I had high expectations about Nashville before my arrival. Being said both to be the city of music and to be like New York but with nice people I presumed to find a vivid and wild city. But reality is always somewhat different. It is true music is everywhere in Nashville at least at music road with all the country music bars. Great country and bluesgrass bands play there every night. It is cool but Broadway is like Bourbon Street in New Orleans and Beale Street in Memphis very touristic. That is why you see usually many older people and less young people there what it makes more difficult to get connected someone. But still, Hank Williams tunes are played a lot which compensates. In the Museum of Country Museum I learned a lot about the origins and development of Country music and I saw the original guitar of Hank and the mandolin of Bill Monroe the inventor of Bluegrass.
Beyond music road it was way more difficult to get connected with Nashville's music scene. Having some music videos of the Kings of Leon in mind, I wanted to attend some dive bars to hang out until dawn. But Nashville is very much spread out which makes it difficult to come around without a car. Fortunately, my buddy Nathan lend me his car for friday, which gave the chance to spend a day and night completely free in Nashville. Indeed, I had my own mobile Jazz cafe for one day. It was such a blessing! So I made it to a area in East Nashville called five points in the evening. I attended a open air concert at The Green Wagon shop and had a drink at the The Three Crows bar. I moved to five spots and fell in love with Melissa Mathes' live performance. I was attracted by the band's great bluesy vocal jazz performance with her cute but wide range strong voice, the graceful piano and the sweat saxophone. It was my first vocal jazz concert ever though I might be not objective, but Melissa's indulging sound combined the cheekiness of Anita O'Dea with Lady Day's nobility. I got her CD of popsongs for free but can't wait for a CD of the Jazz songs she performed...
THANKSGIVING. My buddy Nathan took me a traditional thanksgiving custom on the morning of Thanksgiving - playing football. I always considered myself to be gifted for any ballroom. Football is definitely not a game for me. I made some good catches of flags in the defense but have been almost completely inactive in offense with one of three at all passes completed. But I was fun anway and I played against a professional quarterback who plays for the Titans, who is indeed just a machine. After football I attended two thanksgiving dinners. I love the familiar and secure atmosphere of that feast and the food. Being stuffed by turkey, gratin, gasserole, apple pie and chocolate cake I suffered food coma. Still I just love Thanksgiving. My stay in Nashville was also very much about much. A stay at Monsell's in Nashville's Germantown preceded Thanksgiving; a Tennesse pork shoulder jumbo burger conclued the food mania.
194 live music shows in Nashville tonight but I have to move on to St. Louis the gate to the west...
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