Jackson, Tennessee for Jack White and The Rockabilly Hall Of Fame. Part II

After the Rockabilly Hall Of Fame tour finished, I headed down to the venue. There was still around four hours until doors opened but with nothing else to do I felt it would be best to join the queue and talk to fellow fans.
I met some really cool people and it's always nice to hear other fans stories about how and why they started listening to Jack White. My Tattoos went down well with some of the people in line and it was a generally nice atmosphere. Early entry contest winners were allowed into the venue at around 6.15pm and we were allowed in at 6.30pm which was an hour early according to the ticket stub. As the doors opened everybody rushed inside, I don't think I've ever seen anything like it before, women in high heels, running! parents with children on their shoulders, running!

I casually strolled into the venue like the cool guy that I am and still ended up with a decent position near the front of the stage. I then made the fatal mistake that I make at most gigs, I went and bought a beer. This was bad for two reasons. I don't really like beer and it meant I would need the toilet a lot. Now if you are in the UK reading this, you are probably thinking, why didn't I buy a different sort of drink. Here in Tennessee it seems people only drink beer. My favorite drink is cider, here that means apple juice, they do sell "Hard cider" in most bars but not at this venue. My other favorite drink is Bourbon but they get funny about serving "Hard alcohol" at certain function, so there was non of that either.
As expected I was running back to the toilet every twenty minutes and I lost my decent place near the stage. I probably could have fought my way back but being a polite young man I always feel bad about pushing passed people.

Pokey Lafarge started his support set at 7.30pm and I decided to settle in and watch. I was really impressed with Pokey, I had heard really good reports about his music and of course he released a single on Third Man Records. Also he featured on "I Guess I Should Go To Sleep" from Jack White's Blunderbuss album.
Pokey plays a mixture of Rock and Roll, Blues and Americana and the end results make you smile and tap your toes.

As Pokey finished and the Jack White tour team took over the stage, my excitement skyrocketed. I was about to see Jack White again, for the 9th time. As i stood watching the tour crew check mics and equipment, I wondered if we would be getting The Buzzards (all male band) or The Peacocks (all female band)
If you don't know, Jack White decided to take two bands on tour with him. This seems in keeping with how he plays with the differences between the masculine and feminine perspective, which has been present since The White Stripes.
Having two bands on tour allows for songs to be performed in different styles, this adds to the spontaneity of each individual night, not even the bands themselves know if they are performing until the day of the show. The only draw back would be to Jack White himself, it must cost him a fortune to have ten musicians on the road.
The tour crew keep the drum kit covered until the last minute because the kick drum skin is a dead giveaway as to which band are playing. As the cover is lifted off, I recognized that we are getting The Buzzards tonight!
This excited me further as I hadn't seen The Buzzards yet.

For the next hour and forty minutes we were treated to one of the best shows I've ever seen, the band made cuts between songs just as Jack use to do when it was just him and Meg. Tempo shifts and updated versions of old songs from his various projects, also many songs from "Blunderbuss" including the title track which I was overjoyed to hear.
Jack was on form, smiling most of the night and shouting "JACKSON" while throwing his arm up for a cheer, he certainly wouldn't be walking off after 50 minutes. At one point he did wander off stage for around 30 seconds, I have to admit I did worry a little, later I found out that he had gone to give his son a kiss goodnight.

Specific highlights of the show for me were, The Hardest Button To Button, Stop Breaking Down, When I Hear My Name, Blunderbuss and Seven Nation Army. Also I loved how the I I I sign changed progressively as the show went on. One other point I would make is Daru Jones is one hell of a drummer, he sets his kit up so he has to stand for certain drum hits. I tweeted him after the show about this and he said thank you. A nice little added bonus for me. This show goes down as my second favorite off all nine Jack White shows I have seen.

Next up, Grace Potter and The Nocturnals at the Ryman Auditorium review.

Jackson, Tennessee for Jack White and the Rockabilly Hall Of Fame. Part I

Anybody who has ever met me and had a conversation that lasted longer than ten minutes, knows that I am a  huge fan of Jack White and mostly all his work. When I was twelve years old, I never wanted to grow up, I wished to remain a twelve year old forever. Listening to The White Stripes for the first time, I felt their music connected with me and that feeling of wanted to remain a child. The simplistic drumming style of Meg White, the use of three colors; Red, White and Black. Dressing up stages and even the littlest item being themed, just sparked something inside of me and I have kept up with this love of Jack White's music ever since.

I came to Nashville mainly to see Third Man Records, Jack's headquarters for all his artistic output. Back at the very start of 2012, when i found out i would be coming to Nashville, White had just announced he was putting out his debut solo album "Blunderbuss". My excitement levels shot up again as i anticipated the fact I would soon be hearing new music for my favorite artist and also the possibility of seeing him perform live again. In April, a week before the launch of Blunderbuss, it was announced Jack White would be playing a show in London's Kentish town forum. For me it was a must purchase as I didn't think I would have another opportunity to see him in the year. All his dates that were announced went against my plans of going to America. So I pulled the trigger, with some help from my own personal travel agent (My Father) and off I went to see Jack White live again.

Fast forward to the summer and I am sitting in the Music City Hostel, here in Nashville, when I read "New UK tour dates" on jackwhiteiii.com, these dates were for November 2012, meaning I would be home for them. So I bought two tickets and then the following week another one which The Kills will be the support act. 

Shortly after this it was announced Jack would be touring the bible belt regions again, these were set for October, meaning I could go to some of them. I decided just to get the one ticket as I had travel cost to pay for too. I ended up with tickets to the show in Jackson, Tennessee.

On 10/10/12 I woke up and headed to the Greyhound station, with my backpack on and filled with food for the day. Now the Greyhound station is an interesting place, lots of strange characters appear there. People who seem to be homeless, young travelers and often people who just seem quite odd. I ended up sat next to a women who was friendly enough but seemed to me as if she were bordering on the mentally ill, she sat and muttered to herself often, in the end I decided to stick my headphones on to drowned the sound of her voice out. Two hours later, the bus pulled up in a very decrepit looking station in the middle of Jackson. I had been informed there wasn't a lot to do in Jackson but I had read about the Rockabilly Hall Of Fame and wanted to visit.

As I made my way up the road to the Hall Of Fame, I noticed some stone benches and tables, I figured this would be a nice place to eat my ham and cheese sandwiches. The sun was out and warm against my black jacket but there was hint of a cool wind. All this made for a pleasant lunch as I sat and looked at the giant mural on the Hall Of Fame building. After I finished, I had a look into the window of the building, it seemed empty and I couldn't decide if it were open or not, instead of going in, I made my way to the civic center to check the line for the show. It was already ten people long at 1pm, I was a little shocked at how hard core these American fans were but they obviously wanted a good position at the show. I didn't fancy queuing up for six hours so decided to head back to the Hall Of Fame. I rang the buzzer on the door and around the corner came an older man. He opened the door and greeted me with a warm smile "Are you here for a tour" I replied yes, noticing my accent he responded "And where are we from?" 

The man introduced himself as Henry Harrison. He is one very interesting character and has so many stories to tell about the likes of Carl Perkins, Elvis, Johnny Cash, Wanda Jackson and many others. He seemed to have known most of the stars that were inducted to his Hall Of Fame. The tour was only $10 which is a bargain in my opinion as it lasted well over two hours. I was joined on the tour by a lovely couple and their eleven year old daughter and a couple of women, all were in town for Jack White. We saw video tapes of Brenda Lee, Wanda Jackson and Johnny Cash, we got to play D.J Fontana's drum kit, (drummer for Elvis) using drum sticks signed by W.S Holland (drummer for Johnny Cash) and view tons and tons of merchandise and records. The fact I could talk about Jack White with the fellow members of the tour just added to the experience and we also told Henry about Jack White, who he did not know of. We explained how Jack White is a pioneer of vinyl and how he produced Wanda Jackson's 2010 album "The Party Ain't Over" and also how Jerry Lee Lewis played at Third Man Records last year. Henry was over joyed to learn about this from us.

As the tour ended Henry bid us all farewell and told us to enjoy the show and I certainly did.

Part II to follow soon.

http://jackwhiteiii.com/live-photos/

Meeting Rockabilly Royalty.

On October the 6th,  I woke up and checked my twitter feed as i most always do. Since i have been in Nashville, twitter has been one of my most valuable sources for information on local happenings. As i scrolled through my feed i noticed a tweet from Grimey's record store. It said, "Wanda Jackson meet and greet today at 5pm in store."

Grimey's is probably the most loved record store in Nashville, they stock new and as they put it "preloved" records, as well as CDs and DVDs. They regularly have gigs in their basement and also often do meet and greets and live in store gigs.

After reading the tweet about Wanda Jackson, i got slightly excited, i come go and meet the Queen of Rockabilly!
Admittedly i only became aware of Wanda Jackson after Jack White produced her 2010 album, "The Party Ain't Over" but like most music i have discovered from being a Jack White fan, i liked what i heard. I have started to listen to more of her old hits and wish to keep on finding more of her old work too.

I arrived at Grimey's around 5.15pm to find around 50 other fans queuing up, all with Wanda's new album in their hands. The new album is called "Unfinished Business" and as i reached the desk and handed over my album to Wanda's husband and manager he told me, "it's more of a return to her country roots."

As i approached Wanda, i noticed just how tiny she is and i also noticed her eyes. When i saw them on the cover of her previous album, i thought it was some sort of photo editing trick but no, they really are bright and vibrant. I told her thank you for doing this meet and greet and she asked my name, signing my album insert as i told her. I asked her if it would be okay to have a picture taken, to which she smiled and said of course. As all this was going on my favorite song she ever did was playing on the stores system. you can hear this song at this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf5FvUt7iIw it's called "Funnel of Love", if you have heard it before, listen again, or don't, it is up to you.

This was just another lovely moment for me here in Nashville and something i shall remember forever. Here is my picture with the Queen of Rockabilly.

Recent Activity

Last month I went up to 3rd and Lindsley bar and grill to see Young Hines perform.
Young Hines is one of my favorite new musicians, i first heard his music when he supported Brendan Benson  at the Ruby Lounge in Manchester, England.  It was by far the best support show i have ever seen, featuring Brendan's backing band and a megaphone.
The show at 3rd and Lindsley was slightly different, once again Young was playing in a support slot but this time he was all alone on stage, using a loop recorder to create beats and harmonies.
The effect was amazing, haunting little whispers were used to create an atmosphere around the opening song, this shows how versatile Hines is and is a reflection of his debut album "Give Me My Change" which you can't pinpoint to one genre.

Alabama Shakes played live on the Green here in Nashville, a show i had my eyes on since it was announced. Seeing all the hype about the band i thought it was a great opportunity to see the band, since the show was free.
I listened to the album a few times in the week leading up to the show and i have to admit i wasn't blown away.
I went to the show to meet up with my German friends from the hostel, I couldn't find them right away so I started walking around the the green to find them, passing the tour bus i spotted Britney Howard just hanging out with some people. After finding my friends, they introduced me to some of their University friends and we went to buy a beer. Even though this was the largest crowd ever for a Live on the Green show, we easily managed to work our way through the crowd. The band hit the stage and played one of the songs i enjoyed from their EP, they also played "Hold On" quite early too.
I was really enjoying the show, then as the band emerged for their encore, they really upped the pace, playing a host of Rock and Roll numbers, i wasn't sure if these were covers or the Shakes own material, all i knew was it sounded excellent. If you aren't convinced by the bands album then i'd recommend seeing them live, it totally changed my opinion on them.

I finished worked at the end of September, my final day was lovely as I had pizza with all my work buddies, I brought Krispy Kreme doughnuts which always go down well with a crowd.
I worked the weekend to get some overtime, spending six hours alone on the Sunday. It was a strange being there all alone and leaving the building was quite sad, I had become strangely attached to the place and the people. I took one last look and left the building, outside it was pouring with rain which I had to walk home in. Over a mile walk in the rain, it was so peaceful and to me a lovely way to think back about the nice times i'd had at work here in the USA.


October is my last month here in Nashville and now I have plenty of time to see things I came to see. I also have a few shows to see, Jack White in Jackson, TN and Grace Potter here at the Ryman. Also on the 26th Seasick Steve, the dog himself is playing Third Man Records, i am so excited for this, i really wanted to see a show at Third Man and i'm going to get to see one of my favorite artists play the venue, hopefully I will get tickets once they are available.

Coming up, i'll tell you about me meeting Wanda Jackson and also my bucket list.

Back soon..

Free Music in Nashville!

I love going to gigs, that is for sure!

To me live music is the ultimate expression of art, you bare your soul with songs you have written and invested time and emotion in, in front of people you have never met.
I have been to many gigs and festivals over the years and spent a lot of money in the process, so a free gig with a band or artist I enjoy rarely comes around.

This weekend, Musicians Corner kicked off and will continue every Saturday for the next few months.
The free event is held in Centennial Park, a little ways beyond the Parthenon and hosts a music stage as well as food trucks, a beer garden area and market type stalls.

                                                          Parthenon in Centennial Park, Nashville 

The reason I headed to this event was to watch Karen Elson's set. Karen is a model and recently featured in the closing ceremonies of the London Olympics, she also sings songs and she does so very well. A recurring and founding member of The Citizens Band, which features a large cast of revolving members, she released her debut solo album "The Ghost Who Walks" on her then husband's record label Third Man Records in 2010.
The Album is a host of folk songs which are story driven and often quite dark tales, produced by her former husband Jack White, who also plays various instruments on the album.

                                                      Karen Elson's " The Ghost Who Walks" LP Cover

Karen took the stage around 4.15pm and played for about 50 minutes, playing various songs from her debut album including, "The Birds They Circle", "Cruel Summer" and the title track "The Ghost Who Walks".
Karen also played a few surprises, such as the recent Fleetwood Mac cover she and Beck recorded together for a tribute album. Throughout the set, Elson thanked the group of small children, who had gathered in front of the stage to dance and also the organizers of the event.

This was the first time I have seen Karen Elson live and I was impressed with how good her voice sounded live, it left me hoping to hear a second LP soon.
Throughout the gig I noticed a few of my musical icons wandering around. Jack Lawrence (The Greenhornes, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather) was back stage with friends, also wandering around with her faded pink hair was Alison Mosshart (The Kills, The Dead Weather).

After the set had finished i headed towards the merchandise stall, I spotted the Third Man Records employee who had set up at the corner of the main stall, as I approached I noticed him handling a pink record. This was the Peach Scented limited edition of Karen Elson's LP and was for sale at a price of $20, I already have the album but this was a chance to add to my rare vinyl collection. I looked in my wallet, sat inside was one $20 bill! I bought the album and immediately opened it to smell it, it did indeed have a faint scent of peaches.


Another example of a great day in Nashville and another reason to confirm I was correct in coming out here: Good free gig, rare vinyl from Third Man Records and I saw more of my music icons casually wandering around.

Coming up in the tomorrow is The Black Keys official video for "Little Black Submarines", if you remember, I queued up for 5 hours to get into the filming/secret gig and will hopefully see myself in the video, awkwardly dancing.

Readymade Films launch

On Saturday the 4th of August I went to the Basement, live music venue of Grimey's record store, to watch the new Brendan Benson concert film "Concert Los Angeles" which was being shown as part of Readymade's film company launch.
Readymade is a record label set up here in Nashville by Brendan Benson, which boasts a roster of Young Hines and The Howling Brothers, Cory Chisel and The Lost Brothers.

Young Hines played a DJ set for the event before making way for the film itself, which aired for around an hour. We were treated to free pizza all night until it was ate up.
"Concert Los Angeles" features many of Brendan's solo hits. While watching the film, it confirmed to me how good a live performer he is. I have seen him perform twice as part of The Raconteurs, where he always holds his own and look like he is enjoying himself and once recently in his solo form.
Watching the film had me saying what i often say about Brendan, his voice is one of the best around, it is so distinct and suits the power pop style he plays, perfectly.
I bought the film on a fancy USB stick and a poster of the event all for $8 which is an absolute barging.
The film is now available world wide on a donation basis, i really recommend it to anybody who likes good power pop music, the songs are catchy and great fun in this live format. To get the film head to  http://readymadefilm.com/

The night ended with a live set from the band The Howling Brothers.
They played a good set of bluegrass songs and had me tapping away right until the end, where they finished with a cappella song, always a great way to end a live set.

All in all the night was a great event and everybody at Readymade should be proud of themselves.

July Recap

So another month went by, as they so often do. July is perhaps the most important month for the USA. The country celebrates its birthday on the 4th of the month as many of you know. I took part in the 4th celebrations at the Music city hostel, where a BBQ was on the go and a selection of classic American Rock, Folk and Country songs played out into the garden. After enjoying the BBQ i headed downtown to meet my new American friends. We went to the riverfront show which was headlined by The Mavericks, their music isn't my cup of tea but they did their best to get the crowd going. The real headline act though was the Firework display accompanied by the sounds of The Nashville Symphony Orchestra.
I have never witnessed anything like it! Now fireworks, for the most part are pretty boring. After 5 minutes you've seen everything you are going to see. These fireworks though were far from boring. The Orchestra played in time to the fireworks, we were treated to classics, such as 1812 overture and the Star Wars theme.
This really added to the whole event. The fireworks though were amazing also. Big and in your face, the sky was a picture of Red,White and Blue, then like a bombing raid, the sky lit up with an assault of firework after firework. For near 10 minutes it was a mad frenzy of fireworks and a marvelous show. The perfect way to celebrate the USA's 236th birthday.

I've been getting creative, writing songs and things for other projects, it really helps being in such a creative place and living around artistic people. I had another visit to Third Man Records, bought myself a new Jack White T-Shirt. Going to the store is like instant happiness for me. I also bought some Raconteurs stickers. I am slowly making my way through buying everything in the store!

New blog post coming later today.