Music News aka Houston Music News aka Texas Music News

Vol. 40 - No.3 • DECEMBER 2021 • www.houstonmusicnews.net • FREE

& ENTERTAINMENT

CAROLYN WONDERLAND Also In This Issue Lindsey Buckingham Ruben V. Band D.R.I. Satsang Whiskey Myers Chad Prather and More!

https://www.facebook.com/theHOLE19TH/

GRILL & SPORTS BAR 202 Sawdust Rd. (The Woodlands) • 281-363-2574 • http://www.19th.cc

Dec. 17 Doug Westcott December Live Music Schedule 3 - A Cult Classic, The Rotary Phones, Bipolar Joyride, The Deadly Blooms, Gray Falls 4 - Primrose Hollow 10 - Anathemia, Thurzdaze, Ground Crew 4 11 - Straight Jacket Theory, Klozure, Eden Effect, Blossom Aloe 17 - Luke Lafleur, Doug Westcott, StoN3 Duo, Dauzat St. Marie 18 - Planet ˝Gears, 5Fifteen, Blackwell, Zombieface, Chasing Yesterday 23 - Heather Rayleen

December 31 NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY! LIVE MUSIC! PARTY FAVORS! CHAMPAGNE TOAST!

Every Thursday Night

Live Jam Session! @ 8:00 PM

All Musicians Welcome!

Special Events at The 19th Hole Tuesdays Karaoke Wednesdays Bingo Fridays 10 oz. Steak Lunch Special Only $13.99

The 19th Hole Grill & Bar is celebrating our 32nd Year Anniversary of being a live music venue

DART TOURNAMENT EVERY MONDAY NIGHT!!

Take I-45 to the Rayford/Sawdust exit in Spring • Go west on Rayford/Sawdust • Make a right turn at the first red light We’re at the end of the strip center on your left!

2

Music News • December 2021

December 2021 Hi Folks, We here at Music News aka Houston Music News would like to wish all of our readers and advertisers an Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We know that this year has been hard on a lot of us so far, but we definitely have a lot of hope for next year. Things are starting to return to normal and that’s a good thing. We wish the best to all of you out there!

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 Carolyn Wonderland as she discusses her new album. Also in this issue you can read stories about the Ruben V. Band, ZZ Top Whiskey, Rapper T.I., D.R.I., Satsang, Whiskey Myers, Chad Prather, Motley Krue, Mannheim Steamroller, Lindsey Buckingham, Hayes Carll, and 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. 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.

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. 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

Kevin Wildman Editor and Publisher Web Address http://www.houstonmusicnews.net Mailing Address Box 1162, League City, TX 77573 Phone 281-650-1953

For Advertising email us at musicnew@airmail.net or call 281-650-1953 For A Free Subscription email us at musicnew@airmail.net and in the subject line put “Sign Me Up Now” December 2021 • Music News

3

Contents

VOL. 40 NO. 3

DECEMBER 2021

6

D.R.I.

D.R.I. Perform At The Scout Bar December 11

6

ISSUE NO. 506

CAROLYN WONDERLAND Meet Alligator Records Newest Guitar Hero, Carolyn Wonderland.

Carolyn Talks About Her New Release, Tempting Fate

24

24 26

SATSANG Satsang Perform At White Oak Music Hall on December 17

30

26 WHISKEY MYERS

Whiskey Myers Perform At Dosey Doe December 16

30

32 32

CHAD PRATHER The Lost 80s Live Bring The Sounds Of The 80s To The Arena Theatre November 20

4

Music News • December 2021

Contents

VOL.40 NO. 3

DECEMBER 2021

26 Page 44 LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM

ISSUE NO. 506

18 Ruben V Band 20 ZZ Top Whiskey 22 Rapper T.I. 36 Mötley Krüe 42 Mannheim Steamroller 50 Hayes Carll 52 The Biker 55 and on RANDOM SHOTS

Lindsey Buckingham Performs at Smart Financial Centre December 11

26

December 2021 • Music News

5

Photo by Laura Carbone

Carolyn Wonderland

6 Music MusicNews News •• November November December 2021 2020

By Kevin Wildman Alligator Records has recently released its newest album, Tempting Fate, by its newest artist and guitar hero. It also marks the first female guitar hero on their label, Carolyn Wonderland. This is the first time that a female musician has held that title in the 50 years that Alligator Records has been in business. Carolyn Wonderland isn’t your ordinary guitarist. She has spent the last three years holding down the lead guitarist position in John Mayall’s Blues Breakers, a position that was previously held by some of the most amazing guitarists in history. That position included Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor, Peter Greene, Coco Montoya, and Walter Trout to name a few.

Alligator Records’ own Bruce Iglauer says of Carolyn Wonderland, “Carolyn is simply an amazing six-string player. She’s the first female guitar hero on Alligator. But she’s a whole lot more, she’s equally talented as a vocalist, songwriter and live performer.”

Carolyn’s musical journey started off many years ago and she has been performing professionally since she was 15 years old.

This Houston, Texas native really has music in her soul. This will be the 11th album by Wonderland. She already has 10 under her belt including 4 that were produced by Asleep At The Wheel’s own Ray Benson. Her styles on her albums up to now range from electric to the blues to cosmic country and to TexMex as well. Her styles always vary from album to album.

The new album, Tempting Fate features ten emotionally charged songs that consist of 5 originals, one co-write with her John Mayall bandmate, Greg Rzab, and 4 select cover tunes that have inspired her over the years. Production on the album was handled by the legendary Dave Alvin, formerly of The Blasters.

Meet Alligator Records Newest Guitar Hero, Carolyn Wonderland but turned over to her at John’s insistence.

According to Dave Alvin, “Carolyn’s guitar playing isn’t imitating anyone. She always surprises me with her guitar lines and her melodic twists and turns. As for Carolyn’s vocals, they are soulful and powerful to the point of being often spine tingling.”

Tempting Fate reveals a lot about Carolyn and her philosophies of life. The songs range from the headlines of today with the separation of children from their parents at the Texas border with “Crack In The Wall” to her commentary on man’s failure to take responsibility for their own actions with “Fragile Peace And Certain War.” Not all her songs are so emotionally charged. There is a bit of humor in this album with her hilarious “Texas Girl And Her Boots.” Cover songs on the album are pulled from artists that have truly inspired her such as Bob Dylan, Billie Joe Shaver, and her previous bandleader, John Mayall. There is even a great song penned by her John Mayall bandmate, Greg Rzab, which was originally intended for John,

To say that that Carolyn’s guitar playing and vocals on this album are great would be an understatement. Her performance on this album is nothing less that fantastic. It reveals a lot about Carolyn’s personality and opens the inevitable question, what will come next from Alligator’s newest guitar hero. As soon as you can get a chance, pick up a copy of Tempting Fate and check out this great new album by Alligator Records newest guitar hero, Carolyn Wonderland.

We recently had a chance to sit down with Carolyn and talk to her about the new album, its production her recent signing to Alligator Records and we’d like to share it with you.

Music News: Hi Carolyn, you’ve got a new album out on Alligator Records now.

How did you get started on it and how did you get around to having Dave Alvin produce it.

Carolyn Wonderland: It all started because I’ve been in John Mayall’s band for the last couple of years. He’s such an incredibly generous guy. After playing with him for about three years, I said, ‘well, I’ve got enough songs here. I’ve saved up enough money and I think I should make a record and I wasn’t on a label, so I said yeah, let’s do it.

I was kind of spitballin’ with some of my friends when I was in Woodstock with Cindy Cashdollar and she said, ‘if you had anyone to produce it, who would it be.’ And I said, ‘in a perfect world, it would have to be Dave Alvin,’ so she called him and he said yes. I was surprised and excited, so I came home and got the songs together. I had just finished John Mayall’s record in California and came to Austin and got all my friends to come by.

Music News: You’ve got quite a few big names on here… Dave Alvin, Marcia Ball, Shelly King, Jimmie Dale Gilmour.

You’ve worked with Jimmie Dale Gilmour before didn’t you? continued on next page December 2021 • Music News

7

up with each other over the years. He’s how John (Mayall) knew who I was and John gave me a call to see if I would come and play with him. So “Broken Hearted Blues” we wrote in John Mayall’s living room getting ready for his record. We were thinking we were going to write a song for John and it’s pretty much Greg Rzab’s song, that whole groove, all that stuff, that’s all on the bass.

The melody was all there. He looks at it and goes, ‘you know, I’ve got some words too.’ I said, ‘what, I had no idea.’ So that was my first co-write I got to do with Greg. It was real cool. I guess the moral of that is that when John came in when we were playing it, I said, ‘Gee John, what do you think of this song and he said, ‘That’s yours… you need to sing that.’ That was really cool.

Music News: Let’s talk about a couple of the other songs on here and what they mean to you and how they came about. The first one is “Fragile Peace and Certain War”.

Carolyn Wonderland: Yeah, when I’m mad I sit down with a piece of paper and a pen for a good long while. That was one of those. I suppose I wanted to express some dignity for people that would disagree with it.

Put yourself in the position of someone who would be forced into that situation. So, I suppose that’s it, freedom and dignity, but also understanding that there isn’t a them, we’re all us.

Music News: Was there an incident that kicked that all off, that really pissed you off, or something to made you want to write that?

Carolyn Wonderland: Just watching everybody pit each other against one another.

It seems to be perpetual. You know, blaming other folks instead of looking at what you’re doing.

Music News: Well, we live in a society where it’s easier to point fingers than to accept the responsibility of our own actions.

Photo by Ismael Quintanilla

Carolyn Wonderland continued from previous page Carolyn Wonderland: We’ve done gigs, but we’ve never been able to record together before. It was really cool, because there’s been times… I don’t know if you’ve had this happen to you before, but you have a dream and you wake up and you think that it’s real for a while (laughs). Some of those with me are that I’ll have somebody else’s voice, so like the first time it was Mose Allison and the second time it was Jimmie Dale Gilmour. I was telling Dave (Alvin) that story and Dave says, ‘that’s pretty funny. Let’s get Jimmie on here.’ That was pretty cool! It was awesome. Jimmie Dale used to do “It Takes A

8

Music News • December 2021

Lot To Laugh” when he started off, and I’ve had it in my set for years, so it was fun to get to record it with him.

Music News: I’m looking at the titles of the songs on the album and five of them are originals, and five of them are covers, Carolyn Wonderland: Yeah, one of them is a co-write too with Greg Rzab. He’s John Mayall’s bass player. We met years ago when I was a teenager and my band was out on the road with Buddy Guy, and Rzab was the bass player in the band. He and Ray Allison was the rhythm section, so we kept

Carolyn Wonderland: True, but nothing gets better until we look at it. That was the song.

Music News: How about a “Texas Girl And Her Boots.”

Carolyn Wonderland: Yeah, I was thinking about that too. It’s perhaps a little less politically charged, although I’m sure it comes from the same place. But it’s a true love song. You write about what you know and I love my boots. It’s a hard one to take apart. With most girls in Texas, it’s boots.

You’ve got to have them for walking around in summer, just to not get bitten by a snake, and sometimes those snakes are people. Is that too silly…

Music News: No that’s fine. I can continued on next page

Carolyn Wonderland continued from previous page understand that all together. That’s a humorous way of putting it. I understand. I wear boots all the time. Let’s talk about “Fortunate Few.” I believe that’s another one of yours.

Carolyn Wonderland: Yeah, that was another one about being on the road, and you’ve got your head hurtin’. What ya going to do. You know what, I’m very fortunate to be doing this, but also perhaps a note to yourself, maybe everybody’s night is to have a party, and it’s your night to play, and it shouldn’t be your night to party. Sometimes it’s good to look at it without all the alcohol in the glasses. That was one of those songs to myself. Reel it in, Reel it in girl.

Music News: That brings us to “Crack In The Wall.”

Carolyn Wonderland: That’s one of those songs. That one actually took me three days to write. Sometimes a song will come fully flesh, like I’ll be driving in the middle of the night and I can hear all the orchestration and the words come out all at once and that’s great. That one was the opposite and it took me three days. I locked myself up in my room upstairs, my little office… and my husband fortunately understands the whole writing process and doesn’t get offended. He comes by and says, ‘hey’ and slides a little sandwich under the door. ‘So, how are you tonight.’ But that one started when the lawyers took the audio recorder into a child detention center where the migrant children were being separated from their families and hearing what couldn’t have been a child of four years old pleading ‘Yo quiero my mommy (I want my mommy). I don’t know how anybody couldn’t hear that and have their heart ripped out of their chest. That really affected me. I just decided… Obviously I don’t know that child’s particular story, but I decided to put myself in the position of his mother. What would I have done? What would I feel about this? What would cause me to leave home? If home so dangerous you have to run into the arms of a shark, so to speak, what would drive me to do that? What would the journey look like?

And then, to me it’s dignity and the fact that they’re not the other, they’re us. We’re all each other. Perhaps that sounds too psychedelic or grandiose, but I just couldn’t understand the cruelty that we inflict on each other, especially children.

Music News: The whole situation between separating the children and their

parents was very bad. That was terrible.

Carolyn Wonderland: Yeah, it still goes on, so it needs to be addressed at all times.

Music News: It doesn’t look like it’s going to change anytime soon.

Carolyn Wonderland: You’ve got to keep looking for it. It matters to the one child that it changed for. It should be all.

Music News: Let’s talk about why you picked certain cover songs. Obviously after playing with John Mayall for so long, you felt you needed to honor him a bit. I suppose that’s why you picked his song, “The Laws Must Change.” It must have been one of your favorite songs.

Carolyn Wonderland: Yeah, I love doing that song live. In John’s band, he’ll let me do a couple of songs a set. He’ll go,

‘here’s Carolyn and she’s going to sing one for you.’ I might pull out one of mine, or a blues song. When I joined John’s band he goes, here’s a list of 80-some songs. I charted them all and made sure I had the right keys and everything for them, but I realized that he didn’t have “The Laws Must Change” in that group of songs. I really, really love that song and it still holds true in Texas at least, so I figured why not give it a spin and see, so I started playing it live in his band and he would just smile, like ‘you’re doing one of my songs. That’s so sweet.’ And then when it came time to do the record, it was, I need to put this one on and get this on tape while it’s so fresh in my mind. He wrote it before I was born, but it’s still the truth in Texas. continued on next page

Carolyn Wonderland: Yeah that’s true.

Music News: What about the song “On My Feet Again”?

Photo by Laura Carbone

Carolyn Wonderland continued from previous page Music News: Some of the laws in Texas can be really stringent.

Carolyn Wonderland: Yeah, seriously.

Half a joint in Texas and it’s $10,000 dollars and a night in jail. Ask me how I know. I certainly was not mistreated and it could have been far worse, but that doesn’t make it right.

Music News: How about the Billie Joe Shaver song “Honey Bee.” How did you happen to choose that one?

Carolyn Wonderland: You know, Billie Joe (Shaver) wrote that song when he was a kid. I just love that about that song. I don’t know if you’re familiar with his song Eddie.

He was one of the best guitar players ever.

Music News: Oh yes, I’m very familiar with Eddie. I’ve seen the two of them perform many times together before Eddie passed on. Actually I knew both of them.

Carolyn Wonderland: Then you know what I’m talking about. And when Scotty D. was in my band, Scott Daniels… he passed away a few years back, we would always do that song when his daughter would come to our show. You would see Emma Rose pop up and it would be, ‘“Honey Bee”, we gotta do Honey Bee”’. It’s such a happy song. And I thought, maybe it’s a good thing to counterbalance some of my more angry songs with a good happy love song that’s honest, and Billie Joe, he cuts to the chase when it comes

10

Music News • December 2021

to that stuff, and so I thought it was perfect and a lot of fun. Bobby Frickins had brought in Jan Flemings who was playing accordion with him and Ian Moore and it was, ‘yeah, let’s give this a little cajun flavor. I wanted to keep it Gulf Coast, but give it a little swamp pop. It was just so fun to do it that way. I’m really, really glad that it worked out the way it did.

Music News: Well that’s a really great song to do. I was really sad when Eddie passed away. He was so young. It was terrible.

Carolyn Wonderland: That was one of the hardest funerals I’ve ever been to. Man, that was rough.

Music News: I don’t think Billie Joe ever really survived that. The two were so close. They played so much together. It was strange to see Billie Joe without him after that happened.

Carolyn Wonderland: Yeah, well in every family’s case, it’s so difficult when you survive your children. It’s something I cannot truly imagine.

Music News: Your children are supposed to survive you, not the other way around. It’s really not the natural order of things. You’re never supposed to watch your children pass away before you. They’re supposed to carry on after you.

Carolyn Wonderland: I wrote that one with my friend Russ Hartman. He had a paper just like your Music News. He had a paper in Austin for a long time called “Austin Daze.”

He’s just a great music supporter. He’d be at every show. He’s just one of the happiest guys you’ll ever meet. Due to our medical system, they decided that getting him a ‘stand-up’ wheelchair wasn’t going to be covered, but being in a wheelchair, that meant he always had to be in the front row or he couldn’t really see what was going on. He was a big music lover and he was out at all the shows. It just didn’t seem fair, so since the medical society’s we have decided against it, a bunch of us rag-tag musicians put on a couple of benefits and raised him enough money to at least get at least some payments in on that ‘stand-up’ wheelchair. Before that benefit I wrote that song probably in about 20 minutes or so and I thought, ‘this is really what I thought about this.’ It was fun to play.

But when we got into the studio… Red Young plays piano on it and he changed it.

His parts made it super light and joyful, so now I find that when I play it live, I’m often sometimes emulating his piano licks on my guitar.

Music News: I guess you chose Bob Dylan’s song, “It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry” because you had become friends with him.

Carolyn Wonderland: You can’t go wrong with a Bob Dylan song. Whatever it is, it’s let’s do that Bob Dylan song. Which of the hundreds? There are so many good ones.

Which one are you going to do?

Music News: Well, Dylan has been covered by so many artists, it’s unbelievable.

Carolyn Wonderland: Of course, you can’t deny a good song. And with that one, I just thought it was quite fun. I’ve had it in the set for a very long time. And with Jimmie Dale playing on it, you can’t ask for anything better than that.

Music News: And then you pick out “Loser” by The Grateful Dead. That seemed like one of the odd ones to chose. Out of all these songs on here, that one seems like an odd pick.

Carolyn Wonderland: I love that song.

The very first time I played that we were playing a biker rally up in Sturgis and that was the night that (Jerry) Garcia died. I was like, well I always wanted to do this song and tonight’s the night. So, I was out on the pay phone ala Pee Wee Herman and his Big Adventure, and there was all these burly bikers behind me waiting to talk to their loved ones while I’m scribbling the lyrics down on the back of a pizza box. continued on page 12

Shady Acres Saloon www,shadyacressaloon.com 1115 W. 19th Street, Houston 77008 713-534-1112

NEVER A COVER!

Jim Beam Concert Series

December 31 Dec. 2 - Rick Lee Dec. 9 - The Hightailers Dec. 16 - John Miller Dec. 23 - Staci & The Big Blue Dec. 30 - Little Screamin’ Kenny

Nick Gaitan Dog Friendly

12/10 Hard Luck Revival

Dec. 2 Rick Lee

12/4 Kory Quinn

Dec. 9 Dec. 23 The Little Hightailers Screamin’ Kenny Dec. 23 Staci and The Big Blue

Mondays- The Evolution of Quiz Trivia December Live Music Schedule 12/2 - Rick Lee 12/3 - Nathan Quick 12/4 - Kory Quinn 12/5 - Bingo & Seymour’s Sunday Shootout 12/9 - The Hightailers 12/10 - Hardluck Revival 12/11 - Western Bling

12/12 - Full Throttle & The Lolitas Holiday Market / Bingo @ 11-5pm Shame On Me @ 6:00 pm 12/16 - John Miller 12/17 - Voodoo Rodeo Band 12/18 - USO Toy Drive Fund Music For A Great Cause!

12/19 - Bingo & Seymore’s Sunday Shootout 12/23 - Staci & The Big Blue 12/24 - Entertainment TBA 12/25 - Entertainment TBA 12/30 - Little Screamin’ Kenny 12/31 - Jim Beam Concert Series with Nick Gaitan December 2021 • Music News

11

Carolyn Wonderland continued from previous page Music News: On the back of a pizza box, now that’s cool.

Carolyn Wonderland: Oh yeah, so we went and played it that night to this amazing thunder and lightning storm that was off in the distance and as soon as we got done with it, it started to rain. I thought, okay, that song felt really magical, and I’ve had it in the set ever since Garcia passed. I pull it out every now and then. It was one of those songs that always evolved so much live. It’s very different now than when I first played it. I was afraid if I captured it, it may stop evolving, but any chance you get to play guitar with Dave Alvin, take it. I knew that he had recorded an acoustic version of it. I was curious about how it would sound if we both sat down and played it together, what would happen. It was one of those that, let’s see what sticks… this could be fun. It was awesome. Dave makes everything better. I loved having him as a producer because there would be ideas that I would have never stumbled on and he’d play a song, he’d stop and then, let’s rearrange it here. Why don’t you take that riff there and put it at the beginning and see what that does for a second. And my god, he was right! Remember a “Texas Girl And Her Boots”. That song started off a bit more meek with me singing this thing over open chords, and Dave’s like, ‘no, you seem like you love those boots right? You’re proud of them. I said yeah. He said ‘kick in the door with them without permission.’ I said, ‘oh well all right.’ He has the perfect way with words.

Music News: Oh, so he played guitar on that one with you too.

Carolyn Wonderland: Yeah, “Loser is the two of us playing guitar together in the middle. I think he takes the first pass and I take the second pass on it. It’s just a hoot.

But we get to meld with each other so we try to do one giant guitar sound.

Music News: What other songs does he perform on with you?

Carolyn Wonderland: “Crack On The Wall”… those pretty chimes, that’s him… and that’s Cindy Cashdollar on lap steel on that. There’s a bunch of them. On “Fragile Peace,” he plays. You would think that’s a real simple part, but It grooves and I dare anyone to try to play it and groove as hard as him.

Photo by Jeff Fasano Music News: Was he able to pull

6 Music 12 Music Music News News News•• •November December December 2020 2021

Photo by Laura Carbone things out of you that you didn’t know you had inside of you?

It’s like, ‘what other stuff are we going to do together? What’s gonna happen?’

Carolyn Wonderland: Oh for sure, yeah. He’s an amazing producer. And everybody sat up straight for Dave too. They were all such huge fans. I can’t wait to do it again. Honestly, I can’t. I’m kidnapping him again if that’s okay.

Music News: Although this is a new album, when was it actually recorded?

There’s a lot of great material coming out now that was actually recorded prior to the Covid-19 pandemic but there was no way to release it for quite a while. continued on page 14

Music News: So, he’d be your choice of producer again for your next album?

Carolyn Wonderland: I think so. I really do. I’d like to see what stories we might finish now that we’ve worked together.

https://www.fullersguitar.com FULLER’S VINTAGE GUITAR IS NOT ONLY A VINTAGE GUITAR STORE, WE ALSO CARRY THE LARGEST SELECTION OF NEW GUITARS IN THE SOUTH

WE BUY, SELL & TRADE

LESSONS REPAIRS

(713) 880-2188 116 NORTH LOOP • 610 AT YALE HOUSTON, TX 77008

Thank Your For Supporting Us During The Pandemic!

BEST SELECTION OF MARTIN ACOUSTICS

BEST SELECTION OF BILLY BO’S BEST SELECTION OF GIBSON ACOUSTICS

BEST SELECTION OF TAYLOR ACOUSTICS

BEST SELECTION OF STRATS

continued on next page

BEST SELECTION OF RICKENBACKERS

BEST SELECTION OF LES PAUL CUSTOM SHOP

BEST SELECTION OF TELES

AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR RICKENBACKER • GIBSON • EPIPHONE • ROBERTSON • TRUSSART • WATERLOO • FENDER •

by Jeff Fasano JACKSON USA • CHARVEL • ELLIS • GRETSCH • COLLINGS • SANTA CRUZPhoto • GALLAGHER • 18 Rock and Blues International • August 2020 Augusst 2021 •Music News 99 8 Music News • July 2021 January 2021 •Music Music News 13 October 2021 • News 35 February 2021 • Rock and Blues International NATIONAL • MARTIN • YAMAHA • TAYLOR • EASTMAN • DEERING

don’t want to change anything on it. I want to put it out the way it is.’ I was like… ‘Are you serious? That’s amazing.’ So god bless him. Alligator works really, really hard for their artists. I felt so blessed. It was pretty darn cool!

Music News: When people listen to this album, what is the underlying theme you would like them to come away with?

Carolyn Wonderland: A little bit of joy, a sense of dignity really. At least that’s what I hope. And then maybe a little bit of freedom, but you don’t have to play just one thing, everybody can be multi-faceted.

Music News: Anything else you’d like to add to this?

Carolyn Wonderland: I appreciated so much growing up in Houston and getting to hear music all the time. I loved it. And it was easier to sneak into clubs when I was a kid, because I think music shouldn’t be reserved for just people who are old enough to drink. I appreciate the hell out of everyone in Houston who put up with me while I was learning how to play. I hope they dig what I’m doing now. If not, stick around, the next one will be totally different.

Music News: Yeah, sneaking into clubs in Houston is a really easy thing to do.

Carolyn Wonderland: Yeah, just walk in carrying a guitar.

Music News: I would see people celebrating their 21st Birthday in a club five years after they first started going there. It was hilarious.

Photo by Ismael Quintanilla

Carolyn Wonderland continued from previous page Carolyn Wonderland: I recorded it right before the lockdown, so I think that’s why you can probably feel the joy in it. One of the magical tricks to getting your friends to play with you on a record is to record it in January when people aren’t touring. You can catch people at home then. So that’s what we did. We finished John’s record in Los Angeles in January of 2020 and then popped over to Austin a week or two later and went in to Stuart Sullivan’s place and it was, ‘alright, here we go.’ Everybody was fresh and ready.

Music News: With the lockdown hit so quickly after that, it really screwed with the 14 Music News • December 2021

music and entertainment business. Nothing was proceeding normally. That actually kind of helped get you signed to Alligator Records.

You almost put that one out on your own.

Carolyn Wonderland: It was one of those things. I’m so used to recording an album and then touring behind it, but it was like…. I didn’t have a label for it. Nobody was expecting anything. I paid for it, so I just thought, I’ll hang on to it till I can put it out.

And then I was shocked when Bruce Iglauer from Alligator Records called me and said, ‘I hear you have a record I should hear.’ I said, ‘really, I’ll send it to you.’ And then he called me back and said, ‘I’d like to put this out. I

Carolyn Wonderland: That was me and Dan Electro’s Guitar Bar. Zoomack picks up a paper and says, ‘so, were you planning on telling us?

Carolyn Wonderland will be hitting the road as soon as possible to support her new album and we’d like to urge everybody out there to be sure to check her out on tour. In the meantime, please pick up a copy of this new album and listen to 10 of the finest performances that you just might hear this year. Carolyn certainly does a fine job on this new release and it comes as no surprise why Alligator Records picked her as their latest and newest Guitar Hero.

Pick up a copy of Tempting Fate today and give it a spin. You’ll be glad you did.

Also, by the way, if you happen to find yourself in Houston this month on December 31st, you can join Carolyn Wonderland at The Last Concert Café as she helps to bring in the New Year. It’s going to be a blast!

June 2021 • Music News

13

Latin, soul, and rock. It’s an ambitious mix of the music that moves him and in his skillful hands, becomes a truly energizing and enjoyable experience. The result is stylistically different from his peers – it’s alluring, soulful, fun and mature. As he says, “it’s everything I love about music.”

For a man who would turn out to be such a celebrated guitar player, Ruben was self-taught – old school style. “I would slow down our old 45 albums on the record player and learn that way. I was also front and center at every concert – watching and listening.

Then it was just hitting the road. There’s no better way to learn.” Hitting the road began at 15 for Ruben, who played in a string of bands and eventually landed an Indie record deal with his heavy metal band, Final Assault. The unexpected death of a friend, the band’s bass player, brought everything to a halt for Ruben and he began questioning his direction. Again, it was music that pulled him back in. “I was in a dark time in my life when I saw Stevie Ray Vaughan in concert. It was the opposite of the heavy metal bands that were defining the time.

I wanted to play Stevie’s kind of music – to bend a guitar string like that because that’s what I felt.” That performance is what drove him back to writing and playing, but this time, he surrounded himself with his brothers and the group began touring clubs in the area. As time passed, the shows became bigger and the four albums they put out became heavier, but, again, that sound wasn’t what Ruben had envisioned for himself. Forced to confront the different directions the brothers were heading, Ruben parted ways with the group to pursue his own musical path – one that was true to him. That becomes the essence of Ruben V’s music.

Putting out great music meant finding a producer with equally high standards and the talent to match. It was sheer determination that led Ruben to search out two famed producers. Richard Mullen produced Ruben V’s first three CD’s: In His Hands, Home and Let Me In. Mullen’s previous work included Eric Johnson, Joe Ely, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Jim Gaines, whose previous credits included multiple Grammy Awards and 4X Platinum work with Santana, Blues Traveler and Stevie Ray Vaughan. The collaboration between Gaines and Ruben produced I AM, Labor of Shame and Come to Me. “Jim pushed me and brought out a more Hispanic flavor than what I had done in the past. He’s an amazing man and I’m blessed to work with him.”

The Ruben V Band Perform at Green Oaks Tavern December 18

“The power of music is amazing. I’ve known my whole life that this is what I’ve wanted to do and I’ve had confirmations at every step that this is what I’m supposed to do.”

and averages over 120 shows a year. He is a guitar player, songwriter, producer and family man. He’s built a huge following of Ruben V Band fans – all while keeping a sense of humor and a genuine Texas charm.

Ruben V is an accomplished artist.

He’s released eight solo CDs, 14 group albums 18 Music News • December 2021

But first and foremost, there is the music. It’s a fresh, smooth blend of blues,

Every show is different; Ruben has a vast catalog of songs to pull from. They may play a familiar song but change the tempo or instruments. The Ruben V shows become enlivened jams inciting the audience into a musical frenzy. It keeps the audience entertained and coming back for more. From here, Ruben V will continue to pursue what has been in his life at every turn – he’ll tour, write songs and make albums. The musical path that he’s followed – varied, honest and sincere – may not have always proved the easiest, but from a man who knows where he comes from, playing music his way is the only way to go. “My guitar might change shape and size; but, those six strings will always be a part of who I am and who I have grown up to be.”

Green Oaks Tavern

211 E. Main St. • Humble, TX • 281.570.4344 • www.greenoakstavern.com SPECIAL PERFORMANCE! NEW YEAR’S EVE GALA December 10th December 31st THE MIGHTY ORQ featuring with THE MARK MAY BAND JASON RICCI with MISS MOLLY

DUSTIN ARBUCKLE & THE DAMNATIONS (from Wichita, KS) December 3

RUBEN V BAND Saturday December 18

BIG AL andthe HEAVYWEIGHTS December 11

THE OCTANES Sunday December 19 5 - 8 pm

DECEMBER 2021

RESERVATIONS RECOMMENDED (call, email or FB message us) • Happy Hour Tues-Sat @ 4-7pm December 2021 • Music News 19

manager, remarked, “ZZ Top’s love of Texas runs deep and we can’t think of a better way to celebrate that than by creating something together with Balcones - The Original Texas Whisky.

Tres Hombres exemplifies what can be achieved when brands care deeply about their respective products and legacy.”

Jared Himstedt, head distiller at Balcones Distilling, added, “It was incredible to collaborate with the ZZ Top team to develop an exclusive whisky that celebrates ZZ Top’s and Balcones’ shared Texas roots. To actually get to taste through the blending process with ZZ Top and make a whisky that synthesizes our joint vision for Tres Hombres was an honor. ZZ are Texas and Rock legends, and we can’t wait to share Tres Hombres with folks.”

Tres Hombres will be available nationally for pre-order beginning today at balconesdistilling.com/treshombres and at Keg N Bottle. The product will roll out to liquor stores across Texas and select other states in mid-November. To learn more about Balcones Distilling, please visit BalconesDistilling.com. To learn more about ZZ Top, please visit ZZTop.com.

Balcones Distilling Announces Collaboration with the Legendary ZZ Top The Original Texas Whisky and AwardWinning Trio Celebrate Texas Heritage with Exclusive Whisky Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, ZZ Top, and Balcones Distilling announced today their collaboration on a one-of-akind whisky. Integrating a strong mutual Texas heritage and love of whisky, the partnership focuses on a grain-to-glass approach to create a new whisky named Tres Hombres, the title of the band’s first top 10 chart album that was released in 1973. In tribute to the band’s enduring legacy, Tres Hombres is made using three distinct grains: roasted blue corn, barley and rye.

Founded in Houston in 1969, ZZ Top have been synonymous with all that is Texas for more than five decades of recording and relentless touring. Re20 Music News • December 2021

nowned for their signature blues-rock sound, ZZ Top reached new heights of success in the 1980s with massively attended performances and some of the highest-grossing international concert tours of all time, making them one of the most prominent groups of the decade. In the 50+ years since the band’s founding, ZZ Top has created 15 studio albums and sold an estimated 50 million albums worldwide. Along the way, they’ve been named Official Heroes of the State of Texas and have won three MTV Video Music Awards.

Commenting on the band’s association with Balcones and the launch of Tres Hombres, Carl Stubner, ZZ Top’s

Balcones is The Original Texas Whisky. Driven by a passion to create something original and authentic, Balcones Distilling marries centuries of distilling tradition with the bold flavors of Texas. Balcones is synonymous with quality and innovation in the whisky industry, known for emphasizing highquality ingredients and drawing influences from all over Texas. To date, the distillery has earned over 550 national and international tasting awards and accolades for their whiskies and spirits.

Balcones will be available in 48 states by the end of 2021 and is one of the fastestgrowing whisky brands in the country.

Balcones distills all of its beloved spirits inside the historic Texas Fireproof Storage Company building in downtown Waco, Texas. At the heart of the distillery are four copper pot stills built by Forsyths, considered some of the best artisans in Scotland. Guests can now visit and tour the facility, with tastings and events held regularly, and see why Balcones is always Distilled to Appreciate. Visit BalconesDistilling.com for more information.

http://www.acadiabarandgrill.com 3939 Cypress Creek Parkway Houston, TX 77068

COME CHECK OUT OUR NEWLY REMODELED PATIO!

Daily Specials Monday $4 Jager, Pool League (free), Free Poker Tuesday Happy Hour All Day $3 Wells & $3 Domestics Karaoke from 9pm to 1am Wednesday $2 Off All Pitchers, $4 Jim Beam Fire, Free Pool, Open Jam Thursday $3 All 360 Vodkas Friday & Saturday 12 - 7pm $4 Fireball $4 Jim Beam Fire Sunday 2 - 7pm $3 Jager & $3 360 Vodkas (All Day For 360 vodkas) Build Your Own Bloody Mary All Day

OPEN MIC EVERY WEDNESDAY HOSTED BY HEAVY HONEYS Thursday, December 2 - Brainwashed, Daniel McClellan , Michael Koby Friday, December 3 - The Tomfooligans, Chaotic Justice, Deteriorated, Black Helix Saturday, December 4 - The Bvtcher, Azrag, Submit Thy Will, Down For Days Sunday, December 5 - MOSHBOX Christmas Numetal Beatdown Thursday, December 9 - Scream Of Syrens, Farewell Winters, Nocturnal Hollow Friday, December 10 - Cremator, Revolution, Kendall Mason Band, Bareknuckle Ministry Saturday, December 11 - Lucid Awakening, 6 Hundred Cuts, Departure, The Earth As We Know It Sunday, December 12 - Heavy honeys, Rejbag Zondq, Kaleb Lang, Austin Bash Thursday, December 16 - ARTIFAS Friday, December 17 - 3 Hot Chilli Peppers, Zero,Revelations Saturday, December 18 - Stella Vir, Brightfires, Straight Shot Home Sunday, December 19 - TBA Thursday, December 23 - Planet Moon, Katillac, Black Kennedy Sunday, December 26 - Andy Gnosis, RYEM, Bill De Gidio Thursday, December 30 - Christian Shields, Ducky Neptune Friday, December 31 - Lucid Illusions, Gray Falls November 2021 • Music News

21

Rapper T.I. Performs At The Arena Theatre on December 18th Once dubbed “the Jay-Z of the South” by Pharrell Williams, T.I. gradually came into his own and established himself as one of rap’s most successful MCs during the early 2000s. Like Jay-Z, T.I. — born Clifford Harris in Atlanta, Georgia — carried a balance of smoothness and toughness, and grew from regional acclaim in his earliest days to chart-topping records like 2008’s hit-spawning Paper Trail. His iconic presence influenced new waves of Atlanta rap talent, and T.I. continued making music alongside those following in his footsteps with albums like 2020’s The L.I.B.R.A. T.I. was born Clifford Harris in Atlanta in 1980. He was rapping by age eight and signed on with Arista Records sublabel LaFace in 1999, changing his stage name from Tip to T.I. to avoid any confusion between himself and Arista labelmate Q-Tip. Although his 2001 major-label debut, I’m Serious, sold so poorly he was quickly dropped by LaFace, T.I.’s hustle was grand, and he pushed forward promoting independent mixtapes until he got a deal with Atlantic Records. Throughout those early years, T.I. maintained a consistent presence on urban radio stations in America: 2003’s Trap Muzik, 2004’s Urban Legend, 2006’s King (released in tandem with T.I.’s debut screen appearance in ATL), 2007’s T.I. vs. T.I.P., and 2008’s Paper Trail — all released through the MC’s deal with Atlantic — were Top Ten albums, with the latter three even spending time at the very top of the chart.

For better or for worse, T.I. also courted a good deal of controversy during his rise to superstar status. Far more ink was spent on his legal issues and conflicts with other rappers, including fellow Southerner Lil’ Flip, than on his Katrina relief efforts and other humanitarian involvements. One notable event occurred on May 3, 2006, when T.I.’s crew was caught up in a shooting after a show in Cincinnati. The crossfire left three people injured, while longtime friend and personal assistant Philant Johnson was fatally wounded. Despite such incidents, T.I. continued to flourish as the decade drew to a close, releasing three chart-topping rap singles and four Top Five pop hits between 2008 and 2009. His career took a breather in 2009, however, when the rapper entered an Arkansas prison to serve a year-long sentence related to federal gun charges. He was released from prison at the end of 2009, serving the rest of his sentence at a halfway house in Atlanta.

Just prior to the December 2010 release of his seventh album, No Mercy, he returned to prison, sentenced to 11 months for violating his probation. The album went gold, and the rapper was nominated for two Grammy Awards. After his release, he continued recording and costarred in the VH1 series T.I. and Tiny: The Family Hustle. He issued Trouble Man: Heavy Is the Head, in December 2012. Influenced by Pharrell Williams, the rapper moved to the Columbia family of labels in 2013. Williams also executive produced his 2014 effort Paperwork, an album introduced by the single “About the Money” featuring Young Thug. It was T.I.’s eighth consecutive Top Ten album.

In 2015, after appearances in a handful of films, including Entourage and Ant-Man, he returned as TIP with the five-track EP Da’ Nic. Parting ways with Columbia soon after, he signed a deal with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation in early 2016. His first output for the label arrived with the EP Us or Else. Supporting the Black Lives Matter movement, the politically charged collection presented an unflinching look at race and power in America. An extended version titled Us or Else: Letter to the System arrived at the end of the year. In 2018, T.I. recruited Yo Gotti for “Wraith” and Meek Mill for “Jefe,” a pair of singles from his long-awaited tenth set, The Dime Trap. Further guests on the effort included Jeezy (“More & More”), Anderson .Paak (“At Least I Know”), Young Thug (“The Weekend”), and more, as well as producers Scott Storch, Just Blaze, Swizz Beatz, and others. Upon release, the album debuted at number 13 on the Billboard 200 and rose into the R&B/Hip-Hop Top Ten. A series of nonalbum singles and collaborations like “Sabotage” and “Black Savage” featuring Royce da 5’9", NFL, and White Gold among others, constituted his 2019 output. The following year, he returned with his 11th album, The L.I.B.R.A., which aside from referring to his zodiac sign serves as an acronym for Legend Is Back Running Atlanta.

22 Music News • December 2021

continued on next page November 2021 • Music News

23

September 1989 brought the release of Thrash Zone. Two music videos were released from this album. One for ‘Beneath the Wheel’ and the other for ‘Abduction’.

During the spring of 1992, Definition was released, and a music video was released for the song ‘Acid Rain’, that later was even featured in an episode of MTV’s “Beavis and Butthead”.

D.R.I. toured in 1992, recorded their gig at the Hollywood Palladium on November 27th, 1992, and it was released in 1994 as their first live album, appropriately entitled Live. It was, more or less, “released as a stepping stone between Definition and Full Speed Ahead”.

In the fall of 1994, The group took part in the Lolitabazooka Tour, headlining in Canada.

D.R.I. Perform At The Scout Bar On December 11 The DIRTY ROTTEN IMBECILES’ history begins on May 2, 1982 around 4:00pm, in the city of Houston, TX. It was on this day that the musically aggressive quartet we now know as D.R.I. made their first Dirty Rotten noise and called it a song.

On November 6th & 7th of 1982 D.R.I. recorded their first release, the Dirty Rotten EP, stuffing 22 songs into 18 minutes on a 7" EP that played at 33 rpm’s. Only 1000 copies of this EP version were pressed, making it now a very rare collector’s item.

Demand caused this EP to be pressed into a 12" LP version, released in 1983, appropriately called Dirty Rotten LP. Leaving the underground music scene thriving for more, DRLP became a major success and also an Inspiration for many new bands at the time.

Soon after D.R.I. was labeled the fastest band in the world.

In 1983 D.R.I. moved to San Francisco, where they lived in their van and ate at soup kitchens in between gigs. D.R.I. found themselves on the “Rock Against Reagan” tour with the Dead Kennedy’s. Their next release was the 4 song, 7", Violent Pacification EP, in 1984.

D.R.I.’s second full length release, Dealing With It, came in March 1985. The group toured extensively in support of the album. The songs on DWI pointed slightly towards a metal direction, but still remained very hardcore. Almost legendary is the band’s recording of “Madman”, where Kurt’s dad is mad and disturbs a Rehearsal. The band gains a real cult status, supported by such fans as 24 Music News • December 2021

Dave Lombardo (Slayer), who tells everyone he’s influenced by D.R.I. On April 26th, 1986, they recorded their show at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, and released the video, which was entitled “Live At The Olympic”.

Their third album, Crossover, released in 1987, was perfectly named since the songs on this album had a strong metal sound to them. As the band began to “crossover” to thrash, their songs became longer, slower, and more complex. The press has called D.R.I. the major band of the “crossover” movement, a style that combined punk, hardcore, and metal. This music invited a mixed audience of punks, and metal fans to their shows, who introduced things like stage diving and slam dancing.

The ‘Live at the Ritz’ video was recorded next, on June 27th 1987, at ‘the Ritz’ in New York, during the band’s worldwide Crossover tour. Also in 1987, one of their songs, ‘Snap’ appeared on a compilation (with other bands supporting some cause) entitled P.E.A.C.E. In February of 1988, the Dirty Rotten Imbeciles returned to the studio to record Four Of A Kind. The songs on this album have even more of a metal sound to them, and production is the best it’s ever been. They even released a music video for the song ‘Suit and Tie Guy’. At the same time, the Dirty Rotten LP was remixed to include the songs from the Violent Pacification EP, and was re-released.

In 1995, D.R.I. released their newest album called Full Speed Ahead. They also made another music video, this time for a song called ‘Syringes in the Sandbox’.

From 1996 to 2016 D.R.I. Tours the World extensively. In March of 1998 D.R.I. launched their own Official Website (www.DirtyRottenImbeciles.com). During 1999, D.R.I. appears as one of the headlining bands on the Social Chaos in North America Tour.

In the year 2000, the Dirty Rotten Imbeciles were headlining their own ‘Millennium 2000 World Tour’. And in the spring of 2001, embark once again on the “Old School Tour” in the spring of 2001. This Routine Continues for many, many years.

In the end of 2015 D.R.I. goes back into the recording studio with longtime friend and producer Bill Metoyer, and records and its first studio produced songs in two decades.

The long awaited “But Wait There’s More” EP is released in June of 2016, and D.R.I. once again Tours the world in support of this milestone.

For the past 35 years, D.R.I. has been the epitome of the aggressive, hardcorepunk, thrash metal sound that we’ve all become accustomed to hearing. Throughout this time, they’ve been one of the few genuine underground bands to remain true to their pure punk roots. Still actively touring and recording, the only thing that may have changed is that they’re a little older now, but time hasn’t gotten the best of the Dirty Rotten Imbeciles. They’re still thrashing just as hard, and just as loud as ever, continuing to overload our senses with the sound that is, and Will always remain, uniquely D.R.I.

October 2021 • Music News

25

when you’re older, you’ll come back to this music.’”

Desperate to escape his surroundings and convinced that he’d wind up in jail like his brother if he stayed, McManus left home as a teenager and moved in with his older sister in Chicago. His first few years there played out like one long party, but as time wore on, it became apparent that the party was spiraling out of control.

“It was clear to everyone else around me that I was an alcoholic and a drug addict,” McManus explains. “Eventually, my friends just sat me down and said, ‘We think you’re going to die if you keep this up.’”

So McManus packed his bags and headed back to Montana, where his biological father worked at a rehab clinic. The road to recovery was a long and arduous one, but McManus eventually got clean and sober, fell in love, and married the woman of his dreams.

For the first time in a long time, life was good, and yet it still felt like something was missing, like some fundamental building block of his personality was being neglected. It wasn’t until McManus found himself on a backpacking trek in the Himalayas that the final piece of the puzzle fell into place.

Satsang Perform at White Oak Music Hall December 17 “Montana isn’t just where I live,” says Satsang’s Drew McManus. “It’s my heart, my soul. Along with my family, it’s my everything.”

It’s little wonder, then, that the state played such a pivotal role in inspiring ‘All Right Now,’ Satsang’s extraordinary new album and debut release for venerated indie label Side One Dummy. Written and recorded during an extended hiatus from the road, the record finds McManus reconnecting with his western roots and exploring a whole new palette of sounds and textures, drawing on classic country and modern Americana to forge a joyful, rustic collection all about letting go and living in the moment. McManus produced the album himself, and while the songs here are certainly honest and deeply personal, they’re written in a spiritual language that taps into something far more universal, something inherent in the human condition that binds us as brothers and sisters on a shared journey to find ourselves and our place in this world. The performances and arrangements are broad and spacious to match, reflecting the wide-open fields and soaring mountains that surrounded the band during the whirlwind recording process, and the result is a lush, organic collection fueled by acoustic guitars, fiddle, and pedal steel, a warm, inviting record that hints at everything from Uncle Tupelo and The Jayhawks to Gregory Alan Isakov and The Head and the Heart as it meditates on the power—and the pull—of home.

“I’ve been on the road for the last five or six years straight,” says McManus, “so being back in Montana for a whole year was a big change. Having that kind of uninterrupted time at home helped me fall back in love with songwriting in a whole new way.”

Though McManus was born in Montana, he actually spent much of his formative years in Des Moines, IA. His childhood was troubled, to say the least, marked by physical abuse at home and a nose for trouble that surrounded him. Music offered an escape, though, and McManus found solace in the punk rock and hip-hop he discovered through his love of skateboarding. Brash and aggressive, the songs were a far cry from the country tunes his mother played on endless loop around the house.

“She loved the old stuff like Buck Rogers and Hank Williams,” McManus recalls, “but she was really into that mid-to-late-nineties sound, guys like Garth Brooks and Randy Travis and Travis Tritt. I didn’t get it at the time, but she always used to tell me, ‘Someday, 26 Music News • December 2021

“I realized on that trip that you only get one shot at life,” says McManus, “and if you’ve got a chance to utilize your talents and follow your dreams, then you’ve got to go for it. It gave me this renewed sense of purpose, and within a week of getting back home, I started playing shows and launched the band.”

McManus filled notebook after notebook on that Himalayan journey, and the material would eventually go on to form the basis of Satsang’s breakout 2016 debut, ‘The Story of You.’ Steeped in reggae, hip-hop, and world music, the album was an uplifting affirmation that connected with fans around the world, racking up roughly 15 millions streams on Spotify alone. McManus and his bandmates returned a year later with their similarly successful sophomore effort, ‘Pyramid(s),’ which hit #1 on the Billboard Reggae Chart and #2 on iTunes, and pushed their sound even further with 2019’s ‘Kulture,’ which incorporated a wider swath of influences from Motown to Tom Petty. Relentless road warriors, the group built a devoted following one night at a time, sharing stages with the likes of Michael Franti & Spearhead and Nahko and Medicine for the People as they worked their way up from bars and clubs to massive festivals.

“Summer’s always been our busiest touring time,” says McManus, “but when COVID hit, we had no choice but to scrap everything and stay at home. I got back into fishing and rafting and hiking, and I started going back to the stuff I grew up hearing, that country music that my mom loved so much. I’d listen to it on long drives, and I started realizing that those songs are some of the most amazing things ever written.

The more time he spent at home, the more McManus’ own writing began to shift, and soon found himself penning raw, ragged tracks that walked the line between folk and country and rock ‘n’ roll.

When it came time to record, McManus rented out a barn in the bucolic Paradise Valley, converting it into a studio space so that his far-flung bandmates—bassist Karl Roth, drummer Ben Teters, and guitarist Stefan Kallander—could experience life in Montana for themselves and draw from the same well of inspiration.

“I told them that I wanted the record to play like an audio map of this place that I love so much,” he explains. “I wanted to make a soundscape for Montana.”

Album opener “From And I Go” sets the scene perfectly, introducing us to Big Sky Country with a waltzing, heartfelt ode to home. McManus wrote the song in a spontaneous fit of inspiration while hiking with his family, and, like much of the record, it overflows with joy and wonder, a testament to the power of sitting still and appreciating the people and the places that make us who we are. The breezy title track, for instance, finds that family is the calm in the eye of the storm, while the bluegrass-meets-Afrobeat “Malachi” embraces continued on page 29

https://www.thebigeasyblues.com

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year From Your Friends at The Big Easy Social And Pleasure Club!

You’re Home For The Best Blues In Houston!

20 28

Music News • December Decemberr 2020 2021

Saturday, December 18 Steve Krase’s Holiday Ball!

Satsang continued the overwhelming emotional journey of parenthood, and the playful “I’m The One” celebrates McManus’ and his wife’s unlikely love story.

“When we met, my wife had three kids and was working on her doctorate after getting her masters,” McManus recalls. “I’d just gotten out of rehab and was working at a coffeeshop. It didn’t make sense to a lot of people, but there was just no stopping it.”

Riding life’s currents wherever they may lead is a frequent theme on the album. Sometimes the journey is beautiful, as on the jaunty “Love,” which bursts with gratitude; sometimes it’s painful, as on the bittersweet “Answer Was Yes,” which finds McManus grappling with the tragic passing of his sister; sometimes it’s mysterious, as on the uplifting “This Place,” which meditates on spirituality and life after death with a cameo from Trevor Hall; and sometimes it’s whatever we make of it, as on the G. Love-assisted “Back Around,” which leans into the ups and downs of life on the road. Perhaps no song, though, encapsulates McManus’ philosophy better than album closer “To Last,” which makes peace with the past in order to make the most of the future.

“When you’re dealt a tough hand, you can either get bitter or you can get better,” says McManus. “You can blame your upbringing for everything and complain about what happened to you, or you can choose to believe that everything happened for you, to step into your power and become the person you want to be.”

In Montana, that’s precisely what McManus has done, turning his dreams into reality in a place that, some days, feels more like Heaven than Earth.

“My wife, my kids, Montana, they’re all one thing to me now,” says McManus. “They’re home.”

October 2021 • Music News

29

Whiskey Myers Perform At Dosey Doe December 16 Genre-bending band Whiskey Myers have played nearly 2,500 live shows since their emergence in 2007 and have sold out 95% of their headlining shows over the past two years to everincreasing crowds. Their self-produced fifth studio album, WHISKEY MYERS, out now on the band’s own Wiggy Thump Records, debuted atop the Country and American/Folk sales charts, at No. 2 on the Rock chart and No. 6 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart. The self-titled project follows their most recent album, Mud, which reached No. 1 30 Music News • December 2021

on the iTunes country chart with single “Stone” hitting Top 10 all genre. USA Today describes the band led by frontman Cody Cannon as “a riff-heavy blend of Southern rock and gritty country that has earned comparisons to the Allman Brothers Band and Led Zeppelin,” with Rolling Stone noting “it’s the seminal combination of twang and crunchy rock & roll guitars that hits a perfect sweet spot.” The band has also earned sync success with features in Seasons 1 & 2 of Paramount Network’s Kevin Costner hit show “Yellowstone”

as well as the Renée Zellweger-led Netflix series “What/If.” “You can tell when somebody is faking it,” says Cody Cannon, lead singer and guitarist of Whiskey Myers, “and you can tell when it’s real.” This kick-ass band has been steadily building a devoted following with its gritty authenticity, and with their self-titled fifth album, they’re poised to explode.

Each one of the releases from Whiskey Myers has been bigger and bigger — following their break-out third album, 2014’s Early Morning Shakes, their most recent record, Mud, climbed to No. 4 on Billboard’s country charts in 2016. And that was before the group was featured in Kevin Costner’s TV series Yellowstone in 2018 (not just on the soundtrack, but on screen, performing in a bar), which propelled the band’s entire catalogue into the Top 10 of the iTunes country chart.

But playing to larger and wilder crowds — including audiences of more than 100,000 at the Download Festivals in London and Paris — didn’t cause Whiskey Myers to change their approach this time around. “We just bring our songs to the table and make it sound like us,” says Cannon. “We never think about it. We just try to go in and write a good song, whether it’s country or rock and roll or blues.”

“There’s never a plan or the sense that we need to make a song sound a certain way,” adds guitarist John Jeffers.

“A country song could end up a rocker or the other way around — it’s extremely organic, and that’s always been us as a band.”

The big change for Whiskey Myers was the decision by the group (which also includes Cody Tate on guitar, Jeff Hogg on drums, bassist Jamey Gleaves and Tony Kent playing keyboards and percussion) to produce the album themselves. GRAMMY-winner Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile, Sturgill Simpson) helmed the band’s last two albums, but this time around, they felt ready to take the wheel.

“We loved a lot of things about our producers,” says Jeffers, “but it was time to be set free and do it ourselves — to take what we learned from them and put it all together, figure it out. I think it just made it more authentically us.” continued on page 34

December 2021 • Music News 31

Chad Prather Performs at Warehouse Live December 19th Chad Prather is an American conservative political commentator, comedian and internet personality known for a series of YouTube videos in which he comments on life, right-leaning politics and current events. His video “Unapologetically Southern” went viral in 2015. He currently hosts The Chad Prather Show on BlazeTV. Chad Prather was entertaining audiences on television as early as two years old. The desire to be onstage started early. He began acting at the age of 6 and by the age of 20 he was traveling all over the world - from Africa to Southeast Asia, from Russia to Central America - using his communication skills to influence international leaders with humor and inspiration. Eventually Prather’s communication skills opened doors for him to move into the corporate arena of motivational speaking and writing.

Prather is known for his way with words. He is a comedian, armchair philosopher, musician, and observational humorist. He is often referred to as “the modern day Will Rogers.” He is a fast-talking combination of Lewis Grizzard and Jeff Foxworthy. Originally from Augusta, GA Chad now calls the Fort Worth, TX area home. He grew up working with horses (an industry he is actively involved in) and is often recognized by his ever-present cowboy hat. His social media viral video are counted in the hundreds of millions. Many recognize him from his fast talking, rapid fire rants from the front seat of his truck. CNN has labeled him the “Pick-up Pundit” and Fox News’ Tucker Carlson has called Prather, “supernaturally articulate.” He is known for his comedic family stories told from an adult perspective onstage.

Prather has made numerous appearances on Fox News, CNN, A&E, The Blaze, MSN and has been featured in magazines from Southern Living to Nash Country Weekly. He is the host of Ride TV’s “It’s My Backyard” and “Chad Prather’s Comedy Shootout.” His wildly successful 2016 “Kings of Cowtown Comedy Tour” was a hit and his current “Star Spangled Banter Comedy Tour” is selling out theaters all over America. He is one of the country’s fastest rising and talked about comedians and entertainers.

Prather was approached in 2013 by fledgling television network Ride TV about potentially hosting a humor, travel show called “It’s My Backyard”. While working on the show Prather started to use social media outlets to promote the program. He is well known for his viral YouTube video “Unapologetically Southern,” which was featured on Fox News and in Country Living Magazine.

Prather has also made appearances in other media outlets including Fox and Friends, MSN, CNN and Nash Country Weekly. He has been referred to as an armchair philosopher and is most notably recognized in a cowboy hat and speaking to the camera from the cab of his truck.

Chad Prather and Fort Worth, Texas comedian Cowboy Bill Martin teamed up in 2016, to begin the Kings of Cowtown World Comedy Tour. In 2017, working with Steve McGrew, Prather released the satirical song “I’ve Got Friends in Safe Spaces,” based on Garth Brooks’ hit “Friends in Low Places”. Prather also hosts “The Chad Prather Show” on BlazeTV. 32 Music News • December 2021

VELCRO PYGMIES

CHAD PRATHER & FRIENDS CHRISTMAS SPECIAL!

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 19

DOORS @ 7:00 - SHOW @ 8:00 PM

DOORS @ 7:30 - SHOW @ 8:00 PM TICKETS - $40.00 - $450.00

TICKETS - $10.00 - $200.00

@ THE STUDIO AT WAREHOUSE LIVE ALL AGES SHOW!!

COOZABLACK w/ SIN CITY with DOWNFALL 2012, POST PROFIT

SATURDAY, JANUARY 8 DOORS @ 6:00 - SHOW @ 7:00 PM TICKETS - $0.00 - $100.00

@ THE STUDIO AT WAREHOUSE LIVE ALL AGES SHOW!!

FRIDAY, JANUARY 7 DOORS @ 6:00 - SHOW @ 7:00 PM TICKETS - $10.00 - $200.00

@ THE BALLROOM AT WAREHOUSE LIVE ALL AGES SHOW!!

@ THE STUDIO AT WAREHOUSE LIVE ALL AGES SHOW!!

THE METEORS

REVOLUCION DE AMOR

FRIDAY, JANUARY 21 DOORS @ 7:00 - SHOW @ 7:30 PM TICKETS - $10.00 - $125.00

@ THE STUDIO AT WAREHOUSE LIVE ALL AGES SHOW!!

FRIDAY, JANUARY 21 DOORS @ 7:00 - SHOW @ 8:00 PM TICKETS - $25.00 - $400.00

@ THE BALLROOM AT WAREHOUSE LIVE ALL AGES SHOW!!

813 ST. EMANUAL ST. • 713.225.5483 • CALL US TO BOOK YOUR EVENT OR PARTY FOR TICKETS: WAREHOUSELIVE.COM OR CALL 713.225.5483

Whiskey Myers continued from page 30 “We didn’t know what to expect being on both sides of the glass, but we loved it,” says Cannon. “Everybody got along, and we really incorporated everybody’s ideas.”

Jeffers emphasizes how that sense of collaboration and experimentation really defined their whirlwind eighteen days of recording at the Sonic Ranch studio, outside of El Paso. “There’s never a right or wrong answer when it comes to ideas,” he says. “We would run every single idea from everyone — some work and some don’t, but we give them all a shot. And then there’s that magical moment when the whole band hears it, your eyes get a twinkle — ‘That’s it, that’s us!’ It’s usually a no-brainer.”

It should come as no surprise that at this point, the members of Whiskey Myers can communicate and create so cohesively. The band’s roots stretch back decades into the red dirt of East Texas, where Cannon, Jeffers and Tate first began playing together. They earned a rabid local following on the strength of their 2008 debut album, Road Of Life, and then notched their first No. 1 on the Texas Music Charts with the 2011 follow-up Firewater.

With Early Morning Shakes, though, the rest of the world started to catch up to what Texas already knew.

Esquire called them “the real damn deal,” while USA Today wrote that their music had “shades of Led Zeppelin and 34 Music News • December 2021

David Allen Coe.” They took their blistering live show across the U.S. and U.K. non-stop, sharing stages with the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hank Williams Jr. and Jamey Johnson and racking up more than 300 million streams of their songs.

The band draws as much inspiration from Nirvana as from Waylon Jennings, and Whiskey Myers bursts out of the gate with the raging “Die Rockin’,” followed by such bruisers as “Rolling Stone” and “Gasoline.” Over the course of fourteen tracks, though, songs expand, moods change and songs like “Bury My Bones” and “California to Carolina” explore different stories and emotions.

“You want an album to be like a rollercoaster,” says Jeffers. “Does it really take you for a ride, with ups and downs and some loops and sometimes you’re upside down?”

“Those first songs on the album were the first batch we recorded, and

they were really rock and roll,” says Cannon. “That got the juices flowing.

But an album should be like a whole work of art that moves, comes out strong, ends strong, flows in the middle — like a good show does. ”Whiskey Myers hasn’t dialed down their Southern Rock rowdiness, but these songs also reveal new maturity and changes in the lives of the band — both Jeffers and Cannon got married since the release of their last record.

“There’s always pressure there,” says Jeffers about the challenges of maintaining a relationship and a relentless touring schedule, “‘Bury My Bones’ is about being home. I was on the road and just wanted to go home. It is on your mind, sometimes harder than others, and it shows in the songs. And then sometimes you’re just pissed off and you write a song called ‘Bitch!’”

“We’re growing up,” says Cannon, “and this is exactly the place we’re at, and it comes out in our songs, in our business, everything, We’re not as wild as we were — we’re not totally calm, but you see how your life changes. You always write about little sections of your life — you can write a happy song when you’re sad, but you tend to go to where you are — and I just think this album is happier, more upbeat, doesn’t have too many dreary songs on it.”

For this band of renegade brothers, the goal isn’t to fit into a format or try a new direction for its own sake, it’s to be true to the music they love — and with Whiskey Myers they continue pushing in all directions and sharpening their attack, whether country, rock, blues, whatever.

“Everybody wants you to pick a genre, but we did this our whole career,” says Cody Cannon. “We like it all, so we’re gonna do it all. We’re better than we were at 20 years old — you try to hone your skills and get better, write better, play better. This is just how it came naturally, and it works better that way.”

“Get Your Balls” Ernie Balls $5.99 Every Day!

Mötley Krüe — A Tribute to the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band

By Melissa Gilbreath Mötley Krüe is fronted by lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and group founder Rodd Six. Rodd’s detailed portrayal of Vince Neil will not go unnoticed. Six painstakingly researches all aspects of Neil’s performances in order to bring the fans a true to life experience. Six began singing at an early age and continued to perfect his craft in college. His vocal range is unrivaled. When he is not performing with his bands KIDD SIX and Mötley Krüe you will find him writing new original music for his next album.

Blu Davis depicts Nikki Six in appearance and actions when he takes the stage. Davis’ attention to detail that goes into his portrayl is unmatched. Blu’s Mom bought him a KISS album when he was 7 years old and after one listen his career patch was set. He learned different styles of music by listening to the radio. He joined KIDD SIX about 3 years ago and began performing with Mötley Krüe soon after. His musical influences are Nikki SIX, Gene Simmons and Duff McKagan.

Charles McFadden, lead guitarist for Mötley Krüe, simulates the guitar wizardry of Mick Mars on stage. Charles has toured all of the United States. He performed at the Monterrey Metal Festival in 2005 opening for Motorhead, Danzig, W.A.S.P and others.

Christopher Dean can be found behind his drum set banging out the Mötley Classics reminiscent of what you would’ve heard from Tommy Lee. Christopher taught himself to play drums when he was 10 years old.

He stopped playing when he went into the military and just recently began playing again. He started his own band and as a result met people in the music industry which lead him to Mötley Krüe.

Mötley Krüe formed in 2019 with their first show at Jailhouse Saloon on September 12, 2020 and they haven’t slowed down since and are in high demand at local live music venues.

26 36

continued on next page Music News • December October 2020 2021

Mötley Krüe — A Tribute to the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band - continued Mötley Krüe pays tribute to the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band. Their aim is to take the audience back to the heyday of Motley Crue and if you’ve had the opportunity to catch a show, you will definitely agree that this high flying bad to the bone Mötley Crüe tribute band does just that. You can join the debauchery and hedonism and rock to Shout At The Devil, Girls Girls Girls, Dr. Feelgood, Live Wire, Ten Seconds to Love and all of the other Mötley Classixx you love.

Whether you have been a Mötley Crüe fan from the very beginning or have recently discovered them you will find Mötley Krüe to be true to the stage presence and music of the bad boys of Rock and roll.

As you can see in the pictures great detail and precision goes into the band’s tribute suits in order to be as authentic as possible. They are always perfecting and adding to their stage attire, set props and theatrics.

Mötley Krüe has a large following reaching from Houston to the DFW areas and beyond. They recently played to a packed house at Chill-Lewisville for their Hellacious Halloween Show and T’s Bar and Grill in Lewisville. The band will return to Fat Daddy’s in Mansfield in 2022 for a much anticipated encore performance. Mötley Krüe is constantly expanding their ever growing fan base. Two of their newest fans wrote these rave reviews...

Johnee-Best Motley Crue tribute band that I have ever seen out of 3 others.

Most play the newer stuff. They play more of the first two albums...Too Fast For Love and Shout At The Devil. Their stage presence & dress up is spot on early age Crue. Definitely a do not miss show??

Brian aka Batman—My son and I saw Mötley Krüe for the first time October 30th at Chill-Lewisville. They put on a rockin’ show. My 24 year old son absolutely loved the band. The set list was great and the band interacted and partied with the crowd. I found them on Facebook and try to find other venues where they are playing. I highly recommend seeing them if you have the opportunity.

You can keep up with Mötley Krüe show dates/locations, new videos, pictures and current news by liking their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ motleykruetribute/ Also follow on Instagram at https://instagram.com/motleykruetribute Twitter—@motleykruetrib Also if you would like to support the band and look cool while doing so you can order Mötley Krüe merch at https.//shop.spreadshirt.com/motleykrue/ or https:// my-store-c2a16f.creator-spring.com/ December 2021 • Music News 37

38

Music News • September 2021

Open 6 Days A Week Tuesday thru Sunday

Thursday, December 2 - Hugo Jamz Friday, December 3 - Chris Castaneda Saturday, December 4 - Ole Lonesome Sunday, December 5 - Katie’s Jam with guest host Mark May Thursday, December 9 - Prodject KDK Friday, December 10 - Eric Demmer Saturday, December 11 - Sparky Parker Sunday, December 12 - Katie’s Jam with guest host Mark May Thursday, December 16 - James Wilhite Friday, December 17 - BV3 Saturday, December 18 - Mark May Sunday, December 19 - Katie’s Jam with guest host Chris Castaneda Thursday, December 23 - Lightning Bob Friday, December 24 - TBA Saturday, December 25 - Closed For Christmas Sunday, December - Katie’s Jam with guest host James Henry Thursday, December 30 - Mike Zito Friday, December 31 - Eric Demmer w/ Hugo Saturday, January 1 - TBA

December 2021 • Music News

39

1006 McGowen

713-650-1006

Leon’s Lounge Is Now Available For Private Parties!

Make Your Reservations Now!!

This December at Leon’s Lounge Wednesday, December 1 - Music News Open Mic Night with Joe Cain Thursday, December 2 - Randy Soffar Singer/Songwriter Song Swap with Layton Carrrol Friday, December 3 - Jypsy Rose, The Kimbroughs, Shotgun Sally Saturday, December 4 - Max Riosand The Waysiders Sunday, December 5 - Gammaland Monday, December 6 - Angry Joe & The Holy Socks Tuesday, December 7 - Clayton Farris Duo Wednesday, December 8 - Music News Open Mic Night with Joe Cain Thursday, December 4 - Randy Soffar Singer/Songwriter Song Swap with O.W.Walker Friday, December 10 - Entertainment TBA Saturday, December 11 - Ray Cashman Sunday, December 12 - Gammaland Monday, December 13 - Kevin Jeffries Tuesday, December 14 - Clayton Farris Duo Wednesday, December 15 - Music News Open Mic Night with Joe Cain Thursday, December 16 - Randy Soffar Singer/Songwriter Song Swap with Mellissa Sambrooks Friday, December 17 - 3 Bands To Be Announced Saturday, December 18 - Mark And The Misphits Sunday, December 19 - Gammaland Monday, December 20 - Angry Joe & The Holy Socks Tuesday, December 21 - Clayton Farris Duo Wednesday, December 22 - Music News Open Mic Night with Joe Cain Thursday, December 23 - Randy Soffar Singer/Songwriter Song Swap Friday, December 24 - Leon’s Christmas Party with Shotgun Sally Unplugged & Acoustic Saturday, December 25 - Merry Christmas -Closed Sunday, December 26 - Gammaland Monday, December 27 - Kevin Jeffries Tuesday, December 28 - Clayton Farris Duo Wednesday, December 29 - Music News Open Mic Night with Joe Cain Thursday, December 30 - Pre-New Year’s Eve Party with Chuck Kidd & Special Guest 31 - New Year’s Eve Party with Reverend Nathon 38 Music News Friday, • August December 2021 (Party Favors & Champagne Toast at Midnight)

1006 McGowen St. Houston, Texas 713-650-1006

August 2021 • Music News

39

Mannheim Steamroller Brings Their 35th Anniversary Christmas Show To Smart Financial Centre December 26th MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER CHRISTMAS by Chip Davis has been America’s favorite holiday tradition for over 35 years! Grammy Award winner Chip Davis has created a show that features the beloved Christmas music of Mannheim Steamroller along with dazzling multimedia effects performed in an intimate setting. Experience the magic as the spirit of the season comes alive with the signature sound of Mannheim Steamroller. Their holiday CDs have become synonymous with Christmas and continue to occupy top spots on Billboards’s Seasonal Charts every year!

Do you remember the first time you heard the Christmas sounds of Mannheim Steamroller? You can again celebrate the holiday magic of Mannheim Steamroller in 2021 when they bring their annual holiday tour to fans throughout the country.

While 2020 was the first year the group was unable to tour in 35 years, 2021 will reunite the #1 Christmas music artist in history with its legion of long-time fans. Experience the music that has become the hallmark of the holidays and a tradition for multigenerational families: Mannheim Steamroller Christmas live in concert in 2021!

Chip Davis, founder and creator of Mannheim Steamroller, announced the group will once again bring their annual holiday concert tour to fans throughout the country in 2021.

“2020 was the first time in 35 years we did not perform our Christmas tour. And we couldn’t be more excited to know that we will reunite with our many fans in 2021, sharing the Mannheim Steamroller Christmas experience,” he said.

Davis’ hallmark tour will begin on November 16th, 2021 and run through December 30th, 2021. Two traveling ensembles will hold performances in cities across the country.

“I remember when I came out with my first Christmas album in 1984 followed by our first tour. Back then, many in the music industry said focusing on Christmas just wouldn’t work,” said Davis. continued on next page

42

Music News • December 2021

Mannheim Steamroller continued from previous page “Now, over 35 years later, we are still going strong. I want to thank our fans for making us part of their holiday tradition. Today we often see multigenerational families join us during the holidays each year and we can’t wait to see them again in 2021.”

Davis founded his own record label, American Gramaphone, which went on to become one of the industry’s largest independent record labels. A Grammy Award winner, Mannheim Steamroller has sold more than 41 million albums, 30 million in the Christmas genre. Their holiday CD’s have become synonymous with Christmas and occupy top positions on Billboard’s Seasonal Chart every year.

This year’s show will feature all of your favorite original classic Christmas hits from the first Mannheim Steamroller Christmas album, along with multimedia effects in an intimate setting. Davis will direct and co-produce Tour performances with MagicSpace Entertainment.

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis is co-produced by MagicSpace Entertainment. The company is headed by Lee D. Marshall, Joe Marsh, John Ballard, Steve Boulay, Dave Stinson and Kristy Maple and has been producing and presenting national tours, Broadway shows, concerts and museum exhibits worldwide for over 35 years. They have an office in Park City, UT. www.magicspace.net From his longtime home in Omaha, Neb., Mannheim Steamroller creator and founder Chip Davis makes innovative music inspired by the sounds of another age. This former teacher and jingle writer founded the music industry’s largest independent recording label, American Gramaphone, in 1974 when industry executives said Davis’ innovative 18th century instrumental rock sound would never sell. In addition to a Grammy Award, Davis is largely credited with establishing the New Age music category.

His first Christmas album in 1984, revolutionized the making and marketing of holiday music, the album’s success made Christmas records a “must do” for all music artists. With more than 30 million Christmas albums sold, Davis is the #1-selling Christmas artist of all time with Elvis coming in at a distant 17 million holiday records sold.

Having 19 gold, 8 multi-platinum and 4 platinum-certified records, Davis is among an elite group of music artists with this number of RIAA records. He is also one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the music industry, offering a rich array of lifestyle products on www.mannheimsteamroller.com including hot chocolate, food, apparel and novelty items. His latest achievement is creating a cutting-edge psychoacoustic technology that is being used in major medical institutions such as Mayo Clinic.

December 2021 • Music News

43

Sow, is a welcome display of Buckingham’s instantly recognizable finger-picked guitar work and vocal layering, particularly on songs such as “Power Down,” “Scream” and “Swan Song.” Elsewhere, Buckingham pays homage to ‘60s folk group the PozoSeco Singers’ hit single “Time,” a song he’s admired since he was a teenager and has long intended to cover.

“I wanted to make a pop album, but I also wanted to make stops along the way with songs that resemble art more than pop,” he says. “As you age, hopefully you keep getting a little more grounded in the craft of what you’re doing. For me, getting older has probably helped to reinforce the innocence and the idealism that hopefully was always there.”

Lindsey Buckingham Performs At Smart Financial Centre Dec. 11 Lindsey Buckingham is on the road this month and will be appearing at Smart Financial Centre on December 11th. Lindsey is touring in support of his new album release, the self-titled Lindsey Buckingham.

Let’s try to make something like a pop record and see what happens.”

When Lindsey Buckingham decided on that simple manifesto for his next recording project, little could he have known the twists and turns his own life would take along the way. In a 40plus-year career that has yielded some of the most enduring songs in rock’n’roll history, Buckingham has never shied away from mining his most intimate experiences for soul-baring source material. Now, out of unfathomable personal and professional adversity comes his self-titled seventh solo album, a potent reminder of Buckingham’s status as one of the most inventive and electrifying musicians of his generation.

Buckingham was on a creative roll following the 2017 release of Lindsey Buckingham Christine McVie, a collaborative album with his longtime Fleetwood Mac bandmate. On the subsequent tour, which saw the musicians performing together as a duo for the first time, Buckingham was already 44 Music News • December 2021

tinkering with a batch of new material in hopes of releasing and touring behind it in 2018. Then came the sudden dissolution of his five-decade tenure with Fleetwood Mac, which Buckingham helped become one of the best-selling and most beloved rock groups of all time. Undaunted, the artist turned his attention to touring behind the careerspanning Solo Anthology he released in October 2018. In February 2019, just as he’d renewed work on the solo material, Buckingham underwent triple bypass heart surgery, during which his vocal cords were damaged by the insertion of a breathing tube.

“There was a period of time where I was not sure what I was going to be able to do,” the artist admits, noting that he could speak only in a barely audible whisper in the weeks following the surgery. “It became clear that whatever was going to return to normal would happen on its own. It wasn’t something I could be proactive about by exercising my vocal cords. It took six months to get to the point where I started not to worry about it.”

Indeed, Buckingham’s voice gradually returned, inspiring the artist to put the finishing touches on the 10-track Lindsey Buckingham. The album, his first solo release since 2011’s Seeds We

At 71, Buckingham is as enthusiastic about discovering new artists (Sylvan Esso, Su Lee and Dayglow are some of his current favorites) as most people his age are about playing golf or managing their 401k accounts. His influence remains readily apparent in current music, from his guest appearance on The Killers’ 2020 single “Caution” to a recent performance of Fleetwood Mac’s iconic “Go Your Own Way” with contestant Cassandra Coleman on “American Idol.”

To be sure, since joining Fleetwood Mac in 1975, Buckingham has developed a radical sense of experimentation and an unrivaled acumen as a producer, skills he began to hone while producing Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk, the band’s innovative follow-up to the record-breaking Rumours. As a solo artist, Buckingham often plays nearly every instrument himself; his complex arrangements and inventive production choices make his solo work thrilling to experience. That has never been more true than on Lindsey Buckingham, which extends the artist’s lifelong quest for musical and creative evolution.

“If you’re playing all the instruments, which I am, everything becomes a tool for discovery,” he says. “That’s the cool part. You’re not trying to define yourself as any one thing. The recording, and the actual process of writing, starts to become indistinguishable. It’s not like you’re going in with a fully fleshed out song with lyrics and melody. You might have ideas and notions and colors and abstractions in your head, and the rest of it gets filled in in a way that would probably be much more difficult to discover in a group situation.” continued on next page

Lindsey Buckingham continued from previous page

That painterly approach to musicmaking leads to unexpected discoveries throughout the album. The sped-up electronic beats and ripping guitar solos of “Swan Song,” the pitch-bended backing vocals on the triumphant album opener “Scream” and the fat, jolly synth leads of “Blue Light” are unconventional, fresh and imminently listenable — a testament to Buckingham’s ceaseless zeal to push his music forward. Says Buckingham of “Swan Song,” “in terms of its musicality, it’s like, what the hell am I listening to? Even the solos are somewhat jarring and unsettling.”

Much like the finest work in his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-career, lyrically, Lindsey Buckingham takes an unflinching look at all manner of love and relationships. First single “I Don’t Mind” is a quintessential Buckingham song about the challenges long-term couples face throughout their partnerships, and “the need to augment their initial dynamic with one of flexibility, an acceptance of each others’ flaws and a willingness to continually work on issues,” he says.

“On the Wrong Side” is about the peaks and valleys of life on the road with Fleetwood Mac, and sports the album’s most thought-provoking lyric: “We were young, now we’re old / Who can tell me which is worse?” Buckingham says the song evokes “Go Your Own Way,” in that it’s “not a happy song, subjectmatter wise, but it was an ebullient song musically. This was sort of the same idea.”

The album ends on a nakedly personal note with “Dancing,” as Buckingham’s heavily treated guitar and hushed vocals chronicle the undefined spaces in between life’s major happenings. “In life, you find yourself waiting around for things to happen,” he says.

“What are we doing in the meantime?

Well, we’re just here dancing. We’re waiting and hoping that things are going to change. In the meantime, we have no control over what’s going on at all. It’s sort of a mourning and an acceptance of something at the same time, I think.”

Buckingham is now gearing up for his first tour in three years, which will feature several songs from the new

album as well as solo and Fleetwood Mac favorites. “The normal routine in the course of a three-year cycle would keep me on my guitar a lot more, but the past three years have been anything but normal,” Buckingham says with a laugh.

“My calluses are almost non-existent, but they won’t take long to build back up. I’m so excited to play this music for the fans who’ve waited so long to hear it.”

Lindsey Buckingham track-bytrack: SCREAM: Everything on the record is me, for better or worse (laughs). Many of the songs on this album are about the work and discipline it takes in maintaining a long-term relationship. Some of them are more about the discipline and some of them are more about the perks. “Scream” is about the perks. It felt very celebratory and it was also very, very simple and short. To the point. It didn’t evolve into some huge thing. It made its case and got the hell out. It just seemed like a good place to start the album, somehow. It’s very upbeat and very optimistic and very positive. It’s a celebration of an aspect of life.

I DON’T MIND:

A lot of the vocal layering techniques you hear on songs like this are drawn from a painterly sensibility. There are many things like this that go back even to “Out of the Cradle” and “Don’t Look Down.” I wanted to break forms down into facets and do something analogous to cubism, and to make them surreal. To wear the artifice on the sleeve, if you will. Painting has been an influence in that way.

ON THE WRONG SIDE: There’s a line in this song that goes, “we were young / now we’re old / who can tell me which is worse?” It was like, tell me about it (laughs hard). I was thinking about Fleetwood Mac and probably a little bit about “Go Your Own Way” when I wrote this, just in terms of the kind of song it wanted to be. It’s not a song about a relationship — it’s a song about being in Fleetwood Mac, and being sort of stuck in a set of circumstances that has become, for better or worse, largely about commerce. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it does draw a line between what side you might want to find yourself on at any given time.

One of the disciplines of touring with Fleetwood Mac was living with the limitations of that psychologically. “On the Wrong Side” wanted to address that continued on page 46 December 2021 • Music News 45

TIME: This is a song by a folk group called the Pozo-Seco Singers. I tried to keep very true to the original, so it’s not a huge departure from what they did. I remembered hearing that song on the radio when I was in high school and thought it was a really beautiful song at the time. It’s one of those things that stuck with me my whole life for some reason. It was something I’d had in mind to do as a cover for quite a while. I think what’s happened since I recorded it, and since I included it in this group of tunes, is that the actual theme — time, where does it go? — has become so much more tangible to me. It was something I understood as a concept and a poetic notion, but it wasn’t quite as visceral for me as it has become just in the last three or four years.

BLUE LIGHT: It’s a fun thing about a couple that somehow is able to be resilient. You let things get you down, but you never let yourself out of the game.

Lindsey Buckingham continued from previous page as a concept, but also in a way which was, in its own strange way, a celebration. Just like “Go Your Own Way” was not a happy song, subject-matter wise, but it was an ebullient song musically.

This was sort of the same idea.

SWAN SONG: On this song and “Power Down,” I wanted to use drum loops as opposed to the sound of a kit. They both share some sensibilities in terms of their approach and their background vocals. They’re almost like the flip side of one coin.

That’s a song about learning to live with relationships and some of the things you have to wait for. Once the initial dynamic between two people is intact and taken for granted, then it’s all about doing the work that needs to be done in 46 Music News • December 2021

order to keep things moving forward. I wanted to pivot a bit away from the first three songs, which had been a little less alienating, shall we say (laughs)? “Swan Song,” in terms of its musicality, is a little more like, what the hell am I listening to? Even the solos are somewhat jarring and unsettling. I wanted to make a little bit of a left turn at that point.

BLIND LOVE: People get through marriages and relationships by letting certain things go, and realizing you’re never going to know everything about someone else. There are certain things you have to accept.

Even so, you have to keep trying to find that person, and they’ve got to keep trying to find you, or things will erode.

POWER DOWN: “Power Down” could be taken any number of ways. It feels like a double meaning. The power could be down in the house, and the lights are off. But also personally, maybe you’ve become disempowered somehow from the context of what you once were in the relationship, or at least in that moment.

This song moves about as far to the left as anything on the album. It’s important to have gone there to a point. I wanted to make a pop album, but I also wanted to make stops along the way with songs that resemble art more than pop. “Power Down” is probably about as successful an offering on the album as you can get, in that way.

SANTA ROSA: This song is based on a true story about a family potentially being uprooted without fully considering the impact it would have on their lives. It might sound like a great idea to move to a horse farm and live far away from Los Angeles, but the reality might not be quite as idyllic.

DANCING: What you hear at the beginning of the song is a guitar with a lot of effects on it. In life, you find yourself waiting around for things to happen. What are we doing in the meantime? Well, we’re just here dancing. We’re waiting and hoping that things are going to change. In the meantime, we have no control over what’s going on at all. It’s sort of a mourning and an acceptance of something at the same time, I think.

Friday, December 10, 9:00 pm - 1:00 am Bedrock Tavern 12215 Grant Rd Cypress, TX 77429 Saturday, December 11, 8:00 pm -12:00 am Backwoods Saloon 230 Lexington Ct Conroe, TX 77385 Saturday, December 18, 9:00 pm - 1:00 am Jack’s Bar 11720 S Wilcrest Dr Houston, TX 77099 Sunday, December 19, 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm The Hawg Stop 11335 Sheldon Rd Houston, TX 77044 Friday, December 24, 10:00 Pm - 12:00 am Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casing, Que Paso Lounge 794 Lucky Eagle Drive Eagle Pass, TX 778852 Saturday, December 25, 10:00 pm - 12:00 am Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casing, Que Paso Lounge 794 Lucky Eagle Drive Eagle Pass, TX 778852 New Year’s Eve Party!

Friday, December 31, 8:00 pm - 12:30 am Happy New Year!!!

26 Music Music News November 2020 48 Music News December 2021 46 News •• •November 2021

Capone’s Oven & Bar 2303 Richmond Ave Houston, TX 77098 Saturday, January 1, 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm Jailhouse Saloon 310 Preston Ave Spring, TX 77373 Friday, January 14, 9:00 pm - 1:00 am Aspens Bar & Grill 817 Clear Lake Rd Kemah, TX 77565

July 2021 • Music News

17

Hosted by

Joe and Cain Leon’sLounge present OPEN MIC WEDNESDAYS 8-12:00 AM All Musicians’s and All Genre’s of Music Welcome!

Bring Your Instruments and Play!

Guitar Bass Drums Keyboards Harmonica Vocals If it makes music, bring it!

1006 McGowen MIDTOWN HOUSTON, TX 47 45 713-659-5366

June 2021 • Music News

May 2021 • Music News

juxtaposition defines the singularity of Carll’s career: He exists in a space of his own, informed by John Prine, Tom Waits, and Dylan but also by Travis, Kenny Rogers, and Hank Williams, Jr. Those influences may have made him hard to pigeonhole, but he’s still been embraced. Two Americana Music Awards, a Grammy nomination for Best Country Song, and multiple Austin Music Awards line his resumé?. He’s had the most-played record on Americana radio twice. His songs appear on the screen regularly and have been recorded by Kenny Chesney, Lee Ann Womack, and Brothers Osborne, to name a few.

You Get It All was produced by Allison Moorer and guitar legend Kenny Greenberg. Carll credits his partnership with singer, songwriter, and artist Moorer, his wife, as a force that helps both clarify what he wants and challenge self-imposed limits. “She’s a world-class artist who has a way of helping me articulate my vision,” he says.

Opener “Nice Things” layers a laugh-out-loud narrative exposing humanity’s botched stewardship of Earth––and one another– –over vintage country cool. In the song written with the Brothers Osborne, God comes down to check on us––and she is not impressed.

“It’s social commentary, but it’s not dour,” Carll says. “I hope the song can make people sing along, laugh a bit, and maybe recognize that we can do better.”

The title track is classic Carll—a front-porch singalong with a deeper message for those who want it. Self-deprecating and sweet, the song is an ode to bringing one’s whole self to a relationship––the good and the bad. “I’m at a point in my life where that rings true to me,” says Carll. “What I want, and what I think a lot of people want, is to feel like they’re getting the real thing.”

Hayes Carll Performs At The Heights Theater December 17 For Two Shows The country simplicity that imbues Hayes Carll’s songs can sometimes hide the social conscience and sharp humor that also runs through them, but if you want to find those things, they are there. In fact, Carll has spent over 20 years having a conversation about what it is we’re all doing here with anyone who will listen. He makes us laugh––but then he makes us cry. We judge a song’s protagonist, only for Carll to spin us around to commiserate with them.

“I like to tug at heartstrings, find commonality with others, reflect on my own life, and sometimes I do it in a lighthearted way,” says Carll. “A lot of musical styles found their way onto this record, but my first and most formative influences came from country music.

This is a country singer-songwriter record. It’s just unapologetically me.”

Carll is talking about You Get It All, his eighth album. His voice, rich but worn, has never sounded better. As a songwriter, he is in top form, turning droll confessions, messy relationships, motel room respites, and an exasperated, hitchhiking God into modern nuggets.

The New York Times likened Carll’s ability to undergird humor with a weightier narrative to Bob Dylan. When Carll talks about the sounds that are in his own head, he mentions Randy Travis. That

50

Music News • December 2021

“Help Me Remember” is a feat of storytelling that tackles an underrepresented topic in art: dementia from the perspective of the patient. “It’s a visual song. To tell this story, we had to put the listener right there,” Carll says. “I was thinking about how scary and sad it is for the person who is suffering from it, and how heartbreaking and frustrating it is for the friends and family going through it with them.”

Among Carll’s co-writers is singer-songwriter Brandy Clark, who helped him pen and perform “In the Mean Time,” a gorgeous, honky-tonk waltz which perfectly depicts the damage couples can inflict on each other when they’re at their worst. The multi-dimensionality of relationships is a thread woven throughout the entire album.

“When we’re our weakest or most afraid, real damage can be done to our relationships, as well as our spirits,” says Carll. “You can love somebody, everything can be as good as you could’ve imagined, but when your traumas or fears come out, all that love can disappear in an instant.”

Rollicking through snarling 80s country guitar licks, “To Keep From Being Found” is an escape to a motel room with a TV on wheels, a bath, and line after delectable line.

Subdued album closer “If It Was Up to Me” aches through a list of wishes that seem frivolous at first but build into a portrait of pain that’s far more complicated. Written with Moorer and Sean McConnell, it’s a gorgeous example of one of Carll’s favorite artistic devices: leading listeners to underestimate a character with whom they’ll ultimately empathize. “The way humor and sadness can work together is powerful,” he says.

Honest and sometimes subversive, but never mean-spirited, Carll keeps writing sad, funny, compelling songs in which nobody’s perfect or predictable––at least not for long. And he can’t quit wishing we’ll all realize that’s the way anything worth having or being has got to go. “I hope this record helps people feel good, laugh a bit, and maybe give them something to lean on when they need it,” he says. “I hope they dance to it, too.”

December 2021 • Music News

51

The Biker, The Blues, On The Streets And Slow Blues For Antidote Ever had your worst day get even worse? Even when you put on your glad rags and made the scene it just wasn’t working?

Baby that’s the blues and when life gets that way you just got to wade through it. It sucks but when life hits you right between the eyes you’ve got to find your path out. This issue finds the biker realizing he’s rolling solo, alone. He’s checking out the evening action on a hot, humid night where the sounds are rich, the cats in the band got it working, and yet something is missing) I took a wrong turn at the corner of walk and don’t walk and me and the shovel found a parking space in front of a blues bar. The music was inviting, it was live slow blues. Next door was a high class strip joint with the straights wearing their ties and eighty dollar shoes armed with credit cards with high limits mustering up enough courage outside to enter this den of inequity. For me, the blues is calling and I enter into the belly of the beast. Sometimes there isn’t any escaping it. Someone said to have love and lost is better than to have never loved at all. Really? I would like to put a combat boot right up their ass.

As I made my way to the entrance I noticed a kid with a shoe shine kit off to one side. I wondered how the hell does that equate at zero dark thirty at night?

He was wearing his best smile asking the tie and shoes dudes if they wanted a shine. However, it was a perfect blues street, the street lights were not bright white but rather a reddish amber look dotted the boulevard. It was then that I noticed the smell of perfume wafting out of the doorway. I recognized it right away it was the same fragrance of the gal that got away sometime back. Man I miss her but I blew it and I’ve got to live with it. That’s all I needed, that fragrant reminder amplifying reminders of that woman’s missing warmth but there I was keeping to myself looking for some slow blues, a good cigar, and single malt scotch. As I entered the bar the live music carried the lyrics about a love lost and the tune included a really cool slow blues lead guitar solo. Smoke filled the room, it was a nice place, yet no cover charge. The waitress said to just find a seat and she would be right back. I was by myself so I headed straight to the bar for a stool. The guy sitting next to me was smoking a fifty ring with a maduro wrapper and that exact smell was what I looking for on this night.

The barkeep came over and I ordered Glenmorangie , the eighteen year old single malt scotch version that goes down smoother than a glass of soft purified water but includes the spirits that transports you to the nth degree. I thought I spied a cigar case and asked the barkeep if they sold cigars and he said yep. He returned with a nice selection, a cutter, and a butane cigar lighter. I made my choice, prepared it, and fired that puppy up. A woman entered the club through the front door entrance. She was wearing a shiny sequined dark green gown with a low cut neck line and sporting black lace gloves. A guy in the front row moved over one chair and she sat down beside him. The song ended and she went up on stage, there wasn’t an introduction but it was obvious that when she was there the door to perform was always open. A slow piano opening backed by soft rim shots and a bass line to die for just before this delicious creature delivered my antidote for the evening. Funny, it came as an antidote in a strange way as she was singing BB King’s famous “The Thrill Is gone”. That’s what had happened to me years ago but it wasn’t me who said in so many words the thrill is gone. However, looking back it was my fault. I had a good thing but hormones being what they were - well I am a man and like a dog chasing a fire truck I got caught up in the allure of a gorgeous woman. You know in this life you can love somebody for a night, for a week, for a month, or even years. Call it what you will but when the moon is riding high and you continued on next page

52

Music News • December 2021

Continued: The Biker, The Blues, On The Streets And Slow Blues For Antidote are looking across the room into eyes that are smiling back well you might be stronger than me because this dog was about to chase a firetruck. Oh I knew I shouldn’t but then again my what a lovely, sexy, divine creature. So the fire truck would eventually pass my side of the bar and well basically in so many words I chased this lady until she caught me. I mean I am not complaining but then again she could trip you and still beat you to the floor if you get my drift. So the allure was strong and that night cost me the most precious, coolest lady that had ever entered my life. Now years later here I am hopefully smarter, a bit older like I say maybe wiser although still hoping no fire trucks pass by. Bar keep another round please. Then the strangest aroma wafted around where I was sitting, I could have sworn I was smelling ganja. I left for the head and down the narrow hallway the was a backdoor open, Ahh that was where the odor was coming from. From just outside the doorway a guy wearing a black fedora with a bright red feather in the head band took a hit and then stretched his hand out to me. Well when in Rome and besides it’s hard to pack smoke across state lines so yes indeed. The perfectly rolled joint went around a couple of times then I nodded thank you and off to the head. Once back inside I could hear the deep bass sound of a male voice as I was walking back down that hallway. Being a bit mellower than I had been just a few minutes before the blues was meandering through my brain at a really nice slow blues tempo and it was hitting home really cool. Twelve bars of bliss at this point in time. No vocals just the lead guitar man bending the strings pumping all he had into the delivery. Now about this time another thing changed as well. When I returned to my bar stool that fine young thing I mentioned earlier was sitting on my stool talking intently to the man who had been smoking that kick ass cigar next to me. I just politely reached between them and picked up my cigar and scotch. She said, “Excuse me, here sit back down.” I nodded no and told her I was fine. When I brought the stogie up to my lips she stretched her arm out and was holding a lit cigar lighter in it. The music had now taken on a deeper meaning, same tempo, same song but now the piano man was laying it down ever so perfect. My new bar stool friend began to sway a bit with the music. I looked at my watch and realized that it was time to check on the ole shovel so I went for the front door cigar in hand. As I looked around while taking at couple of puffs at the same time everything out there was fine.

Then that alluring, sexy woman came right out the door behind me. She smiled and thanked me for the seat. I replied my pleasure and then she added that if I would like to see a classy performance come and see her in about fifteen minutes. She pulled the entrance door to the strip club, opened it and went inside. Really and truly there was no decision to make, the fire truck just passed by, my fire truck chasing days were reactivated, and like a moth to a flame I was both curious and attracted at the same time. Lord have mercy. I went back inside the blues bar to pay the tab, “Bartender close me out please.” The guy with the great cigar didn’t miss a beat he just said, “Her name is Anna.” I nodded, paid up and made my way out the front door. Once inside next door I knew I was not going to sit in the front row with the rail birds. So I found a small empty table up against the wall about half way back. The experience was kind of weird actually - while I was in my element at the very same time I felt as though I wasn’t. I can’t explain the mixed emotions any better but that’s just how it was. The gal that was on stage at that moment in time was a pro for sure and she too was gorgeous. She was doing a chair act and using their stripper’s pole too. The music ended, people clapped loudly and then they announced, “Put your hands together ladies and gentlemen for Anna.” She walked right by me, didn’t pay any attention to me at all. Obviously she was working the crowd and so any personal distraction could only serve to reduce her tips. Now I am telling you that as good as this woman was at delivering the blues next door she was equally capable delivering as a top shelf stripper. Sexy, not garish nor dirty, just lady like, very sexy. You know the look if you’ve ever seen it. It’s times like this when I wish I hadn’t built a solo seat for the shovel. I mean I wasn’t completely stupid about it after all I did acquire a pea pad with suction cups on the bottom for the rear fender but oh a nice saddle seat built for two is more continued on next page December 2021 • Music News

51

Continued: The Biker, The Blues, On The Streets And Slow Blues For Antidote personal. The rear fender bungs accept the upright struts with ease and can easily handle the weight so I had been thinking ahead but only in regard to short distances. So here I was shaking a bit of the blues off but not completely, something just wasn’t right. I still missed a special someone. Soon Anna had completed her set and walked through the crowd with her tip jar. When she got to me she invited me to a late night breakfast eventually meeting up at Pop’s Greasy Spoon. The coffee was good, the waiter was wearing a hair net which was a little odd but the food looked and smelled really good. For some reason out of nowhere Anna began to tell me about her lost love and I thought oh my God I thought I had found bliss but actually I am on an emotional rollercoaster complete with sad memories coming right at me. She couldn’t possibly know my past but talk about a buzz cutter. I was polite and listened but not intently as her story reminded me of a woman with yellow scrambled hair, marmalade thighs, and ruby red lips with the softest hair known to man. Then she splashed a dash of that perfume on and that reminded me of better days gone by so the night that was to be would not be this evening. We ate and I invited Anna for a ride tomorrow, which tomorrow had already arrived but later that same day. She smiled, nodded yes, and we parted that morning. As I sat down on my bike I wondered if I had just missed a promising romantic opportunity by being the fool that I am or maybe just maybe the one that got away will never be out of my mind. Later that day Anna would be surprised to learn that I didn’t show up in front of the club. Nah in the end this dog wasn’t going to chase any firetrucks at the corner of walk and don’t walk. Maybe on a different day I would have but maybe I’ve learned a hard lesson. Her story about the one that got away in her life was a stark reminder of the best thing that had ever entered my life and I blew it.

The blues - if you got ‘em typically there is something real behind them. Some days you shake them off, some days you just don’t. About this time I talked to my bike, “Let’s go baby, turn over, warm up and let’s get down the road. Just you and me sweetie, just you and me baby.” There is something just therapeutic about the roar of a V-Twin coupled with the open road with no particular place to go. Good day to think about a cat named Curtis Loew. Ole Curt knew the score: music, wine, and a constant stream of new friends. Lynyrd Skynyrd captured the fictious man’s essence and brought it to life in their hit song.

The lyrics set the scene nicely, “Play me a song Curtis Loew, Curtis Loew, I got your drinking money, tune up your dobro, People said he was useless, them people are the fools ‘cause Curtis Loew was the finest picker to ever play the blues”…. There’s something in those lyrics that lets you know that Curtis, who is thought to have been fictious, found something, made the best of his world, and if you listen closely you learn that he was sharing it with those that were fortunate enough to be around him. His way of life may not have matched up with anyone else’s but Curtis didn’t play the blues, Curtis Loew and the blues were one. If the man in this classic song had been real he might have been a cool cat to hang without a doubt. Nice day, the open road and I don’t want to go home. No I am going to find me a Curtis Loew kind of performer somewhere down the road. Until next time Later….

54 Music News • December 2021

RANDOM SHOTS

Big City Nights (Photos by Brian Lambert) December 2021 • Music News 55

RANDOM SHOTS

Brainstorm For Tuesday at The Acadia Bar (Photos by Music News) 56

Music News • December 2021

July 2021 • Music News

55

RANDOM SHOTS

Undivided Band at Wildcatter Saloon (Photos by Greg Holleman) 58

Music News • December 2021

July 2021 • Music News

57

RANDOM SHOTS

Eric Demmer & Friends At The Big Easy (Photos by Music News) 60

Music News • December 2021

December 2021 • Music News 61

RANDOM SHOTS

Gray Falls at the Wildcatter Saloon (Photos by Greg Holleman) 62

Music News • December 2021

December 2021 • Music News

63

RANDOM SHOTS

Jamie Lynn Vessels at Green Oaks Tavern (Photos by Music News) 64

Music News • December 2021

August 2021 • Music News

65

RANDOM SHOTS

Lucid Illusions at The Wildcatter Saloon (Photos by Greg Holleman) 66

Music News • December 2021

July 2021 • Music News

65

RANDOM SHOTS

JW Jones Performs At The Big Easy (Photos By Music News) 68

Music News • December 2021

July 2021 • Music News

67

RANDOM SHOTS

Victim at The Concert Pub North (Photos By Brian Lambert) 70

Music News • December 2021

October 2021 • Music News

71

RANDOM SHOTS

Kim Foushee & The Alliance at Leon’s Lounge (Photos By Music News) 72

Music News • December 2021

RANDOM SHOTS

Darkside Oblivion at The Concert Pub North (Photos by Jennifer Schmitz) 74

Music News • December 2021

RANDOM SHOTS

Stoned Immaculate at The Concert Pub North (Photos

By Music News)

76

Music News • December 2021

RANDOM SHOTS

Warhol Perform at The Concert Pub North (Photos by Jennifer Schmitz) 78

Music News • December 2021

RANDOM SHOTS

Shawn Pittman at Katie’s Bar in Bacliff (Photos by Music News) 80

Music News • December 2021

RANDOM SHOTS

Klozure Performs at The 19th Hole (Photos by Music News) September 2021 • Music News

RANDOM SHOTS

Space City Nomads at Shady Acres Saloon (Photos by Music News) 82

Music News • December 2021

RANDOM SHOTS

Shotgun Sally at Leon’s Lounge (Photos by Music News) December 2021 • Music News 83

RANDOM SHOTS

Santa Oscuridad at Rockefellers (Photos by Music News) 84

Music News • December 2021

RANDOM SHOTS

Metal Wave at Rockefellers (Photos by Music News) December 2021 • Music News 85