Music News aka Houston Music News - March 2023

Friday, March 3Apex Fallen

Saturday, March 4Tenfour, Phantom Eye, Kha-thod-ik

Friday, March 10To Be Announced

Saturday, March 11Edge Of Destiny Forsaken Tour

Friday, March 17St. Patty’s Day Party with Ever The Wolf

Saturday, March 18Warrior Alive

Friday, March 24Jypsy Rose

Saturday, March 25Stella Vir, Bright Fires Riot The Witness

Friday, March 31Ventruss, Owls & Aliens

Saturday, April 1Totally Not An April Fools Show!

Friday, April 14Treynwrek

19th Hole Grill & Bar is

MARCH 2023

Hi Folks, Hello Music News readers. I hope you had a great February. We’re happy to announce that Concert Season has started up again. This past month Bruce Springsteen performed at Toyota Center, and John Mellencamp performed at Smart Financial Centre. March kicks of with MUSE returning to Toyota Center on March 2, which is also my birthday. I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that they will be here that day. They’re not making a special appearance here in celebration of my birthday.... or are they? Are cover story for this month is The Killers. They will be performing at Toyota Center also this month.

Now, on to the new issue. In this issue, as usual, we have some great stories and information to pass on to you. Check out stories in this month’s issue on Theory Of A Deadman, Alter Bridge, Guster, Vanessa Collier, Skinny Puppy, David Cross, Fit For An Autopsy, Nonpoint and more, as well as another installment of the original story, THE BIKER along with a lot more! Also in this issue are a ton of great pictures of bands performing around the Houston area. I’m sure you’re going to be familiar with a lot of these bands. Those bands include the Buck Yeager Band, Evelyn Rubio, Hugo Jamz, Kory Quinn, Luke Juarez, Proverbial Cool Aid, Shame On Me, The Sparky Parker Band, Poison I.V., Hatbox, Love and War and more. If you have pictures of local bands performing, please email them to us. I would really appreciate it and I know the bands do as well. Keep it up... We would like to see more pictures from you.

We’re also happy to announce that Dan Electro’s has opened back up with new owners who are doing a fantastic job at remodeling this Houston landmark. We’ll have more on that in the future. Our pictures in this issue of Sparky Parker performing were taken there. We’re so happy to see Dan Electro’s open again!

We’d also like to invite you to check out our Spanish music section. This month we feature stories on Marco Antonio Solis, and Jose Luis Zager. Check these stories out in English and Spanish.

I sincerely hope that everybody reading this new publication finds something here that they like and I would like to encourage you to let your friends and colleagues know about us. Just look for us every month at http://www.houstonmusicnews.net. I would also like to encourage you to email us for a free subscription to Rock And Blues International as well. Just email us at musicnew@airmail.net and in the subject line simply put “Sign Me Up” and we’ll email you a copy each month when it is published. Remember, for your convenience, Music News is also now downloadable. You can download the issue into your computer or storage device and save it and read it at your convenience without having to get logged on to the internet every time. Try it now and save every issue. It will make things a lot easier for you.

Kevin Wildman

Kevin Wildman Editor and Publisher

Page 32

Martin Craig

Italy’s Martin Craig Be Tearing It Up In Houston Jack!

David Cross

David Cross Brings His “Worst Daddy In The World Tour” To White Oak Music Hall March 30

Fit For An Autopsy and The Acacia Strain Perform At Warehouse Live With Special Guests Full Of Hell and Primitive Man

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Marco Antonio Solis

Marco Antonio Solis Performs At Smart Financial Centre March 17

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The Continuing Saga Of A Lone Biker On The Road To Explore The Freedoms Of America.

ALSO

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Jose Luis Zagar (en Espanol)

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Nonpoint Nonpoint Bring Their “The Emerald Cities Tour 2023” To Houston’s Warehouse Live On March 24th

Marco Antonio Solis (en Espanol)

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Chris Roy

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Random Shots

The Killers Perform At Toyota Center March 25

The Killers will be performing this month in Houston on March 25th. Originally the band was scheduled to play last September 8th, but the tour was postphoned thill this years. The band is touring in support of their new album, Pressure Machine. The first single released from Pressure Machine was the song, “boy”. Written by frontman Brandon Flowers, the song sees the band return to their anthemic stadium-filling sound. The band debuted the track at last month’s Mad Cool Festival in Madrid. The song was written before Pressure Machine and, says Flowers, the themes explored in the lyrics actually led him on the path to writing and recording that album.

Flowers elaborates,“This was the first song written after we had to cancel the Imploding The Mirage tour due to the pandemic. I had recently moved back to Utah and started to make trips to Nephi,

where I grew up. I found that the place I had wanted to get away from so desperately at 16 was now a place that I couldn’t stop returning to. I have a son approaching the age I was at that time in my life. With “boy”, I want to reach out and tell myselfand my sons - to not overthink it. And to look for the “white arrows” in their lives. For me now, white arrows are my wife, children, my songs and the stage.”

Produced by The Killers, Stuart Price and Shawn Everett, the track’s release comes ahead of the band’s North American stadium and arena tour - the biggest of their career to date - which will reach Houston’s Toyota Center on March 25th.

As they matured from their indie dance-rock roots into torchbearers of new wave- and Americana-inspired anthems, Las Vegas rock quartet the Killers earned

global success. With a mix of ’80s-styled synth pop and fashionista charm, the band’s multi-platinum 2004 debut, Hot Fuss, became one of the decade’s biggest releases, spawning four hit singles — including their most enduring hit, “Mr. Brightside” — and catapulting the group into the international spotlight. After the abrupt stylistic shift on 2006 sophomore effort Sam’s Town — which de-emphasized the band’s new wave revivalism in favor of the heartland rock of Bruce Springsteen and Rattle and Hum-era U2 — they struck a balance between their two sides on a consistent run of Top Ten releases that peaked with 2017’s charttopping Wonderful Wonderful. In 2020, their sixth album, Imploding the Mirage, garnered critical praise and scored them a U.S. alternative chart-topper with the single “Caution.” Less than a year later, they released the pensive tonal shift Pressure Machine.

Founding foursome Brandon Flowers (vocals/keyboards), David Keuning (guitar), Mark Stoermer (bass), and Ronnie Vannucci (drums) first came together in late 2001. Flowers had parted ways with his former synth pop group Blush Response after refusing to move to Los Angeles with the rest of his bandmates. Instead, he remained in Las Vegas, where he soon met local guitarist and Oasis fanatic Keuning. The two began collaborating on material; within weeks, they’d composed their soon-to-be radio hit “Mr. Brightside.” Stoermer, a former medical courier, and Vannucci, a classical percussion major at UNLV, eventually joined the fray, and the band began playing small clubs in their hometown.

A U.K. representative for Warner Bros. caught wind of the Killers’ brewing hype, and although he neglected to bring them on board the Warner roster, he did pass along their demo to the London-based indie imprint Lizard King. The British label quickly signed the Killers, who temporarily moved to the U.K. and issued a limited-edition single for “Mr. Brightside.” The Killers’ buzz had effectively traveled back across the Atlantic by fall 2003, and the band was offered a prime spot at the annual CMJ Music Marathon in New York City. A worldwide deal with Island followed shortly thereafter, positioning the Killers to join the ranks of fellow indie/ post-punk revivalists Interpol, the Rapture, and the Strokes.

Shared U.K. dates with British Sea Power and stellastarr* in 2004 gave the

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Killers an opportunity to showcase material from their debut album, Hot Fuss, which was released that June. “Somebody Told Me,” “Mr. Brightside,” “Smile Like You Mean It,” and “All These Things That I’ve Done” all became worldwide chart hits, and Hot Fuss peaked at number seven on the Billboard Top 200. Buoyed by such success, Flowers became a sought-after media presence, often lashing out at such groups as the Bravery for riding his band’s coattails into the mainstream. The frontman’s confidence was not unwarranted; by 2006, Hot Fuss had earned five Grammy nominations and sold over five million copies.

Rather than take a break to recover from their heavy tour regime, the Killers immediately set to work on a second album. A newly built facility at the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas became the band’s studio, and legendary producers Flood and Alan Moulder (who had previously worked together with U2 and the Smashing Pumpkins) were chosen to helm the controls. Instead of mining the glamour and glitz of their hometown (as they did to a successful extent on Hot Fuss), the group instead focused on nostalgia and the demise of old-fashioned American values, citing veteran songsmith Bruce Springsteen as a chief influence. The popularity generated by leadoff single “When You Were Young” led up to the highly anticipated release of Sam’s Town in early October 2006. While the album did not match the popularity of the band’s debut, it nevertheless sold 700,000 copies worldwide during its first week, eventually spawning three U.S. singles and gaining the Killers two additional Grammy nods. Sawdust, a collection of B-sides, rarities, and remixes, followed one year later, serving as a stopgap recording between the band’s proper studio albums.

The Killers returned in 2008 with Day & Age, which eschewed the Americana tangents of Sam’s Town in favor of pop pastiches and sleek, Bowie-inspired oddball dance-rock. The band’s return to the dancefloor was emboldened by Stuart Price, a veteran producer who had previously worked with Madonna and Gwen Stefani, and the Top 40 single “Human” helped the Killers continue their commercial streak. A lengthy tour carried the group into 2009, which also saw the release of the concert album Live from the Royal Albert Hall. Solo work filled many of the next few

years, including Brandon Flowers’ Flamingo, Ronnie Vannucci’s Big Talk, and Mark Stoermer’s Another Life.

After reconvening in early 2011, the band got to work on their fourth studio album, enlisting a small army of notable producers, including Daniel Lanois, Steve Lillywhite, Damian Taylor, Stuart Price, and Brendan O’Brien. The resulting Battle Born was released in September 2012. The set peaked at number three on the Billboard 200, while lead single “Runaways” landed on the Hot 100. In early 2013, the Killers announced that they would be releasing their first greatest-hits collection. Entitled Direct Hits, the November release featured two newly recorded songs, “Shot at Night” and “Just Another Girl,” which were produced by M83 and Stuart Price, respectively.

In 2015, the Killers began working on new material for their fifth studio album, eventually choosing producer Jacknife Lee to helm the bulk of the tracks. The resulting record, 2017’s Wonderful Wonderful, featured cameos by Mark Knopfler and Brian Eno, as well as the radio hit “The Man.” It debuted at number one on the U.K., Australian, and U.S. charts. Before the Killers embarked on the road to support the album, the band announced that Mark Stoermer and David Keuning would not be participating in the tour, yet they had not officially left the group. Flowers and Vannucci forged forth, traversing the globe with touring musicians Jake Blanton, Ted Sablay, Robbie Connolly, and Taylor Milne.

By the end of the decade, the original lineup was effectively reduced to a loose trio, as Keuning did not appear on their next album and Stoermer provided

bass for just a handful of tracks. That set, 2020’s Imploding the Mirage, ushered in a fresh era for the Killers. For this sixth fulllength LP, Flowers and Vannucci were joined by multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Rado (Foxygen) and a team of famous guests including Adam Granduciel (War on Drugs), k.d. lang, Natalie Mering (Weyes Blood), Stuart Price, Blake Mills, Lucius, and Lindsey Buckingham. Upon release, the critically acclaimed Mirage topped the charts in Australia and the U.K., rising into the Top Ten in the U.S. upon the popularity of U.S. Alternative Top Ten singles “Caution” and “My Own Soul’s Warning.” In early 2021, a deluxe version was issued, featuring the previously unreleased “C’est La Vie” and reworked versions of “Caution” and “Blowback.” By then, there was already talk of another Killers album in the works, with Keuning and Stoermer back in the mix. Before details could be confirmed, the band teamed up with major influence Bruce Springsteen for a reworking of a Day & Age track that was rechristened “Dustland.” That one-off single landed just a month before Flowers and company finally announced their seventh album, which was released less than a year after Mirage.

The stark Pressure Machine marked a significant shift in the band’s approach. A restrained concept album that focused on Flowers’ home of Nephi, Utah, it stripped away their usual anthemic bombast and Vegas glamour to examine the darker side of small-town life. The melancholic LP hit number nine on the Billboard 200 and featured guests Phoebe Bridgers (“Runaway Horses”) and Dawes (“The Getting By”). Released a year later, the anthemic “Boy” marked something of a return to their signature sound.

Theory Of A Deadman Bring Their Rock

“Resurrection Tour” To Bayou Music Center March 14th With Special Guests Skillet and Saint Asonia

THEORY OF A DEADMAN and SKILLET have announced the coheadlining “Rock Resurrection” tour. The tour, with support from SAINT ASONIA, starts off on February 17 in Gary, Indiana and runs through March 26, wrapping in Los Angeles.

“We’re super stoked to be touring with our good friends in SKILLET and SAINT ASONIA this winter,” shares THEORY OF A DEADMAN frontman Tyler Connolly. “We’re also really looking forward to playing new material for our fans!!”

“We are so excited to be touring with our friends from THEORY again!,” says SKILLET’s John Cooper. “It’s been several years since our last tour together, and this time we are also joined by our friends in SAINT ASONIA. We are looking forward to kicking off 2023 the right way by joining forces for a supercharged rock show! Panheads get ready!”

Theory of a Deadman recently released a brand new single “Dinosaur.” The track was produced by Martin Terefe (Jason Mraz, YUNGBLUD) and marks the chart-topping quartet’s first taste of new music since their 2020 LP Say Nothing. The album landed at #2 on the Billboard Alternative Albums Chart and #3 on the Rock Albums Chart. It also featured the chart-topping and powerful single “History of Violence.”

“‘Dinosaur’ takes us back to our roots with this riff-driven rocker,” said frontman Tyler Connolly. “To me, it feels like it could fit on any of our albums, but I will say if you like the old Theory of a Deadman, you’ll love the new Theory of a Deadman.”

“Rock is where we made our bed for all these years,” adds guitarist Dave Brenner. “It’s been a while since we had an up-tempo in-your-face track like this – and it felt good.”

Skillet released their eleventh studio album Dominion back in January via Atlantic. The band worked with renowned rock producer Kevin Churko (Ozzy Osbourne, Disturbed, Five Finger Death Punch) and his son, Kane Churko, alongside Michael O’Conner and Seth Mosley. Their last album – 2019’s Victorious – topped the Billboard Christian Albums chart and landed at No. 3 on both Billboard’s Top Rock and Top Hard Rock albums charts.

Saint Asonia are releasing their new EP Extrovert on November 18 via Spinefarm. The six-song outing is the follow up to their 2018 EP Introvert. On December 9, the band – which features Staind guitarist Mike Mushok and exThree Days Grace frontman Adam Gontier – will release both EPs in a physical package called Introvert/ Extrovert. The physical recording will feature bonus tracks as well.

A Canadian heavy rock crew with a versatile modern rock sound that incorporates elements of country, acoustic, pop, and post-grunge, Theory of a Deadman emerged in 2001 as the first act to sign with Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger’s 604 Records imprint. Since issuing their platinumselling eponymous debut in 2002, the band has found both regional and international success via releases like Scars & Souvenirs (2008), Savages (2014), and Say Nothing (2020).

Tyler Connolly (vocals/guitar) reportedly slipped a copy of the band’s demo to Kroeger at a post-concert party and the two were soon collaborating on songs together. One of these, “Invisible Man,” was used as the B-side for 2002’s wildly successful Spider-Man theme “Hero” (a Kroeger collaboration with Saliva singer Josey Scott), and anticipated Theory of a Deadman’s self-titled debut the same year. Also featuring Dave Brenner (guitar), Dean Back (bass), and Tim Hart (drums), the album’s hookladen, emotional hard rock sounded very similar to their celebrity benefactor’s band. But a healthy touring work load and simple maturation ultimately helped Theory of a Deadman break out of that

confining stylistic box for their more varied and distinctive sophomore effort Gasoline, which was recorded with session drummer Robin Diaz. The trio later tapped veteran journeyman Brent Fitz (formerly of Union and Vince Neil’s solo band) as their new permanent touring drummer. Theory of a Deadman returned to the studio in 2007 to record their third album, Scars and Souvenirs, which was produced by Howard Benson. The album was released in April 2008, and was certified gold in less than a year. The hard-hitting Canadian rockers’ fourth studio album, The Truth Is... arrived on July 12, 2011, and was followed by a co-headlining tour with Alter Bridge under the banner the Carnival of Madness, which also included Adelitas Way, Black Stone Cherry, and Emphatic. In 2014, the bandmembers announced they were working on an album, and a new single, “Drown,” arrived in April of that year. Their fifth album, Savages, followed in July of 2014. In October 2017 the band released a music video for the song “Rx (Medicate)” in anticipation of the arrival of the full-length Wake Up Call, which dropped later that month. Now going simply by Theory, the pop-leaning set entered the U.S. charts at 24 and peaked just outside the Top 10 in Canada. Continuing their new direction — sounding close to Imagine Dragons, OneRepublic, and Shinedown — Theory further embraced soaring pop/rock on the serious single “History of Violence” from their seventh set, 2020’s Say Nothing.

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Alternative Christian rockers Skillet strike a balance between metalfest headliners and the worship-band stage, delivering hard-charging anthems for secular and spiritual audiences alike. Slowly amassing an audience in the mid’90s, they beefed up the band’s lineup and broke into the mainstream in 2001 with their fourth album, Alien Youth. From there, the quartet experienced a quick ascent on the charts, rapidly increasing in popularity with each successive release. By 2009, they had reached number two on the Billboard 200 with their best-selling effort to date, Awake. Subsequent LPs Rise (2013) and Unleashed (2016) proved just as popular, attracting a diverse audience with their reliably propulsive and riff-heavy output. They again topped the Christian Albums chart with 2019’s Victorious before returning with 2022’s powerful Dominion.

Formed in Memphis, Tennessee, the original Skillet lineup centered around the nucleus of lead singer and bassist John Cooper, guitarist Ken Steorts, and drummer Trey McClurkin. Debuting in 1996 with a self-titled LP, the trio returned two years later with Hey You, I Love Your Soul. Invincible followed in early 2000, and the group contributed three tracks to the Ardent Worship: Skillet Live compilation that same year. With a new lineup of Cooper on bass and lead vocals, his wife Korey Cooper on guitar and keyboards, Ben

Kasica on guitar, and Lori Peters on drums, Skillet released Alien Youth on Ardent Records in 2001, marking their first appearance on the Billboard 200. Skillet followed with Collide in 2003. The latter album was then picked up by Lava/Atlantic and reissued the following year with a bonus track. Collide went on to be the band’s best-selling album to date (even earning a Grammy nomination), and Skillet supported the record on tours with bands like Saliva and Shinedown.

Skillet’s next effort for the label, Comatose, appeared in fall 2006, continuing their steady rise on both the charts and in sales. However, it wasn’t until 2009’s Awake that the band hit their stride. The first studio effort to feature new drummer Jen Ledger, Awake topped the U.S. Alternative and Christian Albums charts, rising to number two on the Billboard 200. Singles “Monster,” “Hero,” and “Awake and Alive” were all certified platinum, and it remained their highest-selling release to date. Rise followed in 2013, topping the Christian, Rock, and Hard Rock charts. The next year, a compilation album, Vital Signs, was released to introduce the band to European audiences.

Skillet’s ninth album, 2016’s Unleashed, performed just as well and was bolstered by a deluxe version, Unleashed Beyond, which arrived in late 2017 and featured five new songs,

including “Breaking Free” with Lacey Sturm. The following year, Ledger issued a self-titled solo EP, which was issued on Cooper’s label Hear It Loud. In addition to co-writing contributions by Korey, John also lent his vocals to the single “Warrior.” Both acts continued to tour before returning to the studio for Skillet’s tenth set, Victorious. Released in August 2019, the spiritually invigorating effort included the tracks “Legendary” and “Save Me.” In 2021, they again hit the Christian songs chart with “Surviving the Game,” which later appeared on 2022’s hard-hitting, yet lifeaffirming Dominion. The album peaked at number two on the Christian chart and was later issued in a deluxe edition with the crushing “Psycho in My Head” single.

A Canadian rock/post-grunge supergroup whose membership has been pulled from bands like Three Days Grace, Staind, Finger Eleven, and Art of Dying, Toronto’s Saint Asonia made their debut in 2015. Following a fouryear gap and a handful of lineup shifts, the group resumed work with 2019’s Flawed Design.

Saint Asonia came into being when Staind guitarist Mike Mushok and Three Days Grace frontman Adam Gontier began writing together just after the latter split with his flagship band. Impressed with what they had managed to conjure up, the duo enlisted Eye Empire bassist Corey Lowery, and former Finger Eleven drummer Rich Beddoe to complete their initial lineup. Heading into the studio with producer Johnny K (Disturbed, Megadeth, Sevendust), the quartet began work on their debut long-player. Released in July 2015, the eponymous full-length Saint Asonia resembled the sum of its parts and was a success both at home, where it reached the Canadian Top Ten, and in the U.S., where it made a solid showing at number 29 on the Billboard 200.

Prior to their next release, Saint Asonia swapped out their rhythm section, with former Staind drummer Sal Giancarelli replacing Beddoe and Art of Dying bassist Cale Gontier (who is also Adam Gontier’s cousin) replacing Lowery. With their second lineup settled, the group recorded their 2019 follow-up, Flawed Design, for the Spinefarm label.

Alter Bridge Bring Their “Pawns & Kings Tour” To The 713 Music Hall March 17 With Special Guest Mammoth WVH

Acclaimed rockers Alter Bridge have announced the North American leg of their 2023 “Pawns & Kings” tour. The 30-city trek will be split into two legs. The First leg started off on January 25 in Tampa, Florida and will conclude on April 1 in Highland, California. Mammoth WVH, the band spearheaded by Wolfgang Van Halen, will be direct support act on the entire tour. Rockers RED will be the opening act on the first leg of the tour.

Alter Bridge released their seventh album, “Pawns & Kings”, on October 14, 2022 via Napalm Records. “Pawns & Kings” was the follow-up to 2019’s

“Walk The Sky”. It was recorded at Studio Barbarosa in Gotha, Florida with producer Michael “Elvis” Baskette, who has previously worked with Sevendust, Mammoth WVH and Slash, along with a slew of legendary bands.

“Pawns & Kings” is filled with 10 extraordinary new tracks that are sure to garner Alter Bridge a helluva lot of new fans that have been waiting for something new from the band for the last three years.

From the opening lines of “This Is War” to the albums closer and title track “Pawns & Kings”, Alter Bridge has

produced an album of jaw-dropping songs that were born after the cycle for their last album was cut short by the global pandemic. Songs like “Dead Among The Living”, “Silver Tongue” and “Holiday” showcase the signature songwriting the band is known for. The album offers numerous epic adventures. “Fable Of The Silent Son” has a running time of 8:29 and is the longest recorded song recorded by the band to date. This title was previously held by “Blackbird” until now. Guitarist Mark Tremonti actually takes a giant leap and is the lead vocalist on “Stay”, a great ballad that is

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bound to be a fan favorite.

In an interview with Ian Danter of Planet Rock’s “My Planet Rocks”, Tremonti remarked about “Pawns & Kings”, “We’re very proud of it. Our producer is absolutely in love with the record. I think if you’re a fan of Alter Bridge, you’ll dig this record. We’re very happy with it.”

When asked if there will be any “heavy” Tremonti riffs on “Pawns & Kings”, Mark said: “There are some heavy riffs on there. And it’s funny because some of the heaviest riffs on the record Myles [Kennedy] brought to the table. Even my producer is, like, ‘I can’t tell who’s bringing what to the table anymore. ‘Cause back when the band started, you were the heavy guy and Myles was the moody guy — [he would bring in] the ballady things — and we’d mix them up. And now you never know.’

“At this point, Myles loves playing guitar solos, and I love singing. So we like to do each other’s roles, because I think he doesn’t feel the pressure as a guitar player because he’s known as a singer; I don’t feel the pressure as a singer because I’m known as a guitar player. So we liked filling the other person’s role. It’s fun.”

American hard rock outfit Alter Bridge resurrected the music-making portion of Creed just as that band announced its official split in 2004. While Creed’s singer Scott Stapp embarked on a solo career, the remaining bandmates enlisted vocalist Myles Kennedy and quickly issued a debut, One Day Remains, which peaked at number five on the U.S. charts. With their hard-charging sound and Kennedy’s soaring vocals, Alter Bridge remained a fixture on the Billboard 200’s Top 20; in fact, 2016’s The Last Hero was their highest overall charting effort. They moved confidently into their next decade with 2022’s Pawns & Kings, their seventh album overall.

After Creed’s dissolution was finalized in 2004, plans for Alter

Bridge’s debut were already well under way. Guitarist Mark Tremonti and drummer Scott Phillips tapped ousted bassist Brian Marshall for the new project, recruiting ex-Mayfield Four frontman Myles Kennedy as the band’s vocalist. Alter Bridge made their WindUp debut in August 2004 with One Day Remains, which shot to number five on the Billboard 200. Written largely by Tremonti, the record leaned more toward a hard rock/metal sound than the postgrunge grandstanding of his previous group. After touring the world to support the album, the band decided to leave Wind-Up and sign with the Universal imprint Republic. In late 2007, the label released Blackbird, an album that featured more songwriting contributions from Kennedy.

In 2009, the band took a break as Creed re-formed and went on tour. Meanwhile, Kennedy joined Slash’s touring band and got to work on a solo album. However, Alter Bridge were soon back together and their third album, AB III, was released in 2010, followed in 2012 by the concert recording Live at Wembley: European Tour 2011. After

touring concluded, the band went back into the studio to record its fourth album, the critically acclaimed Fortress, a more thrash-influenced album that arrived in October 2013. It was their highestcharting effort since their debut and marked the start of an upward trajectory that carried them to the end of the decade.

In 2016, the band released its much anticipated fifth studio long-player, The Last Hero, which included the single “Show Me a Leader.” This time, Alter Bridge peaked within the Top Ten for the first time in over a decade. Embarking on a mammoth worldwide tour the following year to support the release, the group also recorded a handful of its shows and released them in the process. Live at the O2 Arena appeared in September 2017 alongside a selection of rarities, before the band recorded a twonight stint at London’s Royal Albert Hall. The resulting live album was issued exactly a year after the previous album, and this time featured the 52-piece Parallax Orchestra for backing. Shortly

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thereafter, the band returned to the studio for 2019’s Walk the Sky. Produced once again by their longtime collaborator Michael Baskette, but for the first time not co-written by him, the album included the heavy singles “Wouldn’t You Rather” and “Take the Crown,” as well as the John Carpenter-influenced “Pay No Mind.” 2020 saw the band issue the EP Walk the Sky 2.0, which included the new studio cut “Last Rites,” as well as six live tracks. Alter Bridge’s seventh studio album, Pawn & Kings, appeared in late 2022. A varied mix of styles, it veered into heavy prog territory on the eight-minute “Fable of the Silent Son” and even saw Tremonti taking over

vocals on the power ballad “Stay.”

First impressions last a lifetime. Wolfgang Van Halen has prepared a lifetime to make his first impression with his solo band Mammoth WVH. The songwriter, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist worked tirelessly on material that would become his debut album. Playing every instrument and singing each and every note, his music presents a personal and powerful perspective, balancing memorable hooks and tight technicality. As many times as audiences have experienced his talent alongside the likes of Tremonti, Clint Lowery, and of course, Van Halen, Wolfgang prepares to step into the spotlight with his own brand

- Mammoth WVH - for the very first time now.

“The name Mammoth is really special to me.” says Wolf. “Not only was it the name of Van Halen before it became Van Halen, but my father was also the lead singer. Ever since my dad told me this, I always thought that when I grew up, I’d call my own band Mammoth, because I loved the name so much. I’m so thankful that my father was able to listen to, and enjoy the music I made. Nothing made me happier than seeing how proud he was that I was continuing the family legacy.”

Combining elements of metal, grunge, alternative, and hard rock, Mammoth WVH is the solo project of Wolfgang Van Halen, son of guitar god Eddie Van Halen. Before his father’s death ended Van Halen in 2020, Wolfgang was the band’s bassist from 2006 onward, and he paid loving tribute to his father with his first Mammoth WVH song, “Distance.” That track, along with 13 others, appeared on the group’s eponymous full-length debut in 2021.

Wolfgang Van Halen was born in 1991. He was an only child and developed a close relationship with his parents, learning music from his rock star dad and eventually joining his band as a teenager. In 2012, he also joined Creed guitarist Mark Tremonti’s group Tremonti, first filling in on bass for a tour, but then becoming a full-time member of the band. Wolfgang was steadily working on songs of his own, but he kept his original material under wraps until his father died in October 2020. He formed Mammoth WVH the next month, repurposing the name Mammoth from the first iterations of Van Halen, which featured his father on lead vocals. A talented singer and multiinstrumentalist, Wolfgang recorded every instrument for his new project himself. His first song, “Distance,” debuted in November 2020, and an accompanying video was montaged from home movies of him and his father in different stages of his early life through to the hour at hand. Mammoth WVH released their dynamic self-titled debut the following year.

Saturday, March 4, 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm 3 Doors Down 102 20th St - Galveston, TX 77550

Saturday, March 11, 9:00 pm - 1:00 am

Aspens Bar & Grill 817 Clear Lake Rd - Kemah, TX 77565

Thursday, March 16, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Republic Harley Davidson 12707 Southwest Freeway - Stafford, TX 77477

Friday, March 17, 3:00 pm - 6:30 pm

Mo’s Irish Pub - Katy 23511 Katy Frwy - Katy, TX 77494

Friday, March 17, 9:00 pm - 1:00 am

The Abbey Pub 2002 N Fry Rd - Houston, TX 77084

Saturday, March 18, 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Mo’s Irish Pub College Station 1025 University Dr - College Station, TX 77840

Saturday, April 1, 7:00 pm -11:00 pm

Papa’s On The Lake 14632 Hwy 105 W - Montgomery, TX 77356

Saturday, April 8. 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Shades Club 405 7th St - Bay City, TX 7414

Friday, April 28, 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Aspens Bar & Grill 817 Clear Lake Rd - Kemah, TX 77565

Friday, May 5,

Cypress Lounge 11945 Barwood Bend Dr - Houston, TX 77065>

Friday, May 26, 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Mo’s Irish Pub - Katy 23511 Katy Frwy - Katy, TX 77494

Saturday, May 27, 8:00 pm - 12:00 pm

Backwoods Saloon 230 Lexington Ct - Conroe, TX 77385

Sunday, May 28, 3:00 pm -7:00 pm

Papa’s On The Lake 14632 Hwy 105 W - Montgomery, TX 77356

Saturday, June 24, 8:00 pm - 12:00 pm

Scotty’s Saloon 114 Agnes Rd - Richmond, TX 77469

Shawn Williams Performs At The Green Oaks Tavern March

5th

Hailing from the melting pot of New Orleans, Shawn Williams makes music that’s every bit as diverse and hauntingly soulful as her hometown. She calls it “alt-rocka countrybilly, serial killer blues,” carving out an atmospheric sound that blends amplified guitars, rawly honest lyrics, and nocturnal arrangements into her own brand of Americananoire. Wallowin’ in the Night, her fourth full-length record, adds a new dimension to that musical mix, unfolding like a soundtrack to the long, lonely hours after midnight.

“I’ve always been drawn to dark themes,” she explains. “Maybe it comes from being in New Orleans. Maybe it comes from my love of the desert. It just flows out of me from somewhere else.”

Wallowin’ in the Night shines its light on the darkness of the human experience, its songs detailing Williams’ experience with heartbreak and hangovers, breakups and booze, vices and vulnerability. Released on the heels of 2020’s The Fear of Living, The Fear of Loving, it’s an album about the people who leave and the hard habits that stick around, written and produced by a songwriter who isn’t afraid to shine a light on the skeletons in her own closet.

“A lot of these songs have a nighttime atmosphere,”

explains Williams, a former radio programmer who launched her songwriting career with 2017’s Shadow and its acclaimed follow-up, 2018’s Motel Livin’. “The nighttime is when we’re mostly alone by ourselves, stuck with whatever’s going on, whether that’s sadness or happiness. When I was writing some of these songs, it was mostly sadness.”

From country ballads laced with pedal steel (“Don’t Go”) to angry, alt-rock standouts with overdriven guitar solos (“Everything You Stood For”), Wallowin’ in the Night explores the universal theme of heartbreak with Williams’ singularly genre-jumping approach. The sexually-charged “Buzzed” begins like a haunting folk song, its acoustic guitar chords punctuated by Williams’ invitation to a would-be lover to come spend the night, then builds into an anthemic, full-band salute to the carnal desires that keep us awake after hours. “Fireworks’’ finds her channeling Neko Case — another countryadjacent rock & roll siren who traffics in the nocturnal and the nuanced — while “So Tired” mixes fuzz guitar riffs and stomping percussion into a proudly pissed-off declaration of hard living and inebriation. Williams mixes humor with heartbreak, too, delivering biting lines — “I really do hope that you two live happily ever after, but who am I kidding? I was never good at telling jokes,” she snaps in “Someone Else” — with the stinging swagger that’s already made her a hometown hero in New Orleans.

Other hometown heroes appear on Wallowin’ in the Night, too, with Williams reconvening her studio band of regional all-stars. John Fohl, a veteran of Dr. John’s band, plays guitar. Casey McAllister (Peter Murphy/Langhorne Slim/ Hurray for the Riff Raff) handles keyboard duties, as well as guitar on a few tracks. NOLAmericana solo artist Lynn Drury sings harmonies, NPR-celebrated instrumentalist Dave Easley makes a cameo appearance on pedal steel, and The Iguanas — longtime staples of New Orleans roots-rock scene — serve as the rhythm section, matching Williams’ sharp songwriting with deep grooves. Working with engineer Tom Stern at Blue Velvet Studio, Williams produced the recordings herself, spotlighting the combination of creative vision and do-it-yourself drive that’s earned her shows alongside fellow roots-music mainstays like Wanda Jackson and Sarah Shook.

“The unbridled Williams sings of lust and longing at the dark end of the street,” gushes The Advocate, alternately describing the songwriter’s sound as “hillbilly-post-punk-gothrock” and “Hank Williams meets The Smiths meets Siouxsie and the Banshees.” Defying categorization, Shawn Williams wears her broken heart on her sleeve with Wallowin’ in the Night, unafraid to detail the lengths to which she’ll go — from quick fixes to long benders, from last calls to first moves, from self-examination to boozy self-annihilation — to get some much-needed relief. It’s an album of dynamic shifts, its fullthrottle highs and lonely lows mirroring the rollercoaster ride of heartbreak itself, and Williams sings each song in a voice flecked with both the twang of alt-country and the pissed-off power of alt-rock. She makes her home there, in the gray area between genres, planting her flag in territory that runs beside her influences, yet is still distinctly her own.

Yes, there’s darkness at the end of that street. But there’s also melody, guitar-driven muscle, and the cutting insights of a songwriter who, like her New Orleans home, isn’t afraid to embrace both the wild thrills and dangerous possibilities that come with a life lived after sundown.

Thurday, March 2 Shawn Allen w/Meme Charles

Friday, March 24 Eric Demmer Band

Sunday, March 26 Rich Delgrosso& Grant Dermody

Sunday, March 5 Shawn Williams from New Orleans

Sat. March 18

Tianna Hall

Friday, Mar 21 Mathias Lattin

Sat. March 25 Van Wilks

Friday, March 3

Alastair Greene Trio

Friday March 10 Devon Rismay

Saturday March 4 The Mighty Orq

Friday, March 17 Josh Garret Band Friday March 11 Kane Alvarado

Open Mic Every Wednesday

Thursday, March 2 - Bad Trip, Michael Dutka, Bridge The Divide

Friday, March 3 - That Reeb-erb Show!

Saturday, March 4 - Punk Rock Prom 2023

Sunday, March 5 - Maximillian, Sage Stone, Justin Guy

Thursday, March 9 - Alien Shore

Friday, March 10 - Victims Of A System, Inside The Fire, Lady Picture Show

Saturday, March 11 - Brainstorm For Tuesday, Bad Trip, And Then Suddenly

Sunday, March 12 - Of The Roses, Lost In A Name, Noella Grey and The Imaginary Band

Wednesday, March 15 - Hemlock, Scream at the Sky, Submit Thy Will

Friday, March 17 - Kizmet, Kha-Thod-ik, RadioSmack, Zero Problem With That

Saturday, March 18 - Creamator, Karim K, Nick and Ian, Michael Dutka

Sunday, March 19 - Boy JR at Acadia

Thursday, March 23 - GREYBUSH, Mouthskin, Chironex and Zodiac Disciples

Friday, March 24 - Anathemia, 5FIFTEEN, Xiii, Chaw

Saturday, March 25 - 2023 TXCore Fest: Spring Edition

Sunday, March 26 - Dunne Cody

Thursday, March 30 - Vicious Rumors, Distance of Thought, Serpent Attack

Friday, March 31 - Barnyard Stompers, Tenfour, Phantom Eye, Hitch

Jose Luis Zagar Performs At The Arena Theatre April 1st

José Luis began his comedian career at the Blue Unicorn in 2001, later he went to Hermosillo, Sonora to the bar

Two years later, he returned to Monterrey and became the favorite comedian of the public.

He turned the Mexican Republic at private events and has worked with personalities such as Polo Polo, El Norteño, Platanito, Teo Gonzalez, Jorge Falcón, Adal Ramones, Omar Chaparro and many more in various television programs, among which stand stands Unemployed, Saturday, humor nights, Central Comedy and in diverse show centers.

After 21 years of not stepping on a recording studio, the comedian returned to the sung of the hand of Apodaca Group and his producer Jorge Pasa Leal, a member of the El Plan group.

A very jocular cumbia is the key that allowed the return of zagar to music.

“We start with something Chusco to go according to the image that many have of me,” said the artist, “and then present songs of romantic, serious songs.”

Many remember him as a member of the Los Humildes group, although the young public who follows it only knows him for his comedian’s facet.

After his departure from the humble, he said, he radically changed by profession and although he continued on stage, now his strong is comedy.

When he entered to record his first single, “Hot gossip”, he reminded him of his stage in the music of 21 years ago.

Regarding his work as a comedian, he said he will alternate with music, although he is determined to give all his effort to hit as a singer.

“This is a musical dream. I’m going to separate my musical career from comedian’s To introduce me. “

Being successful as a comedian, he added, will allow him to win that audience, but now in the sung.

José Luis Zagar is not married to a single genre, promised that he will address everything a little.

“We want to make an important variation. Right are listening a ranchera or a cumbia or as untouchable that also varies. “

Regarding comedy, he commented that he has plans to build a tour with guests of his YouTube Zagar program from the bar.

He said he plans the participation of three guests for a tour that wishes to take not only to Mexico, also to the United States.

Bob Schneider Performs At The Heights Theater April 4th

Bob Schneider is an Austin, Texas–based musician and former lead singer of the rock band Ugly Americans. He has released around a dozen albums, mostly on his own Shockorama label.

Lonelyland (2001) was licensed through Universal Records while in 2005 distribution deal with Vanguard Records saw his albums made widely available. In 2009 he signed to Kirtland Records and put out Lovely Creatures, A Perfect Day, and Burden of Proof. His record The King Kong Suite was released on Shockorama Records in 2015.

Before performing solo, he performed for years in various bands. He dropped out of the University of Texas at El Paso where he studied art, while performing in his first band, a funk-rock outfit called Joe Rockhead. The band independently released three albums before disbanding. Schneider subsequently performed with Ugly Americans who were an opening act for the Dave Matthews Band and signed with the revived Capricorn Records. In 1997, Schneider co-founded The Scabs, a funk ensemble that regularly played in around Austin and described as “ inspired by The Rugburns (right down to the suits

and ties) [with] bawdy show tunes and puerile blues in the beginning, but eventually the powerhouse funk took over when the Grooveline Horns were added”.

In 1999, Schneider formed a solo act, initially under the name Lonelyland, which became the title of his record released through Universal Records. His style has been described as “acoustic based songs with electronic beats and noises in the background (..) and other types of cross genre music. His live shows are known for improvisation [and] audience involvement”.

He went on to record the majorlabel solo albums Lonelyland (2001) and I’m Good Now (2004), which garnered him significantly more national attention and some critical acclaim. “Big Blue Sea” from the Lonelyland album received significant radio play, as did “Come With Me Tonight” from I’m Good Now. “Metal & Steel” from Lonelyland is, to date, Schneider’s most played song.

The contracts that he signed with Universal in 2001 and Vanguard in 2004

allowed him to release albums as “side projects” on his own Shockorama Records. Among the albums that have been self-released are Galaxy Kings and I’ve Seen The End of the World and It Looks Like This. All of these side projects were re-released by Vanguard in conjunction with the release of his 2006 album The Californian. Previously, these albums had limited availability as approximately 10,000 copies were produced. After releasing The Californian, Schneider also put out Greatest Hits Live, recorded in Austin on July 17, 2006, on Shockorama Records. He has a long-standing Monday night residency at the Saxon Pub and regularly plays at Antone’s, both venues in Austin. His live-band includes Harmoni Kelley (bass), Jeff Plankenhorn (guitars), Conrad Choucroun (drums), Danny Levin (cello) and Oliver Steck (accordion).

In 2009, Schneider signed with Kirtland Records and released Lovely Creatures in September 2009. It featured the single “40 Dogs (Like Romeo and Juliet)”, which peaked at #14 on the AAA Radio Chart. The album also featured Patty Griffin on the track “Changing Your Mind”. He released a second album on the label entitled “A Perfect Day” on April 19, 2011, featuring the single “Let The Light In.” “Burden of Proof” was released on June 11, 2013.

His next musical project, King Kong, was released in 2015 under the Shockorama label and was the result of a crowdsourcing campaign through PledgeMusic. King Kong saw its release over the course of 2015 in the form of three EPs (volumes collectively known as The King Kong Suite) as well as a full-length album made available to his online backers. In 2017, Schneider began making his massive backlog of recorded demos available to his fans through Patreon. His next album Blood and Bones was released on June 8, 2018.

On an episode of The Lone Star Plate podcast, Schneider said he turned down a part in the 2020 Netflix hit The Lost Husband because he didn’t want to become an on-screen celebrity.

Schneider’s most recent release is 2021’s In A Roomful Of Blood With A Sleeping Tiger.

Guster Perform At White Oak Music Hall On March 18

A versatile and literate East Coast altrock institution, Guster emerged in the mid’90s with a quirky amalgam of acoustic folk and pop before adopting a more robust sound that blended stadium-ready Brit-pop grandeur with proletariat American trad-rock. Known for their earworm hooks, soaring choruses, deft guitar noodling, and early on, their distinctive hand-drumming, the band broke big in 1999 with the release of their third studio effort, Lost and Gone Forever, which included the breezy hit single “Fa Fa.” Subsequent LPs like Ganging Up on the Sun (2006), Easy Wonderful (2010), and Look Alive (2019) found similar success, yielding numerous charting singles that found their way into popular television shows and films.

Although they evolved into a fullfledged pop band, Guster began their career as an offbeat acoustic trio. The band, whose three co-founders met during freshmen year at Tufts University, spent most of the ’90s touring the college circuit and releasing independent albums, all of which featured hand percussion in lieu of a traditional drum set. Released in 1999, Lost and Gone Forever widened the band’s sound considerably, and the follow-up album found percussionist Brian Rosenworcel playing a drum set on several songs. Multi-instrumentalist Joe Pisapia joined the line-up in 2003, allowing Guster more freedom to explore a combination of folk, pop, and rock.

Guster formed in 1991, when Ryan Miller, Adam Gardner, and Brian Rosenworcel first crossed paths at college orientation. Originally called Gus, the trio played local shows around the Boston area before releasing an independent album, Parachute, in 1994. By 1996, they’d elongated their name to Guster and recorded a second album, Goldfly, which netted the band a contract with Sire Records. Sire reissued Goldfly in 1998, and the bandmates decamped to a recording studio later that year to work with producer Steve Lillywhite. Released in 1999, Long and Gone Forever became the band’s unofficial breakthrough album, cracking the lower reaches of the Billboard charts and spinning off a hit single, “Fa Fa,” which peaked at number 26 on the Adult Top 40.

Keep It TogetherCompared to Guster’s early albums, Long and Gone Forever was downright lush, with strings and horn sections beefing up the band’s standard mix of bongos, vocal harmonies, and folk-pop songwriting. Guster went even further with their follow-up effort, Keep It Together, which featured drum kit percussion and contributions from a talented multi-instrumentalist named Joe Pisapia. The album was released during the summer of 2003, where it cracked the Top 40. Meanwhile, the band also released a “fake” version of the record, The Meowstro Sings: Guster’s Keep It Together, in which Guster’s vocal tracks were replaced

with simulated cat meows. The so-called “meow mixes” were released online in an attempt to battle illegal file sharing.

Several months after Keep It Together’s release, Pisapia joined the group permanently. He made his official debut on the 2004 concert album Guster on Ice, which found the band playing selections from all of their albums. Now a four-piece outfit, Guster returned in 2006 with their richest-sounding album to date, Ganging Up on the Sun which debuted at number 25 on the Billboard 200 and yielded the hit single “Satellite. The group’s sixth studio album, Easy Wonderful, which was partially recorded in Pisapia’s Middletree Studios in Nashville, was released in October of 2010. Around that time, Pisapia announced he wouldn’t be touring with the band any longer, choosing instead to play with k.d. lang full-time. He was replaced in the touring line-up by guitarist Luke Reynolds, a former member of the band Blue Merle. The Richard Swift-produced Evermotion, the band’s seventh studio longplayer, arrived in early 2015 via their own Ocho Mule label. January 2019 saw the band issue their electronics-leaning eighth fulllength effort, Look Alive, which was produced by Leo Abrahams and recorded in a vintage keyboard museum in Calgary. 2020 saw the release of another live album, OMAGAH! Guster with the Omaha Symphony, as well as the studio EP Zeno Mountain.

Vanessa Collier Performs At Dosey Doe Big Barn On March 30th

“There’s a young lady [Vanessa Collier] came onstage with me, I forget where I was, but she’s playing an alto saxophone, and man, she was amazing.”

Those are the words of Buddy Guy in a recent issue of American Blues Scene, describing an impromptu performance with Vanessa Collier on the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise. If you haven’t been fortunate enough to meet Vanessa and witness one of her head-turning, fiery, and passionate performances, you should definitely make sure you do. As a master musician and multi-instrumentalist, Vanessa Collier, weaves funk, soul, rock, and blues into every powerful performance and she is downright impressive. With soulful vocals, searing saxophone, and witty songwriting, Vanessa is blazing a trail, racking up an impressive arsenal of

honours, and has already singled herself out as an artist of distinction and one we would all do well to watch.

It’s not simply the accolades she has accumulated so far, although they’ve been many — two Blues Music Awards for “Horn Player of the Year”, and a third BMA for “Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year”, eight Blues Music Award Nominations (BMAs), a Blues Blast Award nomination, the Jammingest Pro Award bestowed by the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise, First Place for lyrics in the International Songwriting Competition, Best of 2014 Blues Breaker on Dan Aykroyd’s BluesMobile — it’s the fact that she has accumulated all these honours even while her career is still in its infancy. A 2013 graduate of the prestigious Berklee College of Music, she’s toured nationally and internation-

ally, released four critically acclaimed albums (2014’s Heart, Soul & Saxophone, 2017’s Meeting My Shadow, and 2018’s Honey Up, 2020’s Heart On The Line. Honey Up spent 9 weeks atop the Billboard Blues Album Charts Top 15, 3 months on the Living Blues Charts at #10 and #23, and continues to be spun on Sirius XM’s B.B. King’s Bluesville radio station!

It’s not surprising that the press has been quick to commend her efforts as well. Blues Blast Magazine affirms, “Vanessa Collier is a fresh face on the American blues scene, and in addition to her soulful vocals, she brings a mighty sax to the table...” Blues Music Magazine proclaims, “Collier is a fresh face who comes to the blues stage carrying

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Vanessa Collier

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her reed instruments, a dual degree from Berklee College of Music in Boston, a major label debut, almost two years of touring with Joe Louis Walker, and a mature musical vision…Collier commands center stage with her vocals, soloing, and stage presence.” Midwest Record exclaims, “This bluesy singing sax player knows how to bring the slinking funk to her captivating, award winning sound that has echoes in young Bonnie Raitt/Maria Muldaur vocal sounds…Killer stuff on every level, this sounds like one of the reasons you first became a music fan. Killer stuff.” and AXS.Com declares that she “might as well go ahead and add another shelf to her trophy case because clearly, she’s going to need it. With a voice that often recalls that of blues-rock stalwart Bonnie Raitt, Collier turns up the heat...”

Having first picked up the saxophone at the age of nine, Collier embarked on her road to recognition at Berklee, earning dual degrees in Performance and Music Production & Engineering. While still completing her degree, Collier landed a position touring with Joe Louis Walker for a year and a half before Joe encouraged her to strike out on her own. And strike out she did.

These days, Collier spends much of her time on the road, performing at some of the most prestigious music festivals in the world. Her talents have taken her to the Blues Music Awards Show where, in the words of the Blues Foundation, Vanessa “blew the doors off the Blues Music Awards!”; Ottawa Blues Festival, where she earned two front page newspaper photos and rave reviews after her foot stomping debut there; twice on the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise, where she earned the Jammingest Pro Award and was a featured artist with Tommy Castro’s Blues Review; Briggs Farm Festival, where she was the “most popular Briggs Farm act in 2017” (Elmore Magazine), and the list continues. In 2017, Vanessa was also a featured artist in three major tours across Europe as part of Ruf’s 2017

Blues Caravan.

Vanessa has won 3 Blues Music Awards - two for “Horn Player of the Year” in 2019 and 2020 and one in 2022 for “Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year”!! She has been nominated for eight Blues Music Awards since 2017, which puts her in elite company with artists such as Beth Hart, Samantha Fish, Shemekia Copeland, Ruthie Foster, Trombone Shorty, Al Basile, and Jimmy Carpenter.

As for Collier, she says she’s happy performing on stages across the world, hoping that she can make a difference with fans and followers along the way. “I am driven to do this because I find it a total form of expression and connection,” she explains. “I love connecting with an audience and feeling their energy and I hope to inspire people to follow their dreams and passions, to find what brings them joy, and then to pursue it doggedly.” Vanessa also takes that message to young people as she runs clinics across the country and is active with Blues in the Schools programs. At a recent Blues in the School program, Vanessa invited a stage full of elementary and middle school aged kids up to dance around her while she performed a blues shuffle. Watching the joy on the faces of Vanessa, the kids, and everyone in the auditorium, it is no wonder why Vanessa has become awe-inspiring to all who meet her. On top of talent and hard work, Vanessa shares an incredible heart and a strong purpose. To borrow from the words of an article in Blues Blast Magazine, “Vanessa is an important part of the future of the blues, and it would be cool to support her journey.

Skinny Puppy Embark On Their Final Tour And Appear At The House Of Blues In Houston April 7

Formed in Vancouver, Canada, in 1982, industrial-music OGs Skinny Puppy will be celebrating their 40th anniversary a little late, with a tour this spring dubbed “Skinny Puppy: Final Tour.” It will be the band’s first trek in nearly a decade, but even more importantly, according to the group, it’ll also be their last run ever.

“It’s been eight long years since we’ve toured, and there is no better way to end our run as a group than with a tour celebrating our 40th anniversary,” the band said in a statement. “To our west coast fans, don’t worry! We’ll see you soon!” Skinny Puppy

Produced by Live Nation, the tour kicks off on April 6th at Aztec Theater in San Antonio making stops across the U.S. in Atlanta, New York, Denver and more before wrapping up in Seattle at Neptune on May 9th. Skinny Puppy are also scheduled to play the Sick New World festival in Las Vegas on May 13th.

Skinny Puppy released their debut album Remission in 1984. Their influence can be felt in acts like Nine Inch Nails, Rammstein, Fear Factory, and more. Last year at Hellfest in France, the festival curated an industrial lineup for the main stage that featured Skinny

Puppy, Ministry, Killing Joke, Health, and Youth Code on the day that Nine Ninch Nails were headlining. Skinny Puppy’s last proper LP was 2013’s Weapon.

Drawing from the pioneering work of artists like Throbbing Gristle, Cabaret Voltaire, and Suicide, the dark avantindustrial group Skinny Puppy formed in 1982 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Originally a duo comprised of former Images in Vogue drummer cEvin Key (born Kevin Crompton) and Nivek Ogre (aka Kevin Ogilvie), Skinny Puppy

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followed their debut cassette, Back and Forth, with the EP Remission, the first of many recordings with producer David “Rave” Ogilvie, in 1984.

BitesKeyboardist Wilhelm Schroeder joined the group for 1985’s full-length debut, Bites, but was replaced the next year by Dwayne Goettel, whose sampling and synth work proved significant in the development of the Skinny Puppy aesthetic from ominous dance music into a distinct fusion of industrial, goth, and electronic sounds. Subsequent releases like 1986’s Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse, 1987’s Cleanse, Fold and Manipulate, and 1988’s VIVIsectVI further honed the trio’s style, as well as introducing the outspoken lyrical agenda that remained a thematic constant throughout much of the group’s work.

In 1989, Ministry’s Al Jourgensen added vocals, guitars, and production work to Rabies; later, he joined Ogre in the side project Pigface. Ultimately, the members’ interest in pursuing similar outside projects began to unravel Skinny Puppy: in 1987, Key and Edward KaSpel of the Legendary Pink Dots

recorded the album Their Eyes Slowly Burning under the name Tear Garden, and in 1990, he and friend Alan Nelson worked as Hilt. A major rift began splitting the band apart, and Key and Goettel often sided against Ogre, whom they felt was more interested in pursuing solo work than in keeping the trio intact; drugs had also become a serious problem, but Skinny Puppy nonetheless signed to American Recordings in 1993 and relocated to Los Angeles to begin production work.

The sessions for the album, titled The Process, proved disastrous; for the first time in nearly a decade, David Ogilvie did not oversee production duties, and the group went through several producers, including former Swan Roli Mosimann and Martin Atkins. Flooding and earthquakes further hampered the sessions, and Key was severely injured in a film shoot. After months of recording, Key and Goettel, dissatisfied with Atkins’ work, absconded with the master tapes and returned to Vancouver in mid-1994 to finish production. Ogre remained in California, and later announced he was leaving Skinny Puppy to form W.E.L.T.

A few months later, on August 23, 1995, Goettel was found dead of a heroin overdose in his parents’ home; in his honor, Key and Ogilvie finally completed the album, and The Process was released in 1996. A multimedia history of the band, Brap: Back and Forth, Series 3 & 4, followed a few months later, while Key returned to his new project, Download. Released in 1998, Remix Dys Temper featured Skinny Puppy reworkings by Autechre, Neotropic, and Adrian Sherwood in addition to industrial groups like KMFDM and God Lives Underwater.

By 2000, the word was out that Key and Ogre had buried the hatchet, reactivated Skinny Puppy, and recording was underway. A 1994 jam between Skinny Puppy and Throbbing Gristle/ Psychic TV member Genesis P-Orridge was released under the title Puppy Gristle in 2002 on Key’s subCON label. The SPV label (which had long been the distributor of the band’s albums in Europe) signed the band in late 2003. Skinny Puppy’s Greater Wrong of the Right hit the streets in 2004 with members of Tool, Collide, and Static-X making guest appearances. Two more studio albums, 2007’s Mythmaker and 2011’s Handover, followed before the release of 2012’s live album Bootlegged, Broke and in Solvent Seas.

Italy’s Martin Craig Be

Tearing It Up In Houston Jack!

Look out now The Big Easy was smokin’ hot when the Evelyn Rubio Band took to the stage and set Italy’s Martin Craig free to nail down some hot, hot, hot blues rock. The lead guitarist from Turin Italy would do three shows in greater Houston and be a studio guest on Tom Tranchilla’s Songwriter’s Studio on KPFT radio. Two shows with Evelyn Rubio, one at The Big Easy and the other at Green Oaks Tavern plus one more with the incredible Steve Krase Band at Shoeshine Charley’s Big Top Lounge. Martin is the band leader of The Black City Band as well as being a club owner himself. Back in 2017 Martin’s band backed up Evelyn Rubio at four nightclub events in northern Italy. At that time Evelyn reciprocated and invited Martin to perform with her band in Houston. Finally last month February 2023 that pairing reunited right here in Evelyn’s home town and the evenings were nothing but way cool. At the Big Easy the place was either right at capacity or close to it. The dance floor was packed solid and

there was a line at the door to get in. Ah the good ole days were back now that it’s post pandemic and this night was special for sure. James Wilhite, the famous blues and rock guitarist was also tearing it up as he always does with Barry Seelen was on the keys and nailing his solos big time. The bass player, Alfred Kennedy, was hotter than a sunny day in August in Houston and the drummer, Memo Reza, did a solo that kicked ass all the way from downtown to Austin. Look out now!

Last but not in any way least was Boris Tabasco the blues harp master from Italy as well. This man did not only deliver soul in each blues number through his harp but his gritty low voice was the icing on the cake. Evelyn’s song rotation included a number of her popular chart busting tunes along with such crowd favorites as Proud Mary and Respect. Her goal was to keep the dance floor packed all night long and she accomplished that for sure. Tommy McClendon, owner of The Big Easy had this to say, “This feels good, so many top shelf talents on stage with a house full of blues rock lovers - we are cooking tonight!” Martin comes from a family of musicians with his father being a very early admirer of the late Frank Zappa. Martin would learn from his father and then gravitate toward funk as well and stay within his sub-genre

producing albums with a cross fusion of funk and Zappa. His latest album released in June of 2022 is aptly titled “Blue Funk Trip” and was performed live at the Torino Film Festival recently. Martin also owns Birraceca Pub82 in Rivoli just outside of Turin where both music lovers as well as established musicians stop in most nights of the week. Evelyn continues her music career with a new album already in the works and with the recent announcement of her new “Ocean Child” a song she produced for the movie short of the same name. The song is also being released in a new music video featuring Evelyn in the studio and her video will roll out in the Dolby Atmos format, the hottest new music format to come along in a long time. Evelyn is releasing “Ocean Child” in MP3, WAV, MP4, and Dolby Atmos formats for the international marketplace. In Houston both The Big Easy and the Green Oaks Tavern continue to present the blues nightly. If you are going to Turin in northern Italy don’t miss seeing Martin Craig and The Black City Band tear it up.

Open

Tuesday thru Sunday

Wednesday, March 1 - Katie’s Jam with Bob Emmons

Thursday, March 2 - Eric Demmer

Friday, March 3 - Big Jordan Band

Saturday, March 4 - Sonny Wolf

Sunday, March 5 - Katie’s Jam with guest host Chris Castaneda

Wednesday, March 8 - Katie’s Jam with Pierce

Thursday, March 9 - James & The Classix

Friday, March 10 - Zach Tate

Saturday, March 11 - Funksion

Sunday, March 12 - Katie’s Jam with guest host Lightning Rob

Wednesday, March 15 - Katie’s Jam with Bob Emmons

Thursday, March 16 - Hugo Jamz Trio

Friday, March 17 - Chris Castaneda

Saturday, March 18 - Proctor Brothers

Sunday, March 19 - Katie’s Jam with guest host Paul Ramirez

Wednesday, March 22 - Katie’s Jam with Chris Castaneda

Thusday, March 23 - Static Blues

Friday, March 24 - Bayou Gipsies

Saturday, March 25 - Wake Zone

Sunday, March 26 - Katie’s Jam with guest host Keith Vivens

Wednesday, March 9 - Katie’s Jam with Bob Emmons

Thursday, March 30 - Pierce and Chip Oliphant

Friday, March 31 - Peewee Bowen

David Cross Brings His “Worst Daddy In The World Tour” To White Oak Music Hall

Emmy Award winner and two-time Grammy Award nominee David Cross is an inventive performer, writer, and producer on stage and screen.

Cross taped a comedy special that was released in 2022. He makes guest appearances in the new, criticallyacclaimed HBO Max miniseries, Station Eleven, which premiered on December 16, 2022, and in the HBO Max film, 8Bit Christmas, which premiered in November. In March, Cross starred in the National Geographic series, Genius: Aretha, portraying famed music producer, Jerry Wexler opposite Cynthia Erivo as Aretha Franklin.

Cross received rave reviews for his starring role in the dramatic film, The Dark Divide. Based on the beloved book,

March 30

“Where Bigfoot Walks: Crossing the Dark Divide,” by Robert Pyle, one of America’s premiere nature writers, the film recreates Pyle’s perilous 1995 journey across one of America’s largest undeveloped wildlands.

Cross’ last special, Oh Come On, is now available on Amazon Prime and Peacock. The special was originally released on May 10, 2019, simultaneously in a 10-city theatrical run. The Oh, Come On special was filmed in August 2018 at The Orange Peel in Asheville, NC. The album version of Oh, Come On was recorded in November 2018 in Birmingham, AL and is available on iTunes, Spotify, Sirius XM, Google Play and at physical retailers.

Cross’ Oh Come On international

tour visited theatres in more than 70 cities including London, Manchester, Glasgow, Dublin, Amsterdam and cities across North America. Named one of the Top 100 Stand-Up Comedians of All Time, Cross’ 2016 Making America

Great Again! tour included Cross’ first European dates outside of England and produced the Netflix special of the same name and the Grammy nominated CD, …America…Great.

Cross voiced roles in Boots Riley’s film, Sorry To Bother You, and the Netflix animated film, Next Gen. He stars in the 5th season of Arrested Development, which premiered on Netflix on May 29, 2018, reprising his beloved role as Dr. Tobias Fünke. During its original critically acclaimed, Emmy Award-winning run on FOX, Cross was twice-nominated as part of the ensemble cast for a Screen Actors Guild Award. Cross can also be seen in a recurring role in the second season of the Amazon series, Goliath, starring Billy Bob Thornton, which premiered on June 15, 2018.

In January 2018, Cross was part of the ensemble cast with Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep in Steven Spielberg’s The Post. His series, Bliss, which he wrote, directed and produced, starring Stephen Mangan, premiered on Sky TV in the UK in February 2018. The inventive series is about a bigamist travel writer who has two families, neither of whom knows of the others existence.

In January of 2016, IFC premiered the long-awaited third season of Todd Margaret, created by and starring Cross as an ill-equipped American who finds himself running the London sales office of the energy drink company for which he works. The original iteration, The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, aired on IFC and Channel 4 in the U.K. from 2010 to 2012.

Cross toured in 2009 with a solo stand-up show in support of his New York Times Bestseller, I Drink for a Reason. That hugely successful comedy show was filmed at Boston’s Wilbur Theater for a special, entitled Bigger and Blackerer, which premiered on EPIX in April 2010 before being released on CD and DVD by Sub Pop. His previous

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David Cross

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comedy special, David Cross: The Pride is Back, aired on HBO in 1999, and was named one of the 25 best stand-up comedy specials and concert films of all time by Rolling Stone in July 2015.

Cross has released two other comedy albums – the Grammy nominated, Shut Up You Fucking Baby, and It’s Not Funny. In 2003 he released the DVD, Let America Laugh, a documentary film of his groundbreaking stand up tour of alternative, indie rock clubs.

Cross reteamed with his Mr. Show with Bob and David collaborator and cocreator, Bob Odenkirk, to create With Bob and David, a four-episode revamp of the iconic sketch comedy series, which premiered November 2015 on Netflix. The original Mr. Show with Bob and David received three Emmy Award nominations for both Writing and Music & Lyrics. Cross also had a guest arc on the Netflix breakout comedy Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, as lawyer Russ Snyder, who finds himself in an unlikely relationship with fallen socialite Jacqueline White (Jane Krakowski).

In September 2013, David Cross and Bob Odenkirk released the book, “Hollywood Said No! Orphaned Film Scripts, Bastard Scenes, and Abandoned Darlings from the Creators of Mr. Show.” Written with friend and fellow Mr. Show alum Brian Posehn, Hollywood Said No! is a collection of neverbefore-seen scripts for both sketch and film. In support of the book, Cross and Odenkirk embarked on a multi-city tour, performing their first official stand-up comedy shows together since their soldout national tour in 2002.

In 2014, Cross released the indie film Hits, which he wrote and directed. A black comedy about the nature of fame in the YouTube era, the film is set in a small town in upstate New York and stars Matt Walsh and Meredith Hagner. It first premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, and then helped raise funds for its theatrical distribution via a successful Kickstarter campaign. In addition to a traditional theatrical

release, the film was also available to fans across the nation on BitTorrent, where they were able to pay what they wanted to view it.

On the big screen, Cross appeared in the independent features, Kill Your Darlings alongside Daniel Radcliffe and Michael C. Hall, and the dramedy It’s a Disaster, opposite Julia Stiles and America Ferrera. Other film credits include Year One, Christopher Guest’s Waiting for Guffman, Men in Black and Men in Black II, Ghost World, Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Pitch Perfect 2, I’m Not There, and provided his vocal talents for several animated films, including Megamind, the Kung Fu Panda franchise

and Curious George.

Cross’s introduction to the TV scene came with The Ben Stiller Show, where Cross honed his comedy writing skills and shared a 1993 Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Writing in a Variety or Music Program.

Cross served as a writer and contributor for Tenacious D. He also wrote, produced and starred in the Comedy Central animated series Freak Show, which he co-created with H. Jon Benjamin.

Cross currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.

Fit For An AutopsyThe Acacia Strain Fit For An Autopsy and The Acacia Strain Perform At Warehouse Live With Special Guests Full Of Hell and Primitive Man

The heaviest tour of 2023 so far will be Fit For An Autopsy, The Acacia Strain, Full Of Hell, and Primitive Man. The lineup will hit the road on March 8 and touch down in Houston on March 26th at Warehouse Live.

“This tour highlights the spirit of the mixed bill show,” said Fit For An Autopsy of the tour. “The coming together of different ends of the extreme music spectrum was a really important part of Fit For An Autopsy’s musical upbringing, and it’s awesome to be able to carry that unpredictable and exciting energy into this tour. Get there early and experience all of these bands!”

“Very excited to announce our next US tour, a triple co-headliner with Fit For An Autopsy and The Acacia Strain and special guest, our brothers in Primitive Man,” added Full Of Hell. “Mixed bills are what we grew up on and we’re really looking forward to playing to new people. These shows will sell out, so grab a ticket as soon as you can!”

Recently, Fit For An Autopsy released their new album Walk With Me In Hell, while Full Of Hell and Primitive Man recently put out EPs (Aurora Leaking From An Open Wound and Insurmountable, respectively). The Acacia Strain’s latest album is 2020’s Slow Decay.

The Acacia Strain dropped their Slow Decay album in 2020 and now are having the chance to properly promote

the set. Fit for an Autopsy released their Oh What the Future Holds album back in January, and will be rocking tunes from the set. Full of Hell, meanwhile, are supporting their 2021 effort, Garden of Burning Apparitions. Primitive Man issued their Insurmountable EP earlier this year as well.

Fit For An Autopsy’s sixth album, “Oh What The Future Holds”, was released in January via Nuclear Blast.

Regarding how the climate of the last two years influenced the lyrical content on the record, guitarist and producer Will Putney told Knotfest: “Obviously, the last two years have been a nightmare for everyone, but a lot of the problems and hardships we’re facing in this world are not new developments. We’ve been addressing similar topics for years now, and, unfortunately, I feel that generally nothing has changed for the better. Looking ahead towards the future, I’m really not very optimistic our course will change. I think it’s important for us to continue to address what’s broken in this world, so that bleak and dark atmosphere to our music is probably going to stick around.”

The Acacia Strain’s eighth album, “Slow Decay”, was released in July 2020 via Rise Records. It included all the songs in the seven inch and digital single drops that were released between February and June of that year, as well as two previously unreleased tracks. Brooklyn Vegan called the release “a

hefty dose of dark, gloomy metalcore,” while Revolver proclaimed that “hell has rarely sounded so good.” MetalSucks said these songs are “dynamite reminders of why THE ACACIA STRAIN are so great,” while Metal Injection declared “What a great time to be alive” in reference to the new The Acacia Strain album.

The music and the rollout itself adhered to the band’s very specific vision.

“The whole concept is reality breaking down around us,” said vocalist Vincent Bennett about the album. “We’ve done our time on earth, broken through the boundaries of what reality actually is, and we’re now witnessing our collective descent into madness. Lyrically and sonically, everything reflects that. You’re getting the vision piece by piece. The whole theme is a slow dive. By the same token, it organically becomes one record instead of just one big push out of the gate. As soon as you think you’re getting the hang of it, we throw out a wrench with the fulllength. There’s no evidence to suggest we’re aren’t actually in a living hell. The things happening around us could be out of a comic book or a movie. The idea is, ‘This can’t be real.’ Maybe something happened. Maybe we’re all dead and we don’t even know it. Maybe we’re just living in some augmented reality hellscape of actual planet earth.”

Nonpoint Bring Their “The Emerald Cities Tour 2023” To Houston’s Warehouse Live On March 24th

NONPOINT brings their “The Emerald Cities Tour 2023” to Houston’s Warehouse Live on March 24th. The trek, which will kick off on March 2 in Virginia Beach, Virginia and conclude on March 26 in San Antonio, Texas, will feature support from BLACKTOP MOJO and SUMO CYCO.

Nonpoint tells us that: “Follow the Yellow Brick Road and let the epic sounds of these amazing bands guide you on an unforgettable adventure through this all immersive experience.”

Two months ago, Nonpoint released their official video for its latest single, “Paper Tigers” to critical reviews. The song, which was made available in September Through the band’s new independent label 361 Degrees Records. The project was helmed by Chris Collier, the producer, engineer, mixer, and multi-instrumentalist who has worked with KORN, WHITESNAKE, LYNCH MOB, Mick Mars and many more.

Nonpoint formed 361 Degrees Records LLC in January of 2021. They documented the process of starting the label and making new music in a docu-series titled “A Path To Independence.” You can view that on the band’s YouTube and official web site.

In December 2021, Nonpoint released its latest EP, “Ruthless”. This followed their independent label plan of delivering music to their fans through more frequent releases and videos from the band.

In a recent interview with “Making

Waves: The ShipRocked Podcast” Elias Soriano of Nonpoint was asked if putting out EPs instead of albums is “the way forward” for Nonpoint and Elias answered, “For us, I think, like we talked about in our documentary during the pandemic, before we dropped ‘Ruthless’ and this next one coming up, it was a test on what everyone told us in the last 20 years we could or couldn’t do with our music. Because I’ve worked with a lot of big teams — we started with MCA, went to Lava, went to Geffen, went to Rocket Science, then we went to Razor & Tie and then Concord; a lot of big, big, big names and big, big, big teams. And they have their systems in place. So when you go and you say, ‘Hey, I feel like my fans would really gravitate to this kind of song,’ there’s a lot of doors you’ve gotta go through to finally feel like you have an answer to whether or not that feeling is right. When it’s just completely up to you and the risk is yours and you’ve been asking that question for as long as we have, at this point it’s just, like, ‘Fuck it. I’m just gonna do it. And I’m not even gonna ask.’

“What we did with ‘Ruthless’, because we were flipping into the independent world, is we wanted to make sure that our base was taken care of,” he explained. “For the last 20 years, I’ve dropping shit at radio and doing well at radio; I don’t wanna pretend like I don’t have radio songs. But I flash back to Hans Haedelt, our first A&R guy, when he signed us, and he was, like, ‘You guys are gonna be the Latin PANTERA.’ And it was because he saw our live shows with music that we had written that was completely untouched — by producers, by anyone. So

when we went independent and I sat down with Robb [Rivera, drums] and I sat down with the guys, it was about answering that question. And we needed to bankroll that, to make sure that… And we did that — the ‘Ruthless’ EP, the streams, everything did so well for us that we are able to now… Our record label, in the first year, is now in the black and so is our independence. So everything is moving in such a positive way that we don’t have to worry about things like budgets anymore, where it was constantly an issue before. Well, we worry about them, but it’s dollars versus risk. And it’s, like, ‘Well, we never got to do this, so let’s fucking do it.’

“With the next EP… ‘Ruthless’ was, like, ‘Yes, they can write songs the way Nonpoint writes songs independent. Now watch what they do when the cuffs are off and the gloves are off and we’re ready to throw down,’” Elias also added. “Like, the next song that we drop on this EP is definitely going to turn some heads.”

Just last year, Elias told “HRH Metal With Dan Chan” that the group’s decision to go it alone with Nonpoint’s own record label has resulted in “less anxiety and more anxiety,” adding that he has “a team” of “people that are professionals in place” to run the business for him and his bandmates.

“I’m not a neophyte when it comes to the overall scope and understanding of the music industry, but I know when to get the hell out of the way and let someone else steer the ship,” he said.

Soriano remarked about not being affiliated with a big label now that: “The relationships and the friendships. It’s fun working with a team that you know everyone around the corner is a professional. That definitely gives less anxiety. But you see, even the staff, they feel the same kind of restriction. They wanna go harder; they wanna spend more money — you know they want to — but they have people to answer to.”

When asked about balancing the business side and the band side of everything, Elias said: “It’s not easy but we’re doing it, and that’s what matters. And the product that’s coming out is better than ever. It’s a lot of fun. It really is. I’m having fun doing this.”

In 2021, the band’s song “Ruthless” made it to No. 16 on Billboard’s Rock chart. It was also featured on the New Metal Tracks and Kickass Metal Playlist on Spotify, SiriusXM Octane’s Big Uns Countdown, LA Lloyd Top 30 and Loudwire Nights. “Ruthless” was the featured track on AEW’s nationally televised event “Blood And Guts” on TNT in May 2021.

NONPOINT’s songs “Bullet With A Name”, “Alive And Kicking”, “In The Air Tonight”, “Circles”, “Your Signs”, “Everybody Down” and many others have been featured in trailers, hit movies, television, iconic video games, as well as broadcasts from NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, WWF.

Marco Antonio Solis is back on the road again. bringing his 2022 tour Que Ganas de Verte (What Desire to See You) tour to The Smart Financial Center on March 17.

The Latin Grammy-winning artist will kick off the U.S. leg of his trek on April 1 in Phoenix. Marco will then touch down in in eight cities including Orlando and Houston, before finishing with a Mother’s Day celebration on May 7 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont.

On his Que Ganas de Verte (What Desire to See You) tour, Solis, who has 51 titles on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart — 11 of those No. 1 hits — will be performing his classic pieces as well as some new songs as well.

The Que Ganas de Verte tour follows the Los Bukis (helmed by Solis) historic nine-date stadium tour, where the group reunited for the first time in 25 years. The reunion tour was the biggest Latin tour of 2021.

Marco Antonio Solís is without question one of the most important figures in the rise of Mexican and Latin music to world prominence during the last two decades of the 20th century. Born in Michoacan, Mexico, Solís was only 12 when he formed his first group, Los Hermanitos Solís, with brother Joel. He was still a teenager when he formed Los Bukis in the early ’70s. Over the course of the next two decades, Los Bukis came to profoundly influence the norteño and tejano music of Mexico and the southwestern United States. Though Solís continued to work closely with Los Bukis, he also initiated a solo career that resulted in platinum certifications for mid-’90s LPs such as Quiereme, Inalcanzable, and Por Amor a Mi Pueblo. Trozos de Mi Alma followed in 1999. Solís ushered in the new millennium with a two-volume live set, En Vivo, and its companion, En Vivo, Vol. 2. His next studio album, Mas de Mi Alma, was released in 2001 and, like his previous solo albums, became a best-seller.

Even though he didn’t release another proper album until 2003, Solís remained a chart favorite with several songs from Mas de Mi Alma (including “Cuando Te Acuerdes de Mi” and “Si No Te Hubieras Ido”) making appearances on Billboard’s Latin charts. Released in May of 2003, Tu Amor o Tu Desprecio slowly made its way to the top of the charts until reaching number one in early 2004. The best-of collection La Historia Continúa... appeared by the end of 2003, followed the next spring by the split

Marco Antonio Solis Performs At Smart Financial Centre March 17

album (alongside Joan Sebastían) Dos Grandes. Razon de Sobra was also released by the year’s end. The second part to his La Historia Continúa... was issued in 2005, as was a release with tejano singer Pepe Aguilar. The wellreceived Trozos de Mi Alma, Vol. 2 hit shelves in 2006; it quickly topped the Latin album charts, produced a hit in “Antes de Que Te Vayas,” and earned Solís a Grammy nomination for Best Latin Pop Album.

The artist issued the live Noche en Madrid in June of 2008, followed a scant five months later by his eighth studio offering, No Molestar. Both albums hit the top spot on the Latin albums chart. After a short break, Solis was back in the studio. En Total Plenitud was released in 2010 and became his tenth consecutive record to hit number one on the Latin albums chart, setting a record. Its single “A Dónde Vamos a Parar” was featured in the telenovela Theresa, and the album reached platinum status in sales. Solis toured globally in support of the album for over a year. Upon the tour’s conclusion, he returned to recording almost immediately. The single and video for “Tres Semanas” were released in the summer of 2013, followed by a second pre-release single and video for “De Mil Amores” in early 2014.

The studio album Gracias por Estar Aquí appeared in April 2014, and was nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at that year’s Latin Grammy Awards, with “De Mil Amores” winning the award for Best Regional Song. The recording was also nominated for Best Latin Pop Album at the 57th Grammy Awards show. It was also his last album for a Universal affiliate label. Solis then went indie, and his deluxe live project, Por Amor a Morelia Michoacan, was titled for the city of his birth. Recorded in 2012 as an audio and video disc package, it was prefaced by the medley single “Mi Mayor Necesidad”/”A Donde Vayas” in March 2015, while the album appeared in various packages in April of that year.

Solís provided the Spanishdubbing of Ernesto de la Cruz, the main antagonist of the 2017 Disney-Pixar film Coco

Solís returned to Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart for the first time in over two decades as “Se Veía Venir” climbed to No. 1 on the ranking dated October 2, 2021.

Leon’s Lounge Is Now Available For Private Parties! Make Your Reservations Now!!

This March at Leon’s Lounge

Wednesday, March 1 - Randy Soffar Singer/Songwriter Song Swap and Open Mic @ 8:00 pm

Thursday, March 2 - Leo Sandoval

Friday, March 3 - Blind Uncle Charlie

Saturday, March 4 - Scotty B.

Sunday, March 5 - The Lab with Arlo B - Comedy Open Mic Night

Monday, March 6 - Industry Night & Vinyl Night with DJ B Barrass

Tuesday, March 7 - Karaoke Tuesday & Trivia

Wednesday, March 8 - Randy Soffar Singer/Songwriter Song Swap and Open Mic @ 8:00 pm

Thursday, March 9 - Bunch Of Hacks presents “Bombs Over Leon’s” Comedy Show

Friday, March 10 - Scott Byers and Michael Costello

Saturday, March 11 - Bullethead

Sunday, March 12 - The Lab with Arlo B - Comedy Open Mic Night

Monday, March 13 - Industry Night & Vinyl Night with DJ B Barrass

Tuesday, March 14 - Karaoke Tuesday & Trivia

Wednesday, March 15 - Randy Soffar Singer/Songwriter Song Swap and Open Mic @ 8:00 pm

Thursday, March 16 - Houston Ensemble

Friday, March 17 - Honeycutt Southern - St. Pattys Day Pub Crawl

Saturday, March 18 - Eric Kaposta & Co.

Sunday, March 19 - The Lab with Arlo B - Comedy Open Mic Night and Sunday Night Live Comedy Show

Monday, March 20 - Industry Night

Tuesday, March 21 - Becky Crissman Memorial and Karaoke Tuesday & Trivia

Wednesday, March 22 - Randy Soffar Singer/Songwriter Song Swap and Open Mic @ 8:00 pm

Thursday, March 23 - Bunch Of Hacks presents “Bombs Over Leon’s” Comedy Show

Friday, March 24 - Color Noise

Saturday, March 25 - Treynwreck w/ Trey Darden

Sunday, March 26 - The Lab with Arlo B - Comedy Open Mic Night and Sunday Night Live Comedy Show

Monday, March 27 - Industry Night & Vinyl Night with DJ B Barrass

Tuesday, March 28 - Karaoke Tuesday & Trivia

Wednesday, March 29 - Randy Soffar Singer/Songwriter Song Swap and Open Mic @ 8:00 pm

Thursday, March 30 - Houston Ensemble

Friday, March 31 - Southern Soul Revival with Leonard “Low Down’ Brown

1006 McGowen 713-650-1006

Becky Crissman Memorial

Tuesday, March 21 Celebration

The Biker, The Blues, And We Be Smokin’ Jack!

You want to know what goes good with bikes, blues and good friends? Meat smoked just right and ice cold beer. It just does not get any better than that… I can be tripping down a street and when that smell reaches my nostrils my eyes are all over the landscape just looking for where it is coming from. I remember one time coming down an exit ramp and as soon as I reached the stop sign I could smell the hickory wood smoke in the air. Of all places it was a Shell gas station with a restaurant hooked onto it that had a side fire box pit smoker fired up. Well I needed fuel and my taste buds said yep that’s the place so I gripped the gas and let out the clutch. The closer I got the better I liked it as the gal handling the smoking was smokin’ hot herself. Got my gas first, parked my scooter and made tracks for the smoke. I said howdy and asked what was in the smoker and she said sausage, brisket, pork, and some bacon wrapped jalapenos. She said they had been smoking the brisket for about twelve hours and just about ready to pull it. It would go into a picnic cooler so that the juice inside the foil would get soaked back up into the meat and then it would be ready. The sausage and jalapenos were ready right now. She saw me looking around and told me that the restaurant wasn’t hooked onto the station so they can sell beer if I was interested. I said sure and added how about you, thirsty? She smiled and went back to taking care of what was in front of her, the smoking duties. I made my way over to the restaurant which actually had a little bar area and even a jukebox. The music played outside too and they had a couple of picnic tables so I went outside. So there I was sitting in the warm sunlight with an ice cold Stella and keeping my eyes on the smoker and that good looking Mommy doing the honors. I say Mommy because she looked young but was wearing a wedding ring on her right hand and a small necklace that read Best Mom. Most folks don’t know it but smoking came about due to the poor folks that lived in southern Texas buying meat (brisket) that was known not to be tender and started heating it up using a wood named mesquite to cook it. Up until then mesquite was thought to be a wood that was basically worthless. Look at it today, highly popular. Mexican American and Black cowboys were even adding flavoring in the form of dry rub spices and so the smell invited neighbors over and the taste kept them visiting for awhile longer. Now if you want to go a step further the Germans and Slavs are credited with furnishing the fine taste of great beef and pork sausage. To this day

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their packing houses and stores can be found all across the state of Texas. Well the beer went down really easy and I was keeping my eyes fixed on the new shorty pipes I bought back up the road and installed while at the bike shop. They looked good with the only flaw being that when I lowered my boot the ground the pipes pushed hot exhaust on them. But when I looked at the way they made that side of the engine rock it was a small price to pay for the good looks. The wind changed and the smell wafting off the chimney on the smoker was making my mouth water. The gal that had placed the meat inside the cooler came walking by with the cooler in her hands and said, “It’s ready.” Well I was certainly ready too and off I went right behind her to grab a refill and put in my order. An order of sausage, brisket, and couple of those stuffed jalapenos. They gave me a number and told me they would bring it to me so off I went back to the picnic table. Small place so the gal that had been doing the smoking brought the order out along with some silverware. She said to let her know how it was and I said you bet. Oh man was it ever good. The brisket had both a sweet taste to it along with a bit of snap, a bit of heat. The jalapenos weren’t really hot but they were flavorful and the sausage was to die for too. I sat there taking in the afternoon and listening to some nice jams coming out of the box. I picked up on Maria Daines performing “Low Down Dirty Love” and if you haven’t checked her out she’s kick ass for sure. Sexy, sassy, meaningful gritty voice. The song is about love taking a hold of you and even if it’s not proper if it’s low down dirty love well then that moth keeps pulling you closer to the flame as you keep coming back for more. Ain’t that the truth… Next up was Credence doing Suzie Q and that’s always on target. More beer, time for a cigar, screw getting in the wind this is just too cool of an afternoon to go anywhere

and now Suzie Q, way cool. The song is almost nine minutes long and every second of it touches a person’s soul. If I’m lying I’m dying. Now that good looking Mommy came strolling by and asked well how did you like it and I said that’s really good. Then I asked who’s recipe and she smiled and pointed to herself. Man if this woman owns a scooter I think I am in love, maybe even low down dirty love, can you dig that brothers and sisters? As she came back by I invited to sit for a moment or two or maybe sixty if you get my drift. She nodded yes and kept going toward the kitchen with the used cooking utensils. In my mind I thought man if she comes back then that will be the cherry on the icing on the cake for this really cool day. About twenty minutes later she came by and lit a cigarette. I was in tall cotton digging this to the max. She asked if I was staying around there and I said if I drink a few more yes for sure... She stood up,

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turned around and lifted her shirt up and there it was the best looking set of wings I had seen in a long time. Man, this gal was a good cook, good looking, and sporting wings. Of course the obvious question to ask was whatever led you to add Harley wings? She said she loves to ride but did not own a bike. Then she asked me if I bought my bike or built it. I said built it, she smiled. About then a yellow school bus pulled up and a young girl got off and ran to her Mommy, yep I was right she’s a Mommy, a good looking sexy one but a Mommy no less. She told the little one to sit at the table with me while she went to get her a root beer, the young girl complied. We looked at each other and then she stuck her tongue out at me. I thought well you little shit and soon afterward almost like right away her Mom came back with the root beer. Our conversation continued as she took the last puff off her cigarette and then instructed the little one to come inside with her. I thought ok this is over, she said goodbye and I nodded accordingly. The little girl didn’t even look at me. What a brat! I thought ok I’ll kill this beer, cash out this cigar, and maybe play a song or two and then leave. I took a swig, left the cigar in the ash tray and went inside to find the juke box. There it was on the wall and it was interesting because the song that came to mind was “Dirty Laundry” by Don Henley. I punched it up and yep it still sounded good. I followed up with “All She Wants To Do Is Dance”. Don’t ask me why I chose those two songs but I did however and got a positive nod from the Mommy so that was cool. Outside two guys were by my bike and one was looking around and so I instinctively waved and they headed my way. Introductions and I said I was passing through. They invited me to a run that was starting in two days. Sounded cool enough but I wasn’t sure if I would stick around. Then the Mommy walked up and told one of them that she was going to be bringing the smoker out and would be making her famous pulled pork. She looked at me and I just smiled. They left and she asked if they had invited me and I said yes and she said well you gonna go? I said I think so and asked where a guy with a bike could find a good priced motel. She told me and I headed out. Got there, asked if they had a first floor room and the guy said almost always yes and today we do. I got the key and pulled my bike around to the parking space in front of the room. I removed my sleeping bag with all my stuff inside and went into the room. Opened it up and took out a Rocky Patel and made a bee line for the door and took a chair with me. Once outside I fired that sucker up and began to take in the late afternoon early evening sunset. A car pulled up next to my bike. It was that little brat and her very sexy mother. She said we stopped by KFC and got some chicken, we live here, got another chair for two guests, we’ll share our dinner with you. I got the chair and we ate chicken and french fries with one very spoiled little brat of a kid sitting on her lap. The kid got tired but her Mom did not She took her daughter to their room and then came back. We talked a while and then went inside. I really liked this woman, a bit mysterious but interesting for sure….. It was a good day on the road.

En Español En Español En Español En Español En Español

Marco Antonio Solis Marco Antonio Solis Marco Antonio Solis Marco Antonio Solis Marco Antonio Solis

José Luis Zagar

José Luis Zagar se presenta en El Arena Theatre el 1 De Abril

José Luis comenzó su carrera de comediante en El Unicornio Azul en el año 2001, posteriormente se fue a Hermosillo, Sonora al bar “El Rincón de Venancio cómo telonero de muchos comediantes que iban de Monterrey, Guadalajara y CDMX. Dos años después, regresó a Monterrey y se convirtió en el comediante favorito del público.

Dio la vuelta a la república Mexicana en eventos privados y ha trabajado con personalidades como Polo Polo, El Norteño, Platanito, Teo Gonzalez, Jorge Falcón, Adal Ramones, Omar Chaparro y muchos más en diversos programas de Televisión, entre los que se destacan Stand Parados, Sabadazo, Noches de Humor, Comedy Central y en centros de espectáculo diverso.

Después de 21 años de no pisar un estudio de grabación, el comediante volvió a la cantada de la mano de Apodaca Group y su productor Jorge Chapas Leal, integrante del grupo El Plan.

Una cumbia muy jocosa es la llave

que permitió el regreso de Zagar a la música.

“Iniciamos con algo chusco para que vaya de acuerdo a la imagen que muchos tienen de mí”, dijo el artista, “para después ir presentando canciones de temas románticos, serios”.

Muchos lo recuerdan como integrante del grupo Los Humildes, aunque el público joven que lo sigue sólo lo conoce por su faceta de comediante.

Tras su salida de Los Humildes, indicó, cambió radicalmente de profesión y aunque siguió en los escenarios, ahora su fuerte es la comedia.

Cuando entró a grabar su primer sencillo, “Chisme Caliente”, lo hizo recordar su etapa en la música de hace 21 años.

Respecto a su trabajo como comediante, señaló que lo alternará con la música, aunque está decidido a dar todo su esfuerzo para pegar como cantante.

“Este es un sueño musical. Voy a separar mi carrera musical de la de comediante. El futuro de esto que estamos iniciando es llegar a tener un show musical en vivo. Apodaca Group me puede llevar a uno de sus tantos proyectos que tiene de conciertos para presentarme”.

Ser exitoso como comediante, agregó, le permitirá ganarse a ese público, pero ahora en la cantada.

José Luis Zagar no está casado con un sólo género, prometió que abordará de todo un poco.

“Queremos hacer una variación importante. Ahorita están escuchando una canción alegre, para bailar, pero también les quiero mostrar un bolero, una ranchera. Quiero darle una variedad importante en inspiración de las agrupaciones que yo admiro como Ramón Ayala que puede cantar un corrido, una ranchera o una cumbia o como Intocable que también le varía”.

Marco Antonio Solis vuelve a la carretera. trayendo su gira 2022 Que Ganas de Verte (What Desire to See You) gira a The Smart Financial Center el 17 de Marzo.

El artista ganador del Latin Grammy comenzará la etapa estadounidense de su viaje el 1 de abril en Phoenix. Luego, Marco aterrizará en ocho ciudades, incluidas Orlando y Houston, antes de terminar con una celebración del Día de la Madre el 7 de mayo en el Allstate Arena en Rosemont.

En su gira Que Ganas de Verte (What Desire to See You), Solís, quien tiene 51 títulos en la lista Billboard Hot Latin Songs, 11 de esos éxitos No. 1, interpretará sus piezas clásicas, así como algunas canciones nuevas como bien.

La gira Que Ganas de Verte sigue a la histórica gira de estadios de nueve fechas de Los Bukis (dirigida por Solís), donde el grupo se reunió por primera vez en 25 años. La gira de reunión fue la gira latina más grande de 2021.

Marco Antonio Solís es sin duda una de las figuras más importantes en el ascenso de la música mexicana y latina a la prominencia mundial durante las dos últimas décadas del siglo XX. Nacido en Michoacán, México, Solís tenía solo 12 años cuando formó su primer grupo, Los Hermanitos Solís, con su hermano Joel. Todavía era un adolescente cuando formó Los Bukis a principios de los años 70. En el transcurso de las siguientes dos décadas, Los Bukis llegaron a influir profundamente en la música norteña y tejana de México y el suroeste de los Estados Unidos. Aunque Solís continuó trabajando de cerca con Los Bukis, también inició una carrera en solitario que resultó en certificaciones de platino para LP de mediados de los 90 como Quiereme, Inalcanzable y Por Amor a Mi Pueblo. Le siguieron Trozos de Mi Alma en 1999. Solís marcó el comienzo del nuevo milenio con un set en vivo de dos volúmenes, En Vivo, y su compañero, En Vivo, Vol. 2. Su siguiente álbum de estudio, Más de mi alma, fue lanzado en 2001 y, al igual que sus anteriores álbumes en solitario, se convirtió en un éxito de ventas.

Aunque no lanzó otro álbum propiamente dicho hasta 2003, Solís siguió siendo uno de los favoritos de las listas con varias canciones de Más de mi alma (incluyendo “Cuando te acuerdes de mi” y “Si no te hubieras ido”) haciendo apariciones en las listas latinas de Billboard. . Lanzado en mayo de 2003, Tu Amor o Tu Desprecio se abrió camino lentamente hacia la cima de las listas hasta alcanzar el número uno a principios de 2004. La colección de lo mejor de La Historia Continúa... apareció a fines de

Marco Antonio Solis Se Presenta En El Smart Financial Centre El 17 De Marzo

2003, seguida de la siguiente. primavera del split album (junto a Joan Sebastían) Dos Grandes. Razón de Sobra también se estrenó a fines de año. La segunda parte de su La Historia Continúa... se emitió en 2005, al igual que un lanzamiento con el cantautor tejano Pepe Aguilar. Los bien recibidos Trozos de Mi Alma, vol. 2 llegaron a las estanterías en 2006; rápidamente encabezó las listas de álbumes latinos, produjo un éxito en “Antes de Que Te Vayas” y le valió a Solís una nominación al Grammy por Mejor Álbum Pop Latino.

El artista emitió el directo Noche en Madrid en junio de 2008, seguido apenas cinco meses después por su octava propuesta de estudio, No Molestar. Ambos álbumes alcanzaron el primer lugar en la lista de álbumes latinos. Después de un breve descanso, Solís regresó al estudio. En Total Plenitud fue lanzado en 2010 y se convirtió en su décimo récord consecutivo en alcanzar el número uno en la lista de álbumes latinos, estableciendo un récord. Su sencillo “A Dónde Vamos a Parar” apareció en la telenovela Theresa y el álbum alcanzó el estatus de platino en ventas. Solís realizó una gira mundial en apoyo del álbum durante más de un año. Tras la conclusión de la gira, volvió a grabar casi de inmediato. El sencillo y el video de “Tres Semanas” se lanzaron en el verano de 2013, seguidos de un segundo sencillo y video de prelanzamiento de “De

Mil Amores” a principios de 2014.

El álbum de estudio Gracias por Estar Aquí apareció en abril de 2014 y fue nominado a Mejor Álbum Vocal Pop Tradicional en los Premios Grammy Latinos de ese año, con “De Mil Amores” ganando el premio a Mejor Canción Regional. La grabación también fue nominada a Mejor Álbum Pop Latino en la 57ª entrega de los Premios Grammy. También fue su último álbum para un sello afiliado a Universal. Solís luego se volvió independiente, y su proyecto en vivo de lujo, Por Amor a Morelia Michoacán, se tituló por la ciudad de su nacimiento. Grabado en 2012 como un paquete de discos de audio y video, fue precedido por el sencillo popurrí “Mi Mayor Necesidad”/ ”A Donde Vayas” en marzo de 2015, mientras que el álbum apareció en varios paquetes en abril de ese año.

Solís proporcionó el doblaje al español de Ernesto de la Cruz, el principal antagonista de la película Coco de DisneyPixar de 2017.

Solís regresó a la lista Regional Mexican Airplay de Billboard por primera vez en más de dos décadas cuando “Se Veía Venir” subió al número 1 en el ranking con fecha del 2 de octubre de 2021.

Masterpiece Sound Studios

Chris Roy is a stay-at-home Dad of 4 wonderful kids ranging in age from 11-3. In between being the personal school bus, volunteering at school, and being a supportive husband, I have been blessed to find time

to create. I originally moved to Houston from Beaumont Texas to pursue my education in culinary arts after a missed opportunity to go for vocal training in South Carolina. I also worked as a chef and in restaurant manage-

ment for 13 years.

“Coming from a Creole family with deep roots in Louisiana and southeast Texas, my gumbo is a mainstay dish in our family’s household and is always requested if I’m cooking, says Chirs. “Another fun fact Beyoncé is a distant cousin. Our school-aged children have very rigorous education so most evenings are dedicated to helping with reading, Latin, or some other project. If not, schoolwork and sports keep our schedules packed with basketball, ballet, choir, and baseball. The best tip I have for parenting is just to always have snacks and pack your patience,” he explains.

Chris’ cover song that got him to the finale is an R&B version of “Nothin’s Too Good For My Baby.” You can listen to it at https://youtu.be/Il5ji5UHfgQ

Chris has never been to Detroit before! “I am excited to visit the city that gave so much of the music that played in my home as I grew up. I hope to see where the greats like Denis Edwards, The Jackson 5, Stevie, David Ruffin, Tammy Terrel, and Aretha Franklin all got to grow and create the magic that was Motown. I’m also excited to meet some of the artists I have come to work with over apps that are in Michigan,” says Chris.

Moy was the first well-known woman to be a songwriter and producer to work with Motown Records and build a recording studio in Detroit. She is best known for her work with the legendary Stevie Wonder. Some of Moy’s hit songs include My Cherie Amore, Uptight (Everything’s Alright), It Takes Two, “I Was Made To Love Her and Shoo –BeDoo-Be-Doo-Da-Day.

Chris will travel to Detroit in April to rehearse and compete in the contest Finale on April 20th at the Motor City Casino Hotel’s elegant Soundboard Theater. The Finale Live Show will bring together many notables from music, television, film, and politics and will be recorded for broadcast at a future date. This could be the “big break” Chris has dreamed of and prepared for all his life.

The Contest featured,10 songs written and co-written by 13 former Motown/Jobete songwriters: Sylvia Moy, Frank Wilson, Brenda Holloway, Patrice Holloway, BerryGordy, Mickey Stevenson, Ivy Jo Hunter, Hank Cosby, L Hardaway, Raynard Miner, Janie Bradford, Vernon Bullock, and Stevie Wonder. More than 100 contest entries were received, and more than 500 contest registrations.

“The Cover Song Contest is a perfect opportunity to promote and preserve the legacy and mission of our sister, Sylvia Moy, by reintroducing these iconic Motown songs and celebrating the extraordinarily talented songwriters who wrote them”, said Masterpiece Co-Manager, Celeste M. Moy. “SMP is delighted to partner with Masterpiece to produce the Cover Song Contest featuring 10 selected Motown songs all written by some of SMP’s greatest songwriters”, said Liz Lewis, SVP of Catalog Development.

Follow him on King Creole Instagram www.MasterpieceSoundStudios.com/ coversongcontest

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Sparky Parker Performs At The “All-New” Dan Electro’s

We have some great news for clubbers all over Houston. Dan Electro’s aka Dan Electro’s Guitar Bar is open again and it looks fantastic. We were there for the soft opening which had the Sparky Parker Band on stage performing at it was just wonderful. It’s great to see this fine institution open again with new owners that plan on making this one of the best party spots in Houston. We’ll be telling you more about that in the future, but in the meantime, the club is open and Dan Electro’s is open for business. Be sure to check out the cool patio in back. If you liked the old one, you’ll love the new one. You’ll also be happy to know that they will be having live music there on a regular basis. Drop by and check it out as soon as you can.

Photos By Kevin Wildman

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Shame On Me Perform At Shady Acres Saloon In The Heights

Shame On Me brought their great mixture of rock and rockabilly to Houston’s Shady Acres Saloon. Shame on me is a great five piece outfit that has been making quite a name for itself in Houston. This night, despite being a member short, the band put on a great show at Shady Acres. Their stage performances are fused with elements of twangy reverb guitars, and soulful serenades that drip like honey from their powerful vocals. The band formed in 2018 as a mom and pop duo with Mel Torres-Guiterrez (lead vocals, upright bass), and Rogelio Guitierrez (lead guitar). As the sound evolved the band grew to ad a collection of friends and musicians. Those include Billy Munez (sax), Jewelz “Sweet Potato” Barron (backup vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion), and Patrick “Boss” Kelly (drums). The band’s performance was certainly a lot of fun and without a doubt, we’ll be back out to Shady Acres Saloon to see them again.

Photos By Kevin Wildman

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Hatbox Perform At The Acadia Bar & Grill

Photos by Greg Holleman

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The Buck Yeager Band Perform At Green Oaks Tavern In Humble

We had a great time at Green Oaks Tavern this night when we dropped by to see the Buck Yeager Band. We had never seen Buck perform together, so this really turned out to be a great treat for us. Without a doubt, Buck is one of the best vocalists that we’ve seen in quite a while. His style of singing captivates you from the very beginning. His selection of songs is even better. Buck performs a wide variety of material besides just his own originals, however his original piece, “Beautiful Thing” was nothing less than inspiring. Other songs the band performed this night include: “Got No Reason Now Going Home” (Gene Watson), “Easy To Miss” (Chris Canenaugh), That’s How I Got To Memphis To Be With You (Tom T. Hall), “Your Memory” (Steve Wariner), “That’s A Lie” (Paul Thorn), and “I Had To Say I Loved You In A Song” (Jim Croce). Besides Buck being good, the rest of the band is fantastic as well. Check out Green Oaks Tavern’s schedule from time to time and when you see that Buck is performing there, make sure to go. We’re sure you’ll have a great time as well.

Photos By Kevin Wildman

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Poison I.V. Perform At Rise Rooftop

Photos By Brian Lambert

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Randy Soffar Hosts Open Mic Night At Leon’s Lounge

We’re back at Leon’s Lounge this night for Randy Soffar’s “Open Mic Night” and as we told you last month,Wendesday Nights are becoming very popular at Leon’s Lounge in Midtown. This is quickly becoming the place to be for musicians to get out and do a little something on their own. The club has been attracting quite a group of musicians, songwriters, and people that are brushing up and putting the finishing touches on their solo act. This night the club was packed with musicians and fans of the open mic night. On stage there this night we spotted Blind Uncle Charlie, Dakota Stillwell, Sharon Walker, Jacob Shurman, Scotty B., Mouthbreather (yeah, that’s what he said his name was),and Matt Norman, to name a few. And don’t worry, if you need someone to accompany you, Randy Soffar is usually ready to help. Also performing with many of the artists this night was percussioist Adam Carman. C’mon folks, let’s party!

Photos By Kevin Wildman

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Love And War Perform At Rise Rooftop

Photos By Greg Holleman

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Preverbial Cool Aid Perform At The Acadia Bar & Grill

Photos By Kevin Wildman

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Ratt Vocalist Stephen Pearcy Performs At Rise Rooftop

Photos By Greg Holleman

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Luke Juarez Performs At The 19t Hole

Photos By Kevin D. Wildman

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Southern Soul Revival with Leonard “Low Down’ Brown Perform At Leon’s Lounge

Photos By Kevin D. Wildman

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The Evelyn Rubio Band with special guest Italian guitarist Martin Craig Perfrom At The Big Easy (check out the story in this issue)

Photos By Kevin D. Wildman

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Manson (Marilyn Manson Tribute) Perform At Warehouse Live

Photos By Brian Lambert

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Charlie And Paul Perform At Dan Electro’s

We had such a great time at Dan Electro’s the night we saw Sparky Parker performing there, we decided to go back this night to see the acoustic stylings of Charlie and Paul aka Charlie Harrison and Paul Beebe. It was a thoroughly entertaining show this night and a lot of fun. Halfway through the evening, Charlie and Paul were joined by a couple of friends onstage in an impromtu performance that was equally as entertaining. Be sure to check out the new Dan Electro’s. It’s going to be one hellluva nightspot when the finish with all their renovations.

Photos By Kevin Wildman

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Hugo Jamz Trio with special guest Eric Demmer Perform at Katie’s Bar In Bacliff

When we heard that Hugo Jamz was going to be at Katie’s Bar in Bacliff this night, we headed out there as fast as we can. We always have a blast at at Hugo Jamz show. On top of that, former Gatemouth Brown saxophonist Eric Demmer was sitting in with the band. This was definitely going to be a good show. Walking in the door we caught the band on stage performing Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song.” It really sounded good. Eric Demmer was in fine form performing both saxophone and singing. It was a really great show. Other song performed this night included “You Shook Me” (AC/DC), “Tush” (ZZ Top), “The Thrill Is Gone” (BB King), “Use Me” (Bill Withers), “Superstition” (Stevie Wonder), and”Folsom Prison Blues” (Johnny Cash). Yeah folks, it was a great show, I’m glad I made it. If you get a chance to see Hugo Jamz perform, take the chance to see him. You’ll have a great time!

Photos By Kevin Wildman

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Kory Quinn Performs at the Shady Acres Saloon In The Heights

Photos By Kevin Wildman