After a recent disaster where our basement got flooded with a foot of water and raw sewage, it was wonderful to get out of town and head down to Nashville to see two of my favorite musicians at 3rd & Lindsley. Gretchen Peters opened the show with Barry Walsh playing 8 of her own songs, including "If Heaven", which was recorded by Andy Griggs and 2 songs recorded by Martina McBride "The Secret of Life" and "Independence Day". Tom Russell followed with Thad Beckman and played 7 songs from his newest album "Blood and Candle Smoke. Tom also played fan favorites "Stealing Electricity" and "Whose Gonna Build the Walls" to a very receptive audience. The highlight of the night though was when Gretchen & Barry joined Tom & Thad for renditions of "Ash Wednesday" & "Guadalupe" and then legendary singer song-writer Nanci Griffith jumped on stage as well. I couldn't help but think of my friend Ken Bruen as he's described both "Ash Wednesday" & "Guadalupe" as his lifes story. It was a truly special evening and all the artist hung around after the show to visit with those in attendance. I got a chance to talk with Tom after the show and was pleased to hear that he's still writing and working on his first mystery novel, slowly but surely. Nashville was the last stop on a 14 city tour and Tom was soon to be headed back to Switzerland for a little down time, where he would have some time to write. That's always good to hear as Tom's one of the best song writers alive today & I know his mystery novel won't be anything less. I'm still holding out hope that some day we'll see a Tom Russell tune honoring JPS Brown, a friend to us both. Be on the lookout for Monte Hellman's new film with a soundtrack by Tom Russell. That's 2 giants in their respective fields collaborating there. Can't wait till 2011 and Tom's next tour. However, for now I'm simply thrilled that my Mother got to meet Gretchen & Tom on a night she'll long remember.
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