The first time to Nashville that I can remember was March 2006, for an Elvis Costello concert at the Ryman. It was amazing. My Uncle Billy and I drove down just in time for the show, then drove back to Louisville afterwards.
My first full day in Nashville was for the semi-finals of Nashville Star in November 2006, when I got to sing an original song. The next day, my picture was on the front page of The Tennessean -- above the fold.
Every time I came down here -- and there was a time when I spent four days a week in Nashville -- something just absurdly cool would happen to me. I don't understand it, but I've come to expect it.
I arrived this morning and went straight to Cowboy Jack's recording studio to do a little musical saw demonstration for his recording engineer. Cowboy has an amazing home studio, unlike any other home studio I've ever seen. It's more like a recording studio that happens to have a living area. I played an unbelievable Steinway grand that sounded gorgeous. I also looked around and tried to imagine Cowboy's friends -- like Johnny Cash and Charley Pride -- walking around and playing the various instruments that dotted the walls. The gold records on the walls were mind-blowing. Cowboy Jack wrote a few of the songs on Johnny Cash's At Folsom Prison, and loads of other classic country tunes.
Anyway, so that was my morning ....
Tonight's adventure brings me full circle. My first grownup trip to Nashville was to see Elvis Costello at the Ryman. That time, Uncle Billy gave me a free ticket.
Tonight at the Ryman: Elvis Costello put me on his guest list. I can't believe I just wrote that sentence. I'm going to write it again: Elvis Costello put me on his guest list. If I'm ever actually famous, I want to always be as cool and genuine and down-to-earth and thoughtful as he is. What an amazing person.
Tee hee. Okay, off to pinch myself. I'll write about the concert tomorrow.
My first full day in Nashville was for the semi-finals of Nashville Star in November 2006, when I got to sing an original song. The next day, my picture was on the front page of The Tennessean -- above the fold.
Every time I came down here -- and there was a time when I spent four days a week in Nashville -- something just absurdly cool would happen to me. I don't understand it, but I've come to expect it.
I arrived this morning and went straight to Cowboy Jack's recording studio to do a little musical saw demonstration for his recording engineer. Cowboy has an amazing home studio, unlike any other home studio I've ever seen. It's more like a recording studio that happens to have a living area. I played an unbelievable Steinway grand that sounded gorgeous. I also looked around and tried to imagine Cowboy's friends -- like Johnny Cash and Charley Pride -- walking around and playing the various instruments that dotted the walls. The gold records on the walls were mind-blowing. Cowboy Jack wrote a few of the songs on Johnny Cash's At Folsom Prison, and loads of other classic country tunes.
Anyway, so that was my morning ....
Tonight's adventure brings me full circle. My first grownup trip to Nashville was to see Elvis Costello at the Ryman. That time, Uncle Billy gave me a free ticket.
Tonight at the Ryman: Elvis Costello put me on his guest list. I can't believe I just wrote that sentence. I'm going to write it again: Elvis Costello put me on his guest list. If I'm ever actually famous, I want to always be as cool and genuine and down-to-earth and thoughtful as he is. What an amazing person.
Tee hee. Okay, off to pinch myself. I'll write about the concert tomorrow.
2 comments
Wow--are you and Elvis friends? Could you tell him that his great hits album and, especially, Brutal Youth kept me alive during high school?
ReplyDeleteThat is so damn cool. I want to be remembered by one of my idols one day too.
ReplyDelete