REFRAIN MUSIC

An exciting event for rock fans, and specifically for Pink Floyd fans came to the Moncton Coliseum on March 21st…Brit Floyd!   A cataclysm of light and sound the Brit Floyd show is an onslaught of music that sweeps you up in it’s melodic manifesto and takes you to the end.  Around for about a little over a year now, the show may be new but the players are not, all the musicians are drawn from the more commonly known Australian Pink Floyd show which is still currently touring and has been for almost twenty years.

Brit Floyd – Moncton Coliseum – 3/21/13

Brit Floyd’s show began right around 8:00pm with a long melodic intro to the first song…the crowd roared in appreciation, the lights dim, the video screen came to life and the show hummed to life.   The fans of Floyd, of which there are many and many were in attendance tonight were ready for this show.   Even if you have been fortunate enough to see the origina Floyd live, you will not be disappointed by the Brit Floyd show, at times closing my eyes, and feeling like I was hearing the real thing with only slight subtle nuance differences.

Brit Floyd – Moncton Coliseum – 03/21/13

Brit Floyd are exceptional in recreating the conceptual stories that often came hand in hand with the many songs which provide a core to Pink Floyd’s albums. The band was massive with the aforementioned guitarist Bobby Harrison, Drummer, Arran Ahmun, Percussionist/Saxophonist Carl Brundsen, Bassist Ian Cattell, gutarist & musical director Damian Darlington, keyboardist Rob Stringer, and background vocalists Emily Jollands, Jacquie Williams, and Ola Bienkowska.  All played a part, that took us through album after album of Pink Floyd musical history.

Brit Floyd – Moncton Coliseum – 03/21/13

One interesting nuance, every time the band switched to a different set of songs from a different album, they showed the a visual on the screen of someone pulling that vinyl album off the shelf and taking it to the turntable to play.  The knowledge of the smallish but dedicated group of Floyd fans roared with each album shown.  Again I got the chance to see a mesmerizing vocal performance from back up vocalist Ola Bienkowska on “Great Gig in the Sky” that absolutely blew the audience away like when I’d seen the group previously.

Brit Floyd – Moncton Coliseum – 03/21/13

After a twenty or so minute intermission the second set brought us, arguably, the three most recognizable Floyd songs in “Wish You Were Here”, which Darlington performs the vocal stunningly on, “Another Brick In The Wall”, and “Comfortably Numb” which with the aid of video screen brought the Floyd experience to life…the band performing all of these songs absolutely flawlessly.  I love that Damien Darlington has the symbom from the cover of ‘Dark Side of The Moon’ painted on his guitar, and the light beams shoot up behind the strings.

Brit Floyd – Moncton Coliseum – 03/21/13

The band ended the almost three hour night to grand applause from the greatly appreciative Coliseum crowd.  I highly recommend, if you are a Pink Floyd fan, rock music fan, hell just a music fan to see Brit Floyd if you get the chance, it’s a wonderful musical experience that will leave you wanting more…not to be missed, I won’t miss them next time!  To the band, the coliseum, and CMP Live I thank you for a wonderful night of musical entertainment…until next time!

Brit Floyd – Moncton Coliseum – 03/21/13

ECMA’s – East Coast Music Week

That’s right to celebrate 25 pure years of East Coast music, Refrain Music is heading back to where it all began.  From March 6-10, 2013, Halifax’s downtown will play host to thousands of musicians, industry people, and a multitudes of fans.  East Coast Music Week starts today…join us on our journey through the biggest celebration of East Coast music!  Look for the new ECMA iPhone and Android app to keep track of all of this weeks goings on in Halifax…more to come!!

Schedule  

www.ecma.com

 This musical trip started off a bit slow due to other commitments, travel time and such but last night we rocked on the Halifax waterfront at the Waterfront Warehouse.  The events seem a bit more spread out this year making it a bit tougher to cover multiple venues in one night (some being way over in Dartmouth unfortunately) so Friday night was spent at the Porter Airlines R&B / Soul stage.  A packed house rocked to the likes of Chris Kirby, Cyndi Cain, Charlie A’Court (who won R&B/Soul Recording of the Year and Blues Recording of the Year for his album Triumph & Disaster), Chris Martin, and more!  (See pics below)  The Waterfront Warehouse is normally a restaurant right on the Halifax waterfront that was converted on this night into a great live entertainment venue.  We had planned to venture to a few other places on Friday night but were getting messages that some of the other smaller venues downtown were at capacity and weren’t even letting in media with passes.  This mattered not as the music was so great at the venue we were in we stayed the whole night, and there was not one act we did not enjoy.

Cyndi Cain – ECMA Week – 2013

Chris Kirby – ECMA Week – 2013

Chris Kirby – ECMA Week – 2013

Charlie A’Court – ECMA Week – 2013

Charlie A’Court wins R&B Soul Recording and Blues Record of the Year Awards – ECMA Week – 2013

ECMA Week – 2013

ECMA Week – 2013

Chris Martin – and The Trouble Shooters – ECMA Week – 2013

Chris Martin – and The Trouble Shooters – ECMA Week – 2013

Chris Martin – and The Trouble Shooters – ECMA Week – 2013

Carson Downey Band – ECMA Week – 2013

Carson Downey Band – ECMA Week – 2013

Carson Downey Band – ECMA Week – 2013

Here we go Saturday…after a late night Friday, we decided to check out the new-ish Halifax Seaport Market on Saturday morning.  There was even music everywhere here, with tastes for everyone, seeing a bass made out of a wash tub, string and a bauer hockey stick (how Canadian) was awesome.  The two floor market is huge, with fresh quality food everywhere and the citizens of Halifax are obviously loving it, as it was packed.

Halifax Seaport Market – ECMA Week 2013

Halifax Seaport Market – ECMA Week 2013

Wandering the city for the afternoon was a great time, on this mild sunny day stopping into various shops, eating in local restaurants, taking pictures, and just enjoying the day.  I was surprised however to see a lack of downtown advertising for the ECMA weekend, I saw one billboard near the Seaport Market, but was stunned not to see more.  In other years, for example in 2012, signage lined the streets letting everyone know that the ECMA’s were in town.  I expected to hear/see much more than I did, particularly with it being the 25th anniversary of the event in the city it started in.

Gearing up for Saturday night I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my surprise to find that several of the acts we wanted to see were in a location far from the rest of the events.  The ‘country’ acts were mostly relegated to a bar located way over in Dartmouth, an almost 20 minute drive away from the event we were at the previous night.  This was poor planning in my opinion and left us with no choice but to stick with the downtown venues both Friday and Saturday, missing the acts at the above mentioned location.

Saturday night started with a trip to Casino Nova Scotia to the UPS Rock Stage where we checked out bands like Carmen Townsend, Motorleague, Gloryhound, and Slowcoaster.  This was definitely and ‘ear plug’ inducing event, it was rocking, and it was loud (almost too loud)!  The highlight for me was Carmen Townsend who is always great live and even did a version of “Sabotage” with the lead singer of Motorleague.  Next up we were off to the Delta for the ‘late night’ stage that started at 12:00am and ran until 3:00am.

Carmen Townsend – ECMA Week 2013

Carmen Townsend – ECMA Week 2013

Motorleague – ECMA Week 2013

Gloryhound – ECMA Week 2013

Slowcoaster – ECMA Week 2013

Slowcoaster – ECMA Week 2013

Walking in to the Delta ‘late night’ event we were a little confused as to where the actual event was, surrounded by musicians and event goers with no clear direction as to where to go.  Upon asking the desk clerk we travelled to the 8th floor.  When entering the ball room (which was smaller than expected) we were greeted by welcome addition, a young lady selling hot food snacks like chicken souvlaki, fish & chips, hot dogs…score!

This event featured an interesting smorgasboard of musical acts from Australian folk, to indie-pop, and beatboxing.  Cole and Van Dijk, exchange musicians from Australia, started the night off with a lighter fare presented on guitar and fiddle.  In complete contrast, up next was The Cauldron Project, that amped up the volume and took those that had arrived so far by surprise.  The group appears more like a ‘metal band’ than a group that raps in the style of groups like Prodigy and Cypress Hill, their final song featured on drums Adam Gould from Moncton (Last year’s President of the ECMA organizing committe).  The next two acts were highlights of the weekend for me, with PEI’s “Coyote” laying out an 80′s infused indie-pop set that had the crowd hopping and had “The Breakfast Club” popping into my head.  Coyote is a fun band that really had the crowd on their feet and wanting more.  Up next was local hip-hop favorites “Three Sheet”, they are hard to classify as they feature a guitar and bass player, a beatboxer that was crazy good, a rapper, and a female vocalist/rapper.  I can see why they are really making a name for themselves being nominated, and winning, awards as these guys are crazy good and highly entertaining.

The Cauldron Project – ECMA Week 2013

Coyote – ECMA Week 2013

Coyote – ECMA Week 2013

Three Sheet – ECMA Week 2013

Three Sheet – ECMA Week 2013

It’s just been announced the 2014 ECMA’s will be held in Charlottetown, PEI from April 02-06, I encourage anyone close to get out and see even one of the night’s events.  With over two thousand musicians converging on the event every year there is usually something for everyone at one of the locations.  Thanks to the ECMA’s, the city of Halifax, and all the fantastic musicians…keep doing what you do!

Congratulations to the 2013 East Coast Music Award Recipients!

Aboriginal Recording of the Year / Enregistrement autochtone de l’année

• Lone Cloud – We Are Medicine People *WINNER*

African-Canadian Recording of the Year / Enregistrement de l’année – Musique afro-canadienne

• Cam Smith – Ocean Blue 

Album of the Year / Album de l’année

• Matt Mays – Coyote (Producer: Matt Mays)

Blues Recording of the Year / Enregistrement de l’année – Blues

• Charlie A’Court – Triumph & Disaster

Children’s Recording of the Year / Enregistrement de l’année – Jeunesse

• Donna & Andy – La vie pour moi

Classical Composition of the Year / Composition classique de l’année

• Derek Charke  – Between the Shore and the Ships

Classical Recording of the Year / Enregistrement de l’année – Classique

• Helen Pridmore and Wesley Ferriera – Between the Shore and the Ships

Country Recording of the Year / Enregistrement de l’année – Country

• RyLee Madison – Where Does The Time Go

Electronic Recording of the Year / Enregistrement électronique de l’année

• English Words – Red Potion 

The Chronicle Herald Fan’s Choice Entertainer of the Year / Artiste de l’année – Choix du public

• The Stanfields

The Chronicle Herald Fan’s Choice Video of the Year / Vidéoclip de l’année  – Choix du public

• George Canyon – Saddle Up (Director: Warren Sonoda)

Folk Recording of the Year / Enregistrement de l’année – Folk

• Rose Cousins – We Have Made A Spark

Enregistrement francophone de l’année / Francophone Recording of the Year

• Vishtèn – Mōsaïk

Gospel Recording of the Year / Enregistrement de l’année – Gospel

• Stephanie Mainville – Old Man Winter 

Group Recording of the Year / Enregistrement de l’année – Groupe

• The Stanfields – Death & Taxes

Jazz Recording of the Year / Enregistrement de l’année – Jazz

• Joel Miller – Swim

Pop Recording of the Year / Enregistrement de l’année – Pop

• Jenn Grant – The Beautiful Wild

R&B/Soul Recording of the Year / Enregistrement R&B/Soul de l’année

• Charlie A’Court – Triumph & Disaster

Rap/Hip-Hop Recording of the Year / Enregistrement de l’année – Rap / hip-hop

• Radio Radio – Havre de Grâce

Rising Star Recording of the Year / Enregistrement de l’année – Étoiles de demain

• Ben Caplan – In the Time of the Great Remembering

Rock Recording of the Year / Enregistrement de l’année – Rock

• Joel Plaskett Emergency – Scrappy Happiness

Roots/Traditional Group Recording of the Year / Enregistrement de l’année – Folklore / traditionnel – Groupe

• The Once – Row Upon Row of the people They Know

Roots/Traditional Solo Recording of the Year / Enregistrement de l’année – Folklore / traditionnel – Artiste solo

• Tim Chaisson – The Other Side

Solo Recording of the Year / Enregistrement de l’année – Artiste solo

• Rose Cousins – We Have Made A Spark

Song of the Year / Chanson de l’année

• Dave Gunning – These Hands

Songwriter of the Year / Compositeur ou compositrice de l’année

• Rose Cousins – Go First (Composer: Rose Cousins)

Traditional Instrumental Recording of the Year / Enregistrement instrumental traditionnel de l’année

• Natalie MacMaster – Cape Breton Girl

World Recording of the Year / Enregistrement de l’année – Musiques du monde

• Gypsophilia – Constellation

Set off and running in the summer of 2012, The Queen Extravaganza is an amazing touring show designed to take the glorious music and the live experience of rock legends Queen to old and new fans in cities across the US and Canada.  Behind  the show is Queen’s drummer Roger Taylor, a man whose talents as a writer and musician have inspired many musical legends of today.  Taylor’s idea was to the create the ultimate Queen concert experience that particularly celebrates the band’s music and not so much be a band that ‘imitates’ Queen but performs the music of the band in the best way possible.

Appearing at Casino New Brunswick this past Saturday, I knew not what to expect.  I normally search the web looking for artists I don’t know much about for a little insight on what to expect, but for this show I decided not to, wanting to take in the full experience.   Now, that said, I had seen vocalist Marc Martel’s viral YouTube video that garnered him global attention for his uncanny ability to sound like the late and storied frontman of Queen, Freddie Mercury.   I too had seen QE’s performance on American Idol, which ironically, I found out later in the show was their first public appearance!   Now the sound in the Casino is usually top notch, but I was told before the show that this was likely to be the best sounding show that I had heard to date in this venue (they weren’t wrong).

Marc Martel – Queen Extravaganza

With a rapid dimming of the house lights, a bang of the drums, the large logo covered drape that hid the stage lit up like the mothership landing and the show had begun with drummer Tyler Warren starting the show with fellow band members Drian Gresh (Guitar) and Francois-Olivier Doyon (Bass).   Already I was impressed with the skill level the band played at (and became further and further impressed) and main vocalist Marc Martel hadn’t even appeared yet.  By the second song Martel and other vocalist Jennifer Espinoza and from the first note that Martel sings you are blown away by the similarity of his voice to that of the late great Freddie Mercury.   Many have tried to ‘imitate’ the former Queen frontman, but most fall short…Martel does not.   Right from the first note, the high expectations that the crowd has for the cog in the wheel that was Queen is more than adequately achieved in Martel his voice taking on the Mercury vibrato in all the right place, the tone bang on, I saw several jaws drop in the crowd when he began to sing.  Tyler Warren behind the drums and Jennifer Espinoza also take on vocal duties for some songs but this is about Marc Martel and his incredible ability to recreate Mercury (there had been two other singers in the group previously that had earlier been removed).  Taylor’s Queen Extravaganza were hired after an intensive  six week online audition search.  The buzz surrounding the public auditions sparked worldwide interest with video submissions generating more than 6.4 million views. Television host Ellen DeGeneres was so impressed with the level of talent, that she invited one hopeful to perform his audition on her show. That contestant, Montreal’s Marc Ma rtel, secured himself a place in the final band (rightly so!).

Queen Extravaganza – Casino NB

Belting out classics like “Killer Queen” and “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”, mixing in the more obscure “Lazy On A Sunday Afternoon”, the band had the crowd fully engrossed in the show from the beginning.   Martel interjecting with brief introductions and thanks to the crowd in both English and French, the crowd ate it up with every breath and note the band produced.  Audience participation was encouraged throughout the show, getting the crowd clapping during a fantastic rendition of Radio Ga-Ga, and having the crowd sing along in parts of songs.  Speaking of singing along, the crowd could not help themselves when the band performed the operatic anthem “Bohemian Rhapsody” which was interspersed with video footage from the actual Queen days, leaving the harmonies up to them, and the piano playing and main vocals up to Marc Martel…with band coming to a climactic close and the final line, “any way the wind blows”, sung by the crowd.

Queen’s “The Show Must Go On”, having never performed it live themselves, was a resounding success filling the room with incredible vocals and musicianship.  Drummer Tyler Warren performed an entertaining drum solos part way through the show, and Jennifer Espinoza shared vocals with Martel during a lively rendition of Under Pressure with Espinoza performing the Bowie portions of the song.

Jennifer Espinoza – Queen Extravaganza

There were many highlights on this night for me, with the vocals of Marc Martel being the prime one.  This band is not a ‘tribute’ in the sense of others where the band attempts to ‘mimic’ the original in both music and character, but Martel nails the voice and the more subtle gestures of the more flamboyant Mercury.   It was a joy to hear some of these songs performed so incredibly well, like “Another One Bites The Dust”, “Fat Bottom Girls”, and “I Want To Break Free”.  I would love to tell you how long the show was (just under two hours I think), but I’m not really sure, I don’t remember the last time I was that engrossed in a show…I didn’t look at my watch once.  Ending the night with one of the most recognizable songs from the band, and the song that got Martel so much recognition, “Somebody To Love” with an incredible vocal performance.

The crowd however was not ready to let the band go just yet, with an on their feet, clapping and cheering session that pulled the band back on to the stage for an up tempo and rocking three song encore of “Tie Your Mother Down”, “We Will Rock You”, and “We Are The Champions”.

Brian Gresh – Queen Extravaganza

I suggest, strongly…that if you ever get the chance to take in a performance of the Queen Extravaganza, don’t hesitate.  I closed my eyes on many occassions this night and was transported back to the heyday of Queen, the sounds shining brightly as if Freddie had miraculously reappeared and was on the stage before me…my ears were in awe, my musical heart was happy, and a great time was had by all.  If Roger Taylor set out to give the best musical rendition he could of his former iconic rock band, I say job well done sir, job well done!

Thanks to Queen Extravaganza, Evenko, PPRL, Casino NB, and the music of Queen for a wonderful night of musical entertainment!  Until next time!

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 25 years since we got our first taste of Blue Rodeo, currently on tour across Canada to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the release of their debut record “Outskirts”, this night featured a mix of hits, some new songs from their forthcoming record (due October 2013) and some choice favorites of the band.

The members of the group, consisting of vocalists-guitarists Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor, drummer Glenn Milchem, keyboard player Michael Boguski, pedal steel player Bob Egan and bass player Bazil Donovan, stepped on to the stage just after eight in typical fashion, with little fan fare, the lights dimmed and the band was there playing the first song of the night, Cynthia, off Five Days In July. They followed this up with a fantastic version of Diamond Mine that was played vigorously and showed the obvious musical talent of one of Canada’s best bands.

Blue Rodeo – Casino NB – 01/21/13

The crowd tonight was packed in as tight as Casino NB’s, “The Center” would allow, even adding some extra ‘general admission’ tickets at the end to allow more fans to enjoy a great show (a little too tight from where I was sitting). The young ladies in front of me that were more interested in photographing themselves (complete with flash) on their phones and talking the whole first set drove me out of my seat to stand at the back of the room. Who pays to go to a concert to talk the whole way through it?

Blue Rodeo – Casino NB – 01/21/13

One thing that was notable to me right from the beginning was how well the band’s vocals have held up over the years, particularly Jim Cuddy, whose voice sounded fantastic and stood out amazingly well on songs like “After The Rain” and “One Light Left In Heaven” which were highlights for me.

After being on stage for an hour, the group took a roughly 20-minute intermission. Returning to the stage for a short acoustic set that showed some of the skill of the band members, a standout for me was drummer Glenn Milchem playing nothing but a box drum and what looked like a garbage can lid, but was still relevant in the overall sound. With fantastic keyboard solos from Boguski, stellar steel guitar from Egan, and smooth bass from Basil Donovan, the band was as tight as a band can get.

Blue Rodeo – Casino NB – 01/21/13

The band was not much for talking, partly due to having so many songs to draw on and fit into their nightly repetoire, but when they shared anecdotes with the crowd it was well received, including dedicating “Fool’s Like You” to Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Greg Keelor invited the crowd down to the front of the stage to enjoy the last few song, much to the glee of fans that rushed forward to get a spot near the front of the stage (one promptly escorted away as she jumped on the stage). The band closed the show with “Til I Am Myself Again”, “Hasn’t Hit Me Yet” (sung in part beautifully by the crowd) and “You’re Everywhere” that featured what Keelor called the “Moncton mixed choir”. One thing the band did mention was they were glad the Casino became available when they were planning the tour to celebrate their 25 years, as they remembered fondly doing five nights in a row at Moncton’s Capitol on a previous tour adding show after sold out show to the week.

Blue Rodeo – Casino NB – 01/21/13

The first of two encores saw the group perform their first single Try to rapturous applause, it was a bit ‘hurried’ for my liking as I found the band and Cuddy had brought up the tempo a bit, they finished up with “Head Over Heels” and my favorite Keelor sung song “Lost Together”.  The second encore closed out the evening with only Cuddy and Keelor, the two original members that met back in High School in the early eighties, on stage performing “Is It You”.

As the nearly a three hour show wound to a close, Blue Rodeo said good night and the crowd walked into the chilly night with a fond concert memory, sure for many, not to be their last Blue Rodeo concert. Thanks to Blue Rodeo for yet another fantastic show, Casino NB, and PPRL for a great night! Until next time!

Nashville Airport – Welcome 2012

That’s right…Refrain is on the road in Nashville, Tennessee!  Nashville, music city, home of country music…it’s all that and so much more. From the moment you land in Nashville and find rocking chairs and guitars in the baggage claim at the airport things just seem to fit. From your first walk down the world famous Broadway Avenue in downtown, you realize that first and foremost this city is about the music. But you also start to see other nuances appear that show that the denizens of this city like more than just music, sports being a big one with LP Field and Bridgestone Arena just steps away from Broadway’s thriving music culture.

Nashville, TN – Music City

Nashville, TN – Music City – Whiskey Bent Saloon

There is a bit of awe as you first walk the downtown street where so many come to ‘make it’ in country music, for that matter, in music at all. That’s because as you’ll find as a surprise to some, that Nashville isn’t just about country music, there’s plenty of Blues, Rock, and many other things mixed in there too. But let’s face it, Nashville is mainly about country music. As you stroll down Broadway you can feel it, you can hear it in every bar all the way along until you reach Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge where Hank Williams would run across the alley from the Ryman to grab a drink between sets. You can see it in the many boot shops mixed in with the bars and restaurants, one shop you could even get three pairs of cowboy boots for the price of one, belts, hats…everything country. As you walk you see all the brightly lit neon of each watering hole featuring with a blast of music escaping the doorway of each with a hopeful performer looking to pull you in to places like Tootsies, the Whisky Bent Saloon, Tequila Cowboy, and The Stage. Just about every bar or restaurant has a live performer, The Stage has four shifts of performers each day…the opportunity for live entertainment is incredible.

Nashville, TN – Broadway St.

Everything is ‘grand’ in this city from the Opry Mills Mall which is massive, and of course I see a repeating theme…more boots stores. It’s a typical mall feel but it has a really cool ‘aquarium’ restaurant in it and an IMAX and a lego store. We even saw Americon Idol contestants Colton Dixon and Schyler Dixon in the food court while having lunch, which was our only ‘sighting’ of the whole week in music city. Another attraction that is of grand stature is the Gaylord Opryland Hotel, with it’s opulent gardens (four in total) that are set up like tropical rain forests inside this spectacular hotel. It has shops, and restaurants, and bars and clothing stores and souvenir shops…it even has a boat ride ‘in’ the hotel in one of the gardens. If you stayed here you’d almost not have to leave to have plenty to do, but that would be a shame with so much to offer outside these walls. The gardens are the feature point though, they are magnificent, with tropical forests and flowers, waterfalls, the aforementioned boat ride, colored fountains and rooms and restaurants overlooking it all.

Delta Garden – Opryland Hotel – Nashville, TN

Speaking of ‘grand’ (like that segue?)…right beside the Opryland Hotel…is the Grand Ole Opry itself. The ‘new’ opry, in it’s current location since 1974 was our Tuesday destination for the 100th Birthday Celebration of Minnie Pearl, or the women who created her, Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon who was born October 25, 1912. Walking in to the Opry you can just feel the buzz of the building, the history, it’s electric. Tonight was a fantastic night with performances by Mel & Pam Tillis, Riders In The Sky, Amy Grant, and Vince Gill, what a line-up! The line-up is mixed in with comedic acts, tributes to Minnie, and comes complete with commercials as the Opry still to this day is a ‘radio’ show, broadcast live from the stage out to the world on 650/WSM AM radio. When the new Opry opened in March of 1974, a six-foot circle of oak was cut from the original stage at the Ryman Auditorium 9 miles away in downtwon Nashville, and inlaid into the stage at the new venue. This show I will not forget, a memory to treasure for sure.

Pam Tillis – Grand Ole Opry – Nashville, TN

Vince Gill – Grand Ole Opry – Nashville, TN

Before I spoke of things to do outside of Nashville, and this leads us to one of our day trips down to Lynchburg, Tennessee…home of Jack Daniels. Yes, that Jack Daniels…his distillery, and the spring that makes every drop of ‘Jack’ the is consumed in the world come from this one small county. It’s almost ironic where this distillery is, about an hour and a half drive from Nashville, we enter the ‘dry county’ of Lynchburg. Yes, that’s right, Lynchburg, the home of one of the biggest brewers of whiskey in the world is in a dry county. As you are guided around the distillery you learn about the various processes behind what goes into making Jack Daniels, I don’t want to give it all away as it’s a fun tour and I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. But you learn about the sugar maple using to make the charcoal, which is used to mellow the pure JD ‘moonshine’ down to the beverage we know of in stores and bars around the world. You visit the spring from which the water flows that makes Jack what it is, and you tour through Jack’s original office…a side trip I definitely recommend. Oh and don’t forget to drive into the town square to the JD retail store where you can purchase a plethora of JD emblazoned paraphernalia.

Lynchburg, TN – Jack Daniels Distillery

Lynchburg, TN – Jack Daniels Distillery

Day trip number two took us south west down Interstate 40, travelling through the Tennessee countryside where we saw our first real (and huge) ‘cotton field’, where of course we had to stop on the interstate to take pictures (I had to hop the fence and grab a couple cotton balls…sorry Mr. Farmer). But wait, where are we headed? The rockin’ blues city of Memphis, Tennessee that’s where! We were off to visit Elvis at Graceland. Graceland is a massive expanse in downtown Memphis that sits on two sides of the street, complete with the Heartbreak Hotel, the tourist center (that houses souvenir shops, the Elvis Car Museum, and Elvis’s two planes) all across the street from the mansion and it’s 13.6 acres in the heart of Memphis. Bought by Elvis at age 22 in 1957 for a around hundred thousand dollars it’s a beautiful home that again I don’t want to give away too much, but is totally Elvis. As you stroll through the mansion, and more importantly the awards hall, you realize (if you didn’t already know) just how important Elvis was to the world of music. Wall after wall of gold, silver, and platinum records, awards, and achievements adorn the walls and you tend to jaw drop and shake your head in amazement at the enormity of it all. The guided audio tour takes you finally to the meditation garden, to Elvis’s resting place, where his grave site (along with his parents, grandparents, and brother) rests beside a bubbling fountain in a serene corner of the estate.
Off next we went to the Gibson guitar factory, where some of the finest instruments are made and took a tour to see just how much of these guitars are still hand crafted today. Then it was on to the famous Beale Street in downtown Memphis. Like Broadway in Nashville, you can feel the electricity on this street, with bar after bar of live rock and blues pumping out, again just off Beale another stadium in the Fed Ex Forum (home of the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies), and the street is alive…it’s a Wednesday night!? We decided to eat at BB Kings Blues Club, and listened to the house band the “King Bees” blast out a soulful set for us while we ate ourselves into southern BBQ bliss. Memphis was a day trip but will be a trip all of it’s own someday, back we go North, back to Music City!

Tennessee Cotton Field

Graceland – Memphis, TN

Elvis’s Grave – Graceland – Memphis, TN

BB Kings Blues Club – Beale St. – Memphis, TN

Beale St. – Memphis, TN

As the week was passing us by we decided next to visit the Ryman Auditorium, the site of the original Grand Ole Opry from 1943-1974. The Ryman, was built by riverboat Captain Thomas Ryman who originally named it the Union Gospel Tabernacle, after Ryman’s death, the Tabernacle was renamed Ryman Auditorium in his honor. To stroll through the Ryman you can feel the energy, you can stand in the balcony and envision the crowds as they cheered for the band onstage, you can stage on that stage and almost feel the history pouring off of it. As your tour guide takes you through the changing rooms you think about who has gotten ready in these rooms and it starts to hit you where you are and the musical history the unfolded around these very spots. Johnny and June Cash met in this building, Neil Young recorded the Heart of Gold concert film here, tomorrow night plays host to an Alanis Morissette, and much more it’s mind blowing. After the Ryman we jaunted down to the Country Music Hall of Fame, but it was closing in ten minutes and apparently takes two to three hours to tour through, again unfortunately we never made it back here…something for next time! That night we took in more live music on Broadway at Honky Tonk Central, complete with a guest appearance by Elvis who appeared off the street to play with the band and perform a ‘very’ good rendition of “Suspicious Minds”.

Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN

Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN

Ryman Auditorium – Backstage – Nashville, TN

Honky Tonk Central – Broadway St. – Nashville, TN

Elvis!? – Broadway St. – Nashville, TN

Friday, our last day in Nashville we took in a couple of tourist attractions. First up, was the Belle Meade Plantation a historic plantation mansion whose grounds now function as a museum. Belle Meade Plantation consist of 30 remaining acres (originally it was 5600 acres!) and features a winery, visitor’s center, original outbuildings including the Harding cabin, dairy, carriage house, stable, mausoleum and a reconstructed slave quarters. The Belle Meade Plantation was a horse stud farm with some of their horses going all over the world, some famous decendants of Belle Meade are horses like Secretariat and Seabiscuit. The plantation is still absolutely stunning to this day and you can sense the history of the place as you walk through the well preserved plantation house. I highly recommend a visit to Belle Meade if you ever venture to the area.

Belle Meade Plantation – Nashville, TN

Next up we took in the Parthenon, the life size replica of the one in Greece that sits in downtown Nashville, built in 1897 as part of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition as Tennessee is known as the “Athens of the South” which influenced the choice of structure built for the expo. Today, the Parthenon which functions as an art museum, stands as the centerpiece of Centennial Park, a large public park just west of downtown Nashville. Inside sits a re-creation of the Athena Parthenos statue just as it was in ancient Greece. She is is absolutely massive, helmeted, carries a shield on her left arm and a small statue of Nike (Victory) in her right palm, and stands 42 feet high, a giant serpent shows its head between her and her shield.

The Parthenon – Nashville, TN

The Parthenon – Athena – Nashville, TN

One final stop that day took us to “Music Row” where such famous studios as RCA Victor, that recorded Elvis, Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton and more, call home. We took a quick jaunt through Owen Bradley Park to see the now famous statue of Owen Bradley who was one of the orignal producers in Nashvile who, along with Chet Atkins and Bob Ferguson, was one of the chief creators of the 1950s and 1960s Nashville sound. We also made a quick stop to the microphone bike rack (below), how cool is that!?

RCA Victor – Music Row – Nashville, TN

Owen Bradley Park – Music Row – Nashville, TN

Owen Bradley Park – Music Row – Nashville, TN

Microphone Bike Rack – Music Row – Nashville, TN

Nashville…thanks for a great week…we will be back for more! To those of you that are planning a trip, if you are a lover of music, country music…put Nashville on your list. The people are amazingly friendly, there are a ton of fun things to do…and the music never stops in Music City!

2012 Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival!

Now that I’ve had some time to look back on this year’s Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival (and sift through a ton of pictures) I feel the same way that I did when I was there. This has to be one of the best run and most organized music events that I’ve ever experienced. From the wide spread groups of events that get all ages involved, the closing of an entire major downtown street, food vendors that get your mouth watering for many different and delicious delights…oh, and did I mention an amazing amount of fantastic music!

Tedeschi Trucks Band, Charles Bradley, Jaimoe’s Jassz Band, The Record Company, Sharon Jones, Cris Kirby, Matt Scholfield, Matt Anderson, Maceo Parker, Charlie A’Court, Sharon Jones, Royal Southern Brotherhood and more!  If you’ve never experienced Harvest I highly suggest that you try it out.

I lived in Fredericton back in 1991 when it all started and my how it has grown, how the city has gained a sense of pride with the slogan (and twitter hashtag) this year being “my harvest” with the volunteers from the festival being exemplary, friendly, helpful, efficient, and fun…bravo!

The music, well, was nothing short of spectacular. I saw some of the tightest bands backing up some of the most amazing vocal talent I’ve ever seen. The crowds obviously had their favorites, but also were won over by many acts early. One of the many acts that stood out for me was Charles Bradley who blew me away, with his James Brown styled soul, and a connection with the crowd (many that didn’t know who he was) that was nothing short of incredible. Bradley started chasing his dream at 63 years old, has one album (which I bought on very cool vinyl at the merch table) and was simply amazing to watch. His connection with the crowd was such that he climbed down off the stage during his final song, the band continued to play, as Charles walked through the crowd hugging the fans who scrambled to hug back.

Derek Trucks and his wife Susan Tedeschi blew us away on Friday night with the Tedeschi Trucks band, Trucks is currently ranked 16th on the Billboard top 100 guitarists of all time and lives up to that ranking for sure, his wife Susan is no slouch either on the guitar and has a stellar vocal. The band with them was outstanding, and meshed well with the husband and wife team.

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings simply blew the roof off the Blues Tent on Saturday night, Jones being an entertaining firecracker that stopped moving once she hit the stage only long enough to kick off her heels. When talking to her backstage I asked her where she got her energy at 56 to do what she does, and she just said it was “a blessing”, for us too!

On and on it went, I got to see an Allman (Devon) and a Neville Brother (Cyril) give us a southern rock buffet straight from New Orleans in the group Royal Southern Brotherhood. Chris Kirby and Charlie A’Court brought us a pub set surrounded by thunder and rain that kept us hopping. Maceo Parker, who’s career has spanned more than fifty years, performing with the likes of James Brown and Parliment Funkadelic, supplied us with “2% jazz & 98% funk”! The week was one of the best musical experiences I have been too and am already making plans for next year.

I highly suggest that if you like great live performances, music that spans genre’s, and just an all around good time I suggest that you head to ‘Harvest’ next year and we’ll see you there!!

http://www.harvestjazzandblues.com/

Twitter Hashtags: #myharvest #refrainmusic

Cool Sax Player – Tedeschi Trucks Band

Derek Trucks – Tedeschi Trucks Band

Susan Tedeschi – Tedeschi Trucks Band

Street Artist – 2012 Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival

Fire Buskers – 2012 Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival

The amazing “screaming eagle of soul”, Charles Bradley!

The amazing “screaming eagle of soul”, Charles Bradley give me a smile!

Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band

Charlie A’Court

Chris Kirby

Said The Whale

Said The Whale

The energetic & entertaining Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings

One of the “dapettes” from Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings

Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings

Devon Allman – Royal Southern Brotherhood

Cyril Neville – Royal Southern Brotherhood

The funky & fantastic Maceo Parker!

The funky & fantastic Maceo Parker!

The Record Company

The Record Company