Hey folks,
Big show night last night. Scott Southworth and I plus another guy we did not know, were on stage for the last show of the day last night. A very interesting courtyard venue, in the middle of several stores and moonshine stills. That's right, MOONSHINE stills! They do that up here and it is big money with Moonshine tastings. Very funny the people who go in and out of there. In front of the stage are dozens of rocking chairs and people come in, sit down and rock away while you sing. They all had those little hand fans, so when you have that going on with the rocking chairs, it is like everyone is in time with the music. Very funny.
You see a lot of funny things from the stage, from expressions on people's faces, cute girls (one girl was in this very tight skirt and top, and nearly litterally was "busting out" all over) had to have her boyfriend screen for her while she...regathered herself. The women who love to come up and put their feet on the stage during the 'BAREFEET" song. And none of their feet were really that sexy.
One of the things that was very interesting is the other guy that was playing with us. He was not bad, mid 40's but really an amateur songwriter. I know cause he kept TALKING about it. He owns and asphalt company in Indiana and this is a vacation. But he was having trouble keeping up with myself and Scott. Scott is REALLY a good writer and performer and I guess I don't suck. But the guy's songs were having trouble find their way out there. People would get restless, many would move to be replaced by others. I listened pretty intently and a lot of it was because he was donig those average rhymes, titles, and pretty predictable melodys. And he would WEAR OUT A HOOK. There is a time when you have to stop REPEATING a PHRASE!!! About three times at the end is good. But when you do it 8-9 even 10 times, people have GOTTEN IT!!!!
A cute thing was when he brought his wife down front to sing a song to her. She is very pretty and both of them are very young, but they have SIX children! They don't look old enough to have one or two. I guess the asphalt business keeps him young. LOL!
So it is pretty easy to find songwriting material. Remembering it is the problem. But you file it in your brain and pull it out when you need it.
The most interesting thing was one guy that kept coming up to the stage and pulling on my leg. This is WHILE I am peforming a song. I couldn't understand what he was saying. Finally, when someone else was doing a song, I figured out what he was saying "You need to do something for the military." I told him I would and he stood around saying that over and over. So I had to wait a few songs to get to it. By then a few more people were there listening and several had that "military look." Hair cuts, t-shirts, tatoos, etc. So I ripped out "24 NOTES", the song I wrote with Big Ed, about "taps" being 24notes. That song really hits hard, and there was more than a few tears, waves, and thank you's on that. Afterword several people wanted a CD of it. Gonna have to include that on one.
There is just no way to have all the songs on CD outside of the 9 cd "MAB GREATEST HITS" CD!
Was a great night. Later, we wandered around trying to find something to eat.It actually closes early here, one AM, and of course I am an hour ahead of the time in Nashville, so it gets easy to get confused about everything. Just have to know where you are all the time. Afterward was another jam/guitar pull, in the Gatlinburg Inn. The Gatlinburg is the oldest hotel here and it looks it. In nice shape but the rooms and whole hotel look straight out of the 1950's. Wood paneled walls, green carpeting. But they have pictures of all the famous people that have been there. Looks like a Country Music Hall of Fame wall. You see, every major country music star in history seems to have stayed there.
In the 50's a husband and wife named FELICE AND BOUDELOUX BRYANT used to come here from Nashville to hole up and write. They wrote "ROCKY TOP" , WAKE UP LITTLE SUSIE" and several other standards in this one room. The first one's got so successful they got the same room every year and wrote. Then they brought their friends. So hundreds of songs have been written there. There actually is a songwriting seminar going on today which I hope to go see some folks in. Next year I hope I am involved with it.
So that is about it for today. Good to see you guys chiming in. Another show today.
MAB