Today, my day started as they all have over the past week since cvilleMUSE began last Wednesday.  I reluctantly stumble out of bed, make my way to the coffee pot, pour its contents down my throat, and eventually make my way to the computer to see where things stand.  (Which means:  What am I going to write about today)

First I pop on the MUSE to see if anyone has added any new comments to the wildly entertaining and enlightening posts I have written over the past couple days.  Then, with tears in my eyes, I check out the local blogs and news sources to see what I’ve missed while I’ve been sleeping.  Who knows, maybe Van Halen has decided to add three more Charlottesville tour dates to make up for the two previously cancelled shows, only to cancel the new dates because the band realized they can’t be in Akron, OH and Charlottesville at the same time.  Of course, we learn later that the Akron show has been cancelled as well.

From there it’s on to a number of music sites and blogs to see what’s happening in the world of music in general.  For example, today I learned that Janet Jackson’s new album, in addition to being released on CD, is also coming out on 180g audiophile quality vinyl.  Hooray! 

After another pot of coffee, I finally check my email to see what appointments I may have forgotten, whether my loan was approved so that I can continue to support my favorite presidential candidate, and to find out what the current going rate of Viagra is these days.  To my surprise I find an email there that begins with the following salutation:  “Dear All Knowing Muse”.  My immediate response was “I couldn’t have said it better myself”.  But right after that the confusion begins.  The body of the message contained the following:

Any idea what time Truman Sparks will actually begin playing tonight? Are they opening or headlining?

As it turns out friends and neighbors, that is a damn good question.  First off, I didn’t even know that Truman Sparks was playing anywhere tonight.  I panic.  I’m the All Knowing Muse, I have to have an answer.  So I check the local venue pages.  Nothing.  I move on .  I check the local newspaper pages.  Nothing.  I’m beginning to think that this is a horrible early April Fool’s Day joke.  And just as I’m about to crack, the clouds part and the great Monty Python Hand in the Sky reaches down and hands me a stone tablet which reads:  “Check on MySpace my son.”  Thank you Terry Gilliam.

So I log on to MySpace real quick and search for Truman Sparks.  Eureka!  There’s the band’s page which clearly lists their upcoming shows.  “March 26th at 20:00 (8pm) at Outback Lodge, Truman Sparks w/ Worn in Red.”  Hot damn!  Then I realize that nowhere does it say who is opening for who.  My job as the All Knowing Muse goes on.

Next I quickly Google “worn in red”.  Eureka again!  In addition to finding a link to the band’s MySpace page, I also discover a website called Playing Here which lists Worn in Red’s upcoming shows, along with a whole host of other bands that subscribe to the site.  I click on through and finally I find Worn in Red’s date listing for tonight’s Outback show.  What I discovered next nearly made my head explode.  Sure enough, Worn in Red is playing tonight at Outback, their set is listed as beginning at 10pm.  But there is no mention of Truman Sparks.  Even more troubling is the fact that now there’s a third band in the mix, a band called the Young Livers and they are scheduled to open at 8pm!!!!  I can see by now that I’m going to need more coffee.

I quickly sent off an email to the individual who started this whole journey by asking about the Truman Sparks show.  My email reads “Out of Office Today.  Gone Fishing”.  I then grab the phone book and look up the number for the Outback Lodge.  The phone rings three times and then a guy answers, “Outback”.  I can barely hear him over the music in the background.  I ask him about tonight’s show downstairs, you know, the Truman Sparks show.  Who’s opening?  What time?  How old is his liver?  This is what I find out: 

1)  The band who was originally scheduled to play upstairs at Outback has cancelled.  I didn’t even know there’s was a band originally scheduled upstairs  in the first place!
2)  The Worn in Red / Truman Sparks show is now going to be upstairs. 
3)  He has no idea who is playing when.
4)  His liver is 35 and he thanked me for asking.

I send off a second email to our curious music fan.  It reads:  “Still fishing.  BTW–the downstairs show is now upstairs at Outback.  Gotta run, I think I just hooked a marlin”

With almost all of my avenues exhausted, I, the All Knowing Muse, decide to send a desperate message to the band Truman Sparks.  In the first message I forget to include my email address so I have to go back and send a second message.  Within minutes an email arrives from Ray of Truman Sparks.  Finally I’m going to get to the bottom of all this.  Finally I’ll have an answer for our curious music fan.  Ray’s message reads:

Here’s the info posted by Worn in Red. I don’t know if this is the set order. It’s customary to “sandwich” the out-of-town band (Young Livers) to maximize their potential exposure. So there’s a good chance we’re actually playing first.

Wednesday,  March 26th
Downstairs at the Outback Lodge
Worn In Red
Truman Sparks
Young Livers
10:00 PM
$6.00
All ages

Hope this helps!

Yep that helped a lot.  So that’s where I’m leaving it.  That’s the end of the trail friends.  That’s how it ends.  Who knew music could be so confusing?  And to you, our curious music fan, I have only this advice.  Get there early!

That’s a day in the life of the All Knowing Muse.  Unfortunately there’s still one more question now left unanswered.   I wonder who that band was that cancelled tonight at the Outback Lodge? 

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