Labor Day

Being an old union man I can attest to the difference it has made in my life and that of every person involved in any kind of labor union.  Over 120 years ago workers began to stand together for their right to form organised unions and secure fair wages, basic human dignity in the workplace and a safe working environment.  People died for those rights and it should never be taken lightly.  That’s what today is about.

The day also signals the closing of summer and the coming of autumn.  The temps here in Nashville are still in the 90s and as always I’ll wring every ounce out it, celebrating today’s holiday with grilled cheese burgers, salmon burgers, corn on the cob, fries and fixings.

When we moved to Nashville from Los Angeles in 1985, there were two rock bands here that were starting to kick up some dust nationally and internationally, Jason and the Scorchers and Webb Wilder and the Beatnecks.  Nashville at that time was still considered strictly a country music town, national audiences and record companies didn’t take any other style of music seriously if it came from Nashville.  But these guys were starting to happen, in fact the name of Webb’s first album was, It Came From Nashville.  I remember buying Jason’s first album, not in Nashville, but at an HMV shop in London.  I always admired these guys for successfully breaking those stereotypes but also for what they were doing.  I was very busy with day to day session work and producing records, but always thought what they were up to was far more fun.  Over the years I’ve become friends with them both and I couldn’t believe my luck when Jason rang last month and asked if I would play on a couple of sides for his new album.  To top it off I’m heading into the studio to record something with Webb.  I’ve lived in Nashville for 33 years and finally feel like I’ve arrived.

I want to tell you about a brand new curated streaming service that will launch on October 1st called Craft Brewed Music and based here in Nashville.  It will feature a wide selection of what I call ‘stealth’ music and musicians, that is, music that flies above, below and around the radar.  They prefer calling it ‘craft brewed’ music, regardless of what it’s called I’m very pleased that I’ve been chosen to be one of their flagship artists in rotation.  I’ll fill you in with more detail next month when Craft Brewed goes live, but meantime, here is a link to an article telling a bit about the concept https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/2018/08/28/craft-brewed-music-nashville-streaming-service/1125287002/  By the way, after October 1st if you like what you hear and decide to subscribe, the first thing you will see is a drop down “who sent you” menu, please let them know it was me.   The fee is remarkably low at $5 a month or $50 yearly and it’s a great way to hear new, interesting and high quality music by artists who would be difficult to find elsewhere.

Thanks again to everyone for making Ballads In Otherness a big success and for all your kind words, I appreciate it very much.  If anybody is so inclined to flex their writing skills and post a review on the album’s page at CD Baby or at Amazon please do so.  Those reviews really help others decide to take a chance on some new music.

All right, more to follow next month.  Have a good end of summer and start of fall.

Richard