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Trick Photography with Album Covers

As some who loves LPs, this is pretty freakin cool to me!

Check these out…

Trick Photography with Album Covers

[image credit: Tim Caynes]

Enjoyed that? Here are a bunch more!

More Trick Photography with Album Covers

Cheers,
-Johnny T

A Rootsy Nashville Night with Robert Plant

I once again thoroughly enjoyed my latest visit to the Loveless Barn to see Music City Roots.  The eclectic line-up opened with Nashville’s own, The Greencards, featuring the oh, so beautiful looking & sounding Australian Carol Young on vocals.  There was Brooklyn Bluegrass from Rebecca Pronsky. Who knew my hometown New Yorkers could play some pretty fine Bluegrass music! Then there was The Sweetback Sisters which featured great harmonies and some pretty killer lead guitar licks.  Darrell Scott, the writer of countless country hits, opened his set with a Paul Simon cover and sang a bunch of his own songs including a great rendition of the Travis Tritt song he penned, “It’s a Great Day To Be Alive.”  Now that’s the power of positive thinking!

Jim Lauderdale closed the show by leading a Loveless Jam finale of “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away” (see the photo below courtesy of the MusicCityRoots.com) which sounded more than a bit better then when my friends and I try to rock it out on Rock Band!

As if that all that wasn’t enough for a splendid $10 musical night out, to top it off I bumped into Rock n’ Roll legend, Robert Plant, on the way out.  That’s the second time I’ve bumped into Mr. Plant in the past few months.  Maybe he’s stalking me for a co-write or blog plug!  Yeah, I guess not.  I did want to tell him it’s time for a 15-minute Led Zeppelin reunion during the halftime show at Super Bowl XLV, but he seems more into rootsy Nashville music and Bongo Java these days.  Who would have thought I’d have two things in common with Robert Plant!  Maybe it’s time to grow my hair out.  Yeah, I guess not.

Next Wednesday on Music City Roots – Will Kimbrough, The Vespers, The Hot Seats, Ashley Cleveland & Amber Digby. You can view the current season’s schedule here.  Who knows, maybe someday there will be an Allison Krauss & Robert Plant performance on the schedule. It’s probably more likely than a halftime show to me!

Cheers,
Johnny T

A Blast from the Point!

For those of you who are living under a rock or have been without power for about a week, the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics have started with a thunderous roar. The hopes and dreams of all Canadians have been put on the shoulders of their athletes as they look to defend their home turf in Western Canada.

After an awe inspiring opening ceremony (which came with a mechanical glitch), the games kicked off. One of the most notable moments came in the men’s short track speed skating. Apolo Anton Ono somehow found his way back to the medal stand during the 1500 meter race. During the final turn on the last lap two of the three Korean speedskating leaders wiped each other out of the race, which opened the door for Ohno to take Silver and fellow American J.R. Celski to nab the Bronze Medal.

In what seemed like an eternity, Alexandre Bilodeau captured the host nation’s first gold medal while competing in the Men’s Mogul Finals. After winning their first Gold Medal, Canada finally felt at home as they started to rack up medals. At it currently stands, the United States leads in the medal count with 14 total medals as Germany sits in second with 10. France and Canada bring up the 3rd and 4th spot respectively with 7 and 6 medals.

Lindsey Vonn, after much speculation as to the current condition her shin was in, geared up and raced in the Women’s Downhill Skiing event. Before she was set to go, fellow American Julia Mancuso had a fantastic run and was guaranteed to stand on the podium. Pulling out all the stops, Vonn captured gold in her run and the celebration began: “A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders now. I got the gold medal that I came here to get. And now I’m just going to attack every day, with no regrets and no fear,” said Vonn. In the final downhill skiing standings, the US captured gold and silver.

One of my favorite sports FINALLY began as the Men’s Ice Hockey began it’s division play. Team USA started the party with a 3-1 win (Goals by Bobby Ryan, Brandon Backes, and Ryan Malone) over Team Switzerland while Team Canada dominated Team Norway with a 8-0 win (Jarome Iginla scored 3 goals – Sidney Crosby assisted on all three of those goals). Nashville Predators’ own Shea Weber added an assist on a goal by Mike Richards during the second period of that game. If you haven’t caught any of the hockey games yet, be sure to tune in this Sunday as the two North American powers will collide with Team USA taking on Team Canada.

The 2010 Winter Olympics has a ton of story lines to follow and if you are able to, I seriously suggest taking in as much as you can. Find a sport that you can really get into and watch as athletes from all over the world battle it out. There are still plenty of events to watch which will be shown on NBC, CNBC, or the USA Network. This blog post doesn’t cover every story out there but I wanted to update the Music City Rambling readers as to what is going on in the olympics. Needless to say, I’ll be glued to my television as I continue to watch almost every event I can (and yes, that does include curling).

- J.P.

Bluegrass. 333 Feet Below The Ground!

I have done my fair share of spelunking in my days…and for those of you who think that’s some kinda naughty word, it actually refers to the practice of visiting caves.

I have also seen & heard my fair share of live radio shows at cool venues like The Ryman, where I occasionally work, and The Loveless Barn.

Put these two hobbies together, and what have ya got?

Well, let me tell you about  another way cool venue to hear live music.  It just may be the most unique musical venue anywhere in the world, and it’s practically in our backyard…well, practically under our backyard!

It’s called Bluegrass Underground, and it takes place 333 feet below the ground in the acoustically pure Volcano Room in Cumberland Caverns by McMinnville, Tennessee. It is broadcast in Nashville on WSM and is now going to be filmed for a PBS television program.

Look at this photo. Talk about breathtaking!

A few months ago, I got to experience the beauty of Cumberland Caverns and the Volcano Room when I took a tour there.  However, I have never had the chance to see and hear Bluegrass Underground.  It was worth the ride just to see the caverns, and I can only imagine how amazing it sounds with bluegrass music flowing through those walls!

The first show and taping of the season is on Saturday, February 27 at 1 PM and features a fabulous line-up with The John Cowan Band, The Greencards, and Mike Farris & The McCrary Sisters.  Todd Jarrell, the producer of the Bluegrass Underground tv show promises “a full-on presentation of one of the most visually amazing and acoustically true venues on the planet—bar none.”

Count me in!  You can buy tickets to the first show here.

Cheers,
Johnny T

Meet Me At The Barn!

OK, so I’m a New Yawker.  Well, I guess a former New Yawker, but still, when I invite you to “meet me at the barn,” it definitely sounds a bit weird for me.  I guess deep down I’m just a honky tonking southern boy who likes his buttery biscuits and rootsy music!

So, to continue nourishing my stomach and soul, tomorrow night I’m planning to take yet another trip to the Loveless Barn to hear yet another great Music City Roots show. It’s quickly becoming one of my favorite nights of music in this town, and definitely one of the best ways to spend a winter Wednesday night!

This week’s show is once again hosted by Jim Lauderdale and features yet another eclectic line-up of super-talented folks including The Sweetback Sisters, Rebecca Pronsky, Darrell Scott and The Greencards.

See ya at the Barn!

Cheers,
Johnny T

One Love 4 Haiti

It’s never to late to give! Join us on Friday, February 19 at 2nd Ave. Live for One Love 4 Haiti, a benefit for Haiti Relief and Restoration.

Sing. Dance & Reggae to the music of Bob Marley and help out a cause that still needs our assistance.

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Peace,
-Johnny T