The Milk Carton Kids Were Made for the Ryman Auditorium
You know you’re going to hear beautiful music at a Milk Carton Kids show. But there is trepidation when they are the headliner. A small...
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John Carpenter
Jan 275 min read
Old Friends and Rising Stars at Florida's 30A Songwriter's Fest
I generally think of music festivals as minimally clad young people writhing in blazing heat taking duck-lip selfies amid a greater...
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John Carpenter
Jan 22 min read
Foot Stomping Ryman New Year's Eve with Old Crow Medicine Show
Always good to start the year with a 2,300-person sing-along. (And I’m not talking about “Auld Lang Syne,” a song I never really...
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John Carpenter
Nov 29, 20235 min read
Liz Phair, 'Guyville,' and Happy, Hazy Memories of Early '90s Chicago
The shifting ground between youth and adulthood in my post-college years was an awesome time, at least as far as I can remember. It was a...
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John Carpenter
Nov 22, 20235 min read
"The Last Waltz" Plays On In Nashville Thanksgiving Tradition
Thanksgiving is upon us, and that means Last Waltz season for fans of the greatest concert movie ever made. (Sorry/not sorry to fans of...
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John Carpenter
Nov 10, 20233 min read
A Lively Musical Conversation - Rachael Davis, Valerie June, Yasmin Williams, and Thao
As we walked in the door of the CMA Theatre in downtown Nashville, we could hear the crowds screaming about a block away. The big stars...
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John Carpenter
Nov 9, 20232 min read
Here Come the Mummies! And They Brought the Funk
One thing we’ve learned about the Nashville music scene is to be on the look-out for any show that suggests the presence of “session...
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John Carpenter
Oct 26, 20234 min read
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit: Another Ryman Tour de Force
“Let’s see if we can turn a Sunday night into a Saturday night,” Jason Isbell told his band. Then they did. What a pleasure to catch a...
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John Carpenter
Jun 7, 20234 min read
Another Nashville Evening: Folded Lawn Chairs and Number One Songs
The “in the round” show is a staple of Nashville entertainment. Sometimes called a guitar pull, and often performed in a row rather than...
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John Carpenter
Apr 18, 20234 min read
Aoife O'Donovan and Friends Offer Fresh Take on Springsteen's Nebraska
Any night you find yourself standing 15 feet from a harmony-singing Emmylou Harris is a good night. The show was Aoife O’Donovan at the...
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John Carpenter
Jan 31, 20234 min read
Night Train to Nashville Showcases Music City R&B Roots
It was the mid-1950s and, for better or worse, the “Nashville Sound” was taking shape. It didn’t seem to matter whether they were love...
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John Carpenter
May 27, 20223 min read
Bonnie Raitt Remembers an Old Friend at the Ryman
It’s so wonderful when an artist you’ve been wanting to see for years comes through with a killer show. Such was the case with the great...
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John Carpenter
Apr 1, 20222 min read
Shawn Colvin serves a 'master class' in songwriting and guitar playing
Shawn Colvin is joining the growing list of musical elders trotting out anniversary concerts, offering a song-for-song acoustic replay of...
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John Carpenter
Mar 5, 20222 min read
Blues Wizardry from Adia Victoria at OZ Arts Nashville
Last minute live music decisions in Nashville rarely disappoint. In this case we stumbled on a gem; an art gallery performance by Aida...
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mary carpenter
Feb 21, 20224 min read
One Last Party at the Ryman With Robert Earl Keen
So I caught my first Robert Earl Keen show, at the Ryman here in Nashville. Good thing too, since the legendary Texas songwriter is on...
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John Carpenter
Jan 31, 20222 min read
Fresh Bluegrass From Nashville Vets Tammy Rogers and Thomm Jutz: "Surely Will Be Singing"
There is a certain kind of brand new music that sounds like it’s always been there. We caught some of it at the Bluebird Café Sunday...
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