this post, from last time. This is me, locked and loaded.

At what age do you stop reading On the Road from the mentality of "this is awesome" and shift to the mentality of "I would hate to be in a car with these people for more than three minutes"? Because I'm there, already.

And why can't I find Vanilla Coke in Nashville anymore?

Kings of Leon are really, really sharp live. Go see them if you have the means/inclination/free time.

I periodically get different versions of the same question: "What's the Nashville music scene like?" I've given a lot of different answers. Here's mine right now: Everyone's doing something, but nobody's doing anything.

Three days (maybe longer),
Milam