Photographed in Norris, TN at the Museum of Appalachia
Raised in:
Athens, Tennessee
Lives in:
Knoxville, Tennessee
Favorite restaurant/bar in Knoxville:
I have to say my favorite is Barley’s Taproom. If you have a patio with good lighting, a pergola, Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan and Catawba Firewater, that’s a win in my book.
Now would ya look at that:
Boots found at an antique store in Athens sophomore year of college, paired with her favorite pleated dress and tortoise belt.
Photographed in Ball Ground, GA
Raised in:
Alpharetta, Georgia
Lives in:
Cumming, Georgia
Favorite southern getaway:
Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, because it’s ten minutes from the beaches at IOP, and ten minutes to downtown Charleston.
Now would ya look at that:
Meet Jay, the man behind Red Clay Soul!
Photographed in Talking Rock, GA
Raised in:
Greenville, South Carolina
Lives in:
Greenville, South Carolina
Favorite southern tradition:
Southern gentlemen who open the door for you and pay for your drinks…and Nascar races.
Now would ya look at that:
Her first pair of boots, purchased for $20 freshman year of college. “I’ve also busted my ass in them about twenty times cause the soles are so awesome…but that’s not important.” Wears her diamond earrings everyday that were her dads gift to her mom on their twenty year anniversary (they’ve been married for 32 1/2 years).
Photographed in Atlanta, GA
Raised in:
Louisville, Kentucky
Lives in:
Atlanta, Georgia
Favorite five minutes in your boots:
3:30 AM, front row at The Stage in Nashville, “With or Without You,” live.
Now would ya look at that:
In the words of Will: “I looked for this pair of boots for over two years, thinking that I’ll know them when I see them…and then I saw them. Two soles and countless shines later, this pair of Luccheses are just starting to look broken in.” They’re paired perfect with his Levi 514’s.
Photographed in Talking Rock, GA
Raised in:
Spring, Texas
Lives in:
Nashville, Tennessee
Favorite southern treat to bake:
I was raised on Texas Sheet Cake to celebrate any special occasion, or let’s be honest, your morning cup of coffe. Like any good mother, mine taught me to know the recipe by heart and I always have the ingredients on hand!
Now would ya look at that:
One of my very best friends, Caroline Tigner, who, since we share a first name, I call “Tig.”
Photographed in Nashville, TN
Raised in:
Him: Memphis, TN
Her: Nashville and Franklin, TN
Lives in:
Nashville, TN
Favorite bar in Nashville:
We love The Patterson House. It’s quiet enough to hear the folks you’re enjoying a drink with. It feels like a speakeasy as you walk through a velvet curtain into a dimly lit room with incredible vibe. They put your receipt in an old book before you sign it for them. The bartenders know what they’re doing and can always give a good recommendation based on your likings, and every drink is worth every penny of the $11 you’ll spend. That’s saying a lot.
Now would ya look at that:
Drew + Ellie Holcomb, who are no stranger to this blog. Get Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors Chasing Someday (Deluxe Edition), released yesterday, for $3.99 on Amazon!
On Him: Lucchese boots from Hinton and Hinton in Oxford, Mississippi. Shirt from The North End, now a closed restaurant on North Main in Memphis, one of his favorite places to eat as a kid.
Her: Purchased these “pre-loved” boots, along with two other pairs, at a western store in Taos, New Mexico for $150! It was a “B” sale day, so anything that started with “B” was over half price off. The man who sold them to her was a genuine gentleman and cowboy. Ellie gets these re-soled almost every year because she wears them so often.
Photographed in Atlanta, GA at JCT. Bar
The Drink: Oh you know, just another winner from JCT‘s Beverage Manager Eduardo Guzman in collaboration with Lara Creasy. This is my kind of twist on a French 75.
Shake all ingredients (except wine), pour into a flute, and top with sparkling wine.
Giddy up giddy up giddy up, let’s go…to the 2013 Atlanta Steeplechase! The 48th Annual Steeplechase is on April 13th and we’re giving away A Subscriber Tailgating package. Amid a sea of tailgates, these tickets are near the kids corral, food vendors, shopping, petting zoo, and most importantly, Steeplechasing! Infielders say this is the place to be. Come with friends and/or family and then you may renew your package year after year*. The package up for grabs includes six tickets and a reserved parking place along the homestretch…a $280 value!
If you were one of Santa’s nine reindeer…who would you be? Comment and let us know to enter for your chance at the tailgating package. A winner will be chosen at random on December 22nd!
*THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED – CONGRATULATIONS TO VICTORIA SCHNEIDER FOR WINNING!*
“Blast this Christmas music. It’s joyful and triumphant.” – The Grinch
1. Stream: Over the Rhine – “Darlin’ (Christmas is Coming)”
02_darlin_christmas_is_coming
… on Snow Angels (free on NoiseTrade), Over the Rhine‘s second full length Christmas album. This vibe just makes me so happy.
2. Stream: The Ones and Nines – “Merry Christmas Baby”
06 Merry Christmas Baby
… on Mint 400 Records Presents a Very Merry Christmas Compilation (iTunes). The Ones and Nines bring some rhythm and blues to the Otis Redding/Charles Brown classic.
3. Stream: Marcia Ball – “Christmas Fais Do Do”
10 Christmas Fais Do Do
… on Alligator Records’ Genuine Houserockin’ Christmas (iTunes). Put a little Cajun in your Christmas. Marcia Ball gets the award my favorite track on the compilation.
4. Stream: Duke of Norfolk – “Lovely Winter”
The Duke of Norfolk – Lovely Winter
… on European Robin (here – track for $.50 here). This song is poetry and was the first Duke of Norfolk song I’d heard. I’m now a fan.
5. Stream: Roman Candle – “It’s Christmas. Go on and say hello.”
07_its_christmas_go_on_and_say_hello
… get the single for free here. One of the best songs Roman Candle has recorded…in my opinion.
Subscribe to Go Christmas on Spotify for more Merry Music.
Testing, testing. Anyone reading this? It may be the most overdue post in history, but here we are.
It’s been three years since I’ve created content for Back Down South. After moving to Houston it became apparent that if I continued with the format, this would become a Texas blog. And, though I love Texas dearly, I know the majority of my readers were spread all over the Southeast and would likely not find interest in a Texas – particularly Houston – focus. My hope was to always represent as many cities as I could, which was a blast when we were traveling around the Southeast on the regular.
It’s also obvious that Back Down South became very cocktail heavy towards the end. Which again, I clearly love, but didn’t feel like I wanted this to become solely that. So, I just took an indefinite break. I refused to force content for content’s sake, and as the break went on, it was pretty evident to me that it was time to move on.
I’m really proud of the work made here and so thankful for all of the connections it brought to us both personally and professionally. I literally made life long friends thanks to this platform and was able to launch an editorial career because of it, which in the beginning felt like a pipe dream of goal. I plan to keep this website active for two reasons. One, like I said, I’m proud of it and all the folks we celebrated here, and I want that to continue to exist. And two, well…you never know. I may come back?
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