Welcome to Roadtrip Central! This is a continuing chronicle of my journey around the country, as I meet with Pandora listeners and musicians to learn about what you want to see happen with music in this digital age. I hope you enjoy reading about my past stops - from a three person meet-up in a Biloxi diner to a packed get-together in a huge MIT lecture hall.
I hope you'll take a minute to share your favorite bands, clubs, lodging and eateries in your city. If you don't see your state on the blog, just post to 'Other States' and I'll make a note to try and visit! I look forward to meeting and hearing from you!
Cheers...
Tim (Founder)
Nashville Part 2
Left Gibson's and headed over to meet the folks at Grimey's - a happenin' indie record store. Mike Grimey and Doyle Davis are clear music fanatics. They had a downstairs club to boot.
Was really heartened to hear that their sales are growing rapidly. My new theory about music retail is that it's the real music-centric indie stores that are going to start thriving in the new digital age. As digital tech skims off more and more of the mass audience that are the primary buyers of music in big box stores, success in retail is going to come more and more to those who really emphasize service and value for shoppers, to draw music fans that still long for that experience. People who like walking through narrow aisles stuff with music.. surrounded by music obsessed shop clerks eager to help out...
Continue reading "Nashville Part 2"
Nashville Part 1
Any city that has a music club where they kick you out if you talk during the performance is ok in my book... such is the Bluebird Cafe, an unassuming little venue that is a coveted spot for visiting musicians (also a consensus favorite from the many comments to our TN post - thanks everyone!)
Nashville... what a music town...
Continue reading "Nashville Part 1"
Clarksdale
The first guitar was called 'wire on the wall' . Workers on the southern plantations took the wire from worn out mops, and strung them between two nails pounded into the wall. They used rocks wedged on either end as bridges to tighten the wire enough. Then someone decided to pull the board off the wall and lay it on their lap, using bottles as slides. This was called a diddley bow. Flip those words and now you know where Bo Diddley got his name... So much history down here...home of the famed 'crossroads' where Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil in return for mastery of the blues guitar...
Memphis
Well, I didn't make it to Graceland, but there was lots more to see. I'll just have to go back. There's a certain aura about Memphis - music history so rich you really feel it in the air. Across the street from my first stopoff (Stax Museum) was an old church where Rev. Herbert Brewster used to pen songs for the legendary Mahalia Jackson. He wrote them on the cardboard inserts for laundered shirts, that parishioners delivered to him every Sunday...
I'm still planning my itinerary for Tennessee. I'll be in Nashville, Clarksdale, Memphis and at least one other town the week of April 17th. Please leave any comments or suggestions below - it's my first time in the state and I know there's a lot more to its musical history than the King.
