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5/29/2021 1 Comment

Tennessee Man Makes Unforgettable Furniture From Forgotten Structures

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A modest, but eye-catching sign stands in the front yard. Sticker letters plastered to a laminated styrofoam board spell out his inventory. 

“Barnwood Creations: Tables, Food Pantries, Coffee Tables, Bookcases, Picture Frames,” it reads, although you might have to pull into the driveway for a closer look to understand the full scope of what Dale Wayne Etheridge can do. 

Dale specializes in exactly the type of art the sign describes so succinctly. He tears down old barns and homes on people’s property and makes furniture out of the salvageable leftovers. 

His home, shop, and showroom are all located on a stretch of prime real estate in rural Hickman County, Tennessee. 

He lives on Highway 100, a 158-mile stretch of asphalt that was once the main route west to and from Nashville before Interstate 70 was constructed in 1956. 

Although traffic density is far lower than what it was in the past, Dale is still at an advantage; he can catch the eyes of drivers on their way home from work or taking the backroads on vacation towards the Natchez Trace. 

His woodworking business started informally when he was just a child. 

“My sister and I lived out in the country,” he said. “We didn’t have a lot to do.” 

They came up with the idea to build a treehouse, but there was only one problem. They didn’t have any lumber. 

“So we would go to our neighbors up and down the road and talk them into letting us take down an old chicken house or outhouse or whatever we could get,” he explained. 

This “work-with-what-you-have” mentality is relevant once again, as lumber prices have increased 280 percent at the time of this writing and the cost of new construction is at least $30,000 more than it was at the beginning of the year. 

For Dale however, finding the usefulness in material that most would consider useless is a matter of philosophy more than a budget-trimming measure. 

“My motto is there’s no such thing as a bad piece of wood,” Dale said.

And he means it.
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When a man from the nearby town of Nunnelly heard about Dale’s motto, he approached him with a challenge. The man handed him a 2x4 that was about a foot-long and nearly rotted to its core. 

“It had seen, most would say, its best days,” Dale recalled. “I took it and started playing it up, brushing it down, cutting it, cleaning it, sanding it, and I made a beautiful business card holder.” 

The man came back and Dale placed the business card holder in his hands. Dale said that at first the man didn’t believe it was the same piece of wood he had handed him just days before. 
 
“The bad was on the outside,” Dale told the man. “What’s on the inside was good.”  

Dale tore down his first barn and began fashioning furniture out of its wood in 2015. Six years later, he had just finished his 2,343rd piece—a 3D Cross plastered to worn-out barn pieces—before our conversation in his showroom on a balmy April afternoon. 

A fusion of “Little House on the Prairie” and kitschy coffee shop decor, Dale’s creations maintain the aesthetic of the barnwood he sources from abandoned structures. They transcend artistic trends to serve as truly timeless additions to homes. His works have found families in New York, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, and of course, Tennessee. 

Christopher Coyne, Tennessee resident and president of the leadership consultancy Modeof8, found one of Dale’s tables in his “favorite little shop in historic Franklin.” Christopher later wrote the foreword to Barnwood Speaks, a book Dale wrote to document the stories behind each of his pieces. 
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Across 10 chapters, Dale—an admitted bibliophobe who claims to have never read a book—traces the history of 10 pieces of his hand-crafted furniture. From their start as seedlings, to their glory days as a home for humans or animals, to their abandonment and finally to restoration as works of art. 

“What he does is anything but simple,” Christopher wrote in Barnwood Speaks. “Why he does it is nothing short of a small miracle. Dale and his craft, a God-given talent if ever I’ve seen one, reminds us of a time when people weren’t so quick to just use things up and throw them away.” 

In a time where everyone seems concerned about sustainability, artisans like Dale show that there really are better options than mass production and composite materials. 

We can give another life to dilapidated structures which are often regarded as junk by their owners. Such a person might cherish what that junk can become when a little bit of creativity and care is applied. 

Dale is still using wood from the barn he tore down when he started his business in 2015. 

And since then he has created thousands of pieces, each one numbered inside the miscellaneous hanging cabinet in his shop. Some include scribbles next to the number with unique identifiers, such as the name of the person who ordered it or the type of wood used to build it, depending on the level of his satisfaction with the end result.

“I don’t throw away no wood,” Dale says as he points to the scrap pile in his shop. Even the little pieces serve a purpose—usually as legs for tables. 

His work table had another life as an air hockey table prior to being the centerpiece of his workshop. 

Still, certain scraps are more desirable than others. Poplar is a soft wood, making it one of Dale’s favorites. 

“It doesn’t splinter,” he explained. “It’s really easy to work with.” 

Cypress is a rare wood to find; it’s more abundant in west Tennessee. But he cut one down in Fairview and says anything he makes from the wood is light as feathers. 

Those who don’t know Dale may wonder what his fascination with wood and abandoned buildings is all about. After all, these structures—despite holding a rich history spanning centuries—are typically eyesores to their owners. 

Most want the buildings either restored or destroyed. Dale prefers the former, but if an owner chooses the latter, he will tear down the structure carefully to keep the wood intact. 

Some might say he’s overly-sentimental or even feverishly impractical. A better phrase to encapsulate Dale’s passion is eternally grateful. 

“My uncle and aunt took me in when I was five years old. My dad died when I was two. So my mom left me there while she went to Chicago to work.” 

Reflecting on his life in his book, Dale writes: 

“I suppose I can look at this old, unwanted barnwood and compare it to my own life. If someone had not taken an interest in me, I have no idea where I would be today. As I look around my house and my workshop and see all the pieces I have created using only my tools and my imagination, I can’t help but wonder where all that unwanted wood would be today if I hadn’t made use of it.” 

Luckily, dozens of barns and homes around Hickman County will never have to find out what might have been. Now transformed, they sit in homes across the country helping folks  learn, love, and laze for what will hopefully be a lifetime—and then some. 
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6/4/2020 0 Comments

Americana Artist Ray Remington on Finding Authenticity After Leaving Worship Music

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“People often say that this or that person has not yet found himself. But the self is not something one finds, it is something one creates.” - Thomas Szasz    
 

Thomas Szasz, a Hungarian-American psychiatrist, was best known for his libertarian approach to treating mental illness. He would only provide counseling to consenting patients, an action driven by his belief that people have a right over their bodies and minds. 

This is an empowering thought, and one that is embodied in the journey of Ray Remington, who manufactured a career making Americana music from a failed venture into writing worship songs. 

He’s a new friend of Finding Country, and a rising artist in the country genre. His debut EP is "Texas Rose," which you can find on any music streaming platform. 

When Ray walked through my cabin door last Sunday evening, he wore the look of a man who’d been seated behind a steering wheel for hours. His thick, black hair clung to the sides of his face as if it was shielding his ears from the raging buzz of mosquitos swirling around outside. 

Ray drove to Nashville, Tennessee from North Carolina where his family -- a wife and two sons -- were staying to be close to loved ones during the COVID-19 crisis. 

In the process of getting signed by New West Records, a label established "for artists who perform real music for real people,” Ray came to town for a preliminary recording session. 

This session was much different than his first in Nashville just three years earlier. 

In 2016, he recorded a worship EP under his middle name (but we won’t reveal it so you won’t find it!). Ray remembers pleading with the executives in the room. 

“I want the sound to be more stripped down.” 

All they heard was “I want more instruments, louder instruments.” 

Let’s just say, it’s not an album Ray is shoving in anyone’s faces. 

Although the recording session was a flop, something good did come from his trip. He experienced one of those fantasy meet-ups some people are more prone to have with their idols than others.

...My closest brush with fame was a hallway "hello" as Dierks Bentley walked out of the office next to mine in a building on Cannery Row...


Discouraged by the events of the day in Nashville, Ray stopped by RCA Records where he ran into Dave Cobb, who had just won his Grammy with Chris Stapleton on the Traveller record.  “I showed him what I was doing and what I wanted to do with Americana, and he encouraged me to play Americana,” Ray said. 

But, he thought, “if I don’t have an accent, what is it worth? It turns out you don’t need to have an accent to do any of it, you just have to be honest with yourself and have a good story.” 

After returning home from recording the worship EP, Ray pondered where his career was going. He had spent the last several years leading worship in churches across the country, but he discovered his heart was pointing him in a different direction. 

From 2016 on, Ray pursued Americana, writing “Honky Tonk Blues (Come to me baby)” inspired by the Hank Williams song of the same title and performing it around town at Puckett’s open mic nights and the Bluebird Cafe. 

The conscious decision to shift from praise music to a less refined and more authentic form of expression caused many in his church community to question him. 

“But, life is about balance,” Ray said. 
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So we clinked our glasses of wine and listened to him play a song about dancing with a girl at a honky tonk. 

Watch our full conversation where we talk about finding a place to settle down, eating the best $3 tacos (you won’t believe where they’re at), and annoying wives with a 1923 Remington typewriter. 

​Follow Ray on Facebook or Instagram!

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0 Comments

1/10/2019 0 Comments

January 10th, 2019

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Chelsie Love brings a whole new vibe to country, and we love it. In an era where most women in country music seem confined to vapid bubble gum pop that repeats the same top 40-friendly themes over and over, Chelsie brings something a little darker, and a lot more real to the table. It's pretty much impossible not to feel SOMETHING when she sings. With a polite middle finger to the gatekeepers of the mainstream, the Hayden, Alabama native sings about topics that might be a little too taboo, or perhaps too genuine for the those who prefer their music fit into the cookie cutter of Nashville. Songs such as "White Trash", "Drugs", and "Itch'n" do more than just set her apart. They grab you from the first line and make you listen to the end. Chelsie can be heard January 14th at the Renegade Jam showcase at 7:30 at Twin Kegs II in Nashville.
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12/21/2018 0 Comments

Cody Joe Hodges Brings Texas to Nashville

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Soldier-turned-lineman-turned-singer Cody Joe Hodges has done it all, and in an era of increasingly bland cookie-cutter pop country lyrics, his songs are a refreshing dose of real life set to good music. Songs like "The Lineman" and "God, Family, and Country" reflect on fresh topics worth hearing about. It doesn't hurt that they're set to  string-driven tracks that blend the best influences of Texas and Nashville. His recent singles such as "Hellbent on Loving You" and "Roll That Way" have garnered him an international following, with the tunes climbing the Texas Regional and Music Row charts and introducing him to a new group of fans craving something deeper than what the mainstream FM industry tends to put out. He will be playing the Renegade Jam in Nashville January 14th, which runs from 7:30pm-10 pm. His albums and tour dates can be found at ​codyjoehodges.com.
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7/26/2016 0 Comments

Slander, Sensationalism, and Drama: TMZ Comes to Nashville

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Celebrity gossip source TMZ has been making their Nashville presence known in a big way the past few days, bringing their tabloid-style coverage of popular culture to Music City. A recent article, which has yet to be removed from the TMZ website, claimed that pop-country band Florida Georgia Line kicked cops out of a recent concert, saying they "Dissed law enforcement" then "Came crawling back asking for protection".

 ​In the raw aftermath of police murders and national controversy on law enforcement, the article caused an uproar, with many FGL fans taking to social media to say they'd stop buying music and attending concerts by the band. ​

Singers Brian Kelley and Tyley Hubbard quickly released a statement saying that they simply declined the extra police presence because they have their own security, and said "We have nothing but love and respect for the police".

The reporting has many wondering if this kind of drama and misunderstanding will become increasingly common now that TMZ has opened offices in Nashville. In a city known for the laid-back nature of its celebrities, here's hoping Nashville doesn't become the next Hollywood.

Below is the full statement by Florida Georgia Line:
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“You won’t find two guys who are more supportive of the police than we are. What happened over the weekend was a misunderstanding that was blown out of proportion and taken out of context. There is nothing more to this story beyond our team feeling that it would be redundant for us to use local authorities when we are already covered.
Our management is routinely asked if they need help from local law enforcement for additional security backstage at concerts, which is common among touring acts.
Some acts accept the offer, but most don’t because they have their own security, or the promoters provide it.
We have an enormous amount of respect for the brave men and women who protect our communities and allow us and our fans to have a good time at our shows.
Nothing is more important than our fans’ safety.
We are lovers of people, and want to be a part of the change that is needed right now.
We encourage everyone to do the same.
Let’s love one another.
BK and Tyler

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6/23/2016 1 Comment

Stop Saying You Hate Pop Country if You Don't Support the Good Stuff

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Social media is full of keyboard warriors valiantly fighting against the destruction of true country music. Millions of fed-up fans of Willie, Waylon, and Merle share memes lampooning the likes of Florida Georgia Line and Luke Bryan. One Facebook page, appropriately named "We Hate Pop Country" is approaching half a million likes.

But does clicking "Share" on a post comparing a popular artist to a common lady's hygiene product really accomplish the goal of bringing true, string-driven country music back? We here at Finding Country don't think so.
Compare it to voting; You can share anti-Clinton, Trump, or Sanders memes all day, but in the end, the only real way for your average citizen to affect change is at the ballot box. When it comes to music, your dollars and your presence at a music venue are your vote. Whining about today's music if you don't financially support the artists you like is the equivalent of complaining about the president, but not voting.

There is a huge amount of amazing music being created out of hubs like Nashville and the Texas scene. Artists are touring without the support of labels, and producing amazing, "Real country" songs with depth and actual meaning. Unfortunately, they're often playing to half-empty bars and spending tens of thousands to record songs that might only see a few hundred downloads or CD sales.


No record label executive or radio program director is going to base their decisions on what people say they want; they look at sales first and foremost. As long as the fans of Taylor Swift, FGL, and Luke Bryan are buying albums and concert tickets, those are the artists that will be pushed to the forefront.

So next time, instead of sharing a meme, head to the country bar down the road that has local artists playing. Find someone you like. Buy a CD. Get a T-shirt. Fund their Kickstarter. Actions speak louder than words, and your wallet speaks even louder than that.
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So next time you get a beer, get it during a real country band's 4 hour bar set. That $4 will do more good than a lifetime of Facebook posts. In case you're not sure where to start, here's a list of just a few "True country" artists. Feel free to comment with more!
1 Comment

5/18/2016 1 Comment

Outside Nashville Series: Jake Nelson

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Jake Nelson, though somewhat new to the country scene, is bringing some much needed originality to the genre. Songs like "Don't Worry" and "Bad News" are produced with a stripped-down instrumentation that let the songs breath, drawing the attention to the well-written lyrics and vocals. It's a breath of fresh air in an age when so many independent country artists stick to the same four-piece drums/bass/thrashing electric lead guitar. Check out his music at http://www.jakenelsonmusic.com/, and listen below!    
- FC
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1 Comment

4/21/2016 2 Comments

Sturgill Simpson Draws from Multiple Genres and His Personal Story for a Never-Before-Heard Sound and Deeply Emotional Journey on His Latest Album

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Sturgill Simpson draws from multiple genres and his personal story for a never-before-heard sound and deeply emotional journey on his latest album
Sturgill Simpson has been ardently challenging the pop-country movement since his first release of High Top Mountain in 2013, but his latest album, A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, challenges the norms of more genres than just country.

Just in case you thought that pop-bent piano couldn’t be combined with an old-fashioned, soul-filled Southern singer, or that symphonic strings wouldn’t sound right with a steel guitar, Sturgill Simpson is here to prove you wrong. Between the brass-heavy riffs of “Keep It Between the Lines” and the classic rock sound of “Brace for Impact (Live a Little),” this album draws influence from nearly every kind of music you could think of.
Anchoring and connecting all the sounds is Simpson’s classic voice. His voice has a bit of a Randy Travis feel throughout, and he showcases an impressive range on “Call to Arms,” but his vocal talent isn’t the only thing he has going for him. He also produced his entire album, and wrote all of the songs himself, with the exception of the cover of Nirvana’s “In Bloom.”

According to his website, Simpson wrote this album as a letter to his wife and young son. After his son was born, he “really questioned whether I wanted to spend however many more years on this bus, not being there and seeing all that was happening,” he said. “I had to figure out a way to put that into music, so I decided to write the whole record from the perspective of a sailor going to sea and not knowing if he’s ever coming home” 

From the emotion and soul he’s poured into every song to the unique instruments and sounds he uses on A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, Sturgill Simpson’s album will have you nodding along and wondering why no one ever thought to combine such diverse sounds before. Find the album on Spotify here, or visit Sturgill Simpson’s website here.

- Allie Windom
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Watch the music video for “Brace for Impact (Live a Little)”:
2 Comments

4/16/2016 0 Comments

Jessie G Has no Shortage of Country Rock Sound and Girl Power

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There can never be too much sass in the country music world, and Jessie G is determined to add some of her own to the mix. With her new single “Drop a Line” out now, she combines powerful vocals with an outlaw banjo sound for a truly unique musical experience.

“Drop a Line” will be the first single released to country radio for the Brookings, Oregon native, and she’s making sure it’s a standout. “I think the song makes a bold statement,” she said in a recent media release. “I’m laying it out there just like folks would usually only hear from men!”

Grammy-winning artist Gretchen Wilson produced “Drop a Line”, but Wilson certainly wasn’t the only influence on the track. Jessie G’s sound is shaped by musicians from Reba to Van Halen, and anywhere in between.

We certainly can’t deny Jessie G’s no-nonsense attitude and her bold style. The edgy sound and saucy lyrics of “Drop a Line” leave no doubt that Jessie G will be one of country music’s next great female rebels.
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Watch for Jessie G’s self-titled EP to be released in the coming months, and find out more about her at jessiegofficial.com.

​-
Allie Windom

0 Comments

4/9/2016 1 Comment

Singer-songwriter Ward Davis will Take You Back to Simple Goodness.

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In a musical climate that offers more production and editing capabilities than ever before, it’s easy to forget the beauty of a simple recording that showcases true talent and raw character. Ward Davis doesn’t need any major production—his message comes through loud and clear in good old-fashioned acoustic country music.

An Arkansas native, Davis has written songs for modern country superstars including Trace Adkins, Willie Nelson, and Merle Haggard. In 2015 he released a project all his own, “15 Years in a 10 Year Town.”

From the first note you hear of this album, it captures your attention in the best way possible. Davis’ earnest voice is backed with perfectly understated acoustic parts that let his voice and songwriting talent shine. As you listen, his straightforward recordings make it easy to imagine that Davis is no further away than the rocking chair beside yours on a front-porch-pickin’ Saturday night.

Davis doesn’t shy away from typical country music content, including a cheating song with “Nobody’s Looking,” an honest religious doubter’s anthem on “Skeptic’s Prayer,” and the rush of love with “I Got You.” Between the outlaw feel of his collaboration with Willie Nelson and Jamey Johnson to cover the 1978 Ed Bruce tune “Old Wore Out Cowboys,” and the upbeat drive of “More Goodbye,” this album has a little of everything.

Ward Davis doesn’t sugarcoat his music, and his straightforward writing style is a refreshing reminder of days gone by. As a modern musician with the influence of time-tested traditional sound and honesty, Ward Davis’ album “15 Years in a 10 Year Town” is a real gem of a listening experience. 

​- Allie Windom


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