5.25.2005

Hiatus 5/26 - 5/31

I'll be in Nebraska and South Dakota Thursday, 5/26 - Tuesday, 5/31... So, posting will be light and most likely non-existent... since I don't think I'm going to lug my computer along on the trip and my cell and blackberry rarely have a signal up that way.

Have a GREAT Holiday weekend.
Miss you already.

5.24.2005

It's Lindadblu's B-day.




Hey... LindaDblu is celebrating the anniversary of her 29th birthday today!
Happy Birthday sistahhhh.
You ROCK.



Funniest thing...

Last night I asked a friend what he was doing for Memorial Weekend.

His response:
"When is Memorial Weekend?"

Just hit me as funny.

5.23.2005

7 years... no itching.

Today is John & my seventh wedding anniversary. How cool is that?! (We've actually known each other 12 years.) As weird as this my sound, I feel like I've known him all my life... but it doesn't seem like seven years have passed. That's a good thing.

John is my favorite person in the whole world universe.

There's nothin' better than being married to your best friend. I highly recommend it.

Music, Movies & Za

Don't have time to post much this morning, but wanted to let you know that CLC's Music, Movies & 'Za was a great success.

Thanks to everyone who came out to enjoy some spectacular songwriters and help out a good cause.

I'll post pics later this week when things in BB's world slow down a little.

5.20.2005

Don't forget tomorrow night!

Music, Movies & 'Za
Bring the WHOLE FAMILY!
(Kids under 12 get in FREE.)
Cover: $5

Christ Lutheran Church
299 Haywood Lane
615-833-0476

YAY for Andrew!

Make Local TV News Relevant To Young Viewers
By Andrew Barr
The Baltimore Sun

I am 19 years old. I grew up with video games and a short attention span. I can call anyone, anywhere, on a cell phone. I can talk to my friends across the country online. I can find any information I want. I can watch anything I want. I can get news from any source I want. So, understandably, there is a reason why I do not watch the local news. It is worthless.

In a survey conducted by the Pew Charitable Trusts, nearly half of the local journalists polled said that local journalism is heading in the wrong direction. It is hard to understand how a strong diet of Martha Stewart, Michael Jackson and Robert Blake can be moving in the right direction.

In the Middle East, world-changing events are occurring that could legitimize the Bush administration's invasion of Iraq. At the same time, Southern Californians are encouraged to watch the news with a teaser about the world record for the most people on one surf board.

Local news is under pressure. Most local television news broadcasts are losing ratings. Twenty-four-hour cable news channels and the Internet bring news to people at a rate that local news cannot. By the time an event is reported on the local news, it is old.

CNN and Fox News bring viewers a lot of stories within a short time. These programs offer little in-depth discussion other than the daily afternoon shout-fests between pundits. A crawler at the bottom of the screen keeps the viewer informed of any information actually deemed too fluffy for the news. The local news cannot be as fast-paced as CNN, but for some reason it tries.

The "action news" format and gimmicks have taken over local news. Teasers, smiley twentysomething blondes and consumer investigations (which often wreak havoc on small businesses) are more a part of the news than international crisis. Content is an afterthought to most local news stations. Gimmicks can grab a viewer's attention. Only content will keep him.

A study conducted by Indiana University's Institute for Communication Research compared four news programs. Each program varied in story length and edit speed. Eighteen- to 22-year-olds preferred a faster-paced news cast. Other age groups showed no preference. Eighteen- to 22-year-olds also showed interest in longer stories that moved at a quick pace. Eighteen- to 22-year-olds retained the most information from long stories run at a quick pace. Again, there was little difference among older groups.

A format with a few long stories told at a quick pace could attract younger viewers without losing older ones. Instead of competing with 24-hour news channels, the local news could act as a supplement. Instead of reporting up to 25 stories in segments ranging from 30 seconds to a minute, the news could show six to 10 stories that run for two to three minutes.

More content does not necessarily make the news boring. Stories could use multiple graphics and dramatic footage and offer controversial opinions. Instead of only reporting, local news could interpret.

Interesting and developed stories could keep viewers throughout the half-hour. Improved quality in stories might help maintain a station's lead-in audience from network programming. After watching an hour-long network drama and anticipating an early rise the next morning, a viewer must be pulled in by something more than what he can flip through in a newspaper of browse on the Internet.

As the Internet and 24-hour cable news progress, local television news will become obsolete. Local television must offer something different and new to create incentive for people to sit down to watch at a specific time.

My generation does not lack quantity of information. We do, however, lack quality information. Give us content and analysis we cannot get from other news sources, and we will watch.

Andrew Barr is a sophomore at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, Calif., studying government. This article first appeared in the Los Angeles Times, a Tribune Publishing newspaper.


HERE'S A THOUGHT:
Maybe local stations should hire 19 year-old Andrew Barr to do their consulting instead of paying through the nose for "big time" TV consultants who have nothing but cookie-cutter solutions, no vision and who are out of touch with the audience they think they are trying to attract.

And, that is all I'm going to say.
Don't get me started!

5.19.2005

Medium

I've only been able to see this show a couple times, but I really like it.

Has anyone else seen it?
Do you think it will stand the test of time?

5.18.2005

Not-so-bold prediction

For the first time in several weeks I was able to watch Idol last night. From what I saw, Bo is the man. Last night Clive Davis told him he looks forward to making an album with him. Pretty strong endorsement, I'd say.

And, I hope Nashville is watching so that Carrie gets a shot, too. She's got tons of country potential. With a little work, she might have a shot at being the next Faith.

What do you think?

5.13.2005

Rotary cell phone

Question is... how do you fit this in a purse?

BMT & Jamie Hartford

Don't forget!
BMT and Jamie Hartford play Douglas Corner tonight at 8:30 TONIGHT.


BMT was on fire Wednesday night at the Sutler. Micol was singin' her butt off and Ricky's pickin' kicked. Shannon from Delicious Blues Stew sat in on the harp, too. It was definitely a swampadelic, southern soul experience.



JTC incorporated his cajon into the kit. It was really cool.

So...
Don't miss your chance to see them AND Jamie Hartford at Douglas Corner TONIGHT.

Hope to see you there!



5.11.2005

Mark your calendars!

Saturday, May 21, 2005
7 p.m.
Music, Movies and ‘Za
This is the first in a series of three songwriter nights put on by Christ Lutheran Church. Donna Ulisse, Rick Stanley, Marc Rossi, Randi Perkins, Gary Talley, Celeste Krenz, Bob Tyler, BB Logan and Blue Mother Tupelo (JTC, Ricky & Micol Davis). While the songs are playin’ for the grown-ups, kids movies will be showin’ in the CLC “theatre.” Don’t worry about eating supper before you come… the choir will be serving pop, ‘za (pizza) and munchies.
Cover: $5

Christ Lutheran Church
299 Haywood Lane
615-833-0476

Come on over!

5.10.2005

Blue Mother Tupelo this week

BMT is playing two gigs in Nashville this week. And, JTC will be incorporating his new cajon into his kit for the gigs... so it should be extra cool.

Wednesday, 6/11
9:30 p.m.
Americana Tonight
(a live radio recording)
The Sutler

Friday, 6/13
8:00 p.m.
Douglas Corner
(followed by The Jamie Hartford Band... they kick bootay.)

Come out one or both nights!

5.09.2005

Missed Blog Nashville

Sorry BlogNashville, but I was able to spend the entire weekend with JTC (he's on the road most weekends). Consequently, I opted to devote my time to hanging with him and missed out on the big get together with y'all. I basically had a sans-computer weekend and, believe it or not, it felt pretty good.

Ran into Lena and Rex on Saturday and it sounded like BlogNashville was kicking bootay. Can't wait to read about it on everyone's blogs today.

I also saw a VSOT about it on national Fox News Saturday afternoon. And, judging from my Google search about BlogNashville, looks like the story was picked up by news outlets across the country.

Very cool.

Wish I could have been two places at once! Hope y'all had as much fun as it looks like you did.

Only in Nashville

Friday night was a musically INCREDIBLE night at 3rd.

First in the line-up was Stacie Collins. We had not seen her perform before, but had heard great things. Well, she lived up to the word.


Not only is she a great blues singer but she can wail on the harp. And, her newest album was produced by none other than Dan Baird (of Georgia Satellites fame). He performed with her on Friday as well, so it was a real treat.


Next up: Ray Herndon and band. He's toured with the likes of Lyle Lovett and has a huge following of fans in his own right as well. The music was country, jump, swing, big band with horns and everything. Plus, Viktor Krauss (yes... he's Alison's brother) was slappin' the bass. He's incredible, too. It was Yummy.




And, last but not least, my songwriting hero, Jeffrey Steele and the band (Tom Hambridge, Tom MacDonald, Rusty Golden and Steve C) took the stage.



Every time I go to a Jeffrey show, I learn so much about performing, writing and what songwriting / music is all about. He LOVES music and entertaining people. It isn't about fame, or fortune or power. For him, it is simply about being true to himself, making the audience smile and helping everyone forget about their troubles for a while.


They played for 3 1/2 hours straight, as usual. No breaks. It was so fun, you didn't even notice that so much time had passed.



The band was on fire. Tom H. and Tom M. were soooo in the pocket.


Rusty was in rare form, too. He put on his John Deere hat and sunglasses during "Our Town" AND he even flipped his mic around so I could harmonize w/Jeffrey during the chorus. What a TRIP!

When I finished hoggin' Rusty's mic, Jeffrey said, "Yeah baby." (I swear, someday I'm going to sing back-up with the man for real!)

We all (JTC, me, Deb, LaLa, Jonn, Eric, Stacey, Gwen, Melvin, Carolyn, Tim and Michelle) had a GREAT time. In the audience: Gary Nicholson, Big Kenny and his MM entourage, Tom Bukovac and Jimbeau Hinson. I'm sure there were more notables, but there just wasn't time to notice everyone! I had a show to watch.

Gary Nicholson sat in on guitar / vocals early on in the night. (He's another one of my songwriting heros.) He's got cuts with some amazing artists across many genres. Plus, he produces several people you might know and has toured with some of the best. Love his stuff.

Gary, Tom Hambridge and Jeffrey co-wrote a song this past year called "Nineteen" that puts a lump in your throat. Hopefully, someone will cut it soon so the world can hear it.

Gwen is always trying to get JS to do his Elvis impersonation. Well, as you can see by these pics, much to the delight of Gwen and dozens of other women at 3rd, he decided to accomodate her request on Friday. I thought Gwen was going to need some heart medi-
cation.

The whole scene was a hoot!

I'm tellin' you, you gotta see a Jeffrey show, SOON. For the next few weeks he's touring with Lynyrd Skynyrd and I think his next gig in Nashville is sometime in July. Don't miss it. It won't be long before he'll be a big artist and we won't be able to see him at 3rd anymore!

After the gig, Steve C, LaLa, Deb, Tim, Ken, Barry and I went to the Hermitage Cafe at Hermitage & 1st Avenue for breakfast. That was an adventure in itself. If you haven't been there, I recommend that you only go if you're drunk. It's really the only way the food will taste semi-good. (For the record: I hadn't had a drop to drink.) HA.

5.06.2005

How's your US geography?

Fun, free, online games that test your knowledge of states.

I got a 93% on the "Locate the States" game.
Whoohooo.

Las Americas is kickass

OK... I know this is a strong statement. But it really does kickass.

For a couple years now, I've gone there for lunch with co-workers. And, a couple weeks ago I pursuaded JTC to go there for supper. He LOVED it.

If you haven't been there, it is a little restaurant inside an hispanic market on Nolensville Road. It's atmosphere is just as authentic as its food. (If you go, be sure to spend a little time looking around the market as well. They've got tons of spices and ethnic selections that I'm guessing you won't find at Kroger.)

Last night, after going on a cajon shopping mission (more R&D than buying) at Forks, we decided to stop by Las Americas for supper.

Yuh-uh-ummmmmmy.

Before our order arrived, we munched on baked tortillas, homemade salsa and made-to-order-fresh guacamole. The guacamole is to die for... seriously. It is made on the spot and is full of fresh cilantro, avacados, tomatoes and onions.

Our main entrée was a big chicken burrito smothered in chile verde sauce, cilantro, cheese and onions. The burrito comes on a large platter. (You know, like the kind of platter you'd use to serve a Sunday roast.) The burrito and its accessories fill the plate. (Yes, we shared it!)

Then we shared a bean and cheese pupusa. What is a pupusa, you ask? Pupusas are one of Las Americas specialties. A staple of El Salvador, they are made by patting corn meal dough around fillings of pork, beans and/or cheese. Then, they are then grilled and served with a mild tomato sauce and a spicy slaw of chopped cabbage and carrots. You'll definitely want to give one a try if you've never had a pupusa.

Needless to say, at the end of the meal, eventhough we shared everything, we were stuffed.

When we were done, JTC commented, "They need t-shirts that say 'Las Americas kicked my ass.'"

My response, "Yes, they do."

So, consider this my official endorsement of Las Americas.

Las-Americas Market
(615) 315-8888
4715 Nolensville Pike
Nashville, TN 37211

5.05.2005

Adventures in Music

Yesterday was crazy. Work. Then a church meeting. Then choir rehearsal. Then home around 9 p.m. or so.

Now, any sane person would watch a little TV and go to bed. Right?!

But no, not me. How could I? Johnny Microwave was playing a set on Americana Tonight at the Sutler. I HAD to go see Steve C and Cat.

When I arrived at 10 the show was running behind. So, I got to see Cheley Tackett perform with her buds Lisa Carver and Annie Moser. Good stuff.

Then, Johnny Microwave rocked the house. Cat has such a cool eclectic voice. And, Steve C is one of the best guitar players in Nashville. More good stuff.

I was home by 12:30 or so...And, it was definitely worth it.

Next musical adventure:
Friday night
3rd & Lindsley
Jeffrey Steele – 10:00 pm
Be there and be transformed.
But be warned... if you don't get there early, you'll be standing like a sardine in a can sideways. Jeffrey Steele plays for 3 to 4 hours straight (no breaks... I mean it) and he has so many hits you would think you're listening to a cover band. (Plus, Steve C is Jeffrey's guitar player. Rocks.) Mezmerizingly incredible.

5.04.2005

Oprah doesn't have a child...

She has a DOG.

There is a promo for Oprah's show out there inferring that she and Stedman have a child. I saw it earlier this week, and as a former TV promo queen, there was no doubt in my mind that it was a publicity tease. I mean really... there is no way she has a child. Oprah has demonstrated her ability to be an open book about her past. If she had children we'd have known about it... a long time ago!

Why would the show put out a promo like this? Well... it is MAY. (TRANSLATION: Sweeps / ratings period). The promo did exactly what it was supposed to do: It gave Oprah tons of press. No surprise. She's the queen. If it works, kudos to her promotion people for thinking of it. It will be interesting to see how many additional viewers actually tune in because of it.

Gig Evidence

Check out the pics my friend RJ took at the BB & the Roundabouts gig on Friday night.
Very cool.
Thanks RJ!





BB & the Roundabouts gettin' started. (From L to R: Cat, Steve C, JTC, BB (me!), Hubie and Josh)





JTC and Steve C gettin' their groove on.







Kiwamu (a.k.a. Josh)in his acoustic pocket.








BB on the mic and Hubie layin' down some bass in the background.







Must work on my strange singer faces.






Do I really look like this?
Yikers.





Oh well... new gig dates coming soon.
Thanks, again, to everyone who was able to make it out to see us last week!

Operation Salami Drop

The Bummer Brothers, co-owners of Hobby's Deli in N.J., are sending more than 9,000 salami to the entire 42nd Infantry Division in Iraq. All were purchased with donations of $10 per salami, including a 13-year-old girl who donated $1,000 from her bat mitzvah money.

How cool is that?

Now, who's sending the bread?

5.03.2005

Fallen idol?

This could be interesting, too.
Again... I may have to reconsider getting Tivo.
Can't watch it, but wish I could...

Fun with de-motivation.

Thank you B.J.! I've been trying to remember the URL / name for this site since a friend showed it to me a couple years ago.

If you're having a "bad attitude day" (as I have been having since Saturday) one of these little "demotivators" might be just the ticket to cheer you up.

Sometimes a little cynicism is all you need.
Enjoy!

Custard: The new 'finger' food

OK.
Is this for real?
I really don't want to get sucked into another "finger food" story, but this is just bizarre.

I feel sick... again.
How 'bout you Lindadblu?

5.02.2005

Friday's gig ROCKED

Thank you to everyone who came out on Friday night to see BB and the Roundabouts!

We had a blast playing. The band kicked my bootey! So, a BIG thanks to JTC, Steve C, Kiwamu, Hubert and Cat. It was GREAT.