The Music CITY!!!

Living in the internet age these days, there aren’t really that many great mysteries out there anymore.  I mean, of course there ARE great mysteries and perhaps, now that I think about it, there are probably a great many more mysteries now than ever before BECAUSE of the internet age (notice I’ve just changed my mind after writing that first sentence.)  BUT, let’s just say that in the spirit of that first sentence, sometimes there are factoids and queries that persist in the back of our minds somewhere for years that we just let sit there unknown… (probably because they aren’t important enough to look up. ) But they’re still there… every now and again dropping in to remind us of our trivial ignorance… and then slipping away as quickly as they came.  Too Dramatic?  Perhaps.  But, long story short – too late – I, myself, happen to have a number of these said suppressed queries nestled here and there in my subconscious, and two have come up lately.  The first was in the Music City. 

We got to Nashville, last week to play the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (Or the TPAC if ya hip ;) and it was clear right away that this is a pretty cool town to visit.  Throughout the downtown area they have speakers mounted on their traffic light-poles playing songs from their hometown heroes and there is live music Everywhere.  Every bar or restaurant on Broadway has a stage (or an apple-box) sporting at least 5 guys (or gals) all crammed up there Jammin out (even if there’s nobody in the establishment… doin’ it for the love baby! :)  And I’m talking like all the time… even noon on a Wednesday.  You can tell that music is just different in this town.  And country is KING.  SuuuuWEEE!  We dun heard us some sweet and low-down, honky-tonkin, blue-grass-pluckin, Down-home-pickin’, hilly-billy-fiddlin, Yee-HAW Yappin, and red-neck-croonin “music” at Legends Corner, Tootsies, The Stage, Bailey’s, and Roberts Western World.  

We dined on some smokeTacular BBQ too (what up Jacks!?), and even hit up the Musicians Hall of Fame (Circa 2006) which basically honors all of the session players, who you’ve never heard of, but have pretty much played on every song you’ve ever loved (what up Funk Brothers!?) 

But, in the spirit of that first sentence again (remember?  That one that I immediately second-guessed?), most significantly, this town was able to finally shine the light on one of those not-so-important-but-equally-annoying-mysteries that has been lurking in the back of my silly little brain since high school.  

This is my admission: Every year when the Gators play at Vanderbilt and I catch it on TV or something, I momentarily wonder… where in the devil is VANDERBILT???...  But then, almost as quickly as it popped in, the question magically dissipates and I’d get distracted by something else… (Squirrel!!!)  And the mystery remains.  So, anyway… long story – short…  (All together now :)  DUN Dun DUUUUUUUNNNNN!... Vanderbilt is in Nashville.      

All SEC people, even the ones who don’t know where the heck Vanderbilt is (not me anymore :) know about that bizarre stadium they play in.  It’s the only basketball arena I’ve EVER seen that has the players benches located on the Baseline, not the Sideline, and the court itself is even elevated above portions of the crowd.  Maybe that’s why I never had time to figure out where this University was… I was too busy wondering how two teams can play a basketball game with no coaches or bench players… and where on earth would they go if they wanted to Check In to the game???  Such a curious place.  Seeing it on TV is the basketball-watching equivalent of a ufo sighting, or like the Twilight Zone (remember in the movie from the 80’s?  That girl without a mouth… creeepy) there is something straaaaaNge about it.   Anyway, that place is the historic Memorial Gymnasium on the Vanderbilt campus.  Since 1952 it’s been the home of the Vandy Commadores and throughout the years when they've played there they have won 78% of the time.  

Unfortunately, because of a 101D matinee, I was unable to go to the game against Auburn on Saturday (probably couldn’t have gotten a ticket anyway) so I just took a jog around campus beforehand as the Commadore faithful were filing in.  Currently they are ranked at #21 and are undefeated so far in the SEC… until the GATORS come in there that is, to take them OUT!  (um… actually, I just realized, they already lost here. Shhhhhh) 

Anyway, the Vandy Campus is quaint and memorable, and Nashville was a good time for everybody.  Hopefully I’ll make it back there sometime to hear more of that HangDanglin, RingRanglin, Hoot an HOLLerIn-juke stuff.  In the meantime, at least I can rest assured that one of life’s great mysteries has finally been alleviated in my mind.  The second one is coming next.

Nashville is the Capital of Tennessee.    

Capital of Michigan anyone?? 

UnderD's 

We OUT! :)