Things go through your head during the course of a day. Fully explore all of the randomness. It can assist others in the future.

WAKE UP CALL #10: CULTURE CAN BE COOL

I’m not a big visual arts person. However, open a “Golden age of Couture” exhibit at the Frist and I. Am. There. Clothes and shoes from great designers of the past?! SCORE! It was amazing. I urge you all to go.

Reading is so much fun and I don’t get to do it much anymore. The break allowed me to take some suggestions from friends and family on books I should be reading. The first suggestion I got was from my friend Denise. She suggested I read the Eminem biography (she knows I’m a fan) called “The Way I Am.” She told me I wouldn’t regret it. I didn’t. It was a quick read and an extremely insightful look into the mind of one of the greatest rappers/artists of our time.

The second suggestion came from my little sis Tara. Apparently, she thought I would appreciate the sarcasm of author Laurie Notaro in the book “We Thought You’d Be Prettier.” Apparently, she was correct. I’m not all the way through it yet, but so far…SO hilarious.

The Cosby Show taught me more about art, literature and music than I ever could have imagined. While watching one particular rerun a few weeks ago, I was reminded of the first time I learned some of the works of Shakespeare. My attitude reflected that of Cockroach and Theo. However, they found a creative way around the problem. Check it out here. “A great Caesar’s Ghost, a great Caesar’s Ghost…” Love it!

WAKE UP CALL #11: PEOPLE ARE INTERESTING…IF YOU LISTEN

While on a flight from Kansas City to Nashville, I had the pleasure of sitting next to two awesome individuals. The man sitting beside me introduced himself as Jimmy Wilkerson and it was quickly discovered that he was a former Oklahoma Sooner and now plays for the New Orleans Saints. After I got over the initial uneasiness of his Sooner background, I found out the guy was pretty cool. It’s all in good fun Jimmy! Toni (who’s last name I will not even attempt to spell for fear of incredible failure) is a professor at a Florida college who jumped right into the conversation and had me cracking up! It might have been the most fun I’ve ever had on that short flight. Thanks y’all! Toni, good luck with the wedding (and that hyphenated name) and Jimmy, good luck kicking some ass on the football field in New Orleans. “Who Dat?!”

WAKE UP CALL #12: GREAT MUSIC SURROUNDS US

This month, I didn’t go to many shows and I didn’t go to review any of them. I only listened to music for fun. It was a much needed reminder that I love everything about music. AND I got to go immerse myself in music I adore. By doing this, I made some discoveries and had some thoughts about my favorite singer/songwriter/artists.

Current Rock On Together August Featured Artist Josh Flint is so good, he makes rock stars who are already established look like rookies. I’m not exaggerating. Go listen. It’s a joy to the ears. I am constantly amazed by his sheer talent and ability to transform songs into emotions.

I always have fun and am amazed when I get to sit in a room and listen to Lee Brice, Jerrod Niemann, Lance Miller, Doug Johnson and Rob Hatch. These guys have it all. I can sit there and drift away with the romantic tunes, feel my heartbreak with the sad songs, laugh until I cry with the hilarious music and smile until my face hurts with the drinking songs. I am never disappointed with the music.

I’ve already told you what I think about Jerrod. If you have read this blog for ANY amount of time, you have heard me rave about the performance and vocal abilities of Lee. Lance has the amazing, old school country sound that takes me back to a time I long to have been a part and his songs are laced with incredible hooks. Rob knows funny, is funny and can turn the funny into meaningful in the blink of an eye. Doug has written so many hit songs for artists, it’s hard to pick which was I love most. They aren’t just hits. They are songs that make an impact on your life in the good way.

Jason Sellers. I have to take a second with this one, because I’ve never really gone into depth about this guy before now. If it is possible for me to catch a Jason Sellers show, I do. This man has one of the best voices in the industry. Not in country music. Not in pop music. Not in rock music. In ALL music. You know I don’t say that very often, so you know how much I mean it.

It is almost impossible for me to hear someone else sing Jason’s songs after I’ve heard him deliver the tune at a writer’s round. He is just that good. Twice now, I have taken friends with me to hear rounds in which Jason has been singing. Both times…after just one verse…both women turned to me and said, “Can he just come to my house and sing to me all night? Wow!” I’m not making that up. Almost the same statement word-for-word.

Jason can take a song he’s written and phrase it in a way that other artists cannot copy. If they try, they fail. When he sings, other respected singer/songwriters smile and shake their heads in awe. I’ve even heard an appreciate outburst or two after one of his vocal runs. I’m not kidding. You’ve never head anything like it.

If you have a chance to catch this man singing live…go. I don’t care how much the cover is. Pay it. It’s worth every cent.

Okay. I’m done. That just needed to be said.

WAKE UP CALL #13: IT ONLY TAKES A FEW NOTES TO DISCOVER GREATNESS

The really, really beloved tunes…can be named in just a few notes. You know what I mean. With just some tickling of the ivories or some strums on the guitar or a few beats on the drum, you automatically get a smile on your face and know what’s coming. Let me give you some examples…

1. “Right Here Waiting” by Richard Marx. Five notes. That’s all.

2. “Need You Now” by Lady Antebellum. This one takes only four notes.

3. “Friends in Low Places” by Garth Brooks. Do you know any other song on the planet where in just four notes an entire crowd breaks the sound barrier with excited screams? I don’t.

4. “Sweet Child O Mine” by Guns ‘N Roses. Eight notes of a sweetly screaming electric guitar and I. Am. In. Play on 80’s rock. Play on.

5. “Free Fallin’” by Tom Petty. Five strums of the guitar makes everything all better. Thank you Tom Petty.

6. “Ice, Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice OR “Under Pressure” by Queen. It depends on the year of your birth for which way you go on this one. “Under Pressure” was first, but when I hear those notes…it’s always gonna be Vanilla Ice. “If there was a problem, yo I’ll solve it. Check out the hook while my DJ revolves it.” HAHAHAHA!

7. “Home Sweet Home” by Motley Crue. Dear, sweet piano how I love thee. Such a great tune. AND it takes but just a second to recognize it’s greatness.

8. “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. OR as drunk people in a bar refer to them…SKYNYYYYYYYRRRRRRD! It’s one of THE most memorable songs in the universe. Isn’t it now the state song of Alabama? Classic.

9. “Jailhouse Rock” by Elvis Presley. They don’t call him the King for nothin’. Four notes…separated into sets of two…played on two different instruments. One of my favorite songs of all time. Pure fun.

10. “We Will Rock You” by Queen. Three notes. All on the drums. And you immediately know the song. Come on people! That is impressive. AND a sports anthem for the ages.

WAKE UP CALL #14: MICHAEL IS STILL THE KING OF POP

I cannot believe it’s been a little over a year since we lost such a master in the art of music. While surfing the internet a few weeks ago, I found the 3D Grammy tribute many artists performed for him. These artists are stars in their own right and did a tremendous job. It is pretty incredible and touching. Check it out HERE. Celine Dion, Usher, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson and Smokey Robinson sang along with recorded clips of Michael’s voice. RESPECT!

WAKE UP CALL #15: SONGS FIND YOU WHEN YOU NEED THEM

And so we arrive at the song’s of the month. These found me at different emotional places throughout this past 30 days. They always find me and they always help. Enjoy…

1. “Life Goes On” by Leann Rimes. I loved Leann’s jump into pop music for a short time. This song helped me out a few times. “Shame on you, if you fooled me once. Shame on me, if you fool me twice. You’ve been a pretty hard case to crack. Should have known better, but I didn’t and I can’t go back. Oh, life goes on and it’s only gonna make me strong. It’s a fact. Once you get onboard, say goodbye cause you can’t go back. Oh it’s a fight and I really wanna get it right where I’m at. It’s my life before me. Got a feeling that I can’t go back.”

2. “A Woman’s Worth” by Alicia Keys. This is SUCH a great tune that I forgot about until it came up on the iPod this month. “Cause a real man knows a real woman when he sees her. And a real woman knows a real man aint afraid to please her. And a real woman knows a real man always comes first. And a real man just can’t deny a woman’s worth.”

3. “Feel This” by Bethany Joy Galeotti. The first time she sang on “One Tree Hill,” I thought it was gonna be just another actress who thinks she’s also a singer. However, Bethany can SAAAANG and I adore this tune. “It’s gotta be this one. Don’t have to fake it. You know I can take it. What if I told you, your tears haven’t been ignored. And everything that was taken can be restored.”

4. “Cinderella Man” by Eminem. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite tunes on an all together AMAZING album. If you love rap music, buy the album. He’s BAAAAAACK. “See you can hate him. He don’t blame you. Frankly, he would too. This game could ill afford to lose him. How about you? Now guess who? Here’s a clue. He came to the ball in his wife beater. Lost his Nike shoe. It’s in your ass. He’s in your ass. He’s all up in your psyche too. Now. What’s his name? Cinderella man.”

5. “Hope You Get What You Deserve” by Jerrod Niemann. Remember how I told you his album was full of hits? This is one of them. This is one of two songs that take my breath away. It takes a phrase you connect to one meaning and flips it completely into a new meaning with a positive spin. “What goes around comes around. I’m sure you’ve got it coming back to you. Cause karma has a funny way of settling all the things we do. And girl, right now you know I hurt, so baby for what it’s worth. I hope you get what you deserve.”

6. “Let Me Sign” by Robert Pattinson. Who knew the vampire from Twilight could sing?! Oh, but he can…really, really well. Check out this tune.

7. “Supermassive Black Hole” by Muse. It’s one of those songs that grabs me at the first note and doesn’t let go. I don’t listen for the lyrics. I listen for the exhilarating roller coaster ride I’m on from the start to the finish.

8. “What I Need To Do” by Kenny Chesney. It’s been a while since this tune was on the charts and I love it.  ”What I need to do is turn this car around. Drive as fast as I can ’til I see the lights of our hometown and run to her. And take her in my arms. Make her see how sorry I am. Well, that shouldn’t be so hard. But I drive on and on and on.”

9. “All Fired Up” by Pat Benatar. For almost my entire life…when I needed motivation, I turned to this song. “All fired up. Well, I believe there comes a time when everything just falls in line. We live and learn from our mistakes. The deepest cuts are healed by Faith.”

10. “A Few Short Years” by Ty Herndon. This tune has always put a smile on my face for many obvious reasons. “We headed out of Kansas in a flatbed Ford…just a couple hundred dollars, you and me and the Lord. We didn’t know where we were going. We just knew we had to go…” with a chorus that states: “And maybe it’s crazy and we should have planned better. Saved a little money from the little we made. Guess we should have waited for a better moment. Never taken that chance and played it safe. Sometimes you’ve got to dance with danger. Sometimes you’ve got to face your fears. What’s life if you aint gonna live it? Nothin but a few short years.”

11. “What If It’s Me” by Andy Griggs. It’s a question we hate to ask ourselves, but every once in a while we have to ask. “What if it’s me causing this heartache…blaming everybody else for the bad breaks? Me. Fooling myself. Calling it the hand I’m dealt. I’m sure that it’s her. But what if it’s me?”

12. “How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You” by Junior Walker and the All Stars. It’s a classic for a reason. This one always puts a smile on my face and a skip in my step.

13. “My Heart Is Open” by Keith Urban. I adore almost every song Keith Urban has ever recorded. This one came on the iPod one morning and stopped me in my tracks. I was in love with another tune by the artist. What a great way to live. “And my heart is open. I’m letting you in. Cause you give me a reason and Faith I’ve been needing to start again. And your love is healing. I’m finally breathing. And I’ve been waiting so long hoping for this moment. My heart is open.”

14. “Broken” by Lindsay Haun. Lindsay sings this one so well. The first time I heard her sing it, I was in tears. I think we’ve all been in this place at one point or another. “When you’re broken in a million little pieces and you’re trying, but you can’t hold on anymore. Every tear falls down for a reason. Don’t you stop believing in yourself, when you’re broken.”

15. “Shine On” by Rascal Flatts. It never fails to bring a smile to my face and cheer me up. “Shine on, shine on, shine on me. Whenever something’s missing, you’re exactly what I need. Your love has shown me the light and now I finally see. So shine on, shine on, shine on me.”

WAKE UP CALL #16 FALLING DOWN IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS STANDING BACK UP

“And you can’t fight the tears that aint comin’ or the moment of truth in your lies. When everything feels like the movies, yeah you bleed just to know you’re alive. And I don’t want the world to see me. Cause I don’t think that they’d understand. When everything’s made to be broken. I just want you to know who I am.” – “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls (written by: Johnny Rzeznik)

Life knocks you down. It’s important that you lose every once in a while. That is where you find the lessons. AND it makes winning that much sweeter.

When it starts to seem like there is so much wrong in the world, I like to remember something one of my favorite speakers said. “There are a lot more people getting it right than getting it wrong. We just don’t put them on CNN.” – David Foster

Amen!

WAKE UP CALL #17: DO NOT LOWER THE BAR. KEEP REACHING FOR THE SEEMINGLY UNREACHABLE. YOU MIGHT JUST SURPRISE YOURSELF

Abraham Lincoln once said, “You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by encouraging class hatred. You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn. You cannot build character and courage by taking away man’s initiative and independence. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.”

WAKE UP CALL #18: TWEETS ARE FUNNY!!!

The “Tweet of the Month” comes to you from Keith Ross (@KeithRossMusic) “The only way Mel Gibson could be more hated right now, is if he slapped Betty White…with a puppy!”

I’ve got CDs and live music I’ve already heard this week that will be included in the next review. I cannot wait to tell you about it. I’ve missed y’all!!!!!

Until Next Time…

No Reins!

K

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CATHIE!!!!