After nine albums of sterling folk/pop/rock, Eleni Mandell had no need to alter her creative methodology. A chance stroll through the history of country music in the cradle of its development gave Mandell the blazingly clear vision to simplify her process on what would become the new Dark Lights Up. Mandell will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. What she will be writing about: “My kids are four-and-a-half years old (twins). We travel with my ex-boyfriend (not their father), who helps out as the ‘nanny.’ They have toured across the USA many times, but now they’re older and have opinions. The tour lasted five weeks, and we had a blast looking for fun things to do. Two places to avoid: Walmart and Cracker Barrel unless you want to listen to your kids hassle you to buy them stuff for hours on end!” Read our recent feature on Mandell.
Mandell: We sadly didn’t make it here this time around. It is one of the most magical places for kids and adventurous parents. You have to be willing to crawl in holes, slide down dug-out tree trunks or old shoe shoots (it’s built in an old shoe factory), climb contraptions and generally get dirty (they sell kneepads in the gift shop). Please, make a pilgrimage to this place. It is probably the best place for kids in the whole USA!
Video after the jump:
