Tennessee Motorcycle Music Revival was just that.. a spiritual and life affirming Revival.

Going to Motorcycle events is nothing new to me.  I have been riding across states to go hang out with Motorcycle builders and enthusiasts since 2008.  Throughout the years, I have been to small parties,  huge parties,  corporate events and down home bbqs that have introduced me to some of the best people. 

The last few years. I had been stuck going to the same old corporate events over and over.. while they are fun, and you get to see your people.. change is nice. Having to spend every minute from load in to load out at the same venue for up to 2 days is NOT where it's at. You miss SO much, and so many awesome parties and people.

This year I decided to wait until all of my court cases were over to travel to any event. My PO against my abusive ex is set for another year, so I feel safe-ish.. and decided first, I needed to go to Nashville, and camp on Loretta Lynn's ranch for the Tennessee Motorcycle and Music Revival.  I had heard many good things over the years, including "favorite" from some pretty seasoned enthusiasts, so it was time I checked it out. 

 got a late start on the road Thursday, meeting up with some friends,  stuck by rain and inevitable time drains.  By the time we finished our 7 hour ride, we got to the camp about 3am Friday morning, found the builders camp- a section of the camp that was reserved for the builders, and the only party still up when we arrived, telling us to set up our tents close by.  I wasted no time flinging my tent up and crawling in, having wished I would've packed my Hammock, for the laziness and exhaustion I was feeling.. but passing out with my wet shoes hanging and earplugs in almost immediately. 

The next morning everyone started rustling around about 8, tired from the preparties the night before, so I got to sit and drink my campfire coffee,  have a perfect bar and watch as people slowly started waking up, driving by.. riding out to meet the day.  New arrivals came in early too- a trailer of mini and dirt bikes unloaded across the road, a very nice man from Nashville named Ken with a cherry panhead that had 51 miles on it, set up camp right next to me. He told me all about her and that he works for the Grand ol Oprey and we started talking music.

I had no idea that Billy Gibbons was playing a set that night, and it was the main reason Ken was there. 

I started getting myself together and was ready to hit the merch tents and bike shows.  We started by the Vtwin visionary drive in bike show, which had some very nice bikes. My friend Kindra, who owns Sandwitch leather out of Portland, drummed up a few leather seat customers and talked shop as I wandered around noticing all of the details on these bikes. 

Moving from the bike show to the vendors, I found some familiar faces from Iowa: my friend Brad who owns and operates Dirty Biker Design was there slinging his new designs and trying to stay cool in the heat.  We talked about the opening of his brick and mortar store, and if he was going to BF Texas.

The wall of death brought more familiar faces and thrills, as the Ives Bros kicked ass and took dollar bills.

With no lack of things to do, I carried on to the Invited Builder bike show.  There were multiple Indiana bikes up for display, including the build from Heckman Customs.  I drooled over an engraved bike from Florida, once Kindra and I realized the shifter knob was a flamingo head and fell into the details the artists painstakingly contributed to their builds.

As the day scorched on, I ran into my new friend Bethany who is in the Nashville Lita's.  We had met the previous weekend at the She Rides Moto event in Knoxville, along with the other Lita's. She mentioned she would be out in the river in a bit, and I planned to meet up with her.  I went to get some food from the vendors and headed back to camp to get changed for swimming.

If you've never been, Loretta's ranch has a river running through it- made iconic in the wheelhouse photos of the coleminers daughter.  It is a nice, shallow wading river through the camp, and it opens up to a small area where they have a bar that hosted a pig roast, and enough corn on the cob to kill a horse. 

The swimming was awesome- tiny crayfish and all, and definitely cooled us down. A few more Lita's had gathered around the bar and we got to chat for quite a while as the sun retreated in the sky.

It was time to stock camp before dark, so I rode down to the store to get fire wood and ice for our camp.  I've carried much more and much crazier things on my bike, but as I loaded 2 bundles of wood onto my sissy bar, with a bag of nice cool ice across my lap- 3 seperate groups of people offered to carry it for me.  Southern hospitality is a real thing, and is definitely not how they act in Indy. Just being a nice person is so normal everywhere else.

After I got back to camp and unloaded my spoils, Ken was chilling at his truck, rehydrating and asked if I'd like to walk down  to the main pavilion where the bands were starting.  We did.  I stayed the entirety, finding Bethany and her group to hang with, Ken kept buying me vodka drinks, front row for Billy Gibbons, and before I knew it I was tipped. I made SO many new acquaintances, as all of the women in the crowd were beautiful, friendly and very talkative. Again, just being decent human beings. 

At the end of the night we all retreated back to camp to try and build a fire.. which I can't remember accomplishing, but it happened.  I also fell down onto my ass multiple times, trying to sit in my camp chair at an incline. I hadn't laughed that hard since 2018. It was exactly what I needed to further push my healing to get myself back to.. myself.  

Nature, good friends and great times. 

Saturday brought more of the same, live music throughout the camp and event area, the dirt track races, and the hill climbs.

Unfortunately,  we only saw the warm ups for the hill climbs that afternoon, because the sky opened up and it rained. Aallllll night.  The rain kept me under the pavilion watching music for a while.. but that was before I met Claudia. 

I, admittedly, was standing around the bathroom for a long time, as I was waiting on Kindra, who was wearing a super cute body suit harness situation.. and, it takes a minute.  Claudia had approached me and complimented my shirt,  one of Kindra's "my other ride is your dad" tanks,  and we briefly chatted before she left, but was back before we departed- "Are you just hanging out in the bathroom?" She asks- as I giggle and motion to Kindra's stall "we have a bodysuit situation" and she understandingly nods, with a few more kind words and an offer:  come hang out with me and my friends.  She was there with her brother and friends and they would love to go get some drinks.  I'm in, I say, without hesitation.  I grabbed Kindra as she left the stall, and we were introduced to the Jackson Mississippi crew.  About an hour or more of conversation,  drinks and laughter, we made our way to the bike show pavilion, and Bret, Claudia's brother, and I got to talk bikes.  He showed me the shovel from Jackson- out of Slop Shop Choppers, his friend Jordan had built, and we talked for hours over it all.

Eventually making our way back to the music pavilion, realizing the bands weren't that great (just not my taste) Bret asked me if I ride mini bikes. YES sir. I said.  He smiled and said something in his thick accent that sounded like "lets see what you can do then Miss Amy"..

And, into the pouring rain he took me,  to the parking where multiple mini and dirt bikes were located.  He kicked one over and handed it to me.. here we go. 

We tore through the paths and ripped back to his camp in the constant drizzling rain and mud- I was following him as closely as I could,  ripping the mini to full throttle with no glasses or goggles in a white crop top and jean shorts- into and out of a huge mud ditch, ramping up the side, I couldn't stop laughing and smiling. How much fun can one person have?  Well, the last trip I hopped on the back of Bret's 110 kaw, and we found out.  That mud pit that had opened up in the middle of the camp road was filling with water,  and we had made it on the mini bikes a few times .. but I didn't make it on the back of the 110. The incline proved fatal,  as I felt the bike go vertical, I ejected myself from the bike. I landed in mud, on my ass,  so no harm at all... just laughter.  I couldn't stop laughing. 

The abject HORROR on this sweet southern man's face when he turned to realize where I had gone, as I stood up and brushed myself off- was priceless. I was absolutely fine- I landed in mud.  He asked if I wanted back on. And of course I did!  We finished our ride, and he confessed he couldn't believe I was still hanging with him after he threw me from the bike.. I had to tell him, I let go! No harm done, aside from the bruises on my ass and boob.

That evening I realized that I was reclaiming my freedom.  I haven't met new people in years.  I wasn't allowed to hang or talk to or party with anyone.  Meeting new people is why I go to these events, and I had lost that somewhere.

It sounds... silly, but I hadn't been allowed to talk to so many other people, uninhibited, in 3 years.  The strangelhold of jealousy and abuse was no longer on my throat.  And I couldn't help but wonder.. How many other awesome people had I missed the opportunity to meet all those years?

Sunday morning I woke up to realized that my new friends were camped right across the road, where I had witnessed the mini bikes being unloaded Friday.  I was glad because I had a 3/4 bottle of crown to return, and walked over. We decided to go to breakfast.  Leaving that restaurant was probably the hardest thing I've had to do in a while. 

The greatest sorrow is finding your people, and having to say goodbye to go home.

Overall I'd say I did it right. Another adventure to remember in my life, with new friends I won't let go of.

If you have the opportunity to check it out, I highly recommend TMMR.. and it may be my overall favorite event so far- when they call it a revival- they picked the right word. It revived my soul- my faith in humanity, and my heart.

I can't wait for the next fun thing. Let's do it.