Piney Woods Live, January 2014

priceless -– take one

Live

January 2014

THE CONCERT TO END WORLD HUNGER

BEYOND THE STAGE WITH JOE NICHOLS

13 VENUES

THAT WILL ROCK YOUR WORLD

ARTIST’S INTERVIEW WITH JOHN HILLIER

& MUCH MORE!

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24th-26th

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“There is incredible power in the arts to inspire and influence.”

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13 VENUES

January 2014

THAT’LL T HAT’LL RO ROCK OCK YOUR WORLD YOUR WO ORLD

THE CONCERT TO END WORLD HUNGER

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ARTIST’S INTERVIEW WITH JOHN HILLIER

& MUCH MORE!

a cold one and rock the night away with 13 places you’ll have to visit soon!

6

ABOUT THE CO ABOUT COVER...

OVER...

Live entertainment in the Piney Woods of East Texas – what comes to your mind when you think of live entertainment?

We visualize a vintage microphone gleaming in the stage light, waiting for the next voice to give it a go.

Beyond B eyond nd T The he Stage w with ith Jo Joe oe Nichols

by Barry Rogers

8

LLongview ongview w Communi Community itty y M Murral urral project

by Jan Statman

10

The T he Bo B Bottoms, otttoms, AB Book ook k Review

by Jan Statman

by Jan Statman

12

Artist’s A rtiist’s ’s IInterview nterview with wit itth JJohn ohn H Hillier illier

by Cori Stanley

14

The T he Co C Concert oncert to End W World orld H Hunger unger

by Jan Statman

27

Downtown D owntown Longview w o on n tthe he Move

28

Outdoor O utd tdoor Sculpture Comes Co omes tto oE East astt Texas

by Jan Statman

31 Cent nter er S Sta tag ta ge Cuis isin ine

by Claudia Lowery

PineyWoodsLive.com

Ar istt’s Arti sW Wor orlld d

by Jan Statman

Events Events

The “B Th B” Si Sd de e of Mu us sicc

by Randy Brown

January 2014 - Page 3

Publisher’s

NOTE Gary Krell Co-Publisher

I follow a website called Quora.com that seems to have a very simple premise: If you can get smart thoughtful people to ask questions, then other smart and presumably knowledgeable people will attempt to answer. Some of the answers will be better than others, and if the readers are allowed to vote on them, the best will rise to the top. I have found the subjects to be wideranging and thought provoking and the answers to be of high quality. What was surprising to me is the number of bonafide experts that stand ready to contribute fact and opinion.

Some recent open (i.e. unanswered) questions in the area of Art and Entertainment: “Music: Why is ‘Megadeth’ spelled so? (That is, instead of ‘Megadeath’)”; “What legal documents are necessary when booking an artist?”; and “What is the story of how Cat Cora became an Iron Chef? (Cat, the first female Iron Chef, has just joined Quora. I hope she’ll share her story here.)”

Over the last few years the answers to questions like these have allowed me to learn much about art and music, among other subjects.

Recently the question was posed as to how a musical performance changes when it is moved from a small venue to a much larger one. Among the musicians who answered, and some of them are very well known, was one from Wesley Schutz, the Lumineers guitarist.

Wesley made an analogy with acting, and the differences that must exist when actors perform for film and when they work on stage. He pointed out that film allows extreme closeups and normal speech levels in which subtle nuances can be utilized by the actor to set mood and communicate emotion.

Moving to the stage requires more exaggerated gestures and movements and projected speech, actions which make it more difficult for the audience to discern subtle emotions. There are parallels, he points out, with “musicians playing smaller gigs where the subtleties can be closely observed by the whole audience.”

While I have been to many large venue performances, listening and watching with thousands of other people, I think my most intense, emotionally involved and rewarding musical experiences have taken place in small settings.

Those where the performers are only steps away from most of the audience members.

I say all this as a means of emphasizing the value, treasure really, that we music fans have in live musical performances in small local venues. This month we celebrate that treasure by taking you on a quick trip around the live performance venues of the Piney Woods, pausing along the way to examine the history, music and food offered by these establishments. We hope you enjoy it.

You can find a listing of local January performances on page 31 of this issue. As always, a complete calendar of art, music and cultural events is on our website at www.pineywoodslive.com/events. Performers and venues may submit material for inclusion by emailing events@pineywoodslive.com.

STAFF Publishers / Editors Tracy Magness & Gary Krell Manag ging Editor Ben Valencia Publicist Andrea Johnson Adve ertising Director Suzanne Warren Conttributing Writerrs Cori Stanley, Shane Valencia, Tony McCullough, Randy Brown, Crystal Davis, Claudia Lowery, Robbie Goodrich, Jeremy G. Butler, Barry Rogers, Jan Statman Gra aphic Artists Jeremiah Shepherd, Joni Guess, Tracy Krell, Ben Valencia, Andrea Johnson Sales Ben Valencia, Andrea Johnson,Carolee Chandler, Kathy Hollan, Cookie Bias, Lori Martin, Shea Vogel, Tracy Stopani

Sign up for our newsletter by going to our website: PineyWoodsLive.com m

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January 2014 - Page 5

BEYOND THE STAGE with

Joe

by Barry Rogers

Nichols January 2014 - Page 6

PineyWoodsLive.com

The world is looking shiny and new for Joe Nichols. His new single, “Sunny and 75”, recently became his fifth #1 hit. It’s the first song off his new album called Crickets. The project marks the first he’s done after signing with his new record label, RED BOW. The music industry is tough and built on change. However, Nichols is resilient, and he’s stayed relevant after almost two decades since signing his first record deal. With songs like “Broken Heartsville” and “I’ll Wait for You”, he’s been building a catalog of music along with a loyal fan base.

When Nichols isn’t working, he’s continuing to build a life with his family in Tyler. He and his wife Heather welcomed a baby daughter almost a year and a half ago.

Piney Woods Live was able to catch up with the country star by phone. He explains how life has changed him as an artist and father.

We also discuss his formula for ongoing success in the record industry.

QA &

Joe, what is it about East Texas that made you and your wife decide to live here?

It’s where my wife is from. She’s actually from Diana. She grew up around the Longview area. We got married and decided to move back to Texas, mainly to be around her family. I’m gone most of the year, and there’s a support system there for her.

Explain what it’s like having another #1 hit, with “Sunny and 75”.

It feels great. A lot of feelings come to mind, you know, vindication was a feeling that I had when the song went to #1, not geared at anybody else, just because of some choices I had made along the way that were scary choices. I had to take pretty big

PineyWoodsLive.com

risks, walking away from a record label, starting a record without a record label, starting a record with my own money, finding the right people to be in business with, so a lot of things along the way were very uncertain.

You released your first album almost 20 years ago. How have you changed as an artist since then?

I consider a lot of things other than my own opinion these days. As a young person, you can be kind of narcissistic, and in music, especially. When you think you have a creative idea, you think it makes sense to just hear your own voice. I’m not like that now. I like outside input. I love to bounce ideas off other people, and I love to hear their ideas.

What’s a perfect day for you when you’re out on the road?

A good day on the road is when I get to sleep till noon, get a little workout, do a sound check and get a little nap after that, then do a good show in the evening. That’s a perfect day on the road for me.

What about when you’re not on the road?

I love waking up, getting my baby out of the crib and just having some fun time with her. We like to play for the first hour or two she’s awake. We watch Bubble Guppies, and learn new words. That’s pretty much the start of my day, and that’s kind of how we do the rest of the day.

You have two daughters now, correct?

Yes, I have a 15-year-old, and now a 19-month-old.

How has fatherhood been different the second time around?

I think the biggest difference now is that I’m more mature. I was 21 when my first daughter was born. I was a kid. I didn’t know much about having patience or those kinds of things, so my oldest daughter was raised around a lot of immaturity, I’m sure. I regret that deeply. I regret that about her childhood.

I wish I’d have been the man I am now. I’m patient and involved. I want to see her face every moment and watch her face when she learns new things. So, I think that’s the biggest change. I’m a more patient dad.

How does your wife’s personality complement your own?

We have two completely different personalities. She’s a planner, very organized with Type A personality and a responsible person.

She’s college educated with a marketing degree and a very smart lady. My wife has that kind of personality where she’s very well put together. And me … I’m pretty much the exact opposite of everything I just said. I’m disorganized, I’m late a lot, do things on the spur of the moment – impulsive, I guess you could say.

You’ve talked about addiction being in your past and being sober now. What helps you to maintain your sobriety, especially when working in such a stressful business?

God. Prayer is the only thing that works for me long term. A lot of things can work short term to relieve pressure and stress, but I think the #1 thing that I try to do a lot of is keeping that spiritual connection through prayer, and talking to other people about God. That helps me out tremendously.

How do you prepare for your stage performances?

Well, I still get extremely nervous before shows. I do lots of breathing exercises to calm my heart rate down. I tell myself through the show, “They want to like you. They want you to do well.” … so hearing myself say that over and over through the show gives me a little bit of peace.

Tell us a little about the creative process for your albums.

I think it starts with songs – finding or writing a song that feels believable. And they show themselves immediately. Sometimes you can go through 1000s of songs before you come to that stack of ten you end up cutting.

Is there much of a difference between Joe Nichols “the country star” vs. who you are privately?

I try not to be too different of a person. I make an effort to be a consistent person no matter where I am.

Is there anything you want to tell your East Texas fans before we wrap up?

I enjoy being in East Texas, and I wouldn’t live away from here.

For more information about Joe, visit joenichols.com.

You can also find him under his name on Facebook and Twitter.

January 2014 - Page 7

THE LONGVIEW COMMUNITY

MURAL PROJECT

by Jan Statman

T

he Longview Community Mural Project will bring Longview art students together with adult artists to create a permanent mural for the Amberwood Place Apartment Homes, a HUD housing development located on Hawkins Parkway. All the preparation and planning is now underway. The actual work of painting the mural is scheduled to begin as soon as the apartment complex is scheduled to open, which will be early in 2014.

Amberwood Place company representative Lindsey Wolfson has chosen to dedicate an outdoor wall at the property to be used for the location of the painting. It will be painted directly on the wall in 20-foot wide sections to create a ribbon shaped mural that will be six feet high and approximately 120 feet long. It is to be painted under the supervision of the Moving the Lives of Kids organization.

Lisa Hawkins is the local coordinator for the project. She said, “Lindsey Wolfson heard about the Moving the Lives of Kids organization, and she heard about the mural projects, which they had completed in Haiti and in Miami. She decided she wanted to have a community mural done for the Amberwood Place Apartment Homes here in Longview.”

Hawkins explained that the mural will focus on Longview’s story, including images from the city’s past, present, and future. “Planning for a project like this takes a lot of meetings because it really is a community project, and it is important to have members of the community involved,” she said. “The first meeting was held in the Cecile Moeschle Meeting Room of the Longview January 2014 - Page 8

Public Library. Community members and local artists gathered together and discussed exactly what they would like to see on the mural, which is going to represent Longview.”

Artists from the Moving the Lives of Kids Community Mural Project will work with six adult artists and ten student artists ranging in age from 14 to 20 to create the mural. “Both the adult artists and the student artists will earn a stipend for their work,” Hawkins said.

“Some schools will allow the stipends the students receive to be used toward college scholarships.“ Lindsay Wolfson described that first meeting as being primarily for the purpose of gaining community feedback.

“It was about what we would want these sections of the wall to be, how we could get the most important cultural aspects of Longview, and how we could translate that into artwork,” she said.

A competition was held to decide which of the East Texas area artists would be chosen to take part in the project. Those local adult artists who were interested in competing for the

opportunity to work with the student artists were asked to submit drawings of those activities, locations, events, or history they would like to see included as part of the mural. They were told their drawings were to be based on the community feedback which was received at the previous meetings.

“They brought in a sample of their most recent work and a drawing of what the community wanted to see on the mural,” Hawkins said. “During the next meeting, the community members participated in the voting process, and the East Texas area artists were selected. The group will include: Jon Bonzor, also known as Johnny Edwards, of Gladewater; Danny Guire and Celi Bothwell Hester, both of Longview; and Lynnda Mabry of Hawkins.” The four will work in cooperation with Moving the Lives of Kids artists, Lucas Stock of Pennsylvania and Kevin Morris of Miami, Florida, who have been involved with painting similar community murals in a variety of places.

Student artists were simply asked to provide a sample of their artwork in

any medium of their choosing. A committee took on the difficult job of selecting the ten student artists from among the many artworks which were submitted.

Moving the Lives of Kids is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 charitable organization, which focuses on the arts, youth development, and education.

The group is committed to involving students and young people in working together in a positive community activity. The Moving the Lives of Kids Mural Project organization was founded by Kyle Holbrook who is originally from the Wilkinsburg area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Edward Rawson, who is the Chief Operating Officer. When he started the organization, Holbrook hoped to use public art as a method of reaching young people and encouraging them to become involved in doing positive community work during the summer months when they were not in school. The organization is dedicated to providing the young people who were selected to work with the murals with opportunities to participate in the beautification of their towns, cities and districts. The project has been successful in a number of places. Murals have been painted in ten cities in the United States, including murals completed in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Texas and Florida. Murals have also been painted outside the United States, in Haiti and Brazil.

In describing the murals they have already completed, the company’s website states: “The dimensions are larger than life. The colors are purposefully vivid and visually stimulatPineyWoodsLive.com

It’s going to be a beautiful project, and hopefully it will encourage more projects like it to come into town and into the area. ing. The narratives woven into the murals are of great historic significance.

Most importantly, we are developing the vast artistic and intellectual wealth represented by our gifted youth.

Children and young adults learn together about the historic significance of their own neighborhoods, and then translate what they learn into images they create on the walls, giving them a voice and the freedom to express their thoughts.

This is how we move the lives of kids with community mural projects.”

“The student artists not only get recognition but they get a feeling of accomplishing something great! This is something they may take their own children to look at one day. It’s an exciting thing for Longview,” Hawkins added. “It’s going to be a beautiful project, and hopefully it will encourage more projects like it to come into town and into the area.”

For further information, please contact local coordinator Lisa Hawkins at 903-931-2245.

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January 2014 - Page 9

THE BOTTOMS

by Joe R. Landsdale A Book Review by Jan Statman

I

s there a young person who grew up in East Texas whose heart didn’t race like mad when listening for the very real, or the very much imagined howlings of the Goat Man in the dark of night? Of course you know about the Goat Man! He once lived in the shadows under the bridges down at the river bottoms, and he may still be living there to this very day.

Joe Landsdale’s mystery novel, The Bottoms, is set in our own little corner of the Piney Woods. The story takes place in what was the rural back country and mainly hardscrabble poor East Texas of the late 1920s and early 1930s.

It is the time back before the Oil Boom boomed long enough and loud enough to change the people and the locations forever. It is the time when electricity is rare. Screen doors are covered with flies. Drinking water is brought up from the well outside. The river is full of fish. Crops are made with mule and plow, and there is no escape from the hot summer sun that beats down at noon.

The town of Marvel Creek is carefully described as one of those quiet, dusty, two-street-wide towns where everyone knows everyone else and strangers are suspicious. The main street has all that is needed for a town of its size and location. There is a general store, courthouse, post office, doctor’s office, barbershop, drugstore, and the newspaper office. It could boast of having a band of roving hogs that wander through the town at will.

The author’s references to Gladewater, Kilgore, Tyler, and other cities in the area serve to anchor the location.

More than that, Lansdale has a sense of this place as it was in that earlier day and time. He has an ear for the people, for their conversation and their comJanuary 2014 - Page 10

ments. He has a feeling for the heavily wooded forests, the small towns – once thriving and now vanished, and the very mud that oozes, red or sandy along the Sabine River’s banks.

11-year-old Harry Crane’s younger sister is called Tom. It is short for Thomasina because she fancies herself to be a tomboy. While Harry and Tom are out chasing squirrels near the river’s bank, they make the gruesome discovery of a woman’s mutilated body tied to a tree in the woods.

Their mother is considered to be one of the most beautiful women in Marvel Creek, and their hard-working father, Jacob Crane, does his best to scrape out a living for his family during those difficult times. He works his land as a farmer. He works in town as the town barber, and he works as the county constable. A decent man, Jacob feels it is his duty as constable to investigate what is clearly a murder that was committed in his district. The novel is careful to describe the horrid prejudices and the hatreds that scarred the time, the people, and the place. To underscore this sensibility, the author makes unlimited use of one truly offensive word.

At Jacob’s request, Dr. Tinn, the black country doctor who lives in the nearby community of Pearl Creek, performs an autopsy on the murdered woman’s body. Pearl Creek sounds suspiciously like the town of Weeping Mary, or another one of the all black communities that dotted the landscape in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Jacob learns that two more similarly mutilated bodies of black women have been found in the river. Since the women were black, and since they were prostitutes, news of their deaths did not travel beyond their immediate community. Nothing was done to investigate

the murders or to find justice for the victims. However, when the similarly mutilated body of a white prostitute is discovered, the news becomes so magnified that evil people are able to enflame a rabid mob. The mob is determined to lynch Mose, an elderly black man who has been a friend of Jacob’s.

Harry and his father try to rescue Mose, but the mob turns on them.

They are beaten back and Mose is lynched. Jacob seems to lose his bearings because he was unable to protect poor Mose, who obviously had nothing to do with the murders. He abandons his respectable life and family and turns to drinking to soothe his conscience. He moves out of the house to live in the barn where he can drink himself insensible. He goes to town as if he is going to work, but Harry discovers that his father leaves the haircutting at the barbershop to his assistant Cecil while he spends his time passed out drunk at Cecil’s shack.

Jacob is brought back to his senses when another murder is discovered. This time it is the mutilated body of a murdered white woman that is found in the river.

Henry and his little sister Tom are convinced that the evil Goat Man is the murderer. They allow themselves to fall into great danger while trying to prove it. As for their father Jacob, he realizes that his lack of education has left him with limited skills as a detective. In

spite of that, he manages to pull himself together, and newly revitalized, he is determined to find the real murderer.

The Bottoms is a “page turner” of a novel, not only for the clear way it pictures the time, places and people, but because the story captures the imagination and allows it to run wild. Serious suspects are brought to light and then discarded. Suspects slip in and slip out of the chapters. There is the vicious Nation family made up of brutish Old Man Nation and either of his two huge, sniveling, troublemaking sons. There is incompetent Doc Stephenson. There is hate-filled Red Woodrow, and of course there is the terrifying Goat Man. The Goat Man of the River Bottoms is real,

PineyWoodsLive.com

but he is not exactly the monster we are led to believe he is. The secret of who the Goat Man is and what part he plays in the story is eventually revealed. The true monster is not discovered until the very last pages of the story.

Joe Lansdale is sometimes considered to be something of a “cult writer” because his novels, his short stories and his movie scripts have a loyal, almost cultlike following among a group of people whose reading interests swim a little bit beyond the mainstream of what is current and trending in fiction this week.

The man stays busy. He is the author of more than thirty novels. They range from horror novels, westerns, and science fiction fantasies to spine chilling thrillers. His writings have been collected in 18 short-story collections, and he has edited or coedited a number of anthologies. His short stories have not only appeared in national literary collections but also in popular magazines and short story collections published in the United States and also in English speaking foreign publications. He has written scripts for television in addition to film. His writing has appeared in magazines, newspapers, and on the Internet.

With so many works and so many interests, it is no surprise that he has been awarded a variety of honors. His writing has received the Edgar Award for mystery writing, eight Bram Stoker Awards, the Horror Writers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the British Fantasy Award, the Grinzane Cavour Prize for Literature, the Herodotus Award for historical fiction, and The Inkpot Award for contributions to science fiction and fantasy, to name only a few of them. His offbeat novella Bubba Hotep in which an Egyptian mummy causes mayhem in an East Texas nursing home and a man who insists he is Jack Kennedy in disguise, was adapted for film by Don Coscarelli. It starred Ossie Davis and Bruce Campbell. Showtime’s Masters of Horror adapted his story “Incident On and Off a Mountain Road” for film. In addition to being an author, Joe Lansdale is the founder of the martial arts system Shen Chuan: Martial Science and its affiliate, Shen Chuan Family System. He is a member of both the United States and International Martial Arts Halls of Fame. It is no wonder his novel is so familiar to the locations of the River Bottoms and the Piney Woods of East Texas because he and his wife live in Nacogdoches where he is Writer In Residence at Stephen F. Austin State University.

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January 2014 - Page 11

JOHN HILLIER ARTIST’S INTERVIEW WITH

by Jan Statman

J

ohn Hillier is best known for creating larger than life, laminated wood sculptures, but he is also a master of finished drawings and prints. Drawings began to be appreciated as a completed art form during the past century. Artists became pioneers in encouraging viewers and collectors to recognize and understand the importance of the physical mark on paper or board. “Drawing for its own sake was a 20th century phenomenon,” Hillier explained. “Artists like Picasso began to introduce their drawing as important finished works. Drawing became its own art form. Drawings stress design and energy,” he added.

“Dynamic energy in the drawings can be dramatic and explosive, like the crescendo in a piece of classical music. In the 21st century, drawing has come to be understood and accepted as its own art form.”

Although Hillier works in a variety of media in his drawings, he is best known as a sculptor whose primary medium is wood. He takes a practical approach when beginning each of his sculptures. While working on forms for one sculpture, he begins to shape images for the next one in his mind’s eye. Like many artists who think ahead as their work progresses, he finds that the idea for creating one sculpture often grows out of his thoughts about another. Ideas that grow from one work of art to another tend to come together as a coordinated way of seeing. When asked how he goes about starting a sculpture,

he replied, “While I’m working on one piece I start to get ideas for another piece, so I go out and buy a big, expensive pile of wood and start gluing pieces together to laminate them in order to get the three dimensions I need for a front, back and side view.”

Since sculpture is a fully three-dimensional art form, it is necessary for the artist to think about how he will work in all three dimensions that exist in real space. At the same time it is important to get the materials prepared so that the process of creating can begin. When viewers look at Hillier’s sophisticated, highly polished, carefully considered, and often complicated sculptures, it is often hard for them to imagine they ever existed as that “big expensive pile of wood” he describes.

Hillier is a native of Odessa.

He graduated from Odessa High School and attended Odessa College. He holds a bachelor of fine arts degree from The University of Texas at Austin. After completing his master of fine arts degree at Texas Tech University in Lubbock where he concentrated in printmaking and drawing, he took an additional 30 post-graduate hours. He was a teaching assistant at the Texas Tech University School of Art, where he taught Design and Life Drawing. He was an instructor in the art department of Odessa College where he taught Drawing, Painting, Design, Printmaking, and Airbrush. He was production designer at the Learning Resources Center. He was gallery director at the Options Gallery, Learning Resource Center and gallery director for the art department.

He later joined the visual arts department at Kilgore College where he was not only gallery director, but taught Drawing, Painting, Design, Printmaking, Sculpture, Art Appreciation and Art for Elementary Education. He continued as a member of the Kilgore College faculty until he retired from teaching in 2012.

“I retired from teaching because it seemed like the right thing for me to do,” he explained.

“I enjoyed teaching when I was teaching, but now I have moved on to do other things.”

Teaching at the college level has had many different kinds of pleasant associations for him. “You never know how much you have reached people as an artist until someone

comes up to you and thanks you,” he said.

He went on to describe an experience he had in Fort Worth during the Kimbell Art Museum’s landmark Turner exhibit. The exhibit of Joseph Mallord William Turner’s views of Venice was seen only at two museums in the world. Turner and Venice was seen first at Britain’s Tate Museum in London and then at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth.

“Turner is my all-time favorite artist and hero,” Hillier said. “Of course, I had to go to Fort Worth to see the exhibit! A man came up to me at the exhibit and introduced himself as one of my former students. He told me he brought his family to see the Turner

“You never know how

much you have reached people as an artist until

someone comes up to you and thanks you.”

January 2014 - Page 12

PineyWoodsLive.com

exhibit because he was so impressed that I respected and admired the artist. He wanted to see Turner’s work firsthand so he would understand what I had been talking about.”

Hillier serves on the advisory board of the Longview Museum of Fine Arts and served on the board of directors of the Ellen Noel Art Museum (Art Institute for the Permian Basin). He is a member of the Texas Fine Arts Association, Texas Association of Schools of Art, Texas Sculpture Association, Longview Museum of Fine Art and Tyler Museum of Art. His work is owned by the permanent collections of the Longview Museum of Fine Arts in Longview and by the Museum of Texas Tech University in Lubbock as well as by numerous private collections across the nation. He served as juror for Texas art exhibits and has exhibited his drawings, graphics and sculpture in numerous one-artist and group exhibits at colleges, universities, museums and art galleries. He was named a Distinguished Former Odessan by the Heritage of Odessa Foundation and was a Ford Foundation Merit Scholarship recipient.

Hillier believes travel is an important part of his experience as an artist. He has visited Italy, Spain, Russia, China, England, France, Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala and many major American cities and art centers such as New York City, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, St. Louis, Santa Fe, New Orleans, Chicago and Los Angeles.

The artist prefers to work in large scale because he feels that his sculpture demands it.

“Scale is important to my sculpture,” he explained. “A life-size sculpture seems small,” he added. “For drama and impact, I make my work larger than life size. The scale of a sculpture is relative to where it is seen. My work sometimes seems overpowering and enormous when it is in my studio, but when I get it out of the studio and into a larger space, such as a museum, it seems smaller than it is. An outdoor sculpture seems small by comparison to the world around it.

He chooses to work with images of the human body. While this decision can pose challenges for his wood sculpture, he said, “One reason I use the human figure is that it has the most expressive way to reach us: psychologically, emotionally, formally, sensitively.

I usually stress formal concerns and use formal poses to focus on the formal qualities of PineyWoodsLive.com

the figure, to stress the beauty of the form, the balance and the structures.”

Since the artist has explained his method for starting a work, it seems only reasonable for him to explain how and when he knows a sculpture is completed. “How do I know a work is finished?” He considered his answer carefully. “It seems to me as though they’re never quite finished. However, there is a logical conclusion when it all seems right. It all comes together. It has taken on all the qualities of a figure. The shape and proportions, the muscular structure and balance all seem right.

It seems to be resolved. When that happens, the work reaches a point where I feel as though there’s nothing left for me to do on it, so I sand it, and I varnish it.” He added, “My work is to be enjoyed, both by me and by the viewer.”

For further information about John Hillier and his drawings, graphics and sculpture, please contact the artist at his email address: gemjohn2@cablelynx.com

January 2014 - Page 13

THE CONCERT TO END

WORLD

HUNGER

by Jan Statman

T

he Concert to End World Hunger will be held at the Belcher Center at LeTourneau University in Longview at 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon, January 26.

It is sponsored by the Kilgore College Department of Music and Dance in cooperation with the Longview Symphony Orchestra. Although it is a free concert and open to the public, contributions will be accepted.

We see them on television news stories – those starving babies with their sunken eyes and protruding tummies. We see them in magazine photographs – those desperate people with their hands frantically stretching toward aid trucks after they have survived disasters.

We wander through the well-stocked aisles of our clean, bright, air-conditioned supermarkets, and we think we are safe from the ravages of hunger because all of that is happening far away from us.

And then we see them among us. Sometimes we see them in newspaper photographs.

Sometimes we volunteer through our religious or social organizations, and when we do that we meet them up close and in person. They are the sad-faced people at the food banks or those who are gratefully accepting a free hot lunch or dinner provided by service organizations right here in East Texas. Most of them are grown men and women who are down on their luck.

Too many of them are children who have never had any luck at all, and they go to bed hungry at night. Hunger is a major problem for a large percentage of human beings, near and far, with whom we share this planet. We feel concern for them. We contribute. We volunteer.

January 2014 - Page 14

Charles H. Whiteside, founder, president, and general manager of the Ana-Lab Corporation of Kilgore, believes it is possible to do more. Born and reared on a farm near Grapevine, he is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a major in biochemistry and a minor in organic chemistry. He was the chairman of the department of chemistry at Kilgore College for five years and a faculty member of the chemistry department for seven years. He was a Piper Professor nominee at Mead Johnson & Company and senior scientist for three years. Sponsor of summer camps at Kilgore College for chemistry and music, he also sponsored Commemorative Concerts on the first, fifth and tenth anniversaries of 9/11. Among his important charitable projects, he sponsored three other World Hunger Benefit Concerts and funded and built water treatment system for an orphanage in Matamoros, Mexico.

Dr. Whiteside worked with Dr. Jim Taylor at Kilgore College to organize a special concert in order to raise funds to help the hungry. Together with several other area musicians and groups, they planned the Concert to End World Hunger.

Dr. Jim Taylor is Director of Choral Activities at Kilgore College, where he directs the Kilgore College Chorale, the Camerata Singers, the East Texas Community Chorus, and the Kilgore College Children’s Chorus. He also teaches Composition, Guitar, Music Appreciation, and Applied Voice.

He was one of six instructors at Kilgore College to receive the Excellence in Teaching Award for the 2012-13 academic years. Before he came to Kilgore, Dr. Taylor earned his PhD in choral conducting at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, where he was Narramore Scholar. His

earlier education was at the University of Miami, the University of North Texas, and Florida Atlantic University. Dr. Taylor made his European conducting debut in 2005, conducting the Kiev Symphony Orchestra. His experience in church music comes from having served in a full-time music ministry in Florida, Colorado, and Alabama. As a composer, Dr. Taylor’s choral compositions are published by Oxford University Press, Hinshaw Music, Roger Dean Music, Choristers Guild, Colla Voce, and other publishers. His choral work, “Three Short Pieces on Old English Texts,” was second in the second annual Choral Composition Contest at Ithaca College. Recently, his “The Psalm” was selected for J.W. Pepper’s Editor’s Choice List for spring 2013.

Described as a “Symphonic Pops Concert,” the Concert to End World Hunger will celebrate the joy of music while raising money to help ease the suffering of those who don’t have enough food to sustain them. It will bring together the talents of the Longview Symphony Orchestra, the Kilgore College Rangerettes, vocal solos by Amanda Bean and Jon Starling, and a 175-voice choir that will be made up of members of The Kilgore College Chorale, The East Texas Community Chorus, The White Oak High School Varsity Choir, The Chancel Choir of First United Methodist Church of Longview, and The Kilgore College Children’s Chorus. Dr. Taylor will conduct the Longview Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra will also accompany the four choral pieces. They include a medley from The Sound of Music, classic John Williams arrangements including “Olympic Fanfare,” and the “Raiders March” from Raiders of the Lost Ark as well as

songs from Les Miserables and Oliver. There will also be an arrangement of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” There will be a song including the Kilgore College Children’s Chorus entitled, “Look at the World,” and an arrangement of “Let There Be Peace on Earth.”

Although admission to the Concert to End World Hunger is free, donations will be accepted and appreciated. All costs of staging the concert will be fully paid for by local businesses, institutions, and individuals with the hope that concertgoers can give one hundred percent of their offerings to their choice among the various charities that are helping to feed the hungry – not only in East Texas but also in various places around the world. Donations will be placed in envelopes and collected at the end of the concert. The envelopes will be printed with check boxes listing the seven charities selected to receive funds. In that way, donors have the opportunity to choose which charity is to receive their donations.

“It is our hope that representatives from some of these charities can be on hand. Certainly the local ones will want someone there,” Dr. Taylor said. “Each charity will know best how to spend the funds that are donated to it.”

Dr. Whiteside and Dr. Taylor selected the organizations with the intention of providing help to a variety of religious and secular charities. The seven charities that will receive funds include: The Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund, The United Nations World Food Programme, Catholic Relief Services, One Great Hour of Sharing, Helping Hands of Kilgore, Longview Community Ministries, and the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International.

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Helping Hands of Kilgore is a local food pantry, which supplies individuals and families with an emergency supply of food in their time of need. They work to feed people through a variety of programs and services such as The BackPack Program, The Kids Cafe and After School Snack Program, Senior Box Program, the Fresh Produce Program and the Nutrition Education Program Longview Community Ministries helps Longview congregations work together more effectively in the community through cooperative acts of service to assist people in need regardless of race, religion, or creed. They work together so that their volunteers can cut back on administrative costs and avoid duplication of services. They sponsor the Family Crisis Service Center to serve those in need with emergency food, rent, utilities, transportation, fans, blankets, medical assistance as well as basic life and job skill training classes.

The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International helps fund humanitarian activities, from local service projects to global initiatives. The Foundation also leads worldwide Rotary campaigns such as eradicating polio and promoting peace. They help advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace by improving health, supporting education and easing poverty. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Of course world hunger will only receive a slight dent from our efforts,â&#x20AC;? Dr. Taylor admitted, â&#x20AC;&#x153;But every little bit helps, and we can only do what is before us in our own time and place, and with the resources and time and abilities that we have.â&#x20AC;?

For further information or to become contributors to the Concert to End World Hunger, businesses and individuals are asked to contact Dr. Charles Whiteside at chw@analab.com or Dr. Jim Taylor at jtaylor@kilgore.edu.

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13

That’ll

Venues ROCK your world

#1 The Back Porch Location: Kilgore

by Crystal Davis The Back Porch, located on Broadway in Kilgore, is a restaurant and live music venue that runs Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.

“What makes a legend? Time, tradition, people – whatever the combination, Jackie and Vicki Clayton have built a legend at the Back Porch,” according to their website, www.thebackporchkilgore.com.

The Claytons have owned the Back Porch since 1990, but the history of the building goes back to the 1960s when the business was a pool hall owned by Harry Crow.

From a pool hall, it was transformed into a sandwich shop, even operating as an Alvin Ords for a short period in the mid-70s. At some point, it converted to a Burgers & Fries when the building endured a fire, which nearly destroyed it, but was rebuilt in the mid-80s. In January of 1990 the Claytons acquired it and made it uniquely theirs.

The Back Porch boasts classic hamburgers using only fresh, unfrozen meat, and the menu was originally very simple: big and little burgers with large fries. Now the menu has a large variety of entrees to choose from including specialty salads and Mexican cuisine.

“We also have a lot of items on the menu for those looking for less fat, such as buffalo, turkey, grilled chicken breast, and of course salads,” said Vicki.

One item that had become very popular is the Burger Paks – a seasoned patty and bun with the fixin’s. “These are everything you need to grill out without the fuss. We do the work, you have the fun, and no order is too big or too small – just call in advance for the big ones,” she said.

January 2014 - Page 16

Despite the ever changing city layout, Vicki said, “The high school football team still has their traditional pre-game meal here every Friday.”

The Back Porch added a volleyball court in 1992 with open play for all, or one can reserve the court for private games and tournaments.

“Karaoke is very much alive here on Saturday nights,” said Vicki. “We even get performers from the Shakespeare Festival coming in to perform.” There is also a Shakespeare prom in which the performers decorate the restaurant for private entertainment and fun. According to the owners, the drive-thru window has been a big success since it was added eight years ago.

“We also have The Locker Room for special events, birthdays, weddings, and receptions,” said Jackie. Four years ago, the Back Porch implemented a sit-down service after 5 p.m. “Before 5 p.m., people order at the counter, but now after 5 p.m., you’re seated, your order is taken, and your food brought to you,” said Vicki.

“And on Wednesday nights, it’s still ‘buy one burger, get one burger,’ which has been going on for 16 years.”

Wednesday nights are also filled with music in the evenings when weather permits.

Manager Lindsey Lawrence said they expect to start booking music outdoors again in March. In addition to Lawrence, a long time employee, Pat McDonald has been cooking at The Back Porch for the last 18 years and Tammi McFadden has been greeting customers for the last 11. The Claytons were also born and raised in Kilgore, graduates of Kilgore High School and attended Kilgore College. To this day they continue serving their community with love and feeding them one appetite at a time.

In 2010, twenty years after opening their doors as a restaurant, they added an outdoor stage to accompany the restaurant.

Cole Allen, a singer/songwriter and graduate from White Oak calls places like The Back Porch “an essential hub for music in East Texas.”

“It’s a great place for me in particular, because my fans in the area around here are mostly older and don’t come out if I play at a bar. I like it because it provides a relaxed, non-smoking atmosphere that is family friendly,” said Allen.

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#3 Location: Tyler, TX

Charlie’s BackYard Bar

Location: Marshall

by Claudia Lowery

#2

Stanley’s Famous Pit Bar-B-Q

by Tony MCcullough

Location: Tyler

There’s something to be said about longevity with barbecue restaurants, because we Texans are picky to the point of almost being snobbish about our barbecue. Stanley’s Famous Pit Barbecue has been a landmark in Tyler for almost 60 years. Some people will tell you that walking into Stanley’s makes you feel like you are walking into one of the historic local dives of Memphis, St. Louis, or Chicago, where mouth-watering barbecue is complemented by not only their own savory sauce but also the sounds of honest, original, from the heart regional music. Not to be outdone by the big cities, Stanley’s Famous Pit Barbecue has added the music of Texas to its menu.

J.D. Stanley opened and ran the little barbecue restaurant on Beckham Street in Tyler for over 50 years. In 2000, Nick and Jen Pencis purchased the restaurant and strapped on aprons to carry on the East Texas tradition. The small square footage of the restaurant limited the number of dine-in customers and the possibilities of accommodating groups, but it just didn’t seem right to move the historic place and food to a new facility. With record sales for lunch and dinner, adding a new dimension to the restaurant would take some creativity.

A little over a year ago the owners decided to expand outside of the restaurant’s existing building. A large deck was added on to the facility. This not only brought to Stanley’s a larger, comfortable family dining space, but it also brought room for entertainment – live music! Stanley’s Famous Pit Barbecue hopes to be known now not only for having the best barbecue in East Texas but for also having the best live music.

The management of Stanley’s looks locally and statewide to book quality, original acts to entertain its patrons four nights a week. Stanley’s Famous Pit Barbecue starts on Tuesday evenings with live music during their “Kids Eat Free” promotion, 6 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. On Wednesday and Thursday acoustic music is featured from 7 p.m. until 10 p.m., and on Friday, Stanley’s presents a live band. A schedule of performing musicians and bands is kept current on Stanley’s website, www.stanleysfamous.com.

Stanley’s Famous Pit Barbecue staff and owners are proud to say they are still a “Mom and Pop place,” and after providing East Texans with ribs and barbecue for 60 years, they are happy to now be serving up some of the best music in Tyler.

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The Piney Woods are alive … with the sound of music. Aside from the cinematic reference, there really is music emerging from the far east corner of Texas, and it’s no surprise because Marshall has historically been designated as the Birthplace of Boogie Woogie. Before that, the city was a supporter of music, presenting concerts, local talent, and venues showcasing exceptional talent. Whether you are enjoying dinner and tunes at Cajun Tex, listening to Monday night pickers in front of Under the Texas Sun, relaxing at the Blue Frog Grill with Words and Voices, attending concerts presented by the Marshall Regional Arts Council, or supporting the local symphony at Central Perks, there is music emanating from every street. Two venues are especially known in the area for regularly scheduled music events and even share support among owners and musicians.

OS2 Restaurant & Pub and Charlie’s BackYard Bar are venues where music lovers can meet with friends and feel at home while listening to some great music.

Charlie’s BackYard Bar was an 1850s Greek revival New Orleans plantation style home, now restored and renovated to accommodate a six-day-a-week bar on the current ground floor extending to a new addition and huge outdoor music venue with a state-of-the-art sound system and large stage. Indoors there is an upstairs facility with charm and elegance for weddings, events, reunions, or Christmas parties that overlooks the outdoor stage. Live music is featured several nights a week. Charlie’s has hosted Texas legend Kinky Friedman, country singer Jo Dee Messina, Thom Shepherd, the Jason Helms Band, the Wes Jeans Band, the Mansion Family, and more. Live karaoke is always a fun night and on Tuesday there’s a taco bar for a reasonable price with more live music. Charlie’s has always been community minded, opening the doors to fund raiser events and special causes.

Family owned and managed by Rudy Zachry and daughter Rachel, the two have kept their dream alive, and when you walk in, it feels like family. It’s not unusual for Rudy to meet you halfway across the room or for Rachel to stop and say hello. Drop in at 303 N. Columbus Street (entrance on Rusk) in Marshall to meet the family and enjoy the evening with your friends. On Friday and Saturday there is a nominal cover charge, and on other nights there is no cover. You can find information about upcoming shows at www.reverbnation.com/venue/charliesbackyardbar or call 903-472-4050 for additional info.

#4 OS

2

Location: Marshall

by Claudia Lowery OS2 is a restaurant on one side serving a delicious selection of appetizers and entrees and a pub on the other side with a stage that hosts great local bands every week. Boogie Woogie Wednesday has become so popular that customers drive from Longview and Shreveport to enjoy bands like the Jive Jumpers, Bobby Oliver, the Darby Warren Project, and Robin Beach Black perform. In the late 1800s and then into the early 1900s, the two buildings now occupied by the OS2 Restaurant & Pub served as a saloon, a billiards parlor, a grain warehouse, a millinery shop, a dry goods store, and at least two different variety stores. Still remembered as the location of the former F.W. Woolworth “five and dime” store, which featured one of the largest lunch counters in East Texas, it is only fitting that visitors can once again enjoy meals, saloon drinks, and billiards here. Owner and manager Jan Black is always willing to greet guests and provide her charm and hospitality. OS2 is one of Marshall’s favorite upscale restaurants with a casual, comfortable atmosphere with good food and drinks.

Upstairs there is plenty of room for business and social functions for private parties and special events.

They are located on Marshall’s historic courthouse square at 105 E. Houston. Visit their website at www.os2marshall.com or call 903-938-7700 for more information.

Venues in East Texas are plentiful, but Marshall is host to multiple offerings from classical to country, from boogie to blues, from rock to pop – it’s your choice, but choose to locate and listen to the music that is the soundtrack of your life. Your “heart will be blessed with the sound of music”… and you’ll sing once more.

January 2014 - Page 17

#5 RMC

Location: Longview

by Crystal Davis

RMC, which stands for Rainbow Members Club, has become a popular alternative venue in the area. It boasts over 10,000 private members, including people from all across East Texas and even places as far as Canada and Hawaii.

The club operates as a 21 and up establishment Wednesday through Saturday 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. and every Sunday 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. in downtown Longview on High Street.

A live, drag art show is performed on Sundays beginning at 11 p.m.

Drag artists, or gender illusionists, are performers that dress like celebrities, usually female entertainers, and often lip sync or dance to portray their famous counterpart’s exploits.

“I’ve been to RMC for the drag shows on Sundays … I love, love, love it! Such a good time!” said bar patroness Skye Smith. “And often times, there’s more straights than gays, so it’s nice to see Longview supports that, you know?”

Co-Owner, Les Whelchel, attributes the success of his venue to the eclectic and diverse nature of his club – having customers from all walks of life and welcoming them all with open arms.

When asked his opinion on the most unique aspect of his bar, it was the environmental element that he gave credit to.

“We have the ability to draw a variety of people under one roof with little to no drama and are able to meet the demands of our community,” Whelchel said.

RMC opened officially in July of 2010; co-owners Les Whelchel and Michael Bryant wanted to open a place that would bring back unity within the community.

Though the owners prefer to use the term alternative venue when describing their bar because everyone is welcome to patronize their establishment, their initial aim was directed for clientele within the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population.

Any live entertainment venue is built on three essential business pillars: atmosphere, service and product. In RMC’s case, creating an inviting atmosphere is at the head of their strategic pyramid.

According to Whelchel, “Longview, we feel, has been lacking a venue [that] can bring everything from country to rock to pop and live entertainment within a unique atmosphere, going from elegant (lounge) to industrial (dance bar) to open air/outdoors (patio party bar), each having their own unique style, flair and still be able to hold on to the fun – drama free fun that a club should be.”

Smith agreed that RMC’s diversity and entertainment make it a uniquely good time for everyone. “I have taken three

January 2014 - Page 18

#6 Muddy Jakes

Location: Sulphur Springs

by Crystal Davis

straight guys in there with me and they loved it! They got up on stage and danced with ‘Whitney Houston.’”

Recently, this past Christmas, the club collectively raised over $500 worth of toys for the Toys for Tots organization as well as an additional $1700 in donations for the charity.

“Our community truly pulls together for this, between the donated toys and the funds raised by our in-house entertainers, along with the help from performers from Dallas and surrounding areas donating time, energy and tips ...

“We have increasingly become involved in working with charitable organizations, and the last two years have been amazing with Toys for Tots. This is one of our favorite causes,” said Whelchel.

In 2013, members of the club participated in the Pride Parade in Dallas (aka Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade) and even won the Alan Ross Award on their first year entering.

Since opening, Whelchel recalls a special fondness for the Special Health Resource Texas benefit and fundraiser they held with the “Turn About the Night” event. Special Health Resources is a nonprofit organization specializing in the testing, prevention and support of those living with the HIV/AIDS virus.

To Whelchel and Bryant, this is the best aspect of their patrons.

“Our customers really pull together when there is someone in need,” Whelchel said. He commented with pride on his customers’ ability to be open and respectful to whoever may come through the door, making them the friendliest people.

“Never will a person walk out our door a stranger. Our customers are so good at welcoming new people,” he said.

Rainbow Members Club keeps upcoming events and calendars posted regularly to both their website, www.rainbormem bersclub.com and on Facebook, www. facebook.com/rmc.longview.

Muddy Jakes is a restaurant and sports bar that often hosts many entertainment elements in downtown Sulphur Springs on Main Street. They’re open Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 12 a.m., and on Sunday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

According to their website, www.mud dyjakes.com, Muddy Jakes attributes the successful ideas behind their venue to the combination of all their favorite things.

“We loved watching sports. Then we thought, ‘What makes watching sports even better? Beer and food!’ Then we thought, ‘Who do we like watching sports, drinking beer and eating food with the most? Our dogs.’... And so Muddy Jakes was born,” their website post reads.

Muddy Jakes is all about Texas sports.

Claiming a little partiality for the Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers, Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars, the venue boasts flat screen televisions all over the place and always tuned to broadcasted sports.

Their official logo has two dogs, cheersing two pints and keeps the motto, “Our bites are better than our bark.” The restaurant takes their beloved mascot to heart and has a “real live Jake” that makes an appearance at local events and parties.

Muddy Jakes officially opened in December 2009 and, according to general manager Lonnie Fox, they’ve kept the good times rolling ever since.

“I think we have a place where everybody comes to have a good time. That’s kind of our identity,” said Fox. Muddy Jakes is a family friendly environment and plans many events and promotions to involve the kids in the community. The sports grille previously had a “kids eat free Thursday,” but are in the process of planning new kid-oriented specials and activities for the upcoming new year.

After about 9 p.m. though, the crowd becomes adult orientated, and in the warmer months of the year they utilize their new “backyard,” complete with an elevated stage for live entertainment and a deck. The city even lets them shut down

the nearest street during these events because of the notoriously large turnout. In the winter months, however, they keep the live music scheduled primarily with acoustic performers and stay indoors.

Fox recalls completing the outdoor stage as one of the highlights of the past year. “It’s really something,” he said.

Nick Brumley, front man for an East Texas blues and rock band, The Mansion Family, said the band loves playing the venue and a good time is always had by all.

“They have a nice open back patio area that’s really cool, and my favorite part about the place is the beer tower,” Brumley said.

Muddy Jake’s beer tower is a four foot tall, four person draft beer with over 100 ounces of beer and a center chilling stick brought right out to the table – adding another unique attribute to this small-town venue that already has so much character.

Jake’s Sports Bar and Grille also has its own in-house food eating competition.

The “Fireman’s Challenge” is 30 of Jake’s hottest wings in 30 minutes. So far there have only been approximately 10 winners to undertake and successfully complete the challenge since its conception. “They’re really hot. I couldn’t do it,” said Fox. Winners receive a Muddy Jakes T-shirt, and their name goes on the Fireman’s Challenge board.

Along with all the traditional grill food the pub offers, Muddy Jakes has a full variety menu which includes wraps, salads, cheese steak, apple cobbler and, of course, hot dogs. They also have their own signature drink menu, where all the cocktails are named after our canine companions like the “Doberman Puncher,” and “Pink Poodle.”

The venue also keeps a regular karaoke night every week and has even had comedy nights with professional stand-up comedians for entertainment.

Event calendars and special promotions can be found on either their website or Facebook page, Muddy Jake’s Sports Grille and Pub, or one could call 903-885MUDD (6833) for further inquiry. There is also a complete menu available on either site to call in take-out orders.

PineyWoodsLive.com

#8 Banita Creek Hall Location: Nacogdoches

by Robbie Goodrich

#7Hopkins Icehouse Location: Texarkana

by Shane Valencia Travel to the northeastern edge of Texas, and you’ll find Texarkana – a bustling and constantly growing town of about 70,000 inhabitants. One of Texarkana’s jewels is Hopkins Icehouse in downtown Texarkana. The venue is not only a bar, it is an outlet for well-known and aspiring musicians. On many nights, you can find live entertainment there.

Hopkins Icehouse was built in the early 1900s, and legend has it that the venue was once a Ford dealership and that patrons “sit in the showroom.” In 1936, it became Roy D Hopkins Feed and Seed, closing in 2007. Not long afterwards, two gentlemen by the names of George Dodson and David Jones purchased the property. The two worked for 18 months to turn the building into the Hopkins Icehouse that is known today. Most of the work was performed by the two proprietors, who did everything from cutting and jackhammering concrete to building the walk-in cooler and kitchen.

The word “icehouse” is derived from a time when families purchased blocks of ice for their “ice box.” These early ice boxes were very small, and women would not allow their husbands to keep their beer in them due to the small amount of space. So, men would keep their beer at the icehouses that were located close to the railroad tracks.

(The blocks of ice were transported by railway.) The men would gather at these icehouses after work to talk and have a cold beer.

Today, the venue usually has local entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights and sometimes during the week for special bookings.

“We bring in original acts that are on tour,” owner David Jones said.

Some of the live acts that have graced the stage at Hopkins Icehouse include Dax Riggs, Kinky Friedman, Super Water Sympathy, Dustin Prinz, Charlie Parr, Lost River Cavemen, The Bart Walker Band, Fielded, The Andy T Band Featuring Nick Nixon and many others.

Live acts that are coming up in January include Shayliff, The Stamfords, Feb, Ben Knight and The Well Diggers, Johnny Beauford and Saturday Giant.

Hopkins Icehouse is open from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Monday through Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Brunch is on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. They are located on 3rd and Wood in downtown Texarkana. For inquires or other information, call them at 870-774-(FEED), or check them out online at hopkinsicehouse.co.

PineyWoodsLive.com

When Nacogdoches businessman Kevin White learned Banita Creek Hall was slated for closure a few years ago, he immediately knew something had to be done to keep the doors of the old warehouse turned dance hall open.

It wasn’t that White had been contemplating getting back into the nightclub business that had been his livelihood throughout college and several years after attending Stephen F. Austin State University. He simply believed Nacogdoches needed a live music venue. Drawing on his long-ago knowledge of the business, White decided to make what he thought would be a short-term investment in the future of Banita Creek Hall. His plan was to turn the fledgling club into a music venue that would provide quality entertainment and draw crowds from throughout East Texas and beyond. His plan was to quickly get Banita Creek Hall back in the black, and sell it to someone who could keep it going and turn a profit.

That was five years ago, and White is still running the show, booking acts that have ranged from some of the hottest up-and-coming country artists like Thomas Rhett, Brantley Gilbert, Kacey Musgraves and Easton Corbin to solid test-of-time favorites like Ronnie Milsap, John Conlee, Restless Heart and The Bellamy Brothers.

But Banita Creek Hall has become more than an entrepreneurial venture for this man who owns several other successful businesses. It’s all about the music.

“I always say we are a dance hall; I never say we are a bar,” White said. “When we don’t have an act on stage, there’s really no one here. We have our big crowds when we have an act. We’re a live music venue.”

That’s the niche White pursued to make Banita Creek Hall successful again. Along with that strategy is his approach of bringing a wide variety of acts that will appeal to different types of audiences who love different types of country music.

“There is Nashville country, there’s progressive country, and there’s Texas red dirt,” he explained. “When you book all of those, you can have back-to-back sellout crowds.

Someone like Diamond Rio will draw a completely different crowd than one of our Texas country stars. Whereas, if you stay in the same genre, people can’t afford to go out two nights in a row.”

Some of the same people he booked acts with in the 1990s as manager of The Crossroads and Bullwinkles nightclubs are still in the business today, and those relationships cultivated back then are proving important again in helping White manage the success of Banita Creek Hall. White started working for then Crossroads owner Bill Sherrod in 1983 as a freshman at SFA, and he worked for Sherrod for about 12 years, so he knew what he was getting into with Banita Creek Hall.

“It’s fun, but it’s hard,” he said of work and hours that go into making the dance hall successful. “You have to be here a lot.”

Among White’s Nashville connections is that of Nacogdoches’ own singer/songwriter Jim Collins. Some of Collins’ successes are “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy”, “The Good Stuff” and “Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven”, recorded by Kenny Chesney, “Yes!” recorded by Chad Brock, and “Big Green Tractor”, recorded by Jason Aldean. White and his wife Beth take his employees on an annual trip to Nashville to attend Keith Urban’s “All for the Hall” benefit concert for the Country Music Hall of Fame, and while the group is there, Collins hosts a “backdoor tour” of the country music city, taking them into studios of various country artists. “It’s our way of thanking them for all their hard work.” The coming year will be another good one for Banita Creek Hall, which will host Stoney Larue and Granger Smith in January and Ronnie Milsap in February, among others. For a complete listing of upcoming concerts, visit banitacreekhall.com.

White believes what brings these top-billing artists like Kacey Musgraves, who just won CMA’s New Artist of the Year, to the hall is the smaller, more intimate venue which allows loyal fans to see the stars “up close and personal,” he said. On a big show night, half of the crowd travels more than 45 miles to see the concert. Last month, a woman from Houston brought her entire Christmas party on a chartered bus to see the Pat Green concert. “And artists love to connect to enthusiastic crowds,” White said.

“They love the room,” he said. “They love the response they get from the crowd. Last year, the Eli Young Band played the Houston Live Stock Show and Rodeo to 50,000 people on a Monday night and then came here the next night and played this little dance hall,” he said, “where people were right in their faces, screaming, and they loved it. Here, it’s easy for the artist to connect with the crowd. They need that feedback.”

January 2014 - Page 19

#9 Diamond B Franchise Location: Jefferson

by Crystal Davis The Diamond B Franchise, also known as The Franchise: Cajun Restaurant and Sports Bar is located at almost the very end of East Austin Street in historical downtown Jefferson. It is open Wednesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., and on Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The restaurant and venue is divided into two sections, with the front half resembling more of a pub-type atmosphere and open all the time for dining, and the back half contains a large HD projection screen showing sports, a dance floor and a corner stage for live music.

Elevated ceilings with Victorian paneling and decorative iron rod will take you nostalgically back to the trade days and booming era of this important cultural corner in East Texas.

“The Diamond B” part of the venue name plays on Jefferson’s rich history and the famous Diamond Bessie murder trial — a popular prostitute that had been adorned with many gifts of diamonds by her devotees, was found murdered and stripped of her jewels just outside of town, with all fingers pointing to her newly acquired husband whose family were prominent jewelers up north.

It is common for many venues with live entertainment to have a grill or restaurant because it adds longevity to the establishment, but The Franchise has centered their focus on their menu first and added the elements of music and televised sports as supplemental features.

Their Cajun/Creole style cooking offers favorites such as seasonal crawfish and po’boys, but also carries forth the traditional southern soul foods like chicken fried steak and the classic hamburger, plus several variations including the Billy Burger. The Franchise has Taco Thursday every week in coordination with karaoke in the evening. It is a popular lunch spot for locals and tourists alike. A full menu is available on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TheFranchiseCajunRestaurantAndSportsbar.

Even though the eclectic menu will capture your appetite, the spacious entertainment venue toward the back of the building appeals to the very heart of this town bordering the Texas/Louisiana state line with a stage supporting many popular Piney Woods acts like Lady Chazz and the Tramps, Teazur, and Cole Allen, plus a recent performance by Wes Jeans.

January’s event calendar for The Franchise does not shy away from the slower pace of the post-holiday season either. Cody Cooke and the Bayou Outlaws, a fast-rising, outlaw country and rebel rock band from Northwest Louisiana is scheduled to play at The Franchise on the evening of January 18. Cooke’s band recently shared the stage at Hirsch Coliseum with popular, mainstream rock artist, Aaron Lewis.

“We are very excited to be playing at The Franchise because we’ve heard so many good things,” said band manager Jackie Brock. According to him, a quality venue is an essential asset to its community and the musicians touring within it. Brock should know since he is also a live music venue owner on just the other side of the state line.

Singer/songwriter and popular East Texas newcomer, Cole Allen, had not heard of The Franchise before playing there and, like Cooke, was excited to see what the venue had to offer, although he admits he didn’t expect a large crowd for his first show.

“The stage area was really cool, the food was great and it was packed,” said Allen.

“Usually when I play to a crowded bar, people just talk amongst themselves, and I provide background noise. The people there were very attentive during my set, quiet during my songs and clapped afterward… It was one of my favorite gigs!”

January 2014 - Page 20

#10 The Liberty Bell

by Tony McCullough

Location: Nacogdoches

In a town that runs so deep in Texas history, the relatively new Liberty Bell Wine Bar quaintly fits right into the historic downtown Nacogdoches area. As “loops” and “cut-offs” have rerouted shopping districts and business avenues to the outer edges of many cities, Nacogdoches is one of the fortunate small towns in East Texas that has managed to keep its old downtown alive to visiting tourists and to locals as well.

Owners Grant and Kati Harris hope their new little wine bar will be a nice addition to those who come to the area for shopping and entertainment.

The Liberty Bell, located in one of the historic buildings of downtown Nacogdoches, offers great food, drinks, and entertainment. On a visit to The Liberty Bell, you will find wines and beers from around the world. Along with your beverage of choice, an appealing menu of appetizers, entrees, and desserts are offered. The owners strive for The Liberty Bell to feel friendly and inviting, to make tourists feel at home as well as locals.

Grant and Kati Harris talked with friends for years about their idea to open a wine bar in Nacogdoches. Each time the idea was brought up in conversation, it was always well received and encouraged. As the years of discussion went by, the ideas became actual plans. Finally, with the help of their friend (and new partner) John Ramsey, their new business idea became a reality. They found the building downtown and began. Even though the actual Liberty Bell is located halfway across the nation in Philadelphia, Grant and Kati Harris decided they liked the name “Liberty Bell” for their bar, playing off of puns such as “It has a ring to it.”

The Liberty Bell not only offers the community a comfortable place to enjoy casual conversation, great food and wine, and their popular Saturday Brunch, it is also a venue suited for business meetings, parties, charity events, art shows, public speakers, comedians, and live music. The management has already begun booking entertainers and bands for “Show Nights.” Since there are a limited number of seats available, advance tickets are sold for special events and entertainment. On a show night, the bar will close thirty minutes prior to the show, then reopen to allow ticket holders in for the evening.

“We hope to see a variety of acts and entertainers perform here,” says the management of The Liberty Bell. The acts already booked for their new venue are quite diverse from typical club entertainment in East Texas. Tickets are on sale now for Saturday, January 17, when they present rock band, Satisfied Drive. Tickets are also on sale for the January 25 performance by Lincoln Durham, a great retro entertainer who performs using 1950s amplifiers, resonator guitars, tin can microphones, fiddles and stomp boards. “The show nights sell out quickly, so don’t wait to get your tickets.” To see the scheduled entertainment for The Liberty Bell, please check their website at www.libertybellbar.com.

PineyWoodsLive.com

#11 The Pour House

Location: Lufkin

by Tony McCullough A burger, a beer garden, and a band have always been a great combination, and The Pour House in Lufkin is quickly earning the reputation of being “the place to go” for just that.

Having been open for just a couple of months, the response has been great for the new restaurant/beer garden/music venue in the Lufkin area. Their “burgers on the patio” are getting rave reviews online through tourist and travel website reviews.

The Pour House of Lufkin is the idea and new business venture of Nigel Boyles, a retired girls’ basketball coach in the Lufkin area. Nigel always thought the historic area of old downtown Lufkin would be the perfect setting for a beer garden type restaurant. So, recently she set out to find a location and open her new establishment. She soon found a historic home located on Raguet Street.

The house is a bungalow style home built nearly 100 years ago. It has a large front and back porch with enough back yard to provide dining and entertainment “on the patio.”

Immediately, locals and guests found the new business in the old house “homey” and “comfortable.” With the completion of the beer garden in the back yard, there was plenty of room for live entertainment to entertain guests while they dined or just enjoyed a beverage and conversation for the evening. Boyles says, “This isn’t a place where people just come, eat, and leave … Everybody brings their friends.”

The Pour House is open Thursday through Saturday, 10:30 a.m. until 12 midnight, and on Sunday 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The foods most mentioned in reviews are the fried pickle spears, chicken fried steaks, and the well-known “burger on the patio.”

Live music is featured at the Pour House every Thursday and Saturday evenings, with karaoke each Friday.

“Plan to stay for a while when you come visit.”

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January 2014 - Page 21

#13 Tipsy Gypsy

Location: Longview

by Jeremy G. Butler

#12 Old Firehouse Location: Edom

by Crystal Davis The Old Firehouse in Edom, a small Piney Woods town between Tyler and Canton in Van Zandt County, is actually a retired fire station, reinvented as a coffeehouse for entertainment purposes. It offers an art gallery, live music, and independent film showings, as well as a massage therapist. It operates Wednesday through Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the intersection of FM 279 and FM 314 in downtown Edom.

Any venue is defined (and ultimately rated) by the service, environment and product of the establishment. A coffeehouse venue does not promote the sale of alcohol but rather focuses on a relaxed setting with emphasis on the arts and conversation.

In East Texas, where the population is more evenly dispersed across several hundred miles, there is no space quite as eclectic and varied in what it has to offer as The Old Firehouse. Proprietor Jeff Gottesman and his wife Judy first met at a coffeehouse in Dallas where they were living at the time.

It became a common interest for them, and seeing an absence of this kind of venue when they moved to East Texas, thought that if they could find a venue, there might be an audience.

Seven years ago when the Edom Volunteer Fire Department moved to their new location, the Gottesmans bought the building and began renovations, opening first as an art gallery and massage studio, becoming the permanent home of Jeffery Lance Photography and Essential Massage.

The couple soon realized there was additional square footage left untouched in the building and decided to create a space for musicians, complete with a stage, lighting and sound system. Their first concert was on an evening in September 2009.

“We had no idea if folks in the Edom area would even be interested in such a venue, but January 2014 - Page 22

we took a chance anyway,” said Gottesman.

“We never had plans to make any kind of profit; we just wanted to cover our expenses and give the rest to the musicians.”

The concert turnouts have pleasantly surprised the owners of this multi-purpose space. Most of the attendance is represented by listeners from surrounding areas like Tyler and Dallas, though Jeff claims he’s even had patrons from as far as Houston and Austin, with a current mailing list of over 600 names.

The Gottesmans are well-connected to singer-songwriters in the Folk music circuit, and some recent musicians have been covered by many “big-star” names.

They only host one concert and one independent film event a month, often getting sponsor contributions to help fund their endeavors so they can pull in bigger names and pay film licensing fees plus other expenses.

“One unforgettable moment was when we were able to host Peter Mayer, a folksinger, on our stage, as it was his concert in Dallas where Judy and I first met,” Gottesman said. They also screened the film Lbs. last season and afterwards set up a Q&A session via Skype with the writer/producer/ actor of the film. Judy has also started creating “art guitars,” which they have affectionately dubbed ArtSong, taking old, broken, non-playable guitars and giving them new life as works of art.

The Old Firehouse in Edom probably boasts one of the most unique atmospheres in East Texas with nothing else to match the distinctive experiences it offers its patrons from its “listening room” to film showings to an art gallery … all in the same place.

If one is looking for something different to experience in East Texas, they need look no further than the 2014 calendar of events for the Firehouse, which can be found at www. theoldfirehouse.net or on their Facebook page.

So, it’s Friday evening, maybe Saturday. You’re sitting at home, talking to your friends or significant other, trying to figure out what to do for the night.

Someone suggests seeing some live music, another one wants to go dancing, these two just wanna play pool, those guys just wanna stay in and play video games, and then someone else suggests a comedy club or hookah lounge - and they don’t even have those IN East Texas.

Then you spend an hour and a half trying to decide, and you just wind up doing the exact same thing you do every weekend, whatever that may be. Too bad there isn’t just one place that caters to everyone, right? Well … at least not yet, anyway.

That’s where 26-year-old Sean Swanson, 22-year-old Trent Shaw and their new bar The Tipsy Gypsy come in. Hoping to “bring a little bit of Austin to Longview,” Swanson and Shaw are looking to take those weekend arguments and get rid of them once and for all. Opening December 26, the Tipsy Gypsy will boast three separate areas – a hookah lounge, a game room with billiards and arcade games, and a live music venue that will host everything from rock bands to acoustic shows, comedians, open mic nights and DJs for those looking to find that dance club environment.

In terms of libations, the Tipsy Gypsy will have most of your favorite beers on tap but will also host a selection of craft brews with a signature microbrew in the works. Not a beer drinker? The Tipsy Gypsy will also serve locally processed wine, which is a definite nod of support to the blossoming East Texas.

And in fact it’s the support of East Texas upon which the Tipsy Gypsy is established. Both Swanson and Shaw are East Texans and even have experience in the lo-

cal music scene, having operated popular Longview club Venue 717. Granted, the look of the bar, with its modern lighting and aesthetic, may stand out against the honky-tonks and pool halls and underground rock clubs that dot the area.

And while Sean and Trent definitely understand that those establishments have their place and their history, there’s no denying that there’s a contingent of the population that wants something a little different. And it’s that contingent – who normally have to go to Dallas or Shreveport to find what they’re looking for - that the Tipsy Gypsy is hoping to serve, from noon until 2 a.m., seven days a week.

And with the grand opening just a few weeks away, Swanson and Shaw are busy trying to hit the ground running. They already have their first BIG show scheduled for January 25: Bleed the Rain, The Bipolaroids and Channel 8 – and are busy planning the future.

So, go ahead and mark your calendars, because come December 26 you will probably be having that same old discussion about what to do. And if Sean and Trent have their way, it just might be the only option you’ll need.

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CenterStage C|U|I|S|I|N|E A Taste from Near or Far with th Claudia Lowery

Tree ee Frog Café eady? Ribbit, Ribbit!

Spring Already?

T

he holidays lidays have passed and hopefully all your our gift returns have been made.

Tired of Christmas dinner leftovers and New Year’s black-eyed peas?

Thankful to see the last ornament return to storage? Okay, we do o love our holidays, but I think if most of us aree honest, it’s sort of nice to get back into the familiar routines of daily life. One thing that many of us enjoy are inventory and clearance sales. So … call your friends and family and make it a day. Post-holiday blues are sneaking up, and I’ve got just the cure.

After a brisk, cold morning of January shopping, opt for a fresh breath of springtime. Spring? Are you kidding? No, it’s always springtime when you stop for lunch at Tree Frog Café. Located slightly off the main road in a quaint mid-1900s house on Judson Road in Longview, the insides are bright and cheery with touches of green frog art everywhere. The spring-like atmosphere will dissipate those winter doldrums, and the food is perfect for starting your new year with healthy choices along with all the comfort foods you’d expect.

Tree Frog Café has a simple menu of hot and cold sandwiches, soups, sides, and green salads. Fun sandwich names like the Hip Hop, Popper, Yosemite, Rio Grande, Ribberto, Baja, Sierran, Mohop, and Sweet Hop make your choice easy to remember. Full descriptions on the menu let you know that a Hip Hop is turkey, bacon, Swiss, and blue January 2014 - Page 24

PineyWoodsLive.com

cheese dressing on a croissant or a Sierran is Tex-Mex chicken salad with lettuce and tomato on wheat bread. All sandwiches are served with chips and a pickle. Chef and grilled chicken salads are the main offerings with sides like broccoli salad, honey slaw, and pineapple pecan chicken salad. Prices are very reasonable with nothing on the lunch menu over $7.

One of the things I love about the Tree Frog Café is that owner/chef Trisha Browning likes to try new items for possible future inclusion on the regular menu. Never wanting the menu to become stale, she creates interesting new twists to familiar meals. The day I visited, I ordered off the board and not the regular menu. That day they offered a Reuben quesadilla. Funny thing was I’d been craving sauerkraut for several days, so when I saw that, I knew it was destiny. I loved every bite and would order it again, but for most people I guess it was a bit much to imagine a Reuben on a tortilla because it didn’t make it onto the regular menu.

That’s okay, I like to live on the edge and will try more new things in the future. My brother thoroughly enjoyed his Hip Hop sandwich. He’s a sucker for blue cheese on anything. I sampled the peach salsa, so don’t forget to try their signature Sweet Hot Peach Salsa. It is also sold by the jar, and trust me, you’ll want to take a few home.

The Tree Frog Café gladly provides box lunches for business meetings and get-togethers needing sandwich or vegetable trays and desserts like whole pies, cakes, brownies, and dessert bars. Be sure to call in advance for these items due to the preparation involved. So, hop on over to the cute little house filled with springtime. It’s a nice escape from the cold, gray wintertime blues.

Tree Frog Café is located in a house at 1811-A Judson Road (behind 1811 Judson Road), Longview, TX. Hours: Monday through Friday 11 a.m. - 3 p.m..

Phone: 903-553-0303 and after hours please call 903-730-3885.

Email: treefrogcafe@aol.com Find them on Facebook at Tree Frog Café.

The opinions expressed here were on the writer’s personal experience. Please be sure to visit and form your own opinion.

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One of the most inventive art activities of the past century was developing a form of painting that had no subject matter. Artists started to make paintings without objects that you could recognize. Suddenly, art had no fruit or flowers or smiling babies or forests or trees. That invention has been with us for more than a hundred years. Without subject matter, abstract painting has to refer to experiences beyond the imaginary three-dimensional space impossibly represented on the canvas. It has to refer to experiences we can only recognize without words.

Sometimes the subject of abstract painting is the experience of painting itself. This is a form of art that turns itself inside out. It focuses on only one subject, and that subject is the art itself. A painting might tell a story, but that story is about paint and painting. Like earlier art, it might be rich in color, shape, form, texture, and pattern, but it is told in a way that would be very hard to explain with words. Sometimes it is easier to describe a nonobjective painting in terms of music or dance than it is to describe it in words.

This kind of painting has a higher sense of risk to the artist than a form of art in which easy-to-recognize images can be portrayed over and over again.

This can be dangerous. Yes, dangerous! If a viewer wants to try to “understand” a painting without easy-to-recognize images in the same way he might enjoy recognizable objects in a painting, he might feel uncomfortable. Instead of allowing himself to experience what is happening in the painting, he will be disappointed. If he is disappointed, he will feel cheated. If he feels cheated, he will feel threatened. If the art doesn’t do what he expects it to do, he will suspect the artist is up to no good. But the truth is, the art-

AArtirtist's World by JANSTATMAN

Twenty-fourteen already!! So here we are facing a brave new year. It is a time when we start out with a clean slate. It is a time for new thoughts, new ideas, and new successes. We are armed with Dear Abby’s splendid column of New Year Resolutions.

They would keep us all in good form if only we could abide by them. It is the month when all the front page stories in all the magazines assure us we can keep our houses neat and tidy, our cars polished, our desks organized, the laundry done, and every bit of clutter abandoned. Most of us have a long list of our very own personal New Year Resolutions, which most of us have probably broken by now. If you remember, last year I resolved to learn how to enjoy football, and you promised you would learn more about how to enjoy art.

We didn’t lose those twenty pounds either. So let us march bravely forward with high hopes and a strong sense of who we really are.

As you know, I am an artist. An artist has a lot in common with the tightrope walker in the circus. We are both willing to take risks based on skill and a little bit of understanding of what we have, what we know, and what we can do. The tightrope walker marches bravely forward into the unknown, holding on to nothing but balance, skill gained by practice, and maybe a fancy little parasol. The difference is that he is home free once he gets to the end of the line.

January 2014 - Page 26

The artist, on the other hand, can never have a safety net. The practice of art makes it necessary for the artist to walk barefoot into the stream of history. It is possible to make waves in the stream. It is even possible to go against the current, but he can no more avoid history than he can avoid a whole collection of formal systems passed down through the ages.

Evidence found in ancient caves and on ancient walls reminds us that the long chain of art stretches back even before the dawn of history.

They couldn’t write, but they sure could paint. An artist who has the vision and energy to make a name for himself or herself must always work around the existing systems that were formed as early as civilization itself was formed. Even though a working artist might choose to consciously ignore them, his unconscious mind is always at work, selecting or rejecting earlier ways of doing things. Certain acceptable ways of seeing, thinking and doing can either feed or starve creative imagination. The hopes and fears, the thoughts and expressions of past generations cannot be denied.

However, they can be respected while making art that is valid for our own time. The artist is forced to take the risk of balancing his personal vision against the power of the past. These risks have to be taken seriously because once they are recognized, they have the power to destroy not only artistic imagery but also the very nature of a person’s creative vision.

ist is deadly serious. He has to be serious because he works with a form of art that brings itself to the brink of exhausting its own possibilities. But every time contemporary painting looks like it is at the edge of the cliff, somebody has a breakthrough to another area, another idea, another vision. This makes other possibilities of paint possible, and the great stream of art becomes wide and free again. The art of our time is never complete. It is always in the position of trying harder.

Because of this, the artist of our time is someone whose accomplishments have to be based on high risk and an uncertain future. He must always be willing to experiment in the unknown, leaving his art open to change as much as to chance. This sense of unlimited possibility must always be combined with a feeling of unlimited responsibility. The artist is obliged to steer away from the comfort of repeating forms that have outlasted their history. Painting becomes a form of discovery. He must knowingly step out into the void, taking creative risks for the reward of growth. This sort of experimenting can only happen when the artist has complete faith that something positive will result from his risks in uncharted waters.

We live in an age when people have walked on the surface of the moon. We have sent satellites out beyond the stars. We watch TV that instantly brings us news and images from across the globe. We have explored the depths of the ocean and the vastness of the skies. We have expanded the known horizon beyond the universe and back. And we have the Internet. If art is to be honest and true, the artist has to become the honest mirror that reflects the times in which he lives.

Jan Statman’s paintings are owned by museums in Europe and by public and private collections across the USA. She is author of several books and is listed in Who’s Who in American Art, Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who of American Women, and various other professional publications.

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Outdoor Sculpture Comes to East Texas Tyler’s OPAL exhibit brings public sculpture to downtown Tyler

by Jan Statman Paris, Vienna, Rome, London, New York City – the major cities of the world can boast that they share majestic public works of art with their people. Sculptures are seen almost everywhere in large cities – in parks, streets and public places. They are not only loved but are considered to be the personal property of everyone who lives in the city.

The good news is that people in the Piney Woods can share in that feeling because art is popping up all over downtown Tyler. The City of Tyler’s Main Street Department in cooperation with the Downtown Tyler Arts Coalition (DTAC) and Heart of Tyler, Inc. has launched the new Outdoor Public Art on Loan project. It uses the shortened name OPAL to describe the artistic gems that it brings to the community.

What is all this, and why is it happening? The purpose of the OPAL project is not simply to add cultural value to the entire area and to improve the quality of life for residents and businesses in downtown Tyler, although it certainly is expected to do those things. Those behind the project believe that having exhibits of original and one-of-akind works of art out in the open and easily available for everybody to enjoy will attract visitors, tourists, and residents, to say nothing of activities and businesses, back to the heart of the city, which is downtown.

“Funding for this initial part of the program comes from a Retail Merchants of Tyler grant,” Main Street Department leader Beverly Abell said as she expressed the hope for additional funds. “We hope that we can gain enough additional grants and financial support for the program that we can award a purchase prize to one artist whose work then can be made part of a permanent public art display in our downtown area.” All five of the selected sculptures were installed

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in September 2013, and they will remain in place for approximately one year.

A jury was appointed by Mark McDaniel, the city manager of the City of Tyler, to select the sculptures that would be included in the project. A volunteer committee of the Downtown Tyler Arts Coalition was made up of sculptors, architects, landscape architects and others.

They picked the exact downtown locations where the sculptures would be seen.

Sculptors were asked to submit as many as three pieces of their work for consideration.

The artists were not expected to pay a fee for having their work considered, but there were certain limitations to the sculptures they proposed.

Since they were to be outdoors in East Texas’ daunting summer heat and icy winter cold and in all sorts of our difficult weather conditions for a full year, each of the sculptures had to be made of appropriate and durable materials.

They had to be able to survive in high winds, low and high temperatures, rain, snow, and even the fumes found in high traffic areas.

They had to be structurally sound and built with the public’s safety in mind. They had to be made so that they would fit on five-foot by five-foot concrete pads or pedestals and had to be able to be safely attached to those pads or pedestals with appropriate bolts and hardware. Because they would be seen in outdoor situations where it was important for them to make a strong statement, they had to be a minimum of three feet tall.

In addition, the committees had several specific requirements for selecting the sculptures to be included in the OPAL exhibit.

The work was selected on the basis of origi-

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allowing the City of Tyler to exhibit their work for a year. $500 was paid within a month of the successful delivery and installation of each sculpture, and $500 will be paid when the work of art is removed from display at the end of the year. Each piece of art includes a QR code, which is linked to a webpage developed for the the artist devoted to their work.

The sculptors whose works were selected for the exhibit were Craig Blackmon, Jan Blackmon and Ben Woitena. A reception honoring the sculptors was held at Gallery Main Street on Oct. 25. There the public met the artists and found out where they could view the sculptures, all located in the historic downtown area of the city.

The reception included a special presentation by Mayor Barbara Bass as well as images of the artists’ work, artist statements describing their attitudes and inspirations for their pieces, and the gallery’s Rose City art exhibit.

“This was a great opportunity to thank three marvelous artists for sharing their fantastic works of sculpture with us for an entire year,” Betty Abel said.

Ben Woitena’s sculptures include Three Karma Man Meets Chica San, Palancar, and Double Deuce.

The Blackmons’ sculptures include Out o gear and Pipeshpere. Woitena’s sculpture, Three Karma Man Meets Chica San may be seen at the T.B. Butler Plaza at the intersection of Broadway and Gentry. Palancar is located at the plaza area of the Tyler Public Library, and Double Deuce is located at the intersection of Broadway and Gentry Parkway. Jan and Craig Blackmon’s sculpture, Out o gear is at 315 South Broadway, and Pipesphere is at 423 West Ferguson at the northeast corner of Ferguson and Bonner.

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nality, creativity, appropriateness to the East Texas area – particularly to the City of Tyler and general community appeal. Also considered were the need for public safety, the quality of materials, and the execution and ease of installation. Even the sale price of the artwork was taken into account. Maintenance and longevity prospects of the art were important, and the committees were frank in saying that preference was to be given to pieces requiring less maintenance and easier care for sustainable materials.

After considerable thought and discussion, five sculptures by three artists were chosen. The importance of the art and the rights of the artists are respected in every part of the OPAL project.

Each of the five sculptures continues to be the property of the artists while it is loaned to the city during the year long OPAL exhibit and will be claimed by the artists at the close of the year.

While the artist’s agreement gives the city permission to reproduce photographic images of the sculptures for non-commercial purposes, they must give credit to the artists when their art is photographed and reproduced.

All of the sculptures are for sale to the public and may be purchased either for the buyers’ personal use or to be used as permanent donations to the city. When an artist sells a sculpture during the year, the work remains on site until the year is completed.

The city has agreed to take only a small commission on sculptures sold during the exhibit, but it will not collect any commission on a sculpture that may be purchased by an individual or a group to be donated as a permanent acquisition to the city’s collection.

The sculptors whose work was chosen were each to receive a stipend of $1000 for

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“B si ”

The

de

by Randy Brown

You Say You Want A Revolution You say you want a revolution Well, you know We all want to change the world You tell me that it’s evolution Well, you know We all want to change the world But when you talk about destruction Don’t you know that you can count me out Don’t you know it’s gonna be all right?

All right, all right “Revolution” - Written by Lennon/McCartney from The Beatles’ The White Album

“Revolution” was written by John Lennon but credited, as were all their compositions, to Lennon/McCartney. It was unusual in that it was released in two versions, the first a fast rock version on the B-Side of “Hey Jude” and then later as single with a slower more mellow version. Both versions were included on The White Album. The point of the song is that change is great, but violence is not the way to do it. So, since this is January and a new year is upon us, let’s talk about change, revolution and resolutions.

As the old saying goes, “Be careful what you wish for.” For many years we all wished for a more level playing field in the music business. Instead of the record company as the all powerful tastemaker, we wanted control ourselves. And we got it. Now the music business, as we knew it, has been utterly and totally changed by the digitization of music and the Internet. This revolution happened in plain view while most of the entertainment industry simply was in denial.

January 2014 - Page 30

ofmusic but now even more so. You are almost sure to remain an unsigned, independent artist.

But that isn’t a bad thing. You have total control over every aspect of your business. You decide who you are, what your audience looks like and how to pursue them. Sounds like hard work, doesn’t it? I can tell you that it certainly is, but it is totally worth it.

You are your own booking agent, promotional team, producer and manager. However, it may not stay like that as your career progresses. Perhaps you reach a point that you are playing regularly and filling venues locally but want to spread out. You know what your audience wants, but you don’t have contacts in other areas. What do you do? You can partner with other artists in your new target area by reciprocally helping them target your area. This does two things for you: it cements your bond with artists outside your home area and builds your fan base.

One of the most important parts of this new music business model is networking.

Networking has always been important, but now it includes all the Internet based social networks like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Google+ and many more. I hear a lot of artists saying they want nothing to do with these tools, but I assure you, social networks are powerful tools and not toys.

To avoid these networks is the equivalent of shooting yourself in the foot unless, of course, your audience is made up of fellow

Look at how the shortlived (1980s 2010 or so) movie rental store craze went. Blockbuster and other video chains came out of nowhere and vanished into history during that short timeframe. The same thing is about to happen to many other industries within the next few years with the proliferation of 3-D printers, and who knows what else future holds. All we can really count on is the revolution will continue to play out in our lives in ways we couldn’t imagine – ultimately effecting all of us in ways we could not have dreamed. And one other point about this revolution – it is never going to stop. Instead, it will continue, and if the last few years are any indication, it will accelerate.

So, ready or not, here it comes...

Complain all you want about the change. It won’t do you any good whatsoever. The music revolution has happened, and now it is up to us to figure out After all, life is change. It has how to continue in this business without losing always been and will always be. our creative mojo. Talking Heads’ David Bryne and We either accept it or we fight it. others’ complaints about the unfairness of the chang Either way, change happens. in the music industry are very moving. As convincing and emotionally satisfying as they may seem, they won’t do you Luddites, and then you are going to have a any good. The harsh reality is, the music really tough time. If your followers are made industry has been irrevocably changed. Arof such, how are you going to let your techguments about unfairness and hardship are nophobic audience know about you and your not applicable when faced with the new remusic? Kind of a catch-22, isn’t it? No one ality. Our chosen job of music requires that can have a viable music career without using we make money to continue. So, it is up to social networking at some level. This business each of us to find our place. Rather than is all about connections. But unless you are complaining about it, let’s examine it and superman, you can’t maintain those relationsee how we might approach it in order to ships by writing letters and phone calls alone. stay relevant, build an audience and hopeOh, those things are effective, of course, but fully make money in the process. also expensive in both time and/or money.

Let us look at the facts as they stand toCan social networking be a time waster? You day. First, you are unlikely to get signed by a bet! But then so can anything. Remember, record company. This has always been true part of your business is to let people know

about you and what you are doing. Posting regularly with interesting posts that engage your audience and potential audience is necessary. Posting political rants and other similar things not germane to your career can do more harm than good. After all, social networking is only marketing. Create a persona and stick to it. Try to keep your social networking persona somewhat like the real you, because that is easier to maintain over the long run. Be real; be honest and thoughtful. I promise, fans will follow.

Because of the revolution, you are going to have to give some music away. I don’t care what anybody says, people only pay for music they love these days (not just like), and to love it they must first hear it. Once upon a time we bought music (albums) like lottery tickets – knowing maybe one song on it, hoping we would love the rest, often getting burned in the process and sometimes winning with great music. Today your fans for the most part won’t take that chance, so you have to change your tactics. Think of your music as an addictive drug. Get the audience hooked first by giving them a taste, and the only way to do that is to let them hear it. Unless you are one of the “lucky” ones getting airplay on Clear Channel radio, you have to get it out there somehow. I use CDs like business cards these days. If I think you have an influence on others about music or are a candidate for a house concert or you are simply a kindred spirit, you may get a free CD handed to you. I put my music on SoundCloud, ReverbNation and many other places, where I have little or no hope of sales, simply to get it out there. I view my music as part of a niche – smart, quirky songs about science and philosophy.

I have to market to that niche. Find your niche, and focus on it.

So, here we are in the future. The revolution is in full swing. We are going to have some casualties in our business because of artists’ unwillingness to accept change and embrace the new. But if we want to be successful, change we must. After all, life is change. It has always been and will always be. We either accept it or we fight it. Either way, change happens. I choose to go with the change despite being an old guy. You have to decide what to do with the revolution yourself. Just remember what John Lennon said: “You know it’s gonna be alright.” And it will. Happy New Year!!

Randy Brown is an award-winning East Texas-based singer-songwriter and self- proclaimed “performing philosopher” bent on deciphering the intersection of spirit, faith and science with a sense of wonder and whimsy in smartly clever folk-Americana-style songs and stories. He has seen a lot of revolutions in 61 years and hopes to survive a few more.

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FINE ART EXHIBITIONS Renaissance Man O’ Men in the Arts , Winnsboro Center for the Arts, through - January 4.

LIVE THEATRE Auditions for The Little Mermaid, Jr. ArtsView Children’s Theatre, Longview, January 16-18.

Flight , Gallery Main Street, Tyler, through January 6.

Believe Again! The Dance Theatre of Harlem, at Cowan Center, Tyler, January 23.

Ann “Sole Sister” Johnson , Longview Museum of Fine Arts, January 11 through February 22.

John August Swanson Serigraph Exhibition , Cole Art Center at Old Opera House, Nacogdoches, through January 11.

Celebration of Life and Death: Selections from the Boeckman Collection of Mexican Folk Art , Tyler Museum of Art, through January 19.

FESTIVALS The Jefferson Texas Pulpwood Queen Book Club “Girlfriend Weekend 2014,” Downtown Jefferson, January 16-19.

FILM Calling Home the Dead, Cole Art Center at Old Opera House, Nacogdoches, January 3.

Amexicano, The Old Firehouse, Edom, January 11

Illuminating Nature: Recent Paintings and Works on Paper by Billy Hassell , Tyler Museum of Art, through March 23.

COMEDY Brian Regan, S.E. Belcher Jr. Chapel and Performance Center, Longview, January 18.

Sacred Spaces: Connecting with the Land , The Stone Fort Museum, Nacogdoches, through March 8.

Card 53-Fourth Wall Comedy Show, Liberty Hall, Tyler, January 25.

Bayou Landscapes: Photographs by Jenny Ellerbe, TCC Photo Gallery , Longview, through March 14.

Texas Art Quilts 1993-2011 , Cole Art Center at Old Opera House, Nacogdoches, Jan. 14 through March 29.

Latino Folk Tales: Cuentos Populares , Michelson Museum Of Art, Marshall, dates TBA.

Tyler Lenius bring The Alley Venable Band and sh in Big Sandy wfi Cra M cle Cir at se down the hou

MUSIC Acoustic Song Circle with Loretta Callens, Bistroll’s in Tyler, every Thursday in January.

Live Music Concert, artist TBA at ArtWorks Longview Museum of Art, January 10.

Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, at S.E. Belcher Jr. Chapel and Performance Center, Longview, January 17.

Tom Prasada-Rao and Friends, at The Old Firehouse, Edom, January 18.

The Five Browns with The East Texas Symphony Orchestra, at Cowan Center, Tyler, January 18.

The Bellamy Brothers, Music City Texas Theater, Linden, January 18.

Shake, Rattle and Roll, at The Gladewater Saturday Night Opry, January 24.

Gaither Vocal Band, at S.E. Belcher Jr. Chapel and Performance Center, January 25, 26.

Quink Vocal Ensemble, at Christ Episcopal Church, Tyler, January 25.

Travis Tritt, at Music City Texas Theater, January 25.

World Hunger Concert, at S.E. Belcher Jr. Chapel and Performance Center, January 26.

MISCELLANEOUS Encore Players Show Choir Auditions, ArtsView Children’s Theatre, Longview, January 9.

Ellis Paul, at The Church at Lake Cherokee, January 12.

River Cities Jubilee, at Grace Hall First Presbyterian Church, Longview, January 12.

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