Great Balls of Fire!!! Leon rocks the Franklin!!

By Butch Worrell  
     Nashville, TN

 Leon Russell may be pushing 74 and has to walk to his piano with a cane, but when he begins to play and sing he puts to shame the twentysomething Rockers.

Allman Brothers Band at the Beacon Theater

The Road Doesn’t Go On Forever....

Images and article by Bill Kelly

Bittersweet can best describe the feeling evoked by Friday night’s sold out show at the Beacon, the fifth of fourteen sold out evenings of the bands final Beacon run.  An almost unbroken run (let’s not get into the whole Dolan/Circus thing) since 1989, over 200 shows that have become as much a harbinger of spring in New York as March Madness and crocuses blooming in Central Park a few blocks east of the theater.

Johnny Cash Museum hosts a Birthday bash for Johnny

By Butch Worrell
     Nashville, TN

 Bill and Shannon Miller recently hosted a Birthday Bash in honor of Johnny’s birthday at the Johnny Cash Museum in Nashville. For 2 nights family and friends (see the program for a list) of Johnny rocked out with Cash tunes and songs he loved.

A special treat was a guest that had appeared twice on his Johnny Cash TV show, Melanie Safka of Woodstock fame. Accompanied by her son and daughter (Leilah Hayman, a rising performer/artist herself), she demonstrated that the vocal qualities that made her a star were still there! Thanks Bill and Shannon for a real good time!

Lorrie Bennett band rocks Johnny Cash Birthday Celebration

By Butch Worrell and Vicki Langdon
     Nashville, TN

 To Lorrie Bennett he was Uncle Johnny. Anita Carter, Lorrie’s mother and June Carter Cash‘s sister, had one of the most beautiful voices in the music business.

NASCAR Food City 500 Returns to Bristol Motor Speedway

Bristol Motor Speedway during NASCAR Sprint Cup Food City 500

Coming up next month in beautiful Bristol, Tennessee is the Food City 500 at the Bristol Motor Speedway.  The March 16^th race is a premier event in the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit.  The deafening roar of the engines, the excitement of the race, and the thousands upon thousands of race fans all make this one of the most exciting NASCAR events around.  Featuring the best stock car drivers in the world, NASCAR events are a spectacle unlike any other event.  Bristol Motor Speedway has long been the home to NASCAR fame since the early 1960’s.  Previous notable races held here have been the Southeastern 500 and the Valleydale 500.  The Food City 500 features 500 laps totaling 266.5 miles of pure adrenaline and speed.  Fans come for not just the excitement of the race, but also for a day of tailgating with friends and family.  Kicking off this year’s race is a concert from Colt Ford on the Food City 500 stage.

Snoop Dogg Brings the Party to Bogart's

Snoop Dogg/Lion played for a small sold out crowd this Friday night at Bogart's. Snoop has been playing small venues at select spots across the country during the winter with a plan to return to the big arenas/festivals this summer.  I think all bands should do this from time to time, as intimate atmosphere adds to the experience of a great performer. Snoop played all the classics and a few new  tracks for the crowd. On this particular night, Snoop showed up fashionable late but still played a strong set of what the crowd wanted to hear. Check out more of my crowd coverage at NBC.com under their music section. (Not a whole lot of wide angle shots as I have two lenses getting worked on at this moment.)

Images by Doug Siegel

Looking Forward to Moogfest 2014

Flying Lotus at Moogfest

Moogfest 2014 is fast approaching to the legions of electronic music fans in the southeast.  It is taking place over five days from April 23-27 in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina.  Since coming to Asheville, North Carolina in 2010, Moogfest has become the premier urban music festival, bringing the top of the line music and workshops to multiple venues around downtown Asheville.  Moogfest is named after the late Bob Moog, known as the inventor of electronic music and the Moog Synthesizer.  The festival is held in order to honor the creativity and inventiveness that Bob Moog spread throughout his life.