My Nashville Cherry...... SMASHED!! ( with authority)
We're back!
The trip was a fantastic experience..... and all things considered, my music held it's own down there....... it was a damn good first step.
We played 4 sets on the Billy Block show during our time there. Got into Nashville at 1 pm on Sunday and functioning on 2 hours worth of cat naps.... I did a live on-air interview with Billy on WKDF at 7:30.... Then we played our set around 9 pm at the historical " Tootsies Orchid Lounge"
Everyone at Tootsies treated us real well..... From Billy, to the production crew, bar staff and the crowd..... We were made to feel right at home, ( heck the bar tender even wanted my autograph at the end of the night .......... it happened to be on a visa slip.... but let's not split hairs here)
Monday, I had a writing session with Larry Wayne Clark at 10 am, we made some progress on a song title/idea I have been working on for a while now...... Larry and his wife were very accomodating, friendly people.... and turned out to be an educational experience... ( he gave me the inside scoop and a quick history lesson on Nashville)
Tuesday I managed to catch up on some rest during the day, to get ready for our show at 12th and Porter. The club was set up much like the Distrikt ( in Regina) Was ideal for a showcase/concert type set. Seating was right tight to the stage......and the crowd was very engaged with the music. Was easy to connect with the people, making eye contact with your audiance really makes a person feel comfortable in delivering the goods.
Was a GREAT line up that night...... Billy put me on the show with some serious up and comers on the scene in Nashville. Ryan Rothe ( www.myspace.com/ryanrothe) Angela Siracusa, ( www.angelasiracusa.com) Scott LIndsey ( www.myspace.com/scottlindseymusic) Brittini BLack ( www.brittiniblack.com) and none other than Raul Malo! www.raulmalo.com
Raul was the front man, singer/songwriter though out the 90's with Grammy award winning " Mavericks" he's now promoting a solo record of his own material and is out on tour. ( as a matter of fact I got to meet most of his immediate family outside and on his tour bus after the show...... they were just heading for the west coast to kick off the tour)
Great experience. Click here to see my spot on The Billy BLock Show @ 12th and Porter http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLUM9-IpJAo&feature=related
Wednesday we drove out to Murfeesboro ( pronounced as it is spelled) I managed to sound like the " Boob" tourist in the way I tried to pronounce the name ....... sounded like I thought i was in Scotland " Murfeeeeeesbrough" Was kinda how I sounded it out..... The locals were kind enough not to make too much fun of me ( at least in front of me) so it was alright. The Blue Rooster was a great venue, had a bit of a soft crowd.... but we got to know the other performers on the bill that night... .Angela Siracusa had an incredible band, and was a tough act to follow, check her stuff out www.angelasiracusa.com
The Billy Block show spots went really well...and went by quickly.... so we were thrilled to be invited back the following Sunday to play Tootsie's Orchid lounge for the 2nd time! Billy Block and Brad Prosko are doing a real great service in giving unknown's the chance to play reputable gigs in historical venus in Nashville. Have to thank both Brad and Billy for letting me be a part of it all.
www.canadiannashvilleexpress.com/ www.billyblock.com
The rest of the week I had writing appointments with Clayton Bellamy
( Roadhammers) Tim Taylor ( Tim has had hits with tons of artists over the years) Shawn T. Christian (www.myspace.com/shawnchristianmusic) and Chip Phillips.
I walked away from these writing sessions with some new songs to work with.... was a very productive experience, I learned alot in a short time about the craft/mechanics of putting together a song in a single session.
Shawn even invited me out to a Nashville Predator home game ( he had an extra ticket) I wasn't able to make it to the game with Shawn, but it was damn nice of him to make the offer...... As I said, the people I met made me feel like a peer and not some outsider.
Chip Phillips was a very intriguing fella! My all time musical hero is Steve Earle..... I probably border on " fanatic" when it comes to his career. Well Chip grew up with Steve, moved to Nashville ( from Texas) with him....and worked with Steve Earle up until 2000.
A little background...... Steve Earle, both musically and in his personal life lived a very interesting, tumultuos life.... To sit and listen to first hand stories ( of which I've read many times in autobiographies published about him) from someone who was an integral part of the inner workings of his band.... was surreal!!
Thank-you Chip for indulging me in so many of those stories..... I was like a wide eyed 1st grade kid sitting on my haunches listening to these tales. Chip also brought forward a VERY infectious melody and the skeleton of a great song...... to a song-writing session we had booked with Clayton Bellamy..... The song turned out very well, and I've woke a few mornings now with the melody stuck in my head. Thank-you Chip!
Speaking of Clay, I wanna say a big thank-you to Clayton Bellamy, his wife Julie and his little guy Boady for making me feel right at home. They had me over for supper one evening complete with Red Velvet cake for desert.... ( Red Velvet cake is a Southern thang........ it's bloody incredible!)
To play my shows I needed two guitars..... and given the type of scrutiny that we faced at the border ( Canadian musicians going to Nashville) I didn't chance trying to take both guitars with me.... so I took down my acoustic only. Clayton gave me my choice of which ever guitar/guitars I wanted and let me take them to use for my Nashville stint...... He wouldn't hear of taking rent or anything like that..... I have to say a big thank-you for that.
Clay's band " The RoadHammers" just released a new album, and are going to be through Canada in April. The new Album ROCKS!! click the link below, and grab a copy of the new disc. Clay wrote a good chunk of the material on the new album......and to be able to sit down to write with him was an honour.
http://www.theroadhammers.com/site.php
He's also got a solo album in the works that he recorded with Gordy Johnson ( Big Sugar) keep your eyes peeled for that...... www.claytonbellamyband.com
I took 3 guys with me on this trip......... and we were down there for 15 days. You can just imagine what accomodations costs might have been. That being said, I have to say a HUGE thank-you to a couple of very cool people who helped us out down there.
Tobi Vos and Dana Shillington were absolute Gold to us on the trip. They recently bought and furnished a large condo, and gave us a VERY cost effective, comfortable, convenient place to stay. The condo was complete with phone service back home ( included) full kitchen, laundry facility.....and Ken even had his own smoking balcony!
For anyone planning on going down to Nashville, I highly recommend giving the girls a call. Through them, we were invited to some very exclusive, private parties........ and were treated very well by everyone that they connected us with..... Made some great new friends through Dana and Tobi, and consider both of these girls to be very good friends as well.
Thanks girls!! If you happen to be going down to Nashville and need a great place to stay, drop me a line jj@jjvoss.com I can hook you up.
The trip is done!! it was great, and has created a bunch of new avenue's for me to persue.... THanks to everyone involved. My band, ( Ken Burton, Neil Fenske, Ben Bradley) and everyone I've mentioned above.
Big thank-you to the my friends and family who helped financially in making this show-case/promotions trip a reality.
What's next?? I've been nominated for 3 awards by the Saskatchewan Country Music Associations...... so wish me luck in that! I'll be putting up info on that in the next couple of weeks.
As well, the Western Canadian Music Awards is off in the near future.... I will be applying for showcasing and throwing my hat in the ring for nominations as well.
For the summer, I'm going to be playing acoustic shows around the province...... I may have a few big announcements coming soon in getting my live dates rocking!!
Thanks for taking the time to read my musings...... I appreciate the continued support