August 2008 Blog Posts (32)

Shenandoah Rocks the House at Kenton National with guest, Marty Raybon

August 31, 2008 - Sunday

August 30/08 Shenandoah at Kenton national, Kenton, Ohio

Jimmy Yeary and the whole Shenandoah gang, met at the kroger parking lot at 1 am to head for Kenton, Ohio to play Kenton National. Jim Seales gal, Donna was aboard as well as Billy Ryan and drummer, Keeley lane and guitarist, Rod Riley.

We were a loaded bus as we sucked up those white lines on the highway, marking those miles off to Kenton. Everyone except Rod, Jim Seales and… Continue

Added by Stan Munsey on August 31, 2008 at 8:00pm — 1 Comment

ABBA VIDEO - Jim Colyer

It seems everyone took credit for the first rock video. It was actually ABBA who created the form. The Ring Ring, Waterloo and SOS clips are definitely recognizable as rock videos. ABBA fully defined the musical format which would prevail into the 21st century. If this is not understood in the States, it is because their videos had no forum here. In the 1970s, rock video had not yet taken over television. That happened after the rise of cable.

ABBA Gold and More ABBA Gold are… Continue

Added by Jim Colyer on August 31, 2008 at 12:13pm — No Comments

SHANIA TWAIN - Jim Colyer

I thought ABBA was the last music to influence me. It was Elvis Presley, The Beatles and ABBA summing up everything. From nowhere, Shania Twain appeared on the Nashville scene. She was country with a difference. Her music was inspired. Its roots were in pop and rock.

Shania's real name is Eilleen Regina Edwards. She was born in Timmins, Ontario, Canada, on August 28, 1965. Timmins is 500 miles north of Toronto. Shania's parents divorced when she was two. She never knew her father.… Continue

Added by Jim Colyer on August 27, 2008 at 3:42pm — 1 Comment

ABBA MUSIC - Jim Colyer

I have been an ABBA fan since I first heard them. They are the brightest, freshest thing to come out of the rock era. Their music articulates. It lends itself to interpretation. It functions on many levels, from the juvenile to the mature. There are tidbits of the psychological, sociological and spiritual.

What does ABBA music mean? What do sing about? Basically, their music is about men and women striving in the real world. It is about love, making mistakes and trying again. True,… Continue

Added by Jim Colyer on August 25, 2008 at 5:43pm — No Comments

BRIGHT LIGHTS, DARK SHADOWS - Jim Colyer review of Carl Magnus Palm book about ABBA

BRIGHT LIGHTS, DARK SHADOWS: THE REAL STORY OF ABBA - CARL MAGNUS PALM

Swedish author Carl Magnus Palm wrote an in-depth multiple biography of ABBA. It goes beyond the superficial, sketchy books which appeared earlier. It took a Swede to penetrate ABBA this way. British and American authors could not do it. I talked to Palm on the phone when I was in Stockholm.

Carl Magnus Palm lets us know right away that behind the glitter of ABBA there were four troubled individuals. He… Continue

Added by Jim Colyer on August 25, 2008 at 5:38pm — No Comments

Shenandoah Shares Stage with Southern Rockers..Ghost Riders ..in North Carolina !

AUG 23/08 - REIDSVILLE, NC - Shenandoah at the Nissan Dealership Promotion

Shenandoah, along with former member, Curtis wright and up and coming new artist/songwriter, Billy Ryan.. left the Kroger parking lot at around 12:30 am Friday, August 22. Most of us stayed up till the early wee hours just hanging out. We arrived in Reidsville, NC at the Nissan dealership around 11:30 am and headed inside , where a green room was set up with a deli tray and drinks. I've seen very few actual… Continue

Added by Stan Munsey on August 24, 2008 at 4:00pm — No Comments

Best Singing Breath involves 3 parts

I recently saw a new client who complained of not having enough breath to sing. This is a common issue I see in new vocal students. Sounds like a simple fix... she just needs to breathe in deeper, right? Not.

It's more complicated than that. The truth is, you can be quite compromised in the lung area you have available, from respiratory diseases and scar tissue, and STILL be able to have plenty of breath to sing. How is that possible?

Because there are three parts to the… Continue

Added by Judy Rodman on August 23, 2008 at 10:30am — No Comments

Remembering Jerry Wexler

It was sad to hear last week of Jerry Wexler's passing.....he was an amazing creative force in this music business thing....I had the extreme pleasure to have worked on many records with Jerry at the helm.The first being "The Sanford Townsend Band in 1977 .."Smoke From A Distant Fire"...he was one of the most knowledgeable music people I've ever known....and an incredible memory....his forte' in my estimation and many others was to FIND the right songs for his artist and get the absolute best… Continue

Added by Tom Roady on August 22, 2008 at 10:09am — 3 Comments

THE NEW LAND (SWEDISH FILM, 1972) by Jim Colyer

Karl Oskar leads his disgruntled wife to the spot he has chosen. Kristina is impressed. They go to work. Karl Oskar fishes and clears the land. Robert catches a rabbit. Kristina makes bread and cooks over an open fire. She gives food to some Indian women. The men begin building cabins. Kristina is elated when they are given a cow. At the housewarming, we see in her face that she misses Sweden.

Kristina and Ulrika are now friends, and Ulrika plays midwife when Kristina's baby is born.… Continue

Added by Jim Colyer on August 21, 2008 at 5:29pm — No Comments

THE EMIGRANTS (SWEDISH FILM, 1971) by Jim Colyer

Things are tough in Sweden in the 1840s. The Church holds the peasantry in check. Farm land is inferior.

Karl Oskar takes over his father's farm and sets out to get a wife. Our first glimpse of Liv Ullmann is in a swing. She has long braids and full lips. Karl Oskar and Kristina walk arm in arm. He courts her and before you know it, they are married. It is hard work and very little play. Kristina's mother-in-law catches her in her swing when she should be milking cows. Suddenly,… Continue

Added by Jim Colyer on August 21, 2008 at 5:26pm — No Comments

Theft Ring in the Airport

I suddenly find myself sitting in some nondescript airport restaurant as a result of a greatly delayed flight due to summer storms. With much time to kill, I break out my MacBook Pro, my M-Box, and a pair of headphones. I order breakfast. I work on some editing. I typically take this stuff with me so I can get work done if I get a little room to work with. At the moment, I have room, and I have time.

I'm sitting alone at a table for four, on the outside edge of the dining area. Only… Continue

Added by Pete Warren on August 21, 2008 at 9:00am — 8 Comments

Getting Ready

My wife's doctor said she could have our baby within the next 2 weeks! I can't believe it. Her actual due date is September 14th. We've been getting ready for the little one. He's going to be a boy and his name is going to be Evan James. I've attached several pictures of the preparation!

Other than the baby stuff I've been writing up a storm and producing. I've moved my studio over to The Musicians Hall of Fame. I love it over there and… Continue

Added by Brady Seals on August 20, 2008 at 9:35am — No Comments

THE BEATLES - Jim Colyer

John Lennon was the heart and soul of The Beatles. He was the one who wanted to be Elvis. When it was over, he said the only good thing about The Beatles was being bigger than Elvis. John Lennon met Paul McCartney in their hometown of Liverpool, England in 1957. They had something in common. Both were mesmerized by American rock & roll. John covered Chuck Berry. Paul sang Little Richard. A bond formed, and they wrote songs together. George Harrison joined them on lead guitar. George was a… Continue

Added by Jim Colyer on August 19, 2008 at 10:17pm — 1 Comment

ELVIS PRESLEY - Jim Colyer

"Before Elvis, there was nothing," said John Lennon. He was referring to music. We all know the universe, earth and humankind existed before Elvis Presley. Lennon was right, though. Modern music began with Elvis. Before Elvis, music was meaningless and worthless.

Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, on January 8, 1935. His parents were Vernon and Gladys Presley. There was a twin brother, who died at birth. Elvis grew up in a two-room house which Vernon built. He was close… Continue

Added by Jim Colyer on August 19, 2008 at 10:15pm — No Comments

MAMMA MIA! - Jim Colyer notes

Mamma Mia! is billed as The World's No. 1 Show. Catherine Johnson took 20 ABBA songs and wrote a mother/daughter story around them. Her story is appropriate as women's issues are the major theme of songwriters Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus. Detractors call Mamma Mia! a jukebox musical. If nothing else, it is a means of perpetuating the ABBA catalog, a body of 110 songs which surpasses The Beatles in quality. Indeed, ABBA was the Swedish Fab Four. Mamma Mia! stays on tour, and it has a… Continue

Added by Jim Colyer on August 19, 2008 at 2:01pm — No Comments

JIM COLYER SONGS

1963-1972 - Early Years

I wrote 400 songs in 40 years. It began as I was turning 18. I began hearing songs that did not exist. That made me a songwriter. There was a cheap, beat-up guitar at my grandmother's house. I tried to play chords I learned from books. Chords were easy to make, and I quickly understood how they fit together to form patterns. I could transpose from one key to another. The problem was, I had no rhythm. Bill Davis would help me with that years later. The neck of… Continue

Added by Jim Colyer on August 18, 2008 at 8:36pm — No Comments

GOING WEST 2009

Going West 2009

Michael wants to go on to Hollywood and Rodeo Drive. He wants to see the Hollywood sign. He likes Jay Leno, so we will get tickets in advance. The Tonight Show is taped at NBC Studios in Burbank. The address: NBC Studios, 3000 W. Alameda Av, Burbank, CA 91523

We will fly to Burbank from Nashville. We will rent a car and drive to Sequoia National Park. The biggest Sequoias are in the Giant Forest. This is where the General Sherman tree is, the largest living thing… Continue

Added by Jim Colyer on August 18, 2008 at 8:15pm — No Comments

JIM COLYER BIO

I was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on December 29, 1945. Famous people with whom I share a birthday are Mary Tyler Moore and Andrew Johnson, the only president besides Bill Clinton to be impeached. I grew up 15 miles east of Louisville in Middletown. School began for me in the fall of 1952. I hated school, everything about it. My first grade teacher grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me because I tried to work a puzzle which was too hard for me without first asking. She was a dominatrix.… Continue

Added by Jim Colyer on August 18, 2008 at 5:54pm — No Comments

"Runaway Home" is a hit in Bristol!

The workshop showcase performance of "Runaway Home" was powerfully successful. It was an amazing, bewildering, stressful, beautiful, scary 9 days ... way too hectic to report on at the time. But I'm back and this will be my report on the journey of a thousand (million?) steps we took from threads of chaos to tapestry.

Day 1:

The Decatur and Nashville parts of the cast and crew hopped a plane in Nashville at 6:00am and arrived to meet the Bristol, Connecticut parts of the… Continue

Added by Judy Rodman on August 18, 2008 at 12:00pm — No Comments

I want to BREAK your Camera...

I'm looking for a photographer. I really would like to find someone looking to break in or a student who wants a willing guinea pig. I can pay a little.

Added by Geoff Thurman on August 16, 2008 at 9:58pm — No Comments