In the previous post I wrote about Cafe Coco. The above video is one of my Cafe Coco, "open mic" performances and was captured using a Sony Webbie.
There's a lot of stories I want to tell about my time in Nashville. I've told a few of them already...like the one about when I gave my CDs to Kevin Costner. There's the time I served K.T. Tunstal and she asked me where the bathroom was and whether I'd recomend taking a cab or walking back to her hotel. My best interaction with a famous person happened recently...I got to hang out with Eddie Montgomery and play him and his guitar player a few of my songs. The amazing thing about these guys is that they are still so excited about music and songwriting. There wasn't a shred of "coolness" surrounding these Kentucky boys. They just play music for a living because they love it and they'd be doing it even if they weren't making a living at it. There was also the time I sat a couple of seats down from Miranda Lambert, whose gravelly, Southern voice makes me a little bit quivery, and I swear she gave me the "up and down" look. Now she was with her fiance, Blake Shelton, so maybe I just had a boog hanging or something. Or maybe I'm just that handsome... I prefer to think the latter and I'll appreciate it if you don't correct me.
There's a lot of celebrities in Nashville and I have to admit that I still get a little excited when I see them. I may not even be a fan of whatever a particular person does but it's kind of cool to see these people in the flesh. Most of the time though it's the non-celebrities that make Nashville an interesting place to live. People have moved here from everywhere and a lot of them are trying to be musicians. Some of them ought to go home and some of them should have come here years ago. I think it takes a certain kind of person to pack things up and move to an unknown place in pursuit of an intangible, hoped for dream of a possibility. There's an above average number of these kinds of people in Nashville because they've all left wherever they hail from and are now scattered throughout Nashville, Murfreesboro and Franklin. They work in coffee shops and bars and restaurants and book stores and most of them live with a bunch of room mates and except for the ones who work at Starbucks, they all stay up 'til 5am every night. The Starbucks crowd have to get to bed early because their days start at 4am. Nashville may not be New York City but with all the hopeful artists here it's certainly a city where there's something going on 24/7.
In Nashville, I've played music to people from all over the world. I've played for the average joe and I've played for celebrities. I've worked the night shift and had my share of those 5am days. I've worked the day shift and had my share of days that start at 6 am and end at 4am the following day. So I've been tired a lot in Nashville. I've gone to watch bands that I've been listening to since I was a kid and I've been blown away by artists I'd never heard of before and just happened to be in the right venue on the right night. So after living here for a little over two years I'm starting to realise what a rich time of life this has been for me.
The night that the above video was taken was a Tuesday and I met Joel Crouse and Nick Zini that night. We talked about music and preachers and girls and snow and after I heard them play I invited them to play a gig with me next month. The open mic nights at Cafe Coco aren't particularly prestigious but there's something about them that makes them kind of cool to me. It reminds me a little of some of the places I used to play back home. Even though I want to tell the stories about famous people I want to capture the Tuesday nights too. Because those are the nights I met the Joels and Nicks. Those are the nights I remembered why I came to this town in the first place. Those are the nights that make me feel alive inside.
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I borrowed the title of this post from a song written by Adam Burrows, a fellow I've had the pleasure of playing a couple of shows with. I think he's one of the most talented artists I've met in Nashville and hopefully we both will play high profile shows in time. But until then we have our Tall Tale Tuesdays. I'll be playing a show with Adam and another Nashville artist, Joe Dunn at Drifters in East Nashville on March 4th. Please do come and show your support if you happen to live in Nashville.
I'll also be playing at Casablanca Coffee on Saturday, February 12th with Joel Crouse, Nick Zini and Anna Johnson. Mark your calenders and please come support.
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