Category: Nashville

Categories
Bluegrass Music Nashville

A Short Trip to Nashville

I got back from Nashville late Thursday evening, and while I was there for only two days, there is some stuff that we can talk about.

  • I rented a car so that I could put my car in the shop that needed a few days of work. While I requested an economy car, I was given a small SUV. Comfortable, but it was a 2025 model that had way too many bells and whistles that was confusing me while on the road. The auto-bright-lights feature was throwing me off, as I thought that I was turning them on when going around a curve. Just give me four wheels, an engine and a steering wheel.
  • Sirius/XM Radio. It was on the rental car, and trying to find decent radio stations through Ohio is a pain, so I kept the satellite radio on. I dropped my subscription with Sirius/XM a few years back, and now I realize one of the reasons that I did. I kept the radio on the Bluegrass Junction station the whole time. I swear, they have a rotating playlist of about 12-15 songs that seem to get played every two hours, sparsely interspersed with a few classics by Bill Monroe or Jim & Jesse. The repeat ones were all modern songs, and as I listened, they were less like bluegrass and more like acoustic country/folk/pop. They also played a lot of Billy Strings, but at least they varied the song selection. No, not worth the cost for me.
  • Songwriter sessions. One got canceled (I’m not going to get mad, as I hope to reschedule in January when I go down for the SPBGMA conference), and the other, which was more of a Q&A session, I was late due to a stalled train at a crossing. The session was helpful to say the least as Brent (who runs SongwritingPro.com) got me interested in Suno.com, a website that helps make demos sound a lot better by providing instruments and vocals mixed in at the songwriter’s discretion. I haven’t used it yet, but plan on it soon!
  • Jack’s BBQ/Frugal MacDoogal. Two places that I can never pass up while in Music City. Jack’s has the best pulled pork I have ever eaten. I always order the three-meat special so I get the pork, beef brisket and smoked sausage, while dipping in six difference sauces! Enough to have lunch the next day. Frugal MacDoogal is the Wal-Mart of liquor stores! I always pick up a stash for my friends and brother while I’m in town. Prices are way lower than in Detroit.
  • Rosine, Kentucky. For me, it is worth the hour detour to visit the birthplace of Bill Monroe, I always visit his grave and lay a quarter on his stone for myself and one for my buddy Ken. This time, I was running a bit later than usual, so I was able to visit the Bill Monroe Museum. The place is filled with Monroe’s furniture, instruments, and loads of other memorabilia. As I was the only one there, the cashier/manager Christie walked around with me. I ended up telling her more about Monroe than she knew. She insisted that I take a photo with the cardboard cutout of Monroe in front of a microphone. I also went up to his boyhood home on Jerusalem Ridge. The dossier there named Ken was staying in his truck to keep warm, as the house was not fully heated. He told me that Doyle Lawson has been there a few days before just to look around. This town should have so many visitors because of Monroe, but there is no signage on the highways passing by, so really the only people that show up are the true fans like me, and those that come to the annual Bill Monroe Days Festival in September. The authorities that handle the state’s tourist functions need to get their heads in gear!
  • Theresa Kereakes. This is one of my dearest friends, not just in the music scene, but in my life. We text a lot, however, we don’t see each other much due to distance, so we make a plan to meet up whenever I am in Nashville. We worked together in the early days of the AMA AmericanaFest, and I can honestly say, if the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame had a Den Mother category, Theresa would be the first enshrined. I won’t even begin to list the artists she has worked with behind the scenes, but I can say there are a few that are legends in the business. For years I have told her that she needs to write a book of her life stories and anecdotes, and fortunately she recently has started on it. If you want a taste of her adventures, visit her blog at http://punkturns30.blogspot.com . Anyone that loves rock and roll with love her insights.

I won’t get into much else. Road construction down there is worse that here in Detroit, and that is saying a lot! Also, drivers down there are way worse. If they pulled the crap they do up here in Detroit, they would probably have their windows shot out!

As stated, I’ll be heading back down there in January, so the next two months will be busy emailing inquiries and recording a few more demos.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Music Industry Nashville

Peter Cooper RIP

I was heavily saddened this past Thursday morning as I woke to learn of the death of Peter Cooper. If you do not know who Peter was, you definitely should know of him.

Peter worked as a music writer and editor for the Tennessean, Nashville’s daily newspaper, for nearly 15 years starting in 2000. During this time, he interviewed dozens of legendary country artists, including Johnny Cash, George Jones, and Bobby Bare. Kris Kristofferson once said he “looks at the world with an artist’s eye, and a human heart and soul,” He was also a vocal supporter of the rising tide of the Americana format, yet still was able intellectually critique and praise the modern artists such as Taylor Swift. You knew that whatever he wrote, it was well thought out and came from his heart.

His words were the type that impressed people. Johnny Cash told Peter during an interview that he read everything that Peter wrote. George Jones’ grave marker has a few of Peter’s words etched into the stone. He had his enemies, as does any journalist (Google “Peter Cooper Toby Keith” to find out more).

He left the newspaper in 2014 to become senior director at the Country Music Hall of Fame. No other person deserved it more, and no one but Peter Cooper could truly handle such a position while still being totally creative with his writing. In 2017 he wrote the critically acclaimed book, Johnny’s Cash and Charley’s Pride. His position at the HOF helped him network with many songwriters, which in turn perfected his songwriting talent. He became close friends with Tom T. Hall, Mac Wiseman, and Todd Snider just to name a few.

Peter put out a number of solo albums, as well as discs with songwriter Eric Brace. They produced a tribute album to Tom T. Hall, which was nominated for a Grammy in 2012. Along with all of that, he also hosted the HOF’s podcast, “Voices in the Hall.”

What I loved most about Peter is that he never used his position in the Nashville music industry as a badge. He treated everyone, from the biggest names in country music to the Joe on the street, with the same courtesy. I met up with him many-a-times in Nashville during either the IBMA or AMA music conferences. Each time we talked, it was always interesting. He was a true journalist, listening to every word that you said to him, knowing that something might come across that he could follow-up on for a story.

He was also extremely humble and courteous. Even if you weren’t talking to him, just passing by and he was talking to someone else, if he recognized you, he would give you a friendly nod or a small wave. He like people, but more than tat, he loved to hear what people had to say.

Earlier in the week, Peter had fallen and severely injured himself, and never fully regained consciousness. He was 52 years old, and leaves behind a son. He also leaves behind a wealth of amazing stories and songs. Nashville will not be the same without Peter checking out a new face on Music Row, showing up at a music conference held in town, or even trying out a new song at a local open mic. I will feel a bit of emptiness the next time that I go to Nashville, knowing that a good, trusted friend will not be there to talk about who is the next artist to watch in bluegrass or Americana. I will definitely miss you, sir. But I do hope that you are up there doing a guitar pull with Johnny, George, Tom T. and Mac.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Nashville

I, Too, Believe In Nashville

By now, everyone is aware that, early March 3rd Tuesday morning, tornadoes swept through central Tennessee. Cookeville, Mt. Juliet, and Nashville all got hit hard, with 25 reported deaths total. In Nashville, the sections of town known as Germantown and East Nashville/Five Points, places where much of the musicians and songwriters in town reside, were hit the hardest. Reports say that the Nashville tornado traveled approximately 50 miles total.

Once I learned about the tornadoes when I woke up Tuesday, I spent all of my morning texting, calling, and emailing all of my friends in Nashville, praying that I would hear something back soon (power was out over most of the city as expected). Fortunately, as of this writing, everyone of my friends has checked back in as safe.

This is not the first disaster for Music City in recent history. There was another line of tornadoes back in 1998. In 2010, downtown Nashville flooded due to heavy rains and a miscalculation of dam control. Yet the spirit of the city lived on.

Photos of the devastation were popping up on the internet within a few hours of the event. One that stands out is an iconic snapshot of the Basement East music venue in East Nashville. I usually hit this bar whenever I am in town, and to see what happened to the place is both hurtful and proud of the city. The bar is completely destroyed, with only one corner of an outer wall standing. Yet, that corner has a patriotic mural with the words “I Believe In Nashville” emblazoned.

That says it all about one of my favorite cities. Within hours of the disaster, citizens were out on the street, pausing for a few moments, then moving forward. They checked on others, cleaned debris from the streets, and the air filled with the sound of chain saws trimming fallen tree limbs. Those that weren’t doing actual clean-up were out there distributing water and sandwiches.

Because Nashville is such a closely-knit community, the bigger music stars came out to help as well. Dierks Bentley, who had just missed the tornado at a local airport, was on hand at his drummer’s destroyed house to help clean up. Tuesday evening started a swarm of benefit concerts for tornado victims at The Station Inn as well as many of the bars along Broadway. Many more were donating money to various charities set up for the disaster.

I kind of know what these people are going through. A tornado came through my town of Hamtramck back in July of 1997. It destroyed a small lumber yard two blocks from where I was living. Power was out for nearly a week. I also remember neighbors sticking with each other. People who never really talked before were playing cards together by battery light. Everyone walked the streets checking in on everyone else. Tornadoes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters are horrendous. But, in some ways, they bring people closer together because they have no prejudices. They destroy the houses of white, black, rich, poor, gay, straight, all people. With that, everyone reflects with that “it could have been me” thought, and empathy and sympathy take over.

It hurts that so much of my beloved Nashville was destroyed, and that some people lost their lives from a storm that gave little warning. I am thankful that it was not worse, and that the people I love and care about are all safe. I believe in Nashville as well, and I know that this will only make the city greater in strength.

If possible, please contribute to one of the following charities to assist Nashville tornado victims:

Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (www.cfmt.org)
United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties (www.igfn.us/F/2oz0/n)
Red Cross (www.redcross.org)

Design a site like this with WordPress.com
Get started