What a Welcome!

No, folks, this isn't Reba or Miranda they're waiting to see exit their bus; It's Miss Loretta!  A woman who's been in the industry for over fifty years and she's still being welcomed in such a way.  It's a short video, it's shaky, so sue me, I was excited.

Renfro Valley Concert, Kentucky.  10/9/10

I finally learned how to upload videos onto my posts so watch out, here they come!  I'll upload one in between each written blog so when you come to read, scroll down below to see one of my videos. :)

Wildwood Flower



The lovely JCC.



"Oh I'll twine with my mingles and raven black hair
With the roses so red and the lilies so fair
And the mirtles so bright with the emerald dew
The pale and the leader and eyes look like blue."

-The Carter Family

-"Wildwood Flower"

Original lyrics by Maud Irving (1860)

"In Mom's eyes there are two kinds of people," Roseanne Cash once stated, "those she knew and loved, and those she didn't know, and loved.  She looked for the best in everyone; it was a way of life for her (pg. 189)."

Admiring traits? June possessed a whole bushel full.  Born into country music royalty, she spent her entire existence in the spotlight.  On or off stage, her uncanny sense of humor and bravery got her through many trying events during her lifetime.  John Carter Cash, the son who sprung from the love story of Johnny and June, discusses his mother in a way like never before in his 2007 book An Intimate Portrait of June Carter Cash, Anchored in Love.  This 201 page tell-all gives an inside view at the woman who was married to the Man in Black.

"June did not exhibit the same natural musical abilities as her two sisters...She learned to sing anyway, compensating for her lack of musical ability by making audiences laugh with her down-home enthusiasm and cornpone jokes.  She put her heart into any performance and drew laughs with her quick wit (pg. 18)."

Providing stories and examples of her crazy antics, John Carter Cash, draws from special stories that June had told him growing up and also gives quotes directly from her book Among My Klediments. As a child, June traveled around with her famous family as they performed and did radio shows.  Their musical dreams led them to move from the Appalachian Mountains to Texas and was a bit of a culture shock for little June, indeed.  Although it gave her a whole new look of the world on the other side of the mountains, she never got above her raisin' in her heart, despite developing a great love for fine, expensive things later on in life.  The reader gets tales from behind the harpsichord and guitar of the Carter Family and their quest of fame and continuing on the country tradition.

"Sometimes when she went out on the road, the touring group included another dark-haired, good-looking man who was also attracted to her.  In fact, he had admired her since childhood when he had listened to her singing with her mother and sisters on the radio.  She had met him backstage at the Opry in the mid-fifties and, even though they were both married to other people then, he had reportedly told her he was going to marry her someday (pg. 45)."

Her relationship with John was rarely easy.  He was the party-hearty, loud-mouthed, pill-taking country boy and she was the miss-clean and ever-sharp-witted daughter of the first family of country music, who prided themselves on Christian values.  John Carter Cash gives an in-depth account of the love story of Johnny and June.  Those who have romanticized their years together, beware! Son, John, reveals details of his parents life together that, at times, are heart-breaking, to say the least.

"In recalling her favorite memories of Mom, Roseanne described the week-long birthday celebration at the Virginia house...when we were floating the Holston, Mom had waited at the last bend on the river, calling merrily to us and waving her scarf as we floated past.  She closed her eulogy with these beautiful words: So, today, from a bereft husband, seven grieving children, sixteen grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren, we wave to her from this shore as she drifts out of our lives.  What a legacy she leaves, what a mother she was.  I know she has gone ahead of us to the far-side bank.  I have faith that when we all round the last bend in the river, she will be standing there on the shore in her big flowered hat and long white skirt, under a June-blue sky, waving her scarf to greet us (pg. 189-190)."

Loved the book, love the woman, admire her never-failing faith in God. A true inspiration.

I'm a quotes maniac.  Here are some of my favorites.

''Our lives are entwined with the people over the footlights. We are a part of them.'' - June, speaking of the audience she and Johnny performed to.

"I think he knew even then that his days were numbered. He knew his health was not good. And I think he missed that dear woman. I think he died of a broken heart." - Larry Gatlin on Johnny Cash's death.

"We're soulmates, friends and lovers and everything else that makes a happy marriage. Our hearts are attuned to each other, and we're very close. I'll get up every morning at five o'clock and make the coffee, then start pacing the floor, wanting her to get up. But I'll let her sleep for a couple of more hours. If she smells the coffee, she's up."- Johnny Cash about June Carter

"Wilbur, there, is wearing a new aftershave.  It's called, Come and Get It.  And I'm wearing some new perfume called, I Wouldn't Know What I'd Do With it if I Got It."

-June during on of her sketches.

This is Country Music: Brad Paisley



Singin' for the folks in the poor seats.

"So turn it on, turn it up, and sing along

This is real; this is your life in a song

Just like a road that takes you home

Yeah this is right where you belong

This is country music."

-Brad Paisley

-"This is Country Music" (2011)

It's been a big year for Brad Paisley, who hosted the 44th annual CMA Awards in November of 2010 and later that night was awarded as Entertainer of the Year.  In just a couple weeks he will release the tenth album of his career titled This is Country Music.  This anticipated record features a song of the same name that pays tribute to some of the finest aspects of country music and the artists who have influenced it over the years.  Co-written by Paisley, this medley makes it obvious that although he is considered a new age country singer, he still holds tradition close to his heart. 

This love was on display in August when he was given the amazing privilege, along with Little Jimmy Dickens, of laying down the refurnished wooden circle in the center of the stage that had been destroyed by the Nashville floods months prior.  In 1974 the six-foot circle of wood was cut from the stage of the original Opry, Ryman Auditorium, and moved to the current Grand Ole Opry house.  Legends such as Patsy Cline, Hank Williams Sr., and countless others, belted out their tunes while standing on this famous piece of oak.  The awe of standing on the same flooring where so many before them stood, is an honor that doesn't go unappreciated by many who are able to do so.  For Paisley, who has only been an Opry member since 2001, being asked to be part of the celebration speaks volumes for what the country community thinks of his work.  The circle miraculously escaped the waters practically unscathed despite being submerged under forty-six inches of water for days.  Upon it's placement, Dickens and Paisley sang--what else--but "Will the Circle Be Unbroken." With only a guitar and the legendary WSM microphone to guide their words, the duo gave a performance guaranteed to bring tears to the eyes of any true country fan.

I think this was the moment that I fell in love with the man who is Brad Douglas Paisley.  The youngest member ever inducted into the Opry, the sincerity in his voice while singing with pal, Dickens, made me absolutely delighted to be a fan of this institution.  

"It would be enough to stand in the presence of people like Jimmy out on this stage, but there’s something about having a physical piece of the old place, of the floor that Hank Williams stood on, of the people over the years from Loretta Lynn to Ernest Tubb to you name it who have performed on this stage. I think keeping physically and metaphysically this bond of the past is something that separates the Opry from almost all other musical institutions.” -Brad Paisley

I usually stick to the classics, have I made that too awful obvious?  That's why it surprised me so much when I started listening to Brad Paisley and discovered how much I loved practically every song he's released.  He's not one to be overlooked, and regardless of having a little southern rock in his swagger at times, the man writes and sings about things that are important to him.  Isn't this what country music was originally established to do in the first place anyway?  His songs make me sit back and think, 'Oh, that's so simple, everyone can relate...why didn't I think of that?'

Being a concert junkie, I receive emails every day from venues telling me who's coming near my home town.

Who: Brad Paisley

What: H2O Frozen Over Tour

Where: Louisville, Kentucky

When: February 29th

I'm so there.

Ole Hootie.

In front of a sold-out crowd, the opening acts came out front and center.  Newcomer Jerrod Niemann, best known for his songs "Lover, Lover" and "What Do You Want," appeared first and rocked the house will his soulfulness.  Darius Rucker, who's traded in his Hootie and the Blowfish gig and now thinks he's country, came out next and performed old hits and some newer ones for a full hour before it was Paisley's turn to step out of the wings.  The wait was well worth it as the hat wearing and guitar toting sensation came out and played for a whopping hour and a half.

A lighthearted and humorous man, the videos playing on the screen behind him during songs were no different.  During "Waiting on a Woman," the original music video featuring Andy Griffith added a nice touch to the sweet melody.  Later in the night, Paisley made the security guards work for the money as he traveled through the crowd to a stage resembling a pool that sat behind the floor seats.  He explained to the audience that when he was a kid he'd go to concerts at an arena near his house but could only afford the cheap seats. By coming closer to the less expensive seats to sing a few songs, he provided a better view for those who weren't fortunate enough to be by the stage.

He sang a full set of country tunes and proved that although his style may not be similar to the likes of Williams, Cash, or Jennings, he is one singer who is going to try to carry on their legacy and make sure no one forgets the roots of the music that lives on.  From their music to his, country music is a tradition unlike any other. Indeed, the circle has not been broken, cannot be broken, and will not be broken.

<3

Kellie

L.O.V.E.

Are the Good Times Really Over?



Painted on the window at Legend's Corner in Nashville.
Click to make it bigger, it's a pretty cool picture.

The other day I was driving down the road when I came to the realization that I have been in school for seventeen of my twenty-two years alive on this earth.  Seventeen years...and this semester has been one of the hardest for me in terms of efforts put forth studying, writing papers, and doing other homework assignments.  I haven't really--and still don't really-- have the time to blog like I would wish to.  I've got some concert reviews, a few country music book reviews, and just general rantings that I am bursting to type out here when school is out.  In the mean time I'll just get back to writing my three papers I have due in the next two weeks that total a whopping forty pages. Whoo-hooo!

Recently I purchased a CD by ole Hag that had this song on it.  I couldn't help but think that the lyrics still apply to some things in today's society. Give them a look and the song a listen if you feel like moseying over to YouTube. :)

I wish a buck was still silver.

It was back when the country was strong.

Back before Elvis; before the Vietnam war came along.

Before The Beatles and "Yesterday",

When a man could still work, and still would.

Is the best of the free life behind us now?

Are the good times really over for good?

Are we rolling down hill like a snowball headed for hell?

With no kind of chance for the Flag or the Liberty bell.

Wish a Ford and a Chevy,

Could still last ten years, like they should.

Is the best of the free life behind us now?

Are the good times really over for good?

I wish coke was still cola,

And a joint was a bad place to be.

And it was back before Nixon lied to us all on TV.

Before microwave ovens,

When a girl could still cook and still would.

Is the best of the free life behind us now?

Are the good times really over for good?

Are we rolling down hill like a snowball headed for hell?

With no kind of chance for the Flag or the Liberty bell.

Wish a Ford and a Chevy,

Could still last ten years, like they should.

Is the best of the free life behind us now?

Are the good times really over for good?

Stop rolling down hill like a snowball headed for hell.

Stand up for the Flag and let's all ring the Liberty bell.

Let's make a Ford and a Chevy,

Still last ten years, like they should.

The best of the free life is still yet to come,

The good times ain't over for good.

Kodachrome



Nice venue, although no one would
even know since there are no photos allowed.



"They give us those nice bright colors
They give us the greens of summers
Makes you think all the world's a sunny day
I got a Nikon camera
I love to take a photograph
So mama don't take my Kodachrome away."

-Paul Simon

-Kodachrome

(There Goes Rhymin' Simon, 1973)

I love taking photographs.  More importantly, I love taking photographs at concerts.  I always have to make sure my memory card has lots of room and I have plenty of extra batteries in my purse.  I turn the flash off because the artist and band who are among the fog and flashing lights can't quite be seen in all their glory when that flash of light escapes the tiny device that's in my hands.  I hold my breath, although I am dying of excitement and itching to sing along, and steady my arm on the rest beside me and wait for just the right moment to snap away.  If I'm lucky I manage to capture a picture that tells just the right story; a picture that one can almost hear the music escaping from when they view it; a picture that says: I was a part of this moment, I saw this legend with my own eyes, I was here.

I hadn't ever really given this much thought until I went to the Louisville Palace to see Miss Loretta Lynn--what? Kellie went to see Loretta? No way! (I know you're shocked.)  At the door they had the usual checking of coats and purses...only they seemed to be more concerned about her getting shot by a camera than they were a gun.  Now, I don't know why the Palace doesn't allow photographs inside, I haven't done my research and I apologize.  That's not really the point I am trying to make anyway.  I was kind of okay with no cameras for this particular show as I've got plenty of photos of her from previous concerts to sit and gawk at.  What I wasn't okay with was what happened once the concert actually began: every time a sneaky audience member got trigger happy with their little digital weapons they were scolded by flashlight-armed, angry, distracting little ushers who ran up and down the aisles and caused more of a scene than any camera could possibly have done.  I was so annoyed during the first few songs that it made me start thinking about the other aspects of concerts that irk me.



Seger: the Ramblin' Gamblin' Man.



The Excessive Screamer

Shows really pump me up.  When one of my favorites walks onto the stage I jump up and down and holler just as much as the next person.  Quiet and calm little Kellie becomes excited, singing, and yelling Kellie.  Cheering and shows go hand-in-hand, it's just part of it.  However, when a show is silent except for the music playing but the one idiot that the Concert Gods decided to bless you with and put in your section is screaming their heads off just to hear their own voice, it kinda makes me wanna lose religion.

I paid $65 to hear you talk?

What makes me see red even more than the person who screams minutes after everyone else has stopped is the person who comes to concerts with their pals and just feels the urge to talk the entire time. Not just kinda-sorta talk, but talk to beat the band--literally.  If you weren't going to pay attention to the concert then you might as well have sat at home and turned on their CD.  That's also pretty much how I feel about people who come to concerts just to get drunk.  Tomorrow you're not going to remember a thing about the show and you're going to be out the money you spent on your ticket.  Hostile much? Yeah, I get fired up. :)

The Red Headed Stranger



"Excuse me, excuse me."...again

The final thing that really aggravates me is constantly having to stand up so that people can get out and in.  I understand, if you gotta go, you gotta go, but some people take it to a whole other level.  At the last concert I attended a woman next to me had already guzzled a good three beers and was heading out for another, no doubt, when I stood up to let her by.  In her drunken stupor, she decided to take a little tumble on top of me.  Bright side: at least that's all she did on me.  My very favorite is whenever someone comes in late, after the lights are down, and insists I am in their seat. There is simply no way they could be mistaken in the pitch black darkness, I'm just going to have to move. No, ma'am. 

After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.   -Aldous Huxley, "Music at Night" (1931)

For every negative I pointed out,

I could state five positives.

Maybe someday I will.

<3 Kellie

And the Bands Played On



Nashville, TN. Honky Tonk Heroes.



"See the people, feel the power
There was sixty thousand there
Just like thunder the crowds began to roar
Were you there, did ya know, did ya see all the show
There was magic in the air
We sat in the sun woah-oh-oh
And the bands played on."

-Saxon

-"And the Bands Played On" (1981)

Looking back on the year of twenty-ten I can't help but smile.  God has blessed me with so many things, people, and opportunities.  To begin the year I turned twenty-one and without one drop of liquor or a bar, had the best birthday I've ever celebrated just by inviting all my friends and people who are important to me, to my house to eat, talk, and play games.  The high school basketball team I've written articles for in our local paper for four years won the school's first ever state championship and photos that I took and words that I wrote were featured front page.  I survived one more semester of French class with my friend, Christina, who keeps me sane throughout the school-year by letting me rant, be silly, and allows us to sneak off for the occasional lunch at Panera. There were birthday parties, a wedding, night hikes, drive-in movies, sleepovers, convertible cruises, and carnival rides.  I was able to take a trip with Tinisha and her family to New York City and Washington D.C. where we went to a Yankees game, stood in Times Square, rode a train out of Grand Central Station, bought a purse from Chinatown, gazed at NYC from the top of the Empire State Building, and visited all the monuments in D.C. 



Happy? Yes, that's one word for it.



I visited Tennessee two times over the summer and had the amazing privilege of seeing Loretta Lynn at the historic Ryman Auditorium, viewing incredible artifacts such as Johnny Cash's suit and Hank's guitar at the Country Music Hall of Fame, took a cruise aboard the General Jackson, visited the famous Tootsie's honky-tonk, saw Elvis' jungle room, stood in awe in the Ernest Tubb Record Shop at all the talent who have graced its walls, stood in Miss Lynn's living room and also saw the handwritten lyrics to "Coal Miner's Daughter", and got lost and ended up in Minnie's little Grinder's Switch.

Listing these opportunities out in such a way is by no means a way of bragging.  It is, however, a way for me to look back on all the things and people in my life that I have been blessed with.  I thank God for allowing me to have the means to have done all this.

Oh! And my year in review wouldn't be complete without mentioning the few little artists I've been allowed to see and hear.  Twenty-nine artists to be exact (not triple counting Miss Lo, whom I've been fortunate enough to see a whopping three show-stopping times in 2010).  Each year I try to beat my previous years record of concerts, I somehow think that this one will never be topped. :)



How-deeeee, I'm jes so proud to be here!

The Grand Ole Opry:

The Whites

Connie Smith

Jeannie Seely

Stonewall Jackson

Jack Greene

Sara Jorosz

Jim Ed Brown

Jan Howard

Steel Magnolia

Whisperin' Bill Anderson

Bobby Osborne and the Rocky Top Express

Loretta Lynn





                                                                                     



Were we pumped that we didn't get lost on our way to
Lexington to see Reba? Yes.



Kentucky Shows:

Louisville

John Mayer

Michael Franti and Spearhead

The Judds

Lexington

LeeAnn Womack

Reba McEntire

George Strait

Renfro Valley

Loretta Lynn :)

I like to tell myself she was looking
at me here. haha.

Hullabalou Music Fest (Louisville, Ky):
Dwight Yoakam
Olivia Henken
Justin Moore
The Lynns
Andrea Davidson
Kansas
Stealing Angels
The Black Crowes
Terry Adams Rock and Roll Quartet
Loretta Lynn
The Steve Miller Band

Misc:
The Little River Band

Also a little added Happy 76th Birthday to Mr. Elvis Aron Presley yesterday. :)  Which, too, means a Happy 22nd one to me...who would have been named Aaron after him had I been a boy. Great music has been in my blood since before I was born, my passion for it as an adult was inevitable. :)

<3 Kellie