Greetings from MUSIC CITY USA!

I made it down to Nashville in the beginning of August and haven't
slowed down since I got here! Things, as you can expect, have been
quite busy. Now that I've been here for a month, I have ALOT to write
about. So lets see, where to begin....

After driving 19 hrs of torrential downpours and moving into my
apartment, I finally was able to scope out the city a bit. Within the
first week I met some people and ended up going to a DVD taping of
Norah Jones in concert @ the Ryman. That was quite impressive
especially since she had a number of special guests there as well
including Dolly Parton!

The very same week I had the privilege of sitting in with Kristine
Jackson (www.kristinejackson.net) and Zack Dudzik (of the band
Basically Blue from Cleveland). Kristine is a wonderfully talented
trumpet player and singer/songwriter. If you ever get a chance to
check out one of her shows you won't be disappointed.

The following week was ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL. I had the privilege of
sitting in on almost an entire week worth of shows with the band
BAREFOOT from Northeast PA. The best way I can describe their music is
a combination of Bluegrass and Rock which they like to call
"GrassRock". With 2 guitars, 2 fiddles (when I sit in of course), a
mandolin, bass, drums & harmonies to die for, you can bet these guys
are gonna go somewhere! It truly was an honor to sit in with this
GREAT band and I very well might be doing it again in the near future
if things go according to plan :-) One of the highlights of the week
was playing on Broadway Thursday night for a whopping 2.5hrs with lots
of people stopping and listening. The other shows that week included
such venues as: The Bluebird Cafe, Douglas Corner Cafe, The French
Quarter Cafe, Hobo Joe's, and Rocketown. If you get a chance and want
to hear some TERRIFIC new music, check out their site at
http://www.barefootband.cjb.net/. Oh yeah, and tell them RJ sent ya!

Aug 23 to the 29 was filled with more musical stuff. Between the
practice sessions with Matt Ramsey (www.mattramseymusic.com) and Rick
Caruso (www.rickcaruso.net) I had little time to do much else. I did,
however, make time to see Charlie Daniels perform with Molly Hatchet
and the Marshall Tucker Band! What a show! And speaking of great
shows, I caught Weird Al's show while he was in town this past
Thursday. He never ceases to amaze me with his energy and sheer number
of costume changes during a single show!

Finally, this past weekend, Katie came down and we took some new promo
photos for use on my website. I just added a new computer wallpaper
image that is, of course, FREE to download. Just check out the GALLERY
section. You can also see some of the new pics scattered throughout
the site. Aside from that, we got to see Jars of Clay this past
Sunday. For those that don't know, the Jars are my all-time favorite
Christian group so it was quite a pleasure to see them in concert
finally.

Now, I am recovering from the extended weekend and finally getting
around to emailing you guys. While Nashville is great, I sure do miss
all of you in the Rochester, NY area. Keep checking the website for
all the latest info and upcoming shows. In the next month, you can
expect some major changes to the website so keep your eyes peeled :-)
Thanks for your continued support!

God Bless,

--Ryan