Thursday, September 17, 2009

Playing DJ on Labor Day...

So this is kind of a late post but I had to talk about my experience playing jukebox DJ on Labor Day. I didn't have to teach at all on that day so I thought it would be fun to swing by a place called Levi and Hanks and play some free pool and hang. Well, they had a jukebox over in the corner playing crappy rock music and so I decided that I was going to put a couple of dollars in and play some old country songs just because I was in that kind of a mood. So I was playing people like Paycheck and Haggard and Hank and Waylon and playing pool. Well, everyone in the place liked what I was playing so much (and I think they were slightly suprised that someone my age would know half of these songs) that they all gave me money to keep on playing and pickin' country music. Even the bar gave me money to keep on because I had kept people in their seats for 3 hours! It came out to be about 40 dollars and kept me at the jukebox for 30 minutes rackin' my brain. I played pretty much played everyone that came on the scene between 1960-1990. Actually, it was kind of work for a little while but I had a blast and so did everyone else. We were singing and laughing and remembering Nashville when it was still about the music. Some of these folks had even been living in Nashvegas when Hank Sr. had a house off of Music Row. You see...people still love country and still wanna hear it. Even if its only at Levi and Hanks on Labor Day...

Monday, September 14, 2009

the aftershock of the VMA's...

No big news...was going to sing at the Blue Bar here in Nashvegas on Wednesday but have been sick for about a week now with some sort of throat/ear infection and until I decide to go to the doctor, I can't sing. Hurts...Speaking of performing, I have to say that all of you who are ranting on and on about the Kayne/Taylor incident at the VMA's are totally forgetting to mention the incredible Michael Jackson tribute that happened at the beginning of the show. Madonna's poetic memoriam made me forget to breathe for a few minutes and when the dancers did exact replicas of some of Jackson's famous videos, I was brought to tears. It took me back to when I was a kid, listening to "Beat it" and "Lucky Star", watching MTV in its infancy. They don't make 'em like they used to. At least I can say that I grew up in an era where you had to bring it or you were brought down. Too bad kids nowadays can't experience that. Only in a echo reverberating from the past. But, isn't that how someone like me knew of Elvis and the Beatles? As people, we can't live forever here on earth but at least our deeds can. Music or otherwise....

Monday, September 7, 2009

Happy Labor Day!!

After working my tail off for the past little bit and feeling like the Ringleader in a 3-ring circus, I am enjoying myself today by doing nothing. Well, I am writing this blog but other than that...Nothing!! I do have to report on how much fun I had at the 3rd and Lindsley show last week and how great it sounded. There was a point where I almost quit singing just to listen to the band behind me. The music was loud and the audience was really getting into it. Patting their legs, tapping their toes, playing air guitar... All good signs that you are really reaching the audience. No one was sleeping or even yawning. Also, last week, I played a place called the "Rusty Nail" in Hermitage, right down from Andrew Jackson's old stomping ground. The guy running sound also played bass for a girl named Sunny Sweeney, who happens to be from Texas and REALLY country. I talked with this fellow for a while and found out that he knows almost all the people I knew back in the Austin days. Small world. Made me miss home even more...Good to know though that home will be there when I am done here. For now, keep your eye on the prize and faith in the skies...There is a song in that somewhere...


Have a great holiday!

Jess


p.s. here is the poster for the show last week...Looks good, dontcha think?



Wednesday, September 2, 2009

What...is....this?

I was happy. Earlier tonight. Played 3rd and Lindsley, one of the coolest, hippest places to sing in Nashville and rocked it! I was happy. Came home, put on my jammies, grabbed a cold one...A diet Dr. Pepper, that is... and opened my web browser to Perez Hilton.com to get my daily dose of celebrity gossip-rubish. There, right smack in between fuzz about Jon Gosslin and Octomom, was a pretty picture of Carrie Underwood with the headline reading "Carrie Underwood's new single, "Cowboy Casanova", hitting shelves on blah, blah, blah. Listen here first." Awesome. Gotta listen. She's good, I'll give her that. Nothing special but she keeps it country. So I pressed play. First 5 seconds. What...is...this?? I thought that I was listening to the new single from Def Leppard. Or Shania Twain. Or whomever else Mutt Lange is or was producing. I did a double take at the name. Yup. Carrie Underwood. Crap...this stinks. Liten to another 5 seconds. Felt ears bleeding. Thought to myself while I was hemorrhaging massive amounts from my drums, "How long will it take for country radio to ban this &*%^?" Lucky for us, I sense it is right around the corner. Press Stop. Go back to first page. Take a drink of my soda. Lets see what Octomom is up to. I was happy again...