This is dedicated to all musicians out there that have had to open

[alfredo]

for some "jackass."


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvPnNcOz64w

[abq e streeter]

1. Thanks-never heard that---pretty damn funny

I've been pretty lucky; worst I ever had was indifference( and never rude about it either) Ironic too that the video starts with Randy Travis; didn't exactly "open" for him, but played before him at Bill Richardson's first inaugural ball in Santa Fe. He apparently wasn't feeling well and didn't particularly socialize, but again, wasn't a jerk about it or anything. I'm not very sociable if I have to perform sick either .....Never opened for a real big star( outside of Travis, but again, not really an "opening act") though...mostly artists at the level of Taj Mahal, Delbert McClinton etc, i.e. the kind of people who DO open for big stars, or else people who'd had big hits years earlier ( Canned Heat, The Delphonics...). Did a show with the Dixie Chicks but before they hit the big time; really sweet , nice down to earth girls way back then though; I bet they still are (?)... Mostly have opened for blues artists, and Willie Dixon is one that stands out as just a sweetheart of a guy. The Persuasions and Johnny Clyde Copeland were too ...

[alfredo]

2. My wife lived and worked in Nashville. She quickly learned who were the

assholes and who were not. Martina McBride, and Reba are two women who think their shit don't stink. Vince Gill and Marty Stewart were jerks who don't believe in tipping. Aaron Tippen has a secret. Mary Chapin Carpenter is a sweetheart, so are all the guys in NRBQ. My wife got to jam with Chet Atkins. She accompanied Towns Van Zant. Went out with Bela Fleck. She's old friends with JP Pennington. Don Everly is a good guy, a letch and drunk, but a good guy.

A well known (closeted) female country star hit on my wife. Charlie Pride is an incurable flirt. She says his style is sweet, not dirty like some other country musicians. Maura O'Connell is still the best voice in Nashville, except for maybe Allison Krauss.

Nashville runs on weed, booze and cocaine. Without it, all that would be left is cowboy hats and egos.

[abq e streeter]

3. Interesting inside info there--

that's incredibly cool that your wife got to jam with Chet Atkins, and played with Van Zandt ( saw a fascinating documentary about him a year or two ago). I don't understand why making it big can turn someone into an asshole, but maybe they already were. I've played with some awfully big egos just in strictly local bar bands here so I guess it just sometimes goes with the territory........... Also, I have a couple of NM friends that played in Nashville for several years. Wonder if either name will ring a bell with you or your wife...Dan Dowling, who I play with every once in a while, (he returned here maybe 5 years ago) had a pretty hot seven piece band there doing jump blues etc, called The Metrotones ( they were named "best unsigned band" or something like that , one year there), and a drummer named Waldo Latowsky played for awhile, in the early 90's I think (?) with Suzy Bogguss (sp.?) I also was friends with a guy (we've somehow lost touch) who was one of CBS/Sony's top accounts reps out of Dallas/Austin and he had a note of appreciation to him from Mary Chapin Carpenter on the wall of his office that was just as sweet, humble and down to earth as could be. Like I said, I guess I've been awfully lucky ; its not like all the mid-level people I opened for were friendly etc, but not one was a jerk either, and some were extremely nice. I do have a friend who lives near Nashville , but who plays all over the world in a HUGE band ( last time I saw them, there were 40,000 plus people there), who can be a real dick, but has always been as nice as can be to me, and I like him personally. I'd rather not mention his name publicly like this , but would PM you if you're curious ; not that big a deal, but you and/or your wife might know him too; the guy just loves to play, and if he's not playing in football stadiums, he's just as apt to walk into some dive or honky-tonk and start jamming. Well , been fun exchanging some music biz gossip with ya, Alfredo....abq e streeter:toast:

[alfredo]

4. My SO is asleep so I won't wake her for that. She did mostly session work

and didn't care for crowds.


She got her foot in the door with Tree publishing. The person who was handling her account had a death in the family (brother in Gulf War 1) and she just dropped off the edge of the world.

She had a very good producer, but he fell in love with a married man and they ran off to California. She hung around town for a bit and hung it up.