So, we FINALLY got out for our first blog-expedition......the weather actually threatened to ruin our plans again, but we lucked out and all tornadoes/floods moved on.
Since our first outing was cancelled with a supposed up-and-coming hard rock band we decided to set up our new first time very low-key......with some nice unknown acoustic music in a simple venue. That place turned out to be the Bluebird Cafe, located in the older, established Green Hills area of Nashville. My fellow co-writer had warned me repeatedly that the Bluebird was small......very small. When I reserved a table for us I picked one up front which - according to the drawing - seemed to be close but not too close to the stage.
Well, I am no longer a Bluebird virgin.....ha ha there. I couldn't believe how small and tight the place was. From our seats I could reach out and touch the musicians and strum their guitars if I had wanted to!
This was a typical songwriters' night with four singers perched on four stools onstage each with their instruments on hand. The order of sitting was: David Seger, JP Williams, Jeremy Bussey and Belinda Smith. The 3 guys all had guitars, Belinda was seated in front of an electronic keyboard. Originally when I picked this show out a fifth name was on the schedule, Abigail Rose, who was the one I really wanted to see. 'Don't know what happened to her, my cohort told me that's pretty common for these types of shows.
Each one took their turn singing their cutesy, funny, poignant songs. They got along quite well, and definitely got along in their performance altogether. Belinda (Smith) has a church-going background, actually has won some Dove Awards, her grandfather was a preacher. She wrote about that in one cute song, "Looking for Jesus Under My Bed." Her humor surpassed her singing ability, but she still provided good entertainment. Her look could have been more artistic, hair thrown on top of her head was not appealing as the others seemed very groomed, but, again, she had humor both in her comments and her lyrics.
Blind JP (Williams) seemed to have the best vocal ability, as he tried to hold back his obvious ability to belt out a tune due to the confined size of the venue. One of his songs, "Light, When are You Going to Turn Green?" was funny and interesting to follow. One of his tunes, "Because of You I'll Never Walk Alone," was announced as #1 currently on the southern gospel music genre. Again, however, his singing ability outdid his music; this fellow would make a great backup for a touring band.
David (Seger) seemed to hold the lead role, but didn't impress me much. His music was forgettable, his voice carried no real style. However, when he invited fellow songwriter Keith Dozier up to sing a tune I found myself wishing David was singing instead. Seger has a lush, vocal style which needs further developing.
Finally, Jeremy (Bussey) gave us very thoughtful, sweet lyrics and music which were also unfortunately forgettable. He made many references to his wife (which all of the men are married), apologized to her for some of his words, but it just added to his overall charm as a performer. He is from a part of AL recently hit by tornadoes, and his tune "Our Little Town" was given a dedication to that sad situation.
The Bluebird was packed......pews were full, seats squeezed in tight. The service was adequate and the food was delicious. There were guests from as far away as Alberta, BC; England and even Korea.
Overall, we had an awesome time, felt good when we left, and I look forward to my next visit to the Bluebird soon in the future!
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