Lagniappe Mobile Blog

It was not shocking or surprising when I read Boozie’s coverage of the Widespread Panic show arrests (aka Christmas for Orange Beach PD). I did have some serious deja vu from 2002 with Birmingham law enforcement’s “Operation Don’t Panic” where 200 people were arrested. Orange Beach PD are infamous for being hard-nosed, merciless law dogs that live to bust for anything and everything. Once upon a time in the long long ago, I thought I was going to be a chef and spent the summer before my senior year in high school doing my apprenticeship at Zeke’s. One of my memories from that experience (besides meeting Boudoir Soirees CEO Donna Bryant) was a four-lane roadblock on Gulf Beach Highway on the Fourth of July after I had worked a 12-13 hour shift. After waiting in line for an hour, I was then taken out of my vehicle, interrogated, and given a DUI test. At the end of the DUI test, I was asked to say the ABC’s backwards to which I replied, “Look, I just got off work, I’m tired, and I have to get back up in a few hours to go back to work. I cannot say my ABC’s backwards. So, just call my father, and he’ll come over here and get me out.” They let me go after that. So, I reiterate that the widespread (yeah, it’s a pun) drug arrests were not surprising.

What is shocking and surprising to me is that this didn’t happen the first time the Spreadheads invaded Orange Beach. I assumed that they would let everybody enjoy the show and set up roadblocks immediately afterwards. Since I am a betting man, I would have bet some serious money on this, and I was dumbfounded when they didn’t. I thought, “Well, maybe they used their financial sense to realize that the revenue generated from the show, The Wharf, the restaurants, the hotels, etc. overshadows the money they made busting a couple of hundred NON-VIOLENT offenders on minor possession and paraphernalia charges.” I guess I was wrong.

It is also shocking that The Wharf is kowtowing in this situation by reports from the local news saying that they are asking Widespread Panic not to return. I know that they must cooperate with local officials, but didn’t this three-day show put some money in the Orange Beach pockets? They may be using their smarty brains, word of things like this get around Stonerdom pretty fast, and they might see a lackluster turn-out at the box office if the have them back. At least we know that the next time Widespread decides to play the area, then it will be in the Port City, and the drive will be shorter.

BamaJam is coming to Enterprise, and it could be the start of something big. The Wiregrass is an area where people have a passion for country music. I greatly admire their passion, because they are truly critics when it comes to the stuff. Sure, you have the trendy country music people who dig on Rascal Flatts and the mainstream pop country sound, but mostly, they’re very traditional lovers of the genre and call it like it is. When you drive by Cowboys in Dothan, don’t let its simple exterior fool you. It has served as a venue for country icons ranging from Hank Williams, Jr. to Merle Haggard. It is not surprising that this area of Alabama has caught the eye of such country artists as George Jones and Toby Keith, but it seemed like they couldn’t quite make up their mind what they want to do with the area.

I first began to hear various rumors about two years ago. One of the first to which I was privy was Jones’ plans to open a restaurant called “Possum Holler”and bringing in Toby Keith as a business partner, but it never seemed to come to fruition. The next thing that I heard was that George Jones was planning on buying up the “downtown” area of the quaint village of New Brockton, AL (just outside of Enterprise) as well as a ton of the surrounding property. It was said that it would be remodeled as a real-life Mayberry (seriously like The Andy Griffith Show) and serve as a backwoods, country version of the Seaside community on the Florida coast. However, our friends in New Brockton never got a call from Jones with a can’t-resist offer.

Just when I began thinking that this gossip was going to remain as such, BamaJam’s website featured an informative press release in their News section. As of March 10, it seems as if a country conglomerate headed by that has had its sights set on the Wiregrass has decided to create a “Nashville in Alabama,” and it will be located “near Dothan, AL.” Spearheading this idea is Ronnie Gilley (Ronnie Gilley Properties, LLC) and his business partner Kix Brooks (Brooks and Dunn). I have heard that there are other interests in the project that are extremely recognizable names in country music, but I have no way of confirming this.

So, what do Brooks and Gilley have planned for this new country music Mecca? They have expectations of this place being a neo-Branson. It will be a $300 million dollar complex featuring more venues than you can handle, hotels (including the Nashville Grand), possibly a theme park, a midway and an RV park. This duo has even recruited some of the designers behind theme parks such as EPCOT and Universal Studios for conceptual drawings. The restaurants come courtesy of some well-known country stars and will include Tracy Lawrence’s Barbecue and Opry House, John Anderson’s Seminole Wind Grill, The Worley Bird Cafe (Darryl Worley and (finally) the George Jones’ Possum Holler dinner theater (seating for 700-800). The local economy is already making predictions involving thousands of jobs an millions of dollars, and the name of this country music juggernaut, this new and improved Branson, this shining pearl that all other music meccas will bow effortlessly to will be (as of March 10, 2008):

“COUNTRY CROSSING!”

As BamaJam marks the possible beginning of something big in the Wiregrass, it will be nice to sit in the crotch of the state and watch from afar as this Nashville in Alabama gets on its feet. However, when it comes to this stuff, I won’t believe it till I see it. Remember the NASCAR race track in Saraland and all the hoopla over that? What happened to it? Remember the numerous theme parks that were SUPPOSED to be built around here? Hell, I’ve always heard the Port City urban legend that Walt Disney’s original and top choice for Disney World’s location was actually in Theodore, but the local politicians didn’t want to play ball (go fig). As of now, it sure seems like coastal Alabama is getting shown up by the Wiregrass.

Our web guru Kyle Craig approached me a couple of years ago and pitched the idea of me doing a blog. Since my life is a snowball that has the tendency to simultaneously gather and release snow, it was became a challenge to:

A. Find time to create a blog

and

B. Learn the mystical ways of the Blogosphere

I found Craig’s offer extremely appealing because of the impersonal format a journalist must follow. Even though you can find my personality snuggled deep within my articles, it’s still very hard (and not kosher in a way) to display the opinions and emotions that I have concerning both the local and national music scene, but life sometimes has other plans. Today, I became excited when Rob Holbert’s email concerning the Nappie Blogs arrived in my in-box. Now that someone has gone to the trouble to create a blog for me, I feel that the only way that the debt can be paid is by using this popular mode of communication to the fullest extent, which I will do as much as my numerous occupations will allow.

Currently, I have worked in many different facets of the music world. I’ve promoted shows and done graphics for a couple of CD’s and many posters. I’ve managed bands, been a fan, sold merch, and (of course) been a music journalist. Over the past few years, I’ve even been a member of two local bands. About the only thing that I’ve never done is run a label, which at this point is not attractive to me whatsoever. Does that make some kind of music expert? Hell, no! Do I fancy myself some sort of undiscovered music industry genius? Yeah, right! But I have seen some interesting shit and can give some insight into the industry. So, I plan on using this blog to give both music veterans and scene newbies a taste of my personal opinion on the music world, an insight into some of my experiences that I can’t really write about in the Nappie due to content and length, and try to expose some of the negative sides of the music industry. Believe me, there are plenty!

Please feel free to give feedback. I’m not scared of criticism. In this line of work, the complaints are to be expected and noted, and the compliments will be welcomed with open arms because they can be few and far between. I didn’t even really think people read my stuff until people came up and told me, “Hey, I read what you wrote…”

So, kick off your shoes and sit a spell. I look forward to hearing from each and every one of you!