This isn’t the first time Kevin Devine has hit Spokane

I don't go to many concerts. The last live music I heard was Beausoleil, the Cajun group that played at the Bing Crosby Theater in February. Too many movies, too little time. And don't tell anybody, but I'm just now working my way through the several seasons of "Breaking Bad."

So I don't typically write about music. But then I received a text message yesterday from a guy I first met in the late '90s. He was then a student at Fordham University in New York City, and he dated my daughter for a year. My daughter brought him home with her for one vacation, and I — fighting my tendency to be overprotective — engaged him in a number of discussions about movies and literature. We may even have talked a bit about music, but I don't really remember. And I was impressed by what he knew, how lively his intellect was and how mature he seemed for someone barely in his 20s.

My daughter and he broke up, but they remained friends. And they stayed in contact. So a few years later, I was surprised — and pleased — to learn that the guy, now a professional musician, was going to play in Park City, Utah, during the Sundance Film Festival. My wife and I were still attending Sundance annually then, so we arranged to meet up. He recognized us, we had coffee after his show and I was happy to see that he was still the same smart, funny and — despite his recent success — approachable kid he'd been in university.

Then a few years later, when my wife and I met up with my now-married daughter and her then-baby daughter in Los Angeles, we all had an opportunity to see the guy play in an L.A. club. Now backed by a band, the guy proved to be even more talented as a singer-songwriter than he was intelligent, funny and friendly.

So, having drawn this out way too much, I'll reveal that guy as Kevin Devine who, backed by The Goddamn Band, will play Spokane's Knitting Factory tonight as part of a show including Manchester Orchestra and Balance & Composure. Get your tickets here. I'm not sure I'll make the show — I'm not big anymore on standing in line — but I hope to connect with Kevin sometime before or after.

It'd be nice to welcome him back to Spokane. Besides, it's always nice to know that nice people can find success, too.