March 8th-13th: Strange Days

This week’s events really revolve around 2 major events: the explosion over Corona virus (which I’ll get to later,) and, for those of you who are socially connected to me, my surprise trip to Nashville.

Saturday night, I found out that I had no real desire to be at work on Monday or Tuesday, and because of that, I made the executive decision to take some time off and make the roughly 8 hour drive to Nashville. As I was making that decision, my great friend Calley wanted to talk about life stuff, and invited her to partake in the trip with me. Lots of fantastic things happened on this trip-I met Tessa, Calley’s old friend from PA (who housed us while we were there,) Randy Kohrs, an award-winning engineer/producer/dobro player, who is a business partner with my great friend Tom Carpenter, and Doyle Lawson’s guitar player Jake.

I met Jake at the Station Inn Bluegrass jam Sunday night. I didn’t have any idea who he was until I heard some people talking around me, and his name and Doyle’s name came up. Towards the end of the jam, as he was getting ready to leave, I pulled myself away to talk to him. A really genuine guy, very humble, and a great picker! I also met his girlfriend, and her family from the Nashville area- they were all very friendly and welcoming! So glad I got to meet them!

Saturday was when I hung out with Randy, who co-owns and runs Slack Key Studios. The studio is located in a suburb house just off a smaller highway. You wouldn’t even know it was a studio until you walked in. There, I took a tour of the space, and we talked about construction, gear, mixing, the music scene, and about folks back home and abroad. We also talked about Randy’s kitchen, which was remodeled years ago to look like a classic diner! He spent roughly 11 hours/day for 2 months to put the whole thing together, and it is awesome!! If you haven’t been to his studio, you must go there! Really cool space, and Randy is very smart and savvy when it comes to the industry!

Calley and I stayed with Tessa, Calley’s friend from high school at North Allegheny. Tessa moved to Nashville, and worked her way up the chain to finally be the manager at a store inside the Omni Hotel in downtown. Her bubbly demeanor and fantastic sarcasm skills were a welcome face-she was a joy to be around. Thank you for playing host while Calley and I were in town-I’m not sure we could have done it without you!

Now, back to music-related topics! Yesterday, I was back at Houlihan’s in Mt. Lebanon, PA with The Millbillys! I was so happy to see some familiar faces, and lots of new people as well. The food there is always fresh, and the staff is very hard working. Check that place out on a rainy day. Tonight, I’ll be at The Missing Links Brewery with The Millbillys from 7-10! Come get a beer and pizza, and hang out for your favorite country tunes!

Next week, I plan on trying to hit a lot of open mic venues, and with St Paddy’s Day being on March 17th, I will be the special guest at the Tuesday Bluegrass Sessions at the Thunderbird Music Hall again this month! We’ll be playing Irish tunes, some of my originals, and traditional and contemporary covers for your ear pleasure! The last time I was there, we had a fantastic time-the place was packed, so be sure to get there early! This is a free event (except for food and drink-that’s on you!)

Finally, as most people already know, the world has been mesmerized with the most recent biological threat, Corona Virus, or COVID-19. It’s been extremely unfortunate to see most of my bluegrass and country friends and fellow musicians lose gigs over this, both at home, and across the states. As of this point, all my scheduled gigs are still happening. All I can really say is that if anything changes, you all will be the first to know, so keep your eyes on my Facebook and Instagram pages, where all the most recent updates are seen. As always, be weary of your hand health, and don’t overreact to what’s going on-just be smart. We’ll all get through it together, and before you know it, everyone will be back out at the venues playing music for all you incredible people! Until then, check out my shows, and we’ll see you soon!