Happy Independence Day!

Eat well and be safe.

Unique Town Names

This USA Today article speaks of what some may call forgettable towns with far from forgettable names. They cite "suburban swallow up" for the erasure of these towns from maps. What once made an area a landmark is destroyed by yet another planned community.

On a trip through Texas I passed through many towns and cities but the only one I can remember is Cut and Shoot, Texas. I've seen and heard of others that are closer to me. Pumpkin Center and Toadvine and the interesting story of Remlap and Palmerdale. It seemed to have to do with two kin folks (brothers maybe) that both were going to name an area after their last names which happened to be Palmer. One beat the other to the punch so the other just spelled his last name backwards and the two sit side by side. [Feel free to correct me because I fear I may not all the details I need. I first heard the story around the age of 8 so it's fermented in my brain for well over 25 years]

Southern or not what are some interesting towns, cities or communities with interesting names near you?

Southern Word of the Week - Comeapart

A comeapart is almost like a nervous breakdown but usually not quite as severe.

(n.) It started raining on her weddin' day and I thought she was gonna have a comeapart.

It's one of those words that you can understand by the context its used in. I used it sometime in the past year but after it came out of my mouth it surprised me since few people I come in contact with ever use the phrase. I do like how it sounds though. 

Thanks to my virtual friend Jamie for using this in a Facebook post and reminding me of this term.

Telling Stories through song

Story telling is a pastime in the South as it is in many places around the world. In this modern world with social media and busy lives it has taken a backseat but you'll always hear a few among family and friends at social gatherings, weddings and holidays. Nowadays many story tellers are songwriters and the South has their fair share of some really great ones.

Former Drive By Truckers member Jason Isbell is one of these Southern songwriters. He wrote some tunes for the Truckers but he had some songs that didn't fit with their style so he decided to record them for himself which turned into his solo career. You may know him from the song Alabama Pines, released on his album Here We Rest.

He played a special acoustic solo concert this past Saturday at the Alys Stephens Center. Just him, his guitar, his girlfriend Amanda Shires and her fiddle. I didn't know as many songs as would have liked but I knew he was doing something real and not just writing songs for radio play or selling beer. 


It was an intimate show with seating for just over 100 on stage, which meant we would play in the opposite direction from what is usual in the Jemison Concert Hall. There were about twice as many seats above in the choral balcony but I'm sure there was not a bad seat in the whole house.

Earlier that day Jason did a small songwriting clinic where he explained how he began to play music and what his songwriting process was. He also suggested two or three books on the subject and for the second half of the one hour clinic he took questions from the audience. It was enlightening but I really enjoy hearing about the creative process of others whether they be musicians, authors or some other type of artist. 


Before we left he explained that he had to go to the bus station to pick up his lady friend who would play fiddle with him that evening. I was excited because I follow both Jason and his lady friend, Amanda Shires, on Twitter and her appearance was previously unannounced. 

Jason Isbell at the songwriting clinic sponsored by ArtPlay

[Sidebar: Amanda Shires is a fiddle player and songwriter who has been mentioned in national publications. She has played on national television with Jason and has also played internationally with him and other contemporary Americana artists. She plays music for a living and his highly regarded in her field but she took a bus, which I do not see as a glamorous mode of trasnport, from Nashville (I assume) to Birmingham. Musicians will understand this but non-musicians often see these people as leading a Robin Leach type lifestyle which is often not the case]

As I get there I find a seat on stage and notice that Mary Colurso has picked a seat just behind me and I strike up a conversation as I have read her articles in the Birmingham News for years. After I introduced myself she said that she recognized my name and knew I was a musician. That was my almost-famous moment for the evening.


The show was pretty amazing. I think the sound was not as grand as if it had been a full concert but that concert hall was not built for sound to be projected in the opposite direction. Jason and Amanda were great. His banter was spot on. Her fiddle was the perfect compliment to his songs and the short bursts of banter she provided were hilarious and the perfect addition at just the right times. She seemed timid at first and it was hard to hear her vocal harmonies but got dialed in just before intermission.

As many of you know I'm a sideman. I play harmonica in more than one band and I appreciate a good side man (or side woman in this case). Someone who doesn't steal the show with showmanship, but steals the show with how well they punctuate the musical passages and compliment the main act. Her violin could sound sweet, gritty or full on hoedown but whatever style she picked was ideal. I hope to see more from her.

If you need a suggestion on new music I suggest you go check out Mr. Isbell (which, for the record, is pronounced is-BULL). 

Mark your calendars for August 17th at WorkPlay

UPDATE: Monday, June 25th

The Alabama Music Office recently posted this video from the songwriting clinic.

Who have you recently seen or discovered recently that you believe to be a good storyteller? Let us know in the comments.

The International Blues Challenge 2012

Sorry I've been absent but living has taken over my life a bit. Last year I switched jobs and now work extremely close to home and have significantly less stress which allowed me to play quite a bit of music. That is probably the main reason for my absence; I traded one creative outlet for another. One band I play with, The Lefty Collins Band, was entered in to the 2012 International Blues Challenge this past February in Memphis, Tennessee.  Please allow me to recap that for you.

Members of the Lefty Collins Band and 2Blu (the duo winners
from B'ham) on historic Beale Street.

In July of 2011 The Lefty Collins Band wins the Magic City Blues Society's Battle of the Blues Bands. It was Lefty's second time to win but he brought on a new bass player and and new sideman on harmonica (Me) so it was basically a new band. Our main prize was for the MCBS to sponsor our trip to the IBC's. It was an easy trip straight up the future I-22 corridor for me and we made it in about 4 hours from the extreme west side of Jefferson County, Alabama.

When we arrived on a Tuesday I was surprised at the size of historic Beale Street. Not that it was bigger than I had expected but smaller! I had a Bourbon Street sized image pictured in my minds eye. Lots of BBQ joints though and plenty of music. After we ate at one of the IBC venues, The Pig on Beale, I asked our drummer David if it was just me or did we have better BBQ in Alabama. He assured me that it was definitely not the best pork he'd had, so I knew I wasn't being a snob. The bun was so soft it didn't make it through 4 or 5 bites and the meat was ordinary but good. I guess I just expected all Memphis BBQ to blow me away.

The Orpheum Theatre from dress circle.

The next day we had a small orientation and got our venue assignment and times for Wednesday (that evening) and Thursday which are both quarter final days. We were at Wet Willie's with 2 bands from Canada and one from South Africa! All the bands were really good but only a few made it to the semi-final round on Friday and The Lefty Collins Band was one of them. The Magic City represented! Now we just had to play our best again to see who would go on to the finals at the Orpheum Theatre on Saturday.








Friday we went to lunch at Charles Vergo's Rendezvous. It was the BBQ we had waited for. I had seen it featured on the Food Network and had heard so much from others that I hoped that it lived up to the hype. So we got seated right away downstairs and they started us on complementary red beans and rice (which I hear was unusual). I opted for a small order of ribs ($14.95) which comes with beans and slaw. Let me tell you: it. was. awe. some. Totally lived up to the hype and I really can't wait to go back. If you go to Memphis and don't go to the Rendezvous you're doing yourself an injustice.

Backstage at the Orpheum.

Then it came time to play the semi-final round with other bands we'd played with all week and one new band from South Florida. The talent in that room was unbelievable, but only one band in Wet Willie's could make it through. That one band was your hometown boys, The Lefty Collins Band! The band is made up of Lefty Collins (Gadsden, AL) on lead vocals, guitar and songwriting duties; David Green (Jacksonville, AL) on drums and backing vocals; Barry Wasserman (Helena, AL) on bass and backing vocals; and yours truly Andrew Brasfield (Dora, AL) on harmonica and backing vocals. The Orpheum was amazing. It was similar to the Alabama Theatre but I'd say it's a bit more plush. We finished somewhere between 4th and 9th though we like to tell everyone we came in 4th.

Here are a few band's that I met along the way and I think you should consider buying their music or at least giving them a try.

24th Street Wailers (Toronto)
2 Blu (Birmingham)
Mikey Junior and the Stone Cold Blues Band (Northeast US)


You can also find The Lefty Collins Band on CD Baby or Amazon for physical or digital copies and iTunes, of course.

Here's a video of us in the semi-final round:

 

Special thanks to David Brunswick for the video!

What's in a (nick)Name?

So nicknames happen all over, but the South seems to have a lot of nicknames.  How many Bubbas do you know?  I've known more than a few and I actually have one of my church friends that calls me Bubber and that's not my only nickname.  Over the years I've been called:

Rabbit
Nub or Nubbie (I cut part of my thumb in a freak fruit basket assembly line accident)
Jew (Rhymes with Drew)
Drawers
Bubber
Harmonica Guy
Harmonica Man (not a nickname but a character on a Catholic Children's show.  Yes, really.)

I'm sure there are more, a few one off names that are funny for a few hours, but that is a lot for one man of 30ish years.  The best part about all of them is that they were spontaneous.  I'm not a fan of meeting someone and then saying, "I'm Patrick but everyone calls me  JB."  If everyone calls you JB introduce yourself as such.  I introduce myself as Andrew but if somebody says, "yeah, but we all call him Drew" that's fine, I just feel weird calling myself that but I will answer to it without cringing or thinking twice. For some reason I've always rejected Andy...but Andy-B (a Church youth group nickname) is somehow ok.

What's worse is when someone nicknames themselves then tells everyone that is what they want to be called. I know you've met at least one of these people. It's awkward and they always end up looking foolish.

Do you guys have any weird nicknames in your family? Let me know in the comments.

Accent Modification

I have a confession y'all...

Sometimes, around certain company...I change my accent.  Yes, I know.  It really is against everything I preach but it has been pointed out by others (namely my wife) that I do it.  I'm aware, but not really ashamed.  No matter what I do I'll always have a bit of an accent.  It shows my roots and my heritage.  Sometimes I do it because to some people in some parts of town find a drawl like mine hard to understand.  Sometimes I do it to show that the perception of people from my neck of the woods isn't always true.  Sometimes I just want to sound a little classier normal.  It's not like I'm a 14 year old girl sporting some generic/fake British accent; I'm not pretending to be someone else, just something different.  It's like putting on nice clothes before meeting important people.  

Other times when I'm around old high school friends I notice my accent is stronger.  It also seems to happen when I'm out and about and someone makes mention of my Southern heritage or talk about how they think I live in the meth capital of the greater Birmingham area.  

Do you change your accent up depending on the situation?  Has someone else pointed out that you inadvertently do it?  Let us know in the comments.

Southern Word of the Week - Hot Mess

(adj.) I know she thought she looked good, but she looked like a hot mess.
(adj.) After partying last night I feel like a hot mess.
(adj.) You can't spell hot mess without me.

Is it Southern?  I have no idea, but I've heard it a lot lately.  Bascially a hot mess is something that went awry somewhere whether it be the way someone looks, feels or acts.  The final example listed above came from a friend and I thought it would be the perfect t-shirt at one of those stores that has all the t-shirts at the beach or whatever. 

So make sure you aren't a hot mess, but also be sure you know what a hot mess looks like because you know you want to point them out to your friends.

Southern Word of the Week - Eat Up

ex. (adverb?) That boy is just eat up with stupid, bless his heart.
ex. (adverb?) She is eat up with meanness.  She don't never say nothin' good about nobody.

Eat up is something you use when the person you are talking about is basically just inundated with whatever affliction you put after it.  You can also get eat up with mosquitoes or ticks, but for the most part being eat up is how you diagnose someone elses shortcomings.

A rant about cooking and food and other slightly related things

I have talked with far too many people, women in particular, that mention their shortcomings in cooking.  And I'm not trying to be sexist saying, "they aren't cooking for their husbands and food should be on the table at 6pm sharp, and dessert better be involved."  I'm just kind of shocked by what seems to be a lack of cooking happening in homes.  I also mentioned to a friend that I was stoked about making biscuits for my wife's birthday earlier this month; her response, "You know those come in a can, right?"  I will say she wasn't from the South and may not fully understand the taste, mouth feel and satisfaction a homemade buttermilk biscuit means to a Southerner but come on!  I love cooking dang near anything and I just happen to have a great biscuit recipe that gives me a sense of accomplishment every time I pull a batch out of the oven.

Food is just too easy.  We have everything served to us as we ask for it nowadays.  Fast food, television, music, nearly everything we used to have to go out and buy that took time and effort to prepare for is now ready for us to consume, throw out or toss aside.  If my dad wanted music he had to go to a record store.  Not only that but he had to go into town for it!  If you want fried chicken KFC can have a bucket ready for you in minutes.  No need to marinate, batter or fry your own.

Am I the pot calling the kettle black?  Yes, I am but I also make a conscious effort to do more cooking from scratch and learn the way things were done.  I'm the kind of guy that watches food shows and wants to attempt cooking it rather than watching it for the food porn others do.  You don't have to wish you could make that from scratch, you can!  The recipes are on the internet waiting for you to dive in a tackle them!

Southern Word of the Week - Hissy Fit

Hissy fit: a temper tantrum. 

(n.) Nadene is gonna throw a hissy fit when she finds out you got bleach spots on her new dress
(n.) That kid laid down in the floor of the T G & Y and had a hissy fit like you've never seen! 

Kids often throw hissy fits, and often it applies to adults that become unreasonable when faced with a certain set of facts.  There is a time and a place for hissy fits, but they occur far more frequently than they should.  You can also just have a hissy, which is practically the same.

Southern Word of the Week - Tag

The registration plate for your automobile
(n.) Did you go to the courthouse to get your tags yet?

I asked one guy from New Jersey about his tags once.  He didn't know if I was talking about something you wear (i.e. credentials, press pass, etc.), or what.  Then I said, "No, a car tag."  He still had no idea.  He thought he was supposed to put something in the rental car.  I explained that it went on the back of a car and he said, "Oh, you mean my plates."  I honestly had no idea that anyone would not know what I was talking about when I mentioned a car tag.  Just another reminder of how wonderfully different the language is in different regions of the United States.

Friday Fun - The Cleverly's

I guess I stumbled upon these guys on a Neatorama post a while ago.   I thought they would be one trick ponys and not have anything more to offer . . . boy was I wrong!  They are really talented bluegrass players that do modern covers.  And not just like Hayseed Dixie that I've talked about before, they'll  do hip hop, 80's, Motown, dang near anything.  I won't go into their backstory but you can go to their website at TheCleverlys.com and click about to watch the video of their backstory.  I suspect they are studio musicians that wanted to do something between sessions or when times got lean and came up with their schtick.  My Facebook friends will vouch that I have spammed their News Feed with videos from these folks.

I couldn't decide which to post so here's Billionaire followed by I Gotta Feeling.  For more check out their YouTube channel.




Word on the street is they're supposed to be available for show dates soon so check out your local music establishment to see if they're performing near you!

Lemme know how you like 'em, or if there's new music I need to discover out there in the comments!

Holiday Charities

We see the Salvation Army volunteers ringing the bells every year and sometimes we put a few coins in or maybe some cash and that may be most of the charitable giving we do for the season.  I'd like to know what you are volunteering for or what you are donating and to whom this holiday season.

Personally my band is doing a toy drive for Jesse's Place. You can read about the show here.

So let me know in the comments or email me at drew [at] Okra Cola (dot) com to let me know about how you are giving back.  Even if it was last month at Thanksgiving it would still be good information for people.  Thanks and Happy Advent, Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!

Southern Word of the Week - Ignernt

Lacking knowledge. Pronounced IG-nernt
(adj.) Some folks is just plain ignernt.

My daddy always used to say, "Everybody's ignernt about something."  Of course he didn't pronounce it that way, but I think I'm embracing more of my Southern roots than he did.  I sound extremely Southern when around my high school/grammer school friends.  What was I talking about?  Oh yeah, ignernce.

There are many people in the South that are ignorant about many things.  But do you wanna know how to clean and butcher a deer?  That same person you thought was ignernt, will be able to not only how to properly clean that deer, but probably be able to tell you the why's and what for's too.