A short time ago, Mikky Ekko was nothing more than a name that I spotted every now and then in Music City’s by-lines and chronicles. All that changed overnight after he joined Rihanna at the 2013 Grammys for a duet of “Stay.” The song which Ekko co-wrote and recorded with the Barbadian pop star became […]
Location: 119 3rd Ave. South, Nashville, TN 37201 http://www.johnnycashmuseum.com Before Demonbruen Street at the end of Music Row became a row of swanky bars, it was home to several cheesy museum / gift shops for famous country artists. The Johnny Cash Museum which opened in 2014 just off Lower Broadway is a stark contrast to […]
I previously used this space to praise the exciting new music being made by Ms. Bebe Buell after seeing her and her crack band at The Basement last July. After a few unfortunate misses, I finally had the pleasure of seeing Bebe and her Aces again—this time at Music City’s hallowed Bluebird Cafe. Since that […]
I have always enjoyed the melodic poppy sounds of Evan Dando, both solo and with his 90s alternative-labelled band The Lemonheads. But somehow all these years I have missed seeing him play live. I was quite looking forward to finally getting my chance at his solo Nashville show at the City Winery. However, a morning […]
Location: 2120 8th Ave. South, Nashville, TN 37204 http://www.guitars.com Like Hatch Show Print, another Nashville institution that recently moved off Lower Broadway is Gruhn Guitars, one of the world’s most famous guitar stores. Story goes that owner and renowned guitar expert George Gruhn just couldn’t take it any more watching drunken downtown partiers come off […]
Location: 224 5th Ave South, Nashville, TN 37203 (inside the Omni Hotel / Country Music Hall of Fame complex) http://www.hatchshowprint.com I was heartbroken when I heard that Hatch Show Print was leaving its gritty but classic location on Lower Broadway for the swanky confines of the new Omni Hotel / Country Music Hall of Fame […]
While I still savor most of Tom Petty’s musical catalog, long ago I gave up on seeing him in concert after several tries. I just find his live show to be drudgingly dull. The opportunity however to see his hand-picked opening act, Steve Winwood, was reason enough for me to accept an invite to […]
Marriage has produced some interesting musical collaborations (Johnny & June) and some not-so-interesting ones (John & Yoko). One of recent interest has developed through the nuptial of satirical American songstress Amy Rigby and comically-clever British punk rocker Wreckless Eric. Since 2008, the duo has bonded into an exciting recording and regular touring act that has […]
Sorry, but no apologies for all the attention given to Jason Isbell in this space. Even though he is still riding the wave of a record almost two years old (Southeastern), I simply have not tired of its songs—especially hearing Jason perform them live. This time out, Jason filed a break in a steady touring […]
Nick Lowe’s tenure with Rockpile must have found him comfortable sharing the spotlight with a musical mate like Dave Edmunds. For when that band’s members went their separate ways in 1981, Lowe’s next band featured another singing partner with a pop music legacy. In 1982, Lowe teamed up with keyboardist Paul Carrack in a […]
Music City Mike 