Last Friday night (day eight of FANY), I was invited to go hear Fred Eaglesmith perform at a place called Aces — some out of the way watering hole on the outskirts of Bradenton. Since I rarely venture out of Sarasota, I said, yup, sure, count me in and went searching for my cowboy boots.

I went, sans boots, just boring shoes, with a few people, and met a few more there, and the place was so jam-packed you got to second base — with just about everybody — just by trying to make it to the bathroom and back. The bartenders were super bad, but the venue is actually very cool — just a good, ole honky tonk putting on some major musicians. I’d go back in a heartbeat for the right act and just chalk the bartending up to the price of hearing really great music in a place that doesn’t have any pretensions.

Eaglesmith wasn’t a dancing kind of thing, just a listening kind of thing. The guy’s a storyteller of sorts, with a very gravelly voice, and a penchant for lyrics that sound just a tad pissed off. One song was all about how it was “time to get a gun.” Several songs were about women who didn’t realize what “a pretty good guy” he was after all and how a freight train couldn’t pull him back to those women who hadn’t appreciated him.

So, was it fun? It was a decent enough time … but still not the kind of fun I’m trying to have in 2010. Which just means I’ve got to work harder at having, finding, creating, the kind of mind-blowing fun I’m yearning for! … but I will say this: I’m glad I went. I’m not typically someone who goes to listen to live music, so it was good I got off my lazy butt and went.