Alaska Cruise (and, of course, some brews)!

 8/5 - Fly to Seattle, Mariners game? Bizarre Brewing? 

8/6 - a full day in Seattle, Brewery?

8/7 - cruising out of Seattle 

8/8 - a day at sea 

8/9 - Ketchikan - waterfall and wildlife tour 

8/10 - Juneau brewery tour 

8/11 - Skagway waterfall tour

8/12 - another day at sea 

8/13 - Canadian ale trail tour in Victoria, British Columbia

8/14 - cruising back to Seattle 

8/15 - Back in Seattle for a day - Mt. Rainer National Park tour 

8/16 - Fly home from Seattle 

8/18 -The End of Oak Street 

8/23 - 8/26 - Cat/house-sitting on the lake

8/26 - Drive to Johnson City for work

8/27 - Johnson City for work 

Summer's Here and so is BEER!

6/2 - I went with my pal, Toney, to see the new historical WWII drama called Pressure tonight at the Malco Theaters in Smyrna.  Beforehand, we had dinner at the Buffalo Wild Wings nearby that was surprisingly good.   The film was fantastic!  Excellent acting, production design and what an amazing true story!  More like this, Hollywood, please!  

6/6 - I started a week-long pet-sitting job up in Gallatin today.  I have stayed here before and it's an easy gig.    I was shocked, however, to find out that my favorite nearby restaurant, Vui's Vietnamese, has permanently closed as of the end of May.  Wow! That really hurts!   Well, at least there's some other good choices including Awedaddy's Bar and Grill out on Old Hickory Lake.  I met Ashlee and some friends there for lunch today and enjoyed a draft pint of the tasty Briarscratch Creekbank Blonde which I've had before but not attributed to Half Batch Brewing over in Hendersonville who look to have taken over the brewing from Briarscratch Brewing here in Gallatin.  It went well with my excellent sweet chili salmon.  

6/7 - I swung over to nearby Castilian Springs today to take a tour of the Wynnewood State Historic Site. Built in 1830 (probably mostly by slave labor sadly enough) as an inn and spa, it's the largest existing log structure in Tennessee.   I had a private tour since no one but me showed up for the 11 AM slot on a Sunday.  It was very interesting and kind of amazing that we didn't lose the entire thing to a tornado back in 2008 that damaged it greatly including taking the entire roof off the structure.  

6/8 - I had a remote workday today and afterwards I was going to and check out the sold-out Japan National Team practice at Geodis Park as they prepare for The World Cup starting at the end of the week, but the weather was iffy and it was long drive so I gave away my four free tickets as demand to attend got crazier than I was even expecting.  (Heard from a friend who went that I didn't miss much actually.) So instead, I just stayed in and ordered dinner delivered from Campione's Taste of Chicago (a beef and sausage protein bowl and a cup of their homemade chili).  I was excited to learn that a second location in Mt. Juliet has just opened up!   

6/9 - I weathered some stormy weather tonight and dropped by Half Batch Brewing in Hendersonville since it's pretty close to my dog-sitting house in Gallatin.  I had their very good JoshIPA, and then by the time I had their solid side-poured Personal Czech Pils, the sun was out again. 
Back at the house, I chopped a PokerStars home game vs. 6 other players with rebuys (none for me) to a little more than double my buy-in and add on.  Not much of a success, but I will take it after a rather long period of bad beats and coolers.  

6/10 - I wandered a little farther from the dog-sitting house in Gallatin tonight and visited Yazoo Brewing over in Madison.  I started with their Southern Gratzer which earned me the UNTAPPD badge pictured above.  "Historical beers" are old recipes from a bygone era that modern craft brewers are reviving.   A gratzer (grodzikie) is a long-ago Polish style of brewing that's being reborn here in the U.S.  This is actually my second one of these recently and I do like that smoky finish.   I finished with their solid Pilot Series: Weizenbock.  

6/11 - I had another remote workday and then I went to opening night of the new Steven Spielberg UFO flick, Disclosure Day, in IMAX tonight at the Streets of Indian Lake Theaters in Hendersonville along with my friends, Casey and Colin.   We ate beforehand next door at Brixx Wood Fired Pizza which is always good.  With my pizza for dinner, I had a pint of the very good Stone Delicious Hazy IPA from Stone Brewing (CA).  The movie was pretty good.  Classic Spielberg! 

6/12 - I earned this badge with last night's beer, but it seemed like a good time to post it tonight to honor the USMNT's first World Cup game against Paraguay.  I was still dog sitting so I watched it in Gallatin on my last night there.  The boys dominated Paraguay from start to finish with a 4-1 final score! 

6/13 - I had an overnight dog/house sit in Watertown today.   I also started up Beer Box monthly deliveries again and this month's brews arrived today.  There's a couple of Irish reds, a kolsch, a double and a hazy IPA, a Belgian strong and a lager.  After some fridge time, I cracked open the outstanding NEPA called Par Tee from Pollyanna Brewing (IL).  

6/16 - Ashlee and I went to see our favorite band, Augustana, play for the umpteenth time tonight at Cannery Hall in Nashville and beforehand we had dinner at the Homegrown Taproom in Donelson where I had a couple of pints with my tasty smashburger dinner.  First up was the solid Floyds Deluxe lager from 3 Floyds Brewing (IN) and then thanks to 2-Fer-Tuesday I had the nice red ale from Printshop Brewing in Knoxville called Untitled for free. 

6/17- I had some online poker success tonight by taking down the gold coin (play money) Global Poker Turbo Series Event # 04-M Progressive Bounty Tournament.  I outlasted 66 other players with nine knockouts and with the win I got a special avatar to use on the site plus some Global Poker swag including a hat, a flag and a T-shirt coming to me sometime in the future.

It was actually an extra good night on the virtual felt because I also got my first serious tournament cash on ClubGG/Bluffers Poker where I turned $22 into $250+ with a 3rd place finish in a weekly MTT with 94 other players.  That's a ROI of just over 1,100%!  I cashed out $200 which was easy and quick through Venmo.  

6/18 - I had a remote workday today and as part of the current World Cup fever, I stopped by East Nashville Beer Works - Wilson County to catch some soccer action outside on their huge patio screen and have a couple new-to-me brews of theirs.  First up was the excellent NEIPA called Ignore This and then their nice New Zealand style IPA called Chilly Bin.  What a great place to catch a game!  

Later on in the evening, Ashlee and I headed to Nashville to catch comedy legend, Dave Attell, at Zanies and afterwards while waiting to pick up some friends at the airport, we stopped by The Homegrown Taproom again where I had a half pint of the solid Wheat Ale from New Heights Brewing here in Nashville, and then a half pint of the light and summery fruited sour from Xul Beer Company (Knoxville and now here in Nashville) called Tiny Umbrellas. 

6/19 - I had today (Juneteenth) off from work, and it was also the day for the USMNT World Cup game vs. Australia in the World Cup.    This was the perfect way to watch on a hot June day!  I lined up a few dead soldiers during the game and to celebrate the 2-0 win for The Red, White and Blue including a couple repeats and some new-to-me ones including: the very good Maggie's Irish Ale from Saugatuck Brewing (MI); the tasty kolsch called Lu from Solemn Oath Brewing (IL).  Those two were from my recent Beer Box order, and then my friend, Emily, brought me a couple more from a friend of hers recent visit to Montana and Jeremiah Johnson Brewing in Great Falls.  Their Scotch ale called Mountain Man was pretty good and then their Blonde Ale was even better.  

 Also, I had an easy dog-sitting day gig over in a nice house in 5 Oaks today. 

6/20 - I had some more pool time today and another brew from my recent Beer Box order.  With my check-in of the excellent Resin 2026 DIPA from Sixpoint Brewing (NY), I was proud to earn this badge on UNTAPPD and support a great cause.  

6/21 - I headed over to Shotgun Willies BBQ in Nashville today with some friends for beef rib Sunday there.  But at $38, plus $7 more for two sides, it may be just a little overrated, in my humble opinion.  Hell, I had a couple of $7 steaks from Publix yesterday on the grill that tasted better! 
I had some more pool time afterwards and enjoyed a nice pint can of Dicey Riley Irish Red ale from Begyle Brewing (Chicago).  

6/23 - I went to see the new flick, Death of Robin Hood, at the Providence Theaters in Mt. Juliet tonight with my pal, Casey.  
Over the weekend and a couple days this week, I've had an easy cat-sitting gig in the nice Geers Place Subdivision here in Lebanon. 

6/25 - Remote workday.  Dog-sitting again at the nice house in 5 Oaks.  

6/27 - We attended a World Cup game in Atlanta tonight at the Mercedes Benz Dome.  The teams were Uzbekistan vs. DR Congo and while we don't have a rooting interest in either team, it was about the only game that was close enough and affordable enough for us to attend so as to be just a small part of this massive global event.   Tickets to this game have doubled what I paid for them originally as World Cup excitement is at a fever pitch.  Congo has had a strong tournament so far with an upsetting 1-1 tie to start things off for them vs. European powerhouse, Portugal.  That was Congo's first goal ever in the World Cup (they haven't been in it for 52 years), and this is Uzbekistan's first ever appearance in the tournament, so we are seeing some history here. 

Atlantucky Brewing? 

We attended FIFA FanFest beforehand.  

Stayed overnight at a nice hotel within walking distance of the game.

We had a discounted rental car from Enterprise (thanks, CU!) to travel down and back in.  

Supergirl 

7/3 - 7/4 - Dog-sitting in Watertown - my favorite pit bulls! 

7/16 - I went to the SOLD-OUT opening night of the new Christopher Nolan film, The Odyssey, in IMAX at the Streets of Indian Lake Theaters in Hendersonville with some friends.   (movie poster pic on phone at 5/5) 

See The Odyssey again in IMAX 70MM at the Opry Mills Theaters in Nashville?

7/22 - I went solo tonight to see Lindsey Stirling at The Ascend Amphitheater for $30 flat.  (pic on phone at 6/2) 

7/24 - Toad the Wet Sprocket and Men at Work with my work buddy, Todd.  (show poster pic on phone at 6/2) 

Spiderman: Brand New Day (movie poster pic on phone at 4/15 and 6/2) 

Cheers to 25 Years (of marriage)!!

Ashlee and I are celebrating 25 years of marriage this month.  

Cheers to my baby!! 

5/1 - I was back on the road just for the day for work today.  I was able to stop in at Happy Trails Brewing in Sparta on the way back and had their decent So Passional Coconut Banana Sour and then off their guest taps I had the nice Peach Day lager from Half Batch Brewing over in Hendersonville. 

Well, it happened again.  Our great pearl-clutching, hypocrite of a state called Tennessee has now blocked real money play at ClubWPT Gold.  It's not surprising since they use the same "sweepstakes model" as Global Poker does.  And I was never really much of a fan of the site, but it was all I had, and I was winning on it.  So, I promptly won my last $5 SNG on there tonight and cashed out my entire $76.39 bankroll while I could.  So lame and so frustrating.  

5/2 - I got some nice overtime today working the Cumberland University spring graduation ceremony.  There was a huge crowd there, and I was busy shuttling folks to and from the ceremony from outer parking areas.  One guy even tried to tip me $5!  

5/3 - I am back at the $2-million-dollar house on the lake cat-sitting for the week and I had no luck fishing (although I had a good bite), but I might have found a new online poker site to play on called Bovada Poker.  I was able to make a real money deposit.  Not sure about cashing out yet. We shall see, but it does gives me a place for good practice and keeps me sharp vs. opponents who care about playing which is worth the $25 investment to me.  I even won my first small buy-in 6-handed SNG on there today!  

5/4 - I got another small buy-in 6-handed SNG win on Bovada tonight.  

5/6 - I went solo to see another 80's heavy metal former frontman, David Lee Roth of Van Halen fame, at The Ryman tonight.  This was kind of a last-minute decision that was made on a couple of factors:  1. He's performing mostly Van Halen songs! 2.  I got the floor seat ticket for under $25 on Stub Hub! 
With another big show going on downtown, I decided to Uber to The Ryman from New Heights Brewing where beforehand I had their decent Tail Dragger IPA and then their nice amber lager called Boston Bob.
The show was really great.  Diamond Dave's still got tons of energy and showmanship.  His backing band was solid, and he had a quartet of black male singers to help him with harmonies.  He told stories, cracked jokes, and cranked out hit after Van Halen classic

hit all of which he wrote.  He even choked up a bit talking about Eddie (RIP).  And to top it all off, I had this smokin' hot young girl sitting/standing by me who was also alone.  She seriously looked like an 80's Taylor Swift...who knows, maybe it was her incognito! You never know in Nashville! 

5/7 - I got another small buy-in 6-handed SNG win on Bovada Poker tonight. 

5/8 - Finally!  On my last day cat-sitting at the fancy lake house and on one of my last casts, I caught this healthy young bass off the dock.  I will sure miss this beautiful place.  Hopefully I will get another chance to stay here again in the near future.  
(Editor's note: I got two new bookings for August and September!! Yippee!!) 
I also got two small buy-in 6-handed SNG wins on Bovada Poker today.  

5/9 - We tailgated at the Iroquois Steeplechase in Nashville today, and I brought along a couple of brews from a variety four-pack of pint cans for the festivities that I picked up earlier this week at the Mt. Juliet Beer Company.  I started with the excellent wheat beer called No Spring Kitten from Fat Orange Cat Brewing (CT - on my bucket list to visit) and then a very good DIPA from Burial Brewing (Asheville) in collaboration with Xul Brewing (Knoxville) called The Fabrication of a Most Diabolical Empire.  

5/10 - I headed up to The Barrel in Franklin, KY, today to play in a poker tournament that didn't go great due to two bad beats, but it was a beautiful day nonetheless, so I moseyed over to find the nearby art piece called Fork in Road.  I even ran into the surrounding farm owner while I was there who told me it was created by the local high school welding teacher.  Pretty cool!  

Just around the corner is the Cutting Edge (get it?) by the same welder along with a little park area of other fun creations.  I am going to submit these places to Atlas Obscura and hope they get some notoriety.  On the way home I stopped by Portland Pizza and Pub where I had a draught of the pretty good Banzai XPA from Half Batch Brewing over in nearby Hendersonville.  I also grabbed an early dinner from Vui's in Gallatin that was oh so delish. 

5/11 - I had a remote day at work today, so I walked up to Cedar City Brewing (it's been a while since I've done this) for lunch and to have my Mug Club monthly free flight which had three new-to-me brews including their new and very good Banana Pudding Cream Ale and their new and refreshing Salty Watermelon Gose.  I also added their Apple Cider since a taster is about all I wanted of it to get it checked in on UNTAPPD.  It was actually OK, but too sweet for a whole pint to my palette.  I had their always-awesome dry-rubbed wings to eat.  On the way walking back home, I stumbled upon the NashBrew coffee truck and just had to have one of their delicious honey wildflower chai teas to sip on as I finished my short journey.

5/12 - Hopefully this is $35 well spent.  I paid the CU registration fee for a student over in DeKalb County today, so she can come check out Cumberland University and hopefully go to school here this fall.  She's a smart cookie with a great GPA and ACT score, so I was happy to help.  I know how it was to be poor as a high school student with potential.  Thanks to my dear momma for the encouragement and help as best she could when I was in a similar position.   I dedicate this gesture to her memory.   

When one poker window closes, another one opens.  Despite the recent loss of Global Poker and WPTClub Gold to real money online play here in Tennessee, I've learned of some other options that look promising.  The newest one is the Bluffers Poker Club on Clubb GG which I heard about through the Ante Up podcast.  I've dropped $50 in on this one to get started.  Fingers crossed! 

5/14 - She's back and better than ever!  Our beloved backyard pool got a new dark blue liner this year plus a few leak repairs and she's back in business as of today!  This is our 10th anniversary of the installation of the pool, and we still think it's the best money we've ever spent.  I toasted the reopening with a poolside brew this afternoon.   I cracked open a pint can of the excellent hazy DIPA called Hashtag...Vaguely Italian from Young Blood Brewing (WI) that I picked up recently in a variety four-pack from the Mt. Juliet Beer Company. 

5/15 - I got a nice mention (by my PokerStars screen-name) on this week's Ante Up Podcast as Joe Scales and his co-host (and wife), Elle, gave me some props about my play last night in the monthly Ante Up Patreon Game. Even though that luck-box, Joe, beat me heads up with a runner-runner flush, plus he crippled me earlier when, as chip leader, my AK ran into his conveniently timed AA.  But, in turn, I had already knocked Elle out when my K7 ran down her AK on the river earlier in the game. It was quite the rollercoaster of a night and I could say the same also over on Global Poker where I got just five spots away from another play-money trophy.  

5/16 - More frustration on Global Poker tonight with two final table finishes and another 5th place in PLO that was 4-handed, so I just missed a third final table.  

5/16 - I celebrated American Craft Beer Week and the 60th birthday of my friend, Brenda, tonight at her casino-themed party (the poker didn't go well) with a can of the solid session IPA called Stone DayFest from Stone Brewing (CA).  

5/17 - I sat with my pal, Nate, tonight in his session-ticket seats and enjoyed seeing our NSC boys take a 3-2 victory over LAFC thanks to a hat-trick by team captain, Hany Muhktar, and some incredible saves by our goalie, Brian Schwake.  This victory keeps NSC atop the Eastern Division and now gives us a one-point lead for best record in the entire MLS!  
Beforehand, I parked for free at Fait la Force Brewing and enjoyed their brand-new NEPA called Flower Maiden.  

5/18 - I recently found a great website called TeePublic with some hilarious and nerdy-cool T-shirt designs.  The prices are fair and the material is great.  I chose super-soft.  I love this McCleod Scottish Ale tee inspired by one of my favorite 80's movies, Highlander.  "Best served without a head" - now that's funny!  

I mean, come on, The Tipsy Taun Taun Pub and Brewery located on Hoth...how is that not the funniest Star Wars thing you've ever seen! 

5/19 - It's our 25th Wedding Anniversary!! - We flew very early this morning to Costa Rica to celebrate for the rest of the week.  

With a three-hour drive from the airport to our hotel at an average speed of 25 MPH due to road conditions and traffic, a few complimentary Imperial lagers were helpful to ease the pain.  Made by macro-brewery Heineken Costa Rica, Imperial is the national beer here.  And they're not bad, especially if they're free!   

5/20 - After some beach time today in Nosara, Costa Rica, we had lunch at the Beach Dog Cafe where I chased a chili guaro shot with a bottle of the decent marco-produced Tona lager from Compania Cervecera in neighboring Nicaragua. 

This Rosa Brual brut IPA wasn't even listed on their menu at the Beach Dog Cafe but I am sure glad I asked about the "premium" beer.  It's a microbrewery collaboration between Elviaje Brewing in San Jose, CR, and Juguetes Perdidos Brewing in Buenas Aires, AR.   Spoiler alert:  this turned out to be the best beer of the trip!  And the bottle art matched my swim shorts! 

5/21 - Ashlee actually found Blue Zone Brewing in Nosara.  It didn't even come up in my search for nearby microbreweries.  It's a great little place that like everything here just blends with the jungle surroundings.  There's even a tree growing through the taproom!  I started with the solid flagship NEIPA called Jungle Haze and finished with their decent Mexican lager called Tika's.   The best "beer" here, however, was hands down Ashlee's choice of their non-alcoholic "house ginger beer."  I had to add it to UNTAPPD and proud to do so since I gave it my first 5 out of 5 rating in a long time on there.  We even got a crowler of it to take back to the room with us.  

Beforehand, I had earned this cool badge on UNTAPPD when I checked in a couple other CR craft beers.  First up was a bottle of the nice Passion Fruit Ale from Papagoyo Brewing up in Liberia. It was in our honor bar fridge in the hotel room, and I enjoyed it during a soak in our private plunge pool.  The other was a pint of the crisp Hazy Daze IPA also from Papagayo Brewing that I had at Chancho BBQ in Nosara.

 

5/22 - I enjoyed some of my "white and sneaky" privilege today when I walked up the road from our hotel a half mile or so to another resort called Tierra Magnifica.  I walked around like I owned the place and no one seemed to give me a second look.  Their overlook of the coast and Punta Guiones in the distance is awesome, and they also have their own restaurant as well.  

I saw this beautiful boy on the way back to our hotel.  We've seen a lot of iguanas on this trip, but he had the best markings and color yet.  

We enjoyed just hanging out in our room and plunge pool most of the day today and I had some great brews that I found yesterday at a small bodega market down in Nosara with a surprisingly great craft beer section.  I started with the very nice kolsch called Liberiana from Numu Brewing up in Liberia.  I also had Numu's fruited pale ale called Edulis Tropical which was equally good.  I closed the day with the very good Marbella West Coast IPA from the unimaginatively named Costa Rica's Craft Brewing Company over in San Jose.

Costa Rica has a surprisingly good craft beer scene from what limited time I had there to explore it.  Definitely gives me another reason to go back!  My last brew in country was a bottle of the decent Imperial Light lager from the Heineken Costa Rica macro-brewery while I was at the airport waiting to fly home.  Cheers and pura vida, Costa Rica! 

5/24 - I went to see the new film, Star Wars:  The Mandalorian and Grogu, at the fancy new Hooky Theaters in downtown Nashville with several friends tonight.  Despite some critics (and my best friend, Craig) giving it terrible reviews, I thought it was a fun little romp and basically just a long episode from the hit TV show.  Saying it's the worst Star Wars movie ever made is ridiculous.  The prequels will always hold that title.  

5/25 - We had a fun childhood throwback party to celebrate Memorial Day today as well as some recent milestone birthdays for three of our friends.  The rain held off and the giant blow-up Hungry Hungry Hippos game was a hoot!   My friend, Nate, brought a couple of great beers to share from Xul Brewing (Knoxville, but now in Nashville).  First up was the interesting historical beer called Passenger: Grodzisk which is a lightly-smoked Polish style of brewing often referred to as "Polish Champagne." Second was the solid schwarzbier called Room 217.  I also shared with Nate my recent purchase at the Three Forks Market in Watertown:  the very good Shiner Off Road IPA from the Spoetzl Brewery in Texas.  

5/27 - I started another easy pet-sitting gig in Mt. Juliet today and through the weekend.  This is JJ the dog and his snoozy cat friend, Gracie.  

5/28 - My pet-sitting gig house is only a half mile walk from a new Tim Horton's, so I had an enjoyable stroll this morning for a sausage/egg/cheese croissant and an iced caramel cappuccino. Yum! 

Well, I dipped my toe into my first Whale Club tournament on ClubGG Poker this morning (remote workday) with some success.  I got four knockout bounties to lessen my buy-in to just one dollar.  I was second in chips going into the final table of eight only to frustratingly going on the money bubble in 5th with a horrible bad beat.  There were 35 total entries including rebuys which I did not have to do.  Despite the outcome, I do like the format on GG and look forward to playing more on there.   

The pet-sitting house is also located very close to the Mt. Juliet Beer Company, so I slipped over and got me a variety four-pack to enjoy during my stay.  Tonight's pint can was the excellent DIPA called Tidal Balance from Equilibrium Brewing (NY).

5/29 - The latest issue of the Ante Up Online Magazine is out, and my column looks great plus a very cool shout-out in the table of contents. 

I still love seeing my photos published, no matter the format! 

This was a fun one to write.

Tonight's pint can from the MJ Beer Co. variety four-pack was the superb NEIPA from Hop Butcher For the World (Chicago) called Aspect of Aquarius. 

Also, near the pet-sitting house is the excellent Milestone Craft Deli.  I got their huge authentic Philly cheesesteak for dinner which was awesome.  

5/30 - I stopped at the Emeraude Bakery in Mt. Juliet this morning which is also near the pet-sitting house and picked up some tasty pastries for me and Ashlee.  These chocolate croissants were so big and so buttery!  I also got a giant cinnamon roll to split as well as a huge chocolate chip muffin.
 Today's pint can from the MJ Beer Co. variety four-pack was the solid NEIPA from Outer Range Brewing (CO) called Cliff Drops which I took home with me to enjoy with a little pool time this afternoon. 

5/31 - My Mt. Juliet pet-sitting gig ended today without any issues. I took another walk to Tim Horton's this morning which was again great.  Today's final pint can from the MJ Beer Co. variety four-pack was the very nice rye IPA called Winds in the Holler from Edmund Oast Brewing (SC).  

Tonight, I went solo to see Steve Earle at The Ryman with a $30-flat ticket that I scooped up recently during the Ticketmaster/Live Nation big summer sale.  I also got a fairly cheap parking spot ($13 - cheaper than Uber) using the new-to-me SpotHero app at a downtown hotel just a short walk from The Ryman.   My parking spot was near Alley Taps, so before the show, I had their decent Alley Taps Lager (not sure who makes it for them).  The rest of their taps were ho-hum, so I headed to Broadway Brewhouse next and had a couple of dandies:  the Brix Cubed TIPA from Brix City Brewing (NJ) and the TEST - Nitro Cold Brew Milk Stout from Boulevard Brewing (Kansas City).   
The show was awesome!  Just Steve and his guitar covering 50 years of songs with interesting stories about his life in the music business.  Finally hearing "Billy Austin" and "South Nashville Blues" live were worth all the time, money and effort.  Steve's an underrated living legend and that's all there is to it.