NashvilleHype!

As you know I just returned from a short vacation in Florida where I got to see my two friends Rachel Farley and Aaron Tippin in concert.

First of all, if you’ve not gone to your local Cracker Barrel and picked up Aaron’s new cd “He Believed” you definately should.

Second, if you’ve not ever had a chance to see Aaron in concert, or it’s been a while, you should definately make plans when he comes to a city near you. 

Rachel had come to Nashville because she had a writing appointment with Rissi Palmer and was set to also meet her producer Keith Thomas.  It was a monday, which was a perfect night to go see our friend Ashlee Hewitt perform on Nashville Star - so we met at Opry Mills.  While getting caught up on all the goings on, Rachel happened to mention she was going to be in Florida at the same time I was - opening for Aaron.

Aaron puts on a great show - it’s a high energy show that touches on every emotion, and has a few surprises in store as well.

You know I’ve been friends with Aaron for 15 years or more and one of the reasons we get along so well is because he has the biggest heart - he constantly is giving to others - not only his time, but also gifts.  One of the surprises during the show (and I’m not going to give it away here, you’ll have to go see for yourself) is one of the gifts he gives away at each show — over 600 times he’s given a gift to this organization and that alone is worth the price of admission.

But then you add in the fact you know almost EVERY song he sings (Aaron has had SO many hits) and you have yourself a great show and a good time.

I had called Aaron to tell him to take good care of Rachel who was opening his show, but I failed to mention that I was actually coming down to see the show myself (my ‘vacation’ was actually to go see my sister and family, it just happened to turn out that this concert was happening) — so after the fireworks I thought I’d go over and talk with Aaron for a little bit.

Aaron had a line longer than the stage itself!  It wrapped around and zigged and zagged.  He met with EVERYONE of his fans that wanted to meet.  He took pictures, signed autographs, and as time allowed, had conversations.  Seems like his ‘meet and greet’ line took longer than his actual show.  THAT should tell you something about what kind of person he is - and has always been.

As my neices and I waited around back we watched as the line finally dwindled down - and as Aaron was set to leave, we watched him sign another dozen or so autographs (and take as many pictures) - on the way back to the bus!

Aaron Tippin is a star - as a person.  I’m thrilled that his new album is doing so well.  You can’t go wrong with Aaron Tippin.  Seriously.  Buy his music, go to his shows - you’ll have the time of your life.

Pictures below:

Rachel Farley on Stage

Rachel Farley again

The Hardest Working Man in Music - Aaron Tippin

Aaron Tippin

And last, my beautiful neices Loren and Melissa (Loren is going to be a SuperStar! - not in country music, in acting, singing, dancing - Disney style!)

This is a great video and a fun song - it comes from Trailer Choir, a trio signed to Toby Keith’s Show Dog label.  The song is the lead track from Toby’s new movie, “Beer For My Horses“, which looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun as well.  Nashvillehype! will be talking to Trailer Choir soon we hope, so be on the lookout.

My favorite quote from the bio below: “Toby said get your stuff, get a band, just get out there introduce yourselves and play,” Butter says. “He told us, ‘I don’t have a plan for this; nobody has a plan. You guys have to make it work.’” - that’s old school!

Popular music occasionally yields songs that capture an idea on the cusp of cultural consciousness. “How Do You Like Me Now?!” “Walk This Way.” “Hey Good Lookin’.” These catchphrase concepts immediately become part of the American lexicon or, perhaps, already were and are just graced with better publicity.

Chicken-or-egg conundrum aside, it’s a rare convergence and one that seems to be a special gift of new Show Dog Nashville trio Trailer Choir.

The band’s debut single “Off The Hillbilly Hook” not only contributed to lead Show Dog Toby Keith’s decision to sign them to his label, but has become the lead single for the soundtrack for Keith’s upcoming feature film Beer For My Horses. And there are more where that comes from. “Rockin’ The Beer Gut” gives definition to the growing and curious cultural phenomenon of tiny-tees and tubby tummies. “My Next 5 Beers” gives voice to anyone looking for a respite from life’s long term responsibilities.

Quotable lines and good time songs only touch on the Trailer Choir experience, however. Full effects can only be felt live and in-person, where we find master of ceremonies, comic ringleader and front man Butter, smooth and soulful Louisiana girl Crystal and worm popping small town big boy Big Vinny. Because you just haven’t lived until you’ve seen a 400-pound man do the pop worm in the middle of a country show. Hey, when a band’s list of influences includes Garth, Tammy, Oprah, David Lee Roth, Elvis and the Sonic Drive-in, expect the unexpected.

Trailer Choir started as a loose association of musicians and singers, usually including Butter and Big Vinny, traveling the Southeast playing private parties and frat houses. They’d cover everything from “Dust On The Bottle” to “Friends In Low Places” and, when Crystal joined them, “I Will Survive.” Over time, they added a few originals.

“We started playing songs we could slip in during these parties that would fit in and keep people listening and dancing,” Butter says. “That’s why so much of the writing takes the tone that it does. It’s not wrong to play your own stuff at a cover show, unless you start losing the crowd. And we never wanted to do that.”

So Butter and Big Vinny figured they were on to something good, but never really equated it with their ultimate ambitions. In fact, Trailer Choir wasn’t originally intended to be their Nashville play. It was their let’s-make-money, let’s-find-gigs, let’s-have-fun play. And a funny thing happened on the way to the next paying gig: They had so much fun that folks started to notice. Most notably a man who understands better than most that being what Nashville wants you to be doesn’t exactly translate to success in the heartland – Toby Keith.

“We decided to put together an in-town show that was four to six songs long,” Butter says of the decision to pull the covers from the show when playing Music City. Local Nashville music promoter Billy Block gave the band a platform for their original set, and word spread quickly. One of their earliest fans made an unusual demand.

“I jumped on stage with them one night,” Crystal says. “I was getting frustrated because one of their songs really needed a female harmony so I just took over a microphone.” “Once Crystal locked in with us, it was clear,” Butter says. “She brought everything to the table. She looked great, she sang great. You know, she…” “She looked great, she sang great,” Big Vinny smiles.

“At that point we started counting on her and she started counting on us,” Butter adds. “We even started rehearsing,” Crystal laughs.

“I’m not sure we’ve rehearsed three times since we started this thing,” Butter says, explaining the band’s fun-first mantra. “We like to rehearse it in front of people.” “Butter always changes things when we get on stage anyway,” Big Vinny says. “What’s the point?”

Their lineup solidified, momentum began to build for Trailer Choir. One night after a show, Toby Keith introduced himself to the band. That meeting led to another planned showcase for Keith and Show Dog Nashville staff in the spring of 2007. They were offered a deal on the spot.

Within days, the band was on a tour bus headed out on Toby’s Big Dog Daddy tour, where they played side stages, beer stands, parking lots – anywhere they could find fans to listen. “Toby said get your stuff, get a band, just get out there introduce yourselves and play,” Butter says. “He told us, ‘I don’t have a plan for this; nobody has a plan. You guys have to make it work.’”

“That was a great time for us, because we relished being in the parking lot,” Big Vinny says. “They let us in the door and we hustled like you’d expect someone to. I was averaging 50 pop worms a day.”

“It was the three of us in a golf cart riding around with a PA system Butter rigged to run off the battery he took out of his car when we left for the tour,” Crystal says. “That was a blessing for us, because it put us in the environment we’re built for,” Butter adds. “We got to meet hundreds of thousands of people because we were walking around with an acoustic guitar, eating hamburgers and drinking beer with them.”

The tour was an education, in more ways than one. “We realized a little too late that if you need a golf cart from the venue, send Crystal,” Big Vinny admits. “Me or Butter walk out there like, ‘Hey, can we get a golf cart?’ And they’re all, ‘Naw, we ain’t got any.’ Send Crystal and it’s, ‘We have three carts. You need a driver?’”

Still touring regularly with Keith, Trailer Choir are also working on their debut album, which Toby is producing. They’re applying everything they’ve learned about moving an audience to the project and, most importantly, having fun.

“We’re very serious about our songwriting, even though our songs are about having a good time,” Butter says. “And there will come a time when a deeper side of what we do will come out. But the way this band started and the world this music came out of was the mindset you feel when you’re tailgating. You can pile all your stress up somewhere else for an hour and come hang with us.” And you just might pick up a few one-liners in the process.

This is a video of Rachel Farley doing Miranda Lambert’s “Gunpowder and Lead”.  This video was shot during CMA Week at the Cadillac Ranch in downtown Nashville.  The night before, at midnight, she had went down to play with this band. She’d never played with them before (or a true band from what I know), but she was invited, so she went - played a few songs and learned a little of what it means to improvise on stage - even if you aren’t sure what’s going on or what to do next.  The band invited her back, so the next day, she went again.  The place was packed out, and this was Rachel’s first song with the band. Seriously, her FIRST song.

I say this reluctantly but I want to make a point - Rachel is 13.  Admit it, Rachel Farley is AWESOME! Can you even imagine when she starts recording with Keith Thomas??  Forget about it - she’s taking over the world.

Here’s what I wrote about it June 10th, 2008:

Walk around Nashville a little while, look around, and make our way over to the Cadillac Ranch to see Rachel Farley perform

and she COMPLETELY took everyone in the audience by surprize -

cause people, just listen to me please! - Rachel is a STAR!  She absolutely ROCKS!  You wonder why she wins so many awards?  Why she’s working with Grammy winning mega-producers?  Why major record label Presidents show up to a Benefit Concert?  It’s not cause it’s a good cause!  Wonder why I had her on NashvilleHype! before anyone knew a Rachel Farley existed?  Because she KILLS from the stage!  Especially with a band.  I’ve not seen her perform with a band before and oh my… just unbelievable.  She has really grown in stage presence since I first saw her perform.  And her future is only going to get brighter.

After Rachel performed, I got a chance to dispel some good old fashion wisdom in her direction

and she’s a sponge.  Look at those eyes.  I wish every artists would listen to me as intently as Rachel does - things might be better for them.  ahh, cest la vie.

Here’s a bonus video, just to show you what kind of songs she’s writing RIGHT NOW — this is an Original song written solely by Rachel - “Empty Bottle and an Empty Heart”

I went down to John Rich’s “Get Rich” competition tonight in downtown Nashville to see my awesome friend Jaida Dreyer perform:

Jaida just signed a publishing deal with mega-producer/publisher Byron Gallimore (Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, everyone else) - which is awesome.  Despite being relatively unknown thoughout the country, it seems her talent has helped her become well known here in Nashville - and the hits I receive of people visiting from a Google search on her is really impressive.  She is SO close to being a household name, and though I couldn’t stay tonight to watch her perform, in the coming days I’m going to have some live photos from tonights performance.

So I had just walked in, said hello to a half dozen people and took a picture or two with Jaida when I decide to go into the main room.  I look upstairs and see Ashlee Hewitt!!  I ask the lady at the ‘rope’ if I can go say hi, but also inform her I don’t want to hurt Ashlee or the integrity of the show - and so, I can’t.  Bummer.

But soon after, Ashlee and the rest of the girl cast of Nashville Star come walking down.  The rope lady tells me ”she’s in ‘public’ now, you can go talk to her” - and so, I go over, kneel down beside Ashlee and say “hello ladies!”.

Let me first say how great all the girls look.  They are all as beautiful and sweet in person as they come across on TV.

After hugs and hello’s and OMgoodnesses, I asked Ashlee how she was doing (really good!), if since she’s been ‘locked away’ she was able to talk to anyone like friends and family (she said she wasn’t), and if things were going well for her (they are).  I DON’T talk about the show, or the songs, or the voters, or anything else - in fact, we never said one word about the show.  Believe me, there’s a lot I wanted to tell her - but as always in life, there’s a time and a place.  I told her that I talk to her mom as much as I can and everyone else as well and we are all SO proud of her.  I told the other girls that they are all doing great and say goodbye…

But then I think, “wonder if a picture would be ok” … so, I went back over and asked Ashlee, “can we all take a picture together or is that against some rules” … here’s the answer:

Bottom line, Ashlee is doing great! - still the same sweetheart she’s always been.

As I walked away the second time, I told all the girls goodluck and wished them all the best.  Alyson, Shawn, and Melissa are all real sweethearts as well - it was my pleasure to meet them all and seriously, I wish them all the best - long and successful careers.

As for Ashlee, I just want the world for her.

It’s taken forever to get any new music out of these three beauties - but finally, here’s your chance to hear something from them.

Carter’s Chord self titled debut full album stream is available to listen at That’s Country for one week only.  The album was released exclusively on I-Tunes today and below is the link to the full online listening party.
 
http://www.thatscountry.com/am2/publish/audio/004431.shtml

If memory serves, the three sisters, Becky, Emily, and Joanna were discovered by Toby Keith and signed to his Show Dog label what seems like years ago (2006?).  Before you knew it, Toby released his own album and he also starred in Broken Bridges, where he soon found his newest protege’ and co-star Lindsey Haun (what ever happened to her?) – and Carter’s Chord seemed to be trapped somewhere in the background along with southern style rockers Flynnville Train. 

But if you like pop-country, the wait was worth it - because what you’ll hear on this new CD is poppy-pop-country with great harmonies.  Several of the songs beg for year long radio play, and I would suspect you’ll be hearing a lot of these girls on radio before long.  That’s IF radio wakes up and realises that GIRLS sing country music too  (You know, besides Taylor and Carrie), and IF now is the time for Toby to really start pushing the girls the way he might should have years ago.  We hope so - and them actually having a release, even if for now it is only on i-Tunes, is a good sign.  So is the fact Universal Music is working them to various internet outlets like NashvilleHype! 

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