We hit the jackpot yesterday as Miley Cyrus was performing live on the Today Show. Jett sat there completely stricken by the sight of her while the other two decided to show off their dance moves. I thought I would capture about 90 seconds of our Friday morning for you, so without further ado.

So what do your mornings off look like around your home?

Last Saturday I headed out to Knoxville TN to pick up my mom and then headed to Nashville, TN, our ultimate destination for the night.  We stayed at a place called The Hermitage Hotel, its the nicest place I believe I've ever stayed.  Awesome, but not cheap.  We were in town to see Robert Plant and Alison Krauss in the "Raising Sand" Tour.  This would be my second time seeing the show, and no, it did not lessen the experience.

When we got back to the room there were cookies and mints on our nightstands, robes on our beds and a breakfast list for us to make our selections in the morning.  I wasted most of my food, but I did eat some of everything and it was awesome.

Fast forward to Sunday, time to drive to Charlotte.  Arrive in Charlotte at the Westin for the US Women in Nuclear Conference.  The Conference was awesome, the hotel, not so much (I've already panned it in my review on www.tripadvisor.com).  I would have never guess that there was such a population of women in the nuclear industry.  There were a bevy of distinguished speakers and a lot of the hot topics were talked about.  It was such a learning/growing experience for me, I'm so glad I went.

So on the last day there (Wed.) at 6 in the morning my aunt calls to tell my mom that my granny has fallen and broken her hip.  My mom was supposed to meet Chris's mom while I was there, well the meet and greet was short and sweet to say the least.  I apologized profusely and explained that we were planning on staying a while before everything happened with granny.  She understood, she's actually really understanding (I'm sure you have to be with 4 grandkids under 7 years old that you are practically raising).

Got mom back to Knoxville, TN and then she drove home (Virginia).  Granny had surgery on Thursday, they put in 3 pins, she broke her hip and her pelvis.  No one has told her about the 6 weeks of skilled nursing she will require (i.e. your ass is going to stay in bed).

I've taken myself off the Topamax.  I'm just not at a point in my career where I can be dumb.  The doctor was trying to get me up to taking 100 mg/day.  I was noticing cognitive effects (dumbing down) at 50 mg/day.  Just not going to work.  I don't know what to do...

Nashville, TN

I'm wicked excited to see what God has in store for me there...I just know it's going to be a very good change! I'll keep you posted.

ps- I don't have a job yet...so if you hear of anything, let me know! :-)

I'm still just finding my way....

Tired of paying hundreds of dollars a week at the gas pump?  Help us fill our office space, and we will help you keep some of your hard-earned cash in your wallet and out of your gas tank.

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Speakers will include Stephen Fotopulos, Executive Director of Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition; José Gonzalez, Instructor of Entrepreneurship & Management at Belmont University and co-founder of Conexión Américas; and Tom Negri, General Manager of Loews Vanderbilt Hotel

The Frist Center for the Visual Arts is located at 919 Broadway in Nashville. Space is limited. To attend, RSVP to Tara Lentz at 320-5152 ext.226 or tara[at]conamericas.com.

The forum is presented in conjunction with the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s My Source initiative.

Friday, July 25

Farmer's Market

Cannonsburgh Village, Murfreesboro, 6-11 a.m.

Nashville Sounds vs. Tacoma Rainiers

Greer Stadium, 7 p.m.

Glow: An Illuminated Art Event

Limelight Nashville, 7-11 p.m.

American Artisian Cheese Tasting

Whole Foods Market, 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Drum Corps International

Floyd Stadium, Murfreesboro, 8 p.m.

Saturday, July 26

Music City Brewer's Festival

Hilton Park, 2-8 p.m.

Kyle Andrews

12th & Porter, 9 p.m.

The Long Players: London Calling

Mercy Lounge, 9 p.m.

Sunday, July 27

'Zine Workshop

Linebaugh Library, Murfreesboro, 2-5 p.m.

All Weekend

Murfreesboro Little Theater/The Widow's Best Friend

Murfreesboro Little Theater, various times

Everyone have a fun & safe weekend! I'll be running around in the mountains with my family but I'll be back to the 'Boro on Sunday.

Tennessee’s name comes from the Cherokee Indians. It got it’s start when the chief of the Cherokee saw a beautiful white woman. He couldn’t think of what to say, so asked her if she was from Tennessee. When she denied the allegations, he replied that she was the only ten he saw. Thus not only did Tennessee get it’s name, the first pick up line was born.

Like many of the other states near Tennessee, it has weather like a woman, it can never decide what to do. Am I right guys? Guys???

There was once this huge storm, but it sort of covered the whole area. Tennessee felt a little left out so it decided to join in and declare that it had really low temperatures during that time. Tennessee residents were forced to put on an extra blanket.

-The Great Smokey Mountains. Come and see the beautiful mountains, stay to see the residents in the rural mountains see a book for the very first time.

-Dollywood. It took everything within me to not supply you with a Dolly Parton boob joke. I am trying to run a mature website here………but wow, how are those comfortable? It’s like she was stung and they became swollen…

-Graceland. This is where Elvis lived, ate, slept, ate some more, did a comeback schedule, then ate some more, then died. Many 45 to 55 year olds flock to this site to remember their good ole’ days of rebellion, when they went against their parents and wore skirts that went up to their knee caps and listened to that blasted devil music, otherwise known as Elvis and Buddy Holly.

-1780: West North Carolina and East North Carolina have an argument. West North Carolina got mad and went to it’s room, drawing a line in permanent marker that North Carolina cannot cross. Thus Tennessee was born. Tennessee and North Carolina still hang out sometimes, though their conversations are mainly filled with many awkward silences and some slight swearing.

-1838: The Cherokee Indians are uprooted. They are promised that if they go, they’ll get a new sharpened stick. Many Cherokee to this day have not received their sharpened stick, but many do not care since they are getting their jollies by watching the white man come to their casinos and push themselves ever closer to a divorce and suicide.

-1920: Tennessee became the 36^th state to ratify the Amendment that gave women the right to vote. Causing many Tennessee residents to declare “Tennessee has women?”

Whites: 65%

Off Whites: 20%

Guys hoping to be the next Brooks and Dunn: 43%

People who claim that “the volunteer state” is a good nickname: 33%

Memphis: The home of something….something has to be there…come on think…I really should of actually done research for this.

Nashville: Where country music lives and where your dog dies, your tractor breaks down, and you push all your friends away with your alcoholism.

85% are able to read

19% think Garth Brooks should be President

-Tennessee doesn’t actually even exist. It’s a figment of your imagination.

-Tennessee is the only state in which you can never find a signal for your cell phone.

-Tennessee claims that even though it’s nickname is “The Volunteer State” that does not mean you can take advantage of it.

-Tennessee is actually a really big fan of the Johnnyism blog, and you aren’t going to let Tennessee be better than you now are you? ARE YOU???

-in a sworn statement at a Tennessee police department, Johnny signed a sworn affidavit claiming that he did indeed not actually know anything about the state of Tennessee and that he’s never even read a book before.

Al Gore: tried to be president once, now spends his free time pretending to save the universe from a more tropical climate.

Morgan Freeman: Hi. My name is Morgan Freeman. I got a cool voice that reminds everyone of documentaries. I’m a better actor than Samuel L. Jackson. Without me, there would be no March of the Penguins.

Miley Cyrus: the fifteen year old with questionable judgment that your 11 year old daughter likes to imitate.

Elvis: The one man who single handedly went against the “man” by shaking his hips. Not only did he invent music, but he is credited with improving race relations. He actually freed the slaves. See Also: Eminem

If you turn this statue on it's head, you can almost hear the ocean. 

This man is soley responsible for how great race relations are right now. 

3 out of 4 residents of Tennessee are involved in a country music band.  If you are not, you are considered scum and not allowed to vote. 

Some think that this is a photo of a football game.  Actually, it's a photo of a riot at a Shania Twain concert.  It's just a coincidence that there are people wearing orange football jerseys. 

This is what most people from Tennessee swear by.  Most residents swear that if this did not exist, then they would move.  Or probably just eat a different brand of ice cream.

If you somewhat enjoyed this blog, then please feel free to vote for it over at http://humor-blogs.com/

By doing so, you admit freely that you are a good person.

 Last week I taught two pop-up workshops at the Nashville Public Library, and the results were amazing. With 18 students in each class, there was a lot of opportunity for play and an exchange of ideas, and all the participants walked away with a pile of pop-ups. My lecture on Sunday was also well attended, followed by a fabulous reception. Many thanks to the Nashville Public Library Foundation for making this event possible. A show of my work and that of some of my students continues at the library through August 31st.

I used to work at Gotee Records, a Christian record label in Nashville. Before making the move there I worked at WJTL, a radio station in Lancaster PA for 3 years (I'm actually back at JTL again, so that worked out).

Not long after I got to Nashville, people started being let go from Gotee under really weird circumstances. Two years later, it was my turn. The best part is, it was one of those weird situations where the guy doing the firing couldn't come up with a valid reason to let me go, so he had to make something up. On my pink slip under "Reason for termination" the excuse he put down was "No experience in radio."**

I thought this was hilarious but have since lost my copy of the pink slip. I tried to get in touch with the HR department at the label to get a new copy sent to me. I actually want to frame it and put it in my office (I'm sorry, but when something is funny, it's funny). I called the label today but got an automated message saying "Please hold for assistance" over and over again and was never connected to a real person. So, if anyone reading this has a hook-up...hook me up.

It's all in the name of comedy.

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** Interesting footnote: The promotions manager who fired me? He'd worked there only a couple of months longer than me and his previous experience was working at a coffee shop. For realz, yo.

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UPDATE

A few minutes after posting this, my buddy and co-former Gotee employee Brad gave me the heads up on the person who could possibly get me what I was looking for. He gave me her email address and I sent her a friendly and polite email requesting a copy of my pink slip.

UPDATE #2

Approximately 30 minutes later I received an email in response to my request. She told me she'd see if she could get it from Joey (co-owner and co-founder of the label) and she would keep me posted. So far this is going much smoother than I anticipated.

Do you think I have what it takes?

I believe that most of us grew up trying to find the answer to that question from our parents. I meet with people almost every day that have all kinds of wounds in their life because they never got this question answered from their parents.

I look for opportunities everyday to tell my boys that I believe in them. That I really believe "they've got what it takes."

This has really challenged me this week as Jett is a part of a 3 day football camp. He's wanted to do this all summer, against my better judgment. He's easily the smallest kid out there by a foot. Thank God he's fast!

I so desperately want to protect him, but I also want him to explore, learn, grow, dare, and try things I never tried!

Last night before camp he was nervous. Very nervous. We spent some time in the front yard getting ready for football camp. Thought you might enjoy the video.

Now, a bit of honesty. Do you feel your parents answered this question for you? Either way, how do you think it's impacted you?

my creative chaos,

Pete

As I have been keeping up with the story of Juana Villegas DeLaPaz, the 9-months-pregnant woman who, with her 3 children, was pulled over by the Berry Hill police (Berry Hill is a small incorporated area in Nashville), and made to sit in her hot car for over an hour, charged with "careless driving" (no other details available) as she was leaving a prenatal clinic and taken to jail, and then forced to go through labor cuffed to the bed followed by her baby being taken away from her to where she could not nurse or bond with the child and furthermore denied a breast pump to be able to relieve her swollen breasts (and by the way, I dare you to snicker at that last point...there are no words to describe the pain of engorged breasts other than for men, I suppose "blue balls" might be close, but with engorged breasts, the glands can get clogged causing infection and you can get very, very sick with fever, etc. It can get very serious...this is no laughing matter...) I continue to be baffled by the reaction of so many who proclaim that she was breaking the rule of law therefore she got what she had coming to her!

What amazes me is that in their passion and anger for their cause, they seem to take the humanity out of the equation. If you don't believe me, just read this thread over at Tiny Cat Pants. It literally brought me to tears to know that there is such literal hatred so close in proximity to me in the local blogosphere. It's sick. The woman was guilty of a civil MISDEMEANOR (lack of citizen documentation) and a TRAFFIC OFFENSE "careless driving, unspecified" and no driver's license); yet was dehumanized in a way that screams to me as if she were some kind of terrorist. Does the punishment fit the crime here? If you have ever ventured over the speed limit, you are guilty of breaking the rule of law.

Let's say YOU were 9 months pregnant, you were leaving your last prenatal appointment with your 3 kids in the car, and let's say that you were speeding, you got distracted by your kids arguing in the backseat, swerved, got stopped, and oh my goodness, you failed to get your driver's license renewed 3 months ago. Yes, you are flag pin wearing citizen of the good 'ol United States of Amurca, so putting that aside, let's say you jaywalked (a misdemeanor) 2 weeks ago, so you have a ticket from that hanging over your head, as well.

You are now in the same predicament as Villegas.

Now let's say Berry Hill's finest decide that since you are browner skinned than is per his taste, he wants to take you into custody and run you through the whole ICE system. You are now in jail, worried sick about your kids, you feel like total crap because you're as big as a house, swollen, exhausted, and then your water breaks and you end up going into labor. You are alone and scared.

What is going to happen to you? They take you to Metro General. Your own OB/GYN who has cared for you and walked this journey with you for the last 9 months may have planned for your delivery elsewhere, but you aren't allowed to contact your own doctor. The staff tries to give you the best and most compassionate care possible in spite of the sheriff's guard intervening and insisting on you being made to undress in front of him, going through labor handcuffed by your wrists and ankles to the bed -- writhing and shifting as you try to get some relief from the pain. You finally deliver, but then they take the baby from you and you are told they are calling the father to come and get it. You can't even follow your own basic human instincts that God has instilled in you to care and nurture your newborn baby. Then your breasts swell in pain, you try to express them as much as possible manually, but you really need a pump but the guard won't let you have it. Then, they take you back to jail, and 2 days later release you in the dead of night at 3am.

Remember...you are guilty of a misdemeanor. How would YOU feel?

Somebody asked me why this story got me so riled up. Why do I care so much about what happened to a total stranger who "shouldn't have been here in the first place" when there are so many problems needing addressed of our own citizens?

First of all, I am a human being. We all come into this world naked, and we will all return to dust when our time is finished...and it will not matter what nationality a piece of paper said we were when it is all said and done.

Secondly, I am a woman. A woman who has given birth. I have experienced my legs up in stirrups where modesty is no longer a consideration. I felt my water break, the sharp pain of labor...sometimes labor isn't a picture perfect made-for-TV event...sometimes women vomit during labor, which I did once (sorry for the TMI, but you need to understand that this is real life, folks, and sometimes life is messy, and this had to be really difficult for her)...I was in labor 14 hours before I had to have a C-section...but I can't imagine what all of that would have been like without my husband or anybody I was familiar with there. Can you?

Thirdly, I am a follower of Jesus Christ's teachings and have been since I was a child. I do not always succeed in living the precepts in a perfect manner, but I do know one thing for sure, and that is that the very foundation of His teaching is compassion. Think about the stories of the "unwanted" people that he called "friend" when he lived among us. It baffles me that so many who profess to follow Him would reject the notion to act with compassion on those who would need it most. Does a woman giving birth to an innocent newborn baby not deserve basic human needs?

I was discussing this whole debacle with Mack the other day, and I told him that I wished that the local church (as a whole) would take a stand on human rights issues such as these -- because this is not an immigration vs. anti-immigration issue -- this is about a woman being able to give birth freely, without her legs being shackled and her baby being taken away -- and he said something so profound to me and it is so true...

"You can't institutionalize Jesus."

How true...the church is not a building...the Spirit of compassion is within each of us. The fight for human rights begins within each of us. Fighting for those who cannot fend for themselves is the responsibility of each and every one of us who have the ability to.

We are in deep trouble, America. Treating our women worse than animals during their most vulnerable time...taking their newborn babies away from their breasts...

We should bow our heads. First in shame. Then in prayer.

May God have compassion on us and then may we have compassion on each other.

See here for a general history/overview of barbershop singing, which has been around for ages and ages. Today, there are two international organizations that promote barbershop singing; one is the Barbershop Harmony Society, which is the men's division. It has been around since 1938. The women's division is Sweet Adelines, and it was founded in the sixties. I'm a proud member of a Sweet Adelines chorus. There are many regions all over the world in both organizations.

Each region has an annual competition (separate for BHS and SA; in fact, we don't really interact much at all... I'll get to that). Both quartets and choruses compete in the competition, and the first place chorus and quartet go to the international competition the following year. In between competitions, most choruses put on their own show, usually complete with skits, spoof-y songs, and the like. These chorus shows also feature quartets that have members in the chorus, or quartets in the area, and that includes men's quartets, and even men's choruses, sometimes. So that's when we get to interact with each other. And we can and do go to the other org's competitions, too.

So anyway, the BHS just had their International Competition in Nashville, TN, which is their new international headquarters, as well. My favorite men's quartet, OC Times, competed there this year and WON, and of course all of us fans are completely stoked. They've gotten fifth place before, and second, but this time they've really done it.

I don't think their performance is on YouTube yet, but this is my favorite song that they do. It was originally done by John Michael Montgomery, and it's a very popular country song. It just proves that barbershop is as versatile as you can get.

The only bad thing about a quartet winning an international competition is that they can't compete again with the same four members - at least one has to be switched out. And when you've found the perfect dynamic in a quartet, the last thing you want to do is replace someone.

My favorite women's quartet is called Salt, and they're all Swedish (which is my heritage). They won the 2007 Sweet Adelines International Competition in Las Vegas, which I was actually there for, and it was SO incredible.

I started singing barbershop when I was 14, which makes me a "barbershop brat"... can you tell? I'm obsessed with this art form. I love that it's a cappella, and that there is just so much involved, and that anyone can become a member, and everyone can find something to love about it, and all the kinds of songs that can be arranged... I love it all. There are many technicalities that I could explain, like the different voice parts, ringing chords, key changes, the excellent groups, the fun workshops, the sisterhood... it just goes on and on.

I ♥ A Cappella Barbershop Singing!!!

This is an interesting and important idea when it comes to worship music in church.  The "worship wars" of the past several decades have been largely concerned over musical style.  This is important but I think probably part of a much larger issue of contextualization.  

Context plays an enormous role in how worship music impacts an congregation.  How we perceive worship music emotionally and cognitively often is not always primarily or directly related to the content of the actual lyrics or the style in which the music is played.  The whole context of presentation (which includes style and lyric content) is significant.  To illustrate this and get some feedback on this idea I'd like to present a thought experiment.  Imagine the same hymn or song is going to be sung in each of these scenarios, say it's "It is Well" or something.  How would you yourself receive the samecontent differently in each of these scenarios and why?

• The hymn is sung by a 60 person black gospel choir wearing robes. 
• Sung by a 30 year old white woman as "special music" (translation: a solo) but instead of a live band playing the music she sings with a tape recorded back track played over the church PA system. 
• The same hymn but in Mexico (assuming your American) in Spanish.  There are dogs and chickens that wander into the service and small children crying occasionally.  The people are singing with hands raised, clapping, prayer flags and dancing.  
• Sung as a solo by an older man who is overweight with grey hair, a blue suit, and an american flag tie.  Vocally he's a bass and sings with lots of vibrato.  
• Sung by a 25 year old with an acoustic guitar.  He's wearing a t-shirt, ripped jeans, and chuck taylors.  He has a tattoo on his forearm and plays with a band.  
• Sung by a children's choir using hand motions.  
• Sung by a woman who is singing very passionately with tears running down her face.  She's just shared a testimony (translation: story about her life) about a very difficult experience she has had. As she sings however, the sound system occasionally feeds back or drops out alltogether.  

Does the context in which the content of the same hymn effect how that hymn would impact you emotionally or cognitively?  Do some of these scenarios connect with you more than others?  Would the significance of the song be "unlocked" for you in some of these scenarios than others?  For me it certainly does.  Some of these presentations would resonate with me.  Others, not so much.  Context, presentation, style all have tremendous impact.  Think about these issues as well: 

• The time of day or night the service is held.  
• The lighting of the room, is it lit or dark. 
• Your personal memories with that song.  Is it associated in your mind with a particularly pleasant or difficult time in your past?
• Your personal musical style preference.
• Your personal relationship with the worship leader.  Are you friends, strangers, enemies, spouses? 
• Your expectations of what is coming.  Sometimes in church something that breaks routine really throws people off while others thrive on newness.

These and many many other questions are leading me to begin a series of essays on worship.  Some will

 be theological in nature, others more in the how to.  I want to move beyond the typical discussions of "contemporary verses traditional" which I find nearly meaningless (contemporary to what?  whose tradition?) and move towards the questions and issues associated with missional worship.  I would like lots of feedback and discussion on these as they're presented as blog posts so that they can eventually be used in my own congregation.  

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This is a picture of a very special gathering at the Maryville guitar camp of 2008. Jim Turpin, who is holding his two NGC's, got this group of Nashville Guitar Company instrument owners together. What a feeling it was to see so many of my "children" all at the same time!

After taking the photo, we had a swell jam session. The sweet voices of my "family" will be ringing in my ears for a long while.

Who I am and who I am looking for:

I am borderline neurotic. I have a vivid imagination and a tendency to over-share. I can tend to be clingy, but need my space. I feel alone in crowds. I love my dog too much. Sometimes I forget to brush my teeth. I never put away my clean laundry. I like the idea of eating healthy, but eat crap out of convenience. I have pretty blue eyes, and I know it. There is no way for me to have cleavage. I fall down a lot. I laugh way too loud. Sometimes I hold in my sneezes in some weak attempt at femininity.  I enjoy museums and such, but spend large amounts of time watching random reality shows.  I sometimes think people are looking at me in admiration, but in my heart know it's not true. I relate very well to gay men. Gay men love me. Straight men are much less interested. I sometimes have a horrible time holding up my end of a conversation. I try to be a people pleaser to the point that I either come across as super boring or eventually freak out and spill all the dissenting opinions I've been holding in. I was once a registered Republican, but currently am terrified by Republicans in general. I believe in God and think Jesus was probably a cool dude, but, in general, Christians scare the hell out of me. I don't care what anyone does as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else. Stealing is bad. I drive too fast. I sleep too much. Sometimes I take 3 showers a day. Sometimes I don't shower for 3 days. I have 2 cats, and am ashamed of that sometimes.  I've kissed a girl. I can't understand why people like me but am crushed if they don't. I have a philanthropic heart, but a lazy ass. I love gossip. I may want to have children, but probably for all the wrong reasons.  I'm loyal to a fault. I'm nosy. I'm mostly a mess, the wants to be loved.

I am looking for a man. I like dark hair and beards. I want someone who listens to the minutia of my day and can tell which of my two friends named Erin I am talking about without clarification. I like boys who drive trucks. I like smart boys, who aren't too smart to act stupid.  I want a boy who is more attractive then me, but doesn't know it. I want a boy who will hold my hand. I want a boy with a healthy sexual appetite. I want a boy who understands the ridiculous nature of porn, but isn't too "high brow" to enjoy it. I want a boy who cooks, or at least will eat my cooking. I want a boy who loves Nashville, but wants to travel. I want a boy who can hold his liquor....but doesn't hold on to it too tight or all the time.I want a boy who will get pleasure out of seeing how excited I get at a Reckless Kelly show. I want a boy who thinks it's great when I want to hang with "my girls" or even better, when I want to hang with "my boys." I want a boy who knows more about me then anyone else, but still wants to know more.

I'm pretty sure that even if I had forked up the $50 to get an actual subscription to this dating site, had I filled out the form honestly, it would have been $50 down the drain. I'm all for online dating for others, but it just ain't my thing. I lack the self confidence to open myself up like that and would much rather spend that $50 on shoes.

So there.

Recently, I ran into a friend from high school and college by the name of Stephen Moseley.  We ran into each other at the local "drive thru" haircut place close to home where we had a brief moment to chat.  The usual was discussed....he has a daughter and a wife, things are good, etc.  Then he hands me a business card and I reciprocate.

What he handed me though was the card of a company which he co-founded by the name of Cool People Care.  Please go by their website and check them out.  Stephen and the co-founder, Sam Davidson have put together a great website and resource center for tips to make life better by practicing earth friendly ideas and just generally good favor.  What a great concept.

Moseley and Davidson have further co-authored a book entitled "New Day Revolution" which expounds on these ideas.

Ok, now your turn.  Check out their website, blog, etc.  Sign up for daily email tips, or buy their book.  It's really good stuff made by good people.

This was my positive post:

"Do you miss the Grizzly River Rampage or the Screamin’ Delta Demon? If you do, you’re not alone! People in our city and all over the country miss the Opryland USA Theme Park. Here’s your chance to relive those memories. Nashville Public Television is working on “Memories of Opryland”, the newest in the Memories of Nashville series and we need your help. Let us know if you have photos, videos or memories of the park that you would like to share."

Contact Justin at jharvey[at]wnpt.net or give him a call at (615) 259-9325.

Thanks!

However a blog my wife and I frequently read called "Poop is Emergent Too" recently posted a thought which I believe is both hilarious and true and it directly relates to my upcoming set of thoughts on worship.  Read it HERE.

A undocumented, pregnant Mexican woman was detained after a traffic stop in a Nashville suburb.  She had been pulled over for "reckless driving," and rather than issue a ticket upon discovering she did not have a license, the officer arrested her.  Within the next 6 days, she would be forced to give birth while her foot was cuffed to the bed as a sheriff stood guard, be refused the right to see her newborn son during the two days she had to stay at the hospital, be refused the right to see or speak to her husband, and then was not allowed to take a breast pump back to jail with her.  The result?  Her son quickly developed jaundice, and her breasts quickly became swollen with milk and infected.

Mrs. {Juana) Villegas’s arrest has focused new attention on a cooperation agreement signed in April 2007 between federal immigration authorities and Davidson County, which shares a consolidated government with Nashville, that gave immigration enforcement powers to county officers. It is one of 57 agreements, known formally as 287G, that the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has signed in the last two years with county and local police departments across the country under a rapidly expanding program. [...]

Lawyers and immigrant advocates say Mrs. Villegas’s case shows how local police can exceed their authority when they seek to act on immigration laws they are not fully trained to enforce.

“Had it not been for the 287G program, she would not have been taken down to jail,” said A. Gregory Ramos, a lawyer who is a former president of the Nashville Bar Association. “It was sold as something to make the community safer by taking dangerous criminals off the streets. But it has been operated so broadly that we are getting pregnant women arrested for simple driving offenses, and we’re not getting rid of the robbers and gang members.”

As for the idea that Villegas was mistreated?  That's just not so, they say:

“There is a perception that she was treated different from other inmates, and it just is not true,” Ms. (Karla) Weikal [spokesperson for the county sheriff] said. “Unfortunately the business of corrections is that families are separated. It’s not pretty, it’s not understandable to a lot of people.”

She said that it was standard procedure to bar medical equipment like a breast pump from the jail.

Not pretty or understandable to a lot of people?  Yeah, I guess you're right, Karla.  I don't understand why non-violent women have to be dehumanized and handcuffed to a bed while already being in the precarious position of childbirth.  I don't understand how a woman in the middle of labor can easily slip her feet out of the stirrups, hop up off a hospital bed past the doctors/nurses/armed guard, and skip off into hiding with half a watermelon baby dangling out of her (apparently magical, superhuman) crotch.  You're right, Karla.  I'm too dumb to understand the logistics of something like that.

I also don't understand how necessary medical equipment can be barred from detainees who need it.  Oh, wait...silly me.  The ICE needs to keep its detainee-death statistics up, right?

48 hour film project: Where you write, shoot, edit, and finish a film, start to finish, in 48 hours.

The opening music to Jon Brion's brilliant soundtrack to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind pulled me from my sleep at 5am Friday morning, reminding me that my car-driving services we needed (wife to the airport). I'm reminded at this point that I won't be sleeping much over the next several days.

Sleep, a summery:

5am, Friday morning, wake up.
4:45am, Saturday morning, go to sleep.
6:45am, Saturday morning, wake up.
6isham, Sunday morning, doze off.
6:30isham, Sunday morning, wake up, realizing that i've missed a few minutes of editing, while Bobby and Mark continue to review and change and add.
10:45pm, Sunday night, go to sleep.

In summery: 2 1/2ish hours of sleep in a 66 hour time period. I wish my body could handle that more often. I think I'd get a lot done. Of course, I was useless for much of that time. Paul made me buy Monster, which maybe helped. I'll tell you later.

In this post, you will hear things like:

"Our team was incredibly awesome. I would dare say magical."
or
"Making a film in 48 hours is so much easier when you have such amazing people to work with. What a fun weekend."
and
"Our cast and crew has to be among the best of all 48 hour teams. Everyone worked hard, they were professional, and together, we made great art."
you may even hear
"I don't know how Paul could keep eating those little pastries in plastic wrapping, but he did."

We are unable to post the film online for the viewing public until the awards ceremony. That means i can't tell you where to see it right now. I can tell you that the movie looks great. Due to time constraints (the movie could be no more than 7 min long), the story moves a little quick and, if you don't pay attention, you could miss something that would make the end seem a touch confusing. Apart from that, I would say we killed it and had a good time doing so.

Our location had a swimming pool. Built in. Did we write that into the script? Yes. Was it a great choice? No question.

Bobby, our DP and Editor, along with one of the founding members of Fighting with Forks, our technical producer, and big fan of canned tuna, had a goal of finishing the film by 5pm, Sunday evening. The film had to be in the hands of the 48 hour people by 7pm. Due to a glitch, which there is almost ALWAYS one, we got the film in at 6:57pm. I did drive the speed limit to the shop, mostly. If i had known it was going to be THAT close, i may have gone a touch faster. I hear that Mark said a prayer.

Everything, from music to acting to behind the scenes crewing to lighting/sounding to writing to everything elseing, was more than anyone could ever hope for.

Mark and I co-directed this year, which really worked out well, I think. I also think we spend too much time together, but there's nothing i can really do about that.

Read Bobby's take on the weekend here.

If you have a take or have posted a blog entry, post in the comments.

If you like pie, post in the comments.

One more thing: I'd do it again next weekend.

Next project: Tomato Fest.

E' il 5 Ottobre 1925, quando ai microfoni della WSM - una radio locale di Nashville - si presenta un arzillo ottantenne, musicista rurale della zona degli Appalachi: un certo Jimmy Thompson, detto Uncle Jimmy («lo zio Jimmy»), suonatore di fiddle (il fiddle è il violino popolare dei musicisti country). Uncle Jimmy conduce una nuova trasmissione radiofonica, Radio Barn Dance, che tradotto in italiano significa più o meno «ballo del granaio via radio»: in pratica, si tratta dell'esibizione dal vivo, via etere, di gruppi provenienti dalle montagne, che suonano musica tradizionale («del granaio», appunto...).

Non si tratta di una formula nuova. Da qualche tempo un'altra stazione radiofonica, la WLS di Chicago, sta trasmettendo settimanalmente il National Barn Dance, una trasmissione simile a quella di Nashville, che ha già riscosso un imponente successo di pubblico: vi si esibiscono musicisti di talento, molto conosciuti in questo periodo [cfr. M De Simone, La musica country, Castelvecchi, Roma 1997, pagg. 114-115; scheda sul Radio Barn Dance in DeFord Bailey - sings Lost John using a Banjo, youtube]. Qui sotto, per esempio, potete ascoltare Barbara Allen di Bradley Kincaid:

Torniamo a Nashville, e alla trasmissione «del granaio» della WSM. Trasmesso ogni Sabato sera, il programma ottiene subito un ottimo successo di pubblico. Anche perchè a condurlo, oltre ad Uncle Jimmy, viene chiamato nientemeno che George D. Hay, il presentatore del National Barn Dance di Chicago, conosciutissimo in tutto il Sud degli Stati Uniti con il soprannome di Judge Hay [«il giudice Hay»]. Il 10 Dicembre 1927, appena due anni dopo l'avvio, il programma assume il nome di Grand Ole Opry. Nasce così una delle principali istituzioni del country: trasmessa ininterrottamente fino ad oggi, la Opry diventerà infatti il «tempio» di questo genere musicale, dove si alterneranno tutti i più noti autori, cantanti ed esecutori della storia. Allora come oggi, andare alla Opry costituisce uno degli obiettivi più ambiti di ogni musicista country.

Roy Acuff e l'epoca della commercializzazione

Nel 1938, alla Opry si esibisce per la prima volta un autore destinato a fare epoca: Roy Acuff. Suonatore di fiddle e musicista eclettico, Acuff diventa presto un abitueé della trasmissione, per la quale stipula un contratto già dal 1940: il suo rifacimento di Wabash Cannonball - una canzone tradizionale registrata per la prima volta da Alvin Pleasant Carter - diventa una delle sigle di avvio della Opry, e uno dei pezzi più conosciuti del repertorio country. Eccola:

(per ascoltare altri pezzi di Roy Acuff clicca qui oppure qui)

Nel 1942, Roy Acuff fonda, assieme a Fred Rose, la prima casa discografica di Nashville, chiamata Acuff-Rose, che finisce per essere una delle principali agenzie di «ricerca di talenti» di tutto il Sud degli Stati Uniti. Tre anni dopo, nel 1945, nasce il primo studio di registrazione, su iniziativa di due tecnici della WSM. Il successo della Opry, insomma, sta cominciando a creare un vero e proprio «indotto» commerciale [cfr. M. De Simone, cit., pagg. 142-144]. E Nashville sta diventando la patria della country music: in pochi anni la città si riempe di negozi, studi di registrazione, case discografiche, talent-scouts, musicisti, editori, un mondo complesso e variopinto che ruota attorno alla musica popolare, ormai largamente commercializzata. E proprio il processo di commercializzazione della musica a Nashville produce conseguenze di straordinaria importanza, che meritano di essere segnalate brevemente.

Il Nashville Sound

Cambia, in primo luogo, il modo stesso di fare musica. Se, all'epoca delle trasmissioni radiofoniche «da granaio», i musicisti erano gli autori delle stesse canzoni che eseguivano alla radio, ora tutto il processo di composizione viene - per cosi dire - «industrializzato». La necessità di sfornare dischi a getto continuo, inseguendo le esigenze di un mercato in espansione, spinge le case discografiche a creare una nuova figura professionale: quella del compositore «seriale» di pezzi sempre più simili gli uni agli altri, consegnati a musicisti che si limitano ad eseguirli alla radio o ad inciderli. Nasce, in questo modo, una musica sempre più appiattita sulle esigenze del mercato, e per questo sempre più uguale a se stessa [cfr. M. De Simone, cit., pag. 147].

Cambia, inoltre, il sound del country. Le musiche «tradizionali» di origine rurale, eseguite dalle string-bands del Sud Est (le string-bands sono gruppi costituiti esclusivamente da strumenti a corda, in genere chitarra-fiddle-banjo), lasciano il posto a suoni più «orecchiabili» (per l'epoca), mutuati dalle orchestre jazz e dalle canzoni «pop» di questo periodo [cfr. M. De Simone, cit., pag. 148]. Un esempio è Bouquet of Roses di Eddie Arnold:

In quello che è stato definito il «decennio d'oro» del country - e dunque nel periodo che va dalla metà degli anni '40 alla metà dei '50 - si va insomma definendo un nuovo modo di fare musica, che sarà poi universalmente conosciuto come «Nashville Sound».

Country, un nome nuovo per una musica (quasi) nuova

In questo contesto, nasce persino la definizione di country music. In precedenza, infatti, i balli rurali e le canzoni «da granaio» erano comunemente definite hillbilly: un termine dispregiativo, rivolto contro gli abitanti delle montagne, che deriva da hill (collina) e billy-goat (una specie di capre diffuse nella regione appalachiana), e che potrebbe essere perciò tradotto - grosso modo - come «caproni da collina» [cfr. M. De Simone, cit., pag. 12]. L'avvento del Nashville Sound, la volontà di «nobilitare» la nuova musica, l'ibridazione con altri generi (in particolare con i suoni delle orchestre swing), l'impiego cinematografico delle canzoni nei film dei cowboy, spinge le case discografiche a coniare la nuova espressione di «country & western», poi abbreviata in «country». Un termine - quello di «country & western» - quanto mai improprio: sia perchè «western» significa letteralmente «dell'Ovest», e la musica «tradizionale» ha origine dalla regioni orientali degli Stati Uniti, sia perchè - storicamente - le prime canzoni popolari registrate a Nashville non avevano alcuna relazione con il mondo dei cowboy (sembra strano, ma è proprio così: avrò occasione di tornare su questo punto nel mio blog).

Il rock'n roll e la crisi

La standardizzazione del country, prodotta dalle istituzioni di riproduzione della musica (case discografiche, radio, ecc.), impedisce di valorizzare le novità prodotte dagli stessi musicisti cresciuti a Nashville. Alla fine degli Anni Quaranta nella capitale del Tennessee viene importato il boogie, un blues per pianoforte, molto veloce e ritmato, nato originariamente nelle taverne e nelle sale da ballo frequentate da neri: alcuni autori cominciano ad utilizzare sonorità tratte dal boogie, «fondendole» con i pezzi country & western. Nasce in questo modo un nuovo genere, di volta in volta definito come «rockabilly», «country-boogie» o «hillbilly-boogie».

A Nashville - ormai divenuta patria della musica conservatrice - è d'obbligo mantenere, sul palco e al microfono, una certa compostezza, cosa che mal si concilia con il ritmo serrato delle sonorità boogie. Così, quando nella non lontana Memphis un promettente giovanotto dalle radici country - tale Elvis Presley... - «sforna» una nuova musica, che mette insieme le sonorità country, i ritmi neri del blues, le chitarre elettriche, il boogie e - soprattutto - una prorompente energia giovanile, nessuno mette in relazione il nuovo genere con il country-boogie che ne era il legittimo precursore. La nuova musica, infatti, prende il nome di rock'n roll, e percorre strade del tutto autonome dal country standardizzato di Nashville [cfr. M. De Simone, cit., pagg. 152-153].

L'avvento del rock, anzi, produce una crisi profondissima del country e della sua storica «capitale». Alla fine degli anni '50, Nashville cerca di adeguarsi al nuovo clima, valorizzando i musicisti che utilizzano strumenti elettrici e che tentano un'integrazione tra i due generi musicali. Si rispolvera il termine rockabilly, ad indicare stavolta la fusion tra country e rock, e si promuovono gruppi come gli Everly Brothers, veri e propri «ibridi» tra country e rock. Eccoli in Bye Bye Love, un pezzo di successo di questo periodo:

Le evoluzioni del Nashville Sound

Superata la crisi del rock'n roll, Nashville acquisisce a partire dagli anni Sessanta la sua «nicchia di mercato», tornando ad essere la capitale della musica conservatrice (legata, tra l'altro, agli ambienti repubblicani della destra americana). Le case discografiche ridefiniscono il «Nashville Sound», che ora perde del tutto le sonorità vagamente swing - quelle, per intenderci, della canzone Bouquet of Roses che abbiamo ascoltato prima - e si trasforma in un mix tra rock, melodia da canzonetta e musica pop di facile consumo, con qualche «innesto» di sonorità tradizionali [cfr. M. De Simone, cit., pagg. 157 e ss.].

Nashville si trasforma insomma in quello che è rimasta tuttora. Da un lato, il «tempio» del country, punto di approdo obbligato per chiunque voglia riscoprire le musiche popolari (e da cui, infatti, sono passati personaggi come Bob Dylan o Joan Baez). Dall'altro lato, però, la capitale di una vera e propria ortodossia conservatrice - culturale, politica e musicale -, ostile al cambiamento e anche al ripensamento critico del passato. Non è un caso, da quest'ultimo punto di vista, che molti fenomeni innovativi abbiano attraversato Nashville senza fermarvisi, mantenendo spesso un rapporto conflittuale con Music City. Ne sono un esempio personaggi come Johnny Cash - che abbandona la Opry proprio negli anni Sessanta -, o correnti musicali come il country-rock (che cercherà punti di riferimento alternativi in Texas o in California).

Oggi, questa ambiguità strutturale si rispecchia nelle produzioni recenti di Nashville. La capitale del country ha «sfornato» pezzi sostanzialmente «pop» come Don't be Stupid della canadese Shania Twain, che per motivi misteriosi è l'unica cantante country ad avere un fan club italiano...

... ma anche una come Alison Krauss, cantante di straordinario talento, interprete di un nuovo intreccio tra sonorità country e tradizione bluegrass. Qui sotto potete ascoltare Every Time you say goodbye, eseguita con gli Union Station: