Thom Shepherd & Megan Linville At the Tin Roof, Nashville

Thom Shepherd is one of these down to earth musicians I’ve mentioned in my various articles. The kind so comfortable with themselves and their music they don’t try to please. They are just who they are; comfortable.

Thom wore a perpetual smile on his face for the 45 minutes we chatted in his office just off Music Row, and was accommodating in more ways than one. This two-times cancer survivor is unabashed about his brush with death; which he agreed was fodder for songwriting, his love for country music, and respect for his fellow musician and partner Megan Linville.

I made plans to meet Thom before I left Dallas to join Tom Brislin for the drive down to the music city. It was Rocky Gribble of the Grapevine Opry who suggested I give Thom a tinkle.
My week in Nashville was scheduled to be chock-a-block full, and just as I expected, Tuesday rolled up without so much as a breather. When Tom Brislin, his old school chum Dan Thomas and I negotiated our way to the Tin Roof where Thom and Megan were to do a show, the hands of the clock were about to strike the pose ’7′.
I had already attended a private viewing of the Nashville Symphony at rehearsal that morning, and interviewed three Steinway pianists at separate intervals in the afternoon. But my exhaustion was fleeing. I was to meet the person from whom I would glean a terrible secret. I was to pry from his knowing hands, the secret to writing an award winning song! (continue reading…)

On the road to Nashville

I set out to investigate Nashville two months ago; an idea that came about from a chat with Tom Brislin (Spiraling).
On the balmy evening of August 21st 2009, Tom and I had positioned ourselves upstairs at the serving area of Bar East Ale House in NYC. I had just met with NJ band Suspyre, their manager and UsaProgMusic editor Jill Hughes Kirtland, and Tom himself, for the article Age of Aquarius; Renaissance Raising.

Texture in Fall

Contrast of red and green

With ‘brew’ in hand, we began an extended conversational ‘trip’ that looked into the depths of ourselves as musicians, but more so about the searching for that success which only each motivated individual can define. Where do we go from here, we asked each other rhetorically.

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Grapevine Opry at rehearsal (Dallas, Texas)

I first got a whiff of this ‘Country Road’ as a kid living in Singapore; Denver wrote fantastical lyrics that espoused all-American living with a tinge of the hippie culture; Woodstock was birthed in the year 1969.

As the power of marketing grew exponentially along with mass media, popular culture took the fast lane down the worldwide multimedia freeway with a grin on its cherubic face!

In my rear view mirror I watch as ‘Country Road’ overtook me to stop at Akasaka’s Bob Lounge where Tokyo’s Cowboy Bob sings soulfully with a twang.

A note for us living in America; the rest of the world gets a delayed effect on our syndicated programs and often live in a pop culture time warp.

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