Although the weather wasn’t being cooperative, the Writer’s Block event benefiting Hands On Nashville was an unqualified success. A little over $1500 was raised to benefit victims of the Nashville Flood 2010 all because of Chris Blair, Bridgette Tatum, the friends and fans of The Listening Room, and the participating singer/songwriters who came out to play for anybody who showed up to listen. Yes, the rain caused some delay, some of the scheduled performers were unable to get here or had to leave earlier than expected because of other commitments, and the crowd was a little smaller than Chris and Bridgette hoped for.

Shortly after the show was scheduled to start, Chris decided to move the event inside the confines of The Listening Room and everybody had a great time. This event is destined to become a Nashville standard and will always be a benefit of some sort as a way of thanking and giving back to the community. I spent much of my time as a volunteer, helping Chris and his staff keep this benefit rolling through the afternoon and into the evening so, I was not able to just sit and listen as much as I would have liked to. [Thank you Chris and Bridgette for letting me be a part of the event.] The music and the artists I did get to hear were absolutely incredible and I was privileged to be witness to the best show I have seen since arriving in Nashville.

Some of the performers I did get to listen to were The Nashville Songbirds (Bridgette Tatum, Kirsti Manna, Lorna Flowers, and Julie Forester), Chris Blair and his band, Megan Conner, Pete Sallis, Greg Friia, Sarah Silva, Alyssa Moreno, Brian White, Karyn Williams-White, Karen Reynolds, D. Vincent Williams, and Rachel Williams. Tiffany (the 80′s mall tour sensation) also performed and completely devastated the audience with a re-worked edition of “I Think We’re Alone Now”, including the three guys in the back who showed their appreciation by lighting up and waving their Bic lighters in tribute. CJ Christopher James from WKDF and Two Foot Fred served admirably as the event emcees and kept the crowd hyped up for the entire show. Storme Warren from GAC was able to stop by and say a few words before having to step out to another event at The Ryman. This is the one event you should have come to, I guarantee you would have had the best time… Oh wait! You are in luck because you can mark down in your calendars to come out next year, and the year after that, and the year after that..

Now, I like to say a little something about the owner of The Listening Room, Chris Blair. He truly represents what Nashville is all about. This man has a heart and soul bigger than anyone could imagine. He admits that he is a singer/songwriter first, and a venue/bar/cafe operator second. His first love is the music and anyone who knows him will agree. This has led him to providing the best room in Middle Tennessee ( I’m thinking, all of Tennessee) for the singer/songwriter and the fans who love them. He always has a smile and a kind word for his customers, his performers, and anyone else who walks in through the front door. One of his goals is to make sure that when you come to his venue, that you thoroughly enjoy yourself and that you will always remember your experience here.

I’ll give you an example of how Mr. Blair represents Nashville and is always thinking about what he can do to make it a better place by giving back to the community. Originally, the event, Writer’s Block was designed to help fend off some of the difficulties that have affected everyone during the recent economic crisis. He was going to use the profits to ensure that there would always be a “listening room” for the artists and fans to come out and support the singer/songwriter “family”. About halfway through the show, Chris climbed up on his stage and told the crowd about his original intentions (the usual concerns of everyone in business, rent, payroll, bills, etcetera). At the outset, only a portion of the proceeds were going to be donated to Hands On Nashville to help flood victims. Chris was visibly moved as he related this story and swore that he would always do whatever he could to support a place where music lovers, of all kinds, could come and play, network, or listen. At that time, he showed us his heart and announced that 100% of all proceeds from Writer’s Block would be going to help the flood victims, regardless of what happens to The Listening Room. Chris Blair is what Nashville wants and needs to be!  http://www.listeningroomcafe.com/

~Trigger