Imogene+Willie

Leah in her Elizabeths….. this photo and more from last night’s festivities on Under the Guise.

-Matt

I just returned from a short trip on which I spent four days largely on the road. It reminded me again just how much I enjoy going somewhere I’ve never been. The excitement of a new place provides perspective when you return to an old one. All days can be new with the right eyes. Get lost somewhere; you’ll be better for it.

-Ian

The cat is out of the bag! the mystery guest for the 2012 supper + song season kickoff is none other than Nashville chanteuse Karen Elson. we’re thrilled to have Karen and the amazing Kate Tucker making beautiful music in our backyard tomorrow, Wednesday, April 25.

Be here by 6 pm to catch Kate, followed by Karen and her band at about 7. as usual, this party is BYOB, though you can count on the lovely ladies at Mas Tacos to keep your tummies full. Hope to see everyone tomorrow!

My in-the-know friend LCP recently forwarded me a link to an amazing photo gallery that I can’t get out of my mind: an installment in a killer irregular fashion feature on the website of the Australian magazine Oyster called “Street Style Before Street Style,” devoted to the one, the only Stevie Nicks. I’ve posted two of the images here; the rest can be found by clicking here.

(continue reading…)

When I was young I loved to construct things. Nothing meaningful, really – just a scotch-taped series of whatever I could get my hands on – a deck of cards, hot wheels track, dominos, poker chips, marbles, lincoln logs. Not much unlike most kids, I would fashion the whole mess into some elaborate chain reaction that was almost always anti-climactic. For me, the juice was in the sweat of the scheme. Could I pull it off? What one thing could I add? Could it just explode? The tension created and the nuance needed to coax along the orchestration… that was the sweet stuff.

I’m on my second month as a team-member in the i+w family.  These first few weeks have been swift and lively. There have been no pantomimes and only productivity. It is refreshing to be amongst a group that realizes that they don’t have to experience the world in the way that they have been told to. To settle in the midst of this environment with aplomb is the muscle memory of my youth. That has always remained. That has prepared me for this. That begs the same questions in present tense: Can I pull it off? What one thing can I add? Will it just explode? The tension created and the nuance needed to coax along the orchestration… that is the sweet stuff.

-Brian

Whether on the bacon turkey avocado sandwich at Mitchell’s Deli, the delicious Woodstock burger at Burger Up or in the tomato soup at Grilled Cheeserie, it’s likely you’ve heard of Benton’s bacon around town. The business opened in 1973 in Madisonville, Tennessee, just west of the Great Smoky Mountains. The brief documentary entitled CURED gives you a fascinating inside look into Allan Benton’s ham-making process.

“Stay with quality. Quality will always sustain you.”

-Elise

Winter is over and warm weather is here. And in imogene + willie world, that can only mean one thing: the return of our annual supper + song series!

Next Wednesday, April 25 – and the third Wednesday of every month through the summer and into fall – we’ll open the backyard to welcome our neighbors and friends, old and new, for an evening of wonderful music and conversation.

We’re kicking off the 2012 s+s series with a two very special performances. Local singer-songwriter Kate Tucker will play first at 6 pm. A little after 7 pm, our main act will cue up their band.

Who is this mystery guest, you may ask? That’s for us to know and you to guess as we release a series of hints about their identity via our Twitter feed (follow us at @imogenewillie) every day through Tuesday, when we’ll finally make the big reveal. We assure you, this person is well worth the wait.

As always, supper + song is free and open to the public. Bring a blanket and your own beverages; the Mas Tacos truck will be on hand selling snacks starting around 5 pm. Things tend to wind down by 8:30, so plan to get there on the early side.

Mark your calendars: You won’t want to miss this one!

Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines!

On Saturday, April 28, Matt’s hosting the second installment of Pints & Pistons, imogene + willie’s very own motorcycle rally. This time around, it’s a combo show-and-tell and ride.

Bring your bike to the store at 1 pm for the travel segment of the day – a map with the route is printed here – and head back to the store by 5 to get your drink on. As usual, it’s free and open to the public.

So jump on your bike and ride on over. We’ll supply the beer, you bring the testosterone.

View Pints+Pistons Beer Run in a larger map

I wanted to share with you my Imogene, my lovely maternal grandmother (and namesake), Elise Gammon Dunham. She is a constant source of inspiration to me – from her 1950s modeling days, to her stunning oil paintings and love of my late Grandaddy.

My grandmother was the 1951 Miss Rheingold. Rheingold was a New York brewery that held contests each summer for their spokesmodel and advertising campaigns. She was quite the knockout, if I do say so myself.

“I remember running from store to store, grabbing as many ballots as I could. In the neighborhood there sure wasn’t talk about the election for mayor or governor… but when it came to the Miss Rheingold Contest, everybody was involved. The talk was all about it. Everybody talked about it… and everybody voted.” 

- John Carrado, resident of East Harlem, New York City during the 1940s + 1950s

- Elise