23 minute read
David Nail
By Lisa Garcia People to See Editor
Country Artist David Nail
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David Nail has announced to fans’ delight a brand new EP titled Bootheel 2021 will be released Friday, Nov. 5. The project is a continuation of his previously released Bootheel 2020 that came out in December of last year. This new collection of songs showcases his love and admiration for his hometown and family as you can hear special contributions from twins -- daughter, Lilli Cate, and son, Lawson -- in the prelude and postlude. The word “bootheel” holds a ton of meaning to David as it is often used to describe the region of Missouri that he grew up in and so fondly writes and sings about. Pre-save Bootheel 2021 here.
“I’ve always been baffled by those who have this ‘can’t wait to get the hell outta here’ attitude about growing up in small towns,” said Nail. “It was so hard leaving Kennett, Missouri at 18 and then again at 20. It was so much a part of me and still is today! It’s amazing how often I sit down to write and all those memories flood out into a song.”
“The Missouri native muses beautifully in this enchanting ballad about love and loss, using his state’s most iconic city as a memory trigger. I have always been a major fan of this guy, and this indicates that he still has the goods. The gentle, echoey, super tasteful production is a major plus, too,” said Robert K. Oermann in MusicRow of the already released single, “St. Louis.”
As the solo writer of this EP and many of the songs in his catalog, Bootheel 2021 showcases his creative talents in all of the right ways. This project was self-produced by Nail with the help of Reed Pittman.
Bootheel 2021 Track 1. Prelude feat. Lilli Cate Nail 2. Comeback History 3. St. Louis 4. Raising You 5. Postlude feat. Lawson Nail (Performed for his Great Grandaddy Lawson Brent’s Funeral
Be sure to catch David on the road through the end of the year playing his classic hits and new music during the “Bootheel 2021 Tour.” For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit davidnail.com.
“Bootheel 2021 Tour” Dates: Nov. 4 - Springfield, Mo. - Midnight Rodeo*
Nov. 5 - Lincoln, Neb. - The Royal Grove
Nov. 6 - Grant, Okla. - Stage 271 at Choctaw Casino & Resort
Nov. 11 - Kansas City, Mo. - Knuckleheads Saloon
Nov. 12 - Columbia, Mo. - The Blue Note
Nov. 13 - Pella, Iowa - Pella Opera House Nov. 19 - Denver, Colo. - Grizzly Rose* Nov. 20 - Grand Junction, Colo. - Mesa Theater* Dec. 9 - Franklin, Tenn. - The Franklin Theatre* *with special guest Karissa Ella
Autumn is flying by and winter will soon be here. Do you know what this means? Exactly! The holidays are coming up – soon! Are you ready? Do you have your menu selected and all the ingredients on hand for making your favorites? Are the guest rooms ready? Do you have plenty of games, puzzles or activities planned to keep the younger generation busy?
That last question got added to my pre-holiday check list twenty-five years ago. After we survived Thanksgiving weekend. With five families. Under one roof. My roof.
As hostess, a majority of the work fell on my shoulders. I was okay with that because kitchen clean-up got me out of the noisy confusion in the living room. However, when I was looking through a set of pictures which were taken during the day, I found out what I had missed.
That was the year we had relatives from both sides of the family present. As a result, there were three cousins together for the first time. Their birthdays were each two weeks apart. It was the year they were two. My piano bench was the perfect size for them to sit, side by side by side.
I must admit, they were really cute. And noisy! The first photo was a candid shot showing all three playing the piano with abandon and grinning from ear to ear. The second shot, showed all three, still at the piano with their hands in their laps and all eyes looking up at whoever was speaking. A picture really is worth a thousand words. I don’t know who had told them to be quiet, but all eyes were looking particularly sad.
Fast forward seven years. You guessed it. My turn again. Something about that piano kept calling to those same three youngsters, now aged nine. It wasn’t hard to get a good candid shot of the three of them lined up on the bench making . . . well, if not music, at least memories.
None of them remember the first holiday together but we had a lot of fun showing them the picture which captured the second one. We even snuck in a copy of their previous ‘concert’ to prove how history really does repeat itself. The looks on their faces said it all, “Who is this?” “Is that you?” “Hey, that’s me!”
Sadly, none of them pursued a career in music, but I’m still hopeful because they are now parents and the next generation is already being drawn toward that big piece of furniture which makes lots of noise.
As I recall, that was the year when I discovered a time-saving shortcut. You see, children in general don’t care so much for pie. They will opt for cookies almost every time. But somehow,
Let the Holidays Begin! that just doesn’t seem right for Thanksgiving with the abundance of Christmas cookies coming their way very, very soon. Cake, brownies or bar cookies to the rescue! Any of these are faster to prepare and a bit easier for portion control. This one is also a healthier option because it is loaded with bananas. BANANA SQUARES 1 ½ cups bananas, very ripe 2 tsp. lemon juice 3 c. flour 1 ½ tsp. baking soda ¼ tsp. salt
¾ c butter or margarine, soft 2 c. sugar 3 eggs 2 tsp. vanilla 1 ½ c. buttermilk
Preheat oven to 275 degrees. (No that is not a misprint. It really is 275 degrees.) Spray a lasagna pan or cookie sheet with sides then sprinkle with sugar. Shake to spread evenly and tap out excess.
Mash bananas and mix with lemon juice. Set aside. Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Cream butter and sugar. While mixing, add eggs one at a time. Stir in vanilla.
Let the Holidays Begin! By Kandy Derden Things to Do Editor Beat in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk. Stir in bananas. Pour batter into pan. Bake for 6070 minutes. Adjust time as needed depending on depth of your baking pan. This is the most unusual instruction I have ever seen for any baking, but it works. Transfer the pan from the oven directly to the freezer, uncovered for 45 minutes. Remove from freezer and spread your favorite cream cheese icing on top. Cut into bars or squares. These bars look like banana bread, but they have a firm texture which enables you to eat it with your fingers like brownies. However, they are so moist, they can easily be eaten like cake. Simply bake in a regular cake pan for a thicker, delicious cake-like treat. So, there you have it, one more thing for which you can be particulary thankful: something which can be done in advance and crossed off your list. Family? Check! Friends? Check! Food? Check! Check, check and check! Piano? Check! Earplugs? Double check! It looks like we’re ready to make some Music & Memories. I am always thankful for both of those.
Let the holidays begin!
When she’d not teaching school, cooking or baking, playing keyboard for church, or directing a kitchen team for Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, or organizing “things to do” articles, Ms. Derden is busy writing books. Her first two in our Let’s Go series, below, are available on Amazon or order from us at editor@barnettpro.com
$6.95 Each or both for $12.
People to See Matthew Knowles Talks Beyonce, Racism, Getting Vaxxe
By Allison Kugel
Music Executive, artist manager, entrepreneur, activist, lecturer, author and cancer survivor, Mathew Knowles brought the world multiplatinum selling girl group Destiny’s Child, singer-songwriter Solange, and multi-hyphenate megastar Beyonce. He’s worked with music legends, Chaka Kahn, the O’Jays, Earth and Wind & Fire, and sold more than 450 million albums, worldwide.
A devoted academic who earned his MBA in Strategic Planning and Organizational Culture and his Ph.D. in Business Administration, Knowles currently mentors and teaches emerging entrepreneurs and artists with courses like his most recent, The Music Industry in the Digital Age, through Point Blank Music School where he holds a professorship; Knowles additionally holds professorships at University of Houston, Prairie View A&M University, and The Art Institute.
Most urgently, Mathew Knowles is on a mission to help get more Americans in underserved communities vaccinated against Covid-19 alongside the National Minority Health Association’s Flex For Checks program, which can be learned about at thenmha.org and flexforchecks.com.
Allison: What is the National Minority Health Association, and how did you get involved with their Flex for Checks initiative?
Mathew: The National Minority Health Association is working with brown and Black communities on various health initiatives. For example, when we look at Black men and we look at the percentage of Black men in America, we lead in mortalities in every category, Allison, except for breast cancer and suicide. Black women lead in mortality rates for breast cancer. Why is that? Because of a lack of awareness in our communities. It’s about lack of early detection. The National Minority Health Association’s specific program, Flex For Checks, is about increasing awareness about getting vaccinated [against COVID-19]. You register, you get a shot, and once you’ve proven that you’ve gotten the vaccination, you then receive $50.
Allison: That is once you’ve gotten your complete vaccination, meaning two shots, with the exception of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is a single shot?
Mathew: Every time you get a shot, regardless of if it’s one, two, or the booster, you will receive $50.
Talks Beyonce, Racism, Getting Vaxxe
much walk into any CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, any clinic or vaccination site, and get your COVID-19 vaccine. You don’t have to pay for the vaccine, it’s free for all Americans, and readily available. So, when you say “lack of access” or “underserved communities,” is it more about getting people the correct information regarding the vaccine?
Mathew: It’s both. We are almost there with 70% of the U.S. [vaccinated], but there is still that 30% [that is not vaccinated]. So, what do we have to do to convince and incentivize that 30%, of which there is a high minority rate? We are giving a financial incentive. I know it sounds sort of absurd that I have to give you a financial incentive to save your life, but if that is what it takes, then that is what the National Minority Health Association is willing to do, with a grant they have received. It’s to incentivize people to go and get vaccinated.
Allison: How do people get the financial compensation after they have gotten vaccinated? How does the process work?
Mathew: You can register for the program by calling 877-770-NMHA, or you can go to flexforchecks. com. Registering is the first step. Then you get the shot at one of the many locations in your community, and we identify those for you. You then upload proof of your vaccination to your Flex For 36cination, we will automatically mail you a check. It’s that easy.
Allison: Perfect. I’d like to go into some of your personal history. You grew up in Alabama in the 1950s and 1960s. I would imagine you lived through your fair share of racial discrimination. What was your first-hand experience?
Mathew: I’ve written five books, and one of those is Racism from the Eyes of a Child. My mother went to high school in a small town in Alabama, with Coretta Scott King. Also in that class was Andrew Young’s wife. My mother then moved to a larger town in Alabama, and she took up the torch of desegregation. Imagine, I was born in 1952, so from 1958 to 1972 I went to all white schools. Think about that.
Allison: All white schools, meaning you were in the significant minority…
Mathew: In my junior high school, there were 6 Blacks and 1,000 Whites. In my high school, there were maybe 20 Blacks and 3,000 whites. The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga had 14,000 whites and maybe 50 Blacks. Then I transferred to an HBCU, Fisk University in Nashville, which was my first experience in a Black educational environment. I was one of the first [students] with desegregation. I had been beaten, I’ve been electrically prodded, I’ve been spit on, I’ve been humiliated, all sorts of trauma. I had to go to years of therapy to overcome it, no different than for a woman who has been sexually assaulted. Racial trauma is the same. It just doesn’t get the attention that it should. It’s unfortunate that a woman can speak of being sexually traumatized 30 or 40 years ago, but you can’t be Black and say that.
Allison Any recent stories regarding racial discrimination?
Mathew: I always love what Michelle Obama once said about President Obama. They asked her, “Are you frightened that your husband is going to get assassinated?” She said, “You know, my fear is that my husband could get shot by the police, pumping some gas.” The point she was making is that when you are Black there is no determination that says, “Hey, I’m the president,” you know? For example, with me, if you are in your neighborhood and you’re dressed normal, when you’re Black everyone doesn’t know who your daughter is, nor do they care. Just recently, I’m on a plane putting my bag up in first class. The flight attendant comes over and says, “I’m sorry, sir. You need to put your bags in the back, in coach.” I said, “Do you say that to all of your passengers?”
She says, “Yes, I say that to all of my coach passengers.” I said, “So you just assume I’m flying coach, huh?” Those types of things still happen today.
Allison Kugel: How did you eventually make your way to Houston? And do you think the success that your daughters, Beyoncé and Solange, have had in the music industry, and the success you’ve had on the business side of the music industry, do you think that could have been possible had you stayed in Alabama? Or would there have been no ladder to climb up?
Mathew Knowles: It was more from my educational path, from getting a proper education. I was in Nashville, Tennessee and I chose Houston because of all the industry. At the time, you had affirmative action and you had quotas that these major oil companies and all the other companies that were successful because of the oil initiative in Houston, had to fulfill. So at that time in Houston, it was very easy being Black and getting a really good job. That is why I went to Houston, Texas from Nashville. I grew up in Gadsden, Alabama, where we had a Goodyear plant and we had a public steel plant, real blue collar. Chances are I would have ended up working at one of those types of facilities had I stayed in Gadsden. My parents had encouraged me and my vision was much broader than that, so I wanted to go and get the academic knowledge, and then I got 20 years of corporate experience.
Allison Kugel: You’re working in Corporate America for Xerox. What gave you the power of belief to make the leap from a stable corporate job to pursuing the music industry, with Destiny’s Child and Beyoncé, and then for Solange? Was it blind faith?
Mathew Knowles: I call that the “Jedi Mind Trick,” Allison. Unfortunately, that is the story that the media has painted and it’s not accurate. It’s not even close to being accurate. I worked at Xerox Corporation for ten years. Eight of those years I worked at Xerox Medical Systems. We sold diagnostic imaging for breast cancer detection. Because of my success, being the number one sales rep worldwide for three years in that division, I was able to then go with Phillips Medical Systems to sell CT and MRI scanners. After 6 years of having success, I had headhunters calling and I went to Johnson & Johnson as a neurosurgical specialist. Then because of managed care, I was told by a neurosurgeon that he couldn’t use my instruments because of the cost associated with them. It was a defining moment and I had to decide what career path I wanted. As a kid I did things like deejay for my parents, I was in a boy band, and I had this passionate love of music. There was this young man in Houston who had asked me a couple of times to manage him. The first artist that I got a major record deal for was not Beyoncé. It was not Solange. It was a rapper named Lil’ O. MCA records was the number one urban record label at the time with Puffy, Mary J. Blige, and Jodeci, so you see how inaccurate that story is?
Allison Kugel: Yes, you did. I don’t know if anyone has ever asked you this before, but did Destiny’s Child, Beyoncé, Solange, or you for that matter, ever experience any racism within the music industry?
Mathew Knowles: Yes, absolutely. In the ‘90s, record labels had their urban division, or sometimes it was called the Black music division. There was segregation inside of these major record labels. Because I also managed white artists, I got to see all of the budgets. There was a great difference in a Black artist’s or “urban division’s” marketing budget from that of a white artist’s budget and the regular pop music division’s budget.
Allison Kugel: What is the best advice you have ever received?
Mathew Knowles: When you live your passion, you never work a day in your life. Find that thing that motivates and inspires you. Find what adds fuel to your excitement. That is the thing we should be working towards. Not what our parents want us to be, or what society wants us to be, or what our husbands or wives want us to be. It should be that thing inside of us that we are passionate about. Normally, that gives us success, not overnight success, but over time. If you follow your passion, every day you wake up you will be excited.
Allison Kugel: What do you think you came into this life to learn, and what do you think you came here to teach?
Mathew Knowles: It would be to educate and motivate people. I grew up poor, yet I never knew I was poor until I was in my mid 20s. My parents were such great parents that they never made me feel less fed than any other kid. I had wonderful parents
that motivated me and supported me. I come from a family of entrepreneurs on both sides of my family, so I had that foundation. I have always wanted to educate and motivate people. That’s why I think I always did so well in sales and marketing, because I understood how to motivate and educate with knowledge. I love coming from a place of knowledge. I don’t shoot from the hip. My dad made $30 a day driving a produce truck and convinced the company he worked for to let him keep the truck. He would then go tear down old houses and he would sell all the copper and metals. He would buy old cars that were abandoned and sell all the parts. My mother was a maid and she made $3 a day. She convinced the white woman she worked for and the woman’s white girlfriends to give her all their hand-me-downs, and on the weekends, she would make these beautiful quilts with two of her own girlfriends. My parents made six to ten times more on their second jobs than they did on their day jobs, and so I watched that. I watched them being entrepreneurs and thinking outside the box.
Allison Kugel: Aside from the Flex for Checks initiative, in what other ways is the National Minority Health Association reaching out to communities of color to help people look out for their own health?
Mathew Knowles: All of the things we are talking about today. They are less than a year old and they have just gotten their funding, which takes a while to get. They are now ready and geared towards early detection and health information, especially in the Black and brown community. A lot of our challenges are just because we simply don’t know, and also the mental health that people don’t want to talk about, especially in the Black and brown community, and the effects of mental health, or the lack thereof, on our overall health.
Allison Kugel: Do you think cultural competency among healthcare providers is an important ingredient when it comes to healthcare, whether it is mental health, early detection screenings, or getting the COVID-19 vaccine?
Mathew Knowles: I think that falls into the entire gamut of society. If we were able to see more doctors and more nurses that look like us, if we were able to see more police that look like us in our communities; I think we can even take that to corporations. Yes, absolutely. This is my second year going to Harvard for the summers. I took this summer [course], Cultural Intelligence. We just don’t want to talk about the differences in our cultures. Black people are culturally different than white people. That is not saying one is right or one is wrong. That simply says that the way I might approach a problem could be different than the way you approach a problem, based on my culture and my background. I just think we need to understand cultural intelligence, understand how we are different, and accept that rather than thinking that everybody has to be the same. Well, no, we don’t have to be the same.
Allison Kugel: Let’s talk race versus socio-economic status, and healthcare. As a person moves up the economic ladder, do you think race is still a major factor in the healthcare someone receives?
Mathew Knowles: There is a bill that is about to come in the next six months in the House of Representatives from a California Congressman that is going to address just that, race in the medical system. Quantitative research with doctors and with hospitals makes it very clear that race does matter in terms of those going into emergency rooms, and who gets to get the diagnostics like the CT scans, the MRIs, and the extra care. Race does matter.
Allison Kugel: Even as you move up the economic ladder?
Mathew Knowles: I think it’s certainly reduced as you go up the economic ladder, because what happens is, as you go up the economic ladder, normally, your new knowledge base also goes up. As your knowledge base goes up, you begin to understand that this doctor who I looked up to as God, instead it’s the knowledge that you are going to see a physician and as a patient you have the right to say, “I want this procedure done,” or “I have the right to do that, because I’ve researched and I want you to perform that test or that procedure.” I think as you move up economically your knowledge progresses.
Listen to the full, extended interview with Mathew Knowles on the Allison Interviews Podcast at Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Follow Allison Kugel on Instagram @theallisonkugel and at allisoninterviews.com.
Location of the Very First Thanksgiving
Traditional stories of English Pilgrims and Indians place them togeter in sharing their first meal of Thanksgiving in 1621. Plymouth Plantation in Massachusetts is the setting for this celebration.
However, when visiting the historic St. Augustine, you will learn it has been documented that colonists shared a feast of thanksgiving with Native Americans 55 years prior to Plymouth Rock. The date was Sept. 8, 1565 when the very first Catholic Mass was held by a Father Francisco López.
The story of that original ceremony originates fromFather Francisco López, the fleet chaplain, coming ashore ahead of Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, the leader of the founding expedition. He held a cross as he went forward to meet Menéndez who came on land, knelt down and kissed cross. Following the religious service, the Spaniards shared a communal meal with the local native tribe.
Since the Spanish had only just arrived in St. Augustine, they did not have the benefit of having raised crops for a year as the English Pilgrims did more than half a century later. The Spanish had to do the best they could with leftovers from their long voyage. The menu was said to be a stew of salted pork and garbanzo beans, accompanied with ship’s bread and red wine.
Hosting the actual first Thanksgiving celebration, in what would become the United States, is one of many “firsts” for the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in America, founded 451 years ago. When the Spaniards founded St. Augustine, they proceeded to found our nation’s first city government, first school, first hospital, first city plan, first Parrish church, and first mission to the native populations.
You can still see some of these firsts today when you walk down St. George Street. Considered the first main pathway of the historic section, the original city gate proudly stands guard at the North end. It is made from coquina stone, a sedimentary rock comprised of compressed shells. You will find other numerous locations where coquina stone was used. The pedestrian-only walkway is lined with gift shops, art galleries, and restaurants, among historic buildings like the oldest wooden schoolhouse.
The Colonial Quarter is known for its small shop, restaurant, and outdoor venue where you can listen
Location of the Very First Thanksgiving
By Kathy Barnett Managing Editor
to free live music on occasion.
Across the San Marco Ave toward the Matanzas River and waterway to the Atlantic Ocean is the original fort built to protect St. Augustine. Built by the Spanish in St. Augustine to defend Florida and the Atlantic trade route, Castillo de San Marcos National Monument preserves the oldest masonry fortification in the continental United States and interprets more than 450 years of cultural intersections.
A little further north across the river is another monument you can easily see. In 1965, when several projects to help celebrate the 400th anniversary of the founding of the city, a 208 feet tall cross was erected on the site of the first religious service and thanksgiving feast in North America. The stainless steel structure is the largest freestanding cross in the Western Hemisphere. Every year, the September 8, 1565 landing of Menéndez and the Catholic Mass that followed is reenacted in St. Augustine with dignitaries from around the world in attendance.
Today, visitors to the first permanent European settlement in North America can see a statue of Father Francisco López in front of the Great Cross. Also made of the coquina stone in the 1950s, the statue is placed on the approximate site where Father López held the first Catholic Mass in the city, which was attended by Native Americans. Following the service, the European settlers and the native people shared a meal of thanksgiving.
When visiting St. Augustine, stay at the Renaissance St. Augustine Historic Downtown Hotel. It is convenient and within walking distance to many of the historic destinations of the city. Just opened in September, this four-star hotel is luxuriously designed with all the needed amenities at a very affordable rate. The Victorian architecture is reminiscent of the gilded era, paying homage to the iconic Hotel San Marco. Schedule at least one meal at their adjoining Castillo Craft Bar and Kitchen. You won’t be sorry. To peak at the menu, click here.
