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Permalink Reply by Will James on April 21, 2010 at 8:30am

Another real good import from Virginia played my gig at the 5 Spot last year -- Allen Thompson. He plays around town and all over, ck him out at: http://www.myspace.com/allenthompsonmusic or http://www.allen-thompson.com.

Permalink Reply by Will James on April 21, 2010 at 8:36am

Tim O'Connell has been in Nashville since 1973. From his bio: "When “A Singer of Songs” appeared on Cash Unearthed, the box set of previously unreleased material put out by American Recordings shortly after Johnny Cash’s death, many people assumed it was a Cash composition. One well-known music writer even called “the brilliant ‘Singer of Songs’” a remake of a lesser-known gem from Cash’s own back catalog.

Given the maturity of the lyrics and the Cash-like simplicity of the music, that reaction was understandable. The song does sound like something Johnny Cash might have written later in life.

Surprisingly, however, “A Singer of Songs” was written by Tim O’Connell at the tender age of 29.

Relatively unknown among music business insiders in Nashville, where he has lived since 1973, O’Connell has ignored the Music Row popularity contests and focused instead on his songwriting. While working day jobs through the years as a federal livestock inspector, a farm magazine editor, an air express courier, a wildlife specialist, and a park ranger, O’Connell continued to write songs, year after year after year.

“Just by chance, really, I always ended up with jobs where I spent a lot of time alone in a pickup truck,” Tim says, “driving down the highways and back roads of Middle Tennessee. There’s no better place to write songs.”

Which brings us to the new CD, It's My Song, Dammit!: ten songs written while looking at the world through a windshield.

What’s the format? Who knows? There are love songs, a gospel song, a fun driving blues that makes you want to holler, even a pretty country duet with Jill Walsh (remember country duets?). “I like all kinds of music, and I write all kinds of music,” Tim says. “My first question is always, ‘How good are the songs?’”

Our reply: Very good, sir, very good." http://www.tallmanrecords.com.

Permalink Reply by Jefferson Ross on April 21, 2010 at 9:13am

Yes, good work. I've been a writer here in Nashville for a quarter of a century. I think that our writers and players probably do more for the creative energy of the town than anyone...certainly more than the industry suits and kids who just want to be famous.

Keep up the lively conversation!

Jefferson

Permalink Reply by Kurt Fortmeyer on November 18, 2010 at 8:39am

I tell people that I like living in the Nashville area because my tribe (Songwriters) is here.
I live in the hills northwest of town, and play writers' clubs in town. You can hear a lot of amazing songs any night of the week...and a lot of the time, the best songs are getting nowhere near commercial radio, which is a loss for both the writers and the listening public.
Drop into Bobby's Idle Hour Tavern in the evening in the middle of the week. The bartender, Jonathan Long, is one of the best songwriters you never heard. There is also no telling who might be sitting in there sipping a cold one. Somebody's liable to take the house guitar down off the wall and rearrange your thought processes. The place is a smoky, old-school songwriters' dive. They only take cash, and beer is the beverage of choice. Be real, or be gone.
I also play on a semi-sorta regular basis at the Fiddle & Steel Guitar Bar in Printer's Alley, the Commodore Grille,
Douglas Corner, Bluebird Cafe, and Pick's Nashville.
Gotta go out of town to make any money, but living here charges my songwriting batteries.