ACM Thoughts

The 2011 ACM's are now in the history books. Time for some Monday morning (well, afternoon) quarterbacking. The following thoughts and opinions are strictly my own. No offense is intended to any artist or fan. I just calls 'em as I sees 'em.

• Best Red Carpet Look: Lady A (the whole band)


• Most Inappropriate Red Carpet Outfit: (tie) Troy Gentry, Dierks Bentley


• Band Most In Need Of A Makeover: The Band Perry


• Most Appropriate Collaboration: Brad Paisley/Alabama


• Least Appropriate Collaboration: Jennifer Nettles/Rhianna


• Best Collaboration That Made No Sense: Carrie Underwood/Steven Tyler


• Best Collaboration. Period.: Zac Brown Band/James Taylor


• Best Dis: Not announcing Tom Douglas' and Allen Shamblin's names as the writers of the Song of the Year:The House That Built Me.


• Worst Headwear: (tie) Zac Brown, James Taylor


• Best Duo To Round Out The Category Without Getting Radio Play: Joey+Rory


• Best "Who The Hell Are THEY?" Group: Randy Rogers Band


• Most Memorable Gown Worn By Reba: Blue Ballgown


• Best "Aw Shucks" Acceptance Speech: Taylor Swift


• The "Are We Done With This Song/Album Now?" Award: Need You Now


• Best Missed Reaction Shot: Nicole Kidman's face while Keith Urban sang Without You


• Best Feel Good Moment: Darius Rucker singing with the chorus of developmentally challenged young adults


• Most Tired Line: Wynonna: "If it's not one thing it's your mother"


• Best Presenters: Donny and Marie


• Best Deserved Standing Ovation for a Performance (triple tie): Sarah Evans, Brad Paisley/Alabama, Zac Brown Band/James Taylor


• the Why Is This Song So Popular? Award: If I Die Young


• the It Should Have Been Awards: Best Female Vocalist: Reba; Best Album: Up On The Ridge; Best Male Vocalist: Keith Urban; Duo Of The Year: Joey+ Rory (just to shake things up!); Best Group: Zac Brown Band; Best New Artist: Eric Church; Entertainer Of The Year: I would have been OK with either Brad or Keith.


• Thumbs Up Award: Co-hosts Reba and Blake Shelton


• Thumbs Down Award: Carrie Underwood for not walking the red carpet and for singing a song that is not current and was overdone when it was.

Well, that's all I got!

Big Money: a tale of altruism and greed

Is it just me, or does anyone else find it ironic that the announcement of Garth Brooks' upcoming arena shows in Nashville to benefit The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee was soon followed by the announcement that ticket prices for his next round of performances at the Encore Theater in Las Vegas would increase by $100?
The people of Tn. are going to be the beneficiaries of the altruism of the biggest selling solo artist in the USA and everyone that he convinced to donate their services so that the people who needed to benefit the most, would see every cent of the $25 ticket price. And that's big money, considering that nine shows sold out in a matter of hours. I'm convinced if they kept adding shows, they would still be adding them... the supply simply couldn't fill the demand.. he's only one person, after all...
And then there's Vegas. When the press conference for that deal went down, Steve Wynn was seen as the hero who brought Garth out of retirement with an offer he couldn't refuse.. a year later, I think we all see the irony in that. In my opinion, Mr. Wynn is carrying on the tradition of the great "businessmen" who built Las Vegas from a sleepy way-station in the desert into the entertainment mecca it is today. Give the people what they want... the best and the finest.. reel them in and garner their loyalty... and then, when you have them where you want them, tell them how it's gonna be from now on... You played, now you pay... the party's over. For a year, tickets were $143. Not cheap by Garth standards, but certainly by Vegas standards. Garth was never really happy with the price to begin with, as I recall. He acknowledged that the ticket price might be out of range for some of his fans. And he told them that if the ticket price was beyond their reach to be patient. When the last of his girls went off to college he'd be back on the road and he'd come to them. The Vegas show was a critical and commercial success, to say the least. The fans DID come, in droves. Garth's people, his friends in low places, who saved up their (not so big) money to see a Garth performance that was unlike any other... No band, no elaborate stage, no black cowboy hat, no rope swinging. Just Garth and his guitar and his engaging personality and that voice... Not one person that I know of ever said it wasn't worth the price of admission. Flash forward one year. What does Mr. Wynn do? He issues a statement that in effect says.. it was a no brainer to raise ticket prices, people.. it's simply a matter of supply and demand. I got what you want and I have it exclusively for the next 4 years. You want to see Garth? Pay up... And then he tries to justify this price gouging by saying that his mission is to give people value for their money! Well, excuse me, but on what planet is paying $100 more for a ticket a BETTER value? Let me see if I follow your train of thought here, Mr. Wynn.. because Garth is "the greatest live performer of our time" I should be expected to pay more than I paid when his engagement first began? Did you JUST realize the goldmine you were sitting on? Or are you pulling off the oldest con in the book, the old bait and switch? Don't bother answering, it's a rhetorical question.
So, "the greatest living performer of our time" donates HIS time and talents and the people of Tennessee reap the benefits.. as well as legions of fans who can pay $25 to see this awesome entertainer do what he does best. While out in "sin city" a corporate mogul sits in his ivory tower and figures out how to line his own silk pockets even more off the backs of the people whose devotion to Garth kept those theater seats filled...Altruism vs. Greed: there's Big Money at stake on both sides of this coin. In Tn. the people win no matter which side the coin lands on. In Nevada it's heads Mr. Wynn wins.. tails, we lose. I'm going with the sure bet.

Up On The Ridge: tour review

For the record, there are a LOT of country music fans in New York City and when we gather, I dare say we rival any honkey tonk south of the Mason-Dixon. Such was the case on May 5, 2010 when the Highline Ballroom, smack dab in the middle of NY's meat-packing district, hosted Dierks Bentley's Up On The Ridge tour. I think we even surprised Dierks!
What makes this especially noteworthy is that this was no pop-country crossover act, even though Dierks has certainly had his share of radio friendly hits. (And not that there's anything wrong with pop-country crossover, in this writer's opinion..) No, what makes this noteworthy is that it was a roots/Americana/bluegrass laden show, and that is not something the average person would think would go over big in this urban jungle. Although, NY'ers know differently. We are the poster children for diversity, after all and that diversity certainly extends to musical genres as well as ethnic foods, etc. They don't call us the great melting pot for nuthin' you know!
And, not for nuthin', we proudly accept the title!

The crowd was more than ready for some good music when the Hayes Carll Band took the stage to warm them up for the main event. I'd have to say the highlight of their set was when Bonnie Whitmore dueted with Hayes on the satirically humorous I've Never Seen Another Like You.

After a short break, Dierks and his band took the stage. The musicians included Rob and Ronnie McCoury, sons of the famous Del McCoury. Rob played banjo and Ronnie was on the mandolin.
Tim Sargent was on steel and Jason Carol was on fiddle. I have to apologize to Steve, who was on the bass for not hearing his last name above the crowd.

Dierks started his set with one of his big hits: Free and Easy(Down the Road I Go). The pleasant surprise was that the arrangement sounded nothing like it did on the radio. No.. this, as well as all of the reworked hits he played that night were all in the bluegrass and Americana style that his latest album Up On The Ridge was recorded in. The crowd roared it's appreciation, partly because they recognized the song, and mostly because they loved hearing it changed up the way it was. Part of what makes seeing a live show so enjoyable is NOT hearing a carbon copy of the recorded version. That's what got the crowd immediately with Dierks, and it stayed there all night.

From that first taste of what the night would hold, Dierks and the band broke into a bit of the classic Foggy Mountain Breakdown. What a treat! The hits continued with Feel That Fire, Settle For A Slowdown, Sideways, Come A Little Closer, How Am I Doin', and What Was I Thinkin'.

Dierks brought out Angelo Petraglia, the co-writer of the title song as well as a producer who has worked with Kings Of Leon to join him on Up On The Ridge. Other songs performed from the album, to be released on June 8, included the beautiful ballad Down In The Mine which was dedicated to our country's miners, Senor (Tales of Yankee Power) by Bob Dylan, Kristofferson's Bottle To The Bottom, and U2's Pride (In The Name Of Love).

In addition, Dierks did some pretty cool covers, all in the aforementioned bluegrass style. The Southern Rock classic Midnight Rider sounded amazing done in that style. Also covered were the Hoyt Axton song Evangalina and Willie Nelson's Bloody Mary Morning.
Right in the middle of How Am I Doin' Dierks stopped and broke into the George Strait classic All My Ex's Live In Texas. The look on his face was priceless when we all started singing along, as though he never dreamed we would know it so well, and not just the chorus. He sang the whole song and we matched him word for word. I believe his words to us were "Alright, New York CITY!" and then he finished up the last verse and chorus of How Am I Doin'.

He ended with (what else?) What Was I Thinking (the little white tank top song). For the encore Dierks brought out Gabe Witcher. He plays fiddle for the Punch Brothers and dueled with Jim Carrol on the Jerry Reed classic East Bound And Down.

When the music ended, the crowd wasn't ready to let Dierks go. They gathered near the stage and Dierks accomodated them by shaking hands and signing autographs. He seemed to be having as much fun as the crowd. As the crowd filed out of the Highline Ballroom, the smiles on their faces told the story of the night: great music and a great time. Thanks for coming, Dierks. Come back soon and tell your friends in Nashville to come visit us more often!

NY EFFORTS FOR TN. FLOOD RELIEF

Check it out on TicketWeb - Cooper Boone at Bitter End on 05/24/10


I'll never forget the way Nashville treated me when I visited there less than a month after 9-11. The outpouring of love and concern for ALL NYer's was all I heard and felt. Now Nashville needs us to pay it forward.. check out the link above to see how independent country artist Cooper Boone plans to do just that. I urge everyone in the NY metro area to try to attend. Good music for a good cause... can't beat that!
In addition, Joe's Pub, which hosts the wonderful CMA writer's nights is also going to be selling shirts for flood relief.. they will be on sale beginning May 13 at the next CMA writer's night event starring Jason Michael Carrol.
I know how helpless it feels want to DO something and you're so far away... well, here is our chance to show that the country music community in the NY metro area stands solid with our Nashville brothers and sisters. We all know that music heals.. Let the healing begin..

Thoughts and Prayers for Nashville

As a New Yorker, I know about tragedy and loss. Just this weekend we had another scare and dodged a major bullet when a car bombing was averted by alert sidewalk vendors, the NYPD and FDNY. In a way, while it's a little scary, it's not totally unexpected. It's NY, we know we are targets and we trust our men in blue and the intelligence/counter terrorist agencies to do their jobs and take care of us.
My friends in Nashville didn't dodge their bullet. But their bullet wasn't airplanes, bombs or terrorists.. Their bullet was water... The pictures and video I have seen of the floods are unbelievable.. My heart hurts for them and for their city, which I have come to love with all my heart. Nashville was the first place I flew to after 9-11. Less than a month later. I needed to be there.. it was my way of showing Them that I wasn't gonna be defeated, that I was going to go on living and travelling and visiting the people and places I love. Garth was releasing Scarecrow and was having a press conference which was open to the public to celebrate the release of the first single, Wrapped Up In You. When I heard about it, I knew I had to be there. It would help me feel normal again, if that makes any sense... (to my Garth friends, I know you know what I mean). At the press conference, before Garth came out, I was talking to some of the reporters and they could tell immediately that I came from NY (what gave them the first clue? what accent?). The love and support was humbling. I had brought Garth an FDNY cap and thought if I could get it to him, great.. if not, there would be other opportunities down the road...
When Garth started taking questions from the media, Jimmy Carter (bless his heart) used his turn to tell Garth that I had come from NY and had something to give him.. Garth hugging me that day and having him whisper in my ear, "is everyone all right?" did more to heal me than anything else had. I will never forget Jimmy's kindness, Garth's kindness, or the kindness that everyone showed me during that trip and how it touched my heart as few things have. I felt the love for ALL New York, not just for me. I can't listen to that song to this day without having my mind flash back to that day.
And that's what I want to send out to my beloved Nashville today.. I wish I could wrap my arms around the whole city and give it the same kind of hug that it gave me when I needed it most. I can donate funds, send my prayers and my love, but sometimes you just want to be there, you know?
I pray that your city, our city, recovers as quickly as mine did.. Northerners, Southerners, we are all Americans.. with that "can do" spirit and fortitude that made this country great. You will be fine.. you will dust yourselves off and make it better, just like we did up here. BELIEVE!!!!!!!
(that's 7 !'s ;)
I love you, Nashville... can't wait to see you again!

Crossroads

In March of 2005, Chris LeDoux passed away. In November that same year, his good friend Garth Brooks paid tribute to him. That year, the CMA Awards were being held in New York City and Garth performed the song Good Ride Cowboy in Times Square during the live telecast. I was fortunate enough to witness this amazing event. It was "more than a memory" shall we say, lol.. Garth was not doing many public performances at that time. He was retired from live performing in order to devote his time to being a full time dad to this three daughters in Oklahoma. So this live performance was creating a lot of anticipatory excitement. As usual, Garth didn't disappoint.A few days later, I could not get the experience out of my head, or my heart. So, I picked up my pen and began to write. This is what came out. The poem is called Crossroads and I hope it gives you some sense of what I felt that night, and also why Chris was such an important force to so many.


In the heart of my great city
At the crossroads of the world
Crowds have often gathered
As great moments have unfurled

They gathered by the thousands
To mark the end of war
Sixty years have past and yet
That crowd still seems to roar

And every New Year's Eve it seems
The crowd just grows and grows
To welcome in the brand new year
And the promise that it holds

So there's a rich tradition here
To gather in Times Square
When history is being made
And excitement's in the air

History, Tradition, Excitement
They're a cowboy's story too
So once again we gathered
To honor Chris LeDoux

He was a man of courage
Passion, honor and fun
He lived his life right on the edge
'Cause he knew he would get only one

He earned some golden buckles
For the way that he would ride
And then his writing showed us all
The poet there inside

His songs spoke of the cowboy life
And taught us all so well
That real heroes will never die
When their stories we do tell

And Oh! How he did tell them
In arenas and county fairs
He'd strap it on and we'd be gone
When he flew up in the air

His buddy Garth would watch and learn
And soon the whole world knew
That real cowboys still walked this Earth
And one was Chris LeDoux

Garth honored him in songs and shows
He never left a doubt
LeDoux was the true reason
That his concerts all sold out

He'd shout it from the rafters
And in countless interviews
"We stole our show, you need to know
From a guy named Chris LeDoux"

So when Chris' ride was over
There was just one thing to do
He brought us to the crossroads
To honor his buddy LeDoux

His image on that giant screen
Looked down upon us there
Who gathered in that magic spot
In the heart of old Times Square

And it felt so right that autumn night
For Garth to lead us all
"Just LeDoux it" we all sang
A fitting curtain call

It was as if they never left
The cowboy and his heir
Though death had claimed one
And the other's begun
To live life beyond all the glare

On one perfect night
With the moon shining bright
Two cowboys had one more good ride
In the heart of Times Square
With a crowd gathered there
Shouting "Good Ride, Cowboys, Good Ride!"

In the heart of New York City
At the crossroads of the world
Crowds have often gathered
As great moments have unfurled

Goin' Up The Country... more

More and more songs have been coming back to me, so I'm gonna share them with you...
as a reminder, these are songs from my tween/teen years that I heard on mainstream radio stations.. they are mostly from the late 60's through the 70's... the thing they all have in common is that they all contributed to my country conversion.. I never knew I loved country music until I learned that these songs ARE country songs! When my total conversion happened in the late 80's/ early 90's and I started hearing all THESE songs on country radio and I was like "THAT'S a country song??" I never knew....

• My Maria- B.J. Stevenson : before Brooks and Dunn's version, there was this fine one! When I first heard B and D's version, I thought, "I know that!" I had no idea it was country, or was it? Maybe it was a reverse cross over!
• Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On- Mel McDaniel : decades after I fell in love with this song I was sitting in the Grand Ole Opry and out he comes and sings this song and I about screamed my lungs out! I had NO idea! What a great surprise that was! Since then, I have seen him do this many times on the Opry stage and each time is a treat and brings a smile to my face and fond memories back to my brain, but nothing beats the first time I heard it live and realized it was a country song all along!
• Okie From Muskogee- Merle Haggard : I remember thinking what's an okie? where's Muskogee? is he a tree? Why don't they wear their hair long there? Youthful/Yankee ignorance! Coming from NYC the whole song was so far from what I believed in as a 13 year old, but I liked it anyway.. it wasn't until years later that I learned he wrote it as satire!
• I Can Help- Billy Swan : I wanted him to help with his 2 strong arms!
• Funny Face- Donna Fargo : what could give more encouragement to a teenager in her awkward phase than this song?
• Long Haired Country Boy- Charlie Daniels : in my alternate universe, I wanted to bring back someone like that and introduce him to my mom.. can you imagine? lol I think this song taught me the meaning of being a redneck (not that there's anything wrong with that!)
• Let Me Love You Tonight- Pure Prairie League : so smooth and easy! I loved that California country/rock sound
• Dixie Chicken- Little Feat : I wondered how one could use the terms dixie chicken and tennessee lamb as terms of endearment! I reasoned it must be that redneck thing again! I loved it when Garth re-cut it.
• Fishin' In The Dark- Nitty Gritty Dirt Band : I knew a euphimism when I heard it! very cool! Likewise, I was thrilled when Garth re-cut it.
• The End Of The World - Skeeter Davis : such angst!
• Hooked on A Feeling, I Just Can't Help Believing, Hey Won't You Play Another Done Somebody Wrong Song, Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head- B.J. Thomas : I loved his voice.. I recently saw him on the RFD-TV show Country's Family Reunion..
• El Paso, My Woman My Woman My Wife- Marty Robbins : I see that El Paso came out in 1959, much before my radio days, so I guess I must have heard it as an "oldie" in my very first wave of consiousness from listening to AM radio in the mid 60's.
• Up On Cripple Creek, The Weight- The Band : classic
• The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down- Joan Baez : I was familiar with her version before The Band's. Either version is fantastic.
• Ok, I think that's it for now.. if I think of anything else, I'll post a part 3! Hope I've given you some new ideas for your i-Pods!