The Old Ceremony performed at Asheville’s The Emerald Lounge – Photo by Auburn Petty

Two weeks ago, I almost backed out of going to a show. I’d had a long day at work that capped off quite a long week, and I was just ready to curl up and watch “30 Rock” for the rest of the night.

I almost texted my friend and pseudo-assistant Shonie to cancel, but I couldn’t come up with a valid reason, so I sucked it up and went to the show. I’m so glad I did.

Because I’m not 21, I’d never had the pleasure of going to The Emerald Lounge. Fortunately, I’m really good at convincing people that my website is important, and I got them to adjust the rules for me.

Thomas Johnson at The Emerald Lounge – Photo by Auburn Petty -

The venue is small, but in the make-you-feel-at-home way, not in the I’m-so-claustrophobic-right-now way. There weren’t that many people in the audience, and most of us were sitting down, but it was definitely a comfortable environment to be in.

The opener, Thomas Johnson, took the stage about an hour after I got there, and Shonie and I were blown away. I know there are people out there who think I suck at comparing musicians (ahem, Kieran), but I swear to you, I think Johnson sounds like Bon Iver with a little bit more of a Southern twang.

In the past, I’ve had a hard time connecting with music I’m not familiar with, which is why I used to despise opening bands in general. However, that night, I wasn’t really familiar with any of the music that was to be performed, and I enjoyed every second of it.

After his absolutely lovely, goosebump-inducing performance, The Old Ceremony took the stage. I can’t really think of an eloquent way to say this, so I’ll just come right out and say: I think they’re excellent. They were amazing. The end.

By the end of their set, they had almost everyone in the crowd dancing. Well, pretty much everyone except for me and Shonie because sometimes I get into very serious music journalism moods where I take everything far too seriously and forget that it’s okay to dance around and have a good time. If I wouldn’t have been in one of those moods, I definitely would’ve been dancing.

I’m not entirely sure if either one of them are currently on tour, but I encourage you to check out their music and catch their shows if they’re ever near you. They’re excellent musicians, and I had such a wonderful time at the show.

Afterward, I was able to sit down with the lead singer of The Old Ceremony, Django Haskins, for a brief video interview. I will get that up as soon as possible.