There’s something humbling and heart-warming about being invited into someone’s home. Hospitality stirs a powerful response of gratitude. Every time I sit down to a meal or stand around eating finger foods in someone’s home, I know they have gone to a tremendous effort and expense. I feel valued. Now, add in the experience of … Continue reading The old/new way to listen to live music
Tag: Southern music
Boogie-woogie bugle boy
There are many challenges in life for which I believe I am unprepared: landing a disabled aircraft, selecting a paint color for a formal living room, lecturing on physics or attending a baby shower. The next big life hurdle staring me in the face is being a band parent. Last Saturday Barron took possession of a … Continue reading Boogie-woogie bugle boy
Piano music
New South Essays readers know I’m a fan of Southern singer/songwriter Kate Campbell, so when her 13th album “1000 Pound Machine” was released April 3, it wasn’t a stretch to predict a review was coming. I was intrigued by several twists on this album. First, Campbell trades her customary acoustic guitar for a piano, the … Continue reading Piano music
No matter how far away we roam
I’ll be home for after Christmas. We’re at T-minus two days and counting until the big day. Soon, Carla’s parents will be arriving and we’ll being going to Christmas Eve services at church. The surprise and joy of Christmas morning will give way to the irritability and arguing of sleep-deprived children. Cognitively, I know that … Continue reading No matter how far away we roam
Two nights in Texas
Mississippi-born singer songwriter Kate Campbell intruded into my awareness in the late ‘90s, and since then, each lyrical and patently Southern album she releases is a must-own in my limited collection. On Sept. 27, she released her latest, a live album called “Two Nights in Texas,” with recordings from back-to-back shows April 8-9, 2010, at … Continue reading Two nights in Texas
I Gotta Go … listen to Robert Earl Keen
I’m a writer, not a musician. That’s the best way to explain my fascination with country music – specifically, alternative country and the work of singer-songwriters. I’m not much of a fan of that over-produced, impure sound coming out of Nashville the last 10-20 years. A few years ago, my native-Texan friend, Bob, introduced me … Continue reading I Gotta Go … listen to Robert Earl Keen
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