Nashville Notes

Late summer brought record heat to the Nashville area, with temperatures of more than 100 degrees before a “cold front” provided a drop into the 90s. But even surging air-conditioning bills weren’t enough to cool down some of Berklee’s finest alumni.

Three years after winning the CMT/NSAI Song Contest, Jesse Terry ’04 scored again with the grand prize in the country category of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest for his song “What You’ve Been Missing,” cowritten with Dan Murph. This news comes on the heels of an artist production deal for Terry with Masville Music.

Songwriter Joe Doyle ’87 has recently gotten his songs cut by Kenny Rogers, Blaine Larsen, Jason Aldean, and Luke Bryan.

Laura Clapp ’01 has joined TC Electronic, a world-renowned company in the field of audio product manufacturing and marketing, as a product specialist. Clapp says the new job has her traveling the world and “showing off cool products.”

Drummer Kevin Rappillo ’90 is currently on tour with country superstar Rodney Atkins. Rappillo and Atkins are part of the Brad Paisley tour that runs through April 2008. Bassists Annie Clements and Bryan Beller ’92 are out on the road with Sugarland and Steve Vai, respectively.

Erik “Tiny E” Hiser ’94, played with the popular Billy Joel tribute band Christie’s Ex and, in late September, opened for 1980s heartthrob Rick Springfield at Nashville’s Wild Horse Saloon. The show came one month after Hiser and the boys opened for another ’80s band, the Cars.

Alan Powell ’89 joined Professor Pat Pattison as a featured instructor at the Nashville Songwriters Association International’s Song Camp 102 in late September. NSAI’s Song Camp offers an intensive, three-day seminar featuring some of the most accomplished professionals and instructors in the music industry.

With the arrival of fall and cooler temperatures, we look forward to a season of Vince Young touchdowns and more exciting news from our local alumni. For information about the Berklee Alumni Chapter in Nashville, contact me at dpetrelli@berklee.net. That’s all for now.

—Dave Petrelli, Nashville Berklee Alumni Chapter Leader