One Helluva Ride - Part One
We are going to break down the craziest week and a half of my life into six parts. Beginning with our trip down to Nashville and the first two days in the Music City.
On Thursday October 30 I walked my wife and kids to school like I do every day I am home with them. My truck was already loaded up and running when I arrived back at the studio prepared for the 10 hour drive to Columbus, WI where one of the nicest tour busses I have ever seen was waiting to carry me on to the Music City.
I picked up our super producer Boo Boo in Sioux Falls, SD and after a quick oil change in the suburban we were on our way. Dreaming of what was to come and how it would all come together we drove the whole day to land in WI in perfect time to connect at Angel Cars USA headquarters with our driver Kael Farmer.
We unloaded the gear necessary into the bus and hopped right in for another 12 hour journey south to Nashville, TN. I took full advantage of the sleeper unit and crashed almost as soon as we were on the road waking briefly at our fuel/bathroom stops along the way. I wanted to be fresh for the first day in Nashville and that meant planning ahead for rest even if it meant going to sleep at 7 pm. The drive south was uneventful and we arrived at 6 am on Friday October 31st, Halloween in Nashville.
We jumped out of the bus immediately to start capturing content and getting the lay of the land around us. We parked the bus at Opry Mills Mall close to the Grand Ole Opry which would be the site for The Josie Music Awards and the pinnacle of our weekend. We grabbed some photos and videos in front of The Grand Ole Opry House, surveyed the land around the complex including the amazing Gaylord Opryland Resort, a one of a kind property and a must see on any trip to Nashville. It became my office for the time I was there and there will be some great videos of it coming soon.
Spent much of the rest of the day relaxing around the bus and preparing for my first trip to legendary Broadway on Halloween night. I thought I was prepared having been to large events most of my life but I was totally blown away by the sheer numbers of people out, nearly all in costume, and the cacophony of sounds spilling into the streets from every bar on the 5 block stretch of road.
There was so much to do and see so I just put the camera up and rolled tape all night. I was very blessed to run into my friend Monique Smaz who spotted me in the crowd and to meet some really incredible people with the Red Frogs USA crew who were handing out free water to partygoers on the street. I was completely exhausted by midnight and jumped the last shuttle back to Opryland where I met fellow Jasmine Cain fans on the ride home. You're really never far from a friend in Nashville and to say I felt comfortable in the city in the first few hours on the ground is a massive understatement. I felt right at home.
Waking up Saturday inside of a gorgeous tour bus, a few minutes walk from the Grand Ole Opry House, feet still hurting from walking Broadway on Halloween I was elated and so excited about the day ahead of us. Boo Boo crashed out on Friday night so we made plans to head down to Broadway in the daylight and take stock of the aftermath. When we arrived downtown Bridgestone Arena was already buzzing as the Nashville Predators had an early afternoon game scheduled. Yellow jerseys filled the streets and families flooded the concourse for some mid day hockey action. We bypassed the hustle and bustle of the stadium in lieu of a Recession Special at Robert's Western World. Your dollar goes pretty far here as we got a fried bologna sandwich with a bag of chips, a Moonpie, and a PBR all for just $6!! We took in some amazing country music and kept moving up and down the street dropping business cards in tip buckets and taking it all in heading back to the bus in the afternoon to recharge for the evenings festivities.
Boo Boo and I split up Saturday nights duties between us as he went back to Broadway to see the nightlife and I ventured over to Eastside Bowl for a very special evening with my friend Jasmine Cain. A night fully curated by the rock goddess to showcase some of her favorite Nashville rock bands and connect with some of her biggest fans before her big night at The Josie Music Awards. I had the time of my life listening to some amazing music, participating in Dia de los Muertos traditions thanks to Shay Chenette, and embracing my friends. Shout outs to the acts who performed Charlie Bonnet III, Anthony Corder, My Friend The Ghost, and Jane and the Killer Queens. Everyone was amazing and I was so grateful to be in attendance with so many lovely people. That was our first 48 in Nashville in a nutshell. There's going to be a ton of video coming out from this over the next few months so keep your eyes peeled for those and lots more great stuff from The Scene Projects.
