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Fall is here. October is such a glorious month in Nashville. Cool weather and the end of sticky humid 90 degree temps. So, here are my current thoughts on the Nashville music scene.

After taking a year off, The Jane Shermans are back and will play Next Big Nashville. Eulene gave birth to a baby girl last year, which caused the long hiatus. But Angelo and Eulene are writing new material and they are promising a new record in 2010.

Mikky Ekko is the artist to watch right now in Nashville. Ekko's recent performances here in Nashville have been brilliant. He combines his Jeff Buckley-esque vocals with the emotional intensity of Jim Morrison. He is currently working on a new record, which I suspect will launch him onto the national scene.

Sarah Siskind's new record is brilliant. Her live performances showcase guitarist Joe McMahan.

Matthew Perryman Jones's recent Live on the Green performance was boring. He sounded like a 45 record played on 33rpm. I'm a fan of this guy but I'm afraid he missed a huge opportunity by boring the hundreds of people in attendance.

I saw Dave Barnes for the first time ... and last time. Good band though. La la la la la. You know what I'm talking about. Okay, if I ever get rich and buy my dream house on the beach, Dave can play my beach parties.

Katie Herzig is hot right now -- she's about to do a run of sold-out theater shows with Brandi Carlisle. Katie is a great example of how hard-work and dedication pays off. Good luck Katie, we here at ListenNashville think you're amazing.

News from outside Nashville, Sara Watkins has a new record. Her recent AMA performance at The Station Inn was amazing. Watkins could easily be the next Gillian Welch.

John Fogerty is still in his prime. He sounded brilliant at the AMAs.

Milktooth is a powerhouse band. They are delivering some kick-ass indie rock.

Finally, Madi Diaz may be my current favorite female artist in Nashville right now. She's on the current Ten out of Tenn tour, go see her. She's amazing.