Archives for category: Uncategorized

Big Kenny Electroshine To Hit The Road

August 31, 2013 //

Big Kenny Alphin Electroshine Press Conference

Courtesy Webster & Assoc.

“I have listened to so many different types of music my whole life. So, it started to hit me that here at the University of Creativity which is what we call this whole place. We are experimenting with new things, heck that’s what I do. Ever since we came into this town it was Musik Mafia and Musik Mafia is about, you know just takin’ the doors down.That is, to be able to expand what I know of as Country Music and my love of Country Music.” – Big Kenny Aphin

Big Kenny gathered some key media individuals at his home studio in Nashville and laid it on us all at once.

Courtesy Webster & Assoc.

“Music City is a beacon of creativity for the world right now if you all have noticed this. But, there is just so much varied talent that comes in and out of this place. Sometimes, people just show up on my doorstep and then all of a sudden you find out that they’re brilliant at something musically and that, in my world, I’m just kind of “why don’t you go take a room and stay a little while and let’s make some music.”

“This talent just started showing up in my world including two amazing organic players. A group called ChessBoxer, it’s Matt Menefee, who plays banjo in our band right now and Ross Holmes who plays fiddle in Mumford and Sons. We put the two of these guys together for a year. I had them up in the bell tower and they just opened the windows and were just putting in all these riffs at the same time.”

“You have a whole crowd of people in EDM, Electronic Dance music, that’s producing music and synthesis right here on a computer on a screen and I thought ; why we could just jam all this acoustic great instrumentation here in Nashville into these kind of beats and I mean as soon as you start doin’ it, it makes you want to dance!”

Big Kenny’s API Plus console in Home Studio, Nashville, TN, photo – Brad Hardisty

Anybody who visits Lower Broad any time of the year will notice that bands at Tootsie’s upstairs as well as other venues have already began mixing up modern Country like “Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy” with a medley of Rock and Roll like AC/DC’s “Back In Black” and Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” prompting waitresses to jump on the bars and strut their stuff.

“So, this first piece I’m goin’ to show you, actually, it came about as I was working here and then I would have to fly to LA for another event and I ran into some of the most amazing producers out there and one of them being specific is Chebacca. “

“The next week, I flew him to Nashville and we started workin’ and he was upstairs in creative mode and we were goin’ back and forth. We just had to do this music if we had time so we would be on the road and off the road and work everything out. So we decided we would smash it together. We just kind of laid out a vibe and also laid out the feeling. We just put visuals with it to lay out the feeling of what we were feeling when we were doing this, right? To kind of give out a vibe of the kind of people that ,you know, we also see that love this stuff so it’s fresh, it’s new and this is danceable.” – Big Kenny

Courtesy Webster & Assoc.

Big Kenny has put together a creative team called Electroshine involving everybody from West Coast EDM Artist Chebacca to members of Mumford and Sons, Dave Stewart and others to work on creating EDM worthy Country mash-ups of not only Big & Rich hit songs, but, original material as well as possible re-mixes of Merle Haggard and other possible classic material and taking the music on the road.

Rolling Stone magazine recently published an article about Swedish DJ-Producer Avicii and his major international hit “Wake Me Up” that mashes EDM and bluegrass featuring vocals from Dan Tyminski best known for the Oh Brother, Where Art Thou track “I Am a Man Of Constant Sorrow.”

Big Kenny describes life on the road, Nashville, TN, photo – Brad Hardisty

“ John and I, we are music lovers and in half or more of the cities we play in America we either end up…there’s nowhere to go and we end up putting big speakers up outside between our busses and just DJ and just jam to this kind of music. Dance music across all of what we love; there’s popular and then we will bust into a little Haggard in there too.”

“That’s kind of how it got started, right? So these people are showin’ up and then that song was actually one of the first things we released. We knew we had to just start putting some music out and so we created Electroshine TV, aYou Tube Channel, aFacebook,Twitter. We kind of just let it grow organically, build organically like everything we have ever done in our lives.” – Big Kenny

Big Kenny’s guitar rack at home studio, Nashville, TN, photo – Brad Hardisty

The idea has been on a grassroots level over the last year and couldn’t be timed any better. One of the best examples of this idea was the success of Daft Punk’s hit “Get Lucky” which dropped a couple of months ago and began to be covered by all sorts of DIY artists one of which was East Nashville Banjo man, Charles Butler who was trending twice as many hits on you tube as the original Daft Punk version. Charles’ version was featured as a hot video on the android app as it continued to outpace and inspire online mashups of the Charles Butler and Daft Punk versions.

“I wanted to kind of give you a briefing of what all this Electroshine project is. You know, it is truly just the continuation of what the Musik Mafia has always stood for which is to expand the boundaries of music without prejudice. We don’t want other artists who come into this town that are friends of ours to think that we are anything other than the most open minded musicians in the world, but “damn those boys can play banjo, fiddles and guitars and aren’t they great singers and melody makers.” So the thing we realize is missing in Nashville is EDM which is, hopefully, everybody knows this by now, it is the most exploding genre of music that we have on this planet. “- Big Kenny

While Electronica introduced R. L. Burnside’s Hill Country Blues to the rest of the world more than a decade ago this is a brand new thing for country music and could help to expose Country Artists all over the world in a new way as well as carrying on the original country melodies through time with maybe a simple Carter Family inspired bluegrass part in an EDM dance re-mix.

Courtesy Webster & Assoc.

“It’s kind of hard to just take a sweaty race horse who has just finished a show or a couple of them and you have to walk ‘em and cool ‘em down, right? So, we found the best way was dancing. We hit these clubs and we see what people are doing and what people are dancing too. So, we kind of know where this thing is. We thought this could really happen so then we decided to remix two songs on the last Big & Rich Record, “Party Like Cowboyz” and “Born Again that will drop on September 3rd”

“Our radio partners out there thought “Party Like Cowboyz” was a little heavy for them to play because the songs rocked pretty hard, kind of AC/DC rock on the album. It was the same thing with “Born Again” which we wrote and it featured, on the remix, Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora.” – Big Kenny

While there may have been a lot of resistance in the Country Music culture ten years ago, now would be the time for success since Country Music has had an influx of Hip Hop flavored tracks, AC/DC inspired guitar riffs as well as the straight up pop crossover of Taylor Swift.

Big Kenny, Nashville, TN, photo – Brad Hardisty

“We crashed a Belmont party one night with that song and uh, Belmont, I mean they were doing a charity event in a big room and everybody was in there just glowing and any way. We put that on there and played it and everybody just started coming up and “It’ so cool. You guys keep doin’ that stuff man that’s awesome.” – Big Kenny

The most important thing is that Country Music has a devoted fan base who continues to buy product that has proven out in actual Billboard chart positions as Country Artists begin to dominate release by release in actual album sales.

Courtesy Webster & Assoc.

“John and I were playing up just above Twin Lakes, Wisconsin so Troy, this is where my partner Troy Volhoffer comes in. We just bought a circus tent. We just bought a circus tent ( Troy Volhoffer, owner of Premiere Global Productions), yeah! At the Twin Lakes Festival this year we went bustin’ in there with the circus tent and we put up visuals and I DJ’d until so many people were packed on the stage that it became unsafe. Someone was going to fall off the edge and so we just sang a song and said goodbye.” – Big Kenny

Country has seen artists from other genres cut Country albums to see if they could make the crossover and sell actual product as seen by the Bon Jovi country project as well as Darius Rucker’s current success so why can’t Country Artists go out and see if they can make inroads into dance clubs?

“With Electroshine, we are paying attention to the BPM’s, everything you know and how that makes you move. Yeah and also, just the technology we put into just the way it makes you feel. Like if you were deaf and you sat in here you would…you will feel this music. Especially, when we put it out of 6000 amps in that circus tent in full surround sound. The kaboom, kaboom of just putting up a circus tent that is over a half an acre. People want to party. So we are here to throw the parties and get everyone dancing.” – Big Kenny

Big Kenny Alphin and his Electroshine project may actually open the roads to what may eventually be County mash-ups not only in his travelling big circus tent show , but maybe eventually as part of Country Music radio programming as well as awards during the CMA’s for best Country EDM tracks.

“I guess I can tell you what our next steps are and what we plan on doing with this. Again, we’ve been inspired to bring in other artists, as you just mentioned there and I think we can make a lot of cool mash ups like Grammy kind of mashups, right?”

Courtesy Webster & Assoc.

“I know you all know that I have a couple of other careers too. One of them being pretty large and that’s Big & Rich. So, what we have come up with is this kind of stuff. John and I are still kind of into the mentoring thing. It just kind of happens. There are nine interns running around here at any given time amongst all my staff. They are just a bunch of brilliant open-minded creative people. But, to be able to take this to the next step we will go and do a Big & Rich show and then we do Electroshine after-parties.”

If you visit Nashville during CMA week, the DJ’s are already mixing up Modern Country and Classic Rock with EDM beat tracks and vinyl matching up pitch and BPM’s and making their own remixes on the fly already at dance party venues that run concurrently with all the concerts all over town. Country Music fans love it and it has been going on for the last several years. They like to get out and party and dance just like it was L.A., Miami and New York, in fact a lot of fans travel from there as well as from all over the world where EDM is already the major player.

Big kenny, Nashville, TN, photo – Brad Hardisty

“We can take this circus tent anywhere. Now these places, like my fifth grade teacher who had been helping feed 400 kids that were homeless, she has wanted to do a festival, you know and she needs to do something with bigger awareness and she doesn’t know how to do that and now we have put together all the partners to know how to do that and in a tent we can just go, “Where is the parking lot? Get us a parking lot and Swummff! Right? “

” I can finally go play a show in my hometown of Culpeper, Virginia so our plan is to tour this kind of music in a circus tent. Right now we have drawings of inside and outside the tent. The insanity of what will be inside this tent. It will have the extremities “Extreme- a- tees” of any international big city, big time club that you would go into. Like The Marquee in Vegas or Tao in New York. Well guess what? We take that out to our people. They love that stuff, right? We are going to put little flying angels over their heads. We will put stages on all four sides of the tent. The design of this thing is intense. I mean it is super intense. People will be going into a multi-sensory environment. I mean dudes like me ought to be able to crowd surf too.” – Big Kenny

screenshot, photo – Brad Hardisty

– Brad Hardisty, Nashville, TN thenashvillebridge@hotmail.com

Tags Avicii, Big & Rich, Big and Rich, Big Kenny, Big Kenny Alphin, Bon Jovi, Charles Butler, Chebacca, ChessBoxer, Daft Punk, Dan Tyminski, Darius Rucker, Dave Stewart, EDM, Electroshine, John Rich, Matt Menefee, Mumford and Sons, Musik Mafia, R.L. Burnside, Richie Sambora, Ross Holmes, Taylor Swift

Categories Country Music, Country Radio, Music, Music City, Music Row, Nashville, Uncategorized

Tim Easton Not Cool Live at Grimey’s

August 23, 2013 //

Tim Easton at Grimey’s, photo – Brad Hardisty

“The back stage door of the Ryman Auditorium is directly across the alley from the back door to Robert’s Western World on Lower Broadway. I walked in the bar one night and heard the locals killing it. Jd Simo on guitar and Joe Fick on upright bass. It was just the modern, yet vintage sound that I wanted and I simply asked them to play on my record.” – Tim Easton

Mike Grimes introduction for Tim Easton, photo – Brad Hardisty

Tim Easton at Grimey’s Not Cool CD release, photo – Brad Hardisty

Tim Easton kicked off the release date of Not Cool, his umpteenth album on his own Campfire Propaganda Label with distribution through Nashville’s Thirty Tigers last Tuesday night after a warm introduction from Mike Grimes himself who said he had been listening to the album quite a bit and was excited about it.

Megan Palmer at Grimey’s, photo – Brad Hardisty

Along with members from The Don Kelley Band, his longtime road warrior fiddler, Megan Palmer played a huge part and was a nice foil for all the guitar work going on as well as adding occasional harmony vocals.

Eric Alvar with Tim Easton at Grimey’s, photo – Brad Hardisty

While John Radford was able to sit in on the skins, ”Slick” Joe Fick, who was part of The Dempseys hailing from Tacoma, Washington then made Memphis home after getting the seal of approval from Priscilla and Lisa Marie Presley several years ago, was not able to throw down on the Upright Bass. Eric Alvar, who is new to Nashville, did a great job of blending in with the formidable five piece band.

John Radford with Tim Easton at Grimey’s, photo – Brad Hardisty

“Any Questions?” – Tim Easton at Grimey’s, photo – Brad Hardisty

Not Cool may be Tim Easton’s most rocking work yet. Tim commented how quickly things came together with this group of players after finishing six songs on their first day in the studio.

Tim Easton at Grimey’s, photo – Brad Hardisty

Tim brought along the $100 Kay guitar that he used to record the majority of the album with to use on the last song. The Kay has probably made a rare live appearance since it didn’t stay in tune very well and was definitely not road worthy.

Eric Alvar and John Radford with Tim Easton at Grimey’s, photo – Brad Hardisty

Tim’s banter in-between songs kind of swung between trying to get his young daughter to come and dance with the band and asking the Grimey’s crowd if they had any questions. Interestingly enough, Tim wasn’t able to get his little girl to come up and dance in front of everybody and nobody asked nay questions which kind of made for some light laughter after a while.

Jd Simo with Tim Easton at Grimey’s, photo – Brad Hardisty

Jd Simo’s guitar playing was both deft and cut through when it needed it to. JD’s several years down on Lower Broad showed through his professional approach in keeping an eye on Tim as he watched him like a hawk for the cues and where things were heading.

Tim Easton & Jd Simo at Grimey’s, photo – Brad Hardisty

Jd Simo has been doing other things, among them his own blues power trio. My money would be on watching local Jd Simo over a passer through like Joe Bonamassa any day.

Jd Simo with Tim Easton at Griimey’s, photo – Brad Hardisty

There were some real high points to the new songs, especially “Don’t Lie” which seems to be creating some early buzz as well as the flat out honestly great full-on vintage rocker “Little Doggie (1962)” not to be outshined by the locally inspired “Gallatin Pike Blues.” Any local can tell you there is definitely a collection of salt of the earth people to write about on Gallatin Pike.

It seemed to run to quick with several high points from the cheap off the strip Vegas drifter tune “Four Queens” to just about everything. It was all good. The real question is does the music stand up to Tim’s catalog and truth be told this seems spot on to what needs to be heard right now; music that has some deep roots, but is written about the rusty old corners that are being inhabited today in the modern world.

– Brad Hardisty, Nashville, TN thenashvillebridge@hotmail.com

Tags Campfire Propaganda, Eric Alvar, Jd Simo, John Radford, Megan Palmer, Thirty Tigers, Tim Easton

Categories Grimey's New and Preloved Music, Music, Nashville, Uncategorized

GED Soul Records Review at The High Watt

August 22, 2013 //

AJ & The Jiggawatts, The High Watt, photo – Brad Hardisty

GED Soul Records owned Friday night at The High Watt with a three punch line up of Magic In Threes , DeRobert & The Half Truths and AJ & The Jiggawatts delivering non-stop danceable James Brown swagger with a DJ mixing up soulful vinyl in-between the sets.

GED Soul Showcase at The High Watt, photo – Brad Hardisty

Openers, Magic In Threes set up some psychedelic soul instrumental grooves that show what GED Soul is known for. GED is at the center of a scene that has developed over the last few years after the retro soul show that was on the now defunct or actually format changed WRVU out of Vanderbilt that turned several Belmont University Music program students into late sixties/ early seventies urban soul audiophiles that carried over into bands, original songs and the GED Soul label.

GED Soul Showcase at The High Watt, photo – Brad Hardisty

Many of the same musicians play in the three different configurations which isn’t much different than back in the Stax days when Booker T & The MG’s were the backbone rhythm section to most of the recordings that came out of those Memphis days as well as touring the world as featured in the live DVD of Otis Redding in Europe that captured Steve Cropper and “Duck” Dunn locking lines together.

DeRobert & the Half Truths at The High Watt, photo – Brad Hardisty

DeRobert has some solid range and a great deal of dynamics all the way from some Donny Hathaway style ballads to some hard punchy danceable grooves. DeRobert & The Half Truths were one of the main headliners on Record Store Day at The Groove where GED Soul was spinning records all afternoon and it was good to see how DeRobert came across under nightclub lights and a decent PA System.

DeRobert & The Half Truths at The High Watt, photo – Brad Hardisty

DeRobert, sonically is ready to go up against any Mark Ronson or Brooklyn Daptone production with a strong voice and solid material like “Beg Me” and “Just Don’t Care” off of his Record Store Day EP.

DeRobert & The Half Truths at The High Watt, photo – Brad Hardisty

By the end of hour, DeRobert had put his heart and soul into his set and had a towel draped across his shoulder to catch some sweat as needed. DeRobert seemed to capture the biggest chunk of the crowd, but, most stayed around to catch AJ & The Jiggawatts finish up the night.

AJ & The Jiggawatts at The High Watt, photo – Brad Hardisty

While AJ may not have the range of DeRobert, he does manage to come across strong as a front man which is a great trait to have when you consider Otis Redding would be in that company. Otis used everything he had and is considered one of the all time greats although he only had about a 3 to 5 note range. AJ stormed through “Hard Times” and “Don’t Mess With Me” like it was 1972 all over again and the streets were wide open and there weren’t any police cameras and drones to keep the street hustlers in line.

AJ & The Jiggawatts at The High Watt, photo – Brad Hardisty

GED Soul brought along plenty of the vinyl only label releases to take home and spin on an Ortofon equipped turntable through a big vintage pair of Altec Lansings pumped up by a Marantz 200 watt per side point to point wired 75 pound amplifier / receiver.

AJ & The Jiggawatts at The High Watt, photo – Brad Hardisty

GED Soul shows a strong Nashville representation of what goes all the way back to Jefferson Street and the days of classic soul. What would be good to see is a mash up recording of somebody like AJ and Nashville’s Queen of The Blues, Marion James to really stir up some retro real sounds.

– Brad Hardisty, Nashville, TN thenashvillebridge@hotmail.com

Tags AJ & The Jiggawatts, DeRobert & The Half Truths, GED Soul Records, Magic In Threes

Categories Music, Music City, Nashville, The High Watt, Uncategorized

East Nashville Tomato Art Fest 2013

August 19, 2013 //

Tomato Art fest Midway 2013, photo – Brad Hardisty

Founded in 2004 by Meg and Bret MacFadyen, owners of East Nashville’s Art and Invention Gallery, The Tomato Art Fest is now part of an established trio of festivals that has come to define Nashville, for locals, rather than the huge tourist CMA Festival and Bonnaroo.

Live Music on Fanny’s House of Music Porch, 2013 Tomato Art Fest, East Nashville, photo- Brad Hardisty

To get an idea of how big this one had become, The Tomato Art Fest was voted “Best Festival” in the 2007, 2008, and 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 in the Nashville Scene Reader’s Polls. The Tomato Art Fest has come to define and be a showplace for the center of East Nashville’s Five Points area.

Five Points has a convenient outdoor venue that is nothing more than a grass covered lot that can hold about 1500 people about 25 steps away from Fanny’s House Of Music / I Dream Of Weenie and this year housed a great main stage sponsored by First Tennessee Bank while a small second stage brought in one of the ‘last men standing’ of original Mississippi Blues, L.C. Ulmer this year.

Fanny’s House of Music, Main Stage, Tomato Art Fest 2013, photo – Brad Hardisty

Craft fair style booths that featured everything from artwork to fresh grown tomatoes drew fans in droves all day long until events started to taper off about 5Pm when the food trucks shut down and the booths were quickly cleared from the road.

Head Over Heels, 2013 Tomato Art Fest, photo- Brad Hardisty

The nightlife crowd crept over to The Pied Piper Creamery for some Orange Tomato Cinnamon Sorbet or one of the local pubs as the late afternoon saw music cranking up at the main stage when Fanny’s House of Music Youth Artists: Girls Sing/Head Over Heels launched into the mega Go-Go’s hit, “Our Lips Are Sealed.”

Thurston Ford, Bear Cub, 2013 Tomato Art Fest, photo – Brad Hardisty

Jesse Hall, Bear Cub, 2013 Tomatoo Art Fest, photo – Brad Hardisty

Bear Cub featuring the songs of Jesse Hall and the guitar pyrotechnics of Ford Thurston played several songs off of their recent release Good Morning, Every Morning. Bear Cub came off more aggressive live with their more pop oriented Beatles / Big Star / Arcade Fire influenced music sounded more “in your face” than the album with more fire power and a cover of “Helter Skelter” that was more Paul McCartney than Motley Crue played with finesse and musical depth.

The Young International, 2013 Tomato Art Fest, 2013, photo – Brad Hardisty

The Young International take the Mutemath meets Coldplay path with some good original tunes and a strong four piece band. They took in the face with the sun setting in the West. The only thing to do was wear cool shades.

Dave Pahanish, Panfish, 2013 Tomato Art Fest, photo – Brad Hardisty

Dave Pahanish, phenomenal songwriter who has written hit songs for Jimmy Wayne, “Do You Believe Me Now” and “I Will” as well as for Keith Urban who recorded “Without You” is a great front man and bandleader as well. Dave is also the local host at East Nashville hang-out venue, The Building, known as a second home for cast and crew of the Nashville TV show after all day shoots brought his latest incarnation of Panfish to close out the Tomato Art Fest.

Panfish, 2013 Tomato Art Fest, photo – Brad Hardisty

Panfish is a four member powerhouse that translates well as an almost all acoustic except for electric bass (Let go of the electric Bass and get an upright) power jam act that crosses between a modern Country hit songwriter’s showcase and an opener for the Zac Brown Band that would fit well with the current Southern Ground travelling circus.

Panfish, 2013 Tomato Art Fest, photo – Brad Hardisty

The mildest summer on record made for a great turnout and a most excellent vibe.

Bear Cub, backstage at 2013 Tomato Art Fest, photo – Brad Hardisty

Brad Hardisty, Nashville, TN thenashvillebridge@hotmail.com

Tags 2013 Tomato Art Fest, Bear Cub, Dave Pahanish, East Nashville, Fannys House of Music, Ford Thurston, I Dream of Weenie, Panfish, The Young International

Categories Music, Uncategorized

Bravo Birmingham Secret Stages Third Year

August 9, 2013 //

“The high point of the weekend was booking half a dozen or more acts that had never played Birmingham and hearing from SO many festival goers that loved them.” – Travis Morgan

Tedo Stone, Secret Stages 2013,-photo – Brad Hardisty

Secret Stages beat the odds by finally lifting off this sultry wet last weekend in Birmingham with a new central location down on the cobblestone Morris Avenue backed by the trains going by on the upper deck above the Miller Lite Stage with food trucks lined up selling everything from gourmet Tacos to Hawaiian Ice or Snowballs depending on what coast you are from.

The buzz had been building with bands on the bill from Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Cincinnati, Ohio and points around the Southeast.

Das Haus, loud, experimental out of the box venue, Secret Stages 2013, photo – Brad Hardisty

One of the main additions over last year was an official Hip Hop venue – Matthews with a two day fest of rocking the microphone that kicked off with Mic Militia on Friday night and finished with Supastition after midnight on Saturday or Sunday morning however you look at it.

Lazer/Wulf, Secret Stages 2013, photo _ Brad Hardisty

Most of the venues changed from last year with the exception of Das Haus returning with the ever permanent smell of Brats and a floor lamp that seems to always be turned on and perched a little awkward onstage which featured the loudest most punk sounds of local band The Dirty Lungs while Saturday offered more varied fare from Tedo Stone, the acoustic singer/songwriter styles of Jazzmine Garfield followed by the extreme experimental metal of Lazer/Wulf from Georgia playing in the set time of last year’s Georgia heaviness Black Tusk. It seems that Mastodon started in some fertile ground of a loud and proud scene. This would be the perfect venue for Kraftwerk or Tangerine Dream to play, okay; maybe it is a little smallish.

Silver Tongues at Pale Eddies, Secret Stages 2013, photo – Brad Hardisty

Lindsay Garrett- Volunteer Coordinator:

“One of my favorite things this year was running into JazzMine Garfield on 2nd Ave in between her two sets while she was playing a few songs for people passing by. She basically just stopped on a corner, sat down, and started playing. She had fan girls taking video and snapping photos while she played her guitar and sang, totally unaffected. And the entire time she had a smile on her face.
She’s a little gem.

The reason this is a high point for me is because it was definitive of the Secret Stages energy. Artists are thirsty to play for people who want to listen… And fans feel like they have gained some sense of bonding/closeness with the musicians they love.”

JazzMine Garfield, Secret Stages 2013, photo – Brad Hardisty

Jazzmine Garfield – Birmingham, Alabama:

“They just saw me playing out and about and I got here with Secret Stages with Courtney. I play anywhere and everywhere. I will be at The Metro later and Iron Bar on August 15^th.”

Most of the bigger Birmingham bands played Friday night sets like one of the longest running bands Through The Sparks, last year’s buzz band The Great Book of John on the Miller Lite Stage as well as The Grenadines who also signed to Birmingham label Communicating Vessels this last year releasing a 7 inch as well as a proper release for the well-produced first album that was available at shows over the last couple of years. Unfortunately, Model Citizen with one of the greatest songs ever to come out of Birmingham, “The Inner Fool” were nowhere to be seen this year.

Belle Adair, Secret Stages 2013, photo – Brad Hardisty

Travis Morgan- Head Of Artist & Music Production:

“The high point of the weekend was booking half a dozen or more acts that had never played Birmingham and hearing from SO many festival goers that loved them. The sweet synergy of music discovery. We get to discover bands and then showcase them for folks in Birmingham to also discover and it’s a special bond. Also, seeing everything coalesce was very special. Between the art installation from Joe Minter (featured in the New York Times in April), the graffiti, the amazing performances and the positive energy between bands and music fans, we soared like eagles.”

“I loved The Log Ladies, Adron, Healing Power, Amasa Hines and Ponychase. The Great Book of John sounded great. I really liked Ante Meridian and Supastition was really solid too. W. Stewart and Looksy performed great sets. Foreign Fields were terrific but I didn’t get to see them long enough. Through the Sparks is (bias) one of my favorite bands of all time, so there you go. Always good.”

photo – Brad Hardisty

Rain was hard and heavy on Saturday afternoon and threatened to make things interesting like Saturday night last year when festival goers danced in the rain in front of the main stage, but as luck would have it, the rain stopped before things started up on night two. Although, the steam off the cobblestones didn’t stop until late into the evening leaving everybody as damp as the produce section at Publix.

Healing Power, Secret Stages 2013, photo – Brad Hardisty

Joey – Healing Power from Cincinnati, Ohio:

“We were invited and couldn’t turn it down. It’s an honor to be here. It’s a lot of fun.”

Wussy, Secret Stages 2013, photo – Brad Hardisty

Matthews and M-Lounge were connected by a couple of hallways and a set of stairs that put one in the midst of a rap throw down before climbing a long staircase ending in the middle of a set by Wussy while The Parthenon (VIP Lounge) was just across the street and featured three sets each night.

Tedo Stone at Das Haus, Secret Stages 2013, photo – Brad Hardisty

Tedo Stone from Atlanta, Georgia:

“We had talked to Travis back in the spring about playing and it got pro-longed and he ended up making it happen in the fall we are just stoked to be here with all our friends. I have never played Birmingham. This is our first time so we were stoked. It was an awesome crowd.”

There were a couple of secret shows which fit one of the main themes of musical discovery. One of those sets was the final late night set at Pale Eddie’s which featured Adam Guthrie as his latest incarnation, ADAM ADAM.

Adam Guthrie on Bajo Sexto, Secret Stages 2013, photo – Brad Hardisty

As Adam was setting up, voices were asking who he was, if anybody had any idea where he was from. It’s nice to know a well-established Birmingham guitarist who has played with everybody from Rick Carter; Heath Green to The Backrow Baptists could still find a new ear filled with intrigue and amazement. Truth be told, Adam is amazing just by his sheer ability to riff on anything from the aforementioned guitar, to his masterful Ukulele stroking, Bajo Sexto turned punk bass to playing a one stringed electric beer can.

Adam Guthrie – ADAM ADAM, Birmingham, Alabama:

Adam Guthrie, Secret Show at Pale Eddie’s, Secret Stages 2013, photo- Brad Hardisty

“I am so proud to know Brad Hardisty. Travis and Tym, I’m not making sense. It was Travis, it was kind of a last minute thing so I called the people I knew, which were myself and Tym and I’m enjoying the camaraderie of the musicians to be honest.”

Isaac Karns of Healing Power, Secret Stages 2013, photo – Brad Hardisty

The Secret Stages of 2013 found crowds of all ages and color mingling like it was a pub crawl in heaven with plenty of smiles and solid grooves especially from the last two sets at the Miller Lite Stage by the soulful alternative pop psyche of Healing Power fronted by son of Julian Assange look-a-like Isaac Karns and the last set by Amasa Hines with a full horn section.

Amasa Hines, Secret Stages 2013, photo – Brad Hardisty

– Brad Hardisty, Nashville, TN thenashvillebridge@hotmail.com

Tags Adam Guthrie, Adron, Amasa Hines, Ante Meridian, Belle Adair, Foreign Fields, Healing Power, JazzMine Garfield, Lazer/Wulf, Lindsay Garrett, Looksy, Mic Militia, Model Citizen, Ponychase, Silver Tongues, Supastition, Tedo Stone, The Dirty Lungs, The Great Book of John, The Grenadines, Through The Sparks, Travis Morgan, W. Stewart, Wussy

Categories Birmingham, Birmingham Alabama, Music, Punk Rock, Rock, Secret Stages 2013, The Log Ladies, Uncategorized

Randy Travis Released From Hospital

August 1, 2013 //

RELEASED FROM BAYLOR HEART HOSPITAL

photo – Larry McCormack – The Tennessean

Plano, TX (July 31, 2013) – Randy Travis has been discharged from Baylor Heart in Plano, Texas. Mr. Travis has been relocated to a physical therapy facility.
“Thanks to all the fans and friends for your continued prayers and support as Randy continues on the road to recovery,” says Travis’ fiancée Mary Davis.

Official updates on Mr. Travis’ condition will be made available at www.randytravis.com as his condition changes

Tags Country Music, Randy Travis

Categories Uncategorized

Barry Manilow Honors Hialeah, Florida’s KC and The Sunshine Band

July 6, 2013 //

Barry Manilow Honors Hialeah, Florida’s KC and The Sunshine Band

BARRY MANILOW HONORS KC and THE SUNSHINE BAND
WITH STAR ON PALM SPRINGS WALK OF STARS

KC and the Sunshine Band was immortalized, today, Saturday, July 6, 2013, into the Palm Springs Walk of Stars as fellow entertainer and star recipient Barry Manilow presented the group with the 357th star.

“I am truly thrilled and overjoyed that Barry would come be part of this ceremony,” says Harry Wayne Casey. “Our careers have crisscrossed for years and our friendship has always remained and I couldn’t think of anyone better to present us with this award than Barry.”
In addition, in celebration of the star dedication, Ruby’s Diner, located at 155 S. Pal Canyon Dr., will be offering two limited-time special items from their delicious menu starting today, Friday July 5 – Sunday July 7; the “Boogie Burger” and the “Shake, Shake, Shake” Shake. While See’s Candies will be creating a special commemorative wrapper for their popular Butterscotch Chews to be renamed for the day “Boogie Chews” and will highlight KC’s other favorite See’s item Sugar Free Peanut Brittle.

WHO/WHAT: KC and the Sunshine Band, award-winning entertainment legends, were honored by The Palm Springs Walk of Stars during the 357th star dedication ceremony. Award-winning musical legend Barry Manilow presented the star.

WHERE: 144 S. Palm Canyon Drive – directly across from Ruby’s Diner and in front of See’s Candies.

WHEN: Saturday, July 6, 2013, at 3:00 pm

The star ceremony was open to the public and media. KC and the Sunshine Band will be performing later that evening at 8 p.m. in the Special Events Center at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino located at 84-245 Indio Springs Pkwy. in Indio. Call (800) 827-2946 for tickets.
For more information on the Walk of Stars ceremony please visit:
http://www.palmspringswalkofstars.com/

Harry Casey, photo – A. Streiber

Things have changed drastically since 1973, but one thing hasn’t changed – the infectious, feel good happy music of KC and the Sunshine Band. Harry Wayne Casey – “KC,” for short – developed a unique fusion of R&B and funk, with a hint of a Latin percussion groove. “I remember that I always wanted to do something that would make people forget about their problems and be happy,” KC recalls. “I always loved music and I was fortunate enough to grow up in a multi-ethnic area that exposed me to a lot of different cultures and music…from Pop to Reggae to Latin. I experimented at trying to put all three types of music together and the Sunshine Sound was born.” Yielding an impressive string of #1 hits “GET DOWN TONIGHT”, “THAT’S THE WAY (I LIKE IT)”, “BOOGIE SHOES” and “ROCK YOUR BABY”, KC and the Sunshine Band became the first act to score four #1 pop singles in one 12-month period since The Beatles in 1964.

With sales of over 100 million records, nine Grammy nominations, three Grammy Awards, the NARAS Governor’s Award (highest honor given by a chapter of the academy), and an American Music Award, KC and the Sunshine Band was one of the most progressive bands of the ‘70s and is credited with changing the sound of modern pop music. Their music has been featured in over 200 motion picture soundtracks, video games, sporting events and TV shows including Desperate Housewives, American Idol and Dancing With The Stars. Music acts like White Zombie, Baha Men and Beyoncé Knowles have covered his music. Their infectious grooves and bass lines have been sampled by R. Kelly, Snoop Dogg and Trick Daddy, to name a few.

The Palm Springs Walk of Stars, founded in 1992, has honored 356 individuals with a Golden Palm Star placed on the sidewalks of Palm Springs. Show business Honorees must have made an impact worldwide in the area of show business. All other star honorees must have contributed to the charm, worldwide prominence and name recognition of Greater Palm Springs. “We are very proud to honor KC and the Sunshine Band with a star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars”, said Bob Alexander, President of the Palm Springs Walk of Stars.

Upcoming KC &The Sunshine Band Tour Dates:
07/05 Hard Rock Hotel & Casino – Biloxi, MS

07/06 Fantasy Springs – Indio, CA
07/13 Tropicana Field – St Petersburg, FL (after Tampa Bay Rays game)
07/14 Montbleu – Lake Tahoe, NV
07/19 Showboat Amphitheater – Chesaning, MI
07/20 Seminole Immokalee Casino – Immokalee, FL
07/27 New Haven Green – New Haven, CT
08/03 Desert Diamond Casino – Sahuarita, AZ
08/08 Muzikfest – Bethlehem, PA
08/09 Watertown Fairgrounds – Watertown, NY
08/10 Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom – Hampton Bch, NH
08/17 Busch Gardens – Williamsburg, VA
08/23 Chautauqua Institute Amphitheater – Chautauqua, NY
08/24 Tropicana – Atlantic City, NJ
08/30 Fraze Pavilion – Kettering, OH
08/31 Isle Casino Hotel – Bettendorf, IA
09/14 M Resort Spa – Henderson, NV
09/15 The Mountain Winery – Saratoga, CA
09/27 Odawa Casino Resort – Petoskey, MI
09/28 Utah State Fairgrounds – Salt Lake City, UT
10/04 ExtracoColliseum – Waco, TX
11/23 Pfeiffer Hall – Naperville, IL
12/05 Enjoy Hotel & Casino – Coquimbo, CHILE
12/07 Enjoy Hotel & Casino – Coquimbo, CHILE
12/07 Enjoy Hotel & Casino – Coquimbo, CHILE
About KC & the Sunshine Band:
Formed in 1973, KC and the Sunshine Band aims to serve a single purpose: to create instant happiness through music. For 40 years the group has done just that, topping the charts with seven No. 1 singles and three triple platinum albums, winning three Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year for the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, an American Music Award, and becoming the first act since The Beatles to score four No. 1 pop singles in one 12-month period in 1976. In 2001, KC was honored with the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences Governor’s Award, the highest honor given by a chapter of the Academy. KC &The Sunshine Band’s “Boogie Shoes” was recently selected for preservation by the Library of Congress. Harry Wayne “KC” Casey will receive a star on The Palm Springs Walk of Stars July 6th and has had numerous media stops this year, including Paula Deen’s “Paula’s Best Dishes,” “Designing Spaces” and more. The band’s infectious sound gives life to countless ad campaigns and hundreds of movie soundtracks. KC and the Sunshine Band has defined disco and forever influenced music with its timeless sound and mission of getting people out of their seats to celebrate, which is still being fulfilled today. The iconic KC and the Sunshine Band has joined forces with UK dance music super duo Bimbo Jones to release the band’s first single in over a decade, “I Can’t Get You Out of My Mind” (Sunshine Records). The infectious dance mix is available on iTunes, Amazon and all other digital music services.To learn more about KC and the Sunshine Band and to find more details about its upcoming tour dates, visit www.heykcsb.com.

Tags Barry Manilow, Harry Casey, KC and The Sunshine Band

Categories Disco, Florida, Music, Uncategorized

Atlanta’s Magnets and Ghosts Announce Tour

July 2, 2013 //

MAGNETS AND GHOSTS ANNOUNCES LIGHT MY FLAME TOUR 2013

photo – Lee Clower

July 1, 2013 – Los Angeles, CA – Atlanta, GA’s alternative rock band Magnets and Ghosts, which features guitarist Dean Roland from the multi-platinum band Collective Soul along with Berklee School of Music graduate Ryan Potesta, has announced their upcoming “Light My Flame Tour 2013.” Touring for the first time ever in support of their debut album, Mass, Magnets and Ghosts will kick off the trek on July 27th in Jacksonville, FL and will end on August 24th in their hometown of Atlanta.

Listen to a selection of songs from their album, Mass, at http://idesignprod.com/magnetsandghosts/

Watch the band’s video for “Like a Sunday” at http://youtu.be/zmH4Lsb2gC0

Roland met Potesta in 2007 while working on various projects in Atlanta, and immediately made a connection both musically and as friends. The duo discovered they had similar tastes in music and decided to form a new band, Magnets and Ghosts, in 2010. After spending the later half of that year and the next writing and recording, the band released their debut album, Mass, in November of 2011.

Influenced by bands like Radiohead, Doves and Elbow, Magnets and Ghosts craft honest, inspiring rock anthems such as “Like a Sunday” and the bluesy, Zeppelin-esque song “Light My Flame.” With Roland’s experience crafting memorable songs and Potesta’s knack for songwriting and production it’s no surprise the duo’s debut has been well consumed by listeners with sales of over 5,000 copies sold to date.

Pick up a copy of Mass now on iTunes or Amazon and catch the band’s first ever tour this summer!

Magnets and Ghosts Tour Dates:

July 27 – Jacksonville, FL – Underbelly

July 29 – Birmingham, AL – The Nick

July 30 – New Orleans, LA – Circle Bar

July 31 – Hattiesburg, MS – Brewsky’s

Aug 2 – Tuscaloosa, AL – Green Bar

Aug 4 – Nashville, TN – High Watt

Aug 6 – Louisville, KY – The New Vintage Showcase

Aug 7 – Lexington, KY – Willie’s Locally Known

Aug 9 – Columbus, OH – RUMBA Cafe

Aug 10 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Tavern

Aug 11 – Pittsburgh, PA – Hard Rock Cafe

Aug 13 – Cambridge, MA – Middle East Upstairs

Aug 14 – Brooklyn, NY – Union Hall

Aug 16 – New York, NY – Santo’s Party House

Aug 17 – Philadelphia, PA – Northstar Bar

Aug 18 – Washington, DC – DC9

Aug 20 – Roanoke, VA – Martin’s Downtown

Aug 22 – Charlotte, NC – Evening Muse

Aug 23 – Athens, GA – 40 Watt Club

Aug 24 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl

For More Information:

http://magnetsandghosts.com/

https://www.facebook.com/magnetsandghosts

https://twitter.com/MAG_Band

Tags Magnets And Ghosts

Categories Music, Uncategorized

Best Suggested Back To Backs Next Record Store Day

June 15, 2013 //

Record Store Day has been a major phenomenon not just for the resurgence of vinyl, but, for musicologists and developing a deeper palette for this emerging generation.

One of the big features are Back-to-Back 7inch releases which have usually been two different bands performing the same song such as this year’s Deep Purple “Highway Star” with the flip side being Type O Negative’s version of “Highway Star.”

One release that could have been improved upon would have been The Stooges’ “No Fun” backed by the cover version by The Black Keyes. The current relativity of The Black Keyes should not have been overshadowed by The Sex Pistols performance of “No Fun” as the only song performed at their final gig not only in the United States, but, as a band where Johnny Rotten stated ”We will perform one song and one song only…No Fun.” At the end of the song Johnny is heard saying, “Have you ever felt you’ve been cheated?” That singular performance ignited the Northern California punk scene that brought forth The Avengers, MX-80 Sound and the Dead Kennedys to name a few. The Sex Pistols should have been the flip side. Can you music company tastemakers get it right? We shall see.

Let’s start with some serious suggestions for future 7 inch releases.

(Hyperlinks will get you a listen)

Terry Reid – Rich Kid’s Blues / The Raconteurs – Rich Kid’s Blues

Terry Reid was Jimmy Page’s first choice for The New Yardbirds. Terry was busy enough with his solo career and suggested Jimmy Page check out Robert Plant who was in a band called Band Of Joy. The Raconteurs did a spot on rendition on their second album. This would be an easier one to see happen since Jack White has the label and reissue experience to make this one. “Rich Kid’s Blues” could be a great first introduction to most people for little known Terry Reid in the United States.

Chuck Berry – Johnny B. Goode / Jimi Hendrix – Johnny B. Goode

Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” could be the de facto rock and roll song. It is a 1-4-5 in major chords instead of 7^th’s like the blues and the beat was fast. This was the song that any band could sit down and jam to see if things would work back in the 60’s and 70’s. When Jimi Hendrix performed “Johnny B. Goode” in Berkeley, California, it was caught on film and featured on Hendrix In The West and Jimi Plays Berkeley. Jimi did “Johnny B. Goode” like he did “The Star Spangled Banner” at Woodstock, this was a total barnburner not only showcasing his ability, but, there may even be more of a mental back story then you know. Jimi’s mother named him Johnny when he was born while his Dad was away in the war. One of the last places Jimi was known as Johnny was staying with relatives in Berkeley, California before he went back to Seattle and his father legally changed his name to James Marshall Hendrix. He wasn’t too happy about it. He insisted on being called “Buster” after a character from Flash Gordon. So, in a way, Jimi is the real Johnny B. Goode in disguise.

The Beatles – Hey Jude / Wilson Pickett – Hey Jude

Okay, while The Beatles “Hey Jude” may be one the longest singles ever and had a great story about Paul McCartney writing a piece of music for John’s son, Julian to help him get over his parent’s divorce, being a great supportive “uncle”’ Wilson Pickett’s version has an interesting twist as well.

It goes like this. Wilson Pickett was in the middle of recording an album at Muscle Shoals Sound in Alabama when the band decided to take a break and head out to go get some food and drinks. Wilson decided to hang out in the studio because he was black and didn’t feel like getting harassed by the locals and Duane Allman who was playing guitar on the session stayed with Wilson because he had long hair and would face some teasing by local folks as well. So, Wilson started jamming on the organ the recently released Beatles’ “Hey Jude” and Duane liked what he was doing, putting a little gospel soul into the British rock ballad. He started laying some guitar on Wilson and by the time the band got back in the morning, Duane and Wilson had the making of one heck of a “Hey Jude” cover. It was not only a great cover, but, is considered the record that started southern rock. The groundswell hit that spawned the Allman Brothers Band, The Marshall Tucker Band and countless other Capricorn Records.

Okay how about some call and response 7inch?

Big Mama Thornton – Hound Dog / Rufus Thomas – Bear Cat

Okay, we all know about Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog”, but, let’s go with the original on this. Big Mama Thornton singing something that Elvis’ probably heard on the “Red, Hot and Blue” radio show in Memphis. Well, Sam Phillip’s over at Sun decided it would be good to put out a response to “Hound Dog” with the cut “Bear Cat.” The only problem was it was too close to the original and “Bear Cat” ended up in a big lawsuit at the time. Now this all happened before Elvis recorded at Sun.

Okay here is a call and response that is a really sly one. Let’s see if you caught this one.

The Hollies – The Air That I Breathe / Pink Floyd – Breathe

Both songs move at similar tempo and feature some lucid beautiful guitar. The Hollies have almost that slow Eric Clapton sans George Harrison lead while Pink Floyd has the flowing pedal steel going on. It’s almost like Pink Floyd came up with the idea while listening to The Hollies. They say that Pink Floyd may have been watching film of The Wizard of Oz, but, maybe it was The Hollies as Pink Floyd sang, “Breathe, breathe in the air, don’t be afraid to care, leave but don’t leave me,” was really lead-n bridge as the first lines after the chorus by The Hollies, “Sometime all I need is the air that I breathe and to love you.”

Hey here is a debate I started.

Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody / Mott The Hoople – Marionette

You really need to know the back story on this to see a link. Queen and Mott The Hoople used to tour together in England before Queen really broke big. They really got along well and Queen even referenced Mott in the song “Now I’m Here” off of Sheer Heart Attack in the line, “Down in the city just Hoople and me.” One time while enjoying “Marionette” which was written a couple of years before “Bohemian Rhapsody” I was really paying attention to the story line in the song. “Marionette” was similarly like a mini rock opera piece with changes in tempo and dynamics and told the story of a person trying to keep from selling-out, told in first person it starts out, “No Puppet, no liar, won’t bend my lips to wire.” Before going to the chorus, “Marionette – I Aint One Yet, Teacher’s pet – will you better forget it.” Before the outro, “They gambled, with my life and now I’ve lost my will to fight, Oh God these wires are so tight … I’m just a Marionette.” It is a whole conceived story that could be with a true to yourself musician eventually losing his soul to the corporate music entity, but, the way the story is told is really resembles how Queen went through structuring a “song” like Bohemian Rhapsody” another mini-opera.

I decided to contact Ian Hunter directly through his website and the interactive Horses Mouth page to see if he ever felt Queen got the idea to do “Bohemian Rhapsody” from touring together and Mott doing “Marionette?” Ian Hunter responded, “I’ve no idea. You’d have to ask them. You know Freddie was kinda like that anyway. They were what they were and we were what we were. We got on famously though. Still do.”

Okay, how about similar riffs?

X – White Girl / Nirvana – Come As You Are

Okay, the verse parts include similar almost dead-on riffs. X, who was considered the flag bearers of the Los Angeles punk scene, included “White Girl” on their second critically acclaimed album Wild Gift in 1981 while Nirvana slowed the riff down a little and featured “Come As You Are” on their second album for major label Geffen, oh, I mean DGC. While Nirvana did do a song called “About A Girl” I could never find a cover version of “White Girl.” The part where Nirvana sings, “No, I don’t have a gun,” is almost like X’s tag of “She’s a white girl, but I’m living with a white girl.” Kurt Cobain described “Come As You Are” as lyrics about “people and what they’re expected to act like”. “White Girl” was John Doe’s ode to The Germs’ bassist – Lorna Doom. John was dealing with attraction and good ol’ Catholic guilt being married to Exene. While, he may have cheated a little “mentally” it was not John’s “Norwegian Wood” since Exene knew what it was all about at the time.

Red Hot Chili Peppers – Give It Away / Black Sabbath – Sweet Leaf

Okay, hey, Red Hot Chili Peppers sampled “White Girl” in one of their songs off of Mother’s Milk, so, were they just funkin’ thing up a bit while listening to Sweet Leaf off Masters of Reality? Hey Rick Rubin was producing the thing. Rick was also working with Slayer around the same time and he just produced the new Black Sabbath album. Rick was known for mashing things up like sampling Led Zeppelin on Beastie Boys tracks. Okay, here is my presumptive back story. Rick throws Black Sabbath’s “Sweet Leaf” up loud and lets the Chili Peppers jam with it until they come up with their own funky masterpiece.

Dude, you don’t want me running your record company because I’ll be too creative with these back to back 7 inch records and your mind won’t be able to handle it.

Well, the “Iko,Iko” super secret release was not bad.

– Brad Hardisty, Nashville, Tn thenashvillebridge@hotmail.com

Tags Big Mama Thornton, Black Sabbath, Chuck Berry, Duane Allman, Exene Cervenka, Jack White, Jimi Hendrix, John Doe, Mott The Hoople, Nirvana, Pink Floyd, Queen, Record Store Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rufus Thomas, Terry Reid, The Beatles, The Hollies, The Raconteurs, Wilson Pickett, X

Categories Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, Music, Pink Floyd, Robert Plant, Rock, Rock Music, Uncategorized

Bonnie Bramlett Appreciation Day

June 2, 2013 //

“As you may have noticed my daughters are campaigning for their father’s musical legacy. Our Michele has taken the reins and with her sisters right by her side, she has tested the waters (so to speak) to see if she would be embraced by our peers and she has been 🙂

Delaney passed away not long ago and his daughters naturally want to celebrate his life’s work, secure the recognition it deserves and bring it to a wider audience. He made some great music as a solo artist, as well as with Delaney & Bonnie. “– message from Bonnie Bramlett on her official website.

An Atco copy of Delaney & Bonnie’s “Only You Know and I Know” obviously well-loved and in fair condition for $1.00 at The Great Escape – Madison location spinning at 45 on the turntable; well worth the dig!

Hearing Bonnie sing gorgeous harmony on “Let It Rain” from a vinyl copy of Eric Clapton’s first solo album along with Delaney & Bonnie’s great southern band brothers, Rita Coolidge and Leon Russell on a good condition copy found at Phonoluxe for $4.00…cool!

I found a well-worn jacket hiding a near mint platter of Bonnie Bramlett’s covers album Lady’s Choice recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios and Capricorn Sound Studio at Fond Object that features the whole Muscle Shoals crew, Johnny Sandlin, David Hood, Jimmy Hall as well as guests Gregg Allman and a Tuscaloosa cat with a current Rolling Stones gig; Chuck Leavell.

Dropping the needle on the duet, “Two Steps From The Blues” with Gregg Allman reminds me of when I was standing on the back wall of the Alabama Theater in 2007 at The Scott Boyer Benefit with Gregg leaning on my arm as we peaked out from behind the horn section to watch Bonnie sing before he was going on. Gregg would whisper to me, “I played on that.” “I remember when we did that one.” Gregg knew her set as well as Bonnie. I could tell he was a fan. Finally, Gregg said, “Well, I guess I better go get ready.” $5.99 for vinyl Bonnie Bramlett Muscle Shoals Nirvana; Awesome!

Bonnie backstage cupping her hands over my ear and singing “Good Rockin’ Tonight” at The Alabama Theater in 2007 while she was waiting to go onstage…PRICELESS!

all photos of album jackets, vinyl records also photos taken of artwork and Gregg Allman at The Alabama Theater taken by Brad Hardisty.

Photo with Bonnie Bramlett backstage at The Alabama Theater – unknown *

Gregg Allman on the back wall of The Alabama Theater 2007 with my arm and one of his best friends -photo – Tiny

– Brad Hardisty, Nashville, TN thenashvillebridge@hotmail.com

Tags Atco Records, Bonnie Bramlett, Capricorn Records, David Hood, Delaney & Bonnie, Eric Clapton, Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, Phonoluxe

Categories Muscle Shoals Alabama, Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, Music, Uncategorized

Big Kenny Alphin Electroshine Press Conference

GED Soul Records owned Friday night at The High Watt with a three punch line up of Magic In Threes , DeRobert & The Half Truths and AJ & The Jiggawatts delivering non-stop danceable James Brown swagger with a DJ mixing up soulful vinyl in-between the sets.

Founded in 2004 by Meg and Bret MacFadyen, owners of East Nashville’s Art and Invention Gallery, The Tomato Art Fest is now part of an established trio of festivals that has come to define Nashville, for locals, rather than the huge tourist CMA Festival and Bonnaroo.

“The high point of the weekend was booking half a dozen or more acts that had never played Birmingham and hearing from SO many festival goers that loved them.” – Travis Morgan

Barry Manilow Honors Hialeah, Florida’s KC and The Sunshine Band

BARRY MANILOW HONORS KC and THE SUNSHINE BAND WITH STAR ON PALM SPRINGS WALK OF STARS

MAGNETS AND GHOSTS ANNOUNCES LIGHT MY FLAME TOUR 2013

Record Store Day has been a major phenomenon not just for the resurgence of vinyl, but, for musicologists and developing a deeper palette for this emerging generation.

“As you may have noticed my daughters are campaigning for their father’s musical legacy. Our Michele has taken the reins and with her sisters right by her side, she has tested the waters (so to speak) to see if she would be embraced by our peers and she has been 🙂

BARRY MANILOW HONORS KC and THE SUNSHINE BAND
WITH STAR ON PALM SPRINGS WALK OF STARS