A Scottish Sojourn That Never Left The Midwest

Over the course of three successive nights, I got to hang with great friends, spend time in three lovely Rust Belt cities, and I got to see two of my favorite bands, both from Glasgow, Scotland.

My dear pal and fellow Stick Around, Jeffery “Pops” Gower with yours truly just before the Teenage Fanclub show in Ferndale, MI.

For many a year now, I have preached to the masses that when presented with the opportunity to do the thing, you should do the thing unless there is a very compelling reason not to do to the thing. For me, that thing, is almost always centered around live music. Whether it’s playing shows, heading down the street to support one of many talented musicians in town, or heading out of state to see a favorite band, live music moves me like no other thing on this earth.

When Teenage Fanclub, a longtime favorite of mine, announced a May show at the Magic Bag in Ferndale, Michigan, I marked it in red ink on my calendar. The Fannies are a band that I have loved since their classic 1991 album, Bandwagonesque. That record was so damned good in fact, that Spin Magazine named Bandwagonesque as their best album of the year. Nirvana’s Nevermind finished second.

Still, even h…