"Don't you mean Carmen?"

"Nope. Carmi. Like my car only backwards."

"Never heard of it."

"The musical or the town?"

"The anything."

Well, to tell the truth, I'm not all that surprised. On the other hand, I kind of am. It seems like everywhere I go someone has heard of Carmi. (The town, not the musical. There is no musical -- yet. But I'm working on it.)

Carmi is the little town in Southern Illinois where I grew up. I say "little" because I think a population of 6,000 qualifies for that designation, but it is the biggest town in a 30 mile radius or so.

I was just back there last weekend for my high school reunion (which was a blast), and I was amazed all over again at all the music that has been through and come out of that place.

It all started at the reunion. Carmi used to have a place called Teen Town, and the father of one of my classmates had been the sponsor of it for many years. Bob, my classmate, put together an excellent and extensive display of pictures, programs, and even video (some of which had been reel-to-reel) of events that had happened there. I found more than one picture which included me dancing to the music of a live band.

And what bands we had! One of the most famous of the time and area was called East of Eden, and they are still playing. The Turks were also a biggie for us, and there were others that were very good. I don't believe they ever played in Carmi, but in nearby Mt. Carmel I once went to a dance that had Tommy James and The Shondells playing.

But most of that is in the past, and I also learned something about the future last weekend.

I ran into a friend from my old neighborhood at church on Sunday morning, we talked for just a minute, then he left briefly and came back with a CD in his hand. Turns out it was a band his son is part of, along with two other guys from Carmi and a fourth friend they knew from school.

Now I get CDs fairly often, but this one was special. I mean, three of these guys were from Carmi, and they were signed by a pretty prestigious label! The name of the group is Run Kid Run, and they are on Tooth & Nail Records.

And trust me when I tell you that as good as RKR is, those guys are not the only artists hanging around the Carmi area who are extremely talented. So what is it with Carmi and music? Did it all start with Teen Town years ago? We may never find out until we see Carmi - The Musical.

BTW, I just found a connection between Run Kid Run and Tommy James and The Shondells. Be the first to tell me what it is and I'll send you some good music.