What with the snowflakes flying and people going about 12 on the interstate, there was no reason to expect much of a turnout for the fourth night of celebrating Mercy Lounge’s existence, but a good-sized crowd showed up to see Washington state transplants The Lonely H open the show. There was a plethora of skilled musicians performing that night, but The Lonely H blew me away just with sheer enthusiasm and vigor alone. Nashville’s music venues have heard enough down-home roots rock, both good and bad, to last a lifetime, but this band held my attention between blazing guitar parts, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers-like pounding on the keys, the thrash of a tambourine and a perpetually smiling bassist.
The legendary and aging Bobby Keys went on second, alternating an intense, hot jazz fusion on the saxophone with anecdotes about recording with the greats and referring to the crowd’s young folk as piss ants. I was flattered. After a drawn-out jam session, English Dogs took the stage for their first gig ever, previously unaware of the British punk/metal band of the same moniker. They weren’t without talent; it was feisty pop rock with touches of jazz, but I remain distrustful of men who perform with half-unbuttoned shirts. The Rouge and the Captain Midnight Band closed the show, but I think the real show was happening on the floor in front of the stage, where a Stevie Nicks sort of woman from northern California was exuberantly dancing. – Jessica Pace