You all know how much I love music, and live music most especially.

But, I admit, I might have gone a little concert crazy in 2014. I attended a large number of shows and concerts over the year, varying from small one-man sets in a bar to one multi-day brewing festival. The genres were also mixed, going from the Americana-sound of Old Crow Medicine Show to the hard-rocking Black Label Society.

The venues were biker bars, college bars, converted theaters, concert halls, and lightning-bug-lit fields. I bounced to Sick Puppies, had an orgasm to Like A Storm (there’s a story I’ll tell you one day), moshed to Trapt, became enamored of Sinclair, laughed with Bushwalla, and was thrilled and humbled by William Tyler.

I found out that big names don’t always bring their best game, and sometimes the small guys present opportunities you might not expect.

I’ve made friends, hung out on buses and RVs, carried in food and groceries, given out Shittens and TicTacs galore, gotten chills from greenroom warm-ups, been the recipient of back-rubs, head noogies, growls, tickles, laughter, dances, and was on the receiving end of some of the BEST hugs.

Bands who give best live show – toss-up between three:

• 10 Years – Jesse Hasek can work a crowd and hold them in the palm of his hand.
• Like A Storm – the Brooks brothers are hands-down the hardest working band I’ve met.
• Otherwise – Adrian and Ryan Patrick are talented beyond explanation. I get chills just thinking about hearing Soldiers live!

Talent of note … well hell, y’all already know I’m a drummer gal, right? So the fact this list is weighted towards drummers shouldn’t be a shocker …

• Paul Crosby, drummer for Saliva. The man can play, but is one of the sweetest guys, and free with his knowledge and expertise. I was able to see him mentoring some bands this year, which was awesome.
• Alex Sassaris, drummer for Eve To Adam. Alex has a power and intensity that carries the crowd along with him, we all want to follow wherever he leads!
• Zack Goggins, drummer for Righteous Vendetta. I’ve said it several times, watching that boy pound the skins is a religious experience. He. Is. Amazing.
• Matt Brooks, guitarist of Like A Storm. He’s the real deal, folks. Sings, plays, cooks, laughs, and most of all…loves his fans. If you get a chance to hear him acoustically and pass that shit up, then shame on you!
• Clayton Wages, bassist for Letters From The Fire. Clay personifies rockstar with talent, showmanship, confidence, and attitude. But then when you talk to him one-on-one…he turns into the sweetest and softest guy you ever would want to know. Super sweet, the man is awesome!
• Steven Pulley, drummer for Saving Abel. Steven blew me away with his openness, kindness, and bone-deep interest in the world and people around him. Oh, did I mention he’s hella talented, too?
• William Tyler, solo guitarist. Mr. Tyler enthralled on stage, transitioning easily from silly repartee with the crowd to concert hall quality playing. William, when I talked to him away from the stage, was shy and sweet, genuinely pleased that his music was appealing. Disarmingly sweet, devastatingly talented!

Grand total of performances and sets watched, as best as I can count, is a staggering 93.

2015 is already shaping up to be a good music year, I’ve gotten to hear Adam Strack already, and have tickets to see HellYeah, Devour the Day, and Like A Storm in a couple of weeks, and then 10 Years, Otherwise, and Luminoth in March!

Memorable non-music moments from 2014:

• Stevie D of Buckcherry telling me, “Long time listener, first time caller?” Talk about an avalanche begun with the smallest of pebble tosses.
• Talking to Matt diRito and Joshua Chachi Marunde from PopEvil about autism, and the universal language of music.
• Having Bobby Amaru of Saliva light up like a candle and give me a hug because I told him he melted my fucking face off with his singing.
• Seeing Elliot Weber from Letters From The Fire onstage for the first time and thinking he could be a book cover model for Jase.
• Sitting on the docks at The Vogue in Indianapolis, soaked to the bone and watching the rain pour down, seeing the boys from The Veer Union slogging their equipment into the venue. I think Amal Wijayanayake broke his sandal!
• Watching as Whitey Morgan continued to play an outdoor show as a riotous lightning storm rolled in, even while his steel guitarist dissembled his instrument because of the close strikes!
• Having Saving Abel post a picture of me with Scott Bartlett and having the first few comments on the pic be from MY fans, not theirs!

Most watched band – no surprise, my favorite Kiwi’s from Like A Storm with 5 shows, but there were several who were good enough to repeat!

Here’s the list of multiples:

Like A Storm – 5
Letters From The Fire – 3
Righteous Vendetta – 3
Saliva – 3
Sick Puppies – 3
Hubie Ashcraft – 3
Eve To Adam – 2
Saving Abel – 2
Trapt – 2
Otherwise – 2
The Veer Union – 2
Adam Strack – 2
Buckcherry – 2

And here’s the full list of talent and bands. Amazeballs, alla ’em!

1. Saving Abel (1)
2. Catherine’s
3. When Minds Collide
4. Young Guns
5. Sick Puppies (1)
6. Girl on Fire
7. Angola Road
8. Silence the Echoes
9. Buckcherry (1)
10. Like A Storm (1)
11. Gangstagrass
12. Bushwalla
13. Old Crow Medicine Show
14. Saliva (1)
15. Eve To Adam (1)
16. Nico’s Gun
17. Blaming Alice
18. Saliva (2)
19. Eve To Adam (2)
20. Pragmatic
21. Adelitas Way
22. Sick Puppies (2)
23. Three Days Grace
24. Whitey Morgan and the 78’s
25. Pure Grain
26. Trapt (1)
27. 10 Years
28. Crobot
29. The Veer Union (1)
30. Black Label Society
31. Kyng
32. Wovenwar
33. Stars in Stereo
34. Sick Puppies (3)
35. Like A Storm (2)
36. Small Batch
37. Great Peacock
38. Coralee and the Townies
39. Kelsey Waldon
40. Ben Nichols
41. Dawn Landes
42. Wooden Wand
43. Austin Lucas
44. Freakwater
45. John Moreland
46. Tyler Childers
47. William Tyler
48. Doc Feldman
49. Those Crosstown Rivals
50. Egon Danielson
51. Ancient Warfare
52. Josh Nolan
53. Warren Byrom
54. Trapt (2)
55. The Veer Union (2)
56. Letters From The Fire (1)
57. Righteous Vendetta (1)
58. Arcane Saints
59. Nonpoint
60. Eyes Set To Kill
61. Blood From A Stone
62. Letters From The Fire (2)
63. Righteous Vendetta (2)
64. Like A Storm (3)
65. Otherwise (1)
66. Jason Mraz
67. Saliva (3)
68. Longreef
69. Better Than Ezra
70. Sinclair
71. Hubie Ashcraft (1)
72. Adam Strack (1)
73. Shelly Dixon
74. Pop Evil
75. Red Sun Rising
76. Islander
77. Letters From The Fire (3)
78. Thousand Foot Crutch
79. We As Human
80. Righteous Vendetta (3)
81. Like A Storm (4)
82. Breach of Silence
83. Hubie Ashcraft (2)
84. Drowning Pool
85. Like A Storm (5)
86. Red Tide Rising
87. Adam Strack (2)
88. Saving Abel (2)
89. Another Lost Year
90. Hubie Ashcraft (3)
91. Rockchild
92. Buckcherry (2)
93. Otherwise (2)

Random pictures, in no certain order!