Tennessee. So much history in terms of music and civil rights. The last time I’d been through was about 8 years ago as my sister and I drove cross-country, only staying in Nashville one night. This past weekend, I was in Middle Tennessee for a long weekend to explore some great music and explore the culture and history of the area. I not only roamed Nashville, but also spent some time in historic Franklin, part of Williamson County, which is about 30 minutes from Nashville.
On Saturday, I had dinner at a cute Irish Pub called McCreary’s with my new friend Leah who lives in Franklin. Leah is not only an amazingly creative and compassionate person, but a fabulous writer. She writes a poetic and inspiring blog you should follow called Edges Like Sea Glass where she shares her perspective on life and creativity. She also is a contributor to the Women You Should Know website, which is a collection of women’s writings on all interesting topics that matter to women.
Later we headed off to the main event of the evening, “Cross-County Lines,” a show put on by The Americana Music Association, hosted by Jerry Douglas and Alison Krauss in Franklin’s Liberty Theater at The Factory, featuring a ridiculously skilled all-star house band and a series of rotating übertalented guests including Amos Lee, Sarah Jarosz, Shawn Colvin, Teddy Thompson, and Angel Snow. The house band included Gabe Dixon on keys, Viktor Krauss on upright bass, Bryan Sutton on guitar, Andy Leftwich on fiddle and mandolin, and Shannon Forrest on drums. Look up any one of these artists and expect musical perfection.
Jerry Douglas is an ambassador of Americana, Country, and Roots Rock music as he hosts a BBC Scotland show called “Transatlantic Sessions,” which format he used to model Saturday evening’s show after. (more…)
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