A Night At The Opry

"The night is warm and humid. It is late. Almost 3.30 am. Most people around here have been asleep for hours already. Not me, though. I'm waiting for something big. It is the night between the 17th and 18th of July 2015, my time, it is a night a lot of people have been waiting for for a long time.

I am sitting in bed, alone, the cats are around here somewhere, but even they are sleeping. The atmosphere is peaceful and quiet, but I can feel the excitement in it. It's coming from me, of course. I am far, far away from where the big thing is only minutes away from happening. It's all going down in Nashville, Tennessee, USA and I'm on the southern coast of Spain.

I've got my good headphones on, the ones with a really good bass in them, some coffee to drink and my mobile phone. And, of course, the most important thing, the app for the Grand Ole Opry's live radio broadcast. I have heard artist after artist playing and singing their country songs, but I don't even remember who. I'm only interested in one special band. My favourite music band of all times, the country a cappella band Home Free, are having their debut at the legendary Opry - the show that made country music famous.

I don't know when I first heard about the Opry, it seems like I've know about it all my life and maybe I have. My parents listened to country music when I was growing up and I have always favourited it without being aware of it. It's about the harmonies and the melodies, and the stories. And the Grand Ole Opry is to country music artists what Wimbledon is to tennis player. To get to play there is a huge dream, a goal, something to aim for. And probably something surreal when you are actually there.

Anyway, this is the first I actually tune in to the show live. I like it, even though I don't remember what I'm hearing tonight. It's country and I love country.

So, here I am, in high anticipation, waiting for Home Free to come on. This is big for them. This is big for the Opry and it is big for the world. This is big for the Home Fries. This is an historical night in the world of music. The rest of the world don't know it yet, but they will.

Another artist finishes his song and the presenter starts reading an advertisement and a huge roar is heard. And I know. Home Free just entered the stage. The presenter stops mid-reading the ad to say that he's never heard that big a response to an ad before. Yeah, right, I think, nice try. The Fries know. The Fries can feel it. The energy. Home Free is in the house.

I can hear how nervous they are when they start singing, those first few lines, are tense, but they do great. I have tears in my eyes of joy and chills down my spine from the greatness of the moment. This is wow oh so big. They finish their first song Life Is A Highway by Rascal Flats, and there is another roar from the crowd. I am wondering how many of the people in the audience are new to Home Free. I wounder what they think. I wish I could see it, not only hear it!

Now, Ring Of Fire, oh Ring Of Fire, the song that made me fall in love with them, the song that changed my life. I smile a smile so big it hurts, my cheeks are still wet with happy tears running down and I'm dancing right here on the bed. When Tim does his low notes I can feel the audience take a deep breath of surprise. Oh, how I would have loved to be there in person. But this is ok too. I am so excited to be a part of this, of their great moment in life. Because I am. I do get to share this! And I am proud as a mum! Maybe it's got to do with being a Patron. Or maybe it's just the feeling of love being all around them at all times. 

Another roar from the crowd is heard when they finish the song. It is over. I am raising my hands to the ceiling in victory (I seem to do that a lot, and cry happy tears, when it comes to Home Free) and say Yes! They did so well! What a great job they did! Yes! Yes! 

The presenter thanks them and tells them how great they were. Yes, they were. They sure were."

It took me hours to get down from the high that night. What a great debut it was!

Home Free were invited back on the spot, the Grand Ole Opry was that impressed by them. How could they not be. Remember all those roars I heard from the audience? They weren't just roars, they were standing Ovations. 3. Yes, that's right! Home Free got 3! standing O's on their debut at the friggin' Grand Ole Opry! And they only did 2 songs! Lot's of Fries in the house, and the Opry was blown away. Great job, Fries! Fantabulous job, Home Free!

I heard a story about the Opry tour guide being in the back of the building when Tim hit his low note, and he felt the rumble from it. How cool is that?!

This all happened because of Duane Allen and The Oak Ridge Boys, who have truly taken Home Free under their wings. They brought Tim with them to one of their performances at the Opry and introduced them to each other. Way to go, Duane and ORB!! The Fries are you forever indebted for so much! We can't wait to see what the future will hold for the nine of you together!

The reason why I have waited this long to share this experience with you is because I wanted to be able to share an official video of it, and the Opry finally uploaded Life Is A Highway to their YouTube channel yesterday.

You can see the tension on the guys, especially on Austin. I've never seen his face to tight before. But you can also see and feel the joy and disbelief in their eyes, and their relief when the song is over. And you can see the second standing O. I hope we get to see Ring Of Fire one day too. I can't wait for them to go back there, and my bucket has a new addition. Not only do I want to go to the Opry, and not only do I want to see Home Free live, but I also want to see Home Free live at the Opry.


One day that dream will come true!

Love//
Carina

Home Free's Summer = Epic Overload

The other day I promised you an update on what's going on the Home Free world, so here it is.

First of all they have finished recording their upcoming album, which we still don't know the name for. They've said it will be released sometime in the fall, maybe September, maybe October. Around half of the songs on the album will be new, original songs and half will be covers. Among the originals we know there will be at least 2 Tim Foust originals and the first Austin Brown original. I CAN NOT WAIT!! They've also said we will see kind of a different side of them. I am very eager to find out all about it!

They also recorded the classic song Elvira together with the famous Oak Ridge Boys, which ORB say is amazing. The video is already shot. We don't know if this song will be on the album or if it's one of their videos outside of the albums. Either way, I am sure it will be absolutely epic! How can it not be?!

Speaking of epic, Home Free is currently filming a video for a Christmas song collaboration. And let me tell you, not just any collaboration. This song is part of no other than the legendary Kenny Rogers' upcoming Christmas Album, and of course I am sure it will be out of this world. I mean; it's Kenny Rogers, and Home Free, and a Christmas song. Can it get more epic than that? For real, doe!

Well, maybe it can; on the 17th of July Home Free had what was, according to Austin, a top 3 moment in their musical career. They had their debut at the Grand Ole Opry. And it was totally epic! From the moment they walked out on stage with the audience cheering wildly, to the low notes, the high notes, the beatboxing, and the sweet, sweet harmonies, Home Free rocked the socks off of everybody at the Opry. They got standing O's and I am sure they lifted the roof off the building! They were immediately invited back, on their debut night, which from what I understand is not all that common. It is said that the Opry tour guide was way in the back of the building and he was wondering what the Heck happened when he felt Tim's low notes. How cool is that!! Epic as can be for sure! I was listening to it live, of course, even though it was 3,30 am here. Fries all over the world, no matter what time it was, were listening with huge smiles on their faces and tears of pride and joy. I am extremely happy I got to be a small part of this moment that for sure is already historic in the history of the Grand Ole Opry. Epic history!

So, what else is going on? Oh, the Guys have joined Periscope (a live streaming app) and every once in a while they will appear live on there, sharing their daily lives with us Fries. Yesterday we got to hang with them twice, first before their rehearsal for the new tour, and then in the evening when they were sitting around a ring of fire (yes, literally) at their music retreat location. It is really cool to see the more relaxed sides of them, hear them joke and goof around and get a glimpse of their more personal sides.

I mentioned the new tour already, I believe it will kick off in September sometime. In the States of course. We still don't know anything about their European visit that is said to be worked on for next year. We're keeping our fingers crossed that it will all fall into place for them, and us European Fries!

The Guys are also busy filming more videos, most of them (maybe all of them) with the music video making geniuses that is FifGen Films, and attending fairs and doing other shows up until the time of the new tour starting. I am excited to see what they will come up with this time around. I am proud to be a Patron to help pay for the videos that is spreading the word about them around the world.

Wow, I get tired just writing about all they have been doing in just the last two months. They sure keep busy, and we as fans absolutely love it.

Ok, I think that is it, except for their latest video. This video is epic too. It's a medley/mash-up of 16 (although they have named only 15 there is actually 16 songs) of the past few years most popular pop songs. The arrangement is made by Austin and he has been working on for a couple of years, putting together a list of around 100 songs before he narrowed it down and put it all together. And let me tell you; it is sweet! And the video, it is hilarious! There are no words to properly describe it, but one of my favourite things about it is that it shows off the Guys different personalities.

If you are interested in listening to/watching the original songs in this mash-up you can head over to my friend Rachel Cheng's Buzzfeed Blog where she has them all listed.

But first, have a listen and a look at Home Free's video. And let me know if you can find the Stealth Chicken (I will tell you the history of it in an upcoming post).

Here's COUNTRY FRIED POP MEDLEY! (Don't forget to listen with headphones with a good bass, it will make all the difference in the world when listening to Home Free).

Love//
Carina

Home Free + The Oak Ridge Boys = True!

Very early this morning (my time), or very late last night depending on how you live your life, The Oak Ridge Boys announced on Twitter that on the 22nd of June they will go into the studio with Home Free to record ORB's hit song Elvira together. This is news a lot of us Fries have been waiting and hoping for. We know that the two groups have a mutual respect for each other and are friends, both groups have a bearded member and a member that likes to wear hats; in The Oak Ridge Boys it just happens to be same member and in Home Free they are two different members; both groups have amazing harmonies and both groups also have awesome bass singers. The biggest difference between the two groups is that The Oak Ridge Boys has instrumental music to their songs, and Home Free does not. Another thing the two groups will have in common soon is the Grand Ole Opry, where The Oak Ridge Boys has performed for decades already, and Home Free will have their premiere performance next month. I am sure that first one will be followed by many in the years to come, just like The Oak Ridge Boys. In a way I guess Home Free is the new The Oak Ridge Boys.

The Oak Ridge Boys have a long history with name changes, genre changes and member changes, but the current line-up have been around since the early 70's, and by then they were already a country band. They bring a lot of experience to the table, and this is a great opportunity for Home Free to get their name out their some more.

Edit; Check out the result right here! 

The collaboration with The Oak Ridge Boys is not the first collaboration that Home Free has been involved in; their video of Ring of Fire, by Johnny Cash, features Avi Kaplan, the bass singer of Pentatonix. They also did a Christmas song together with the violinist Taylor Davis - yes, there was an instrument on a Home Free song. Another collaboration they did was with Peter Hollens on Dan + Shay's hit song 19 You + Me. Peter and Home Free did two different versions and videos of the same song, they then released them at the exact same time and they are both great. 

You can check out the videos by following these links; 

Ring of Fire with Avi Kaplan

Silent Night with Taylor Davis

19 You + Me - Peter Hollens version

19 You + Me - Home Free version

You can read all about The Oak Ridge Boys here, they have way too much of history to cover in this little piece.

If you have never heard Elvira before, you can check it out below. And if you have heard it before I'm sure you'd like to hear it again. Anyway, this is the song they will be recording next week, and I am extremely excited to hear the result, and I am hoping for a video at some point too.

Edit; One of my readers reminded me of the amazing collaboration on Baby It's Cold Outside with the Canadian Singer Kira Isabella. This is one song I've always really liked, but I've also always felt there was something missing. Up until I heard this rendition. Maybe you like it too. Thanks, VJ, for the reminder.

Love//
Carina

What's going on?

So, I've not posted anything for a while. Sometimes that will happen. It's due to life, or rather lack of inspiration, and it's OK. Know, that I will always come back, because, hey, I love blogging and writing. It's a part of who I am.

Speaking of writing, I have been working a bit on my book. Not a lot, but it's moving forward and that's the important thing. I get excited when I think about it! It makes me smile!

What else have I been doing? I've been completely sucked into One Tree Hill, the series. I used to watch it back in the days when it first started, and for a while now I have been thinking about re-watching it and follow it through until the end. I think I stopped watching it somewhere around the shift between season 3 and 4. So, about a week ago I started from the very beginning, and I am seriously hooked. I have to force myself to shut it off at nights because otherwise I wouldn't get any sleep at all, which actually happened the night between last Saturday and Sunday. Didn't even close my eyes. I didn't even get tired. It kind of reminds me of the first few months after I found Home Free.

Speaking of Home Free; they had their last show of the Spring Tour Tour the other night, and they are now on a short break. During the summer they will do some shows, one being their debut performance at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. For those of you that don't know what that is, it's the show that made country music famous, this is where every country musician dream about playing/singing. It is a great honour and recognition to get to perform there. A milestone worthy them, I'd say. They will also hit the studio to record their next album which is due sometime late summer/early fall. Hopefully they will have time to record some more videos for YouTube as well. And, BIG NEWS;

**********HOME FREE IS COMING TO EUROPE IN JANUARY!**********

I am so excited I can cry! At this point all we know is that they will be coming the UK in January of next year, no dates or places are known yet. We don't know if they will come only to the UK, for one show only, or if they will do several shows in the UK only, or tour more countries. But, at this point, who cares!? I will be there, no matter what! Nothing and nobody will be able to keep me away! As many shows in as many countries as possible is what I am aiming for.

So, what's next in my life? I am getting ready for a trip to Sweden! I am working tomorrow, and early Thursday morning I am off, arriving around 11 am in Sweden. I have the whole trip planned, except for one or two of the ten days I'm there for. I will be meeting up with a lot of family and friends, some that I saw when I was there in January, some I haven't seen in 10 years, others I haven't seen in 25 years and others yet I have actually never seen, like my new little nephew that was born early April. There will be birthdays to celebrate in more than one place, and I will also spend some time sorting through what stuff I have left in Sweden. Most of it is after my dad. He died only a few months before I moved to Spain, and I kept a lot of things that I didn't really need to keep, because it was too hard to get rid of them. So, I will throw a lot away, see if there's anything I can sell or give away, bring some of it with me back here, and hopefully be left with nothing more than my dad's drawer desk. It will be ten days filled with love, laughter and tears. I am sure I will miss my dad when I go through his things. The last evening is the Eurovision Song Contest, hopefully Sweden and Måns will make it to the finals because I am planning to watch it with my sister. This was an event that my dad enjoyed watching with us, but it will be the first time in a long time that my sister and I will be watching it together.

Here's some other fun news; I plan on taking you with me on my trip. I will post updates as often as I can, it might not be every day, but close to it.

Since I'm in some ways will get thrown back in time on my trip this video and song fits perfectly. Story of My Life, by One Direction, but, of course, brilliantly covered by Home Free. Enjoy!

I hope to see you on my trip!

Love//
Carina