:20, “Here’s trouble,” said Dr. Jennifer Massie!

Lil’ Jennie Dickens!… [Levi: “Look at that ‘stache!”]

F&P: I heard you guys were having a get-together [gushy stuff and hugs; Levi: “it’s a get-together, now,” as we all three embraced for the first time in years].

[From a somewhat a musically-driven/developed friendship-around-communal backyard-firepit visited by a multitude of academic, cultural and social staples as well as community, and business leaders within the community, mainly hosted by Levi Massie and Billy Plant’s relationship sewn and developed at 903 Lytle St. over the course of two decades [next to Michael Renner’s house], introduced many-a-character to the area.]

Mr. Ben Becker is one of the most outstanding men noticeable in this town -even before- coming out of Lawrence Co., where Ben was a couple of years older than the paper (a non-existent Folk & Proper, at the time) but his mother was the librarian at the Lawrenceburg Public Library, right after the split onto the Pulaski highway that’s right after E.L. Coffman, the local middle school, if you’re coming from 43, up South from Loretto, going home.

Mike’s mom, Susie, used to sub there, and John played basketball on the ’96-’98? teams, when he was skinny [according to comparable yearbook pictures].

And backed by Michael Fletcher on the drums (not same Mike), Kevin Robertson on bass, with Billy Plant on the electric Guitar, Becker on the Rhodes organ’s sad Valentines was a hit-cathartic at Liquid Smoke Beer & Smoke Lounge, February 14th, 2026, after a long year of 2025.

:48: “Hey, what’s up, man,” Mr. Aaron Swisher, Murf cat/area guitarist, consult, and touring tech, currently one of several lead guitarists for Murf.-Spongebath Era, The Katies’ bassist Gary Welch’s revival, with their late 2025 realease out of Twin Oak Studios, There’s Wolves Up There – Gary Welch – YouTube

“Good to see you, buddy. Nice to see you,” Swisher said.

F&P: I’m gonna sit right here for two seconds, and try not to bother you…”

-Quite a crowd for 3pm, Saturday after at Liquid Smoke, 2 Public Square, Murfessboro, TN.

1:09, F&P, to Aaron Swisher: “So this would be a different sort of super group -a little folkier, more…”

Swisher: I think so. …everybody genre?

F&P: …organ-based, folkie genre?

Swish: everybody in this band is good, so I anticipate a good set.

F&P: So, compared to being in Gary Welch, where you’ve got you and Casey, and Jason, which I’ve referred to in articles as a super group, just in a different genre, because you guys are hard[er]core [than this] -you’ll put you foot up on the amp, and lean into it [Aaron laughs]. I enjoy it so much.

Swisher: I’ll never part ways with my moves, I’ll tell you that.

F&P: It’d be funny if Ben did the same thing with his organ

Swisher: I hope he does.

audience back-chatter, “what the fck have you been up to?” “I am a corporate trainer for…. someone else…”520 uptown square”

Ben: Hey, Lori, it’s 3 O’clock

Lori, Liquid Smoke bartender,cthat afternoon: “Okay!”

Thak you, Lori.

“Al right everybody, its 3 o’clock sharp. You know what time that is,” Ben said.

It’s time for a sad. Ass. Song,” Ben said.

7:06, Thanks everybody for coming out. We’re gonna play songs about heartache, and heartbreak, and loneliness, and isolation (crowd member woots), …hatred, indifference (crowd members woot), all in one location. For Valentine’s day.

They’re not the saddest songs in the world, but they’re the saddest songs we can pull off (crowd laughs), so thank y’all for coming. Let’s count it off, real slow.

7:36, Ben Becker’s “Oh, Lonesome Me,” popularly performed by Neil Young, through After the Gold Rush, a fitting of Ben’ s repertoire/album crate.

Kevin’s linear, walking bass; perfect timing/kept together, Michael Fletcher; Billy’s electric stums…

11:39, crowd member, from back: Turn up the vocals!

11:40, Ben: All right. That was one song. Yeah. More vocals? Louder? It could be louder. Thank you. -You’re better than a paid engineer.

12:00, Ben: All right, so, we’re playing this show today for a very special reason. And that reason is me (Crowd: Yeah!)

“I’m really glad y’all came out, and stuff. It’s real cool to see you. I hope you have a really good time, but playing all these songs because last years sucked so bad that I didn’t touch an instrument for about six months,” Ben said.

“And when I did, I started playing sad songs on the piano, like I have so many times, and I found out that I really like it (crowd laughs). And I was like, ‘well, shit. Y’know, might as well do somthing with this.’ Started talking to Billy. Started to Kevin. Sht happened.”

“But the most importatn part for me is after the last couple of years I didnt’ feel like I’ve been living my own life. But after me getting together and working on this with these guys, I’m startin to feel like myself again, so -you guys- You’re welcome” (crowd, yeah)!

“All right. We’re going to slip into a little section of Eels songs for you guys,” Ben said (glasses clank).

“Lemme hydrate…”

13:20, Bartender, Lori to F&P: Can I get you anything? Cup of water? I’ll get you a tap water, be right back…”

13:36, Ben punches in “Bus Stop Boxer,” by The Eels, through 2022’s Souljacker [14:00, intro Robbie Roysden, whom havne’t seen in while, too]. excellent electric work, Billy; end song-16:45

Ben: Let’s give it up for Billy (crowd, yuuuuuhhhh, Billy! “Noce going Billy, good tone,” Aaron); crowd chatter

17:04 Ben mumbles, ‘pretty good;’ 17:15, Becker taps into “I’m Going to Stop Pretending I Didn’t Break Your Heart,” lyricizing I’m going to tell you what you need to hear. And I”m a little too late by 3 or 4 years. And it may not make much sense now that we are apart, but I’m going to stop pretending that I didn’t break your heart” from 2005 Blinking LIghts and Other Revelations ; -21:00/end of audio.

Video transcription: “All right, there’s the poor, poor souls that hitched this ride with me,” Ben said, to the crowd’s cheers. “Everybody knows Billy, right?” (crowd, yuuuuuhhhhhs). Let’s give it up for Billy. Billy got on stage with a guitar without a hole in it (crowd laughs). That’s a new one,” Ben said.

Ben: Then, In the back, we’ve got Mr. Michael Fletcher, who saved us. He keeps us together.

“And then behind me, we have the man of the hour, Kevin “Bling Bling” Robertson” (crowd yuuuuuhhh’s).

“And We’re not going to embarass him much. But it’s Kevin’s birthday (crowd owowyeewws)Everybody, let’s take a minute… on the count of three, everybody say ‘happy birthday, Kevin. -1, 2, 3-“

“Happy Birthday, Kevin [and my niece, Lucy Dennis!]”

Ben: That’s way better than Smokes and Joes (crowd laughs).

Ben: All right, well now that I’ve intoduced them, I’m gonna play a little music without them. How about that (crowd laughs)? I like them, but y’know.

“All right, here we -this one ain’t got no drummer so it aint going to be in time, so don’t worry about that…”

“All right, we’ve done the heartbreak, we’ve done the heartache, we’ve done the isolation, done all that. We’ve done it! Now we gotta go a little angry with it [audience member, “Love,” by Queen! (?) “No, no, no, this is, ‘Journeymen’ than that, crowd member laughs].

[…] [Grainier?] than that. We’re gonna turn up the wu-wu.

:27, Billy strums, Ben counts in Ween’s “Baby Bitch,” with some seeming relief in the lyricism, as can be catharsis

-4:40, crowd cheers, “There’s your anger, folks.”

All right, We’re on the precipice, here, folks.

“ON the precipice,” on the prcipice, the audience said back.

“That was the pinnacle.”

Ben: All right, well we got one more song with the fellas. Please. It’s about the opposite of love.

5:10, Levie passing cup as song starts, Pearl Jam’s Indifference, Michea Fletcher on the tambo-driven (w/ crowd chatter), winding down the valentines day set as solemn in the keys as

9:22, Ben: All right everybody. That’s the end. Thank you everybody for coming. Thank you guys for you support. Make sure you tip Mrs. Lori, because she helped make this happen and she’s serving you all alcohol in the middle of the fchn day (crowd laughs). Pay her bills.

Mrs. Lori, “THank you, thank you.”

9:45, Still Satellite walks in the door.

“Well, it looks like our second act made it, despite having car trouble. So we’re gonna get off the stage, clear some things out. Still Satellites coming up after us, plahing some nice, lovely tunes.”

“Thanks again for coming” (crowd wooooots)!

And as this goes, this introduces an F&P series called, “Seasons,” of which these men and women of town are documented. Billy Plant, who’s original influence for the title, made his debut in the Summer 2024’s “They Call Me Dangerous, They Call Me Fun: Nashville’s Dylan Wilson’s King Lazy Eye’s Past Year,” (only in newspaper form [until I get it together]) and will rememrge in the series in an upcoming installment from a November 7th, Liquid Smoke show with banjoist, Frank Bailey; Levi Massie’s reemergence.

As back in the 90’s, at least, or at the turn of the millennia, a custom of the citizenry in Lawrence Co., TN was to announce an annual citizen of the year, as seniors and city officials such as Loretto’s Dr. Ray Methvin, Sr. have been announced [what thought was through The Advocate]. In keeping with, or restarting, said tradition, Mr. Ben Becker is now declared the official Lawrence County Citizen-in-extradition of the Year 2026, currently expansive-prodigal to the Grand Section of Middle Tennessee as a whole, itself, throughout the life and work of Ben Becker, thus far.

Thank you, Mr. Ben Becker, for the consideration and sentiment.

Ben can be reached at (615) 63– – — [FOLK & PROPER DID NOT SECURE PERMISSION TO PASS THAT ALONG, as of 2/18].

More information on the life and times of Craig Murphy can be at Bucket City Mouthwash Podcast BUCKET CITY MOUTHWASH- S1 The Boro-Muda Triangle Ep.3 Craig Murphy and Kevin “bling” Robertson of Boo Boo Bunny-BUCKET CITY MOUTHWASH ; Boo Boo Bunny Facebook ; an accordion-based, master o’ puppets—-craig murphy with late for dinner by the craig murphy music page | ReverbNation, with a lovely biography blurb at the bottom right.

More information on Bucket City Mouthwash, is available at Bucket City Mouthwash – YouTube home, as well as on Amazon.com: BUCKET CITY MOUTHWASH : Matthew Olson: Audible Books & Originals; and Rephonic – BUCKET CITY MOUTHWASH.

For more footage of Billy Plant and Liquid Smoke shows, visit B. E. Harmon – YouTube.

Ben Becker’s birthday was two days after Valentines Day, Feb. 16, 2026.

Murfreesboro’s Still Satellite, following Ben Becker:

Author, choreographer, talent abstract, Jess Douglass, “Still Satellite is the live project of mulit-instrumentalist and producer Jess Douglas blending live sampling, meloidic riffs, delicate rhythms, and poetic lyrics, [as] their sound spamns R&B, jazz, UK post-punk, and EDM,” performing recently around town at Hop Springs and Campus Pub, now recently Liquid Smoke, after a Tuesday arts and culture-derivative, Night Light, her Tuesday nights @ The Boro Bar and Grill, closed Tuesday nights out, at the Boro by the time of its closing, Summer 2025.

Contact, updates and future information can be found at Still Satellites instagram, … she might be off socials….

Reach her [some] Tuesday nights at Campus Pub.

More still satellite footage available at Still Satellite, Hop Springs, Murfreesboro, TN, July 25, 2025 – YouTube, at B. E. Harmon – YouTube.

Michael Butts portraiture and painting, as well as 3pm Valentines day fests, all day, found at Liquid Smoke Beer & Smoke Lounge, located at 2. N. Public Square, 37130, as well as Home – Liquid Smoke (liquidsmoke.biz).

Bonus: Craig Murphy interview:
(right after converstion with Aaron Swisher)

[4:50 – F&P: You’re Craig Murphy, right? 

F&P: I’m so fckn excited about this. I haven’t walked into a local show, in like, years, kinda vibrating a little bit. 

CM: Becasue there’s no where to fckn go for it anymore (laughing). 

“We’re working on that,” F&P said.  

“I went to a show, last night, on the top of a parking,” continued F&P. 

“-I know you’re not going to have any of this sht [as I’m talking to a repuatorily presidual Craig Murphy of the Murfreesboro aughts and teens local acts, Boo Boo Bunny, Gay Repulicans, and Wifebeater, as well as in affiliation with Michael Renner’s The HellBilly days at The Boro Bar & Grill to fuel Murhy’s madness for decades,” -but I went on top of one of the parking garages at MTSU. 

Craig: Oh! 

F&P: It was pretty cool, dude. I’ll let you know about a couple of bands I found up there, dude. There was sick-ass, metal fuzz bass that could rival anything that came out of Twin Oaks […] We got kicked out kicked out of two garages by the cops! They were cool as sht! (CM, rasp-laughing, that feels like home. 

Razz Sutton came out of nowhere. We hadn’t even got inside. 

“I’m gonna find a beer,” Razz said, huggy. 

“Good thing to get out. Good day show,” he continued. 

F&P: I was telling him this is the first show local I’m kinda walking in vibrating, I’m excited.  

Razz: Well, you now, Winter does that to you. You don’t want to get out, do anything. 

F&P: These guys practice at your house? 

“No. nononono. Ben’s,” Razz said. 

[Razz’s house has been, historically, a practice spot for these and off shoots of these people’s bands to practice or just jam out for a second. Then through that process, some next-gen off-shoots, and friends of friends get introduced through to Razz’s side room, next to the driveway where practice-able space is possilbe, to the joke Razz’s house is on the freshman tour, staple venue-wise]. ]]