'TIN PAN SOUTH'
REPORT
Day Three: April 4,
2013
It
wasn't easy, but MCAU's writers finally whittled down the impressive "Tin
Pan South" show list on Thursday to two: The early show at the Commodore
Lounge (featuring Liz Hengber, Wil Nance, Kerry Kurt Phillips, and Steve
Williams) and the late show at the Station Inn (featuring Larry Gatlin, Leslie
Satcher, Bobby Tomberlin, plus special guest Vince Gill). Both shows were
outstanding.
April 4 (Thursday):
COMMODORE LOUNGE (Early Show):
As
soon as we sat down, we were greeted by the affable (award-winning songwriter
encourager) Debi Champion. We later spotted Debi with ASCAP legend Ralph Murphy
(see photo with this review). We knew then that we were in for a great show.
(Photo: Ralph Murphy and Debi Champion)
It
was a wonderful change of pace. Liz Hengber, Wil Nance, Kerry Kurt Phillips,
and Steve Williams are legends of the traditional country songwriting trade.
They tugged on our heartstrings from beginning to end with an impressive list
of hits from the '80s, '90s and 2000s (from McEntire to Diffie to Strait). We
laughed, kicked our feet back (as best we could in a lounge setting), and
enjoyed songs that have been part of our lives for decades. It was good ole
country fun.
Offering
countrified wit at every opportunity, Wil Nance played hit after hit, including
the mellow "Only A Girl" (Brad Paisley) and "Round About
Way" (George Strait). He struck a gentle chord with "She's
Everything" (his wife's favorite), a song that lists the many things a man
loves about his girl. His emotional performance of "I Get To" still
lingers almost 24 hours later. In this classic, he expresses thanks for the
opportunity to rock his baby girls, coach Little League baseball, and work to
make an honest living. "A lot I don't have to do... I get to." That's
a message worth savoring.
(Photo: Wil Nance)
Kerry
Kurt Phillips has won a number of awards, including "Country Song of the
Year", but one would never know it by his down-to-earth demeanor. His
thoughtful, humble nature was strongly evident as he charmed the audience with
"Pickup Man" (Joe Diffie), "Life Happened", and "Down
On The Farm" (which he calls a "tired, old hit"). The crowd was
breathless when he sang "Almost Home", a song about a homeless man
whose daydream of arriving home is interrupted by a caring stranger. But his
performance of "This Ain't Nothin'", a song about a Birmingham, Ala.,
tornado victim, brought down the house. The twister may have destroyed the
man's home, but it wasn't anything compared to what he'd already lost. Kerry
took a few minutes to thank NSAI for its efforts to protect songwriters from
the illegal file sharing of songs. "It all begins with the songs," he
said.
(Photo: Kerry Kurt Phillips)
Liz
Hengber (her fellow writers call her "Broadway Liz") showed she is
one of the best songwriters (and storytellers) in the business. She introduced
her hit song "Still" by recalling how special it was to work with
Reba McEntire for 10 years. "She still sends me Christmas cards every
year," the tunesmith said. Liz amazed the crowd with a repertoire that
included "Midnight Girl", "I'm Gonna Get You Stoned
Tonight", and "Stubborn One" (Trace Atkins). Her performance of
Trick Pony's "I'm Not The Bride" drew laughter (and a few agreeing
nods). She closed with "She's More" (a number one hit for Andy Griggs),
a song about an unexpected and lasting romance. "I saw the woman I was
born to love... Took me by complete surprise... When my heart got lost in those
deep green eyes...."
(Photo: Liz Hengber and Steve Williams)
Steve
Williams told the crowd that he was only there to play a few chords for Liz.
After the laughter died down, he eased into George Strait's "Where Have I
Been All My Life". He seemed to pick the perfect song to play at just the
right time, performing "I'm A Pretty Big Deal" (country swing),
"The Only Way He Knew How" (a co-write with Liz), "Till I'm
Blue" (showing his vocal range), and "Redneck Yacht Club" (as
country as you can get). He showed lyrical brilliance with "Thank God For
Faith", a song that describes the opposing viewpoints of two people named
"Faith" and "Fear". Speaking of yachts, Steve announced
that the new Internet radio station Redneck Yacht Club (.com) will launch this
summer with a good stable of traditional country hits.
I
left the Commodore feeling inspired and eager to write a new country song!
-- Chuck Whiting, MCAU Editor
THE STATION INN (Late Show):
The
Station Inn was filling up when I entered. Boy did this show have a big
guest list. It was a quarter full when the pass holders got through the door.
Heading over to the kitchen side, I found a seat next to a great new Americana
artist, Don Pedigo. You need to check him out at donpedigo.com! A couple seconds later, a guy
with a big heart and a lot of hair set two beers on the table. Stretching
out his hand, he said: “Hi, I’m Earl Bud Lee.” Once again… you just never know
who you’ll run into in this town.
It’s
hard to beat a lineup with Bobby Tomberlin, Larry Gatlin, and Leslie
Satcher. All you can do is add to it. And they sure did by inviting
special guest Vince Gill. These guys have been friends for years, which was
evident in the way they needled each other relentlessly throughout the
show. Larry came in a little late having just come from the Ryman where he
hosted the "Country Classics Show". He had on a white shirt with
a long gold scarf tied in a Windsor knot, using the scarf as a tie. Vince
asked if he had just come from Marty Stuart’s garage sale. Gatlin shot
back: “I wish I had a wife as famous as you... I could say anything I want to
and get away with it.” This banter continued throughout the night.
Bobby
Tomberlin got the show started off with the hit he wrote with Darryl Worley,
“Good Day To Run”. I knew I was right where I should be! Later,
Leslie tore up the place with her smoking blues song “Gypsy
Boots”. Joss Stone has nothing on this Texas girl, hmm... hmm...
hmm. Besides accompanying everyone, Vince brought a tear to my eye when
he sang “Pretty Little Adriana”. Then he did it again with the new song “I
Will Ride The Rails No More”. Larry Gatlin graced us with his incredible
tenor on “My Heart Comes With Strings Attached". I also loved the song he
wrote and sang with Leslie that I believe is called “Come On Home, Come As You
Are”.
Bobby
had us on the edge of our seat with a new song called the “Grand Ole
Opry”. The Opry is personified and sings: “They say that I’m the one that
made Country Music what it is today… But it’s the stars who crossed my stage
that are the ones…”. Afterwards, we were delighted when Jan Howard was called
up from the audience to sing “Heartaches By The Number”. Everyone, young
and old, joined in on the chorus! We were treated again when Bobby
called his beautiful wife Candi Carpenter to the stage to sing a song she wrote
with Bobby and Shayne Fair titled “Heartaches Don’t Have A Closing Time”. Wow!
Footnote: I have had dozens of inquires
concerning the man who fell off the bar stool on Tuesday evening. Many
have asked if it was MCAU’s Chuck Whiting. Ordinarily I would nip a rumor
like this in the bud before it spread all over town. But on second
thought, it’s hard to buy good PR like this! So I’ll let you decide…
-- Wil Comstock, MCAU Writer
Do you have an unforgettable "Tin Pan South"
story/experience to tell. Please
send it to us at Info@MusicCityArtsUpdate.com .
"Tin Pan South" Schedule: http://www.tinpansouth.com/2013/schedule.html
(Photo: Commodore Show)
(Photo: Steve Williams Performs)
(Photo: Wil Nance Performs)
(Photo: Liz Hengber Performs)
(Photo: Commodore State Shot)
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