The Birthday JD Set -

Dominic Lawrance won our trip to Nashville to see Patti Smith courtesy of Jack Daniel’s (RC 341). Here’s his account of the night. View: amber-tinted

We travelled to Lynchburg, TN, home of Jack Daniel’s whiskey, where we were warmly welcomed with a whiskey-tasting session. The master distiller, Jimmy Bedford, talked us through the finer points. We tried three different varieties of whiskey, one of which isn’t even available in the UK (“Gentleman Jack”). After the tasting, we were treated to a tour of the distillery by warehouse worker Jack. The tour was a blast and Jack’s bubbly Southern humour was a treat. The drink flowed, and after a few more bevvies we were having a great time. However, things were about to get even better. As promised, a private gig was staged atop the hill that looks down over Lynchburg and the distillery. The New Silver Cornet Band introduced themselves, as they were going to be backing all the vocalists, and began jamming away to warm the audience up. Kicking things off was the stunning and ferocious Shingai from UK indie-punkers The Noisettes. Her awesome vocals and energetic style were a joy to behold. Before the night was over I had been converted into a massive Noisettes fan and I managed to get my photo taken with Shingai (unfortunately she looked half asleep – I don’t blame her though as she had probably expended all her energy). Next up was the beautiful actress-cum-musician Juliette Lewis, who also brought her hunky guitarist from The Licks. Juliette was even more enthusiastic than Shingai (if that’s possible) and she sang her heart out with some of her own songs and some covers. Headlining the gig was the legendary Patti Smith. She sang with conviction and wowed the audience with a cover of Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit. The crowd of no more than 200 lapped it up, all the while enjoying the wonder that is a JD mixer. All said and done, I had a great trip that won’t soon be forgotten.

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Reviewed by Dominic Lawrance
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