A few weeks ago, my job had me travel to Nashville to work on a prototype system we have set up with a customer. Same prototype that had my in Tennessee twice last year, but this time I was there all week and had a bit more time to enjoy the city. Plus, it was spring instead of winter, so the city was coming out of its shell a bit and more lively this time around.
Last year, I stumbled across a girl with some pipes in one of the honky tonk / bar establishments on Broadway (downtown Nashville). When I found out I'd be back in town, I checked her website, and sure enough, she was playing at a different venue right down the street. As is the nature of bar entertainment, she and her band were playing a bunch of covers, from Beatles to Bon Jovi. I put in a request for her original song, "Arizona", which I'd heard her play last year. Since I already posted that song back then, here's an introspective ballad where Rachael Johnson reflects on the trials of her musical journey and trying to make a living in one of the musical meccas of the world:
(juuuuust under the wire on Pacific Standard Time, thanks to midnight (EST) hockey and uber slow YouTube uploading before I had to leave...)
It's a rare and beautiful thing when you go to a show to see one artist, and another artist on the bill blows you away. Not to take anything away from local bluegrass-core outfit Big Snow Big Thaw, because they were the reason I was there and their set was great, but Jeffrey Foucault just floored us. (Well, except for a few folks loudly talking in the back of Club Cafe... jags.) Just a man, a sweet guitar, and a ridiculous beard (oh, and a legit hat), but what a show he put on tonight.
Something about Arizona makes for good songwriting... here's a taste of what went down:
And here's a "live in studio" performance (with slightly better audio than my video above):
"And the sun gone down In the pale thin pink There's no one to talk to All I can think Is your eyes are full of train smoke And your mouth tastes like rain And I know when I know nothing I will always know your name..."
Two years ago, I was out of town the weekend my brother and friends went to Johnny Cash Day - a celebration of The Man, The Myth, The Music at a local Elks Club on (or around) the anniversary of his passing. My friends were into Johnny Cash Day before it was cool, and I missed out back in '09. Last year, I vowed not to let that happen again. It was a great event, but word had gotten out and it was packed to the point where you couldn't get a chair and it was difficult to even navigate around the room. But it was well worth it to hear some great covers of Cash's music, and because I won this:
(in '09, our friend Lindsay won a similar print - back to back winners!)
Hatch Show Prints are printed on Broadway in Nashville, and have been since 1879; this is a replica of an original poster, but it's pretty awesome and hangs in my music room by my piano.
This past Saturday was the 2011 JCD, and I missed it due to failure to purchase a ticket before they sold out. I'm sure it was great like last year, and I'm sure several of the performers covered "Ring Of Fire" like last year. (my favorite version was by Mark Williams; he did a more unique take on it and shifted some chords to minors for an interesting vibe.) It's one of Cash's most popular songs, due to the catchy tune and lyrics to which most folks can relate. Well, sort of - it was written by June Carter about her relationship with Cash whilst both of them were married (or divorcing) other spouses. Tough situation, that. So not everyone has ditched one lover for another, but the part about how love is all-consuming rings true for pretty much everyone...
Live performance 1963 (By the way, I love the Mexican horns!) - you can find other live performances online too
Sometimes the little things amuse me, such as posting songs with the sametitle on back to back days. I wouldn't do it if they weren't both awesome, though. So, here's the "old classic" to which I referred last night... sounds like ol' Johnny was having trouble with a lover who strayed...
"When your fickle love gets old no one will care for you And you'll come back to me for a little love thats true I'll tell you no and then you'll ask me why why why When I remind you of all of this you'll cry cry cry..."
PS - Wikipedia says Cash was descended from Scottish royalty... neat, huh?
An iconic song by an American icon. I wasn't around back when he played this version at Folsom Prison itself. But it's pretty incredible stuff... you can feel the passion and emotion from Cash as well as the crowd, who of course were all "stuck in Folsom Prison" and could thus relate. Cash's life was a tale of trials and triumphs, of downfall and redemption, and that's the kind of story that lives on. We've all had our tough times - maybe not the deaths of loved ones, divorce, and drugs that beleaguered Cash, but struggles of our own; and that's why songs like this strike a chord within us.
"But I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die..."
On a business trip in Nashville right now. Went downtown to Broadway to grab some Jack's BBQ on a friend's recommendation (it's excellent, by the way). Wandered down the street a bit, saw the Hatch Show Print store, then some live music caught my ear. It was a fairly seedy and nearly empty establishment, but this girl was just sitting there with an acoustic six-string, and her voice was enough for me to stick around a while.
It's to be expected that live music in Nashville has a bit of a country feel to it. Not always my cup of tea, but in this case, it was all right by me. Really depends on the style, voice, and lyrics (as with any genre for me) - certain country artists are not bad at all, just like I can appreciate certain rappers. But others just grate on my eardrums... fortunately Rachael Johnson wasn't one of those...
She's a relative unknown so far, but I enjoyed sitting there listening to her sing and watching a little college hoops for a bit. Maybe you'll like her, too...
Video quality isn't spectacular, but here's a live performance as well:
"And this cold Eastern sun cannot be the same one that's keeping you warm in Arizona..."
EDIT 5-19-12 - I caught Rachael and her band at Honky Tonk Central a few weeks back whilst back in Nashville for follow-up work on the project. Here she is performing "Arizona" (by my request - it's definitely my favorite of her songs...) :
