Greetings once again from One Cannery Row!

Before we once again stroll down memory lane for a recount of some of our favorite shows from late spring/early summer, let’s fast forward a bit. New Years Eve is coming up, and we know you’re already starting to worry your pretty little head about just what you’re gonna do with yourself on this all-important evening. Lucky for you, your friends at Mercy Lounge are gonna make it real easy for you…HAPPY ENDINGS 09. To keep abreast of the latest announcements, ticket giveaways, and assorted other top secret info, follow us on Twitter (@09happyending) to be the first to get the dirt.

Anyhow, on with the hit parade:

Jason Isbell

It’s no secret that we’re all huge fans of the Drive By Truckers around here. As Todd will tell you point blank: “They are, hands down, our favorite band.” And while the Truckers did make their way to Cannery Ballroom in September for a very memorable set, it was the performance by former guitarist and songwriter Jason Isbell upstairs that impressed us the most. Leading his new group, The 400 Unit, through a turbulent array of DBT fan-favorites, Isbell originals, and a couple of classic covers (“Psychokiller”, anyone?), the man cleared any and all misgivings from the minds of those who would doubt his power, prowess, and ability to rock a crowd. See it for yourself:

Black Lips/Those Darlins

Atlanta-based troublemakers, 60’s psych-rock revivalists, and blog-sensations THE BLACK LIPS have earned themselves quite a reputation. Be it barfights or bodily fluids, they made their name early in their career on the aftermath of their furious, frenetic, and unsanitary live shows. These days, it’s a different story altogether. While their performances still carry the drunken swagger of a delinquent youth out past curfew, the newer songs they’ve put out for Vice Records have matured nicely into a agreeable batch of tunes, and their concerts now have the ability to hold shortened attention-spans with good old fashioned rock and roll bravado. Their performance at Those Darlins’ album release show was no exception: a rather fine mix of punk, rock & roll, blues, and even a little country thrown in. Those Darlins delivered on their trademark cute-but-rowdy southern charm, and pulled out the stops with pinatas, boot stomps, and raucous crowd singalongs. And yes, the rumors are true…29.5 cases of PBR in one night. Do the math…over 700 cans of the Red White and Blue. Whew!

ELO

Guaranteed formula for a highly anticipated, sublimely powerful, and hugely successful local show, in our humble opinion: take two popular local bands with a hard-on for Jeff Lynne. Put them together and let them nerd out on some 70’s symphonic rock. Add an eight piece string section to the mix. Dress the whole bunch up in some nice vintage attire and throw ‘em up on the stage. Wait. Watch. Listen.

The Result? How I Bombed The Kindercastle Out Of The Blue, the collaborative performance of ELO’s 1977 masterpiece “Out Of The Blue” by local synth-pop superstars How I Became The Bomb and orchestral indie-poppers Kindercastle. The place was packed to the walls with a crowd that ranged from 18 year old ELO-virgins to 70 year old die-hards who remember the days before Lynne was named the fourth best music producer in history [Washington Times]. It was definitely Drew’s favorite show ever in Mercy Lounge; and while it’s impossible to say for certain, we are in unanimous agreement that Mr. Lynne would have been proud that night as well.

Dierks Bentley

Lucky for us, Mr. Chark Kinsolving pulled some strings as vice-president of the Dierks Bently fan club and landed the Cannery Ballroom as host to the fourth annual Last Call Ball, official party for the DB Congress fan-club. In addition to treating his die-hard fans to food and drinks, he gave them an intimate acoustic performance in which he joked, laughed, and debuted new songs for his rapt audience. Afterwards, he spent no less than 3 and a half hours signing autographs and chit-chatting with his most dedicated fans. Dierks Bentley, we applaud you and your dedication to your followers. We’re actually starting to feel proud of our hometown country music stars again.

Camera Obscura

If you like indie-pop of the more bittersweet variety, then we’re hoping you didn’t miss out on Scotland’s Camera Obscura. After years of hoping they would make a stop through Nashville, we were so excited that when they decided to grace our fine city, they did so at the Mercy. They played a gorgeous set heavy on tunes from their latest effort, My Maudlin Career, and opted for more of a serenely beautiful kind of awe-inspiring performance. While it might seem counterpoint to find yourself excited about a group that has spent years honing it’s melancholic approach, that was precisely how we felt after the show.

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