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Upcoming

Valentine Special BIG LOVE TAP YOUR FOOT: 6:30-9:00 pm Monday, February 15, at The French Quarter Cafe, 823 Woodland Avenue, East Nashville (map). With:

Jeff and Vida, The Cantrells, Barry and Holly Tashian
plus the Shelby Bottom String Band

 

We are thrilled to have three super couples who make beautiful music together on our special Big Love show. See their bios below.

The French Quarter is a family-friendly, non-smoking venue with delicious New Orleans style cuisine. Come out, have some food and drink and join the Celebration!

TAP YOUR FOOT is a benefit for Tennessee Alliance for Progress, held the third Monday of each month, generally featuring The Shelby Bottom String Band and varying other artists. Suggested contribution is $5 to $15, sliding scale. Please give what you can to help a Very Good Cause.

Jeff and Vida. Jeff Burke and Vida Wakeman began performing their blend of bluegrass, alternative country, blues, rock, rockabilly, Cajun, folk and a few other things in New Orleans clubs in 1998. They’ve toured nationally and internationally for the past 10 years and moved their base of operations to Nashville. And they’re ready for some wider recognition.“Selma Chalk,” the latest album, was written entirely by Wakeman with assistance from Burke on four tracks and Pat Flory on one. The title comes from a term for “an impurity found in the most fertile ground of the South,” the album says.Wakeman’s lyrics are original, in some ways like a Southern poet. There’s a singer-songwriter feel to the album.

The Cantrells. "She sings like an angel, he plays like the devil. Al's fiddling is superb." (Robert K. Oermann, Nashville Tennessean) "Emily Cantrell is one of my favoriate singers. She could sing from the phone book and I'd be convinced. All can fiddle and pick with the best." (Tim O'Brien)
"Best folk duo since Roy Rogers and Dale Evans." (Bela Fleck)

Barry and Holly Tashian are duet singers, songwriters and touring musicians who have known each other since high school in Westport, CT. They have performed and recorded together since 1972 and continue to perform together as a duo, a trio (with bass) or a foursome (with mandolin/fiddle).The Tashians have recorded 7 albums with producer Jim Rooney since 1989. In 1994 the National Association of Independent Record Distributors (NAIRD) awarded their album "Straw into Gold" Country Album of the Year. In 1998 their album, "Harmony" was nominated for Bluegrass Album of the Year by the Nashville Music Awards. They have performed together on numerous TV and radio shows and festivals worldwide.

The Shelby Bottom String Band (Nell Levin, Michael August, Holly Tashian, Bob Mason, Gene Bush and Dave Thomas) cook up old and new songs with social relevance including some quirky Americana gems -- all delivered with down-home charm.

Commentary

Money Talks – and the Supreme Court says its freedom of speech must be protected. By Gene TeSelle. We had suspected it for a long time, but now, thanks to a swing vote by Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, the United States is officially a plutocracy. On the dubious and probably perverse principles that corporations are legal persons and that political contributions are "speech" protected by the First Amendment, restrictions on corporate contributions to issue organizations (though not to specific political campaigns) have basically been thrown out. (read more)

Ongoing

TAP FUNDRAISING POSTPONED. In light of the current situation in Haiti, TAP is postponing its fundraising campaign and urging our supporters to donate to the Haiti relief effort.

Our goal was to raise $10,000 by January 31st for matching funds from the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation. We have raised $3,000. However, the need for immediate help in Haiti is so overwhelming that we are moving our campaign deadline to March 31st. We will be in touch later to ask you to help us reach our goal by the end of March.

Please go the American Institute of Philanthropy for a list of recommended charities. The AIP website: http://www.charitywatch.org/hottopics/Haiti.html

Thanks for your compassionate support of the people of Haiti.

Looking back at 2009 and ahead to 2010

A year ago, TAP helped coordinate the Green-Collar Jobs Task Force of Nashville/Davidson County whose mission is to simultaneously fight poverty and pollution by providing people in distressed communities with career-track jobs that directly contribute to preserving or enhancing environmental quality.

In one short year, the Task Force:

  • Created a comprehensive Green Jobs Corps proposal that was submitted to Metro government;
  • Passed a City Council resolution with 35 co-sponsors in support of a Green Jobs Corps;
  • Received the endorsement of the Mayors Green Ribbon Commission and the Nashville Poverty Commission;
  • Held a well-attending press conference on green jobs;
  • Met face to face with Governor Bredesen, elected officials, and state and local agencies;
  • Received the endorsement of the Tennessee Legislative Black Caucus and the NAACP of Tennessee;
  • Became a partner in the pathways-out-of-poverty grant that the Metro Action Commission submitted to the federal government for a Green Jobs Training and Placement Network;
  • Organized the very successful Compass VI Conference on Green Jobs on Dec. 4-5, 2009. 150 people from all over the state representing 91 organizations attended.

Our goals for 2010 include continuing to push for green jobs initiatives in Nashville, building on the momentum and excitement of the Green Jobs Conference and setting up a statewide green jobs network that can help create a sustainable, green economy in Tennessee.

In order to meet our 2010 goals, we need to raise $10,000 by January 31, 2010. Remember, with our matching grant, any gift, no matter the amount, will be matched dollar-for-dollar, for a total of $20,000. It is a WIN for both of us! Please make an online donation at www.taptn.org, or send a check to TAP, PO Box 60338, Nashville, TN 37206.

Recent

Compass VIThe Compass VI Conference on Green Jobs was held in Nashville on Friday and Saturday, December 4-5, 2009. It brought together grassroots activists, labor, environmental and economic justice organizations, green businesses, government officials, concerned citizens, and youth from around Tennessee who want to rescue our economy and save the environment by creating family-supporting, career-track green jobs. Click here for more information

Here are links to Gene TeSelle's report on the conference and a page of photos from the conference, and to several dowloadable Powerpoint presentations: