I confess, not being real familliar with all things Mardi Gras... I didn't get the connection. But nonetheless, I accepted the invitation to a Mardi Gras themed party honoring Rascal Flatts. Today. Tuesday.
The guys met the media before the event, which was the first time since Me & My Gang was released that we'd had a chance to sit down with them. (They didn't do media after their CMA win.) First off, we were told we were not allowed to ask about the GRAMMYs. Ok. Although at one point in the presentation, Gary started singing "Hotel California." They also offered up that they didn't understand how you could have the best selling artist album in all genres of music and not win Country Album of the Year. I don't have my notes with me, I'll have to fill y'all in on what they talked about later, if you're interested.
The food at the event was... foreign. LOL. At least to me. And poor Jon Anthony who doesn't eat anything that didn't come off the farm couldn't even find anything to put on his plate. I had never seen fried crawdads on a salad before. I couldn't bring myself to try that. Lots of creole and gumbo, and some shrimp dish that was pretty good. I tried a couple of things I'd never experienced before. I had shrimp grits, which I put on my plate before I figured out what they were. Not bad, but not the mashed potatoes I was originally hoping they were. And why on earth anyone ever thought to put shrimp and grits together was beyond me. I also tried King Cake - which tasted more like bread to me, but it was pretty good. Kim and I liked the purple sprinkles.
I know Teach is reading all of this and completely rolling her eyes at me. Hey - speaking of, I heard them talking about a Mardi Gras event in Metarie on XM 13, Willie's Place a few days ago. At any rate, I thought of you a lot today.
The event, I neglected to mention, was held at the Country Music Hall of Fame, which is closed on Tuesdays in the winter. Kix Brooks was there, and lots of music industry folks. Actually, I just discovered a much better write-up of the event than I'm giving you at CMT.com.
The last 36 hours have been pretty much Hell's Roller Coaster in my world - personally and professionally. Thank you for the notes, questions, and concerns... more about the M-word another day, I promise. At this point my mind is a little boggled by reading about it in every business section in the country. And the message board speculation is completely out of control.
Today being Fa...err...Flatts Tuesday means tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, and I'm giving up chocolate for Lent. So now you'll know why I'm grouchy for the next 6 weeks. ;-)
There's another party tomorrow too. Check back same bat time.
11 comments:
I don't think I would like shrimp and grits together, either. I do love boiled crawfish, crawfish etouffe (pronounced atoofay), and grits with butter. The old time king cakes were like a french bread, but today most king cake is made like a cinnamon roll with icing and purple, green, and yellow colored sugar on top.
We rode in a truck parade in Metairie and had a great time. Threw lots and lots of beads.
You are too funny!! I'm thinking because it was Fat Tuesday is the reason for the theme.
I'd love to hear all your notes!!
Teach!! I bet you had a great time!
Just read the article on cmt. I'm going to apologize in advance to any RF fan that's reading, but wow--I'm less and less a fan of them every day (not that I was to begin with). Maybe I should say I have less and less respect for them every day. Becoming members of the Hall of Fame? My jaw hit the ground at that one. And the last line in the article... *shaking head*
Well on the flip side, the day had the opposite effect on me. I've carried a bit of a "who do they think they are" chip since they stopped coming backstage to talk to the press after their award show wins. (they didn't do ACM's or CMA's last year)
BUT - to hear them talk time and time again about how much they loved country music, how much their fans mean to them, what a thrill it was for them to just get to record a CD in Nashville... I was much more respectful of what they do by the end of the day.
I hope each and every artist out there with a record on the radio right now aspires to be in the Hall of Fame someday. It was a very appropriate comment considering they were standing in the Hall.
And for the line at the end, that cracked the place up. Maybe you had to be there, but everytime those guys open their mouths to answer a question it was a punch line... they're big cut ups, and the chemistry they have with each other really shows through when they do media - our episode of ShortCuts was the same way. Although it sometimes makes it difficult to get good soundbites for the radio.
I'm thinking that the meteoric rise to fame went to those heads!!
They must think using that pitch machine all the time is a good thing.
HOF??? Might be a cold day in ~~~
'afore that happens!!!
OK so while I was writing my post J's was posted..
I like their music. But I still think that they got way too big for Gary not being able to stay on key/pitch!!
As for the fooling around~~ (taking things out of context) I guess you do have to be there to get the real meaning.
I know sometimes I get the wrong take on an IM or E-mail 'cause you can't see/hear the other person!!!
Yeah, I can see what you're saying. I've read and seen too many negative things about them lately though. Not to mention...while I don't doubt they love country music, I'm not sure they're country. :P Weren't they pretty actively promoted to AC?
I appreciate that wanting to be in the Hall of Fame was an appropriate comment to make, but wanting to be there and desrving to be... Just because you sell some records doesn't qualify you, or it shouldn't, IMO. I guess I don't get what all the fuss is about with these guys.
They talked about the AC thing... in fact, I asked them about having a #1 AC song. And they brought the conversation back around to country music, that if their music crosses boundries and gets played on places from AC radio to Radio Disney (like the song from Cars) and that's taking country music to new audiences and bringing them back to the country music section to buy a CD, then that's a good thing. I hear Martina McBride on AC radio too, I've never thought any less of her because of it.
I've talked about this with both Garth and Shania, amongst others. If the music is out there and getting listened to by the masses, and someone who couldn't pick Toby Keith out of a lineup decides to plunk down $12 to buy a Shania CD, that's good for country music as a business. Especially on an act like Rascal Flatts, who's selling out arenas and giving folks like The Wreckers and Jason Aldean a chance to open for them.
Quite honestly, I think my job would be really, really borning if every song I had to program on the radio sounded like George Strait.
As for the Hall of Fame - that's not up to them to decide if they ever get to go in, nor did they say that they thought they would deserve it. Just that they planned on continuing to do what they do and try and get there someday. A good goal to have.
Now if they start talking about hoping to someday go into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, then I'd have issues.
mmmmm creole... mmmm gumbo... mmmm Rascal Fl... okay not so much on the last one.
Hang in there, J.
Girl, you should have gone for the crawdads, aka crawfish, aka Po'Boy Lobster. They're wonderful in garlic butter.
I saw RF about 15 years ago at a club in Columbus; didn't like GLV then(and he wasn't called 'LeVox' then, and it should be La Voix to be correct) and I don't like him know. He was painfully off key, and the band didn't gel at all.
Your Sista makes some powerful Gumbo. Ask Hazel.
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