Earlier this week I was sitting on my deck enjoying 70 degree weather. The next day or so I was looking at ice. The abrupt contrast was much too depressing. Rather than stay at home out of the weather, I knew I had to get out of the house and forge ahead with my plans.
Happily for Louise Mosrie, Greg Foresman, Julie Grower and Bruce-Jon Brigham, a lot of other people felt the same way and gave them a good turnout for their Bluebird Café round. These folks write together often in various configurations (and Julie and Bruce will celebrate their second wedding anniversary in May), so the four were well acquainted with each other's material to add parts as needed.
I was most familiar with Louise, having met and heard her for the first time at Red Tree Coffee last month. Louise writes a lot of songs about the road (and writes while on the road...she noted she starts many of these songs in her car!). Her upcoming CD, Backroads, will feature some of the songs she did and I am really looking forward to it. I'm particularly waiting on my favorite song of hers which she played, "Maybe I'm Your Angel". It will remind you a little of "Trying To Love You", the Beth Nielsen Chapman song done by Trisha Yearwood.
I first met Greg Foresman last September at Radio Free Nashville...he was being interviewed as I was waiting to go on the air for the first time. I learned then that he was Martina McBride's guitarist and had some pretty solid music of his own. Greg played some very fine slide guitar throughout the evening on his own songs (the bluesy" Something I Can Use" was a standout) as well as the others. He also has a new CD due out soon.
I also enjoyed Julie Grower and Bruce-Jon Brigham, both fine singers and songwriters. I particularly liked Bruce's songs "Prayer of a Simple Man" and "Montana", and Julie's humorous "Save the Drama For Your Mama" and "I Found You", which says that the person of your dreams may not be what you pictured, but turned out fulfilling nonetheless.
Afterward it was off to the Commodore Grill to wish a happy birthday to CJ Watson and to hear him with his friends (Camille Wallin and Scott Sanford, later joined by Jeff Gilkinson). I also heard this combination a few nights earlier. If you're looking at the lineups at the Commodore and you see these folks on it, you need to hear them as well. This is how top-flight songwriting, vocals and on-stage chemistry's done.
It was getting late and some of us were fading and really should have been heading home. But we couldn't because next up was Chris Wallin (writer of "Don't Blink", "Something To Be Proud Of", "Love Me If You Can" and "I'm Tryin", just to name a few...all of which he did). He wasn't sure how much stage time he had, but it seemed nobody wanted to let him go.
That is the magic of these nights. I love this town.
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