Frozen Tennessee (March 3 2014)
Tag Archives: creativelymusical
Photos: Eric Clapton & The Wallflowers 3/22/2013
These are photos from the March 22, 2013 show at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN. The Wallflowers opened for Eric Clapton. The tickets said no cameras, but I managed a few from my point and shoot.
Artwork: Some of My Drawings
Part of the reason I’ve been inspired to create this site, CreativelyMusical.com, is that I have discovered after years of saying I can’t draw that well, I can in fact draw a lot better than I thought I could. That, and I love music and being creative, thus Creatively Musical.
Here are a few samples…
Joe Walsh – This one is finished. I’ve been drawing characters and doodles for a few years now, but I never had much luck with realistic people. That was, until I decided to draw Joe Walsh. This drawing set me off on a mission to practice and do better. He wasn’t the first person I drew, but he is the most realistic and close to accurate drawing I’ve done to date.
Peter Keys – This one is also finished. This one turned out exactly how I wanted it to and was edited and colored in Adobe Illustrator.
This was my entry for the Lollapalooza merchandise contest.
My latest drawings (not finished yet):
Willie Nelson
George Jones:
Artwork Update: Bret Michaels Jammin’ With Friends CD
Just finished the artwork for the new Bret Michaels CD, Jammin’ With Friends which will be release on June 25, 2013.
Go to Bret Michaels official web site, http://www.bretmichaels.com and check out the BIG DOINGS! post for a related contest as well.
The full album artwork will be posted once the album is released. Here is the cover –
CreativelyMusical.com Artist of the Week for May 12, 2013: Classical Composers
I spent the evening listening to the Music Choice Classical Masterpieces channel on my cable system. Classical pieces can be both relaxing and invigorating at the same time. They provide a wide range of moods and give the listener the ability to take a mental trip to some musical countryside.
Disney’s Fantasia (the original) used animated graphic representation to some of those musical countrysides and put in visual form the emotions or relaxing thoughts, the vivid expressions and the almost devilish marches that may be conjured up in the listener’s imagination. Fantasia is my all-time favorite movie, mostly because of the music. The music is what made Fantasia the masterpiece it is.
I have a variety of composers that I prefer to listen to, but at the same time, if it’s classical music, I like it. From Bach to Tchaikovsky and everyone in between, classical music has diversity and variety that speaks to whatever emotion I need to be in. There are pieces that help me relax and fall asleep, pieces that are meant to keep you going and some will say that listening to classical music while learning will help you be a better student.
No matter what the reason you listen to any kind of music, it has to speak to you and help your day along – whether to relax or get things done.
Here are a few of my favorite composers:
- Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus http://www.mozartproject.org/
- Bach, Johann Sebastian – http://www.jsbach.org/
- Pachelbel, Johann – http://pachelbel.net/
- Vivaldi, Antonio – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Vivaldi
I encourage everyone to listen to classical music, you listen to more than you realize if you enjoy movies, as many musical scores are modern classical pieces and a few are classic classical pieces. They add dramatic flair or a romantic interlude to a lot of movies. Its timeless and, well, classic.
Bon Jovi Photos: Nashville, TN on March 6, 2013
I didn’t take many photos since I was far back, but here are six shots that I really liked.
CreativelyMusical.com Artist of the Week May 6, 2013: George Jones
With the recent passing of George Jones, musicians and music fans from all walks of life have expressed the importance of his music to everyone.
As the singer of some of country music’s most enduring classics and the one who made “He Stopped Loving Her Today” the greatest country song ever recorded, Jones blurred boundaries by being accepted by all kinds of music fans. His contributions to country music are undeniable, but his contributions to all of music have come to light after his death.
I am one of those people who likes what I like and don’t pay attention to genre. It’s not about looks or how big your show is, it’s about the music. Above all else, the music has to speak to me, no matter if it is serious, happy, silly or sad. George Jones has done that for me. Fun songs, happy songs or sad songs, his music spoke to me.
When he released “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes?”, he wondered what country music would be like after the legends have passed. He lived long enough to see country music change dramatically from even when that song was released in the mid-80’s. As time progressed, more than just Jones wondered who the next legend would be and if they would carry on the traditions of the past.
As the legends we’re pushed off country radio by the new class of artists coming in, Jones reminded everyone that he “Don’t Need Your Rockin’ Chair” – a feisty tune reminding the younger generations that there is still a lot of life left in him and his contemporaries. Those new kids from the late 80s and 90s now find themselves in that very position of being pushed out of radio playlists for the simple fact of being too old.
Music is cyclic and everything old becomes new again. Some artists are timeless and carry on forever even after their passing. Traditional country may in fact make a comeback some day, but timeless legends like George Jones don’t come around very often. His legacy, his music, his style will all live on forever.
It should be the goal of every country fan, every music fan, out there to remind younger generations to appreciate what came before them, learn from them and carry on their life’s work knowing that tomorrow isn’t promised to anyone. A George Jones only comes along once in a lifetime. His legend will live forever, and no, no one can fill his shoes.
Here’s a link to a Rhapsody playlist of George Jones songs: http://www.rhapsody.com/playlist/pp.107478487
Here are some YouTube links as well:
Nature Photography: Tennessee Sunset
CreativelyMusical.com Artist of the Week March 3, 2013: Mavis Staples
Artist of the Week: Mavis Staples
Born: July 10, 1939
What makes Mavis Staples so special for me is the passion that she has for music and performing. The 2013 Grammy’s just proved that without a doubt. She was so into what she was doing that she continued even after the rest of the band had stopped playing. Her style of performing transports her into the music – she feels it, she lives it.
My first introduction to Mavis Staples was in 1994 with the release of Rhythm, Country and Blues. Marty Stuart and The Staples Singers performed “The Weight” on that album. That is the song I will always associate with Ms. Staples. It is what she performed at the Grammys and my first time hearing her sing 19 years ago.
Ms. Staples career has spanned decades, with her performing as part of the The Staple Singers and as a solo artist. The Staple Singers released nine albums between 1971 and 1984. As a solo artist she has released thirteen albums, the most recent in 2010. As a member of the Staples Singers she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
For more information about Ms. Staples and what her schedule is, please check out her web site at MavisStaples.com.
Here are a few of my favorite Mavis Staples/The Staples Singers tracks (Rhapsody links included):
“The Weight” (Marty Stuart & The Staples Singers) from Rhythm, Country and Blues – http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/various-artists/album/rhythm-country-and-blues/track/the-weight
“I’ll Take You There” (The Staples Singers) from The Best of The Staples Singers – http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/the-staple-singers/album/the-best-of-the-staple-singers-stax/track/ill-take-you-there
“Respect Yourself” (The Staples Singers) from Greatest Hits – http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/the-staple-singers/album/greatest-hits/track/respect-yourself
“Let’s Do It Again” (The Staples Singers) from Let’s Do It Again – Greatest Hits – http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/the-staple-singers/album/lets-do-it-again—greatest-hits/track/lets-do-it-again
“This Little Light” (Mavis Staples) from Live: Hope At The Hideout – http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/mavis-staples/album/live-hope-at-the-hideout/track/this-little-light
Here are some video clips from YouTube:
“I’ll Take You There” – http://youtu.be/l64Bte5ygvM
“Touch A Hand, Make A Friend” (The Staples Singers) – http://youtu.be/MwAZ-xmuc74
“Respect Yourself” (The Staples Singers) – http://youtu.be/oab4ZCfTbOI
Here’s a link to see the 2013 Grammy’s tribute to Levon Helm – http://deadspin.com/5983262/heres-the-balls+out-levon-helm-grammy-awards-memorial-tribute-performance-of-the-weight?utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_twitter&utm_source=deadspin_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow
Source: MavisStaples.com, Wikipedia, Rhapsody and YouTube.
CreativelyMusical.com Artist of the Week: 2/17/2013 Rickey Medlocke
[Artist of the Week is a new feature on CreativelyMusical.com. It’ll be where I share some of the artists I like and have an interest in. These articles will include a few facts and some personal thoughts about each artist, plus some of my favorite songs as well. I won’t promise you’ll hear the most famous recordings they’ve done, as I have come to love deep album cuts more than radio singles. Sources for each article will be at the bottom where available.]
Artist: Rickey Medlocke
Birth Date: February 17, 1950
Rickey Medlocke has been playing music nearly all of his life. While most famous for fronting Blackfoot and playing guitar in Lynyrd Skynyrd, he has been playing and performing since he was a child.
He got his start playing with his grandfather, Shorty Medlocke, learning such instruments as the banjo, guitar and drums. He also learned to play the mandolin and dobro, as well as the keyboards as he got older.
Rickey played with Blackfoot from its inception until rejoining Lynyrd Skynyrd. He was a member of Lynyrd Skynyrd in the early seventies, playing drums on the Muscle Shoals sessions. He also wrote and sang a few songs on those sessions.
Music is a passion for Rickey; he practices or plays every day and has an energy on stage that performers a third his age can’t match. For me, personally, that energy is what has captivated me and just made me a fan from the first time I watched him live.
I will rarely say I am the biggest fan because a lot of the time I’m late to the party. I had known a Blackfoot song or two and a Lynyrd Skynyrd song or two. But in 2010, the first time I got to see Lynyrd Skynyrd live I was hooked. I had to have everything I could get my hands on. Now I had seen Lynyrd Skynyrd and Montgomery Gentry on CMT Crossroads, I remember taping it. I am a Montgomery Gentry fan. I knew of Blackfoot from Warrant covering “Train, Train.” That was about it until 2010.
In 2010, my boss opened for Lynyrd Skynyrd. The rest as they say is history. I was hooked on everything Lynyrd Skynyrd and Blackfoot. I bought the “Lyve” DVD before I went to New Jersey to see Lynyrd Skynyrd live and I just fell in love with Rickey and the way he played. It is one of those things you can’t explain. He’ll often say that the pre-crash version of Lynyrd Skynyrd had this “magic” about them, well he does, too.
Through interviews, articles and stories I have learned a lot about Rickey, Blackfoot, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the whole scene that they emanated from. I still have much more to learn, but as time goes by I learn a lot about what drives people with longevity in this business. Rickey was once asked how to describe himself in three words. Those three words were “a real musician.” That is the definition of someone who would play no matter what, they live and breathe music and it is a big part of their soul.
I appreciate that, it is what has endeared me to the musicians that I admire. Many of those are guitar players – Marty Stuart, Keith Urban, Vince Gill – and they all have a passion for music that shows in everything they do. Rickey’s passion is evident, always front and center, he enjoys himself and that makes him fun to watch.
Rickey, of Native American heritage, is also working with First American Productions on a series of documentaries about reservations and Native heritage in America. The first episode of “Homeland Nation” was about the Mescalero Apache. Rickey narrated, interviewed guests and wrote and performed songs for the soundtrack. Additional episodes are in the works as well.
The music selections for Rickey’s Artist of the Week feature are selections from throughout his career with Blackfoot, Lynyrd Skynyrd and solo pieces as well. All of the following selections, except for “Guitar Slinger’s Song And Dance” can be found on Rhapsody and links are below (and iTunes).
1. “White Dove” – Lynyrd Skynyrd’s First -The Complete Muscle Shoals Album – Lynyrd Skynyrd
http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/lynyrd-skynyrd/album/skynyrds-first-the-complete-muscle-shoals/track/white-dove
2. “Gimme Gimme Gimme” – Tomcattin’ – Blackfoot
http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/blackfoot/album/tomcattin/track/gimme-gimme-gimme
3. “Every Man Should Know (Queenie)” – Tomcattin’ – Blackfoot
http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/blackfoot/album/tomcattin/track/every-man-should-know-queenie
4. “Rattlesnake Rock ‘n’ Roller” – Marauder – Blackfoot
http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/blackfoot/album/marauder/track/rattlesnake-rock-n-roller
5. “Fly Away” – Marauder – Blackfoot
http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/blackfoot/album/marauder/track/fly-away
6. “Skynyrd Nation” – God and Guns – Lynyrd Skynyrd
http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/lynyrd-skynyrd/album/god-and-guns/track/skynyrd-nation
7. “Guitar Slinger’s Song And Dance” – Medicine Man – Blackfoot
8. “Train, Train” – Strikes – Blackfoot
http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/blackfoot/album/strikes-rhinoelektra/track/train-train
9. “Bandalero” – Homeland Nation Soundtrack – Rickey Medlocke and Mark Woerpel
http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/various-artists/album/homeland-nation-soundtrack/track/bandalero
10. “Native Colors” – Homeland Nation Soundtrack – Rickey Medlocke and Mark Woerpel
http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/various-artists/album/homeland-nation-soundtrack/track/native-colors
You can also check out the following YouTube videos:
1. Native American Music Awards 2008 (Rickey was inducted into the Hall of Fame) – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGmgbgB8Axk – This video contains the song “Guitar Slinger’s Song And Dance.”
2. German interview from 2012 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBUZfdXYlfw
3. Homeland Nation promo – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wESBgfVupXY
4. Fashion Fights Poverty – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ployHbZ7vyo, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjCM23vZeZU
5. From Homeland Nation – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jSDSSSaxqs
SOURCES:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickey_Medlocke
Various Interviews I’ve read over the last couple of years.
Music and video links, Rhapsody and YouTube
Photos are from my personal collection.