See, I’ve had this little battle in my mind for the past several years. It seems like in today’s music industry there’s a line in the sand. Are you an emotional artist or will you craft your music the way a fine violin maker labors over his creations? It doesn’t seem like there is much crossover between categories – you create well-crafted music and people will think its shallow, you create emotional music and people will forgive poor musicianship as being “deep”.

In recent memory, one of the few (but exciting) exceptions is Adele, with her recent release “21,” a musically pure record that outsold Lady Gaga by almost a million copies. Musicianship, song writing, and vocal performances are top notch, and I think one would be hard pressed to find anyone who doubts the emotion packed into the material.

Confession time. I have a degree in classical violin performance. I know what you’re thinking, “you? NO!” But alas, it’s true. So, as a classically trained musician, I spend a good deal of time listening to the likes of Beethoven, Brahms, Debussey, Stravinsky (mostly romantic), and it has struck me that a good deal of my favorite classical music was both intensely emotional AND that generation’s version of Pop Music. At what point in our musical heritage did we begin deconstructing the craft of music in favor of emotional abstraction?

When did we stop caring enough about our music to be satisfied with poor execution? Would Beethoven have dumbed down his creative vision because a vocalist or instrumentalist could not get the part? No. In fact, when rehearsing for the opening night of the 9th Symphony, one of the female vocalists asked Mr. Beethoven to re-write a section that was slightly outside of her range. He replied with, “Practice. The note will come.”

Maybe I’m naive, but I want to believe that an artist can spin an emotion or experience into a masterpiece of execution – knowing that every little detail the listener hears is intentional and designed to elevate the mood.

– Jonathan

No we haven’t forgotten about you. No we’re not breaking up. Yes we still love you.

Hahaha, sorry we’ve been incognito everyone. It seems like writing journal entries gets pushed down to the bottom of the list when you’re an indie band trying to gear up for a big tour. I just wanted to let you know we’re still here and excited as ever to see you on the road! If you haven’t gone to our tour page, please check it out and see if we’re going to be anywhere near you this spring. We’ve been anxiously putting together our show to go out in support of Orla Fallon (amazing singer and harpist from Celtic Woman), and we hope you all enjoy it as much as we have enjoyed preparing it!

To give you a quick update, we left Nashville Tuesday and arrived in Arizona for a refresh and 4 shows before heading up to Salt Lake City for Orla’s first performance. AAAAND, as I’m writing this we just broke into a spontaneous chorus of Blink 182. Weird. Aaaaaannnyway, it has been a crazy last couple of months of preparation, both for the tour and for the Calico Picture Show (which we hope you have been enjoying). But now all the hard work is paying off and we should have some pics and vids for you to check out soon from our life on the road.

Cheers!
Jonathan

- Prof. Jonathan

It just takes one step, and I’ll be alright.
Oh, but it haunts me how my heart won’t allow even a try

Sometimes the first step is the hardest.  It’s easier to let your brain believe that trying and failing is worse than wondering “what if.”  Its funny how, as a songwriter, we make these observations, statements, and often opinions on the way the world is and how it should be – and then in given time those thoughts and opinions come back with a 2×4 to smack us over the heads.  In my craft I feel like maybe my songs are a reflection of who I want to be and they try to guide the short comings of the real me.  In those times its wonderful to have a band of comrades to drag me along kicking and screaming

This past weekend was our first step.  Yeah, we’ve had hundreds of first steps along the way, but to us this is beginning to feel like to wheels of the train are finally catching a little traction.  We performed our first opening appearances ahead of Sara Evans (www.saraevans.com) Friday and Saturday, and it was fantastic.  I don’t have enough great things to say about Sara and her band and crew!  We were treated like family and are so grateful to everyone for taking care of us.

Jordan and I have been professional musicians for several years now, but in a lot of ways we feel like total babies at this.  We kinda worked the music biz backwards – my first pro gig ever was on a tour bus.  Now that we’ve gotten a taste for it, we’re venturing out there in a 15-passenger van taking driving shifts at night, and making lunch from flat meat we bought at the store!  But even though that’s a step down for a lot of musicians, it feels so right to me.  I’m with the people I love the most in the world, performing music that we wrote and cultivated, meeting people who are impacted by it.  IT’S AWESOME!

So keep in the loop, stay tuned for more adventures from our gypsy caravan (and crazy videos from Cassandra)

– Jonathan

Be warned: I will probably be lacing most of these with sarcasm and sassy notes, but all in all I will attempt not to take up too much cyberspace and keep it PC…i also wink a lot to make sure ya’ll know i’m being playful…i’m also not a fan of taking the time to properly use Capitol Letters When Appropriate…annnnd…i say worrrrd quite a bit.

oh yeah, i usually can’t stay on just one topic so those of you who don’t even LIKE reading blogs will hopefully be entertained.

With that, I shall continue on to more pressing matters at hand: adventure.

ad·ven·ture

[ad-ven-cher] Show IPA noun, verb,-tured, -tur·ing.

Just wanted to take a quick second to let you know we’re going to be doing a live video video feed from the studio tomorrow (Thursday) evening at 8 PM CST and would love to have you tune in!

The address is http://www.ustream.tv/channel/tin-cup-gypsy/

You don’t have to be registered to watch, just show up and check it out. We’ll be recording a batch of three tunes for you all to vote on which one will be the next Tin Cup Gypsy single.

Check it out and let us know what you think!

– TCG

I love Riverbend. I make no bones about it. Many look for ways to tear it down; I look for ways to love it, and it isn’t hard to find the positive in the festival. Look no further then Tin Cup Gypsy, my favorite act at Riverbend this year, so far. Playing under the bridge last night, they just killed the huge crowd that showed up. A few people showed up looking for the “mystery guest” and ended up falling in love with these young and talented musicians from Nashville. They were light years beyond good. They were great.

The crowd loved them, many not even realizing “their story.” Allow me to give you some details. When the two brothers were 8 years old, their parents took away their television. I don’t mean they took it away after 9 p.m. or on school nights. I mean they took the televisions out of the house. For six years. No TV. Instead, the family would play music, practicing the guitar, fiddle and mandolin. They did this as a family. They went to a charter school and graduated from high school at a very young age. They graduated from college when they were 18. One received his master’s degree when he was 22.

With college completed, their parents gave them a few bucks and a cell phone and told them they were adults and needed to go out in the world and make their own way. “Give us a call and let us know how things are going, but don’t call for money,” they told the boys. You see, they prepared the boys for life. Talented and educated, they were ready for the world. The young men went out and got jobs most would die for. One is with Josh Turner, and one is with Sara Evans band. Well done, parents. Oh yeah, despite having the opportunity to see their kids at some of the nation’s largest concerts, they chose to drive their motor-home from Arizona and stop in Chattanooga to see them.

And, lets not forget Cassandra. She has spent her young life learning to be talented, also. And beautiful. So folks, you have the rest of the story. Last year, Trombone Shorty was my favorite act; unless something happens, Tin Cup Gypsy has it in the bag for this year.

All this talk about a mystery guest at the Riverbend Festival has the rumor mills churning like crazy.  Metallica, U2, Col. Bruce Hampton, Bruce Springsteen, The Beastie Boys, Phish, Snoop Dog.  It’s funny how people make the connections in their guesses.

Bettye LeVette, who just played on the Unum stage last night, played with 1?2 of the Beatles earlier this year, so maybe Paul and Ringo are coming to join her in a concert.  Elvis has retired and is living in Kalamazoo, Mich., so it can’t be him. Besides, you won’t ever get him away from the Kalamazoo Burger King, the place where he has been spotted so many times.  Michael Jackson may have some outstanding warrants in the U.S., so it probably isn’t him.  Bill Payne, my brother from Roanoke, has already been announced as an act for next Friday, so it isn’t him.

Want some better guesses?

Here is a riddle. Josh Turner is playing tonight in Myrtle Beach.  His bus would come right through Chattanooga on its
return to Nashville. Sara Evans lives pretty close to Chattanooga, and doesn’t play until June 12. Josh played on the Coke stage last year. The mystery guest of whom I speak also was on that stage. Sara Evans played the Coke stage a
couple years ago.  These are facts, folks.  Go to youtube and pull up some Josh Turner and Sara Evans videos. I promise you will see a few of the possible mystery guests. There are some handsome guys coming, and one fine
looking, musically talented lady.

That’s about all I can say right now, but if I were you, I would be under the bridge at the Tennessee Valley Credit Union Stage on Sunday night at 6:15 p.m. Bring an autograph pen and a camera and get some pictures with them.

And, yes, the answer lies within this column.