Rocktober

It’s been a dynamic week here, and I’m just catching up with myself, so I will mostly tell you about it via pictures!

We started in NYC - my first visit back since the ‘before times’ - and it was a very quick trip with the purpose of seeing Brandi Carlile at Madison Square Garden. I made sure to start with an almond croissant.

Of course Brandi was brilliant! Maybe the best I’ve heard her, and I’ve seen her several times, including at the Ryman in Nashville. But she is on a journey and it was exciting to see. Brittany Howard opened and her band was top notch. She sat in with Brandi later on and sang It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World and it may be the best version of that song I’ve ever heard. We were surprised to see our friend Allison Russell come out near the end of the show and sing ‘You’re Not Alone’ and it was just a thrill to see that happen.

As much as I was loving getting back into the NY life, we had to fly out early Sunday AM in order to see Lizzo at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. It kinda blew my mind to see two shows like that back to back. I’m in awe of these powerhouse women and they are all crushing! Brittany, Allison, Brandi, Lizzo! C’mon!

Lizzo at Bridgestone Arena, Nashville TN

Lizzo. Holy shit. We were in general admission, which meant we were close enough to smell her perfume, which was incredible. In addition to having THE BEST dancers - The Big Grrrls - and a kick ass band - Lizzo’s crowd work turned the arena into a small club and everyone who was there was included. She is the most giving performer - and hilarious. I love her so much. At one point, she took someone’s phone and called their sister. We ran into them at the end of the night and they were still in a state of shock. The sister didn’t answer but Lizzo took a selfie and sent it to her.

It would seem hard to top a double shot adrenalizing weekend of this ‘Rocktober’ but on Monday I woke up and met the Mayor of Nashville - John Cooper! I have been involved in supporting Musicians for a Smokefree Nashville - part of Smokefree Cities and this past week the City Council passed an Ordinance to make Nashville bars and venues officially smokefree. Believe it or not, there were still over 50 places where you can smoke inside in this town. To mark this victory, I was invited with several other musicians and community members to attend the signing ceremony to commemorate the victory of clean air for workers, performers, and patrons.

with Mayor John Cooper and Musicians for a Smokefree Nashville

Finally this past Wednesday, I was invited to join in the annual recording session to raise money for SAFPAW - Southern Alliance for People and Animal Welfare. Tim Easton has pulled the community together each year by recording a Bob Dylan song in some capacity - each year a little different than the next. This one was a real banger and there was some very cool people involved. I have a couple shots but when the video is ready, I will devote a post to it so you can be sure to find a way to support SAFPAW. The organization, led by Laurie Green, works directly with people experiencing life without a house AND helps their animals get veterinary care and food all year long. Here are a couple of shots from the session yesterday, video to come soon…