I thought I had Nashville sort of figured out.  Having been there a few times, and intently watching the TV series, I had formed my own impression of Music City.  I felt like I was ready to dive in and take the next step towards my recording goals, so I went out on a limb and contacted Gregg Brown, who is from my hometown of Carlton, MN and owner of Revelator Recordings in East Nashville.

Gregg has had a great deal of success and action in the Nashville music scene dating back to the 80’s, working with Warner Brothers and the likes of Hank Jr., Tanya, and Travis Tritt among many others.  My goal, to see if he could point me in the right direction to record a few of my tunes and hang out a bit.

I really didn’t think I’d be recording with him but, he decided to carve out some time for recording a few tunes in his studio with one of Nashville’s most prominent sound engineer Matt Coles.  The whole thing really sort of materialized at the last minute based on coincidence, timing, connections, and I’d like to think some good karma.   I had a few open days in Nashville and had already “been there done that” with traditional touristy stuff of the downtown scene.  Too many people and a little too crazy for me at this point.

Even though I was only in town for a short period of time, nothing felt rushed.  I was able to lay down 8 tunes, which I’ll narrow to 5 for my EP.  Probably the funnest part, though, was just hanging out with Gregg, Matt, and friends that sometimes popped in and out, and walking around the area.

Julie Gribble stopped over for a few hours to collaborate on a co-write and we all shared a few tunes and stories on the porch.  Her music has taken her to the Late, Late Show and Tyra Banks, and as an actress she’s been in Quarantine 2: Terminal and Ride Along.  She self-admittedly came in like a tornado and sort of changed the direction of the day.

I had already recorded a few songs in the morning and my fingers were almost gone.  So once she left, and it was just me, Gregg, Matt, and Brad, we all went down a path for a new song that basically ended up being a Spanish scat tune inspired by the day.

 More studio and East Nashville shots of the experience.

If you’re thinking about going to Nashville, I’d recommend East Nashville 5 Points area.  People are generally friendly, almost everyone said hello back on the sidewalks, and it feels like its more “real” than what the Gaylord Opryland and downtown have evolved to.  They even have a cool weenie stand / VW bus.

When staying in East Nashville, I’d recommend the Nashville Writers Room Air BnB that I stayed at.  The host (Brad) is super nice and even hung out in the recording studio.

Oh, and I took my first ever UBER ride with Devin from Kingston.  UBER is great! I’ve taken several now and they have all been excellent…much more convenient, economical, and professional than a cab ride.  I’m a fan.

So if you’re in the Carlton, MN area I have a few shows coming up, hope to see you out!