Day 6

Then: You left the boys as Phil was snoring along in the hotel. The day had left the brothers full of Whippet and wonderment about some of their family history.

Now: The Mission: See the world's most powerful Tesla Coil at the Mid-America Science Museum in Arkansas, grab life by the horns and eat them at Rendezvous in Memphis, see what there was to do in Nashville when they got there.

Breakfast was waiting for the brothers downstairs in their hotel lodging, but Tim needed to clear space on his camera and empty the trash. This task took way too long and almost cost the boys their breakfast. Tim decided to cancel those plans and do them on the go from the road… the cost would be too high if not. The boys left their paraphernalia in their room and headed down for Bagels, Biscuits n Gravy, Breakfast Sausage, Danish, Eggs, Waffles and the most important part.. COFFEE. Shoveling the whole caboodle down their throats the boys then ran upstairs to take their leave of Little Rock, finally. Little Rock had so little to offer, the boys had a deep hankerin' for Nashville's lively personality.

While on the road to Hot Springs, where the Mid-America Science Museum was located, the boys shared music back and forth listening to bands either one hadn't heard before. The roads were lined with… Nothing. The towns were filled with… Nothing. Not until they arrived at the museum did the boys not mind being in Arkansas… this was not Nothing.

The boys were greeted by a delightful young lady who told them about their exhibits and set them on their way. Whirligigs and sound, air and water experiments lined the walkway. Everywhere the brothers looked was another fascinating display of science; mirror tricks, light manipulation, optical deceptions and other craziness abound. After walking around and investigating multiple displays of curiosity the boys headed to the Tesla Coil show called "Caged Lightning". Gee golly willikers that show was amazing, I was right there with the boys, they had invited me along and oh boy oh boy, check out the photos for a taste!

Mid-America Science Museum:


Upon leaving the museum to get back to the… Nothing that was the scenery of Arkansas the boys grew restless for Tennessee's promise of good food and good times. Memphis was their next stop and they planned to make it an awesome one. Neon signs and famous names littered the streets as the boys found their destination and parking. Rendezvous is a world famous rib joint and that's exactly what they got… world famous ribs.

Tim's Order: Large Order of Ribs (10 bones), includes bbq baked beans and mustard-based coleslaw. Water and Ghost River Beer

Phil's Order: Small Order of Ribs (6 bones), includes bbq baked beans and mustard-based coleslaw. Water

A Memphis Dry Rub encased and seasoned the outside of these ribs as they sat in a sweet vinegar to the point of perfection as the flames of passion ignited the air. Absolutely perfect. Beans, awesome. Coleslaw, double awesome.

Rendezvous:


After such an indulgence the boys found it hard to not stick around for more and see such sights as the BB King Lounge, the Gibson Guitar Showroom, Rock N' Soul Hall of Fame, Sun Records or any number of other amazements. The road called their names, Phil… Tim…, and Nashville was on their docket.

Sights, etc:


The trip between the two fabled cities was one full of a diverse set of music the likes of Shooter Jennings, Elbow, Eminem and Linkin Park (of course there were others as well, you don't expect the boys to remember everything do you? well too bad). Resurfacing above the musical ocean in their traveling submarine the boys shored up back at their wonderful host's abode, their luggage and what have you neatly together in the living room. The brothers discussed if they wanted to even go out that night after the long drive… they pulled up several locations on the interwebnets… THE WOOTEN BROTHERS at 3rd and Lindsley?! "What the hell where they still doing at the house" they asked themselves and were out the door.

The rest of the night was a fantasy, everything that could go right had gone right since arriving in Tennessee. Zero wait at Rendezvous (a 15 person group and 2 families were waiting as they left), hardly any traffic and now this amazing chance to see these amazingly talented individuals play for $5? I quote Tim, "Holy S Nashville… holy. s." This day had made the boys question why they were not living there. Oh and RoyEL "Future Man" Wooten made a special appearance to watch his brothers' band funk it up on stage. Dancers mingled with the crowd and band on stage, friends made guest appearances to dance, sing and belt out the most soulful jams these ears had ever heard (examples include, but are not limited to, Prince, Parliament, Funkadelic, Hendrix, Zepplin, Jackson 5 and numerous motown classics). Roy quietly sat next to Tim on a bar stool… observing… nodding… typing down notes on his iPhone. Not until Reggie Wooten, his older brother, pulled him on stage did anyone suspect this humble man in black was a 5 time grammy award winning multi-instrument musician. And did he show it on that drumkit, do yourself a favor and looked them up... the boys will be posting some videos later on.

Peace and love.