Videos by American Songwriter
This activity not only offers expanded opportunities for local thespians and behind-the-camera talent, but also gives songwriters, music publishers, and recording artists additional outlets to expose their wares.
On the final day of this year’s Film-com, attendees mingled at the Hard Rock Cafe for happy hour with selected Nashville music-biz elite. Upon being introduced to Jace Everett, I couldn’t pass up the chance to share a personal anecdote with the tall, ginger-haired star.
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of performing a number of Nashville copyrights for weddings: “I Swear,” “When You Say Nothing At All,” and “Amazed” immediately spring to mind. There is no more emotionally profound experience than to stand up in front of God and Aunt Matilda to articulate a loving couple’s public declaration of devotion in song. My most recent nuptial warbling stands out and emphatically underscores the quantum leap Nashville has taken over the last several decades.
Within the stone walls of a gothic church at the 10-acre Scarritt-Bennett retreat center, my friends Gregory and Bryan literally floated down the aisle arm in arm, beaming, and accepting joyous congrats from loving friends and family. Accompanying their recessional was the raucous, camp-rockabilly number the happy pair had selected to conclude their commitment ceremony – rendered by Yours Truly.
“I sang your song at a gay wedding,” I blurted, as I shook Jace Everett’s hand.
“Oh, yeah!” He responded with unabashed pride, “That song’s been in a lotta weddings.”
Everett, whose 2005 Epic debut fell a couple of sparks short of catching fire at country radio, had since (according to his website) “gone global” – without the help of a single country radio programmer. Everett owes his worldwide notoriety – and, I’m sure, a good hunk of his Performance Rights income – to HBO’s hit vampire romp, True Blood, which licenses Everett’s “Bad Things” as its theme.
I belted in my deepest baritone, “I wanna do bad thangs to you.”
“With you,” the artist smiled as he corrected me. “I wanna do bad things with you.”
The gates have now been blown wide open for more TV and film production in Music City. And that means more artists like Jace Everett will be getting their due exposure. As for those mashed taters in a martini glass? I went back for seconds – and thirds.
