Red Tree Coffee's 1st Birthday Celebration, 5/8/09
How does a new coffeehouse in a small town manage to flourish in the midst of a recession? The answer is simple, really. Be good at what you do and cause people to care. That's the secret to Red Tree Coffee's success, in my view. This cozy place in Kingston Springs celebrated its first birthday in style this weekend with a loyal crowd, great treats and lots of incredible music.
The musical offerings consisted primarily of the Red Tree family's formidable in-house talent (guitarists/singers Jon Conley, Cole Bruce and sisters Katie Conley and Amy Patience, who sang the house down) and some of the musicians who have played regularly on their Friday night showcases: duo Those Two, fiddler Casey Campbell, Grand Ole Opry player David Jolley, guitarist Billy Thomas and percussionist Todd Wilson, the latter two who smoked in a jam at the end with Jon and Cole. E.G. Smith led the crowd in a rendition of a song written especially for Red Tree's birthday. Without a doubt one of the highlights of the evening was Jon and Katie's 12 year old daughter Savannah. I've never seen a young gal quiet a room as she did when she sang Bob Dylan's "To Make You Feel My Love", and her own composition "Reality". She told the crowd how amazed she was when, after singing the song in a school talent contest, she learned how memorable it was to the other kids who were going around singing it the next day. It certainly shows that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree and that Savannah's got a bright future ahead of her.
I predict Red Tree will be recession-proof for some time to come because one of its greatest values lies in that which doesn't involve money; it's about creating community and a bonding spirit along with great coffee and great music.
Alex Harvey and Band, Puckett's-Franklin 5/9/09
One week after Alex Harvey's songwriter presentation at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum came one of his regular gigs at Puckett's. I've been to a few of his shows so far and this one was one of the best yet: lots of upbeat, rocking blues, great songwriting and solid musicianship. Alex and the band did many regular crowd favorites like "Rings", "Reuben James", "5 Dollar Fine For Whining", "Cry Like The Rain" and others, and had the audience singing along on "Dangerous". As you would expect, the more serious, heart-tugging moments came during "Somebody New", and "Delta Dawn" and "Next Right Thing" when Alex passionately shares how those songs came about through painful personal experience.
Here's that theme of community again: Alex said he considers folks who come to his shows like family. I can speak to that; I have certainly felt that way since I've been going. It's that second level of support I've written about where the people who have stood out for you keep you coming back over and over again. In this case it's Alex's passionate performances, legendary songwriting and creating that sense of oneness with the audience.
Another great weekend...and another reason to love this town (and a small town or two).
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