SONGoftheDAY: “The Ghosts of Hank & Hendrix” by Mike Arcuri
Mike Arcuri at Nashville’s legendary Bluebird Cafe. He returns there this Sunday.
SONG OF THE DAY: LISTEN: “The Ghosts of Hank & Hendrix” by Mike Arcuri
Today’s “Song of the Day” features Charleston singer-songwriter Mike Arcuri. He’ll perform this weekend at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, a storied venue for singer-songwriters and a tough nut to crack — but he’s cracking it. Below, he explains the origins of his delightful story-song “The Ghosts of Hank & Hendrix” and the mathematics of playing at the Bluebird. P.S. — You can also catch Arcuri in his duo incarnation with Keith Lahti (that’s Lahti’s electric guitar on “Hank and Hendrix”) as Holy Cow in area clubs and open mics.
STORY OF THE SONG: Mike Arcuri: One night while driving south on I-65 just outside of Nashville, I pulled into a truck stop to pick up some oil for my automobile, which had a bad leak. I’d been on the road for about six hours, having left Charleston earlier that day. I was traveling to Nashville to perform at the Bluebird Café songwriter’s night the next evening. I walked into the truck stop, which was pretty deserted at the time. While looking over the oil, a couple of CD’s fell off a rack and landed on the floor about five feet away. One of the female cashiers exclaim to the other: “Did you see that?! There’s nobody over there!” I walked over to pick up the CDs and as I bent down, two faces stared up at me. One was Hank Williams, the other was Jimi Hendrix. I kind of got this eerie feeling maybe it wasn’t a coincidence. As I returned the CDs to the rack, I noticed it was pretty secure, with a bar that held the CDs in place. Wheels began to turn in my head. When I got back home after the trip, I wrote a song entitled “The Ghosts of Hank & Hendrix.” The first verse is essentially true. The other two verses are fiction…well, so far they’re fiction!
The Bluebird Café is one of Nashville’s best-known landmarks, and is perhaps the most famous songwriter’s club in the world. It is a small café located in an out-of-the-way strip mall on the outskirts of town. Since opening in 1982, it has played host to some of the best singer-songwriters in the world. Among the better-known stars who got their start at the Bluebird are Garth Brooks, Melissa Etheridge, Kathy Mattea, Faith Hill, Trisha Yearwood, and Vince Gill. Many well-known stars perform there occasionally, including Peter Frampton, Kris Kristofferson, John Prine, and Janice Ian. For an amateur songwriter to play the Bluebird, you have to pass an audition. Auditions are held quarterly and are open to the first 80 callers on a pre-determined call-in day. In order to audition, you have to live within a 100-mile radius of Nashville, or be a member of the Nashville Songwriter’s Association International (NSAI). The auditions are very brief, with each participant getting 60 seconds to sing a verse and a chorus of an original song. You are then notified about 2-3 weeks later whether or not you passed. They usually pass about 10-12 out of the 80 who try out.
I didn’t pass the first time I auditioned in 2004. But in 2005, on my second attempt, I passed. Once you pass, you’re eligible to play the Sunday writer’s nights, where each performer can play three original songs, usually to a packed house. I will be playing my 5th Bluebird writer’s night on January 13. Once you’ve played four writer’s nights, you’re eligible for an early round, which is a 6 p.m. round Tuesday to Saturday, which features four promising writers in a two-hour show. That’s what I’m currently lobbying for. In order to be considered, you have to have received good grades on your previous performances (yes, you are graded by the Bluebird staff) and you have to convince the booking agent to give you a shot. So far, I’ve got the grades…the tough part is convincing the booking agent!
