Day 145: Road Tripping to Nashville

Emerging from the Holland Tunnel into Jersey.I powered through twelve hours of driving yesterday to make it to Knoxville last night.  It was plenty of time to introduce Laura to some of the artists we are going to see at Bonnaroo.

Today is an easy drive to Nashville.  Three hours is nothing.  I spend most of the time on the phone coordinating a photo shoot for Silverlake to Soho’s lax pennies and coordinating with my team to promote our upcoming shows at Sullivan Hall and line up events in the Hamptons this summer.  I am now the head of marketing, an entirely new space for me but I am excited to navigate it.  There is so much work to do but so much momentum.  I love working for this start-up.

Before we head to the hotel in Nashville we stop at Wal-Mart for some supplies.  We step into the store with lost looks on our faces and an old man on his way out approaches us.  “Well hello there!” he says.

My first reaction is to keep my head down and keep walking, not because I don’t want to be friendly, but because we are two girls and I don’t want to end up in precarious situation.   But before I can continue walking, Laura exclaims, “Hello!” and turns to him.  He asks where we are from and tells us a little bit about Nashville. 

Laura with the gentleman at WalmartAfter a few more interactions like this one in Nashville, I quickly learn that people here are just very friendly.  There is no agenda.  They stop what they are doing to talk to you.  They really stop.  It’s feels foreign to me at first.  Don’t they have somewhere to be?  Then I remember the way I traveled and how open I was to briefly chatting with strangers.  In New York, there are too many people to stop and have small talk with everyone.

Writing a note on this man’s poster in Nashville

Everyone asks where we are from.  The Country Music Awards are this week in Nashville so people have come from all over.  I don’t like the reaction I receive when I respond that I am from New York.  It’s a very different response from the one I was greeted with in South America.

CMAs kick-offLaura and I wander to Broadway where a stage is being set up to kick off the CMAs.  We wander into a bar where there is live country music and then another one and another one.  Every bar has live acts.  I take a picture of Laura sitting on the stage.  The singer pulls her up.

We sit down for lunch and chat with Jake from Oklahoma City.  His buddy from college who lives in Nashville is working the CMAs, so Jake is just hanging out on his own.  We invite him to join us.  Like many other people trying to get into the movie business, Jake moved to LA after graduating from Oklahoma State in December.  He is currently working for a documentary production company.  He would like to get into music production.  I tell him a little bit about Silverlake to Soho and our build out in the west coast.  
“We could use someone behind the camera out there,” I explain.  “We’ll be out there at the end of July, let’s be in touch.” 

Me, Laura and Jake from Oklahoma City

The three of us bounce around the bars and dance to some live country music.    The music is non-stop.  Covers, originals, straight up country.

As a band at Tootsies finish their set, Heather, the singer, holds up the tip jar and announces, “We work for this.”  A girl smiles with a twenty dollar bill in her hand.  “A transaction is about to take place,” Heather says

Laura is having the best time.  She would enjoy herself anywhere.  Her attitude is incredible.  She is so positive about everything.  I’ll never forget when she told me in Mendoza; “If it’s a problem and you can’t fix it, it’s not a problem.”   With her, I know this will continue to be an amazing trip.

Jake, Laura and meBefore bed, I open a tumblr account.  Social networking, I need to understand the different outlets for my job.  I have a lot to learn and I need to focus on this to help build our brand.  See more pictures.

Jake’s bracelet