The year is almost over! New Year’s Eve is a busy time of year for DJs. I’ve got two big shows coming
up this weekend. I’m grateful for every opportunity to do what I enjoy. Meanwhile, I want to look
back at some of my favorite shows of the year. Here they are in no particular order (maybe
chronological though).

1. Me with This is ART in Knoxville.
We did this show way back in January. It might be my favorite. It was the show that I unofficially
anointed myself as This is ART‘s understudy. This was the first of a bunch of shows we did
together this year. For this one, he gave me a great opportunity to go out there to Knoxville and
showcase my unique live PA set. They have a great music scene in Knoxville. We were part of
Midnight Voyage, which is a great weekly party based around their UTK radio show. Also with FTW (Meatball Madness & J-Mo).

2. Me with Spoken Nerd, Manchild, The Billy Goats, & Get Got
This was my Almost Too Good To Be True show at The 5 Spot. The 5 spot is one of my favorite places
to play in Nashville. Great vibes. It was also the show that I was kind of in charge of. Good
weekend for all of us. Great to do a show with friends. I got a lot of great video; including a
special moment with the MCs getting on stage with me and Jed Smith while freestyling.

3. Me with Evolution Control Committee, stAllio!, DJ Empirical and Pimpdaddysupreme at The End.
I felt like such a rock star that weekend. Great to mix it up with some pioneering electronic artists. I was inspired all weekend by watching ECC do their thing. Also the night before, I saw Hobbledeions. That was awesome.

4. me with Get Got, Sharone Digitale, & Orig the DJ
This was our I Love Trip-Hop show. It was a concept show from Orig (You know Orig the DJ). So we both like vibed out hip hop and trip hop. And he had a connection with Exit/In. This was a great show because it exposed a lot of people to Sharone Digitale. Also, this was a great show with Jed Smith. Jed has been drumming with me for a little while now. This was my favorite time to play with him. It sounded good and it felt good. I remember that most everyone was there to see Get Got and then a few people stuck around for Sharone Digitale. By the time I went on, there were just a couple of people left plus all the artists and bands. But that last group of people were going nuts for our set and dancing it up. It was one of the most fun shows I’ve done in a while. And my first time at Exit/In since Valentine’s Day in 2007 (my 2nd worst show ever). This was a great redemption show.

5. me with The Billy Goats, Smokee B, Bobby Exodus, Ugly Lovely, Darian D & Jermy J, Ol Man
Delusional & Blak Tha Map at The Coup
This was fun. We made it kind of a hip hop festival in Clarksville. Up to that point mostly
everyone had been doing only dubstep and bass shows. So it was very cool to get a group out to see
some good hip hop. We didn’t pack the place but we had a good sized crowd of people who were
really into each and every artist. I was glad to have put that show together. Also, it was good to
get some shows for guys like Darian D & Jermy J. I don’t book for other people really anymore. But
when I do, I’d rather it went down like this.

6. me with This is Art & Satoru at 12th and Porter
This was a Name Your Own Price show! I was scared of how that would go. We packed the place out. I had a good crowd for my set. I got to collab with Art on stage the way we did in Knoxville. I met Satoru. Met the sound people and light people at 12th. Also important, it was the first show I had done after releasing Q-Gaze. So it was the only time I had ever done the Q-Gaze mix live from start to finish. I got a great response. This was my favorite show I’ve done in Nashville.

7. Silent Disco with This is Art, Dope Dialect, & Beat Repeat.
This was very cool. Only because of the uniqueness of the Silent Disco. My set went surprisingly well. If you’ve never been to a Silent Disco; you have to try it. It’s very different. But I like it. I want to do more of these. The headphones made my computer voice trick more effective!

8. Sayonara at 12th and Porter.
My favorite show is always my next show. And this one is Tonight! It’s free. I’m opening. It’s Arkiteqt‘s debut performance I believe. Glad to be a part of that. Also with Ziggurat, Beat Repeat, Blaque Masque Bellydance and Umbra Fusion Bellydance in the main room. Squake, Saejma, Suga-Free, & Chris Rodriguez in the lounge room.

9. UNIFY on New Year’s Eve
This party is too massive to sum up in a small blurb. Yet I try. 3 rooms. 40+ DJs. Mostly dubstep with some drum and bass and house. Then there’s me. haha. Click the flyer!

Live Concert Pics by Raywen.org, Audible Imagery, & Ramiah Branch Photography

5. The End – I’ve played The End just a few times here in Nashville. None of them recently. I did Mashville there way back in 2008; Also BEAT Nashville. And we booked the Holla/Blogworthy joint show there. Speaking of Mashville, I attend frequently. It seems that of all the venues that host it, The End works the best. Just has the right kind of vibe for it, I guess. I’m not going to say it’s hard to get a show there because people play there all the time, right? Anyway, I’ve had nothing but good experiences there with everyone who works there. I wish they had food though Here’s a video of me at the End.

4. 12th & Porter – This place has the lounge and then the big room. If you play the big room, you get the benefit of having “the lights.” I put it in quotations because I can’t readily think of a better light display in a bar/venue in Nashville. With great quality comes a hefty price tag for artists though. All that aside, the people who work there are great. In a town full of artists, they always remember me and are as helpful as possible. For whatever reason though, I can not get people out to see me at 12th & Porter. Why not? don’t you know that I look like THIS when I play there? :

Quiet Entertainer @ 12th & Porter

3. Mercy Lounge – You probably read my last entry about my recent experience at Mercy Lounge. What’s cool about this place, they have great sound and great sound-men. Really nice bartenders and nice manager who seems really in touch with local scene and music overall. And they have a green room behind the stage! If you’re an unknown DJ/performer who doesn’t get to play out of town much, this is pretty cool. Their green room is better than The End’s green room, let me tell you. They have a free music showcase on Mondays called 8 off 8th. And while sometimes it seems like the same bands play it all the time, I could probably say that about ALL the music venues because we’re all here playing the same places. Nobody’s fault but ours. I played 8 off 8th once:

Quiet Entertainer at Mercy Lounge

2. The Basement – I have never had a bad show or experience at The Basement. Only good. Plus it’s located underneath Grimey’s, my favorite record store in Nashville. I’ve never really booked a show there myself; I have only been able to jump onto other people’s shows. Chip Greene, for instance, is an artist in town that has always put me on to shows there. My most recent show there was part of New Faces Nite, a free music show they do every Tuesday night. Here’s a video clip of me at The Basement.

1. The 5 Spot – I haven’t played there in a while, but from what I can tell it’s still the most artist friendly place/experience that I’ve personally had. Very straightforward booking process. Great bar staff. Friendly door-persons. I’ve met a lot of my closest artist friends there. I guess I’m ranking them ahead of other better sounding venues because of overall atmosphere and vibe. I don’t smoke at all but it’s a smoking venue and a lot of people are into that. This is great because you don’t want people outside smoking while you’re playing your set. They might as well be inside watching you while they do it! It’s not for everyone but the 5 Spot is great for artists/musicians who want to have a great show.

Quiet Entertainer @ The 5 Spot

I didn’t mention any of the bars and places on Broadway and downtown. I just don’t go there really. Do you? Where’s your favorite place to see a band in Nashville?

I’m playing a show at The Rutledge on Tuesday night. This is especially significant since I have never played the Rutledge before. I’ve always seen it as one of my final frontiers of venues to play here in Nashville. Alright so come out and see me play at the Rutledge, Tuesday night at 8pm!