Skip to main content

Red Clays Writer...Music Night Out...Clingstones

BILL BLOG

Thursday July 10, 2025 

 

Here comes Thursday, bringing a lot of sunshine with it to Nashville today and a high of 90.

 

YESTERDAY

My writing session was with my Mobile, Alabama Trop Rock buddy Eric Erdman, who was in town writing and performing this week. Eric is about to celebrate receiving a Gold Album Award, as he’s a writer on “Stones Throw”, one of the songs on the Red Clay Strays album. That album, and that group that he’s known since he was young (they’re from Mobile as well), has blown up big time. They are selling out everywhere they go these days. And I could not be happier for my talented friend.


 

 

Yesterday, Eric brought an idea to the table about being grateful for those kinds of blessings, and I was happy to write it with him. Eric always plays about 8 guitar chords I don’t know, as he’s a gifted guitarist. And he has a witty, sly sense of humor as well, witnessed in this fun song he wrote, “Who Is They”?

 

Good to see him, even better getting to write with him again.



 

LAST NIGHT

I got out and saw my friend Lauren Mascitti with a full band at the “world famous” Station Inn.



 

The Station Inn is a haven for bluegrass music, but it also hosts “country” artists as well.



 

Last night, Lauren and the band did a mixture of “country”, but the crowd also got to hear some of her new “beach” songs coming on her new EP to be released in a few weeks, including the fun song “Rum Pum Pum”.



 

I was reminded once again while listening last night of the amazing talent in this town, and reminded myself I need to get out a little more often and soak some of that up.



 DIFFERENT KIND OF JOB

My publisher was at the Lauren Mascitti show last night, and he brought some of his wife’s family with him, who were visiting from Las Vegas. His brother-in-law has a unique job. He’s a photographer for UFC fight events. Yep. Sometimes he winds up on top of the cage, shooting pictures, trying not to get blood splattered on him while he’s taking pictures of those fights. He’s in town covering one of those fights in Nashville this weekend. It certainly would not be a job for the squeamish.



 

SONG OF THE DAY

Here’s a song that Carley Arrowood recorded that I wrote with Josh Shilling, “Deeper In Love”. Carley is a noted bluegrass artist and a heck of a fiddle player. At one time, she played fiddle for my friends Darin and Brooke Aldridge, and now does her own thing. Josh was friends with her and sent her our song, and she fell in love with it. So, thank you for that, Josh!



 

HEALTH NOTES

And the cases keep coming. There are now over 1,300 cases of measles that have been reported in the U.S.

 

Ritz peanut butter crackers have been recalled due to a packaging error that poses a peanut allergy risk.

 

There’s a new AI-powered app that gives parents the chance to feel their unborn baby’s heartbeat through gentle vibrations on their phone.



 

HERE’S YOUR SIGN



 Good to know.

 

CLINGSTONES

No, not the Flintstones, but the “Clingstones”. I’d never heard of them either until a friend of mine, Mutt Cooper, who is part of our Freedom Sings USA songwriter group, sent me a Columbus, Georgia Clingstones baseball cap. That’s the minor league baseball team down in the peach state. And yes, “Clingstones” is a peach. Mutt knows I’m a huge baseball fan, so it was a nice surprise gift for sure.  



 I asked him if there was a “Gallstone” baseball team anywhere. He has not replied yet.

 

STAY OUTSIDE THE MACHINE

A kid ignored that warning and climbed into a Claw Machine trying to get a free prize.



 

This time it happened in Mason, Ohio, which is just north of downtown Cincinnati. But it’s happened several times before. Wonder how many dollars were spent trying to pull the kid out with the “Claw”?

 

NEW PHRASE

And I do think this phrase perfectly describes people who seem to love finding and believing bad news. “Doomscrollers”. Folks who sit with their phones and scroll through the bad news and conspiracy theories. I’m betting there will be a Doomscroller Convention somewhere, someday. Maybe they can hold it at Area 51.

 

BOUND TO HAPPEN

Velvet Sundown is a rock and roll band with 1 million Spotify followers who just scored a number one hit. And now we find out there’s nothing real about the band. They are completely AI-generated. The music, the band members, and even their publicity photo.



 

The music industry is challenged to try and figure out a solution for AI, which steals what was created by real artists and songwriters. The fake is most definitely out of the bag.

 

MEANWHILE

Microsoft has announced that by slashing jobs and using AI that they have saved over 500 million dollars. Maybe they’ll hire the Velvet Sundown Band to help them celebrate at their quarterly earnings party.

 

TODAY’S HEADLINE

Goat Accused Of Robbery. (Yes…he was a baaaaad goat)

 

TODAY

I’m back writing today with the guy who wrote the huge hit “Broken Road” for Rascal Flatts. That would be Bobby E. Boyd. I’m thinking we should write a song titled “Asphalt Road.”  Maybe?


 

 

Have a great Thursday!

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

ACM Awards Show...Frank Brown Songwriters Festival...Mother's Day Weekend

BILL BLOG Friday May 9, 2025  Here we go sneaking into a weekend. It’s Friday. Just 71 for the high today in Nashville.   YESTERDAY My Thursday morning started online writing a new up-tempo bluegrass song with Troy Engle in Pennsylvania. Troy plays every instrument that has strings on it, sings, writes, produces…not much he can’t do musically. When he lived in Nashville, he hung out a lot with Tom T Hall , played on numerous recording sessions, and was out on the road playing some instrument with the likes of Eric Church , The Isaacs and a long list of country stars.   But several years ago, Troy moved back to PA with his family and plays some shows up there with his family band, but still does a lot of recording work from home. He told me yesterday that his daughter may enroll at a University in Nashville next year and that might bring him back to Music City. It would be great to have him here and get to work him in person more.   ...

Friends Honored...Father's Day...Freedom Sings USA Trip

BILL BLOG Monday June 16, 2025   Another Monday has rolled around. And it’s a packing day for me with a road trip tomorrow to Illinois. More on that at the end of today’s Blog.   We will hit 85 for a high today in Nashville.   Meanwhile, over the weekend, the National Weather Service issued the “first-ever” heat warning for Alaska.   THE WEEKEND Friday morning, I wrote a new song with my friend Rick Lang , who was in town for a week’s worth of songwriting. Rick lives out in New Hampshire, but drives to Nashville at least once a month to write. He always brings great song ideas with him, and we wrote one of those Friday morning.  His “Blue Collar Gospel” album, “Songs of Rick Lang” has done very well for Billy Blue Records. I was blessed to be a writer on the title track that was recorded by our friend Jerry Salley with the Oak Ridge Boys .     And he’s working towards another full album project that will be kind of un...

Illinois Today...Some Nominations...Bluebird Tickets On Sale

BILL BLOG Wednesday June 18, 2025   Good morning from Heyworth, Illinois. We have a 74 degree high on tap here today with some rain mixed with the sun.   YESTERDAY Myself and 4 other Nashville songwriters made the trip from Nashville up to Heyworth for our Freedom Sings USA retreat here where today we will write some veteran stories into songs.   You know you’re in central Illinois when you roll past these bad boys.   This is our second trip to Heyworth, which is just 10 minutes away from Bloomington, Illinois. The event is held at the local American Legion Hall, where they treated me, Bobby Tomberlin , Steve Dean & Bill DiLuigi to a great dinner. And then the 4 of us played music for those gathered before we came back to the hotel to rest up for today.  Small town, great folks who are proud of their town, and patriotic.   LUCKY One of the founders of Freedom Sings USA is Don Goodman , who is also a hit writ...