Come Meet The New School: Reflections on Micah Hinson, Elvis Costello, and Expecting the Unexpected

So, last night I'm sitting around at a friend's baby shower when someone happens to mention a Micah P. Hinson show happening that night at Emos.

My ears perk up. I'm interested. I've been a fan of Hinson's music since my ACU days and a little thing called "Party On The Patio". I've been listening to his albums since he first released "Gospel of Progress". But I had never seen his live show, at least not since he had begun touring outside of Abilene, TX. So I jumped in the car and tagged along.

Here's what I expected.

I expected to enjoy myself. I'm with friends in downtown Austin. As long as no one spills beer on me, I'm going to enjoy myself.

I expected to enjoy the music. Hinson's albums are favorites and I'd been assured that his live show doesn't disappoint.

Here's what I did not expect.

Fervor.

Hope.

Unadulterated joy.

Not happiness, mind you. If you're looking for happiness, go eat a chocolate chip cookie.

Joy. The joy that reaches up, out, and under. The hope that smiles when it can and screams when it has to. The fervor that shakes and shouts and shimmies. The more I watched the more I couldn't look away. Hinson smiles like a kid who just lifted you wallet and cries out like a bear whose just lost her cubs. He is raw and he is real and he is rock and he is roll.

As I watch him move and shake and sing and play I am reminded of someone. Some now-aging superstar who once moved across the stage the way Hinson does today. Someone of the old school. I'm reaching back. Orbison. Cash. Presley. And then it hits me. I had the Elvis right, but not the Presley.

Costello. Watching a Micah Hinson show is like watching Elvis Costello, back in the day. When Hinson knocks his microphone stand aside in frustration, he does it with the same commitment to the cause that had Costello stop "Less Than Zero" only to launch into "Radio Radio".

And then it all came together for me. That coy grin. That wildcat roar. The music that borrows from the sadness of country and the anger of punk and makes of it something completely new. I should have expected it. I should have seen it coming. But I never did.

But when I finally saw it, it was something to see.

Whether you're a Hinson fan or not, I recommend catching his show. And to go in expecting the unexpected.