Nashville Air

Hanging out in Nashville, you can brush elbows with all sorts of people, and walking around with an instrument is an open invitation to meet people.  I was walking by this little guitar shop by the Station Inn with Andrew, there was a little concert going on inside.  Andrew looked in and said, “Hey! That’s John Oates!” I would not have recognized him, but we watched from the outside for a couple minutes before heading down town.  I have also wondered into Ernest Tubbs’ Records and seen a small band pickin’ on the back stage.  I do not recall the band, but I did notice the guitar player, a true Texas Troubadour, an older man, named Leon Rhodes.  If you ever listen to an old Ernest Tubbs record and he calls out “Hey Leon” before a solo, that’s him still picking in downtown Nashville. After a cold, cold night of playing the streets we headed to dinner.  Sitting at the table, drinking a beer, banjo by my side, this old man named Russ, comes up to us and says, “Ya’ll musicians huh?” “Yes, Sir.”  Then he went on to tell us how he was a drummer, and played with Faron Young for 3 years.  And of course I then broke into “Hello Walls, how’d things go for you today…?”  He had stories about The Hag, and Willie, etc.  He said there was no money in it any more, but as much as I would love to make millions and may dream about selling out arenas and gold and platinum on the walls, at this point its not about the money, it’s about meeting people like Russ and playing “Wagon Wheel” or “Rocky Top” for people on the streets.  That was just one night of busking the streets of Nashville.  I am starting to feel like I am just barely scratching the surface of music in this town.  Nashville is truly Music City USA, and there is music in the air around every corner in this town, and now every once in a while, me and my Nelson Banjo, are adding some plunking to that music in the Nashville air.

In other news, I have been fully converted to a sweet tea fan, it is so good, and they make it best in the South.  BBQ pork sandwich and sweet tea, perfect!  Also, smoked wings are crazy good.  Put all those smells in the air along with a banjo ringing and guitar twang, then, you are in the South, friend!