alt-country | Alt-Country.org

April 9, 2019May 22, 2019

We’re On Tour! The Amsterdam Leg Sponsored By Commercial Cleaning Glasgow

We are still on tour travelling Europe bit by bit. Boy is it different from our hometown Nashville. Each country we’ve been to so far all has different cultures and languages – it has been truly amazing! This blog is going to be about our Amsterdam gig and the best parts of this incredible city! We were fortunate enough to have this blog sponsored by commercial cleaners Glasgow, SE Commercial Services who we met on our Scottish leg of the tour.

Ice Bar

A bar where everything is made from ice. The seats, the glass, the bar – everything. Although you can only stay for 20 minutes this is still an excellent tourist attraction to visit.

Anne Frank House

We didn’t learn much about the World Wars when we went to school however, we did decide to get educated at the Ann Frank House & Museum. Once you arrive you firstly getting a walking tour of the house and how the family managed to hide from the Nazi’s to avoid getting sent to concentration camps. Then after the house there is a thought provoking museum – if you have time to do this it is defiantly worth a visit.

Cycling

Amsterdam has built itself to be a cycle-friendly city where there are actually more bikes than people. With some amazing cycle routes, there is no better way to explore the city than on your bike.

Jordann District

This neighbourhood is artsy, trendy, cool, quirky and desirable. Filled with art galleries, boutiques, cafes and other quirky independent shops – this is a relaxed area of the city you will definitely want to explore!

Rijksmuseum

Well…we didn’t actually go inside this museum but there’s a really cool ‘Iam Amsterdam’ sign outside which makes for a brilliant photo/instagram opportunity.

Heineken Experience

So far we have enjoyed the Guinness & Tennants factory tours in Scotland & Ireland so we had to come and visit the birth place of Heineken.

We unfortunately only managed one day in Amsterdam before our next stop in Germany however the gig went brilliantly and the crowd were on great form! We can’t wait to come back one day

April 9, 2019April 9, 2019

Everything You Need To Know About The ACM Awards 2019

On Sunday April 7th, the 54th annual Academy Country Music Awards took place in Las Vegas, hosted by Reba McEntire. Here is everything that went down on the night.

How Is Reba McEntire?

Reba McEntire has been hosting the ACM Awards for 16 years. The country music songstress. Before the night, McEntire spoke about staying away from politics on the night and instead honouring the music stars on the night. However she did give praise to the rising female stars within the country music industry who she believes hasn’t been given enough credit.

Performances

The MGM Garden Arena hosted some of the greatest country music stars where some of the biggest names in the industry took the stage to perform.

Carrie Underwood
Maren Morris
Little Big Town
Keith Urban
Blake Shelton
LANCO
Luke Bryan
George Strait
Chris Stapleton
Kelly Clarkson

The Winners

Keith Urban – Entertainer of the Year
Kacey Musgraves – Female Artist of the Year
Thomas Rhett – Male Artist of the Year
Dan & Shay – Duo of the Year
Old Dominion – Group of the Year
Kacey Musgraves: Golden Hour – Album of Year
Dan & Shay: Tequila – Single of the Year & Song of the Year

April 5, 2019April 13, 2020

How The Pallet Jack Has Helped The Music Industry

Within the music industry there are a variety of different tools and systems that are used to help aid production teams and artists. One of the most important and often overlooked tools is known as the pallet jack. Through this post we will explain to you how the Pallet Jack has made a real difference in the music industry. We will also explore its overall advantages and applications.

Challenges Production Crews Face

Production crews at music concerts often face a number of different challenges. These can vary from logistical challenges to technical and physical. The Pallet Jack can to simplify these issues due to its unique attributes it can bring to its users. Event crews can often suffer from exhaustion or burnout as a direct result of having to repeatedly lift heavy weights long and short distances. This can result in injury and employees having a reduced ability to work. This can impact on overall effectiveness. In order to counter this effect pallet jacks can be used to ensure heavy loads are moved without risking injury.

Another major challenge that production crews may face is lack of training. Often production crews at large music events are likely to be temporary event staff. As a result they may not be as likely to have up to date training on certain areas of work. Lifting technique is one of these factors and lack of training in this area could lead to severe injury. Thankfully the pallet jack can be used with basically no training and is an excellent lifting and moving asset.

Other Common Forms Of Equipment Used In The Industry

In addition to the pallet jack there are a number of different forms of equipment that are regularly used in the industry. One such form of equipment is the forklift truck. The forklift is driven by one operator and can move goods weighing over one tonne from one area to another relatively quickly thanks to its mobility and power. Unlike Pallet jacks forklift trucks require training to use and can be hazardous if used incorrectly or driven recklessly. An advantage the pallet jack has over the forklift is that the pallet jack costs significantly less to maintain and use.

Advantages And Limitations Of The Pallet Jack

The Pallet stacker comes with a range of advantages as well as limitations but overall is good value for money and a versatile and flexible piece of equipment.

One of the major advantages of the pallet jack is that it can navigate in narrow spaces. This is useful as it can be used in more enviroments and is more flexible than the forklift for example
Another advantage is ease of use. The pallet jack is normally pretty easy to use and understand compared with other equipment and requires very little training.
A disadvantage of the pallet jack is their weight capacity is significantly lower than some other forms of equipment such as the forklift.
A further disadvantage is that it may take longer to move goods than some other methods.

April 5, 2019April 5, 2019

Scotland- A Musical And Cultural History

Last month we visited the beautiful country of Scotland and we were taken aback by its stunning architecture , friendly culture and buzzing music scene. Scotland has always had close ties with the USA as a result of immigration over many years. Many americans can indeed trace their ancestors back to Scotland. Through this article we will explore what makes Scotland unique in terms of its music , culture and people.

Scottish Music

In Scotland music plays an important role in everyday life and can be found all over the country from pubs and bars to main streets and community events. One type of event that is synonymous with parties and music is the traditional Scottish ceilidh. A ceilidh is large social gathering often accompanied with traditional Scottish music and dancing. Ceilidhs in Scotland are a very big deal and are considered a rite of passage for the younger generation. They are often incorporated into important events such as marriages , birthdays and community events.

Part of what makes Ceilidhs unique is that everyone is dancing. Its not uncommon to see an entire hall of people on their feet. The traditional Scottish music / live folk band normally does the trick and creates an electric atmosphere. Many Ceilidh songs often adopt a similar rhythm to country and western songs however they are played by very different instruments.

Scottish Culture

Closely related to Scottish music is Scottish culture. The Scots are well known throughout the world for being kind and friendly people. The “people make Glasgow” slogan ran true for us when we visited there. Wherever you went people were always happy to give directions , tell us a bit about local shops/things to see. Scotland although a small nation prides itself in being unique and has an interesting history.

Contrary to popular belief kilts are not worn by Scottish people going to the shops or on their way to work or often in public at all for that matter. Kilts are actually pretty expensive and are reserved normally for important social occasions such as weddings , graduations and birthdays.

The culture in Scotland varies depending on what area you visit. For example in the islands to the west coast of Scotland there is a large number of fishermen and farmers who have practiced their craft for many years whereas the further inland you go towards the highlands the population becomes more sparce. This is because many people chose to move towards the centre of Scotland where two of its largest cities (Edinburgh and Glasgow) are located. Lack of jobs and investment often resulted in many taking this big decision and moving down towards the cities to find more work.

March 29, 2019April 13, 2020

We’re On Tour! How Event Crew Hire Helped Our London Gig

This was probably the most nerve wracking gig we have done so far in our career. The music scene in London is extremely eclectic so alternative country wasn’t something new but something exciting so some music bloggers and record company scouts were coming along to watch us perform. We decided we needed to up the anti and get some help from event crew hire in the production of our show.

Show Production

The event crew hire company we used gave us lighting and sound specialists as well as event specialists who would organise tickets and drinks. Our gig was held as the famous O2 Academy in London and it was a sell out – we were thrilled when we heard this! It took nearly all day to get the production correct – lighting had to be perfect! The sound check went to plan and the place looked unreal. Event crew checked tickets and handed out bottles of water to the crowd. If any small band is looking for extra help on tour we highly recommend

The Best Things We Did In London

London Eye
Pub Quiz in Peckham at The Nunshead
Clapham Common
Everything in
Hyde Park
Camden Market
Covent Garden
The Sky Garden
Have a curry in Brick Lane
Old Spitafields Market
Everything in Shoreditch
We took the underground everywhere

That brings us to the end of our UK tour sadly. We have had the best time ever in the UK and Ireland!! In the week we’ve been here we have seen and done so much- we will definitely be back! We are now currently on the ferry over to The Netherlands where will be playing one night in Amsterdam while exploring there for a few days – Speak soon!

March 29, 2019March 29, 2019

We’re On Tour! Our Irish Leg – Why We Loved Dublin

After a brilliant few days in Scotland, we got the ferry to Belfast and drove down to Dublin. Here is our blog!

Guinness

Believe it or not we have never tried Guinness. We decided that we just had to try it in the place it was created – The Guinness Distillery in Dublin city. After a tour around the distillery learning about the history of the distillery we ended the experience in the sky bar which looks across the whole city you can enjoy a pint of the beautiful stout. A great experience highly recommended…however we now haven’t stopped drinking it since we arrived in Ireland and now we are sitting here writing this blog will a sore head!

Temple Bar

Stag do? Hen weekend? You HAVE to go to temple bar! Fun, vibrant, wild…that’s all we’ll say about that.

The Market Bar & Fade Street

This was extremely stylish. A tiny street light up with draping bulbs and a row of really cool bars and restaurants. We ate at the Market Bar for Tapas which we highly recommend.

The Gig

The gig was insane. We managed to sell out the small venue in Dublin city centre and got a great response from the music fans. Dublin – we will be back!

March 26, 2019June 30, 2022

How Upholsterers In Edinburgh Saved Our Tour Bus

As you may or may not know, we shipped most of our equipment from Nashville to Europe in our bid to help save the environment. So instead of flying around Europe we have made the decision to drive. We managed to ship over our beloved tour bus all the way from the states in a bid to make even more memories in it. However this van has toured America more than once and is nearly twenty years old…we like to think it looks ‘rugged’. On our Scottish leg of the tour we met some upholsterers in Edinburgh who offered to ‘spruce up’ our old and beloved tour bus. Here’s a blog on it in case any of you are interested?

The History Of Our Tour Bus

After we finished college we decided we wanted to take some time to travel as we’ve never really left Tennessee. Using our musical talents and strong friendship we decided to spend 3 months travelling the USA and funding it by gigging. We purchased the tour bus from a farmer who hadn’t used it in 15 years. Luckily it drove good as new so within a couple weeks we were headed to Florida! We travelled around every single state in America (except Hawaii and Alaska). As we are fairly eco-conscious when it came to our tour in Europe we decided to ship our equipment, including our beloved van and drive around Europe – avoiding planes completely in order to help save the planet.

Upholsterers In Edinburgh Changed Our Lives

This is a great story!

We were sitting in coffee shop in Edinburgh the morning of our opening night. Enjoying our coffees and big breakfasts (and curing a horrible hangover) we got chatting to a group of lads at the table next to us. They were very very interested in our tour, although they were probably more interested that we were American…

They were extremely interested that we shipped our beloved bus and decided to drive around Europe on tour rather than fly. After chatting away for a while they offered to take a look and see if they could repair some parts of the interiors. At first we were a bit apprehensive – this bus is like our child and do we trust them after all? After some convincing we handed over our keys – 98% certain we would never see the van again.

The next morning, Andy called and told us to come and collect it.

Wow!

The interior was totally amazing! They reupholstered all the chairs (there is only 6 in total) but still managed to keep the vans character and vintage look- it was perfect!

March 26, 2019March 26, 2019

Nashville: The Story Of Music City

Nashville, Tennessee is known for it southern fried chicken, cowboy boots and whisky. However the city has also been nicknames Music City – one of the most popular music spots in the USA.

THE NICKNAME MUSIC CITY

In the 1800s, Nashville became fundamentally important in the music industry as they were the national centre for music publishing.The band Fisk Jubilee Singers used their music to promote the education of freed slaves after the Civil War at Fisk University (in Nashville). The nickname music city actually came from the Queen of England who, after their performance said

HISTORIC VENUES

One of the most famous music venues in Nashville is the Ryman Auditorium. It was built in 1892 and has attracted musicians from all over the world to this day. In fact, the Fisk Jubilee Singers were one of the first to perform when the theatre opened. Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton and Elvis have all performed in this theatre.

The Ryman Auditorium is celebrating 125 years and is open for daily tours where tourists can explore the auditorium and watch films of its history.

Songwriting Capital Of The World

Songwriters from all genres of music travel to music city to visit the Bluebird Cafe to perform their own songs to a small crowd of other songwriters and music fans. Musician have the opportunity to share stories about their songs and answer any questions people have on their music.

Nashville also host an annual Tin pan South Songewriters Festival – a five day music festival where more than 300 songwriters can perform their songs to crowds all over the city.

Nashville In Popular Culture

In recent years, cable television have been really supportive of Nashville and it’s musical roots, filming many programmes and TV in the city.

There is now a TV drama series Nashville which is filmed in Music City and has global popularity. The show centres around the city’s country music roots and features many of Nashville’s best restaurants, landmarks and venues.

Nashville has been voted the ‘Best Music Scene’ by Rolling Stone with The Black Keys, Kings of Leon, Justin Timberlake, Sheryl Crow, Black Eyed Peas and Keith Urban all originating from Nashville.

Live Music

If you love live music then you absolutely have to come to Nashville. Musicians play live sets in pubs and venues all over the city every single night. The famous Honky Tonks offers free live music every single day of the year.

March 25, 2019June 3, 2020

We’re On Tour! Our Scottish Leg Sponsored By Window Blinds Glasgow

Our Scottish Tour – Sponsored By Window Blinds Glasgow

Back in 2017 we decided to bring country music to Europe. There is a growing popularity of our genre of music in Europe thanks to film, TV….and Taylor Swift. Thanks Taylor. On our 3 month tour we will play to crowds in Ireland, England, France, Spain, Germany, The Netherlands, Italy and many more. We promised our fans we would document our travels via vlogs on our Youtube channel. However we also thought we would treat you all to blog posts as well. This blog post will be dedicated to the beautiful country of Scotland – where we kicked off the tour. Thankfully this blog is sponsored by window blinds company Glasgow, Casa Blinds.

Edinburgh

Our opening night was a success! We were so thankful to get such a great response from the Edinburgh crowd so – THANK YOU! We were excited to visit Edinburgh for the bagpipes, haggis and famous castle. Edinburgh castle is a must see if you’re ever in town – the history is almost unbelievable – very very cool. Haggis is delicious. That’s all there is so say about that. We tried Irn- Bru which is a fizzy orange soft drink – being American this was very similar to the utter trash we are used to. But yes, it was delicious and a life saver on a hangover by the way. All in all – Edinburgh was a success and we are looking forward to returning one day.

Glasgow

We were lucky to play to a beautiful crowd in world famous venue – King Tuts (apparently Oasis were discovered here). Glasgow took us by surprise. When you think of Scotland you think of miles of mountains and old castles. Actually Glasgow was ‘sound’ (apparently this means cool in Scottish slang). It wasn’t raining and it wasn’t that cold either – result! We met some really friendly and funny people everywhere we went! There was a large pink sign right in the city centre that read ‘People Make Glasgow’ – and they really do. Random passers by in the street told us all the great bars and restaurants to go to and most were even keen on coming to our gig in King Tuts Wah Wah Hut (haha what a name). If anyone asks – we would definitely recommend Glasgow for a ‘great night out’. The people are awesome, the bars, clubs and restaurants are great and the city is so much fun! The music scene is Glasgow is one of the best in the UK, never mind Scotland and there is lots to do in terms of day time activities – walks in the parks, food festivals…The ‘West End’ is a must for quirky coffee shops and cool activities. Don’t tell anyone but we much prefer Glasgow to Edinburgh.

Highlands

Our first tour break took place after our Glasgow gig – we had 3 days to chill and explore before hitting up Belfast in Ireland. We decided we had seen all there is to see with Scotland’s biggest cities and took a drive up to the highlands.

Wow!

The beaches, the mountains, the rivers, the ‘lochs’. This has to be one of the most pure, clean and amazing places we have EVER been to visit. Although it was a little chilly we were lucky to experience the glorious highlands in the sunshine. We spent 3 days hiking up the mountains, exploring the sandy coast and meeting the locals in the local pubs. We were shocked to find nobody was wearing kilts, screaming ‘FREEDOM’ at the top of their lungs and living in castles but living normally like the rest of the world. How narrow minded are we eh?! Again we would highly, highly recommend a holiday or weekend break in Scotland – because the country in so small you can easily get around by car and the public transport services are top notch with regular trains and busses going everywhere. – Thanks to Window Blinds Glasgow for making all this possible!

Now we are looking forward to getting the ferry across to Ireland for the next leg of our tour. Bring on the Guinness, YE-HA!

October 8, 2017October 5, 2017

How Music Can Soothe The Living Soul

Do you ever get frustrated with yourself, or the situation that got you into a mess? Or have you ever felt like your stress level is just way up there and you get fidgety out of nowhere? Well the great news is you don’t need any medication for these situations, but all you need is music! Weird? Not at all because apart from becoming our companion during our drive to & back from work, music actually calms us down with its melody. Several studies show that even animals get calmer when they listen to soothing music. Go ahead, try it!

Its magic doesn’t stop there because music is also known to have a big impact on mental & physical health. Have you ever been on massages & wonder why they play those calm, soothing tunes at the back while you’re being graciously rubbed on? It’s simply because of the serenity it brings to both the masseuse & the client. Music also sets different kinds of moods – depending on the genre you’re listening to. Some mommies out there would play Beethoven for their unborn child before their sonogram, to keep the baby behaved so that the doctor can take an Instagram worthy “picture” of it.

Some teenagers for instance use rock or fast paced music to help them with their assignments or some listen to overly romantic songs to mend their broken hearts from a painful breakup. No matter what music it is, or who it is listened by, the one outcome that it provides the listeners is the calmness that it brings to the soul. Others go for programs like Panic Away that specializes in calm and peaceful techniques, but does panic away work? Checkout reviews over there.

Though it is an unconventional & an approach people don’t tend to realize, music works its wonders in mysterious ways. Music decreases health problems unknowingly & encourages healing to your body. So, the next time you’re on PMS, or having a bad or a good day even, or you feel nervous about a surgery or an exam – give music a try. You’ll be euphoric with the results.