Mason Jennings at the Magic Bag

At 10 p.m. Saturday night, we in the crowd at the Magic Bag in Ferndale were beginning to get anxious. Anni Rossi, the opening act had already played, packed up and left for Chicago, and in moments Mason Jennings would take the stage.

Jennings opened with "Blood of Man," the title track to his new album released in September 2009, which appropriately ignited the room with dark energy and an electric sound that the album explores.

The Magic Bag is a cool venue. It's small, has plenty of places to sit or stand and has tiered levels so there's a good view of the stage from anywhere in the room. No binoculars necessary.

Throughout the night, Jennings played songs from his earlier albums on up to Blood of Man. When he started picking the campy classic "Your New Man," the atmosphere turned from that of a typical concert into one like a small-town pub where everyone's got an arm around his neighbor and is singing and sloshing to the music.

After two encores, Jennings and his band wrapped up their set with "Hospitals and Jails," a romantic tune from the album Simple Life. It was sad to see him leave, but impossible to be disappointed with such a show.

Jennings, 34, dropped out of school when he was 16 to pursue a musical career and has released eight albums. His songs tell stories like nobody else's, and it's hard to believe he didn't live the tragedies he describes so eloquently.

Listen to Jenning's songs on his Web site. I especially recommend "Jackson Square" from Boneclouds, "How Deep Is That River?" from In The Ever and "Hospitals and Jails" from Simple Life.

Here's a video from the show:

Rock Ahn

This summer I went to the Ark in Ann Arbor to see Priscilla Ahn with a friend of mine. Talk about an awesome night. First of all, the Ark is really cool. It's small enough to talk to the performers and it's run by volunteers. And then Priscilla Ahn walks out on stage? Even better.

I have a hard time getting my mind to wrap around Ahn. She is tiny and beautiful with this light, airy voice that floats over the music. She's also a little crude and hilarious. She might pull out a kazoo or a ukulele, tell stories about being awkward, high and drunk at parties in L.A., or maybe sing a song she wrote about boobs. That is one entertaining show.

Ahn used loop pedal a lot through her performance. She'd harmonize with herself, producing whimsical melodies that are impossible to not love just a little bit.

Definitely check out Ahn's album "A Good Day."

Old Town Bluesfest!

I only made it out to Bluesfest for Saturday night, but it was great. I caught Stan Budzynski & 3rd Degree, Biscuit Miller & the Mix and Kenny Neal.

Biscuit Miller & the Mix really did it for me. The sound was a mix of funk, blues and rock and the band's energy was so tangible I put some in my pocket and brought it home with me. They had a huge crowd in front of the stage dancing and shouting every time Miller asked "is it all right if I get my party on?" And he definitely did get his party on; the band threw beads in the audience and sold light-up sunglasses at their merchandise stand.

Every musician got a chance to solo during the set and they were all great. Tyler, a younger guy playing electric guitar, really stood out. He's got a voice like honey and solos to match.

Kenny Neal played next, and I ended up standing stage right and watching the drummer the whole time. He was great. His rhythms were technical, complicated and they fit the tunes perfectly.

Every one of Neal's songs were solid and it was clear that this band really enjoys playing together. That may come from them all pretty much being related, but it's refreshing nonetheless.

Overall, it was a great time and you should try to make it to the next Oldtown music event. Pictures will be up once I find the cord.