The words of a Prophet

How many defining events do we miss because we refuse to get our tired old asses out the door?

Answer: too many!

You can excuse a lot of that delinquency, but there is no excuse -- outside of no tickets available -- for missing a music show. If you're thinking about going, just go. Don't worry about the traffic, the parking, the money or your fragile state of mind. Live music can save you, especially the music you know you need to hear live. But only if you show up.

Here's how easy it was for a country boy visiting NYC to get to a club Friday night in Brooklyn to see a fabulous band: Take the 1 Train downtown to 72nd Street, transfer to the A train (or was it the B?) and enjoy the 30-minute subway ride to Bergen Street. Get off there, walk a block down Bergen, hang a left on Fifth Avenue and walk five more blocks through a funky Brooklyn retail district. And there, on your left, is the Southpaw, one of the city's premiere rock music venues.

If a country boy can pull this off, you can do it anywhere. Now here's your opportunity to test the theory: Chuck Prophet is on tour in support of his fabulous new CD "Let Freedom Ring." Go see the band, even if you have to change trains. The clip above is the opener from a Manchester Academy show last fall and is a pretty good taste of what you'll enjoy. He opened with "Sonny Liston's Blues" again last night at the Southpaw and proceeded to put the pedal to the metal.

Here are the remaining dates on Prophet's American tour (after which he's off to Norway, Spain, Germany, the UK and other worldly venues):

March 6, Iota Club & Cafe, Arlington, VA
March 7, Sellersville Theatre, Sellersville, PA
March 9, Grey Eagle, Ashville, NC
March 10, The Handlebar, Greenville, SC
March 11, The Star Bar, Atlanta, GA
March 12, Will's Pub, Orlando, FL
March 13, Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa, FL
March 14, Jack Rabbits, Jacksonville, FL
March 16, Magnolia Cafe, St. Francisville, LA
March 17, Under the Volcano, Houston, TX
March 19, Momo's, Austin, TX
March 20, Jovita's, Austin, TX
March 20, Yard Dog Gallery, Austin, TX
April 2, Soiled Dove, Denver, CO
April 3, Main Street Station, Breckenridge, CO

There. We've done everything outside of purchasing your tickets for you. Go see a show.