So this coming Wednesday I’m going to see two of the premier songwriters of the last thirty-plus years, Freedy Johnston and Detroit’s own Marshall Crenshaw. Both artists are among those lumped into that unfortunate (and largely unprofitable) category of pseudo-One-Hit-Wonders—Johnston for his jangle-fied ode to regret, “Bad Reputation” (you might remember it from the movie “Kingpin”), and Crenshaw for the effortless pop perfection of “Someday, Someway.” Though their heydays occurred more than a decade apart (Johnston in the mid-to-late nineties and Crenshaw in the early eighties), each produced that brand of thoughtful, accomplished pop that, for whatever reason, never catches on beyond a select few (ahem!) who’re left scratching their heads wondering why. Anyhoo, the show will be at the Ark, far from my preferred venue—give me the greasy walls and over-amped system of the Blind Pig or edgy, underground vibe of the Magic Stick any day. In this case, though, the quietly intimate setting should literally fit the bill. If I can talk my buddy Will into bootlegging the show, I’ll upload some choice live cuts in the coming weeks—I’ll be the one with the sleigh bells….

UPDATE: I just watched that Crenshaw vid again. Jesus, what a talent.