Our first issue is out on stand right now! Head over to stateabdbeale.com to subscribe.

In that issue, you'll find my great conversation with Tennessee musician, Drew Holcomb. We talk about his new record, "Strangers No More Vol. 2" and the success of "Strangers No More Vol.1." We also talk about Tennessee state pride and his anthem (and love letter) to the state, a song called "Tennessee."

A visit to the Music City Hot Chicken Festival last week proved one thing true: you will be hot on the inside and the outside!

I talked with fest fan Travis Jenkins, East Nashvillians Zach Layne and Andy Moss, both of them members of the Orange Grease Society, and with Austin Smith, founder and owner of Party Fowl, a hot chicken restaurant with several Nashville-area locations.

Nashville's Music City Hot Chicken Festival returns Thursday, July 4 for its 18th year. Gates open at East Park at noon.

It is one of the hottest parties on the annual Tennessee To-Do List — hot chicken on one of the hottest days of the year.

There'll be music, lots of kids activities, Yazoo beer, plenty of hot chicken (from some of the best in the business), and there'll be plenty to eat that's not hot chicken.

This week I spoke to Neil McCormick, a festival organizer, for an overview of the event, a brief history of hot chicken, and even his innovative way of eating Nashville's civic dish.