Artist Profiles III

OK, so Jordan Page, Baltimore's rocking singer songwriter guitarist prophet ... I meet this cat on day one of 2NMC, standing waiting for the bell hop to bring my luggage, since I finally had my room (another story completely). Jordan was waiting for a producer to come take him around Nashville, someone he had met at another music conference.

I soon found out why. Jordan has a voice like nothing I've ever heard. A gravelly resonant voice that sounds truth and sincerity with every note. Oh, and he plays the most bad-ass guitar I saw or heard at the conference. From someone so young (but in a good way, Jordo!), he has a presence beyond his years.

I got to spend my entire last day in Nashville with Jordan, visiting the Country Music Hall of Fame, and generally running around town. But it was the final night of the conference, in the lobby of the DoubleTree, that is forever embazoned in my mind. JP and I had gone over "Go For Better Love" the night before, and his guitar work on it was pretty spectacular. This time, we tore the roof off the hotel, and went crazy... at one point I just stopped playing and watched him jam. We finished, and I don't think I've been the same since. Totally moved. And then he whips out this song about his partner...and what grace indeed is given.

Jordo's thinking of going to Atlanta now.... but if I have any say, he'll be coming to NYC soon.

Artist Profiles II

OK, so the second artist I want to talk about is Three Miles Out, a kick-ass band from Cleveland. The lead singer, Ken Voll, was one of my closest friends from the 2NMC conference last weekend. Ken is one of those people who you like the moment you meet him. He's one of those rare people who can make fun of you at the same time as he's showing you love.

I'm not shitting you.

Most rock bands tend to be pretty one-dimensional. Flat. Not this band. Their arrangements are interesting, unpredictable, and far from the normal rock club fare. Their live show is amazing, drawing the audience into something more than they would expect. You have to see it to believe it...

Ken made my trip to Nashville better than I could have hoped. He helped me understand my own act better than I had to that point, and I couldn't ask anything more from anyone who had just met me. If you get a chance, hoist one with him. Then get him to tell you the pirate joke.

Get your ass to bed, I'll write more tomorrow...when we get into Jordan Page...

Artist Profiles I

So Conan is going to replace Leno. Can't say I mind, Leno being the mouth of... well, you figure it out.

So I'm going to be doing some profiles this week on some of the people that I met at 2NMC last weekend. Up first is Stolie, a singer-songwriter from just north of Chicago, who now plays solo and with a group of two other women who call themselves Tres Femmes. I had the opportunity to see Stolie play in several different venues during the 2NMC, but the one that sticks in my mind was her rendition of a dirty little Irish folk song in the lobby of the DoubleTree Hotel, for these Irish tourists from County Donegal.

Tres Femmes played several showcases in Nashville last weekend, and I would have to say they were probably the stars of the conference, from a band perspective. Everyone knew who they were, when they were playing, and what they were about.

I was also privileged to have the chance to work with Stolie and Ken Voll from TMO on the first night of the conference, and between the two of them they somehow managed to take this conference newbie and make him a bit more confortable. More on Ken and Three Miles Out tomorrow.

This Crazy World

This is the last planet I figured I would end up on.

I've been reading this book on String Theory by Brian Greene. Not knowing much about it before hand, I can say confidently after finishing the book that I now know a little about the general idea behind it. As for the extra dimensions, the Calabi-Yau shapes, and some of the really abstract stuff... well, good luck.

Thinking about music, particularly, gives an interesting view into string theory. I'm sure many of the string theorists currently out there are musicians, and this has probably even influenced their decision to follow their chosen path.

Hey if you're reading this, for the next two weeks I'm going to be giving away copies of my latest CD, East, for the next couple of weeks. Contact me through my music web site, mention this entry, and I'll contact you and send you free copy.

Welcome Back

So I spent the weekend at a music conference in Nashville. Pretty much the most amazing experience I've had musically in a long time. I met some fantastic musicians, heard great speakers, and even went to the Country music hall of fame.

Since getting back last night, my head has been filled with all kinds of crazy things. I'm going to take some time to process everything, and then we'll see where we go.