Sometimes life is not sexy.

Whenever I get bogged down with the business end of music and suffering the beat down that Nashville tends to administer, I forget why I even do this in the first place. Why put out another record? What's the point? THEN I write new songs. And we start getting production ideas about those songs and start day dreaming about whose going to play on this one or sing on that one. My confidence starts to build when I think I've created something good and I want people to HEAR WHAT WE HAVE MADE! Then I think, "Oh yeah, I remember why I do this."

Despite mastery of their instruments (Alison's primary one being her voice), they did not rely solely upon their ability to make beautiful sounds. They kept it fluid throughout the night, with various band members coming on and off stage, instrumental solos as well as full band instrumental numbers, swapping out lead vocal duties between AK, Dan Tyminski, and Ron Block. The set list included new songs from "Paper Airplane" as well as old favorites including a couple of abbreviated versions of songs from the "O Brother, Where Art Thou" soundtrack and one song from "Raising Sand," AK's multi-Grammy winning project with Robert Plant. The only complaint was from my husband regarding their omission of his favorite song, "New Favorite." That's always HUGELY disappointing, seeing a show and having your favorite song left off the set list. So I sympathize! That was my experience seeing Shelby Lynne the first time (also at the Ryman) when she did NOTHING from "I Am Shelby Lynne." I was mad at her for a couple years, until she totally redeemed herself at AMA last year. I stood on the side of the stage at Mercy Lounge and had all my Shelby Lynne dreams fulfilled. But I digress.

But actually, I do not. Digress, that is. Both shows had a similar impact on me in that my heart was barely able to hold the music coming from the artists and musicians on stage. And that describes my experience last night. And it's hard to even put into words the beauty of what I heard. Music was made last night. And I'm sure they are used to making music night after night, year after year (they've been together 20 years), but it is all too rare an occurrence in so called "Music City." But AKUS make music that rests somewhere up in rarified air, no matter in which city they perform it.

The encore was a quiet, almost reverent, stripped down set gathered around one microphone. They exited the stage amidst yet another enthusiastic standing ovation. Got to chat with Jerry Douglas before the show and Dan Block both before and after. Nice, nice people.

Nothing last forever, folks. Glad I got to say I have seen these amazing musicians perform live - together. I am convinced you will find no better gathering of talent on one stage in our time and, perhaps, for years to come. Jerry Douglas put it best when he said "this group of people makes a sound I've never heard before." Me neither, Jerry.

I used to love fall. It was my favorite time of the year. The weather here has been hot and dry. Leaves are already falling off the trees and gathering in my yard, waiting for further instruction. We've had a few cool mornings, giving us a preview of a change of season. But I don't enjoy fall the way I used to. I'm too old. I've begun to see the breakdown in my body that commences somewhere "mid-life." My face now has to "wake up" in the mornings. (Note to self: no photo shoots until noon or later.) Things hurt, get stiff - things like knees. Forget prayer, contrition, or metaphoric declarations of love. AGE is what is hardest on the knees. But they don't tell you that in song. Songs always have people "down on their knees." Maybe those songwriters were just old. Maybe they were stuck down there and couldn't get back up. Maybe those songs are more about calcified cartilage than amore.

And I've lost people. People I’m finding out, for the first time in my life, what it’s like to live without. People who had always been here who aren’t here anymore. I came from a family of 5. We're down to 3. So watching summer wind down, watching green turn to brown, makes me uncomfortable. It makes me rebellious. I want to get in my car and drive to the ocean. I want to see something that has always been there that still IS there. I want an affirmation of life. I want to watch green turn to blue. Brown is not my favorite color.

True fact: Bob Britt, who played on both my records, played on Dylan's Grammy winning "Time Out of Mind" record. I was totally digging Bob's playing long before I met him. He played on "City of Devils" and "Tying Knots in the Air" on my Good Samaritan record and "You Wouldn't Know Love" on Under The Rushes. True fact.

I've been through some rough months with the death of my brother and my mom's illness. I'm trying to change my life, change my mindset. I'm seeking inspiration and restoration. Nothing - except love, I suppose - has restorative powers like nature.

I wrote a spiritual song, a first for me. I'm pretty happy with it! But I wish the songs were coming easier. The gigs are going GREAT, tho. Wish I could play full band all the time and help more fully realize the vision I have for the songs. But duo and trio gigs are each their own thing and you make new discoveries with those too. Looking forward to rendering more Appalachian Therapy!