& Appalachian Therapy - Donna Beasley - Blog

Help the Smokies with 2 clicks of a mouse!

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 20:52:47 -0700

Click on this link and vote for The Great Smokies Mountains National Park as your favorite. The winning park receives $100,000 from Coca-Cola. Your vote is appreciated!

http://www.livepositively.com/#/americasparks/vote

Graceland, Afterthoughts

Sun, 20 Jun 2010 08:56:59 -0700

Sorry for the lateness of the post. There have been floods and CDs to contend with. And these issues needed a little time. After some rumination, here's what I took away from my pilgrimage to Graceland, April 27, 2010.

1. Elvis lived a long time ago, not yesterday, as the videos have a way of making you believe. Watch "That's the Way It Is" filmed in 1970. You would swear you could drive over to rehearsals at MGM Studio and crash in on the Sweet Inspirations and the Imperials working out bgv's for "Bridge Over Troubled Water." It's easier to believe that the concert takes place in some sort of parallel universe where women wear really strange hair rather than the fact it was more than 40 years ago. A reviewer on Amazon commented, "It's so fresh and alive you'll almost forget it wasn't recently filmed." Thank you.

So, that's the little Elvis bubble I'd been living in for about a year. Happily melding 1970/2010. Elvis and I look good. We're thin. We're happy. We're young. We're bff. And then I saw the limo...THE limo...the one from "Elvis On Tour" filmed in 1972. He climbs in, entourage in tow, looks out the window sadly and sings "It's a rainy night in Georgia." Man, that limo is OLD. And tiny, compared to the monstrosities high school grads are renting for prom night these days. That tiny limo became "Christine," from Stephen King lore. It turned the key, started itself up, and plowed right into my little 1970/2010 bubble.

2. Once, when living in Pensacola, I ran into boxing champ Roy Jones, Jr., and his entourage, at the all-night Kroger about 1:00am. By that point in his career, he had won the title of World Champion in 3 weight divisions. And there he was in the Kroger. The second thing I realized after visiting Graceland is that I'm never going to run into Elvis in the all-night Kroger. And I'm never going to see him in concert.

3. Elvis is dead. And as crazy as it makes me sound, I am so very sad about that. I am sad because, for me, Elvis did not die 23 years ago. For me, he died April 27, 2010. So, forgive the lateness of the post. I have been in mourning.

Wondering how you can help flood victims in the Nashville area?

Fri, 07 May 2010 17:28:20 -0700

http://nashvillest.com/2010/05/03/so-nashville-is-flooded-how-can-i-help/

I couldn't have said it better myself

Wed, 05 May 2010 20:22:35 -0700

The first link is a fantastic article on the flood. The second link is a word or two about the music industry's loss in particular.

http://www.section303.com/we-are-nashville-4366

http://blogs.tennessean.com/tunein/2010/05/04/for-musical-nashville-flood-losses-are-still-untold/

Floods

Sat, 01 May 2010 17:38:58 -0700

Terrible floods here in Nashville with several more inches to come over the next 48 hours. Groovy East Nashville seems safe so far, knock wood. But buildings and cars are floating upside down on the interstate a mere 30 minutes from where I sit. Prayers and positive thoughts, please.

Walking In Memphis

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 21:39:12 -0700

I am here in Memphis for my birthday, which is one hour and 11 minutes from now. I wanted to make the pilgrimage to Graceland, which I visit tomorrow. It seemed important to be there on my actual birthday. A friend of Tom's has close ties with somebody who's somebody who may hook us up with tickets. That could be fun...I'll let ya know if there's any kind of story to tell.

Tonight we are staying at the world famous Peabody Hotel. I got to see the Peabody Ducks walk the lobby today, as they do every day, at 5:00pm.

Ok, birthday in 24 minutes, Graceland in about 12 hours...CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!! This could be the best birthday EVER!

Final artwork/roughs

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 13:30:48 -0800

I emailed my graphic artist, the very patient and talented Nancy Hagen, what I hope are final specs on all my CD artwork today. I'm getting ready to listen to what I hope are final mixes of the songs. I have knots in my stomach and am still in my pj's at 3:30 pm. This stuff is not for sissies.

In praise of vinyl

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 07:42:11 -0800

Inside sleeve of Dylan's "Nashville Skyline" long-play album released in 1969.

HERE'S HOW RECORDS GIVE YOU MORE OF WHAT YOU WANT:

1. THEY'RE YOUR BEST ENTERTAINMENT BUY. Records give you top quality for less money than any other recorded form. Every album is a show in itself. And once you've paid the price of admission, you can hear it over and over.

2. THEY ALLOW SELECTIVITY OF SONGS AND TRACKS. With records it's easy to pick out songs you want to play, or to play again a particular song or side. All you have to do is lift the tone arm and place it where you want it. You can't do this as easily with anything but a phonographic record.

3. THEY'RE CONVENIENT AND EASY TO HANDLE. With the long-playing record you get what you want to hear, when you want to hear it. Everybody's familiar with records, too. And you can go anywhere with them because they're light and don't take up space.

4. THEY'RE ATTRACTIVE, INFORMATIVE, AND EASY TO STORE. Record albums are never out of place. Because of the aesthetic appeal of the jacket design, they're beautifully at home in any living room or library. They've also got important information on the backs--about the artists, about the performances or about the program. And because they're flat and not bulky, you can store hundreds in a minimum of space and still see every title.

5. THEY'LL GIVE YOU HOURS OF CONTINUOUS AND UNINTERRUPTED LISTENING PLEASURE. Just stack them up on your automatic changer and relax.

6. THEY'RE THE PROVEN MEDIUM. Long-playing phonograph records look the same now as when they were introduced in 1948, but there's a world of difference. Countless refinements and developments have been made to perfect the long-playing record's technical excellence and insure the best in sound reproduction and quality.

7. IF IT'S IN RECORDED FORM, YOU KNOW IT'LL BE AVAILABLE ON RECORDS. Everything's on long-playing records these days...your favorite artists, shows, comedy, movie sound tracks, concerts, drama, documented history, educational material...you name it. This is not so with any other kind of recording.

8. THEY MAKE A GREAT GIFT because everybody you know loves music. And everyone owns a phonograph because it's the musical instrument everyone knows how to play. Records are a gift that says a lot to the person you're giving them to. And they keep on remembering.

AND REMEMBER...IT ALWAYS HAPPENS FIRST ON RECORDS.

Read a good book

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:58:20 -0800

Just finished Peter Guralnick's two book set on Elvis. The first book is "Last Train to Memphis - The Rise of Elvis Presley." The second is "Careless Love - The Unmaking of Elvis Presley." Considered to be the definitive Elvis biography, I HIGHLY recommend these books to any Elvis fan or just to the curious. They are WONDERFUL, and sad, and I hated to see them end. I spent several days in a funk because, one, my time with these highly entertaining books was over and, two, because the reader is forced to relive the death of the man. Don't know about you, but I can tell you exactly where I was when I heard the king was dead: at Remax drive-in eating hamburgers with my mom. My brother drove up. He had been on a mission to find us and break the news. It didn't seem possible, a sentiment echoed in "Careless Love." Read these books. But be forewarned. You will never laugh at another "fat Elvis" derision.

During the read, couldn't stop listening to:
"That's When Your Heartaches Begin" from Rare and Rockin' - The Complete 50's Masters, Disc 5
"Heartbreak Hotel"
"In the Ghetto"

Back in the summer I read Jonathan Gould's "Can't Buy Me Love: The Beatles, Britain, and America." A good read for any semi-serious fan. It examines the cultural climates that both created the band and made the phenomenon. That's the first part of the book, anyway. Once they start recording, he devotes one chapter to each album. I had great fun pairing my intellectual journey with a musical one by listening to each record (most of them) while reading about the making of it. I was fortunate to have access to them all, between my collection and my husband's, who is a SERIOUS fan.

That's all for now. Starting on a Tom Petty book. Will report back.

Pardon the intervention

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 09:24:44 -0800

Once again real life intervenes and music takes a back seat to the need to pay bills. However, my producer/husband is now finished with his day job as one of Keith Urban's guitar techs and production on the record resumes. Here's to 2010 and to finishing this darn record s-o-o-n!!!