I got back from Nashville and the SPBGMA conference a few days ago, and I will go over some of the notable high and low points that I experienced. These will come about at random, whether good or bad. There will also be thoughts not only about the conference, but about the city as well, since it has been over four years since I last visited for a music conference.
Networking – one thing about bluegrass artists that one doesn’t see with much other formats is that they are very approachable. Pretty much all of the bands showcasing on the main stage will also set up a merch table and enjoy talking to the fans. They are also more than willing to talk to someone like me who is looking to shop some songs for the band to record. Once a band or its members get to know how dedicated you are to the craft, you get to be closer to them. Some of the bands that I got to know better and developed a relationship with during the week were The Kody Norris Show, Nu-Blu, and The Edgar Loudermilk Band.
Article Material – I was able to talk to a number of fiddle players for future articles in Fiddler. One of these article I hope to complete is a coverage of The Violin Shop, a music store on the outskirts of the city (more on this later).
International Band Championship – About a dozen bands that are not A-list bluegrass performers compete for a large cash prize and SPBGMA promotion at the next year’s conference. A few were OK, but most were at the top of their game. You could tell that they work hard not only on their instruments and vocals, but also a rapport with the audience. The two bands that impressed me the most eventually took First and Second Place (Sylamore Special and Off the Rails, respectively). The complete list can be found at https://bluegrasstoday.com/sylamore-special-wins-2024-spbgma-band-championship/ .
Rhonda Vincent – There is a reason she is called The Queen of Bluegrass, A fantastic performer, wonderful singer, and totally personable with her fans. On Saturday, she filmed part of a new video (covering the old Olivia Newton-John song “Please Mister, Please”) with a number of young bluegrass pickers backing her up. Sorry for the blurry photo, it comes from a screenshot of the video I did and wasn’t able to upload the video.
Jamming 24/7 – Not sure if this is good or bad. This is what a lot of people attend SPBGMA and IBMA for — many of them don’t even bother to register for the conference. From Thursday through Sunday, there were at least five jam sessions going on in the main lobby of the hotel during peak hours, Moreover, there were jams going on in a number of hotel rooms throughout the night and into the morning hours. Now I am an early riser for my job, so even though I was on vacation, I was hitting the sack pretty early, and with the time difference (Central Time, and I live in Eastern Time), I found that I could not stay up too late to enjoy the wandering festivities. Thank God that I brought some good earplugs with me so that I could get some sleep. Heck, when I would get up in the morning, you could still hear some people jamming down the hallway. Of course, you wouldn’t see much people at the conference morning sessions. But if you are into listening to live music at all hours of the day and night, this is your weekend!
Sequins – I swear, with the exception of one band in the aforementioned championship competition, all of the females in those bands were wearing sequins. It tended to look tacky. It made me think that the bands cared too much for the looks and that they were auditioning for Las Vegas or Branson, Missouri rather than a bluegrass festival. It just doesn’t look good in my opinion.
Songwriter Workshop vs. Showcase – One of the seminars was listed as a Songwriters Workshop. This consisted of four bluegrass songwriters (Daryl Mosley, Johnny Williams, Jeanette Williams, and Raymond McLain). The performers each performed a few of their original songs, and talked about where the inspiration came from. To me, this is more like a showcase than a workshop. A songwriter workshop would entail successful songwriters working with aspiring songwriters on improving on their craft, such as discussing subject matter, arrangements, and even taking an idea and making it into a song together. I hope that SPBGMA considers how to promote this or create an actual workshop next year.
Hotel Parking – The Sheraton Airport Hotel has been host to the SPBGMA event for a number of years, and I would think that they would have a little better control of parking. They did have an extra lot about a 1/4 mile away that would have shuttle service, but it seemed that they still allowed non-hotel guests and non-conference attendees to park in the hotel lot until it was full, so if you were registered at the hotel and went off site for a while, you didn’t have a spot to park when you came back. There was a person at the gate entrance telling people about the shuttle service, but his suggestion only seemed to work when the hotel lot was completely full. I found myself walking a long distance twice getting back to the hotel while carrying some baggage. A better way to handle it would have been unless you had a hotel room, you should be forced to park in the supplemental lot and take the shuttle in.
Waffle House – We don’t have them in Michigan, so I hit one every chance that I get going south. Fortunately, there was one about two blocks from the hotel, so I was in Heaven. You can bet that I was there every morning that I stayed down there. The breakfast bowls with hash browns, cheese, and egg and choice of meat (my preference was sausage) are to die for.
Jack’s BBQ – Another favorite place of mine in Nashville. Now that downtown is pretty much ruined by progress, I don’t visit that location, so I go to one southwest on Charlotte St. The brisket and Texas sausage are cooked to perfection, and they have some amazing sauces, with the Carolina being my favorite.
Elliston Place – Another favorite restaurant, although I didn’t go to it, and probably never will again, because of …
Downtown Parking – The days of parking meters, even in areas like Music Row and the Gulch, are gone. I understand paying a king’s ransom in a lot downtown, but in the street in front of Elliston Place (and other areas), the meters have been replaced with signs showing a QR code. You have to scan the code, then enter your credit card number in the app. I feel sorry for anyone, especially from the older generation, who doesn’t understand this technology. Nashville central has made itself into a tourist trap. A candy bar is $3.00, and so is a 1/2-litre bottle of soda.
Hotel Food – Just as bad is the cost of the hotel food. It knows that a lot of the guests won’t venture away from the hotel, so it was charging $8.00 for a hot dog, $14.00 for a hamburger, $12.00 for a ham sandwich, and $3.00 for a banana.
Exhibit Hall – While not nearly as big as the one found at IBMA, there were a few interesting vendors. I did pick up a great t-shirt with the US flag but the stripes are violin bows. There were some nice new and vintage guitars, as well as banjos and a fiddle table. They has a second rook for exhibitors, but it was almost empty with the exception of two music schools having tables. It would be great if more vendors would show up for this, as people do take and interest in buying bluegrass-related swag as well as trying out different instruments.
Nashville Music Stores – Because of the gentrification of downtown, long-time businesses have either closed up or moved away from there. Carter’s Vintage Guitars is still near downtown, so you have to pay for parking to visit. Fortunately, two of my favorite shops, Gruhn’s Guitars and The Violin Shop, have moved to the outskirts of town and have ample free parking. Any guitarist visiting Nashville has to make a stop at Gruhn’s. It is pure Heaven in there, although everything has a high price. Same with The Violin Shop and fiddlers. However, both stores know that a lot of people come in to just admire the selection, and you can always buy a t-shirt or keychain to prove that you were there. Grimey’s Record Store also moved out of its original location to the East Nashville area, but I wasn’t able to get to it this time.
Potholes – Now here in Michigan, we grow potholes like Hawaii grows pineapples. They are everywhere, so we are used to rough pavement. Sometimes, our road commissions will get out there and fill them so there aren’t too many damaged wheel rims and axles. Two weeks ago, Nashville had a big snowstorm, and as the snow melted, it caused a fair amount of potholes, especially on highways that usually don’t experience these problems. The city’s solution? Just post highway signs that say “Rough Road – Please Use Caution.”
Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge – I used to love hitting The Station Inn every time I visited Nashville. However, it is completely surrounded by high-rise apartments, and parking, even pay-to-park, is next to impossible to secure. It’s not worth the fight. Fortunately, two bluegrass artists were doing shows at Dee’s in Madison (a northern suburb of Nashville). The place is a dive to say the least, but is perfect in my eyes. While it is not strictly bluegrass (band bookings include jazz, R&B, rock and country), a lot of bluegrass artists that live in the area hang out there no matter who is on stage. I have found my favorite bar down there!
Frugal MacDoogal’s – If you ever crossed a large department store, a dollar store, and a liquor store, this would be it. An absolute amazing selection of beers, wines and liquors, and prices are very good. This is another place I visit any time I am in Nashville.
The Kody Norris Show – Kody is a true entertainer, combining Jimmy Martin, Bill Monroe, Porter Waggoner, and George Jones. He and his band dress to the nines in Manuel suits, but the charm is how tight the band is when performing. Kody, his wife fiddler Mary Rachel, and the rest of the band are extremely friendly to their fans, and Kody went out of his way to catch up with me and talk business during some downtime.
Vickie Vaughn – seeing Vickie the night before I was scheduled to head back to Detroit was the best gift that I could ask for. I first met Vickie in 2014 at a Leadership Bluegrass meeting, and since then we have remained great friends, even though we don’t get to see each other much. I have always called her my “kid sister” because of how our personal paths have paralleled. Since I have known her, her career as a bluegrass bassist has bloomed to playing with High Fidelity, Della Mae, and winning Bass Player of the Year this past September at the IBMA Awards Show. She is truly one of the most beautiful ladies and wonderful people that is in my life, and I will always love her.
That’s enough for now. Chew on it and comment.
Luegra 