Good Music is Good Music

Tonight I was watching NBC"s "The Sing-Off" with my mom and felt the need to come editorialize.  "The Sing-Off" is NBC's a cappella competition, featuring groups of all ages and backgrounds who are competing for a Sony recording contract and $100,000.

After The Backbeats performed an incredible cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide," judge Nicole Scherzinger (of The Pussycat Dolls) made some comment to the effect of, "I just wish this wasn't a competition."

...which got me thinking.

Why can't there be a show on television consisting of just quality performances, week after week, by all sorts of different artists, in different genres, with no voting-based aspect to it?  I understand that competition is fun, and reality shows can be exciting, but there's got to be a viable platform for an arts-based show whose sole purpose is to expose people to great music and enrich their lives (or, at the very least, cause them to think critically).

The Denver Post is in the middle of doing an intriguing three-part series on the state of classical music (you can find the first part here and the second here).  In the first part, the music director of Le Poisson Rouge (a NY concert venue that doesn't discriminate against genres), very succinctly wrapped up the venue's programming vision: "There are two kinds of music: good music and the other kind."

"The Ed Sullivan Show," which stopped airing in 1971, ran for 23 years on this type of idea: present great performances to the masses.

If fashion is cyclical, then why can't we also try to re-invent and re-imagine this entertainment concept for the 21st century?  People liked to be entertained then; people like to be entertained now.

And, what's more, there are so many genres with incredibly talented musicians and artists:  classical, R&B, jazz, hip-hop, rap, soul, rock, country...the list goes on and on.  On some basic level, talent is talent and good music is good music.  

Obviously, this is a very subjective notion.  What I think is "good" and what you think is "good" might differ drastically.  So, the producers assemble a panel of respected, open-minded artists and musicians from multiple genres, and have them collectively select each episode's program (which could be chosen from submitted applications).  Subjectivity problem solved...or, rather, relatively mitigated.

Then, on the first episode of my admittedly idealistic show, they can book The Backbeats, and they can sing the song that compelled me to write this post in the first place:

Variations on a Break

I'm really loving being home.

Granted, I always love being home, but it seems like I've been to more concerts than I can recount (thank you, holidays!), and there's some really neat thing to do or enjoy nearly every day.  (Plus, the weather is absurd...75 and sunny?  Yes, please.)

One project of my break thus far has been collaborating with the Tetra String Quartet, an exciting young quartet based here in the Phoenix area.  They're strong proponents of the "house concert," which is exactly what it sounds like: a concert in a house.  It's really a great format for chamber music because of the automatic intimacy it provides for both the performers and the audience.  

For the holiday season, they have asked me to sit in with them to perform Marcel Samuel-Rousseau's Variations Pastorales sur un Vieux Noel pour la Harpe (Pastoral Variations on an Old Christmas Carol for Harp), written for harp and string quartet.  Heidi, one of Tetra's violinists, is also an incredibly accomplished harpist, so I sat in as the second violinist.

Helping some young audiences members clap in place of the whip crack in "Sleigh Ride."

Not only has it been great to perform with them, but it has also been great getting to use the chamber music part of my brain again.  While playing with Barrage stimulates this to an extent, it's just not the same as sitting down with a group of musicians and collectively designing sound, articulation, and dynamics, i.e., the technical aspects of music-making required to transform printed notes into pleasing sounds.  There's a reason so many musicians love playing in small chamber ensembles -- it's just downright fun.  And Tetra's filled with downright great musicians.

I'm very much looking forward to our next performance of the piece, at an ugly Christmas sweater party and house concert Tetra is sponsoring next week.  I have a particularly unfortunate Christmas sweater that's been waiting to be worn since the last ugly Christmas sweater party I attended...

With the Tetra String Quartet (L to R): Chrystal, me, Heidi, Louis, and Jenna

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Don't forget to go vote for Annette to help her get into the YouTube Symphony Orchestra!  Just scroll down to the next blog entry for more info.

Help Annette get to Sydney!

Annette Homann, a fellow violinist from Barrage, is a finalist for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra, which will convene in Sydney, Australia, in March 2011!  And if that isn't crazy enough, she put together her audition materials in only one day!  I'm incredibly excited for Annette, and I think she has a great shot at being selected.

You can help Annette win a spot in the orchestra by clicking here and voting for her video once a day between now and December 17th!  And, there are no strings attached (pun very much intended): you don't need to sign up for anything, just vote!

Let's help Annette get to Sydney!

Photo by Eugenio O'Liva.

Photo by Franco Gräfe.

taylorsnotes.com, and other awesome things!

So many updates!

Firstly, I'm excited to announce that you can now access my blog at taylorsnotes.com!  (You don't even have to type the "www."!)  Not only will this be an easier address for me to share, but it will also be easier for you to remember, and as I've always been a fan of win-win situations, this is a particularly convenient win-win!

[If you're strangely attached to the complicatedly lengthy taylorbmorris.blogspot.com, you can still use that too; you don't need to change anything if you've already bookmarked my blog with that address.]

Next, I've added a page of some of my favorite restaurants in the Phoenix/Metro area.  So, if any of you locals have read my "of Food" page and wondered about my favorite places in the valley, you can check out that page here!  (I have not added a separate tab at the top of the site for my "of Food [PHX]" page, but you can find the link to it on the main "of Food" page.)
 
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Now, onto some non-blog-related updates!

Though Thanksgiving has passed, I would like to share one thing for which I'm very incredibly thankful: that when I knocked over my music stand last week and it landed on my violin (which was sitting on a chair), the stand merely scratched the top and didn't break open my violin.

...that could have been much worse!

Last week, I had the amazing opportunity to play with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra at the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale. It was easily one of the coolest and most fun gigs I've ever played.  If you don't know of the TSO, they cover Christmas and well-known classical tunes in a giant, full-on, sensory-bombarding rock concert (which costs over $20 million).  Also, the name is somewhat deceptive: they're not actually an orchestra in the way you or I would define it.  The band consists of a drummer, two keyboardists, a bass player, a handful of electric guitar players, an electric violinist, and about eight to ten singers. Then, they contract local string players in every city to play with them on-stage (our group was three violins, two violas, and two cellos).

When we showed up at Jobing.com, home of the Phoenix Coyotes, we were sent into a small room in the depths of the building.  After we had about 10 minutes to look through the music (for the nearly three hour concert, without intermission), the very talented violinist for the TSO, Caitlin Moe, rehearsed us for an hour on the trickier sections and explained the more confusing cues and cut-offs.  

We were escorted to a quick sound check, followed by a short lunch break, and then had two performances (3 p.m. and 8 p.m.) with a dinner break in-between.

Our rehearsal/dressing room.

Not really knowing what to expect from the show as I've never seen it in person, I was on an absurd high when the night finished.  It was indescribably fun.  Lights, lasers, fire, explosions, incredible musicians, and an enthusiastic, packed house.

It was, to say the least, ridiculously awesome.

For a sample of the show, below is a video from an audience member at one of the Phoenix performances.  This number, "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24," is probably their most well-known tune (released in 1996, it helped their first album go double platinum).  As a popular cover of the classic "Carol of the Bells," you've most likely heard it (and will hear it) on many a Christmas commercial.

All of us string players, though not distinctly visible, are located in the upper-left corner of the stage (as you view it).  Make sure you watch through till the end for the explosions!

Here's to a rockin' break!

America's Heartland: Epilogue

After an unexpectedly exciting and incredibly tiring week of 5 back-to-back shows in Iowa and Nebraska, it's good to be back home for a winter break!  Things only seemed to get progressively awesome as the week continued, finishing off with 3 packed houses.

It's really nice to be writing this blog post from my bed (not a hotel bed), and just to get in the mood for the next weeks off, I'm listening to Ella Fitzgerald's "Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas"!  Premature--I know--but nothing really makes a winter break officially feel like a winter break more than listening to one's favorite Christmas CD!

On Friday morning, Annette and I went down to The Mill coffee shop in downtown Lincoln, NE, to do a radio interview.  It's wonderfully disarming to duck into a coffee shop on a cold, rainy morning, sit down with a warm latte, and chat at a table in the back corner with a great host.  No frills, no sound-proof studio rooms, no producers with headsets and clipboards; just a live broadcast of some people casually talking about the arts into microphones.  It was a fantastic experience.  [If you want to listen to the podcast version of the interview, go here, let the podcast fully download, and then start listening around 3/4 of the way through the interview--we were the last segment of the broadcast.]

L to R: Dean Marshall (Co-Founder and Musical Director of Barrage), me, Annette, and William Stibor of "Friday Live" on NET 91.1

It was such a blast playing at the Lied Center in Lincoln!  A packed house (nearly 2,200 people!), a great venue, and a great city.  Lincoln rocks.

The next morning we had to make a 4.5 hour drive to Mount Vernon, Iowa.  I had the backseat to myself when we got in the car, so I pulled down the arm rest/center console to get cozy for a short nap.  When I awoke, I caught a shocking glimpse of myself in the rear-view mirror:

This is what happens when you fall asleep on your side with wet hair.

Here are some more pictures from our drive:

Mind-numbing thought of the day: Michael Jordan is so famous that the back of his head is instantly recognizable.

Wind turbine blade in transport.

We finished up last night with a sold-out, return performance in Mount Vernon, IA, capping off a stellar week.

But the hardest part was yet to come...today's trip home.

For those of you who read about last week's trip home from Oklahoma, this was, fortunately, nothing of that sort. Today's trip was just a case-in-point of the "hard travel days" you may have heard touring-types bemoan.  Most notably, it consisted of 3 hours of sleep and then catching a shuttle to the airport at 4:15 a.m. this morning.

And, just as proof that arriving at an airport that early should be considered cruel and unusual, I'll leave you with this photo of what I saw when I arrived:

Good morning to you, employees of AirTran!

America's Heartland, cont.

Yesterday on our drive to Des Moines, I was able to grab just a few more snapshots of driving in the heartland.  And due to the overcast weather, everything was just a little bit more beautiful.

The Capitol in Des Moines, Iowa.

In other news, last night my E string popped during the show on the very first note it plays.  Not in the hour I was practicing before the show, not when I was tuning back stage prior, but right when we ran out for "Old Joe Clark" and I started playing the melody (which begins on an open E string).

...really, E string?!  The first note?!

Having a string pop in your face during a performance will never not be shocking.  Thankfully, however, that's why we have a spare violin (whose name is "Joanne") waiting backstage.  [It's true: we have named our spare violin.  Why?  Why not!  And she has even has this name to the extent that we actually use her name in passing, e.g., "Joanne is right next to Ted's monitor desk," "Yeah, my E string popped so I had to go grab Joanne," etc.]

Thanks, Joanne!

Off to Omaha, Nebraska -- my 44th state with Barrage!

America's Heartland

After an incredibly exciting two weeks off (which were filled with classroom visits, teaching, practicing, and family and friends), we're back on the road very briefly.
 
Five shows in five days.  And because these five shows are in Iowa and Nebraska, I'm choosing to affectionately call this tour the "America's Heartland 2010" tour.  

[...too cheesy?  Probably.]

Yesterday we kicked off AH 2010 with a big drive from Chicago, IL (that's where our truck was waiting for us), to Burlington, IA.  And while I forgot to bring my camera in the car with me, I did have my cell phone (which, I'm discovering, actually takes fairly decent pictures for being an older phone).

Most of the drive looked like this:

We stopped and ate lunch, quite randomly, in Dixon, IL, which takes an extraordinary amount of pride in being Ronald Reagan's birthplace.

And, perhaps most indicative of much of this region, there are many trains and silos.

I was hoping to see some corn fields here in Iowa, but I just googled "corn season" and learned that it has, unfortunately, passed (yesterday's scant crops hinted at this).  Oh well.

Off to Des Moines!

Leaving Oklahoma: Less-Than-OK...

Now that I've been home for a week and a few days, I'm finally writing a post on the last day of the tour in Tulsa, OK!

En route to Tulsa, we stumbled across an amazing surprise in Oklahoma City: Cheever's Cafe.  [I'll be adding it to the "of Food" page very shortly!]  Definitely one of the best salads I've ever had (though my favorite is the spinach, apple, & pecan salad at La Grande Orange in Phoenix).  

Chicken, raspberries, apples, pecans, mixed greens.  Yes, please.

It's always so nice to just randomly find some amazing place to eat, especially during the end-of-tour push!

But let's cut to the good stuff: my trip home.  Somehow, I always manage to either have wonderfully smooth travel, or just crazy travel where it seems that nothing goes my way.  Last Sunday's trip, while by no means the worst travel experience, leans toward the latter...

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After realizing I have left my laptop charger in the hotel room the previous morning in Plano (...whoops), I grab the shuttle to the airport. [This is, coincidentally, one of the main reasons I didn't update my blog sooner...]

I enjoy a leisurely afternoon at the airport, which is relatively uneventful except for a nosebleed (the byproduct of a cold).  My friend, Molly, texts me to ask when I will arrive home, and I explain that I am at the airport in Tulsa.  Everyone else has left and I am, accordingly, all by myself.  Both jokingly and seriously, she then suggests I write a poem to capture the experience so I can share it with her when I get back to AZ.  Challenge accepted!  I now submit to you, entirely facetiously, said poem:

--Alone in Tulsa--

Gate 56.

Kleenex in my nose (from an earlier nosebleed).

Nobody by my side.

Empty grande latte.

Blank postcards waiting to be sent.

Brain filled with stories to share.

Kindle.  Blackberry.  iPad.  Laptop.

Others use technology.

I'm using a BIC #2 with 0.5 mm lead.

I'm flying United.

I wish it was Southwest.

They're better.

Maybe I should get my shoes shined?

My kicks aren't leather.

But, they are dull.

Maybe someone famous will walk by?

Oh...wait.

I'm in Oklahoma.

Yet, I've not seen any wind come sweepin' down the plain.

Or any surreys (with the fringe on top).

Why isn't anyone singing?

I should probably stick to my day job, eh?

After we board the plane and begin to taxi, the captain comes over the speaker: "Attention passengers, we've been informed of some serious weather in Denver.  There are only two open runways, and we've been asked to hold our departure.  Because of delays all day, we're at the bottom of the list when it comes to arrivals.  We should have a better idea of the situation in...about 45 minutes."

So the plane pulls over.  No big deal: it's not the first time I have sat delayed on the runway.

When my United flight arrives in Denver, it's 6:35 PM, which is 15 minutes after my connecting flight to Phoenix was supposed to have taken off.  Hoping that my flight to Phoenix has also been delayed from weather, I sprint to the gate, which is the final gate at the opposite end of Denver's never-ending terminals.  Always the optimist, I remind myself what a great exercise opportunity this is...because when would I ever willingly run with 25 lbs. of baggage?  About halfway there, I decide to check a board to see if my flight has actually been delayed.  Nope--it's gone.  (In hindsight, I'm not really sure why I didn't stop to check this before I sprinted halfway there...)

I finally finish moseying to the gate and discover there's nobody there.  I also find that the only other U.S. Airways gate is un-staffed.  And, the final blow: there is no U.S. Airways customer service desk.

I head to United, get some depressing advice from a very nice agent ("I'm sorry, I have no idea where U.S. Air staff are right now...you'll just have to wait until they show up"), call my mom, and grab a wrap from a restaurant in the middle of the terminal.  I then walk back down the terminal to the gate, and nearly arrive when my nose begins to bleed once more.  

After spending 20 minutes in the bathroom waiting for nosebleed #2 to end, I finally settle in across from the U.S. Airways gate and start to eat. For some delusional reason I assumed that this specific wrap would taste better than the last time I had ordered it.  It didn't.  Personal mental note: don't order this wrap in the future.

My mom calls at 7:30.  "Taylor, I just got an automated call from U.S. Airways here on the home phone."  Wait...what?  "You've been re-booked for a United flight leaving at 9:52."  I check the board for said flight.  Want to guess where the gate is?

...correct!  The opposite end of the terminal.  Ten minutes later, I arrive at my gate, eventually get my boarding pass (from an agent who conveniently seems to leave the desk whenever I approach it), call my mom, and settle in with a book.  About 8:40, she calls back.  "Did you check to make sure your bag has been rechecked?"  Moms know best.  

I go back to the evasive agent and happen to catch him.  He looks at the number on my bag tag and starts typing.  Clack clack clack.  He squints.  Clack clack.  He squints harder, checks the number, and tries once more.  Clack clack clack.  Something is wrong.  Clack.  Clack clack.  "There's no way for me to see where your bags are.  You need to go to customer service.  It's around the corner and down the stairs."  

I get to the customer service desk and assume my position behind the 30ish people in line.  It's 8:50.  By 9:10, I've moved 10 feet, give or take a yard.  By 9:20, I've moved 5 more feet.  Lost cause.  I head back up the stairs to my gate with no idea whether or not my bags were rechecked.  But as I am supposed to have already arrived in Phoenix, I don't really care; I just want to get home.

Naturally, my gate has changed.  I head back down the stairs, past the customer service desk, and arrive in time for boarding.

As soon as I take my seat, my nose begins to bleed...again.  I quickly pinch my nose and head to the back.  The flight attendant, who is standing in front of the bathroom door and texting on his cell-phone, looks up expectantly.  "My nose is bleeding, can I please use the bathroom?"  He takes a moment to consider what I've said, is clearly annoyed by my request, and steps aside.  I lock the door, stockpile tissues for nosebleed #3, and instantly begin to over-analyze the situation.  What if I can't get my nose to stop bleeding?  Can planes even take off if a passenger is bleeding?!  What if they ask me to step off the plane?!?

"Good evening passengers, if you could please take your seats as quickly as possible, we'll get out of here as soon as we can!"  I open the door with my free hand and look down the aisle to see the plane nearly fully-seated.  The flight attendant returns, cocks his head down as to look over the rim of glasses he's not wearing, and says, sardonically, "Do you think you'll live?"

...really?!  The bleeding finally stops, and I stuff some tissue up my nose as a prophylactic measure.  

I return to my seat, whereupon my neighbor hands me a white cloth.  "Are you okay?  I found this handkerchief in my bag and it's brand new.  I promise I haven't used it!  You can have it, in case your nose starts to bleed again."  

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Fortunately, my bag had been rechecked and was at the terminal in Phoenix when I arrived.  But more importantly, the kindness of strangers never ceases to amaze me.  Little did this man know how great it was to finally catch a break after hours of nosebleeds and gate changes! 

Kindness makes the world go around.

...and, to think he showed kindness to someone who looked like this for the entire flight!

Taking Note: Now with more notes!

After many afternoons and nights spent in hotel rooms fiendishly typing away and pasting html code, I'm very excited to have finally added the pages you now see listed above!  

Feeling the need to improve my blog, I thought to myself, "if I was visiting this blog, what could make it more interesting?"  Because what I do is play music, and because one of the most exciting parts of traveling can be eating in a new town, I figured that talking more about music and food was a good direction in which to head!

So, a brief rundown of the new material:

Blog -- My blog.  (What you're currently reading.)

About -- I never really flushed out my "profile" to the right side of the page, so I thought giving a little background on who I am and why I'm writing this blog might be good.

of Artists -- I'm always interested to find out which musicians inspire other musicians, so this is where I am taking note of artists who inspire me.  Plus, there are just some amazing videos you should go watch!

of Food -- As we spend so much time traveling and performing, we try to eat healthily.  In the search for alternatives to fast food, we've found some amazing restaurants to which we always return when near.  This is where I am taking note of food we love to eat.

I hope you enjoy the new additions, and thanks for reading!

Ups & Downs

These past handful of days have been very odd.  And filled with some weird ups and downs.

DOWN: I somehow, despite my rabid need to have clean hands as much as possible, have come down with a cold.  Yesterday's 6 hour car drive from Lubbock, TX, to Plano, TX, was accordingly unfortunate for those in my car--I ended up buying a small box of Kleenex to deal with the symptoms.  Here's to hoping this bug magically disappears in the next few hours before tonight's show...

UP: This gas station somewhere in the middle of Texas:

DOWN: Having to eat McDonald's after a show because everything in Graham, TX, closes at 10 p.m.

...DOWN-ER: While fresh fries at McDonald's are normally mouth-wateringly delicious, these were the worst, soggiest, oldest McDonald's fries I've ever choked down.  This McDonald's also didn't put lettuce or tomatoes on Charlie's Big Mac.

UP: Celebrating Kristina's birthday at Crú, in Plano.  (The goat cheese beignets I ordered were declared by my end of the table to be the best plate--they were unbelievably delicious!)

Chocolate fondue.

Opening her birthday card and gifts.

UP: Two shows left, and then home for a break on Monday!

The Parent Trap

Three days ago, Kristina knocked on my hotel room door in Rockwall, Texas, and said, smilingly, "Hey Taylor, are you busy?"  As I was merely surfing facebook and digging around in blogger, I wasn't really occupied.  "I want to show you a funny video I just found online."  I stepped back and gestured for her to come into the room.  "Oh, just come over to my room--I've already got it up on my computer."  So, I grabbed my key and walked across the hall into Kristina's room.

...wait, why is my dad in your room?

As it turns out, my parents had just flown in to surprise me.  It had all been an elaborate scheme, and nearly everyone in the band had known!  I've written before about how my parents are big on surprises, and they definitely got me with this one.  

As we're not performing anywhere near Arizona this year, my parents had talked about coming to our performance in Rockwall earlier this summer as it would have coincided with a trip to Texas they needed to make.  However, a few weeks ago, their trip got rescheduled, and it appeared as if my parents were no longer going to be coming to Texas to see the show.  But while I was busy moving on and assuming my parents weren't coming, my mom was busy arranging this surprise with Kristina--they had booked hotels, arranged cars, set aside comp tickets, and had otherwise conspired against me.  And I had absolutely no idea. 

Well-played, mom and dad.  Well-played.

The past few days were--quite obviously--wonderful.  Not only did they get a little more insight into what my life is actually like on the road (i.e. lots of waiting around, long drives, and the like), but I also got to hang out with them and discuss all the things that have been on my mind, and all the happenings of these past weeks.  Granted, they're always available via phone and e-mail, but it can be hard to find an hour or two to make phone calls when you know they'll be long ones.  And, they got to see two more great shows; one in Rockwall, TX, and a return to play with Revolution in Abilene, TX.

The Paramount Theatre in Abilene, TX.

L to R: Mom, me, Charlie, Dad, Tim, Annette, Hidayat, Naseem (Barrage alum who lives near Dallas), and Kristina.

I was also particularly excited that my parents got to experience the proverbial "lunch adventure," which refers to a meal, usually in the middle of nowhere, when we have absolutely no idea about the quality or type of food we'll be eating upon entering some random mom and pop establishment.  Yesterday's lunch adventure was, indeed, quite the gamble.

Charlie had discovered on his iPhone that there was a restaurant in Thurber, TX, which may be worth the visit.  However, when you're in the middle of nowhere on the interstate, not very many establishments or towns are actually worth visiting.

But not many establishments are the SmokeStack Restaurant.  And not many towns are Thurber, with a population of 5.  Seriously.  Five.  Formerly an old boom town with over 10,000 residents, the only people who remain are the Bennett Family.

There it is.  Thurber, Texas. The Bennett's house is visible in the distance.

My parents left this morning to fly back to Arizona.

Thank you to all of those involved in the scheme: Kristina & the band, Tyla (who got my parents free, standby airline tickets), and all of the neighbors who are watering my mom's garden, and feeding Ben (our cat) and Jack (our beta fish)...but hopefully you didn't feed Jack to Ben.

I'm so lucky to have such awesome parents!  Thanks Mom and Dad!

When in Memphis

I'm currently sitting in my hotel room happy about two different things: 
1) My laundry is in the dryer (having a suitcase where every item is clean is one of touring life's simpler pleasures).
2) I successfully evaded paying $8.95 for a "continental breakfast" by walking down the street to a drive-thru-only coffee shop, lining up behind a car, walking up to the window, and ordering breakfast.  Success!

The past few days have been wonderfully Southern.  After performing in Chattanooga (which seemed, from the car, like a really cool city), we had to make a long drive over to Jonesboro, Arkansas.  But, we decided to make a few smart stops along the way, including having lunch in Nashville, and spending the night in Memphis.

In Nashville, Daniel took us to his favorite Mexican place, Baja Burrito, which serves its burritos in the choose-your-own-ingredients style of Chipotle.  As a Chipotle enthusiast, and a loyal fan of authentic, quality Mexican food (I generally avoid Mexican outside of the Southwest as much as a I can), I was secretly skeptical.  However, I'm pleased to say that Baja Burrito proved itself to be the exception to the rule!  It was absolutely incredible (and much better than Chipotle).  Check it out when you're in Nashville.

With Mexican Coke!  (Keep your eye out for Mexican Coke...I'm starting to see it being sold more often in the US.  I think it's much better than American Coke, mainly because it's made with cane sugar and not high fructose corn syrup...plus it's in a glass bottle, which is just more awesome.)

We finished the drive to Memphis with our taste buds eagerly anticipating BBQ the whole way.  So, what could be more perfect upon arriving at our hotel than learning we could be picked up in a pink Cadillac and driven to dinner?  The answer is pretty much nothing, thanks to the clever convenience provided by Marlowe's Restaurant.

After dirtying his fingers with BBQ ribs, Charlie needed some help eating his coleslaw...

L to R: Charlie, Kristina, Hidayat, Annette, John, Daniel, Tim, and me

Before leaving Memphis, we visited Graceland, former home of Elvis Presley.  Admittedly, I didn't really know anything about Elvis.  As myself a cultural product of the late '90s and early 2000s, Elvis, who died in 1977 (10 years before I was born), wasn't relevant for me and my peers.  He was merely some antiquated sex symbol of the '60s and '70s, whose undisputed status as "The King of Rock 'n' Roll" did not prevent him from being (somewhat unjustly) grouped with other deceased relics of popular music.

All that being said, I wasn't exactly enthused about going; it felt more like an obligation than a desire. But visiting Elvis' house turned out to be one of the most surprising, enlightening, amazing and awe-inspiring things I've done in recent memory.  In hindsight, it seems absurd that I knew as little about him as I did.  And while I still only really know what I learned in the self-guided audio tour (which was impeccably pieced together and highly effective), I now realize just how amazing Elvis was, not only as a musician and performer, but also as a person.

Truly an inspiring visit.  You must make time to visit Graceland if you find yourself in Memphis.

Living room.

Dining room.

From the back.

 

The dining room inside the Lisa Marie.