So what are you doing right now?

Something good I hope.

Me, I'm just relaxing after a huge feed at a friend's house. David is his name, and oh boy is cooking his game! It was a trout affair with a glorious dressing, all cooked on a bed of potatoes. Then a salad with beetroot and pomegranates and some sort of home made hummus-ish type thing.

You'd think I was running some sort of foodie blog here.... it's not relevant at all to the music but it was so good I just had to tell somebody.

While we're on it, Joanne made the desert, which was also great; Strawberries, Raspberries, broken up meringue, Greek Yoghurt and grated chocolate.  Can you imagine having this sort of thing in our parents generation?  Summer fruits in Winter... what's that all about? how times have changed.  I like eating seasonally, but if I want Strawberries in winter and couldn't get them, I'd be pissed off...what's happening to us?

In a couple of generations from now I reckon all food will be puréed cardboard with all the appropriate flavours so you can just have your daily meals in some sort of milkshake.  Or like that three course meal chewing gum from Charlie and the Chocolate factory (the original one, just for the record).

Right, enough food nonsense, let's just get into the general nonsense.

I was in Nashville a couple of weeks back for a week of writing.  It all came about when I met Mike and Julie Farris on a cruise in January. Mike and I were both invited to play on this cruise set up by Delbert McClinton (just a bout the coolest man alive).  Anyway, everyone I talked to said "have you seen Mike Farris yet?" and when I said I hadn't, they smiled from ear to ear, clearly feeling privy to an experience that everyone gets when the see him live. "You have to see him" they would say. My word, were they right! They guy (and his band) tore strips off me, by the end of his set I was in ribbons. Not only does he sing like one of the old soul greats but he creates a vibe like some sort of shaman of the shivers. I'm gonna try and get him over here at some point if I can find a way to swing it.

The point here, is that we met and were instantly friends. It's like Jonny Cash said in his autobiography, that there's a sort of brotherhood with musicians.  Sometimes you can meet someone for the first time and it fell like you've always known each other; I can't figure it out myself, but I know it happens.

So, team Farris gave an open invitation for us to come and stay with them anytime we were out that way and before the last syllable hung in the air I'd decided I would go to Nashville a week or so after the cruise, and I'm glad I did.

I was given the run the of the studio just outside the house, so I'd go down there everyday and just sit writing and thinking and often scratching my arse waiting for something to happen.  At around 10pm there'd come a knock at the door, and it would be Mike.... "how y'all gettin' on brother? ...wanna play me something?"..... the next four hours would then be spent just handing the guitar to one another playing songs.  It was really beautiful and good for the soul.

We went to the Station Inn one night to see Jim Lauderdale.  I'd never heard him before but knew he'd written some well known songs.  so I'm standing there, at the end of a table and Mike leans over and tells me to have a closer look.  Turns out, Jim had a cameo in a movie and some of the people involved were there to see him play.  Chris Martin, Faith hill, Gwyneth Paltrow, and a guy from the Kings of Leon where all sat there in this dingy little club.  There was nothing odd about the music folk being there but there was something about seeing Gwyneth there that looked a bit surreal. 

This post is getting too long.... I'll bring you part II soon...

In the meantime, here's something I saw in Hillsborough Tennessee.  Just good marketing!!??