September 13, 2008 
Today began with free beer, free food and a softball game hosted by American Songwriter Magazine at Greer Stadium.
The Industry Kicked the Writer’s asses…so what else is new? ;)
A quick stop was made to Grimey’s Outside sale and party where a few non-descript items were plucked out of the “take one” bins.
Hopefully one day soon, I will take the time to investigate them.
On the way home, I smiled happily while fantasizing about the sweet nap I planned to take right after wrapping up a few errands. This evening promises to be another very busy NBN ’08 event and I didn’t want the tired grumpies to take hold of me.
Saturday travels were nice since we only had to go to one venue for the entire evening – ok, technically two, but upstairs/downstairs…baby, that’s doable!
Once arriving at the Cannery, we caught Sam and Ruby mid-note into their set which was not scheduled to begin until 9pm. We later found out that some other scheduling issue forced the venue to push show time by 15 minutes.
Maybe it was the rush to stage, or just an off night, but I found Sam & Ruby’s performance a little rough. After hearing so much about this duo, I wanted to like them. The songs on their myspace caught my attention and begged me to find out more…then I did…and was disappointed.
Only knowing their music through word of mouth and the internet, I am unfamiliar with their song titles, but there were a few times during their set that I was hopeful…almost saying aloud, “Come on, you can do it…” only to be left flat once again.
I am hopeful enough to chalk it up to a bad night and plan to visit this band again. I just don’t want to give up that easily.
Brooke Waggoner was rushed to the stage soon after entering the Cannery Ballroom. Under the impression that she had a few minutes of breathing room before beginning, she appeared to be a little wide-eyed at first, but that all faded away as soon as she struck the first chords on her keyboard. The powerful WOW factor hushed the room as Ms. Waggoner presented her infectious classical-piano driven pop music.
Waggoner was engaging, sweet, risky, familiar, impressive, and memorable. Goodness woman! Keep up the awesome work!
The Mercy Lounge beckoned us upstairs for Erin McCarley’s thirty minute showcase. McCarley is quickly becoming one of
It is possibly the inconsistencies that play together so well for Erin McCarley. Even here, I have used descriptors such as Cautiously & Fiery, Comfortable & Shy to describe the musician and her music…they are so intertwined and add so much to the mysteries she reveals through her songs.
McCarley is a keeper.
Back downstairs, we were informed that The Features, originally scheduled to play another venue were going to close out the night right after Ten out of
Fresh off of a short tour in Willie Nelson old bus, the tight little ensemble (minus Griffin House) hit The Cannery Ballroom stage utilizing one another as accompaniment for their solo songs.
The audiences’ sense of pride for this group of performers was almost palatable. They have done a great job, not only of representing their music, but also of representing
Stand out performers for the evening were Jeremy Lister and an almost quiet K.S. Rhoads.
A second wave of this group is scheduled to take to the road later this year. It is with happy anticipation that I await this promise to see the light of day.
Wrapping up NBN ’08 at the Cannery Ballroom were The Features, a band best known for their quirky new-age influenced pop. The front of the stage quickly filled with smiling, screaming, swaying, and singing underage girls – you know…the ones with the big black sharpie induced X’s etched onto the backs of their hands, who, it appears, are among the bands biggest fans. Watching the fans was almost as entertaining as watching the band – well, for a little while.
We stayed for a few songs then decided to beat the rush out of the parking lot.
From where I sat, Next Big Nashville 2008 was a great success. I am already looking forward to next year to see what will be offered to those of us lucky enough to live in this big ‘ol crazy music saturated town.
I love my city.
Peace,
zss
© 2008 Wrosesongs
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