Pam and Angela – what a good get, Codfish Hollow
karenlovescountry.com
by Karen Bernick
7M ago
The pairing of Nashville star Pam Tillis with local favorite Angela Meyer to perform in front of country fans at Codfish Hollow was plumb perfect. Pam Tillis was smart programming if you ask me and I’ll bet a recognizable mainstream country act like Pam Tillis brought some nice new folks to Codfish. After a dust-billowing drive for several miles to what my husband affectionately refers to as the most remote farm in Iowa, how could a venue be any more country? Yep, the holler was just the place for this show. It sounded excellent to hear Ms. Tillis’ hits like Maybe it Was Memphis, Spilled Perf ..read more
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Fresh Breath brought a modern and fun vibe to Fun-N-Sun
karenlovescountry.com
by Karen Bernick
1y ago
Tonight was not my parents’ Sunday night ice cream show. And I loved it. From the first notes of country (modern/old) classic Tennessee Whiskey to the upbeat original tune Human Race, Fresh Breath brought a nice contemporary feel to this week’s ice cream social at Fun-N-Sun in San Benito, Texas. Fun-N-Sun is a 55+ park where my parents wintered for many years and where my husband Dan and I like to spend a week or two each year enjoying the warm weather, full roster of activities, and nice people we meet there. Fresh Breath is a husband and wife duo, Josh and Katie Pascoe, from Kingsville, Onta ..read more
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Loretta Lynn’s advice to write what you know comes through in Sunny Sweeney’s songs about road life, love, heartbreak, and a yearning for motherhood
karenlovescountry.com
by Karen Bernick
1y ago
A Facebook post by by local country singer Angela Meyer reminded me that the Texas based singer/songwriter Sunny Sweeney was in town tonight. Well, not exactly in my town but about an hour away at the John Taylor-led venue Creative Commons in Bishop Hill, Illinois. Dan and I made a last-minute decision to scrap dinner plans and head east to the show. It was worth the trip. Sunny Sweeney is a pro with a deep bucket of songs. She shared 15 or 16 good ones tonight in a 90 minute acoustic set backed by guitarist Harley Husbands. Dan and I walked into the room just after the show started so I might ..read more
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Mendocino County Fair visit with set by singer-songwriter Jamie Floyd
karenlovescountry.com
by Karen Bernick
1y ago
Taking in a county fair starting with our Mississippi Valley Fair in Davenport, Iowa, and whenever we get a chance when we are traveling, is a treat for Dan and me.  Last Sunday we visited the Mendocino County Fair and Apple Fest in Boonville, CA, while on a trip to northern California to attend my nephew’s wedding on Highway 1 in Albion.  We took the wind-ey Highway 128 for 28 miles through Anderson Valley (I love that name) to Boonville where the fair was held. Boonville is an agricultural town (with its own jargon called Boontling created in the 1890s) that is nestled amidst ..read more
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Movie Star Musician
karenlovescountry.com
by Karen Bernick
2y ago
Earlier this week I ventured out of my cocoon to catch a big live concert for the first time in 2.5 years. On a whim I bought a couple tickets to Kevin Costner and Modern West at the Brown County Music Center in Nashville, Indiana. The venue’s strict vaccine or test policy made it feel like a safe opportunity to celebrate this fan-girl’s 60th. And it was. My cousin Kris and I met at a truck stop in Illinois and zoomed past a chunk of the heartland to the small tourist town about an hour south of Indianapolis where the concert was held. I didn’t quite know what to expect from a Kevin Costner co ..read more
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Gruene Hall. Check.
karenlovescountry.com
by Karen Bernick
4y ago
The famed Texas dance joint Gruene Hall in New Braunfels has been on my so-called bucket list for years. Ever since I became aware of King George’s start with his Ace in the Hole band at Gruene (pronounced Green) Hall, I have wanted to go. Recently, my uncle Chuck has been telling me how much I’d love it but I never managed to get there. Until tonight. My Dad and I stopped after a long day of churning out the miles on our annual trip to his winter home near Harlingen. The trip means a two and a half day’s drive and sightseeing and stopoffs are usually not part of the interary. What a n ..read more
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Fans who miss Bombfire might like The Fish Shack in Guttenberg
karenlovescountry.com
by Karen Bernick
4y ago
Dan and I may have happened upon our new favorite spot to eat along the Mighty Mississippi in the Fish Shack in Guttenberg, IA. It is not a wood-fired pizza joint like our beloved Bombfire Pizza operated by the late Tom Holman, but the decor and vibe are similarly based on the owner’s love of the offbeat and the food is likewise tasty and interesting. If you are moving too fast through the riverfront downtown of Guttenberg, about 45 miles north of Dubuque, you’ll miss the Fish Shack. But look for the old car door sign and the rooftop rim below the park area near the city’s public restro ..read more
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Thank you, kind reader, I’m going to enjoy Bobby Braddock’s A Life on Nashville’s Music Row.
karenlovescountry.com
by Karen Bernick
4y ago
Shortly after Malcolm Gladwell on country music’s beautiful, often sad specificity became the latest blog post on KarenLovesCountry.com, a sweet reader who lives just a few miles away offered me a gift. She owned an extra copy of the Bobby Braddock book A Life on Nashville’s Music Row and even though we have never met, she thought I should have it. My earlier post about Mr. Gladwell’s podcast King of Tears (an episode from his show Revisionist History) definitely drew my interest to Bobby Braddock’s book. According to Gladwell, the real life episodes from the songwriter, who parented unf ..read more
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Malcolm Gladwell on country music’s beautiful, often sad specificity
karenlovescountry.com
by Karen Bernick
4y ago
He Stopped Loving Her Today is without a doubt one of the saddest songs in country music. Author Malcolm Gladwell (the man who wrote business book giants The Tipping Point…, Outliers…) thinks so. Mr. Gladwell shared his fascinating thoughts on why country music’s specificity makes you cry in a great episode King of Tears (click it!) from his podcast Revisionist History. (Thanks to my tuned-in family member who discovered the July 19, 2017, show and urged me to give it a listen.) The main character in Gladwell’s 44-minute podcast is Bobby Braddock who co-wrote He Stopped Loving Her Today. G ..read more
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Vince Gill is immensely talented. But he is also one gracious guy.
karenlovescountry.com
by Karen Bernick
5y ago
Set list for Vince Gill concert at Adler Theater August 14, 2019. Vince Gill led a Nashville A-team last night August 14, 2019, at the Adler Theatre in Davenport, Iowa. His two-hour-plus concert was a well-paced tour through his mega hits like One More Last Chance, Pocketful of Gold, When I Call Your Name, Liza Jane, Whenever You Come Around, I Still Believe in You and Go Rest High on That Mountain, plus an introduction to some new poignant songs including A World Without Haggard, Forever Changed, and When My Amy Prays from his upcoming album Okie due August 23. At Amazon here. The aud ..read more
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