Dierks Bentley at the Country Music Hall of Fame

It. was. awesome.

The Country Music Hall of Fame has a an exhibit showcasing his life and career, and as part of the exhibit they have him do an interview and acoustic performance.  The is the second one we've seen - they're done really well, and because they are in a small concert hall specifically built for music -- the sound is phenomenal.

We were lucky enough to get meet and greet passes as well as passes to the show.  The official photographer took pictures with Dierks, so I don't have those yet, but I did get a few good ones.

 The interviewer is Peter Cooper, who is a locally well-known music journalist and musician.  He's really good at getting the subject to open up about themselves and he allows them to tell the story in their own words.  I always enjoy the interviews that he does.

 Above the stage is a large screen and the entire time they were talking there were photos on the screen.  Some were from concerts, some were childhood photos (one of which he found slightly embarrassing), and some were album covers.  This cover is from 2003.  His dog Jake is still alive.  He's deaf, and sleeps a lot, but he'll still around.

Before the show, Jim said  - If you could ask him one question, what would it be?  I said, I think I'd ask him what his favorite guitar was named and how long he's had it.  Of course he told me that was two questions.  Well, I kind of got my question answered.  This guitar was part of the exhibit, and they had it on the stage for him to play during this show.  He has had it autographed by many country and bluegrass stars (unfortunately this picture didn't pick up the signatures).

 When he started playing, you could see the wear up near the neck, and the hole where his fingers have worn through the wood.  It still sounds good, though!

 He had a bunch of songwriters join him on stage.  All great songwriters and musicians.

 He sang What Was I Thinking, I Hold On, Drunk On a Plane, Somewhere on a Beach, Free and Easy,  Am I the Only One, Every Mile a Memory, Up on the Ridge, and a new song called Freedom.  (I might be forgetting some, it seemed like he played for quite a while). 

In this picture, his fingers are actually in that hole in the face of the guitar.

It was an awesome show, and it was really great to meet him.

My favorite Dierks song?  I Hold On.  For some reason it resonates with me.  It was great to hear it live and even though I like a lot of his songs, that remains my favorite.

Luke Bryan's Acoustic Show

What a treat.  A conversation and acoustic show by Luke Bryan.  We already know he puts on a great show, but seeing him in a smaller venue, with an interviewer - 

and then just him and his guitar telling stories and singing songs was awesome.

The Country Music Hall of Fame has begun doing these conversations and atypical shows with the country music stars whom they are showcasing in their exhibits.  They are always fun.  In addition to Luke Bryan, we've seen Kenny Rogers and Crystal Gale.

One thing very different about today's show is that he was wandering through the crowd before the show and taking selfies with some of the fans.  Unfortunately he was on the stage level and we were in the balcony.  It was still a fun show to watch.

Has he created the world around him to mirror himself? Or has he been swallowed up and molded by it?

Perhaps he has the best of both worlds and it is a comfortable blending of the two.

These are the thoughts in my head as I looked at this sculpture.  When I first saw it I only saw the orb.  It wasn't until I got closer that I realized there is a person inside.  The figures are composed of letters from nine alphabets.

Like all of the sculptures in the Jaime Plensa Human Landscape exhibit, it is thought provoking.  The simple beauty, and the way that they actually seem to be a part of the landscape is breathtaking.  

Outside the main entrance is a 23' tall sculpture called Laura with Bun.

 There is a similar Jaime Plensa sculpture on the grounds at the Frist Center for Visual Arts.  That one is named Isabella.  Laura is actually facing in the direction of Isabella.

The Soul of Words I and II are posed to imitate two people in conversation.

Thoughts is just that - thoughts and phrases swirling around.

Silent Music made me think about those who have music in their souls

He created this one in part because Nashville is Music City.  He wanted to honor the diversity of musical history in the city.  When the exhibition is over, this sculpture will stay at Cheekwood and become part of the permanent exhibit.

Awilda and Irma is an unusual stainless steel mesh created in a pond.  He wanted to underscore the relationship to the landscape by installing it in the pond, and also to bring water, light and air together.  There is an amazing amount of detail to these, and a few steps in any direction will bring a change of the facial features.

The Heart of Trees are seven bronze figures, with their limbs wrapped around trees and the names of composers from the 19th and 20th centuries.  They are quite striking.

These were my favorite part of the exhibit.  Well, maybe my second favorite part.  I really liked the Silent Music sculpture.  But these are awesome.

Near the reflecting pool is Rul Rul's World.  She is a marble figure, whose variations in the color of the marble add to the beauty of the statue.  From the side view, she appears to be solid white marble.  It't not until you get in front of her that you begin to see the color variations.

There were also some pieces inside the museum.  For some reason I found the inside pieces to be very haunting.  Uncomfortably so.  I couldn't get decent pictures inside as you couldn't use the flash on the camera.  As I neared the exit, I heard piano music.  It is the first time I've heard the grand piano being played.  And played beautifully.  He paused between each song to tell us what he was playing.

In addition to the sculptures and the music, I enjoyed the time walking around the botanical gardens.  It was a cool day, with the threat of rain, so it wasn't terribly crowded.  

As I walked, I was treated to the beauty of the gardens and the wonderful autumn show that nature brings us.

Goodbye until next time.

Staycation - Day 9

A Night at the Opry

I would show you pictures, but they're pretty blurry.  We were in the nosebleed seats - there were only three rows of seats above ours.  Scary up there.

We saw:

John Conlee

Ray Scott

The Whites

Connie Smith

Mike Snider

Lauren Alaina

Larry Gatlin (it was his birthday today!!)

Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top Express

Canaan Smith

and

Reba.

Reba sang a couple of songs off her new CD, and then some old favorites - Fancy, Is There Life Out There and The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia.  I hadn't heard that song in a long time.  It really is great.  Just in case I've convinced you to give it a listen.....

That song was written by Vicki Lawrence's husband.  Vicki actually recorded it, and it went to number one on the charts for her, and 20 years later Reba recorded it also.  It is a classic.

And, not surprisingly, she got a standing ovation at the end of the night.

Another great Opry show.

Staycation - Day 6

Better late than never, right.....

Today we went to Marathon Village and checked out Antique Archeology, Bang Candy Company, Garage Coffee Company and a tour of Corsair Distillery.  

Marathon Village is a cool old building which was once an automobile production facility - you can read about the history and transformation here.  It's a pretty cool building - with a  pretty cool story.  Here are some pictures of the outside.  The original logo:

 The oil can sits atop the building - it's become a landmark.

 this is what the oil can looks like from the back of Corsair distillery.

Antique Archeology is the Nashville location of Mike Rowe - American Pickers.

Corsair Distillery is the polar opposite of Jack Daniels.  Corsair is a small brew company who experiments with different grains and flavorings, both spirits and beer.  They do a Quinoa Whiskey, a Triple Smoke - which is definitely a fan favorite! - and many other seasonal flavors.  The tour takes you through the processing area, the bottling area and the barrel room, most of which are in the same large room.

Included in the tour is a stop in the tasting room so you can try out some of their unique flavors.

Then last night we went to City Winery (no photos or videos allowed, so these are not actually from last night) to see Holly Williams.  She is the granddaughter of the great Hank Williams, daughter of Hank Jr., or Bocephus, as he is commonly referred to.  The opening act was a 10 year old powerhouse of a little girl from East Tennessee name Emi Sunshine.  Her website is here.  Definitely check her out.  And Holly Williams with her band.

She played a variety of music from her albums, and a couple of extra songs.  She is a true storytelling songwriter.  My favorite, favorite, favorite Holly Williams song is Waiting on June.   It's a song about her mothers' parents, who she was close to while growing up.  Every word is true, and it is full of emotion for her.   She did play it last night - and it was wonderful.  Here's the YouTube version.

Enjoy!!

Dinner and a Show

Once we finalized our plans to go to the gulf coast, we started searching online to see what was gong to be happening while we were there.  We found out that there was a singer/songwriter festival. Singer/songwriter performances are always a favorite of mine.    

When you get a group of two or three songwriters together a couple of things happen.  First, they bring out the best in each other - they have a great respect for each others' talent while at the same time, they don't want to be the worst performer on the stage.  Second, they feed off each others' creativity and don't hesitate to jump in and jam with the person performing, which results in some awesome collaborations! 

So we heard about the 6th Annual Pensacola Beach Songwriters Festival and thought, since we would be close by, we'd go over and check it out.  Friday night we decided to find a spot to have dinner and listen to the songwriters.  We ended up at little italian place called Lillo's Tuscan Grille.  What a great choice!  We didn't think so at first as we waited quite a while for a table, and it seemed like we were being ignored, so we almost walked out at one point - boy I'm sure glad we didn't.  We finally got seated and when I looked around I realized the restaurant only seated about 60 people - which explains the wait.   We ordered salads, pizza and beer.  All of which were really good!  It wasn't too long before we saw the first singer.

  Aubrey Wollett is from Nashville and sings country songs.  She has a good voice but she sounds just like all the other cookie-cutter-little-blond country singers in Nashville.  She needs a gimic if she wants to be recognized

Next up were Thom Bresh and Ed Beaver.  Thom is  showman - very outgoing and  loves the audience!  He is the son of Merle Travis - who sang Sixteen Tons (and what do you get - another day older and deeper in debt).  He's a great finger picker and has some fun tunes.  Ed Beaver is a self-proclaimed anti-establishment songwriter.  He also has some great songs.  We were fortunate meet Ed after the show.  He lives in Nashville and, thanks to his Facebook page - we'll be able to see him play locally.

Alan Rhody, Jim Pasquale and Louis 'Cowboy' Johnson were up next.  The schedule showed them performing separately, but they did what is referred to as a 'round', which is where they each take turns performing one of their songs.  These three guys played for a very long time.  They were fabulous.  Alan Rhody sang a song called Charlene and the Quarterback - YouTube it if you get a chance.  

Jim Pasquale is the mastermind behind this music festival, a talented songwriter and a great storyteller.  So fun to watch. 

  

And in the tradition of saving the best for last - Louis 'Cowboy' Johnson.  His voice has been described as 'tobacco honey' which is quite accurate.  There was complete silence in the restaurant when he sang.  He sang lots of songs from his latest album -  definitely a storytelling songwriter.

  

And Steve Lillo, owner of Lillo's Tuscan Grille.  He came out to join the guys for a song or two.

Such a fun time - we might have to go back again.....

Be Happy Where You Are in Life

Don't be content to stay there, always strive to be better, but be happy with wherever you are.

Words of wisdom from Kenny Rogers Mom - and boy is she spot on.  He shared that today among the many stories he told.  He grew up in the projects, but had no idea they were poor.  They were happy, and everyone he knew had holes in the knees of their jeans too, so he didn't feel any different from anyone else.  Until he went to school and found out not everyone lived that way.  The 'rich kids' made fun of him.  

That wasn't really what shaped his life, it was his love of singing that drove him to be a performer.  He went to a Ray Charles concert with his sister when he was a young teenager - he said not only did everyone applaud every song he sang, but they clapped for everything he said.  And he thought that kind of adoration from the fans was what he wanted.

He's never done drugs, never drank alcohol.  He's lived a clean, sober, fulfilling life.  And he still does.  At 75 years old he has twin boys who are 10.  He hopes to live long enough to instill his mothers' wisdom into his boys.  He is charming, well-spoken and loves the audience.

I would have loved to hear him sing today, but he didn't do that.  It was still great to sit and listen to the stories.  From the Bobby Doyle Three, to the New Christy Minstrels, to The First Edition - which then changed to Kenny Rogers and the First Edition - to his many solo and duet records, he's got some great stories.  

He is truly a gentleman and a performer and I count myself among the fortunate to have been able to see him today.