Archive for October, 2008
An Extremely Impressive Evening
Sunday, October 26th, 2008 | House Concerts | No Comments
Think about this…
There’s a songwriter who has written songs that have been recorded by such big names as Joan Baez, Janis Ian, Art Garfunkel, Garth Brooks, Nanci Griffith, and Peter, Paul & Mary. He’s co-written songs with Garth Brooks, Art Garfunkel, Guy Clark, Chuck Cannon, Tom Kimmel and many other great songwriters. He’s even shared the stage with Art Garfunkel, Guy Clark, and Peter, Paul & Mary.
This guy I’m talking about is not only a very well respected (and successful) songwriter, but he’s also an excellent performer. He’s played in venues all over the world, including the world famous Bluebird Café in Nashville.
Now, imagine this same guy playing in my living room. That’s exactly what happened last night. Of course, the songwriter is Buddy Mondlock and if you missed last night’s concert, you missed a great show.
The concert began with a 30-minute set from up-and-coming singer/songwriter Jeffrey Joslin. Think John Mayer meets Stevie Wonder. In fact, if John and Stevie had a child…oh, never mind.
Jeffrey did a great job. It’s hard to believe that he’s only 23-years old. His songs are mature and he performs them with poise and confidence. I really have to say that I was impressed with Jeffrey. I had heard his music before and knew that I liked it, but I didn’t expect to be so impressed with him both as a performer and as a person. I can’t tell you for sure what Jeffrey is going to do in the future, but I’d be willing to bet that he’s going to be really good and successful at whatever he does.
After Jeffrey, Buddy took the stage (so to speak). It’s a little hard for me to adequately describe Buddy’s performance. It was great to be sure, but it was also surprising; not because Buddy was so good (we expected that), but because Buddy was so good at so many different types of songs. In the course of just three songs, Buddy went from a Billy Holiday-inspired song (it was a great song, but I can’t remember the name of it), to “Cowboys Born Out of Their Time” (written by Tom Dundee), a western-themed song, to “New Jersey Sunset,” a somewhat dark, Mafioso-inspired tune with a quasi-tropical (think 1950’s Miami) feel. The whole night jumped around like that.
Another thing I really enjoyed about Buddy’s performance was the stories he told. For instance, Buddy told a great story about how intimidated he felt when he first sat down to write a song with the legendary Guy Clark. Buddy already knew Guy, but had never written with him. Thankfully, Guy had a little tequila on hand and the result was the soulful song, “Mud.”
Our night ended with Buddy playing “No Choice” and the audience helped out with the chorus. We were horrible, but that didn’t detract from the fun we all were having.
If you weren’t able to make it last night to the concert, I encourage you to check out Jeffrey and Buddy’s schedules to see where they might be playing in the area. Also, let me put in a plug for Haley, Jeffrey’s girlfriend. Haley is a fashion designer and will be showing her designs at the James Union Building at MTSU in Murfreesboro on Friday, November 14. If you’re into fashion, check it out.
Great New Music: CJ Vaughn
Friday, October 10th, 2008 | New Music | No Comments
The first thing you notice about CJ Vaughn is his hair. It’s curly. I mean really curly. When you talk to him, you’re struck by how nice he is. I don’t know why it is surprising, but it is. In fact, almost everything about CJ is surprising.
CJ Vaughn is a young guy living in Murfreesboro, just outside the capitol of country music, Nashville, TN. But country is not his sound. Instead, CJ leans toward the blues, soul, and R&B. But he really doesn’t like to be labeled. Chances are, if it’s funky, he likes it.
His manner is all southern gentleman, but CJ’s roots go back to Michigan. In fact, he’s only lived in the south since 2001. He’s shy, reserved, and soft-spoken. But his easy going manner belies the funky guitar riffs, bluesy voice, and soulful attitude that comes out of this curly-headed young man when he’s on stage.
CJ is still early in his musical career, but he hasn’t gone unnoticed. He has been nominated for three “Bluesy Awards” by The Music City Blues Society and he won the Kentucky Blues Challenge in 2006. He also represented Kentucky in the 2007 International Blues Challenge in Memphis.
CJ and his band, Highway 58 are currently playing Thursday nights at Mellow Mushroom in Murfreesboro. When I walked in the joint to hear him last night, he was playing his version of The Temptations “Papa was a Rolling Stone.” I was hooked. My daughter had to elbow me in the side to get me to stop signing along.
Later in the set the band played an awesome cover of Ray Charles’ “Drowning in My Own Tears.” But CJ and the boys aren’t all about covers. They recently recorded their first CD entitled “Check it Out.” that includes some great original songs like “Baby Blue” and “What’s to Be.” The new CD will be available in December (just in time for Christmas).
If you like soul, R&B, blues, and any other funky style of music, check out CJ at CJVaughn.com or on his My Space page. Better yet, stop in next Thursday to see CJ and Highway 58 at Mellow Mushroom.