tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34587430099136522152024-02-18T21:54:05.016-06:00Wendy V's Nashville BlendWendy Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08166757413144370560noreply@blogger.comBlogger105125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458743009913652215.post-43787658372936001852010-08-08T13:07:00.005-05:002010-08-08T13:42:28.036-05:00Busy music weekend in Kingston Springs 8/6-7/10<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKUG3tbNtoC59ecJ7BkBuKBouhvOT72Z2ovideuQEwRKq0hR-Fyy_VRYPJb7JMfsWi8y8sSdhhXIQsxZxkpEQIus1JsnUv6PATuqAqjcWiKe1K_pRkYxQx1-37IhyphenhyphenFrkdsb0NKhOhCpM4/s1600/HPIM1486.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKUG3tbNtoC59ecJ7BkBuKBouhvOT72Z2ovideuQEwRKq0hR-Fyy_VRYPJb7JMfsWi8y8sSdhhXIQsxZxkpEQIus1JsnUv6PATuqAqjcWiKe1K_pRkYxQx1-37IhyphenhyphenFrkdsb0NKhOhCpM4/s320/HPIM1486.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503108362095102850" /></a><br />The Kingston Springs music scene continues to be hopping big time. In one Friday night, we saw three great gigs happening steps away from each other. You had the debut solo gig by promising singer/songwriter Cat Carter at Studio Mills, Calico Trail packing them in as usual in two sets at Red Tree Coffee during their standing first Friday of the month gig there, and the always smoking hot Good Gravy at the Fillin' Station. Had I gotten the timing right, I would have taken in all three (and some people were able to pull that off). But like MeatLoaf says, two out of three ain't bad. I'm still looking for a way to be several places at once...<br /><br />The next evening, Saturday, was one happening gig at the Fillin Station. The buzz was out on a newly formed musical combination (temporarily named "Duo of Duos") consisting of singer/songwriter duo Mark Elliott and Gary Culley, and the McCarter Sisters, Teresa and Lisa, backed by Chip Chipoletti on percussion and Good Gravy's Tom Good on bass. Fortunately, it was not quite as blazing hot as the last time the group played there, making it a bit more comfortable for the capacity crowd that showed up (and, hopefully, the artists). <br /><br />The McCarter twins worked very hard to learn a sizable repetoire in a short time, consisting of popular favorites and Mark and Gary's original tunes. The harmonies were tight and strong,as polished as if they all had been together for months. The four are excited about working with each other, and have more gigs planned in the coming weeks.<br /><br />By the way, this isn't all that's going on musically in the downtown Kingston Springs area. Bobby Pizazz hosts a new songwriter night on Tuesday evenings at the Village Corner Pub and I'll be reporting on one of those in a couple of weeks.Wendy Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08166757413144370560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458743009913652215.post-82846055300516867432010-06-28T19:34:00.004-05:002010-06-28T19:38:19.617-05:00Michael Jay Cresswell and Friends, Fillin' Station, Kingston Springs, 6/27/10<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivjjg9Lj9IPxQDQ5WT_-lxSZYLh0LagLTEgNIIbzIUecbqiDSuppzPq9WXjTxj-xFZXY6gLXxUt28KYXUnn0OI0LgRaNveGBIS79FuWXztzuVaNNgPOhrhNnzulEdk-2QgKh8VUeexnJU/s1600/HPIM1452.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivjjg9Lj9IPxQDQ5WT_-lxSZYLh0LagLTEgNIIbzIUecbqiDSuppzPq9WXjTxj-xFZXY6gLXxUt28KYXUnn0OI0LgRaNveGBIS79FuWXztzuVaNNgPOhrhNnzulEdk-2QgKh8VUeexnJU/s320/HPIM1452.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487988190833528178" /></a><br />Our fellow Radio Free Nashville DJ and friend Steve Haggard asked T.J. Kirby and me if we could have on our show for a brief guest segment an artist who just released a CD on his label Wild Oats Records. <a href="http://www.myspace.com/officialmichaeljay">Michael Jay Cresswell </a>was in the U.S. from his home in France visiting Nashville for a month. The interview went well and Michael was one charming guy with an excellent CD and a great British accent.<br /><br />Two CD release shows were set up in town at the tail end of Michael’s visit, and we were happy to have a chance to attend one of those at the Fillin’ Station. The band put together for the shows was an “all star” lineup from the Wild Oats circle and did a fine opening set before Michael came on. It’s always good to hear these folks play together: Steve Haggard on guitar, harmonica and vocals, Kimberly King on vocals, Joel Alan Lehman on guitar and vocals, Walter Egan on bass and vocals and Kathy Burkly on drums. Michael’s set consisted of most of the songs from his "It’s Time" CD and it was an impressive one, with Michael showing a strong, powerful voice, great stage presence and personality (he was having quite a bit of fun with many of the audience members).<br /><br />Michael’s got a great product with this CD and I think he’ll do well. I must say I’ll miss him and his precious sweetie Tracey, as we all bonded in such a short time. Knock ‘em dead, mate, but c’mon back Stateside again soon.Wendy Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08166757413144370560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458743009913652215.post-65432131400382705672010-06-25T21:05:00.008-05:002010-06-25T21:43:46.207-05:00Hirum Hickum Project, Red Tree Coffee, 6/25/10<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfFVsDZxLoDEC9M-e8_utpKD6NmDGhBorhOga9i1vLtm6nyPC7iirj7CCY9l0MUzsQtwrzON3CVxfTZt21YaS_PuQmoPbhENe5PZjyor3cYAv4NWFexF6s46pSyF18sO83ZwWJs5ICxE0/s1600/HPIM1455.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfFVsDZxLoDEC9M-e8_utpKD6NmDGhBorhOga9i1vLtm6nyPC7iirj7CCY9l0MUzsQtwrzON3CVxfTZt21YaS_PuQmoPbhENe5PZjyor3cYAv4NWFexF6s46pSyF18sO83ZwWJs5ICxE0/s320/HPIM1455.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486907388007959746" /></a><br />On a hot night like this, it’s tempting to stay home chillin’ in your air-conditioned home instead of going out. But my instincts were urging me to go out as I planned. I’ve had enough near misses to start paying better attention to my instincts, so I did venture out. This time, I am mighty glad I did.<br /><br />When I walked into Red Tree Coffee, I found a new group made up of several familiar faces: Louise Mosrie (vocals/guitar), Greg Foresman(guitar/mandolin/dobro/vocals), Julie Grower (percussion/guitar/vocals), Bruce-Jon Brigham (guitar/vocals), and Steve Peffer (keyboards/accordion/strings/vocals). This was the “dress rehearsal” debut for the Hirum Hickum Project. This group of friends have been playing together informally for some time (and in fact, this night was not the first time I’ve seen four of the five play together...Louise, Greg, Julie and Bruce-Jon played a memorable <a href="http://wvnashblend.blogspot.com/2009/03/bluebird-cafe-and-commodore-grill-31209.html">Bluebird Café round in March of 2009</a>). They decided to form a group, and already have a four song EP available. A few songs into their set, I knew I was indeed hearing a “supergroup”. Hirum Hickum shined on the three newer songs from the EP, and the Greg Foresman favorite “Strike Up the Band”. Louise also did a popular song from her “Home” CD, “God Lives In Arkansas”, and the group closed their set with a fine cover of “Bellbottom Blues”. <br /><br />I’ve said this before...it’s a great feeling to discover new acts and really get excited about them, and to anticipate what’s to come. The Hirum Hickum Project is off to a great start. They’ve got a memorable name and a memorable sound. Can’t wait to hear more.Wendy Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08166757413144370560noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458743009913652215.post-70866989037499366022010-06-18T17:57:00.005-05:002010-06-18T18:38:20.892-05:00Back On The Beat...If anyone had been wondering, no, I haven't quit writing this blog or haven't stopped caring about the local songwriter scene. I just haven't had as much time as in the past to devote to it. Other things have been taking up my time. Since March I've had an extended stretch of temp work which puts me back on the day shift...which also means I can't stay out too late at shows (well, maybe once in a while) because I have to get up early. My sidekick gig on <a href="http://www.tjandcompanyradio.com">T.J. and Company </a>also demands a chunk of time, because I am also the show <a href="http://tjandcoradio.wordpress.com">blogger</a> and the tech person. A lot of work goes into planning our fun two-hour show. If you haven't yet listened, I hope you will. Finally, I had this three week virus bug which took up residence in my throat (instead of my nose, where these things usually hit),causing violent coughing spasms which fired up big time as soon at nighttime hit. Not an ideal scenario for listening to live music. The remnants are still with me at this point, but thankfully it's much more under control. <br /><br />OK, enough excuses. Not that I've exactly been a hermit. Admittedly I spend most of my weekends in my "adopted home area" of Pegram/Kingston Springs supporting acts playing at Red Tree Coffee and The Fillin' Station, like Good Gravy, Mohawk Slim Band, Culley and Elliott and a host of others. But I've not abandoned my other regular haunts like the Commodore, where I've been at least a couple of times these past weeks, or Doak Turner's 3rd Sunday gathering. Also, my radio partner T.J. Kirby and I hosted a stage at the Nashville Songwriters Festival, where we were gifted with several songwriters' CDs you'll be hearing a track or two from over the coming weeks. And I do plan to check out many other writers nights and places, but there's always the happy Nashville problem to contend with: too many hot things happening in the same night. What to do, what to do? Can someone please split me in two?<br /><br />Many events I've been to over the past two weeks have been flood relief benefits. Red Tree and the Fillin' Station each had one which raised a good chunk of money, with music by many first-class special musical guests. Debi Champion also hosted a great one full of hit writers at the Commodore Grill...it raised over $1,000 by the early hours of the evening. Then there was "Rebuilding Our Community" at the Mud Puddle Pottery/Harpeth Art Center, benefiting South Cheatham County flood victims and featuring good eats and fine music by hit songwriters Wood Newton and Ron Hellard, guitarist Verlon Thompson and Culley and Elliott backed by Braided Chord. The local communities continue to pull together and support one another, and the music more than lifts the spirits.<br /><br />There's one thing I've been very grateful for. Despite my absences and my slacking off from this blog, I am still thankful to be able to walk into places I've mentioned above and still get a round of hugs from writers and artists. Thanks for hanging in with me and not forgetting me. I have not forgotten you and intend to stick with you. Because you know, I do love this town.Wendy Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08166757413144370560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458743009913652215.post-31954077294608079872010-05-08T12:59:00.003-05:002010-05-08T13:15:22.031-05:00After the Flood...Friday, one week before. We were all jammed into Red Tree Coffee in Kingston Springs at a benefit for musician Jack Kapanka, seriously injured in an auto accident. Kids were stopping by on their way to the prom and we all cheered as they walked in displaying their finery. Several musicians took their turns sharing songs and, as often happens there at Red Tree, the spirit was a special bonding between artists and audience.<br /><br />Who knew...<br /><br />Saturday morning. The rain came pouring down. Not being a big fan of driving in rain so hard I can't see well, I nonetheless steeled myself to make my way to my radio show on Radio Free Nashville that afternoon via Old Harding Road to Highway 100. It was getting pretty wet then, I observed. By the time I was on my way to join T.J. and Rene for an after-show bite at Borders, a stretch of Old Harding Road was completely flooded and I had to reroute back to Temple Road and Highway 100.<br /><br />Who knew...that 24 hours later the road I traveled and the cities of Kingston Springs and Pegram that I'd become so fond of would become the sites of many rescues by boat of people from their flooded homes and unbelieveable devastation. I soon knew how lucky I was...to be able to have gotten back and forth to my destinations on Saturday and that my Bellevue subdivision would be spared the damage of the flood waters.<br /><br />I tell this story here because it is in these times that music speaks and brings us together. Telethons and benefit concerts and tip jars abound to raise money for flood relief. And indeed, one of the very sites of the calm before the storm, Red Tree Coffee, is a command post for volunteers and was a place of healing last night with the music of the beloved Calico Trail...as always, closing the distance between artist and audience, bringing us all together.<br /><br />We are Nashville...and Kingston Springs, and Pegram and all the other hard hit places. We'll make it through this together.Wendy Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08166757413144370560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458743009913652215.post-24826447567332475032010-03-15T17:10:00.010-05:002010-03-17T04:53:22.191-05:00Judy Whiting: A Personal Reflection<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzH0sQ5HWlH8_NyaZfFoVYXW33m2BdTPQ_rnAtg1SEiXTK0XyCP5R0G86PzLU_5bURwJ_IDN8-RJ6gPrZI8_wN7SEmCYoYMKagaxoaOvX65oF8ea7SfVTwGZaCqDl7cO-h_C0JQdk-vmM/s1600-h/HPIM1275.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 197px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzH0sQ5HWlH8_NyaZfFoVYXW33m2BdTPQ_rnAtg1SEiXTK0XyCP5R0G86PzLU_5bURwJ_IDN8-RJ6gPrZI8_wN7SEmCYoYMKagaxoaOvX65oF8ea7SfVTwGZaCqDl7cO-h_C0JQdk-vmM/s320/HPIM1275.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448991565058860578" /></a><br /><br />This is one piece I didn't want to have to write. Not because I didn't want to share some thoughts about a friend. The problem is that sadly, we lost this friend today...those of us who shared her determined optimism that she would make it through this setback were very shocked and saddened.<br /><br />I first met Judy Whiting virtually, on the Nashville Music Pros networking site, where I learned we had much in common. I met her personally for the first time at the Radio Free Nashville studios. She had accompanied John Heinrich, who was being interviewed by George Adams on "Geo On The Radio", the show that preceded mine at the station at the time. I will always remember when she came out of the studio, hugged me and said, "You're just as pretty as your picture!"<br /><br />Judy became a friend and encourager to me, as she was to many musicians in Music City. Of course, Nashville at times can seem like one big "small town". At John Heinrich's steel guitar demonstration at the Country Music Hall of Fame, through Judy I met singer/songwriter Garry Jackson, who it turned out had a couple of other friends on Radio Free Nashville who I hadn't yet met at that time. Garry, Steve Haggard and Kimberly King have since become very dear friends to me. We're all connected. Judy was a great connector.<br /><br />Judy and I shared a couple of fun lunch dates together. Besides a little bit of "girl talk" here and there, the one topic that consistently came up with us--and which we were both in strong agreement on--was when it came to dealing with musicians in the course of the business, the relationships and friendships were much more valuable and important than all the musical politics.<br /><br />I'm comforted by my pastor's reminder this Sunday to us that "to be absent in the body is to be present with the Lord."<br /><br />Go rest high, girl. As you always told us, keep the sunshine in your heart.Wendy Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08166757413144370560noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458743009913652215.post-87092600979512449802010-02-16T08:17:00.004-06:002010-02-16T09:07:59.076-06:00Recent Roundup<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB6aEuctjm49HY8k06J_s-QkBTQo4vsPNgAp-bcpp08gmiVHMD_nDtGMuQUL5bG0dlTh7xD7A9FAmvxUcR4fyYARLJ4Tv6CWaWnmZ7YOu0P0gp0zWAgeRFAeBquSi8gqrgxQmEIzRG7LA/s1600-h/HPIM1405.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB6aEuctjm49HY8k06J_s-QkBTQo4vsPNgAp-bcpp08gmiVHMD_nDtGMuQUL5bG0dlTh7xD7A9FAmvxUcR4fyYARLJ4Tv6CWaWnmZ7YOu0P0gp0zWAgeRFAeBquSi8gqrgxQmEIzRG7LA/s320/HPIM1405.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438855766531124178" /></a><br />Where have I been? Well, the truth is, winter and I don't get along very well. When I lived in St. Paul and Minneapolis, MN I pretty much hibernated between November and April. There, the winters average about five months. For my first couple of years here in Nashville, winter was, for the most part, just time on the calendar. Snow? If there was a sprinkling of it, it was a big deal. But now, this year's snow frequency and temperatures is almost giving the Twin Cities a run for its money (well, okay, no, so we haven't had the below zero wind chills). Like it did in the Twin Cities, it's gotten old. My snow driving rule has been in effect: ice or snow, the car don't go. (Perhaps the only advantage to being unemployed...I'm not forced to risk my life and my little old car to dangerous driving conditions).<br /><br />Where I'm going with all the above is to make the point that this year's winter has not been conducive to me doing much of what I came here for and keeping up this blog of late. However, I did venture out now and then. <br /><br />It had been a while since I'd been to Tunesmithing, regularly hosted each month by Chuck Whiting, out at Edgehill Studios Cafe. February's edition had a very strong lineup. There were some excellent songs and vocal performances by Gary Gulbergh (backed vocally by wife Susan Shann) and Melissa Javors. My friend Randi Perkins did one of his finest sets ever, with his warmth and honest stories, songs and vocals charming the crowd. Closing the evening was noted singer/songwriter/author Lisa Aschmann. I could have listened to her sing all evening. I've been blown away by her acapella singing in past gigs, but this time backed with guitar and percussion, she was just as impressive.<br /><br />I also got out to see for the first (and sadly, maybe the last) time the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum. It was quite a wonderful display of artifacts and memories paying tribute to some of the unsung heroes of the music we love: the session musicians and writers. The biggest highlight for me was the screening of the film about "<a href="http://www.wreckingcrew.tv">The Wrecking Crew</a>". There was so much history there, filled with music and interviews with hit making artists and the people who made them sound great. It was hard for me to pull myself away from the screen, but I didn't want to miss the ceremony honoring the 2007 Hall inductees. I'd hoped to have been able to buy a DVD of the film (and resolved to do so if I could have, job or no job!)...but unfortunately, one wasn't available (you can go to the <a href="http://www.wreckingcrew.tv">film website</a> to help make that happen).<br /><br />It was a thrill for me to see some of the noted honorees, such as Harold Bradley, Pig Robbins and many others. It was also great to see so many singer/songwriter friends of mine there (and to meet those for the first time who happened to recognize me!). I'd missed a lot of the networking and camaraderie being so danged cooped up.<br /><br />I also got back out to Red Tree Coffee in Kingston Springs--hadn't been there since before the first of the year. The house was packed for the increasingly red-hot Calico Trail. Their songs, vocal harmonies and performing skills are first rate. They are currently recording their first CD. Watch these guys...they're going to do something big in town.<br /><br />Spring <strong>is</strong> coming...right?Wendy Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08166757413144370560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458743009913652215.post-47713726854428789672010-01-17T19:02:00.010-06:002010-01-18T06:43:57.749-06:00Good Gravy, Fillin' Station, Kingston Springs, TN 1/16/2010<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcjI4N9hPj48hC8a09V1gXLIQbgYi9vzfUzjBWp3LNMk4JZHClgdafNCyYOQqdi4GD2FtaPx5jWzzJKmhoAeLN20SOVjfkoMLdvzPt6C33pEMTZwLv_YFqCP1ImPVvZOw8oRU9AWByo30/s1600-h/002.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcjI4N9hPj48hC8a09V1gXLIQbgYi9vzfUzjBWp3LNMk4JZHClgdafNCyYOQqdi4GD2FtaPx5jWzzJKmhoAeLN20SOVjfkoMLdvzPt6C33pEMTZwLv_YFqCP1ImPVvZOw8oRU9AWByo30/s320/002.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427884026876346962" /></a><br />It was a dark and stormy night...rainy, a little hard to see on the roads. My friends told me to stay home. But look, when you really like an act and want to hear them play, what's a little rain, anyhow?<br /><br />I'd already been a fan of one of the two husband and wife duos who make up the group Good Gravy. "Cool" Ray (guitar, vocals) and Ariel DeSilvis (vocals, percussion) also perform around the area as <a href="http://www.myspace.com/thosetwomusic">Those Two</a>. After hearing Ariel's awesome power vocals and great songs, I was sold from the get go (and she's my hero also since I'm an aspiring percussion player who's only gotten as far as playing rhythm egg). The other half of the group is bass player Tom Good and <a href="http://www.susanjulian.com">Susan Julian</a>, yet another amazing and powerful singer and one mighty keyboard player. Along with their original songs, whenever this combo takes on just about any cover song they choose to handle, they put their smooth jazz/blues/pop/R & B/rockabilly stamp on it and knock it out of the ballpark. Add in Fillin' Station owner and former War harmonica player Patrick Weickenand sitting in wailin' on the harp for a number or two and you've got icing on the cake.<br /><br />In my opinion, Ariel and Susan are two of the best female vocalists I've heard in this town. How cool is it to have two equally top-flight singers in one band? A couple of other folks who were there that evening were so impressed with Good Gravy that they pledged to bring a crowd with them at the group's next Fillin' Station gig on the 30th. Some of the group members can also be heard at the weekly Thursday night blues jam at the Fillin' Station. <br /><br />Me, I'd call it awesome gravy. Taste and hear for yourself.Wendy Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08166757413144370560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458743009913652215.post-89278194980251650662009-12-19T10:49:00.009-06:002009-12-19T12:29:25.666-06:00Musical Christmas CheerFor me, the best Christmas spirit isn't found in what advertisers and media tell you about how you are supposed to spend your Christmas. It's about what's real, genuine and fun. Two events I went to this week were perfect examples.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6tIVvEUDC0PI1Rn280blbzHoBpEhY3hNOUxvat0GroVonnsqTjx-1oBzeAly4K6nD6Gnfm_f6uAii9H5X6fkyUQT8iV6cn0yciX2hyiTaRi61_swj0dTps826m7OKpOs4upYR92axhk0/s1600-h/HPIM1378.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6tIVvEUDC0PI1Rn280blbzHoBpEhY3hNOUxvat0GroVonnsqTjx-1oBzeAly4K6nD6Gnfm_f6uAii9H5X6fkyUQT8iV6cn0yciX2hyiTaRi61_swj0dTps826m7OKpOs4upYR92axhk0/s320/HPIM1378.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416999069726866578" /></a>WRFN's T.J. Kirby introducing Les Kerr and the Bayou Band<br /><br /><strong>Les Kerr and the Bayou Band Christmas show, 3rd and Lindsley, 12/17/09</strong><br /><br />It was Christmas on the Bayou with Les Kerr and the Bayou Band. This annual show took a break for a couple of years but returned to its 3rd and Lindsley home this year. Lots of original and well-known tunes served up New Orleans style. Yes of course, those trademark references to food that Les loves so much were mixed in seasonal and non-seasonal songs("Christmas Gumbo", "Camellia Grill"). There were fun songs and touching ones as well, such as a fine cover of John Hartford's "On Christmas Eve", about spending Christmas on a boat on the Mississippi. Les and Caroline Stoker (daughter of bandmate Brent Stoker) did a sweet recitation of "Yes, There Is A Santa Claus".<br /><br />There was great musicianship throughout the night, with a couple of special band member spotlights. Multi-talent Bryan Cumming celebrated getting a song that he co-wrote played on a soap opera earlier that day. Harmonica player Everett Brown amused folks with his spot-on song about writers nights. Brent Stoker soloed with an Elvis tune...his father Gordon's group the Jordanaires (who also appear on Les' "Christmas on the Coast" CD) are well known for being Elvis' long-time backup vocal group.<br /><br />Another highlight was the reunion of the "Bayou Babes Chorale" on Robert Earl Keen's "Happy Holidays, Y'all" and the very fun "Meet Me With Your Black Drawers On". <br /><br />Besides being a great entertainer, Les is one of the true nice guys in town. He is just what you see on stage...warm, genuine, appreciative and a great encourager of others. That's the sort of spirit we need all year long.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMN1LpEOj5ZS4cgIfQh7WT8oH5xC7iejiPFMvthnpSZkNgHX3JBqNEf4yUCXHbmb4UugI7ANNreY1TFFSEV6i0MR7q5mLj-vYDsG-Y-KRkfYt1fHdT09SzTczymVA-JQtWVx7I1TRNiR8/s1600-h/HPIM1383.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMN1LpEOj5ZS4cgIfQh7WT8oH5xC7iejiPFMvthnpSZkNgHX3JBqNEf4yUCXHbmb4UugI7ANNreY1TFFSEV6i0MR7q5mLj-vYDsG-Y-KRkfYt1fHdT09SzTczymVA-JQtWVx7I1TRNiR8/s320/HPIM1383.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417000173788963410" /></a><br /><strong><br />Red Tree Coffee Community Christmas Party, 12/18/09</strong><br /><br />One of the greatest gifts to the Kingston Springs community (and those of us who live within commuting distance) is without a doubt Red Tree Coffee. It was a packed house of love Friday night for the community Christmas party. The offerings included free sweets (the oatmeal raisin cookies were to die for and I overindulged!) and of course, great music. There were guest appearances by several of the regular Red Tree musicians: Those Two, Casey Campbell, E.G. Smith, and Linda McRae each shared a couple of Christmas tunes (and who cared if they didn't know all the chords or the lyrics...we loved them anyway!), along with Chelsea Bills, a singer from Paragould, Arkansas we first heard impressing the crowd at Jon Conley's birthday bash this summer. <br /><br />We also heard from the Red Tree musical family, with Jon Conley starting off the night and accompanying most everyone (including toddler Polly with a couple of renditions of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" once she got going!). Savannah, Katie and Amy led us all in carols. It was a very sweet moment of warmth and heartfelt emotion from and to the folks who make this little coffeehouse so special.<br /><br />I couldn't end the night without stopping next door to the Fillin' Station and wishing Merry Christmas to my newer musical friends the Mohawk Slim Band. Mark Willoughby's drum set was decked out in Christmas lights for the occasion and the guys played some smokin' blues as always (with some amazing harmonica licks from Patrick Weickenand...hadn't heard him in quite a while).<br /><br />You know what, it's been a rough year. But nights like the last two left me filled with a little more hope and optimism that things will be better...at least for now.<br /><br />I'm taking the rest of the year off. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.Wendy Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08166757413144370560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458743009913652215.post-71128405612596427632009-11-09T13:37:00.007-06:002009-11-09T14:19:02.261-06:00Danny Ellis, House Concert, Nashville, 11/8/09When Laurie McClain <a href="http://wendyvnto.blogspot.com/2009/09/91309-blogplaylist-in-studio-guest.html">was a guest on my radio show "Never Too Old" back in September</a>, she was raving about an artist she had met named <a href="http://www.dannyellismusic.com">Danny Ellis</a>. She brought his CD "800 Voices" with her to our interview and asked me if I'd play something off the album. I did and was quite impressed. So, when she invited me to a house concert she was hosting for Danny, I was happy to accept.<br /><br />Dublin-born Danny Ellis held a group of about 25-30 of us in Laurie's living room totally enthralled with his stories and songs from the "800 Voices" CD about his life in the Irish orphanage Artane Industrial School, run by the Irish Christian Brothers. Due to his parents' divorce and his mother's illness, Danny, his twin brothers and sisters were placed in orphanages. Danny was placed in the Artane School at age eight. As one of 800 boys at the school ranging from ages 8-16, he had to learn to adjust to life in an institution with an infamous reputation. Yet, it was here that he discovered his love for music. He told stories and weaved in songs of how it got him through his time at Artane, listening to it sung in chapel ("Tommy Bonner") and playing trombone in the band ("The Artane Boys Band"). There were also many songs and tales about shenanigans with bullies and buddies ("Who Trew Da Boot?"). Music also became his ticket out of Artane when he turned 16, taking his trombone skills to several show bands.<br /><br />A couple of fascinating stories: shortly before Danny left Artane, he learned that two of the twin boys he helped teach music to were his lost brothers. After "800 Voices" was released, through a series of circumstances, he managed to also track down Tommy Bonner, the school's chapel singer that he admired so much. <br /><br />Danny's songs and performance of them were moving and inspiring. There is talk of possible theater and film adaptations of Danny's story. <br /><br />A memorable afternoon of music, potluck food and fellow music lovers. Turns out I knew several others who were there besides the folks who invited me. That's small town Nashville for you. Thanks, Danny and Laurie.Wendy Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08166757413144370560noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458743009913652215.post-18589237299685660142009-11-05T21:03:00.009-06:002009-11-05T21:47:07.785-06:00George Adams, Red Tree Coffee 11/5/09<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3A2GjHmAMCeDcEtChEm05Rh7_08VT1NuGfMC04FyR8L5rAHIVKx4kvKWXv7aAgPuRXmDUI_AGjNlX2CYyxSDyemPCPg9K2YqFmsXb55qL9NkZVe40mFzwlgGDqG4mhWeqKFCY2vWKbRM/s1600-h/HPIM1358.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3A2GjHmAMCeDcEtChEm05Rh7_08VT1NuGfMC04FyR8L5rAHIVKx4kvKWXv7aAgPuRXmDUI_AGjNlX2CYyxSDyemPCPg9K2YqFmsXb55qL9NkZVe40mFzwlgGDqG4mhWeqKFCY2vWKbRM/s320/HPIM1358.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400831365647180978" /></a><br />It's all about the vibe. It doesn't matter whether it's a large or a small crowd. When everyone's on the same page and paying attention to who's playing on stage and the performer's feeling that, drawing on it and giving it back to the audience, that's when the magic happens.<br /><br />Tonight was one of those examples. In the cozy setting of Red Tree Coffee, George Adams did one very fine set consisting of several songs from his "Anthology" CD and some of his favorite cover songs. The first time I caught him live, which was just over a year ago, I thought he had one of the finest voices I've heard in Nashville. His set proved that once again and showed his wide vocal range well. <br /><br />A few highlights: "Fuel To The Fire" (Think Marc Anthony with a band on this one. Well, yours truly did dig the rhythm egg out of her purse and played along...); "Hold On To Love", a beauty of a song from George's "Secrets" band days; "Stronger Than Words", a keyboard-driven song that also worked well done on guitar and with that great falsetto toward the end; very nice renditions of "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" and the Larry Gatlin song "I've Done Enough Dying Today". George was also joined for a duet by his friend, local singer/songwriter Annie Sims.<br /><br />George heads back to sea in December for another run as a cruise ship featured entertainer. Check out more of his music at his <a href="http://www.myspace.com/george.adams">MySpace page</a>.Wendy Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08166757413144370560noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458743009913652215.post-70218601894416609212009-10-19T08:03:00.007-05:002009-11-16T09:45:14.684-06:00Weekend Roundup 10/17-18<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0bkQQbMHnCzVgwfPks90zgRzCi9xUt9gapNQSFizCBvbAHFrR_nG0naKrr2nEsmwNh9I7ZkAuhrFBrVVn251_IJqTADaDLmpdGmXz5HrK9jSBx56gS_MXYAm9kf-QPrZGED8nvbDQCts/s1600-h/HPIM1338.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0bkQQbMHnCzVgwfPks90zgRzCi9xUt9gapNQSFizCBvbAHFrR_nG0naKrr2nEsmwNh9I7ZkAuhrFBrVVn251_IJqTADaDLmpdGmXz5HrK9jSBx56gS_MXYAm9kf-QPrZGED8nvbDQCts/s320/HPIM1338.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400955876201048114" /></a><br /><br /><strong>The Fillin' Station - Kingston Springs, TN</strong><br /><br />I'm not one that's real comfortable with going to bars a lot unless there's someone I really want to hear play. I don't even drink and bars are not the place I would go to find the guy of my dreams who would have my non-negotiable ideal traits. But the <a href="http://www.fillinstation.net">Fillin' Station</a> in Kingston Springs, just a couple of stops over from my other favorite area hangout, Red Tree Coffee, is a bit different. It's a nice bar, as bars go. It has a friendly, "Cheers"-like atmosphere, small, intimate, and features a lot of great music 4 or 5 nights a week. In fact, the owner, Patrick Weickenand, played harmonica with the group War during the 80s and you can catch him filling in on harmonica behind the bar now and then when someone's playing.<br /><br />On the previous week there, my friends and I caught a great crowd-pleasing set by Mark Elliott and Gary Culley, and the first of two gigs George Adams played in the area since being back in town after five months of performing on the Carnival Legend cruise ship. This weekend, we made a special trip out to the Fillin' Station to hear more from a group with a regular Friday gig there: the Mohawk Slim Band, a blues power trio led by guitarist/vocalist Sandy Blair (sporting the mohawk!), with Terry Browne on bass and Mark Willoughby on drums. Sandy's an awesome guitarist who likes to wander through the crowd playing and when the spirit moves he'll even jump up on the bar and play. This evening the group was also joined by friends sitting in for a few numbers, one being blues vocalist Miranda Louise, who impressed us a lot. We had such a great time that we stuck it out till the end of the evening... a little late for us but a lot of fun!<br /><br /><strong>Doak Turner's 3rd Sunday</strong><br /><br />As I normally do, I headed for Doak Turner's 3rd Sunday songwriter potluck get-together. This month Doak celebrated 7 years in Nashville and being an encourager and positive influence on songwriters and those who love them (my kind of person!). Even the weather cooperated for this one...the sun came out and a lot of us were able to enjoy food and friendship outdoors before evening. Many people I know that I haven't seen there for a while also showed up...which meant lots of hugs to and from me. I love it.<br /><br />Usually my mode of operation there is to jump restlessly from room to room and try to catch as many people play as possible. But this time my buddies Sam Cooper and Mary Hartman were both here, so I decided to follow them to whatever room they were playing at. Before long, we were joined by Don and Karen McNatt, Patti Higgins (debuting her first completed songwriting collaboration with Karen--a special moment for her and us), our buddy Anyta and other talented folks whose names I didn't get but they know who they are (and will of course if they see this!). There's always a great chemistry when friends and collaborators Sam and Mary team up to play. This time, though, there was such a special spirit in the room with all of us coming together and really getting into what was happening that I wasn't going anywhere.<br /><br />Speaking of debuts, this was also <strong>my</strong> debut as a round-playing musician. Some time ago I picked up one of those percussion "rhythm eggs". I've been having fun playing it along to songs. (I did make an earlier appearance playing the egg while on stage with my radio buddy T.J. Kirby when we emceed the band intermission at Music in the Park at Pegram Park. We played CDs for the kids to hula hoop to--T.J. sang along on stage and I played percussion.) Sam, Mary, Karen and Don were very encouraging to me to take out my egg and play percussion. Also, special thanks to Jack Boucher for the rhythm sticks he gave me. You know what...it worked and it sounded good. I also felt great...now I sort of understand the rush my musician friends get while playing. Do I have a future here? Who knows! :) <br /><br />Only in Nashville can a gal who claims to have no musical talent find a place in the band. I love this town.Wendy Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08166757413144370560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458743009913652215.post-75401438256101062272009-09-28T13:21:00.006-05:002009-09-28T15:20:41.277-05:00Orleans and Friends 9/25/09-Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb 9/26/09Back to back concerts on a weekend in Nashville = late nights with little sleep = one <a href="http://wendyvnto.blogspot.com/2009/09/92709-blogplaylist-never-say-never.html">very interesting Sunday morning radio show </a>with a host running on fumes. But hey, it was worth it.<br /><br />I went to the Orleans and Friends "Rock The Power" concert at the War Memorial Auditorium in downtown Nashville. All of the net proceeds from the show went to support <a href="http://www.yhtp.org">You Have the Power</a>, Nashville's Crime Victims' Support and Children's Advocacy agency. We were royally entertained with hits galore from Orleans (who served as house band along with other stellar players), Jimi Jamison of Survivor, John Cafferty of the Beaver Brown band (who really rocked the house and got the crowd engaged, Joe Bouchard of Blue Oyster Cult, Wayne Nelson of the Little River Band and a surprise appearance by Tommy Tutone (of 867-5309 fame). Linda Davis, Kathie Baillie and Jonelle Mosser sang vocal backup and each got a solo turn (though I do wish they each could have done more than one song). The dance floor by the stage, and occasionally up in the balcony, was jumping. I had forgotten about a lot of those songs the performers did, so it was great to hear tunes like "Tender Years", "Take It Easy on Me", "The Night Owls" and others you just don't hear much anymore on radio these days. Good stuff!<br /> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8H3xWbM4NsZnjdXXReyEJ1jO5iuP-GLLbruohyoMTXv2VE07Pesp7GyRYqXSEjOYmwYu46OG8DqM5w7PfqU4OJdAt8ccDW3t7wNQo7WMG99x8xj9TT0DuCjWBYFT9AR39t8sqiR6kfMI/s1600-h/HPIM1326.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8H3xWbM4NsZnjdXXReyEJ1jO5iuP-GLLbruohyoMTXv2VE07Pesp7GyRYqXSEjOYmwYu46OG8DqM5w7PfqU4OJdAt8ccDW3t7wNQo7WMG99x8xj9TT0DuCjWBYFT9AR39t8sqiR6kfMI/s320/HPIM1326.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386586790341270290" /></a><br /><br />I also had an unexpected opportunity to attend the last evening of a three-night concert series by Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb with the <a href="http://www.nashvillesymphony.com">Nashville Symphony </a>at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Seeing them together performing those songs that Jimmy wrote made famous by Glen ("Wichita Lineman", "Galveston") was a thrill. Let me just tell you that Glen Campbell still has it -- great singer, awesome guitar player (even played with the guitar on top of his head!) Jimmy Webb in his solo segment was also quite charming, sharing stories about "Mr. Sinatra" recording his song "Didn't We", and performing other hits like "All I Know" (recorded by Art Garfunkel). The Nashville Symphony opened the evening, conducted by the charismatic Albert-George Schram. I also had a chance to go backstage and meet Glen Campbell, who was very nice and friendly. <br /><br />The cool thing was that now it seems whenever I go to these events, I'm bound to run into at least a couple of friends of mine and the same was true on both these nights. I also got to attend both concerts with some dear friends. Special thanks to Lance Hoppen of Orleans and Mark McCormack of the Nashville Symphony for making this possible.<br /><br />I love this town.Wendy Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08166757413144370560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458743009913652215.post-40817042990750263762009-09-10T19:50:00.004-05:002009-09-10T19:57:03.329-05:00A "Birthday Bash" To Remember: 9/9/09<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhieE_Bb8N0duOGE0ebo3A2rgq3Wpwa_XLqY7xpFw8QV3IcvYKnxUzoOTMOJ8HONJ8Vp5ojfqpF8xlX7Duzp6b5rZSzsg7z6Cu_3oRBL7uW94e8KT2SwWmyOCHTJFf1ruVW1HcCsYjCydo/s1600-h/HPIM1312.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhieE_Bb8N0duOGE0ebo3A2rgq3Wpwa_XLqY7xpFw8QV3IcvYKnxUzoOTMOJ8HONJ8Vp5ojfqpF8xlX7Duzp6b5rZSzsg7z6Cu_3oRBL7uW94e8KT2SwWmyOCHTJFf1ruVW1HcCsYjCydo/s320/HPIM1312.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380007092389522082" /></a><br />I looked back at my blog entry from my birthday last year when I wrote about spending my birthday at the Commodore Grille writers night. I'd forgotten about the fact that it was my first time at one of Debi Champion's writers nights and met her initially then. But I'd never forgotten her kindness to me that night...how she gave me a piece of chocolate cake for my birthday and had the crowd sing happy birthday to me.<br /><br />This year, Debi took things a step further by indulging my crazy idea of booking some writers friends of mine on her calendar for my birthday—she gave me an hour to send up a round or two of writers. With all of the dear talented friends in this town, it was for the most part a difficult choice. But I settled on some who didn't have a chance to play often at the Commodore and others who were significant in that I'd heard them there for the first time. <br /><br />The lineup I chose was Brandon Maddox, Beth Browne, Dr. Jay and Miss Diana, Randi Perkins, Louise Mosrie and John Velora. As luck would have it, 9/9/09 just happened to fall on the regular monthly spot for the Wild Oats Records round, which would precede my round. My good friends and fellow Radio Free Nashville DJs Steve Haggard and Kimberly King were kind enough to indulge my pleadings to book themselves for that round and included with them talented labelmate Joel Alan Lehman and an impressive guest they had on their show earlier that week, Kenny McGeorge, in town recording a CD. The artists were very sweet to plan their playlists around the birthday gal.<br /><br />I expected that many would have the same dilemma that I face most evenings in Nashville: too many events all happening at once. Would anyone come to my birthday bash? Happily, people did. The place was full of dear friends of mine and fans of those who were playing. I was very glad that all three of the rounds had a good attentive audience. Of course, there were some who weren't there who were noticed and missed...but that's how it is in a town full of choices. It was as perfect an evening as it was possible to be. I wish everyone could have at least one evening in their lives like I did. We should strive to show our love to our friends while they are surrounding us.<br /><br />Love you, Debi, love you Commodore, love you my friends, and I love this town.Wendy Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08166757413144370560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458743009913652215.post-13029515477455525822009-08-29T17:28:00.013-05:002009-08-31T07:35:59.327-05:003rd Home Happenings<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJv0m38NhHkqy0D_Z8KstTJ6UmOowF7Nbam_4wNJ9-5YK8aSLY_9awkSKc0IQyPgx1CbeveZ2g7e3Y-YUZsWU5ht4X6urldEFMHhXZLaitL6TQolUX83n-YGujiZHoWjfNeUDijcm1WeQ/s1600-h/HPIM1270.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJv0m38NhHkqy0D_Z8KstTJ6UmOowF7Nbam_4wNJ9-5YK8aSLY_9awkSKc0IQyPgx1CbeveZ2g7e3Y-YUZsWU5ht4X6urldEFMHhXZLaitL6TQolUX83n-YGujiZHoWjfNeUDijcm1WeQ/s320/HPIM1270.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375872496153376114" /></a><br />If the Commodore Grille is my "second home", then the area of Pegram/Kingston Springs has to be my third. Pegram is, as many know, the home of Fiddle and Pick and its great old-time and acoustic music programs, and Friends of Pegram Park writers nights. In the early part of this year, I was led to Kingston Springs via Red Tree Coffee and its great music lineup and homey atmosphere. I discovered that the area had its own very rich music scene going on and met more people who kindly took me into the fold and accepted me as one of their own.<br /><br />I had a last minute invite this past Friday to go to the Just Plain Folks awards shows. Since I was a judge for the JPF awards process for the better part of a year, I ordinarily would have gone, and at first thought perhaps I should. But I had made other plans. Sometimes you need to be at the smaller bashes, and those many times end up having a more important impact. <br /><br />I had no doubt that whoever showed up to play at Jon Conley's birthday bash at <a href="http://www.myspace.com/redtreecoffee">Red Tree Coffee</a> would be musically awesome. Jon is an extraordinary guitarist, singer and songwriter, husband and brother in law respectively to Red Tree co-owners Katie and Amy, and dad to an up and coming budding teen talent, Savannah Conley (who he called "his future retirement fund"). I think he's right about that. As I noted the last time I heard Savannah sing, you could hardly hear a pin drop in the audience. She had the audience on background vocals for an acapella song she wrote, "Tick Tock", which was quite remarkable. <br /><br />Some of the others who entertained were a few of the members of Calico Trail (including Jon and brother in law Cole Bruce, drummer David Racine), guitarist Todd Woolsey, Linda McRae (performing at Red Tree on September 11), singer/songwriter/keyboardist Vic White of the Pitchmen (a group I raved about last time they played here), the duo Carolina Story, Chelsea Bills, a singer from Paragould, Arkansas (who was a huge hit with the folks who were sitting with me!) and sisters Amy and Katie themselves. All these people just tore it up in a packed house.<br />**************<br />I have more or less become an "honorary resident" of Pegram. Thanks to the Fiddle and Pick writers nights, Facebook and my WRFN DJ friends T.J. Kirby, Steve Haggard and Kimberly King, I've come to know many of the folks who are active in the Pegram community and have made me feel a part of it all. In fact, I'm now part of the Pegram Special Events Commmittee. One of the events we're doing is a series of concerts in <a href="http://www.pegram.net/parks/index.html">Pegram Park</a>. The series kicked off last week with the band Alchemy 3 and Ronnie Lee Twist and the Future Cats. Ronnie is a rockabilly enthusiast and a very solid entertainer. <br /><br />This past Saturday's show featured the band Craggie Hope, who were victims of a thunderstorm during the 4th of July festivities and forced to shorten their set then. This time, the weather cooperated and they had lots of time to entertain the families who turned out to hear them and enjoy the park. In between sets, T. J. emceed a segment for the kids, getting them up and dancing and hula hooping. Yours truly got in on the act as the music spinner (once I figured out how the boombox worked) and "Action Kid dancer" (Remember them? I always wanted to be one). The rest of the schedule:<br />Sept. 12 - Caught Looking Back<br />Sept. 19 - Pipe Dream<br />All shows run 7-10 p.m. in Pegram Park--cheap eats and great fun.<br /><br />I love this town, and all three of my homes.Wendy Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08166757413144370560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458743009913652215.post-1860237094023116512009-08-22T07:39:00.002-05:002009-08-22T07:44:45.266-05:009/9/09--coming soon!So what is so special about this date besides it being 9/9/09? Just a couple of weeks away, but for those in the Nashville area, mark your calendars now...I'll be having a "birthday round" at the <a href="http://www.myspace.com/commodoregrille">Commodore Gri</a>lle(www.myspace.com/commodoregrille) on Wednesday, September 9. Debi Champion so very kindly allowed me to have some very fine writers to be in a round to celebrate my birthday. <br /> <br />Festivities start at 6:30 with the regularly scheduled Wild Oats Records round with my dear friends Steve Haggard and Kimberly King and guests. My birthday round follows at 7 p.m. with Beth Browne, Dr. Jay and Miss Diana, Brandon Maddox, Louise Mosrie, Randi Perkins, and John Velora. Other great rounds to follow throughout the evening! <br /> <br />Hope you can make it for all or part of the evening!Wendy Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08166757413144370560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458743009913652215.post-17943699836822090632009-08-22T07:36:00.003-05:002009-08-22T07:38:43.386-05:00Roundup recapHoly cow! Has it really been almost a month since I've written anything here? Between being busy and dealing with a sprained foot (which really didn't stop me from getting around), I just haven't had much time to write. But I'll try to recollect a few notes from some things going on recently:<br /><br />Did a double header night recently, first a Bluebird round with Steve Craig, Katha Harris, Tom Shinness and Roxie Randle. Some great songs and singing as you can usually expect from Steve and friends...you'll find a couple of the songs done that evening posted at <a href="http://www.myspace.com/stevecraigsongs">http://www.myspace.com/stevecraigsongs</a>. <br /><br />Then it was off to Red Tree Coffee at Kingston Springs to catch the Folklahoma Appalachi-Groove Train--who are in the studio working on their first collective release. I for one am looking forward to hearing the recorded version of an awesome song Mark and Kim (and Mark in some solo shows or duo with Gary Culley) do called "Tell You Goodbye".<br /><br />Also happening recently at Fiddle and Pick was a showcase with new trio Braided Chord (Amber White and the McCarter Sisters, Lisa and Theresa). They pleased the crowd with their tight harmonies, new original songs and lots of humor. They are very down to earth people and if you weren't already a friend of theirs before you came to the show, you probably were by the time you left. <br /><br />As always, there were lots of great rounds happening at the Commodore Grille (and one big one coming up next month--see additional post!). I'll talk more about those in my "Blog Spot" for September at the <a href="http://www.myspace.com/commodoregrille">Commodore Grille MySpace</a> blog page.Wendy Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08166757413144370560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458743009913652215.post-46130221425745279102009-07-27T07:57:00.008-05:002009-07-27T08:43:02.924-05:00Weekend Roundup 7/24-25/09<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIJHolkhPKfXuthIgTBniNswkGTmjpOG6WBse7VWyUkxhdw2m79sDPcdUVdl6B5sjYarMvyIAMgyghpAbwmldSW7geqEXBPgPWK0aH1DLjOKwdnPCFz6ekdFoA5caZMzwWHqzxHH0z3Lk/s1600-h/HPIM1198.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIJHolkhPKfXuthIgTBniNswkGTmjpOG6WBse7VWyUkxhdw2m79sDPcdUVdl6B5sjYarMvyIAMgyghpAbwmldSW7geqEXBPgPWK0aH1DLjOKwdnPCFz6ekdFoA5caZMzwWHqzxHH0z3Lk/s320/HPIM1198.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363128775182526034" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Chely Tackett/Annie Mosher, Alex Harvey and band, Douglas Corner Café, 7/24/09</strong><br /><br />This was my first trip to Douglas Corner Café, which has legendary status as a top songwriters venue. I planned primarily to see Alex Harvey and the band. But it being that the parking situation could be a challenge, I decided to make a night of it and take in the early show featuring Chely Tackett and Annie Mosher. That turned out to be a great call. I’d heard Chely Tackett a time or two and remembered Annie Mosher from a CLC writers night (particularly her green rain boots!). They traded off songs throughout their set--both were musically excellent and personally engaging. Also, it was very nice to be so warmly welcomed and appreciated by both those ladies. <br /><br />Speaking of appreciation, I’ve said this before: anytime you’re seeing Alex Harvey, whether solo or with his awesome band, he gives you everything he’s got in passion and just plain stellar songwriting. The folks who came out were royally entertained--for my money, Alex Harvey is one of the best live performers in this town. It’s all about honesty and emotion.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9JGUAPbwFmMGkznJHEDfn7MTf6t0d6z9mNChlKT0ZOWuXqT8SnhBRLkJX71dwyf5Fhm8db3_0buTZr96lELEZrSIvc8vcqBhCpWhLUigH3MNaxHz9lJzQn89BaamwkHoX5bLX0KMXIg/s1600-h/HPIM1212.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9JGUAPbwFmMGkznJHEDfn7MTf6t0d6z9mNChlKT0ZOWuXqT8SnhBRLkJX71dwyf5Fhm8db3_0buTZr96lELEZrSIvc8vcqBhCpWhLUigH3MNaxHz9lJzQn89BaamwkHoX5bLX0KMXIg/s320/HPIM1212.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363129003471417378" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Ronnie Fruge, Mark Stephen Jones, Gary Payne, Nick Sturms, Bluebird Café, 7/25/09</strong><br /><br />Most of the rounds I’ve heard at the Bluebird contained a lot of humor. This round had some of that as well from time to time, but the key element to this one was heart.<br /><br />I heard Ronnie Fruge play some killer guitar licks all night in Alex Harvey’s band the night before at Douglas Corner. On this evening it was nice to hear him in a setting where he got to play some of his own songs. He explained he was “half Fruge, half Benoit” in his introduction to a tribute song for his grandpa Pierre who helped raise him. His warm personality , sweet spirit and Cajun heritage shined through in all of his songs, again with some fine (acoustic) guitar playing and vocals.<br /><br />One of the names I keep hearing regularly in the songwriter circles among those most admired is Mark Stephen Jones. He’s written with several writers in town. The songs he played demonstrated why he’s highly regarded, most especially one I’ve been impressed with, “Addicted”. I also enjoyed one hilarious song about being drunker than you ought to be (starting with a mouse declaring “bring on the cat”) and he got a strong reception to his song “Red White and Pink Slip Blues”.<br /><br />Mark Steven Jones has been working with Nick Sturms, a talented young writer who was part of the round. His songs had a strong spiritual element to them and he brought emotion and passionate vocals to the evening.<br /><br />A fine storytelling songwriter, Gary Payne provided one of the most moving moments of the evening, introducing and dedicating his song “Hope and Freedom” to a war hero who was in the audience. You can hear that song on Gary’s MySpace page at www.myspace.com/garypayne.<br /><br />By the way, that was the first time I sat at the table next to the soundboard. I think it's my new favorite place to sit.<br /><br />I had to slip out early on this one because I was due at…<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-cc1TlG2giwo3yhS8vhr-PqOahyphenhyphentrTMl5ulGCdl_358hTQcYnsqOWUnWjq1lvsh98ENa9CjfZZ-DagDThc9PJxc76vZsnjXdsc4CGeUNZQQnN5RpGUGGAKgdYZK5Ba3WNFVSenG0Uc3w/s1600-h/HPIM1223.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-cc1TlG2giwo3yhS8vhr-PqOahyphenhyphentrTMl5ulGCdl_358hTQcYnsqOWUnWjq1lvsh98ENa9CjfZZ-DagDThc9PJxc76vZsnjXdsc4CGeUNZQQnN5RpGUGGAKgdYZK5Ba3WNFVSenG0Uc3w/s320/HPIM1223.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363129439886228242" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Lorna Flowers 5th Anniversary in Nashville Party, Commodore Grill 7/25/09</strong><br /><br />I arrived to a packed house at the Commodore Grill in celebration of Lorna Flowers' 5th anniversary in Nashville (and hers and Rick and Tammy Stewart’s 1st anniversary of hosting the weekend writers nights). I wasn’t a bit surprised at the turnout…Lorna’s made quite an impact in this town not only as a singer/songwriter but also because of the genuine friendship and support she extends to everyone (including yours truly). I knew about half the people in the room, which always makes it fun for me!<br /><br />There was cake, champagne, appetizers (which I missed along with the raffle...oh well!) and of course lots of great music! The one or two rounds I had a chance to hear included Graham Rodgers, Craig Winquist, Jerry Foster, Julie Forester, Brigitte Tatum (“She’s Country”), Kirsti Manna (“Austin”), and Lorna herself. I wish I could have stayed longer, but I of course had a radio show to do the next morning. Love ya Lorna, Rick and Tammy!<br /><br />Let me close with one thought: if you support any artists, get out to the shows as much as you can, when you can. Don’t assume someone else will fill the seats. If everyone figures someone else will go and it won't matter, the artists may end up with a sparse house. That disappoints the artists...plus, you’ll miss out on seeing a great show. You being there can make all the difference in the world.<br /><br />Lorna says it best: “Isn't Nashville the coolest place to live, with the coolest people?” I say amen to that.Wendy Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08166757413144370560noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458743009913652215.post-68367489746761320022009-07-16T06:58:00.002-05:002009-07-16T07:20:07.881-05:00Weekend Roundup 7/10-12I'm just a little bit behind here with reporting in. I had a couple of events to prepare for. I gave a talk at Indie Connect on Monday and filled in for a couple of friends of mine on Radio Free Nashville on Tuesday. With all of that going on, not much time to sit down and write. So here goes:<br /><br />I stopped up at Red Tree Coffee in Kingston Springs and heard a couple of terrific artists: Mike Siler from Texas, who did a great job with covers and his own material in a fine authentic country fashion (and gentle humor throughout). Also impressive was Dean Berner, of the trio Eden's Edge, in a solo outing. Also very nice songwriting and one or two good covers in his set. I will certainly watch for Eden's Edge the next time they play.<br /><br />Saturday night was another in the series of Friends of Pegram Park Writers Nights (the 41st, actually!)at Fiddle and Pick. This one included a couple of friends of mine, both who will be part of my Commodore Grill birthday round on September 9: Louise Mosrie and Brandon Maddox. Louise was magnificent as always. There were a few people there who were hearing her for the first time and were, of course, blown away by her voice and songwriting skill. It was nice to not only hear Brandon, but also "Moose" back on harp...he'd been away from Nashville and music for a bit so it was a nice surprise to hear him sit in with Brandon. Brandon contines to grow stronger as a writer and singer.<br /><br />Robby Hicks did a very nice job opening the evening. Jeff Miller, who I saw at the writers night here last November, also did a fine set. I must admit I spent most of the night watching his feet after he explained how he uses his Phase Sampler (looper). Using pedals to record guitar and vocal bits in layers, that essentially makes him a one-man band and he did it masterfully.<br /><br />An evening standout is one to watch: young singer/songwriter Tyler Flowers. Tyler is recording a CD being produced by Pat Flynn. This fellow just absolutely stunned everyone--he is a triple threat singer, songwriter, guitar player. Tyler told me that he performs mostly as part of a band, but I and others assured him that he more than holds his own as a solo act.<br /><br />This all is yet another example of the considerably strong scene also going on in the smaller Pegram/Kingston Springs area. It's worth venturing west of Nashville if you have the chance to do so.Wendy Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08166757413144370560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458743009913652215.post-8365664881862287812009-07-02T08:16:00.007-05:002009-07-08T13:49:08.161-05:00Where Have I Been??Yow. I didn't realize it's been a month that I've written anything in here. I haven't been lazy, really. In fact, I've been quite busy running around. I've been once again bemoaning the fact that last month, and sure to carry into this one, it seems that there are 2-3 events every night at the same time that I want to be at. I have to make some tough choices. I really wish I can split myself in 2...or 3. (Clone me? Nah. One of me is enough.)<br /><br />Unfortunately on some of the evenings I've been out, my notebook decided it had enough of my galavanting and decided to sneak out of my purse and stay home. So I didn't capture as many notes on events as I wanted to. But I'll try to make brief notes as best I can of some of the shows I have been to.<br /><br />- Some people really should play out more often. One of those is a group called <a href="http://www.myspace.com/thepitchmen">The Pitchmen</a>, a group of stellar players with a ton of great credentials led by singer/songwriter Vic White. These guys rocked the house last month at Red Tree Coffee with solid original songwriting, a few inventive cover versions, some awesome playing and first class vocals (an impressive standout being singer/guitarist Brock Goodwin). Vic told me that these guys play gigs only about every couple of months and have very little rehearsal before they play. You'd never know it the way they got down that night. They'll see me again at a gig for sure (keep me posted, guys!).<br /><br />- Ever been to Kimbro's Pickin' Parlor? It's a cute little place in the downtown Franklin area with a homey, intimate atmosphere that reminds me a bit of Fiddle and Pick in Pegram. It even has its own little jingle which you can hear on <a href="http://www.myspace.com/kimbroscafe">the MySpace page</a>. It has a lot of neat memorabilia on the walls and the food's pretty good. It was a perfect space to hear a solo acoustic performance by Alex Harvey. As I've noted in the past, Alex has a way of creating community with his audience. He quickly established that "living room atmosphere" here with his passionate songs and vocals and warm rapport. Alex will be back at Kimbro's at the end of the month.<br /><br />- There have of course been a lot of good rounds happening at the Commodore Grill as always. Two of my buddies in this town, Sam Cooper and Mary Hartman, did a great one last week, bringing up hit songwriter Chris Gantry (who teamed with Sam for a fun and powerful version of their song "Orange Man") and a fine talent catching notice in town: Michael Rodgers, son of legendary singer Jimmie Rodgers. <br /><br />- I also was melting from the heat at the Fillin' Station for a couple of nights with the FolklahomaAppalachi Groove Train (Kim McLean, Devon O'Day, Mark Elliott, Chris Herin) and Mark with Cary Stone. But the music as always was awesome and well received. <br /><br />- Last but not least, I spent a hot (on many levels, you could say!), long, but great day at the Nashville Songwriters Festival on Music Row. After dropping in some superb workshops by Dave Isaacs (guitar technique and education) and Debi Champion (starting writer's nights), I headed to my post at the Sure Fire Web Cast stage where I served as emcee and act roundup person for a four-hour shift. Folks came and went in the crowd but we had some fine players come through on stage. It was fun for me to be able to introduce some people I knew, like Boomer Castleman and Lois Hess, Kris Miller and Ellen Ohlsson. Only problem was there were some performances happening on other stages at the same time I was on duty. Luckily for me, the main stage was nearby so I was able to sneak away and hear a little of one set I really wanted to catch by John Heinrich. It was the only all-instrumental set there and he rocked the festival with his compositions and sax playing. Singer/songwriter Popcorn did an amazing job pulling this all together with volunteer help. Shows ya what can be done with limited resources and determination.<br /><br />More to come this month for sure--I'll try to do better staying on top of it.<br /><br />Things to plug:<br /><br />- I will be doing a talk for <a href="http://www.indieconnect.net">Indie Connect </a>on Monday, July 13 at 11:30 a.m. at Corky's in Brentwood. The topic will be on making radio interviews work effectively for artists. Hope to see you there! <br /><br />- I will now be a monthly contributing writer to the <a href="http://www.myspace.com/commodoregrill">Commodore Grill MySpace </a>blog. The first piece, "Home Away From Home" is posted now. My thanks to Rick Stewart for making this happen!<br /><br />- Mark your calendar NOW for my "birthday round" at the Commodore Grill on Wednesday, September 9! I will NOT be playing, but some great writers and singers will to help me celebrate. Scheduled to appear are: Beth Browne, Brandon Maddox, Dr. Jay and Miss Diana, Louise Mosrie, Randi Perkins and John Velora. That round starts at 7 p.m. but please come early at 6:30 for the Wild Oats Records monthly round featuring my dear friends (and fellow WRFN radio hosts) Steve Haggard and Kimberly King. Don't miss it!Wendy Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08166757413144370560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458743009913652215.post-68730631603904853332009-06-02T09:55:00.007-05:002009-06-07T06:55:20.871-05:00Cirque du Chanson, 12th and Porter, 6/1/09<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTB_R0ptphQZztV6X_fQN53HyIsIAy3F0qdBVnT9K5EUwB-wj416FGG9JMrVhQvgl1pLivkk4QH6vZT0xeKOeYrR1TiTOw27nUl7oS9eAJGpT8wcTJvcstXBCs8-08E2-0Km-9olSba8Y/s1600-h/HPIM1092.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTB_R0ptphQZztV6X_fQN53HyIsIAy3F0qdBVnT9K5EUwB-wj416FGG9JMrVhQvgl1pLivkk4QH6vZT0xeKOeYrR1TiTOw27nUl7oS9eAJGpT8wcTJvcstXBCs8-08E2-0Km-9olSba8Y/s320/HPIM1092.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342751721975900978" /></a><br /><br />No aerial feats happening at Cirque du Chanson at 12th and Porter Monday night...just musical ones.<br /><br />Here's the recipe: take seven dynamite singer/songwriters all on one stage, complete with backing band, throw their names into a jar and create a spontaneous order. Mix all this together and you've got the writers night taken to a new level.<br /><br />The singer/songwriter lineup was Kim McLean, Mark Elliott (see Folklahoma write-ups), Robin English (she of recent Hippie Chick Twang and Mommapalooza Bluebird round), Leilah (daughter of 70s musical icon Melanie), Mary Sue Englund (of the Pam Tillis band and fellow former Minnesotan), and two wonderful artists new to me: Beth Fox and Mark Sloan. Devon O'Day served as MC and "ringmaster".<br /><br />We were treated to a superb mix of musical genres from folk, gospel, pop to bluegrass. Each artist had five songs, and it was very well-paced...about 37 songs in a three hour set. It was mostly uptempo, higher energy fare but there were some touching ballads in the night as well. It was one of those nights where you just left amazed by the level of talent on stage and you wonder what it would be like to have even just a fraction of that for yourself. <br /><br />More, more. This event must be repeated...it's a hit by me.<br /><br />What a concept. What a town.Wendy Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08166757413144370560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458743009913652215.post-7452015847883921812009-06-01T18:23:00.006-05:002009-06-02T09:42:52.418-05:00Weekend RoundupI do a radio show called "<a href="http://wendyvnto.blogspot.com">Never Too Old</a>" on Radio Free Nashville which celebrates the music we baby boomers grew up with and loved, as well as spotlights musicians of that age demographic presently doing great musical stuff. However, I also believe in supporting and lifting up the young artists who are just getting started with carving out a musical direction. Some young ladies from Georgia who I saw at the Commodore this past weekend proved that it's a worthwhile effort. 14 year olds <a href="http://www.myspace.com/annaharwood">Anna Harwood </a>and <a href="http://www.myspace.com/hayleygoldenmusic">Hayley Golden</a>, 13 year old <a href="http://www.myspace.com/katelynpopemusic">Katelyn Pope </a>and 12 year old <a href="http://www.myspace.com/krystalovestosing">Krysta Nick </a>impressed my socks off with their songwriting, vocals, poise and confidence. Krysta in particular is definitely one to watch..she's already an old pro in performing in front of crowds. Her song, "Why", which she wrote herself at age 11, nailed woes of unrequited love as well as some songs written by adults two or three times her age. These gals will be in town playing at various places during the month of June, so keep your eyes and ears out for them.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlN-UxWyNPv96iHKE0IhMY-BR_8yMkHLBxufgQgiFwjFAxoM0Tvv9aJdcQqiIbG6MgHaafbYMiJOfU5E1GPmSLacTCTnDIsvIecXQBm8CE7kcpERDFhy_trlefNjoGPcBINff1ydkvf9w/s1600-h/HPIM1083.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlN-UxWyNPv96iHKE0IhMY-BR_8yMkHLBxufgQgiFwjFAxoM0Tvv9aJdcQqiIbG6MgHaafbYMiJOfU5E1GPmSLacTCTnDIsvIecXQBm8CE7kcpERDFhy_trlefNjoGPcBINff1ydkvf9w/s320/HPIM1083.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342735169293606674" /></a><br /><br />On Saturday the FolklahomaAppalachi-Groove Train pulled into the station in Pegram at the Fiddle and Pick (coincidentally, just across the train tracks). Kim McLean, Devon O'Day, birthday boy Mark Elliott and percussion prodigy Will McJ rocked the house down as always. It was a busy day for Kim, Devon and Will who made an earlier stop at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum for the "Songwriter Session" playing for a full house. I also want to say this about these folks. Not only are they incredible musicians...they're great people. As I've been preaching for years, the artist/fan relationship, when done properly and with the right intentions, works both ways. When both sides get and accept what the other's there for, without suspicion or agenda, it's a beautiful thing.<br /><br />On Sunday many singer-songwriter friends gathered at CJ's 5th Sunday for food, friendship and a golf croquet tournament, with a cool opening set by the Harry James Band. Afterward, a few of us headed for the Commodore to support one of our own who was at the picnic--Mary Hartman, who was part of a round also featuring Ric Sandler and Jon Eben with Kristi Warner. Many times when I go there, I'm pleasantly surprised by who else is on the bill that I may not have known about. I was also delighted to hear Karen Angela Moore and Donna Ulisse (kudos to Donna who's been having a ton of success with her latest bluegrass release "Walk This Mountain Down"). <br /><br />I love my musical friends, old and new. I love this town.<br /><br />*******************<br /><strong>SAVE THE DATE!</strong> Wednesday, September 9 at 7 p.m. ... Wendy V's birthday round at the Commodore Grill! No, I'm not playing, but some great people will be...stay tuned for details to follow. The Wild Oats Records round with my friends Steve Haggard and Kimberly King starts just before that at 6:30 p.m.Wendy Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08166757413144370560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458743009913652215.post-15572726661597249892009-05-27T09:58:00.002-05:002009-05-27T10:38:10.225-05:00What makes a good round? My $.02 and changeAs some people know, I go out a lot to shows and writers night rounds. Lately I've been to quite a few of them when I've said out loud to myself(or to whoever's sitting with me) "wow...that was a really great round!". <br /><br />My perspective on what makes a great round for me is based on being a non-musician out in the audience sitting and listening and observing what's on stage. But I've heard and seen a lot, and I know what I like. So at those places like the Commodore which has several writers playing in one evening or other showcases around town, here are some things I look for. I'll use a couple of examples from when I stuck my head in the door at the Commodore last night.<br /><br />- Energy and enthusiasm to go with a well-written song. Case in point: Scott Sanford of the mighty Dakota Grove, who know a bit about projecting high energy and crowd connection from the stage. Scott did a solo turn and clearly threw himself into his music. He had the audience cheering, whistling and making requests. <br /><br />- Round members supporting one another. Now, I realize that not every round put together is made up of people who know each other or have played with each other before and that could affect comfort factor. But from time to time, I'll see rounds where while one person is playing, another on stage is staring into space. I just think each player should give the one who's up at the moment their full attention and support...especially if your fellow players have done that for you. If everyone on stage is into what's happening, that's going to project to the audience and it'll catch on. <br /><br />A great example was in the same night with the round featuring Dan McCorison, Hillary McBride and Joshua Armstrong. It was great to see how much they enjoyed hearing each other and I felt that enthusiasm. I also enjoy it when people in a round spontaneously add a guitar or vocal part to each other's songs. I'd never heard these three before...all of the above plus the fact that each of them were just plain terrific really impressed me enough to give the round a "standing o" and look them up on MySpace afterward. (Of course, being blown away by people I hear for the first time is my very favorite thing of all!)<br /><br />There you have it...my $.02 and change for what it's worth.Wendy Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08166757413144370560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458743009913652215.post-30798869362160428282009-05-23T09:39:00.004-05:002009-05-23T10:23:14.143-05:00Cole Bruce, Eleanor Fye, Red Tree Coffee, 5/22/09<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQTNUvn4p-ArDkiEXQRwre9_mK36zSqeKTF3dIwjujlSTxWw4-W4XtcWRTrjrDNOZXwGmbbZsv3_tj5zWLXV8u78DQwXYlzwSR7ZPR-_5fY5fkAR5C3IT99-__WrC7tfXiE4RE9rbh3_U/s1600-h/HPIM1041.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQTNUvn4p-ArDkiEXQRwre9_mK36zSqeKTF3dIwjujlSTxWw4-W4XtcWRTrjrDNOZXwGmbbZsv3_tj5zWLXV8u78DQwXYlzwSR7ZPR-_5fY5fkAR5C3IT99-__WrC7tfXiE4RE9rbh3_U/s320/HPIM1041.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339038763740517154" /></a><br />Out at Red Tree Coffee's consistently solid Friday night music offerings, a last minute substitution worked out well. The in-house talents of <a href="http://www.myspace.com/colebrucemusic">Cole Bruce</a>, accompanied by Jon Conley (they're the spouses of Red Tree owners Amy and Katie respectively) did a fine fill in job. It was an opportunity for Cole to showcase his CD "Hello Sunshine". Some exciting news announced as well--Cole and Jon have put together a group called Calico Trail. We should be hearing from them fairly soon.<br /><br />I have this thing about people recognizing me from someplace, but I either don't recall meeting them or maybe I just haven't. Sometimes people see me at the many events I get around to. But much of the time, it's just that I have to see some people at least three times to successfully put a name and a face together (nothing personal toward any of these folks this happens with...I attribute this to age and "the change"). <br /><br />Such was the case with the second act to play this evening...<a href="http://www.myspace.com/eleanorfye">Eleanor Fye</a>. She asked me a question I get often: "don't I know you from somewhere?" I usually run down the list of places I frequent, and this time we figured out it was from Doak Turner's monthly gathering. If I didn't remember Eleanor from there, I certainly won't forget her going forward. Her set was perhaps one of the best I've heard here from a solo artist new to me since Louise Mosrie's back in February. <br /><br />Eleanor is still fairly new to Nashville, having moved here last September. She hasn't played many gigs to this point, but on this night she successfully used her classical, jazz and pop influences to totally enchant and engage the audience with her warm personality, personal songwriting and excellent vocals (with Jon Conley on guitar). Eleanor sang songs about conquering fear by paragliding, processing being "stood up", and used some cool violin effects on one song she described as her "rocking, angry song". One challenge she threw out to the audience paid off for herself. She asked the crowd to sing along with her cover of the Minnie Riperton hit "Loving You". Now, most folks can handle the "la la la la la" part of this song okay. But I figured perhaps outside of Mariah Carey, few could pull off the stratospheric part of the end of that chorus. Well, Eleanor did. It sure blew us all away. She got a standing ovation for her set from me.<br /><br />Eleanor Fye is certainly where she belongs being here in Nashville. I say keep an ear out for her to do great things. She plays here again on August 21.<br /><br />I tell you what, Red Tree Coffee, you sure know how to pick 'em.Wendy Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08166757413144370560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458743009913652215.post-53653466105811428542009-05-21T09:44:00.007-05:002009-05-21T20:32:43.161-05:00Mark Elliott, Cary Stone, Aaron Till, Norm's River Road House, 5/20/09<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgChDCIJMPZ-NJrWK7wjshkvuZHh_s04UBs-u1u0dKwBd_9YesMyanNhlPjV_SyQJHsgsOPnrKnbBo2Lvg33EfFMdDHKgr9HKT0xKWsC0uuXTbrUszf0pGDY-yn42QR2rriB9EtmrDyJbo/s1600-h/HPIM1035.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgChDCIJMPZ-NJrWK7wjshkvuZHh_s04UBs-u1u0dKwBd_9YesMyanNhlPjV_SyQJHsgsOPnrKnbBo2Lvg33EfFMdDHKgr9HKT0xKWsC0uuXTbrUszf0pGDY-yn42QR2rriB9EtmrDyJbo/s320/HPIM1035.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338297749520151874" /></a><br />It's been a challenging week. I got cut from a job and there's a mouse in the house. I needed a serious distraction.<br /><br />I did a wonderful interview with Mark Elliott this past Sunday morning on my radio show "Never Too Old" (read about it <a href="http://wendyvnto.blogspot.com/">here</a>, hear it <a href="http://markelliottmusic.blogspot.com">here</a>). One of the gigs plugged on the show was this one out at Norm's River Road House. I set my VCR (yes, I still have one) for the American Idol finale and headed out for the show. Also on the bill were Cary Stone and Aaron Till.<br /><br />The intimate venue was filled with family and friends of the three. These guys just brought it for two solid hours. Mark is such a top notch writer, vocalist and guitar player. One of the songs he did was a new one he wrote by request of someone who wanted a song for his baby girl. He was given just a few ideas and came out with a lovely song called "Being You". I wonder what it's like to have that gift.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/carystonemusic ">Cary Stone</a> is a singer/songwriter/guitarist who tours with Mark Chesnutt. It was nice to reconnect with Cary after meeting him at a gathering with Mark Elliott last December. Cary is working on his own album and did this gig on Mark's coaxing to get out and play his tunes. Let me tell you--based on what I heard, not only does Cary need to play his own stuff out more often, but he can easily step into a center stage role. He is a significant talent in the traditional country style. <br /><br />Mark and Cary were well supported by Aaron Till on fiddle, mandolin, guitar and vocals. He had the opportunity to do a few songs of his own in the set. By far the crowd pleaser was his "stuck record" version of "Tennessee Waltz" which was spot on and had the audiences in stitches. <br /><br />Commercial radio, pay attention. We love Keith and all the modern sounding folks, but I submit there is just as much of an audience for the traditional sound. Listen to us for once. <br /><br />By the way, if you get out to Norm's River Road House, you need to try the pizza. It's some of the best I've ever had.<br /><br />I am rich with musical friends. I love this town.Wendy Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08166757413144370560noreply@blogger.com0