We've been fortunate to see Shawn Mullins perform numerous times -- mostly at very small venues like 3rd & Lindsley in Nashville. He's definitely one of our all-time favorite artists of all time. He's just a down-to-earth guy with an incredible voice and amazing guitar skills, and remarkable storytelling abilities.

Last night we got to see Shawn Mullins perform "in the round" at the Bluebird Cafe. What a treat! There's nothing better than seeing your favorite performers in small settings like such small, intimate places.

Along with Shawn Mullins were Chuck Cannon and Mac Davis. I know... what a group! And we had great seats.

Here are some photos and highlights from last night...

We know who the celebrities are -- the ones who are actually singing the songs for this Country Music competition hosted by John Rich.

But because I'm such a geek for songwriters and I have my "favorites" in the Country Music end of this industry, I'm more interested in the Nashville songwriters who are helping these celebs pen their songs than I am in the show itself.

For the record, the final episode of Gone Country airs this coming Friday on CMT. (Of course, then it will re-air about a million times after that -- because all of the other 5 episodes have already re-aired time and time again!)

Below I've listed the songwriters, who they are paired with on the show, and the name of the song they wrote for the Gone Country competition.

And I just have to say right now, I should've KNOWN that Jeffrey Steele was behind Bobby Brown's song. It's got J.S. written all over it! Yes, I realize they mentioned it at the season finale that was taped months ago, but I was too busy paying attention to everything else going on that night.

Like I said before (here and here), the song that Bobby Brown chose to perform for this competition ROCKS. And it's perfectly written for him. Not to mention the fact that Bobby Brown did a remarkable job of singing it!

Okay, onto the songwriting duos, the celebrity they're paired with, and the title of the song they wrote together...

I guess you could say, 'We knew them when.'

Well, not really... These guys (Jeffrey Steele, Bob DiPiero, Tony Mullins and Craig Wisemen) wouldn't be able to pick Jim & I out in a crowd or anything. I guess we just feel like we knew them way back when... before they were 'famous'.

Which really isn't fair to say either, because these guys were Rockin' & Rollin' and singin' the Blues looonnng before our first time seeing them perform together as a group at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville.

We've actually seen each of them performing individually (or sometimes, or with one or another of The Hitmen) several times at various places in and around Nashville and Franklin, Tennessee.

And thanks to GAC, you probably have a better appreciation for these guys and their music, too. (Not to mention their amazing -- and offbeat -- sense of humor!)

I was just searching around the Net for their schedule. I was hoping we might be able to catch them performing as The Hitmen of Music Row somewhere soon.

Then I figured that I may as well share all of the cool sites and information I found with everyone here...

Sometimes we go watch Nashville Star as it's being filmed for TV here in Nashville.

Beyond, that I only seem to catch bits & pieces of Nashville Star on TV each year. As a result, I usually don't remember anyone but the final few contestants.

Such was the case this past season. So I was pleasantly surprised to find 2 former Nashville Star contestants at the Bluebird the other night. Plus, two other up & comers in the music industry.

We met some friends (who were visiting from California) there. Here's how the night went...

I'll admit this straight up... Jim would probably write an entirely different review than me, when it comes to Johnny Reid's latest CD, Kicking Stones. (But the chances of him actually finding the time to sit down and write a review are quite slim, so instead you get my simplistic point of view -- the facts, nothin' but the facts. I'll try to add Jim's thoughts here & there.)

You might recall that I thought Johnny Reid's previous album, "Born To Roll" was amazingly good, so it's going to be very hard for me to surpass the level of praise that I had for that CD.

Fans of Johnny Reid came from all corners of the world to see him perform at last Friday's IHRA motorsports concert event in Grand Bend, Ontario.

I couldn't go because I had to work. But Jim helped put the concert together, and he was on-site to make sure everything went smoothly. Smooth-as-pie, I'm told. (Or would that be "ice cream", Alice?)

Perhaps the coolest news from the weekend:

Yep, Jim seems to have aquired somewhat of a legendary status of his own, simply by virtue of being Johnny Reid's neighbor.

Supposedly, people were stopping by the Instigator Funny Car tent all weekend looking for "Johnny Reid's neighbor, Jim".

...he says the wrist is still healing from all the autographs.

From Alice, as posted on the message boards of Johnny's Fan Club (the Tartan Army):

"Jim was so sweet and very hospitable with us. He told us that he loves it when Johnny and the boys are practicing at his place. He said his wife (Lynnette) and him open their windows so that they can listen in! Too cool! Imagine living next door to Johnny and Jen????"

Tonight we went to see James Otto -- along with Matt King (whom we'd seen before at The Bluebird with Vince Gill), Phillip Lammonds, and Shannon Lawson -- at the Mercy Lounge in Nashville.

It was only recently -- through a very strange chain of events -- that I even heard of James Otto and discovered his music. I'm only sorry that it took me this long.

This guy is a little rock, a little roll, and a lotta soul! As part of the Muzik Mafia, he's placed under the "Country" genre, but he's a whole lot more than your typical Country.

Have a listen...

I just noticed that Georgia will be switching to mandatory 10-digital dialing on April 3rd.

They're not the first -- or the last -- to do so. But it got me thinking:

A) Just how many more NUMBERS must we humans be required to remember in order to perform the multitude of tasks that we enjoy these days?

and...

B) Of all that I believe in, stand for, and ultimately do in life... what it all comes down to is this: I am just a number.

For some reason, you can't find Johnny Reid's CDs here in the States. But we got our hands on his latest album "Born To Roll" last week... and I haven't taken it out of the CD player since!

Interesting Sidenote:
Johnny told us that they cut this album (right here in Nashville) with the intention of leaving most of it a little "raw" and "rough around the edges" -- as opposed to well-polished and fine-tuned with a lot of studio work.

...which probably explains how they were able to cut this entire album in just one day!

The bonus for listeners is that we get to hear a lot more of Johnny's "real" voice throughout the entire album, including those passion-filled long notes that he's so well-known for, plus all the rock-your-a#! screamin-out-loud chords that literally take your breath away.

I, for one, happen to LOVE the raw stuff.
But we're not talkin purely acoustical one-man/one-guitar kind of stuff here... Oh no, this is strong... it ROCKS! Even the ballads raise the roof.

From the backup vocals to the myriad of instruments used on this album, it all comes together perfectly to create a sound that's 100% Johnny Reid.

Now onto the songs...

DISCLAIMER: I'm either going to make an A$# of myself by revealing an insanely ridiculous faux pas on my part, or else I'm going to make some new friends, thanks to my ingenious discovery of some hip new music. You be the judge.