STEAM Magazine December 2021 #107

ON THE COVER...

CHRISTMAS PARTY

BY GENEVIEVE “GENE” GARAND

December 2021 VOL.10 # 107

PUBLISHER RUSTY HICKS EDITOR TAMMA HICKS COMICS EDITOR ALLENE HICKS STAFF WRITERS TAMMA HICKS, RUSTY HICKS STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS ALLENE HICKS, RUSTY HICKS, HARRISON FUNK CONTRIBUTING WRITERS J MICHAEL DOLAN, ROB DICKENS, RICK J BOWEN, STEVE GOLDSTEIN, KEITH “MUZIKMAN” HANNALECK MUSIC CONSULTANT TONY SARACENE Alternative Weekly Network

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4 COMICS 5 QUICK READ 6 ALBUM COVER OF THE MONTH 7 CD REVIEWS 8 AL STAEHELY: POST SPIRIT MUSIC RELEASE 10 JI M G I LMORE: OY ST ER SEAS ON 12 C LAY MOLT EN : B E I N T HE LI VE VIDEO SHOOT OF BACK IN BLUE 13 3 RD C OAST FOOD I E: C HEFS OF THE COASTAL BEND 14 T AMMY PROȻHAZ KA: PARTY TIME WITH T.A.M. 15 N EW RELEASE S: MOVI E S ART & MUSIC; STEAM SPOTLIGHT: LITTLE JOE’S NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY

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SELF INQUIRY

DANCING WITH FACTS J. Michael Dolan Fact checking is in my DNA. Of all the books, magazines, seminars and workshops I’ve produced and published in the past three decades, none have contained any gossip, rumor or hearsay.

Back in the day, my editorial team and I would gather the info, expel the gossip, analyze the data, poke the evidence, and explore all the possibilities.

Then, we would debate the downside, dispute the upside, argue our point, and consider all possible POV’s. Then, I would make a decision.

That said, once you’ve done the homework and you’ve finally gathered all the facts in any situation, whether it’s a business opportunity or a personal challenge, it becomes much easier to make intelligent choices and wise decisions. When you’re faced with the facts, you may not like what you see, but you’re forced to work with them and discover ways to keep moving forward (whereas hearsay will send you down a endless rabbit hole).

And that’s what you and I and other pro artists & treps do every day. We are constantly challenged to concoct creative ways to use the facts we are presented with to keep us progressing forward, in our careers and personal lives.

Important because over the years I’ve learned that facts don’t always kill the deal, however they do always up the ante. That said, when you’re working with others, requesting factual information in any career decision or personal situation is imperative. If that doesn’t work, insisting may help.

While we’re on the subject, this is one of my favorite books: “Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World” by Hans Rosling

J. Michael Dolan If you’ve put in your 10k hours, mastered your craft, racked up a history of experiences and have become such an expert in your field you could teach it, but you still haven’t grabbed the brass ring…

If you’ve met so many influential, industry insiders and have an impressive list of contacts and connections, but you still have not broken through…

And if you’ve achieved an impressive level of success in your career but you still haven’t come close to achieving your biggest dreams, then what you’re left with are the stories you tell yourself (and others) about why you haven’t arrived yet.

Sadly, once you start believing the stories and excuses you tell yourself, and once you start to build a case for the extra work you have to do and the radical actions you have to take just to stay relevant, then you’re either looking at the beginning of the end game, or a lot more of the same o’l, same o’l.

Why? Because you’re looking in the wrong direction! The problem is not out there, it’s in here! And no matter how much you try and breakthrough the walls out there, and no matter how much experience you have, knowledge you’ve acquired, or wisdom you’ve attained, you’re still the same person you’ve always been at the core…we all are!

Important because the only walls left to breakthrough are the ones you’ve built on the inside that prevent you from breaking through any further. Only then will the skills you’ve mastered on the outside enable you to advance up the ladder and finally get a firm grip on the brass ring. Not like a therapy session, more like an honest self inquiry.

THE BALL J. Michael Dolan Serving the master of convince does not move the ball down the court.

Important because the “ball” is what’s most important to you. The court is the rocky road less traveled. The only thing that moves the ball down the court is your courageous commitment to reach the goal, and the intelligent choices & decisions you make to get there .

STEAMMAGAZINE.NET DECEMBER 2021 STEAM MAGAZINE

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Even though the music on TURNSTILES stands up to anything he has ever done, in 1976 Billy Joel was still mostly working as an opening act or as club show band. It would be the album after this one that put Billy over the top and filled arenas, stadiums and wallets. This piano man's time was very close, but he also worked very hard paying dues and honing his chops with bands like The Tassels and Attila. This album starts with an infectious drum beat that leads into “Say Goodbye To Hollywood,” one of several tunes on here that have emerged as Billy Joel's standards. “All You Want To Do Is Dance” is a sarcastic look at the recent state of music set to a tropical beat, complete with steel drums. One of the most stunning tracks on the album, and in the entire Billy Joel catalog, is his sprawling love song to his home, “New York State Of Mind.” Billy's softer edge appears in “James,” while “Angry Young Man” with it's biting lyrics and extended, frenzied piano introduction

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shows Billy rocking and setting the keys on fire. The apocalyptic “Miami 2017 (I've Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)” is one of Billy Joel's most finely crafted songs and still stands as one of his defining tunes. Billy Joel knew what he wanted and was able to get it all recorded here.

This self-produced album shows Billy not only crafting meaningful songs with first class arrangements, but also delivering them with virtuoso musicianship.

Elton John has always credited Leon Russell as a mentor and major influence on his own music. As Elton's career exploded in the 1970s and 80s, Leon's own star began to loose its shine.

In spite of staying active making records and touring heavily, Leon was unable to duplicate the successes of his early 70s work with Joe Cocker, George Harrison and his own solo records.

By the 2000s, Elton John was still cranking out hits and packing houses all over the world, while Leon was selling his records on the internet and touring the country playing smaller ven-

ues with smaller audiences and smaller paychecks.

Then came THE UNION album and accompanying documentary film. Leon expressed his admiration and gratitude to the “Rocket Man” for his friendship and helping to revive his sagging career. The album, produced by T Bone Burnett, was Leon's biggest selling record since CARNEY in 1972. The 14 songs are a mix of Elton John/Bernie Taupin compositions mixed with several of Leon's, with help here and there from T Bone. Leon's “If It Wasn't For Bad” kick-starts this meeting of the minds and his piano licks are unmistakable, especially on the gospel tinged “Hey Ahab.” “Jimmie Rogers' Dream” is a country edged duet, while “Monkey Suit” reminds us that these guys could still rock. Guest appearances

by Neil Young, Booker T. Jones, Robert Randolph and Brian Wilson are all welcome and fit right in place. It's a shame that there couldn't have been more with this partnership. Check out their chemistry together on “A Dream Come True.”

MASTODON HUSHED AND GRIM (REPRISE)

BY KEITH “MUZIKMAN” HANNALECK

After losing their long-time manager, Nick John Mastodon was hit hard. I think their answer to all their emotions was their music. With death comes birth and new life, and that is what Hushed and Grim is. The title says it all how they are feeling after such an impactful loss.

This two-LP set is a considerable triumph amidst the darkness of losing someone so special. I have some exposure to this band, and previous to this release, I would not have defined their music as progressive metal, but now it most certainly is. The artwork is fantastic (by Paul Romano), and I would encourage everyone to look at the detail. Their artwork has always been very colorful and eyecatching; however, the grey matches that album's title and mood.

Everything about this release is magnificent, the musicianship, vocals, and the production. All of the changes in one song reminded me of the new Dream Theater release (minus all the keyboard flourishes).

Side A begins with "Pain With An Anchor" which I would describe as brutally beautiful. The lyrics are just as driving as the music. Just about all the songs make sense, and they are intense and emotional.

"The Crux" is next, with hard and fast ruling the day. The change that arrives is slower with excellent guitar work, then it reverts to their musical sledgehammer with the last words being "hold aggression," which is a polar opposite to the music, but that is the point, they drive their message home, and you hear it.

"Sickle And Peace" has a solemn atmosphere around it, then the hammer falls for a while and reverts to the slower pace. Rhythmic guitar lines make their entrance into the mix, and then it finishes off with some piercing licks and heavy lyrics like "Where will we go is the question," referring to when we die, of course. "More Than I Could Chew" finishes the first side with more heavy music with prolific words to match.

Now we are off to one hell of a start and can't imagine how this could get any better, but it does. Side B opens with "The Beast." It is an unbelievable scifi trip with excellent instrumentation. Dark lyrics like found in "Skeleton of Splendor" have you envisioning many things. The subject matter may be on the darker side; however, the music is beautiful. A synth comes in to give it a different flavor than a soaring guitar solo to take us out.

"Teardrinker" is one of my favorites, with outstand-

ing vocals filled with despair and sadness. The excellently crafted music makes it real, and the synth again adds some color. The guitar goes on many excursions and would satisfy any metalhead. "Pushing The Tides" closes side two with frenetic and driving music making sure the lyrics are hitting home.

Side C raises the curtain to "Peace And Tranquility." Now I wonder how a track with a title like that fits into the Mastodon calling card we all love. The changes in the middle of the piece I found very interesting and unusual for them. Even though it was different, it was a good piece of music, and I enjoyed it. Then comes the one track that defines how they felt, and I believe it is about their manager. It was a perfect fit from where I interpret music and lyrics, and the title is "Dagger." They sing about the price they paid for knowing their friend and the joy they brought to their lives. The music and lyrics go to another level on this one. "Had It All" is a slow burner with affecting words and a guitar solo breaks out towards the close with all their emotion and every ounce of sweat pouring out.

"Savage Lands" brings side three to a finish with a strong lead guitar with the other layers of sound keeping the rhythm tight. A very self-explanatory title with nothing held back.

Now we have reached the last of the platter with Side D. "Gobblers Of Dregs" opens the door and the give and take between the two vocalists is in lockstep (like they always are). The doom and gloom are portrayed to perfection with significant transitions several times (the norm). The ending jam is fantastic and so complex. "Eyes Of Serpents" offers some excellent mythology (or is it?). The instrumentation is the high point in several instances during this track.

Now we have reached the end of the story with "Gigantium," which is an excellent way to explain the sound of Mastodon. Yes, everything about this band is BIG. It is a fantastic ending with multitudes of those notable changes. I appreciated how progressive they were throughout this listen.

Hushed and Grim is a masterful performance taking their music to new and exciting levels. I am sure their manager is proud and smiling down upon them now. Several of the tracks point to their grief, and the lyrics are a releasing point emphasized by the aggressive music.

From what I gleaned by following the lyrics, it indicates the beginning process of moving on with their lives and music, and I like the direction they are going in.

Thank you, Troy Sanders, Brent Hinds, Bill Kelliher, and Brann Dailor, your music is larger than life.

MASTODONROCKS.COM KEITH “MUZIKMAN” HANNALECK: THEFINALONVINYL.COM

ANA EGGE BETWEEN US (STORYSOUNDS RECORDS)

BY ROB DICKENS Ana Egge’s latest Between Us is her twelfth album.

Showing commendable drive as teenager, she built her own guitar and moved to Austin, Texas. Her career has consolidated over time having worked on recordings with Steve Earle and Ron Sexsmith, as well as full projects with The Stray Birds and The Sentimentals. One of her singles “We Are One,” co-written with Gary Nicholson, gathered over five million Spotify spins.

When conceiving Between Us, Egge wanted a musical departure from what she had before. The process started early in the pandemic, when she began collaborating online with Irish singer-songwriter Mick Flannery, whose path she had crossed at festivals over the years. Their on-line collaboration proved a natural and fruitful experience “It was so fun, and the writing happened so easily — it was almost eerie,” Egge admits. “Almost every time we’d meet up, we would write a whole song.” In fact, nine of the eleven songs flowed from these virtual sessions.

The other lucrative component for the release emanated from a journal she kept as dream ideas kept presenting themselves.

Searching for a producer with a fresh direction, Egge engaged Lorenzo Wolff after being fascinated by his work on the recent Judee Sill tribute Down Where the Valleys Are Low. The material here reflects her inquisitive and mindful state, in reflecting on troubled relationships and the need to take responsibility about outcomes through the early core of the album’s track list – “You Hurt Me”, “Heartbroken Kind” and “We Let The Devil”. “Lie, Lie, Lie” bravely journals a loved one’s inappropriate judgements and

intolerance, while “We Lay Roses” (penned with Nicholson, clip below) is a grieving accolade for her nephew.

Egge prioritized diversity among the musicians she worked with on this record. “It’s up to me to work for an equitable, inclusive community as much as I can in my life and career,” Egge states. “I can be one of the people trying to make a difference; even though that might be small, it’s still in the direction that I want the world to be moving in.”

The players Egge and Wolff assembled were all people she had never played with before (except for backing vocalist J. Hoard) and they brought eclectic musical backgrounds to the music – jam and jazz drummer Corey Fonville, African psych-funk bassist Michael Isvara Montgomery and guitarist/steel guitarist Jonny Lam, bluegrass flautist Anh Phung and New Orleans-schooled keyboardist Jon Cowherd, while the horn players’ credits range from Ricky Martin to Rhiannon Giddens.

Between Us provides many great moments -either through Egge’s nuanced vocals, the adroit arrangements (particularly the glorious horns) and the unabashed honesty pervading it all. A triumph.

ANAEGGE.COM ROB DICKENS: LISTENINGTHROUGH THELENS.ORG

STEAMMAGAZINE.NET DECEMBER 2021 STEAM MAGAZINE 7

By Tamma Hicks, STEAM Magazine

We met Jim Gilmore in 2019 just after he and his wife Vinaya (author) made the move to be Winter Texans in Port Aransas. Their home is in the mountains of Colorado on a ranch his parents had purchased and where he has always lived. After 35 years in the ranching business Jim decided to follow his heart and dream and began sculpting and painting.

Jim is now a well-known bronze sculptor; in fact you’ve probably seen his work at some of the entrances of Cabala’s stores; bigger than life elk, moose, and bison. The sculpting took precedence over his painting, however he never completely stopped. His oil paintings are of the wildlife and landscapes he has photographed throughout CO. Since being here in South Texas and on the Gulf Coast Jim’s landscapes and wildlife have changed dramatically For winter season 2020-2021 he decided that instead of keeping a bunch of sketchpads he’d use a journal.

Using pencil, ink, and watercolors Jim captures the many different aspects of Port Aransas life from the wildlife to flora to the ships that pass in the night to everyday living. The pages found in Jim’s Journal are truly works of art.

JIMGILMOREART.COM FACEBOOK.COM/JIMGILMOREART

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Genevieve (Gene.) Garand is a talented, award winning artist from Quebec Canada whose art has graced our covers 8 times! Gene’s collections have been featured in magazines in Texas, Tennessee, Ohio and Canada, as well as art exhibits in Corpus Christi TX, Memphis TN, Cleveland OH, New York NY, Paris France, and many cities across Canada.

“Christmas Party” was created for the STEAM Magazine Christmas Party Album (On Sale at SteamMagazine.net!) and we thought it would make a beautiful December cover.

“My style includes the use of many techniques and mediums.

My choice of pure colors and pronounced contours present a variation to meanings and elements expressed in each of my works; giving objects my individualized perception,” Gene. explained. “I especially like painting portraits where I can fuse the unique expression of each person into my paintings to finish the piece with my own unique interpretation and the origin of each element.” GENEGARAND.COM NOW AVAILABLE BY GENE.: LONGHORN. A 30”X24” ACRYLIC , ORIGINAL & SIGNED. $2000.00

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND FEATURE CONSIDERATION ARTSHOW@STEAMTX.COM

They say “music makes the world go ‘round” so why not make it spin with new music from these great artists!

Texas Country: Texas Six Pack

by Thomas Michael Riley STEAM Magazine June 2021 #101 Available: ThomasMichaelRiley.com, Spotify, Amazon, iTunes, etc Blues: Crossing Borders

by Evelyn Rubio STEAM Magazine August 2021 #103 Available: EvelynRubio.com, Spotify, iTunes, Amazon, etc Blues: Heavy Load Blues By Gov’t Mule STEAM Magazine October 2021 #105 Available: Mule.net, Spotify, Amazon, iTunes, etc Singer/Songwriter: The Light of Day

by Kenny Grimes and Hal Ketchum STEAM Magazine November 2021 #106 Available: KennyGrimes.com

It’s time to out down your electronic devices and pick up a book! Here are three great books read and reviewed for STEAM Magazine.

Fiction: The Fundraiser by Paul C Strand STEAM Magazine June 2021 #101 Available: PaulCStrand.com, Amazon.com True Story/Motivational: Little Joe ¡No llore, chingón! By Emma González STEAM Magazine July 2021 #102 Available: LittleJoeyFamilia.com, Amazon.com Romance: The Cowboy & The Cajun

by Vinaya Wall STEAM Magazine August 2021 #103 Available: Amazon.com

STEAMMAGAZINE.NET DECEMBER 2021 STEAM MAGAZINE 11

C L AY M E LT O N

& FRIENDS

DOSEY DOE - THE BIG BARN 25911 INTERSTATE 45, THE WOODLANDS

JAN 6 2022 SPECIAL GUESTS EVELYN RUBIO, STEVE KRASE, SARAH GRACE, KYLE GARRETT & MORE

By Tamma Hicks, STEAM Magazine Photos by Miguel Martinez

lues-rock prodigies are a special breed.

They live and breathe electric guitars and rhythm-soaked songs. That explains Clay Melton’s musical calling. At only 27, the Louisiana-born and Texas-based bluesy rocker has already spent 14 years performing live. His powerfully raspy voice and wicked guitar licks leave no doubt he’s grown up in the school of barroom blues and rock.

Back to Blue, a 5-song EP, is Clay’s followup to 2017’s critically acclaimed, full-length debut Burn the Ships. Back to Blue, which Clay began recording November 2020 in Austin and finished May 2021 in Houston, boasts production and engineering credits by Grammy-winner Danny Jones (Stevie Ray Vaughan, Patti LaBelle, Etta James) as well as Clay himself. At the center of Back to Blue is “Say That You Love Me,” a scorching blues-rocker that immediately positions Melton as the future of blues. The song and its accompanying live gig video are proof positive that Melton is a blues-rock dynamo, an artist with an incendiary soul. Past credits include opening for blues-legend Robert Cray and platinum-selling artist Chris Daughtry as well as performances on the Chevrolet Main Stage at the State Fair of Texas.

The guitar driven Rock and Blues sounds of Clay Melton is reaching fans worldwide with his most recent single "Say That You Love Me". Captured at Houston's, White Oak Music Hall, Clay Melton teamed up with 5time Grammy winner and legend Malcolm Harper (ReelSound Recordings) to record the

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW! CLAYMELTON.COM live song. The video was shot and directed by Brandon Bond (WizardRainbow) and edited

by Pep McDowell. The live video of "Say That You Love Me" captures Clay's raw and electrifying energy on stage in a tune that brings both the Rock and the Blues to the forefront of his sound by way of a Fender Stratocaster.

Now get ready to be a part of Clay’s next video! It will be shot at the famed Dosey Doe Big Barn in The Woodlands. STEAM Magazine and STEAM Magazine Radio will be giving away tickets to this event as well as copies of Back to Blue!

As we get into this, I want to point out that you've been performing since you were 13?

Yeah, it started with neighborhood block parties, barbeques, crawfish boils, and blues jams around Houston and it built up from there.

shows with some heavy hitters, including opening for Grand Funk at the Texas State Fair in October.

Oh yeah, they’re Rock and Roll Legends!

Tell me a little about your group, because

for all that sound you put out, you’re a trio?

Yes, guitar, bass, and drums. On the drums is Zach Grindle and he's been with me for about 5 years. Great guy, great drummer.

He's endorsed by Houston based Hendrix Drums.

New to the group as of October we have Zach Cox on bass and he's a great team player. With Cox being the new guy I figure he'll be the one to get a nickname; in the meantime the goal is to not get them mixed up on stage. Right now I call whichever one is near me Zach-1 and I switch every time.

That will probably confuse you sooner or

later. Let's talk about your new EP album, Back to Blue, that was released in My first introduction to the guitar was Jimi July. It is a follow-up to your 2017 album, Hendrix when I was about 11. He's really Burn the Ships. based in blues and just Yes, we did a full-length hearing him play made I really wanted to do something LP in 2017, which was me pick up the guitar. live because this is a bluesy-rocky more on the Rock and I watched a bunch of kind of sound that's different than Pop side and we had his videos and listened success reaching #5 on my previous releases. to him talk about his the Billboard Heat Seekinfluences, which I then looked up. I really ers Chart and that's when we started touring got into the older styles, blues players, and of more and drawing national attention. Since course Stevie Ray Vaughan is a huge influthen we’ve put out a couple of loose singles, ence too. so Back to Blue is our first package release since 2017.

Being well rounded in your genre is good. Obviously you're playing some big You wrote four of the songs and covered

What is it that drew you to the blues?

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ZZ Top's Jesus Just Left Chicago. How did you pick that song?

Well, ZZ Top is Texas Rock and Roll Royalty and you can't grow up in Texas and not know ZZ Top, at least it was that way in my family. I’ve always loved how their album, Tres Hombres, transitions from Waiting For The Bus to Jesus Just Left Chicago. I wanted to do something a little different, so I rocked it up. I’m really happy with the way it came out.

Are the songs you wrote a product of the

pandemic?

Yes and no. The first song was written around the end of 2019. So coming into 2020 everything was shut down from the music industry to life in general. I had just moved into my home, alone, and it just seemed to be a good place to write. Then we waited towards the end of the year for studio time to record.

Had you written songs before the pandemic or was it just you needed something to do so you didn't go stir crazy?

Actually, I started writing songs pretty early and I'm not really sure why I wanted to write songs. I guess as a kid I just did it for fun and to figure out my instrument more. Really, I've been writing for most of my musical life; even before the LP I had written songs and put them out under different names. I was already at a point where I wanted to just sit down and write for this album and the situation gave me time and place for the next batch of songs. You’ve heard that saying, “a songwriter only feels as good as his song” and when you don't have a new song or a

good song you think I don't feel well.

Knowing as many songwriters as I do, I’m thinking there’s a lot of truth in that comment. I read that you didn't just go into one studio to get this cut. You ended up in a few different places.

Oh yeah, some of it was just happenstance in the way it shook out and it lengthened the process, but I'm really happy with the album. We have two producers on the album; our first producer had done Say That You Love Me and Cyclone before moving back to Columbia and that’s when we connected with Danny Jones, who did the bulk of the EP. He really transformed the way it sounds and the way it comes across.

Once we had a weekend planned at a studio for the recording and as we were driving up to Austin, with all our gear, we got a call from the studio saying they had someone in that had COVID and they had to shut down.

November’s Steak In

You know that had to happen

because it’s these little stories that helps make history. Your story reminded me of our interview with Warren Haynes of Gov’t Mule (October 2021 #105) because they did 2 albums in one studio that were completely different of each other; one is it typical Gov’t Mule album and the other is their first ever Blues album.

Warren Haynes, he's a legendary player. That's a really interesting way to record.

You’ve heard that saying, “a songwriter only feels as good as his song”

Chicken Fried Steak and Big Stick Bourbon Whiskey – who we’re working with for the video shoot.

And second, I really wanted to do something live because this is a bluesy-rocky kind of sound that's different than my previous releases.

I know you’ve got some great guest musicians that will be joining you. Are you videoing the complete show for release or are you doing individual songs?

Well, it's going to be kind of a combination. The show will be a multicamera shoot, shot in high definition for both audio and video release. I really want to make this entertaining, so opening the show is a blues artist from Houston, Sarah Grace with Kyle Garrett. The emcee for the evening is KPFT's Songwriter's Studio show host, Tom Tranchilla. We’ll do a build up throughout the show where special guest like sax and vocalist Evelyn Rubio (August 2021 #104) and Steve "Blues Rockin Harp Dude" Krase will join us on stage and we’ll just keep adding to what we are doing.

Our Future was nine courses of beef prepared by three Award Winning Texas Chefs at Nueces Brewing Company in downtown Corpus Christi. Tickets included an all you can eat beefsteak style dinner and select brews and at $75 per person with proceeds going to a wonderful organization and the Chefs of the Coastal Bend’s Michael Stephans Educational Fund it was no surprise that the event sold out! And if you weren’t able to attend this one – there will be more events like this and I suggest you get your tickets early!

It was an honor and a privilege to enjoy the cuisine of these Chefs! Chef Robert Hale C. C from Austin, Texas where he serves as the Director for the TCA Austin Chapter as well at the Culinary and Foodservice Manager for the Texas Beef Council.

Chef Morris Salerno HAAC, FWMCS from Dallas where he is the Chef/Owner of Bistecca Italian Steak House. Chef Morris is the 2020 TCA Chef of the Year and also a proud member of the Epicurean World Master Chef Society.

Chef Dean Sprague CEC, EWMCS. Chef Dean from right here in the coastal bend! Chef Dean is the Executive Chef at Omni Corpus Christi and the 2019 TCA State Chef of the Year as well as the 2021 ACF Central Region Chef of the Year taking a bronze at this year’s National Convention.

Chef Dean has been a mentor to so

many in the community and is a true culinary powerhouse in our area.

What an amazing event put on by Coastal Bend Chefs TCA and chapter director Chef Michael Smith Executive Chef CEC, CEPC, CCA, WCEC at Corpus Christi Yacht Club.

At this point I would be amiss if I didn’t mention the wonderful support provided by Del Mar College’s Culinary Program. This was an invaluable learning experience for these students because the Chefs had them hopping! The camaraderie in this group was contagious and everyone had a great time!

This event was a fundraiser for the Chefs of the Coastal Bend’s Michael Stephans Educational Fund. The Fund started in May 2019 and has sent students and professional chefs to the State Conference for Continuing Education and Competition. This fund has helped student chefs with membership scholarships, assisted with books and tuition, assisted professional chefs with continuing education and certification, as well as given hardship funds to several chefs in the community and state through the TCA Chefs Relief fund.

The CCB chapter has continued to grow becoming the third largest in the state! The CCB is for chefs, however there is an Enthusiast Membership that's just $25 year.

TEXASCHEFSASSOCIATION.ORG FACEBOOK.COM/COASTAL BEND CHEFS TCA

Wow! This is going to be fan-

Now Playing on SteamMagazineRadio.com OK let's talk about your live video event on January 6th. We are very excited to be part of this!

First, we’re filming at Dosey Doe’s because Steve Said has been a big supporter since early on in my career. He gave us some chances to open shows and play the venue, so it’s a location that’s given me big opportunities. Besides that, the Big Barn has such great sound with all that wood resonating; it sonically makes a full recording. And the Dosey Doe has amazing

tastic! We love Evelyn! Ok, I know we’re already talking about 2022, but what else is in store for you?

Well, this live representation will come out in April 2022 which is about the same time we will be heading to Italy for a 2 week European tour to promote the album and the live video. When we get back to the US we’ll be on some tours as we head into the festival season and we’ll to take some time for recording.

C LAY M E LTON . COM Enter to win Clay Melton’s Back to Blue album and tickets to the January 6th show!

STEAMMAGAZINE.NET & STEAMMAGZINERADIO.COM

STEAMMAGAZINE.NET DECEMBER 2021 STEAM MAGAZINE 13

By Tamma Hicks STEAM Magazine

Tammy Proȼhazka, Archie Holcomb, Maurice Antoni and together they make up TAM, a band here in Corpus Christi. Tammy is the lead singer and rhythm & acoustic electric guitar, Archie plays bass and sings, and Maurice is the drummer.

We caught up with Tammy just as she finished giving her dog a bath.

During our conversation Tammy also let it slip that a Grammy winning lead guitarist-singer would be joining them soon, however she didn’t want to jinx it by sharing their identity – to find out who this new player is and where you can see TAM check out…

Facebook.com/TAM! OK, first thing is first… How do you pronounce your last name?

The key is that the “c” is silent. PROH-hahzkuh.

Ah-ha, thanks! Archie is a fabulous bass player and singer, but he is a man of few words and when I say he told us a little bit about you I do mean a little... TAM is a 3- piece group in which you are the lead singer and you also do solo gigs. So please tell me more.

Well, I am a Corpus Christi native that moved away for about 30 years and recently moved back. I was military brat and then I went to work for airlines. So I’ve lived all

over and worked all over the US, and after all the places I had been, I decided it was time to come back to Corpus Christi.

That’s wonderful, welcome home. How long have you been playing guitar?

Well, I started when I was 9; my uncle taught me 3 chords and I took off like a rocket! I also took violin lessons and piano lessons and did recitals and played professionally for a little bit. I have always played guitar but I was in a band for about 3 years starting in 2006 as the drummer. I elected to stop playing drums because they are too much to haul around by myself, so I went back to just guitar.

How long have you been playing together as TAM? We've been playing together since August in this formation; in the last 2 years I’ve had 2 other groups of people but because of COVID-19 we weren’t able to find a lot of band gigs so we splintered off.

Yeah, I totally get that.

A professional keyboard player lives right around the corner from me, so we played at his house exclusively for the first year of COVID-19 and, because I personally wasn't afraid to get out there, I was doing solo gigs.

Then when COVID went into the second year I played with a lead guitar player and, since we couldn't find a drummer or bass player, the two of us played gigs.

That's good and you play around town a lot?

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We play exclusively at house concerts, backyard parties, BBQs, street parties, just any kind of celebration or party, and we have a really good following. We play at some restaurants too We're also members of the Padre Acoustic Social Group and we play once a month at a Street Concert. They are one of the many groups that were put together for musicians to keep their chops up during the covid-19. For a while I was playing with the food trucks. I would just plug-in and provide entertainment.

People love to eat and drink at food trucks.

And I know when you add live music people like to stay longer.

Exactly and, since their clientele changed based on where they were setting up for the day, I’d pass out my cards each time.

That’s a great idea! What kind of music do you play?

You know we don't play any one specific genre, we play a lot of 60s, Americana, some blues, but a lot of off-label music, like the Bside, that the mainstream doesn’t play a lot of. I’m also singer-songwriter, although I have not published any songs yet. I just haven't found the right mix of musicians to share my stuff with, so maybe this is the group. The blues stuff is because we have Archie and he's a really good blues singer.

His singing to me is like melted butter which is a really good thing. The cool part about putting the three of us together is that we just all got along so well and things just

clicked.

Yeah, I have always enjoyed Archie’s singing and his song choice and finding a group that clicks well is not easy. So tell me about your songwriting. Is it something you've always done?

I do write songs on my own, but my brother and I work well together. We are very close and at one point they lived in Colorado and we lived in Arizona so we would get together somewhere in the middle to have fun and write songs. Now that we live in the same town we’re able to get together often and write songs.

That’s great! I'm guessing you come from a pretty musical family since your uncle started you on guitar, you had violin and piano lessons, and you write songs with your brother.

Well, my mom is a singer and my two aunts were in the Sweet Adelines and they all went to Nationals and they went to Australia and sang in the Sydney Opera House. Even though I never sang much when I was young, because I had some stage fright, I did sing along with the radio. And now that I'm back in Corpus this is my time and I'm going to pursue my dreams. I'm pretty content at this point I have a great dog, I have a great bass player and drummer to play with, and we're having fun doing what we're doing.

Sounds to me like things are going your way. So are you ready to tell me who might be joining the band?

Nope. You’re going to have to wait and see!

Facebook.com/TAM

NEW YEAR’S EVE Little Joe Y La Familia featuring

The Hernandez Brothers with DJ Texas Papi Come ring in the New Year with Little Joe Y La Familia featuring the Hernandez Brothers, Rocky & Gilbert. 5x Grammy Award winner Little Joe is one of the most popular Tex-Mex bands in the industry, and has been described as the "King of the Brown Sound" and one of the pioneers of tejano/chicano music, a mix of traditional norteño music, country, blues and jazz styles. After touring the world throughout a 65 year career, at the great age of 80 years-old he has invited his brothers to join him in a tour of select cities. This much sought after brothers union covers many of the great Mexican musical compositions with the known Little Joe Y La Familia flare. It will for sure be a night you do not want to miss!

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2021 | 8 PM

TOBIN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING

ARTS

100 AUDITORIUM CIRCLE SAN ANTONIO

210.223.8624

TICKETS@TOBINCENTER.ORG Reserved Floor Tables: $83.50 Orchestra: $58.50 Orchestra Boxes: $58.50 Grand Tier Boxes: $48.50 Mezzanine: $38.50 Balcony: $28.50 (Note: Reserved Floor Tables are reserved in pairs and have dance floor access, access to two designated bars and New Years party trinkets.

ONLY Reserved Floor tickets have access to dancefloor.)

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