PUJOL and Western Medication at Mt. Swag in Nashville

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If you're within a five-mile radius of Mt. Swag on the night of a show, you'll probably get a contact high. The Thanksgiving show was no exception; with a slew of great bands playing and two kegs of good beer on tap. The line-up had been announced a few weeks in advance, but the address is never revealed until the day of the show. They're not trying to be elitist; they're simply trying to avoid unwanted attention (like the time crackheads posted up on the porch after the show).

Hermosa kicked off the night properly. The band only had one show under their belt beforehand, but they proved they have the chops to get a room swaying. Vocalist Gabrielle Hall seems to have avoided the cliches. Easy on ears, we can expect good things from Hermosa in the future.

Dirty Dreams followed and filled up the room with dream pop and a few more people. Out-of-towners Magic Milk picked up the slack. Playing the show in their underwear, they made the house fill out even more, but this time with feedback and the smell of weed. If you were in the house, you were moving.

Western Medication (formerly Western Medicine) set up soon after. By the time they did, the house was filled from front to back. They played their moodic tunes and copped more of an attitude than any band on the bill. They've been around for less than year, but they've got plenty of great tunes.

PUJOL closed out the night with his punk sound littered with razor sharp wit. While he usually plays Mt. Swag solo, he brought his full backing band which including Jack Lawerence (The Raconteurs/Greenhornes) on bass. They tore through a set that made me think the floor was going to break.

All in all, Mt. Swag showed us all what we should be thankful for. Our town has it all: The people, the beer, but most importantly, the tunes.

A house party that almost makes us jealous to be Northerners.