BILL BLOG
Thursday August 1, 2024
Thursday morning brings in the first day of August. And of course it’s going to be a scorcher. 96 for a high. The heat index here hit 107 yesterday.
YESTERDAY
I was online writing with bluegrass great Tim Stafford yesterday which is always a treat. And we came away with the kind of “grass” song that both traditional and younger bluegrass artists are recording today. So I think we’re both optimistic that this one may find a home.
Tim, besides being a talented artist-writer-author-first rate guitar slinger also teaches a bluegrass class at Eastern Tennessee State University. How about that. And his teaching chores are about to begin again come the end of this month. Those young students who are playing banjos, and mandolins, and dobro’s, and singing and writing bluegrass songs are in about as good of a pair of hands as they could possibly be with Tim. I’m learning from him all the time myself.
Tim and I have had a couple of our songs recorded including this little wedding song “This Is Where You Kiss Me” that Kristy Cox put on one of her albums.
COUPLE OF SHOW CHANGES
First, my show tomorrow night in Huntsville, Alabama for the Jim Parker Songwriter Series there had to make a change. Brooke Graham, a Texas based Trop Rock artist who was to join me and Darrel Clanton came down with COVID. So taking her place will be my friend Irene Kelley who I write a lot of songs with and is part of our Freedom Sings USA group that writes songs with veterans. So it will be a little less “Trop Rock” and more like a traditional songwriter show tomorrow night. Get better Brooke!
THIS
WEDNESDAY NIGHT
We’ve added a singer to our songwriter show this coming Wednesday evening at
McNamara’s Irish Pub & Restaurant and that would be the owner of the
establishment Sean McNamara who will be joining me, Steve Dean, and Suzy J. So
this is going to be a very fun show in the upstairs room Wednesday night at
McNamara’s.
MUSICAL SURPRISE
One of my favorite singers and co-writers in this town that I’ve blogged about
many times is Lauren Mascitti. Her “Nana” is with Lauren everywhere Lauren
sings, even on her American Idol appearance.
Nana films and takes pictures of Lauren (Lauren calls it the "Nana-Cam") an Nana just posted this “live” video of Lauren singing a song we wrote together titled “Look Who’s Crying Now” that she caught on her camera phone last year at the Gatlinburg Songwriters Festival. Watch this VIDEO and you’ll see and hear why so many love this young artist.
HEALTH NOTES
Scientists in England are thinking that a sugar gel may help grow hair. It seems to be working on mice.
3 health experts agree that the best peanut butter to eat is Skippy Natural Creamy. Just so you know.
The FDA has approved a new blood test for colon cancer screening saying that “Early detection is critical.”
DULY NOTED
OLYMPICS
I’ve been watching a little more and a little more of the Olympics in Paris. Every time they hold them I think maybe I’ll watch a little and then I get hooked on the competition. Ratings so far are sky high and NBC has raked in a record 1.25 billion in advertising sales. Katie Ledecky proved last night that she’s one of the greatest swimmer we’ll ever see. Last night in the 1500 meter race the camera actually had to zoom out to even seen the other swimmers in the pool. That’s how far ahead she was.
And NBC’s decision to add Snoop Dogg to the coverage has been a great decision as he’s been SO entertaining every time he’s been on camera. Watching him swim with Michael Phelps was a hoot.
CHANGE OF JUDGE
Look who looks to be taking the place of Katie Perry on American Idol.
Yep, former American Idol winner and golden girl Carrie Underwood. She won’t be nearly as crazy or silly as Katie, and that might be a welcome change. I look forward to seeing how she fits in on the panel with Luke Bryant and Lionel Ritchie.
REAL ESTATE
Get this figure. They’re saying that the sales of 100 MILLION dollar homes in the U.S. will DOUBLE this year. Wow. I’m the guy who drives by a lot of expensive homes here in Nashville and thinks, “what do these people do for a living”?!
I’m pretty sure most of them are not songwriters.
RANDOM
And that above thought reminds me to share this fun song about songwriters that my friend Bobby Tomberlin wrote and sings titled “The Songwriter”.
The entire line is, “you think you wanna be, a songwriter like me, but you don’t.”
Believe it or not, Bobby was visiting the gravesite of Hank Williams in Montgomery, Alabama one day near where he grew up. While he was there a guy who worked at the cemetery struck up a conversation with Bobby and told him that he had an idea for a song. (Usually when that happens a great songwriter will listen but rarely will ever write that idea) But in this case…Bobby not only wrote this great idea, but he got the great Bobby Bare to sing on this tune as well. Here’s the SONG. Take a listen.
And now I’m making a note to visit more cemeteries in the future.
HEADLINE OF THE DAY
Connecticut Animal Lover Nearly Dies After He Was Bit By A Rattlesnake He Tried To Get Off The Road. (A reminder once again of how ungrateful a danged snake can be.)
TODAY
My writing appointment got cancelled today as Kristy Cox is down with COVID. Man that stuff’s going around again. So that gives me a free day and a little more time to prepare for the down and back trip to Huntsville for my show down there tomorrow evening.
Have a great Thursday!
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