Thank YOU, thank YOU, thank YOU. Good morning, afternoon, or evening (depending on when you read this) and welcome to a monumental event at hand. With Unbound Arts at the helm of a beautifully planned and enjoyed evening, let me be one of the first to recap and share that this was not just the 1st event East Side Story experienced at Riverwood Mansion, this was the 52nd spectacular edition of East Side Storytellin’! Like the 51 previous shows we had put together before, we all arrived at Riverwood Mansion, described below here and now, to get y’all cultured up just right in the form of a Nashville writer reading from original prose, followed by an amazing local musician performing and talking about their original music, and then a round-up creative conversation with all featured guests of this event to talk about their individual journeys and personal ties to Nashville. Without further ado, fulfilling – to the max – the entertainment portion of the night, this was East Side Storytellin’ 52. Let us begin, again.
If you haven’t been to Riverwood Mansion before, you really need to make it a point to take a visit. Unbound Arts will be hosting multiple pop-up events every month, on top of the glamorous weddings that you may or may not already be invited to as well. Either way, you need to take the time to get lost in the history and wonder that Riverwood Mansion possesses. All of the featured artists and guests piling in before the show actually started were able to spend time wandering about throughout the upstairs and downstairs rooms and really take quite the trip on a cold Tuesday night in January. People were dressed nice and it was more than fancy for all involved. It was a treat even before the food and entertainment began.
Speaking of treats, before we get to the show, one of the coolest things we did for this epic undertaking like none before was to involve the Riverwood Mansion owner/chef, Debbie Sutton, to create something very special for the night. She had contacted the featured guests before the show and planned a 4 course meal to add to the mix. Before the show began, I introduced Jennifer Anderson of Unbound Arts to talk about the venue and then introduce Debbie. Debbie greeted the packed and seated crowd with pleasantries. Then, without skipping a beat, she described the food and its inspiration in the order that it would be served.
I was sitting next to Tom stage right and it sounded like a firework show of OOO’s and AHH’s behind us. I kid you not, the crowd exploded into jubilation like a group of Black Friday shoppers at midnight after Debbie detailed the desert for the night. It was totally amazing all around. You could sense the wonder and inspiration in the air. Basically, everyone who bought a ticket and attended was served some of the best and unique food anywhere in town that evening … fact. So, on top of the show below, now you know what you missed and why you need to get a ticket for the next show before it sells out!
Now, here is the show … East Side Storytellin’ 52.
The first featured guest of the evening is a man of few words but a man that is admired by many because the words he does share always count and matter so much to everyone in his life. He is a local poet who received a certificate from the MTSU’s Writer’s Loft in January of 2013, where people like Jeff Hardin and Kory Wells were his mentors. He has been a guest host at Poetry in the Brew and was recently featured at Poet’s Corner at Scarritt-Bennett this past October. He has been published in the journals Blast Furnace, Number One, Third Wednesday, and Nashville Arts Magazine (to name a few and counting). Beyond his stellar writing and performing track record among his writing peers, this guy has “thru-hiked” the Appalachian Trail twice (both being 6 month endeavors). He also studies and practices Mindfulness, something we all should do better at taking notes and implementing into our own lives. It was an honor and great feeling to introduce this man to kick off 2015 in style and I was not alone in giving a mindful and heart-filled welcome to the stage to the likes of the one and only Walker Bass!
Walker didn’t even bother starting his soup because he was ready to read. He walked through the crowd, filled with a handful of past East Side Storytellin’ alumni and regular supporters, and made his way to the spotlight below the beautiful chandelier. Honestly, the set-up was impeccable and dreamy for any event coordinator of any sort. Back to Walker, he kicked things off with his one and only sonnet. He described how difficult those can be at times, and that was the only moment difficult was mention or expressed throughout his readings because he really knocked the performance out of the park (or mansion, as it was). Walker has an innate presence and skill to exude a calm aura but at the same time cut to the core and revealing the depths of life for all to see how he sees the world. The poem about the bathroom door telling him where to go and what to do was simply awe-inspiring. Like most of the other talented Nashville poets that have taken the East Side Storytellin’ stage, I can’t do them justice with the recap after the fact. You really do need to just listen to the recording below to get the full effect (and come in person if you don’t want it edited at all and to feel it live).
Before Walker took his seat for his food and applause, he did something I’ve always wanted to have happen at the shows and never has occurred up to this show. He asked the musicians, Kirabelle and Joshua Dent, to come on stage and play their instruments to accompany his words. The style of his poetry and the sheer talent of the instrumentalists for this moment fit like a charm. Actually, it was more than a charm or charming. It was perfect.
We took a short break to let Walker sit down and enjoy the music of the night and for the musicians to get set up. The featured musician of the night was yet another person that I discovered while perusing the pictures and recap from the artists festival this past year with Float Nashville (an organization that all of you should take time to look up and check out this year). Born into an eclectic musical family of Welsh, Scots, English, and Italian ancestry, this female phenome is a blend of Folk, Pop, and Jazz mixed with a fine sense of pitch and humor, intonation and elegance. She can play the guitar, banjolele, ukulele, and the piano (probably not at the same time though, though I wouldn’t be surprised if she did). She was recently featured on the Firebreathmas 2014 album called “All I Got for Christmas” and you can buy more of her tunes online in the form of “Songs for Baby Beans” and “Wildwood Flower.” It has been written that this lady sounds like Norah Jones and Regina Spektor spun on a 40′s record player. Like Riverwood Mansion and the overall setting of this particular event we found ourselves in that night, she brings a fresh energy to an old sound. Joined by her good friend and cellist Joshua Dent, the loving crowd put their hands together and showed big love for Kirabelle!
Kirabelle, a born professional musician and experienced Vaudeville act, instantly lit up the faces and smiles for all eating their 2nd or 3rd course at that point. She mentioned that she had managed to stuff some of the goodness in her mouth before taking the stage, and that she was honored to be a part of such a magical night. Joshua, one of the best jazz cellist I’ve ever seen play live, kept Kirabelle’s humor and stories in check with his constant chuckles and improv sounds from behind. It was quite the duo to kick off the new year with new sounds.
In a city filled with country, it was nice beyond words to fill the antebellum house with sounds of folk jazz (yes, Kirabelle coined it that way). Her voice was like something Boardwalk Empire would have dreamed about showcasing, and I know my wife was not alone in wanting to capture her sound for our newest very old record player at our house. Everything about Kirabelle’s performance was a nod of respect to musical ancestry and yet making it new in a way that was comfortable and exciting and breathtaking for all in the crowd. She did fit in two covers- Bill Wither’s “Ain’t No Sunshine” and Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell’s “You Are My Sunshine.” Both were so poignant, original, and … seriously, yet again I cannot give these people justice in a recap. You simply must listen to the show below and make plans to see these shows live so you don’t miss a minute of awesome.
Before Kirabelle and Joshua put down their instruments, they left us with a very cool, introspective original that displayed feelings of love and longing but in a way with such skill and sound that I’ve never quite heard anything like it before. This was something special y’all!
After the music stopped, I managed to get Kirabelle and Walker back on stage to share some personal thoughts on creativity and their paths to Nashville and beyond. I’ll just stop talking now, and let the recording do them and the show justice. I could ramble for days here if allowed.
So, as promised, here is the edited version of Unbound Arts presents: East Side Storytellin’ 52 with Kirabelle (featuring Joshua Dent) and Walker Bass. Enjoy it over and over and share it with a friend or two:
https://soundcloud.com/eastsidestorytn/sets/east-side-storytellin-52
Before I say goodbye for this round of fun, I’d like to give a big round of thanks for Walker and Kirabelle for sharing their stories, talents, and time with us.
You can read more about Walker Bass– https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100007952945873&fref=ts
You can listen to more from Kirabelle – http://kirabellefrabotta.com
You can listen to this show, edited, soon, alongside the previous shows too, on our website, www.eastsidestorytn.com, at our In Our Own Words Tab – see here –http://eastsidestorytn.com/in-our-own-words/
I’d also like to show much love to Clay Brunton for the beautiful artwork for the prints made by Kevin Anthuis at 5 Points Digital Imaging (http://5pdi.com) to celebrate Unbound Arts presents: East Side Storytellin’ 52.
I’ll keep the gratitude going for Tom Eizonas, Otis James for my wicked cool hat, my lovely wife and most talented artist in Emily Harper Beard (efharper), and everyone that came out live to support the show … and to everyone who has helped continue to spread the word and support the show online afterwards.
Last, but certainly not least, I’d like to give one last shout out to the crew at Riverwood Mansion: the owner and chef- Debbie Sutton, the PR master of Shannon Marie Smith, and the event guru Jennifer Anderson for allowing us to celebrate East Side Storytellin’ in such a fun place and way.
The NEXT East Side Storytellin’ event presented by Unbound Arts will be …
East Side Storytellin’ 53
Tuesday, January 20th, 2015
Riverwood Mansion (1833 Welcome Lane)
7pm
author- Roschelle Ridenhour (www.roschelleridenhour.com)
musician- Justin Collins (www.justinandthecosmics.com)
For more information: Email chuck@eastsidestorytn.com or unboundartsnashville@gmail.com to see about purchasing tickets.
OR
Purchase your tickets and share with friends here- https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
Read more information about the location and all involved in this limited run of shows here-
That’s all for East Side Storytellin’ 52 and the official beginning of a wonderfully fun run of events here at Riverwood Mansion. Thanks for coming out and sharing the good word and giving some love to all of these great Nashville artists and our creative ideas. Please remember to be nice to one another out there. Thanks and good day your way.
Much love,
Image courtesy of Elizabeth Stewart
Image courtesy of Elizabeth Stewart