Music News aka Houston Music News aka Texas Music News

JANUARY 2023

Hi Folks, Hello Music News readers. Well, we made it through another year of chaos. Things are somewhat returning to normal, but we still have a long way to go. I hope everybody celebrated a wonderful Holiday season this past month and all your wishes came through. And I pray that this new year is a wonderful one for you as well. Our resolution here at Music News is to continue to bring you the best in enterainment and keep you informed about what there is to do musically in the Houston area. This year we start our 30th year of being online and we our in our 41st year of production. Personally I miss doing the print issue, but the new wave of the future has turned out to be online and we just have to learn how to embrace that. For those of you who really want to see Music News in print, you can download and print out our magazine if you need to. We are totally downloadable, We thank you for reading Music News and we implore all of you to continue reading Music News at http://www.houstonmusicnews.net. Thanks everybody for you’re support and here’s to another 40 years of Music News aka Houston Music News.

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 Incubus, Moon Hooch, We Came As Romans, Gary Puckett and The Union Gap, Jackopierce, Al Di Meola, Moon Hooch, Ditta Von Teese, Ana Popovic and more, as well as another installment of the original story, THE BIKER along with a lot more! Also in this issue are a ton of great pictures of bands performing around the Houston area. I’m sure you’re going to be familiar with a lot of these bands. If you have pictures of local bands performing, please email them to us. I would really appreciate it and I know the bands do as well. Keep it up... We would like to see more pictures from you.

We’d also like to invite you to check out our Spanish music section. This month’s section is a bit slow as the Spanish Concerts have slowed down for January, but once they start up, it will have a lot more to read than this month. In the meantime, check out the great story this month on Morat. We hope you like it.

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

Kevin Wildman

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”

Kevin

Incubus Perform At The 713 Music Hall on February 3rd

Incubus became one of the most popular alt-metal bands of the new millennium, setting themselves apart from a crowded field with a tireless touring ethic and a broad musical palette. Employing a versatile blend of heavy metal, funk, jazz, hip-hop, techno, post-grunge, and alternative rock, the band hit the mainstream in 1999 with their multi-platinum third album, Make Yourself, which featured the chart-topping single “Drive.” They continued their reign over the ensuing decade, issuing a string of gold- and platinum-selling records: Morning View (2001), A Crow Left of the Murder... (2004), and Light Grenades (2006), culminating in the release of a greatest-hits LP in 2009. Incubus spent the next decade focusing on playing live but also issued two more studio albums (2011’s If Not Now, When? and 2017’s 8) plus a handful

of singles and EPs that continued to expand their sonic oeuvre.

Formed in 1991 in the San Fernando Valley suburb of Calabasas, California, the band’s early lineup comprised tenth-grade classmates Brandon Boyd (vocals, percussion), Mike Einziger (guitar), Alex Katunich (aka Dirk Lance; bass), and José Pasillas (drums). Their early funk-metal sound was heavily influenced by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but broadened over the next few years to incorporate thrash, rapmetal, post-grunge rock, and grinding altmetal à la Korn or the Deftones. By the time the musicians had graduated from high school, they had already been playing all-ages shows around Southern California on a regular basis. In 1995, Incubus added hip-hop turntablist DJ Lyfe (aka Gavin Koppel) to their lineup and recorded the

independently released album Fungus Amongus. That, coupled with a strong local following, helped the band earn a deal with the Epic Records subsidiary Immortal.

Incubus’ first major-label release was the six-song EP Enjoy Incubus, which was released in early 1997 and consisted of previous demos that were revamped in the studio. Their full-length debut album, S.C.I.E.N.C.E., followed before the year’s end. Incubus then hit the road with a vengeance, opening for bands like Korn, Primus, 311, Sublime, and Unwritten Law. They had amassed enough of a following by 1998 to land a slot on that summer’s Ozzfest tour, and they rounded out the year with a stint on Korn’s inaugural Family

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Values tour, by which time DJ Lyfe had departed and been replaced by DJ Kilmore (first name Chris). With their momentum and exposure slowly building, Incubus returned to the studio and delivered their follow-up album, Make Yourself, in late 1999. The group went right back out on the road, and their stint on the 2000 Ozzfest helped cement the new audience that the band’s new single, “Pardon Me,” was pulling in.

Although Make Yourself barely broke the Top 50 on the album charts, it was a tenacious seller that eventually pushed past the double-platinum mark. The second single, “Stellar,” was a smallersized hit on rock radio, but the album’s biggest song didn’t hit the airwaves until 2001, when “Drive” became their first Top Ten hit on the pop charts. Incubus expanded their audience by playing Moby’s Area:One package tour that summer, and with “Drive” still fresh in the public’s mind, they released Morning View during the fall of 2001. It entered the charts at number two, confirming that Incubus had diligently worked themselves into stardom. “Wish You Were Here,” “Nice to Know You,” and “Warning” were all popular on

rock radio, and the band naturally toured heavily in support, this time as a headliner.

In early 2003, Incubus became embroiled in a contract dispute with Sony and filed a lawsuit to have their deal terminated under California labor laws. In April, the band announced the departure of bassist Dirk Lance. Within days, fellow Incubus guitarist Mike Einziger called upon his Time Lapse Consortium mate Ben Kenney (who had also played with the Roots) to be Lance’s permanent replacement. The group remained a part of the Sony empire, however, and released A Crow Left of the Murder... on Epic/ Immortal in early 2004, which hit number two on the Billboard Top 200. Touring dates followed before Incubus headed home in November to take a well-deserved break.

The guys spent the next two years individually exploring things outside of the band — including music, art, film, and literature — though they also remembered to work on and finish their sixth album, which was recorded over a year’s time in both L.A. and Atlanta. The resulting record, Light Grenades, debuted atop the charts upon its release in November 2006. The musicians then returned to their individual endeavors, with Boyd announcing in early 2008 that the group had taken a loose hiatus. Nevertheless, the following year found them issuing the double-LP hits

compilation Monuments and Melodies and returning to the road for a summer tour. By 2010, they’d returned to the studio with longtime collaborator Brendan O’Brien, who helped them compose one of their darker albums to date, 2011’s If Not Now, When? The album debuted at number two on the Billboard charts upon its July 2011 release.

As promotion for If Not Now, When?, Incubus rented a storefront on LaBrea Avenue in Los Angeles and launched a multimedia retrospective of their career, highlighted by four nights of live music by the band. Selections from those four nights were compiled for the 2012 live album Incubus HQ Live, released in August of that year. In early 2015 the band released a new single called “Absolution Calling,” which would appear on Trust Fall (Side A), the first of two planned EPs. February 2017 saw the release of a new single, “Nimble Bastard,” in anticipation of their eighth studio album. Aptly named 8 and co-produced by Skrillex, it dropped in April, preceded by a further single, “Glitterbomb.” The following year saw the band issue the single “Into the Summer” and celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of Make Yourself with a massive U.S. tour. A second single, “Our Love,” arrived in early 2020. Both of these tracks landed on the sequel to their 2015 EP, Trust Fall (Side B), which was released that April.

Al Di Meola Performs At The Heights Theatre January 31st

Al Di Meola’s ongoing fascination with complex rhythmic syncopation combined with provocative lyrical melodies and sophisticated harmony has been at the heart of his music throughout a celebrated career that has spanned four decades and earned him critical accolades, three gold albums and more than six million in record sales worldwide. A bona fide guitar hero, perennial poll-winner, and prolific composer, he has amassed over 20 albums as a leader while collaborating on a dozen or so others with the likes of the fusion supergroup Return to Forever (with Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke and Lenny White), the celebrated acoustic Guitar Trio featuring fellow virtuosos John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucia, and the Rite of Strings trio with bassist Clarke and violinist Jean-Luc Ponty. And while his dazzling technique on both acoustic and electric guitars has afforded him regal status among the hordes of fretboard fanatics who regularly flock to his concerts, the depth of Di Meola’s writing along with the soulfulness and the inherent

lyricism of his guitaristic expression have won him legions of fans worldwide beyond the guitar aficionado set.

A pioneer of blending world music and jazz, going back to early Latin-tinged fusion outings like 1976’s Land of the Midnight Sun, 1977’s Elegant Gypsy and 1978’s Casino, the guitar great continues to explore the rich influence of flamenco, tango, Middle Eastern, Brazilian and African music with his World Sinfonia, an ambitious pan-global group that he formed in 1991. Their exhilarating world music fusion has been documented on such releases as 2000’s The Grande Passion (featuring the Toronto Symphony Orchestra), 2007’s Live in London, 2011’s Pursuit of Radical Rhapsody and the stunning 2012 DVD, Morocco Fantasia (recorded at the Mawazine Festival in Rabat, Morocco and featuring special guests Said Chraibi on oud, Abdellah Meri on violin and Tari Ben Ali on percussion).

Growing up in Bergenfield, NJ with

the music of Elvis Presley, The Ventures and The Beatles, Di Meola naturally gravitated to guitar as a youngster and by his early teens was already an accomplished player. Attaining such impressive skills at such a young age didn’t come easy for Al, but rather was the result of focused dedication and intensive periods of woodshedding between his junior and senior years in high school. “I used to practice the guitar eight to ten hours a day,” he told Down Beat. “And I was trying to find myself, or find the kind of music that suited where I was going with the guitar.”

His earliest role models in jazz included guitarists Tal Farlow and Kenny Burrell. But when he discovered Larry Coryell, whom Al would later dub “The Godfather of Fusion,” he was taken with the guitarist’s unprecedented blending of jazz, blues and rock into one seamless vocabulary on the instrument. “I used to ride the bus from New Jersey to see him at

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little clubs in Greenwich Village,” he recalls. “Wherever he was playing, I’d be there.” In 1972, Al enrolled at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and by the second semester there began playing in a fusion quartet led by keyboardist Barry Miles. When a gig tape of that band was later passed on to Chick Corea by a friend of Al’s in 1974, the 19-year-old guitarist was tapped to join Corea’s fusion supergroup Return to Forever as a replacement for guitarist Bill Connors. After three landmark recordings with Return to Forever — 1974’s Where Have I Known You Before, 1975’s Grammy Award winning No Mystery and 1976’s Romantic Warrior — the group disbanded and Al subsequently started up his career as a solo artist. His 1976 debut as a leader, Land of the Midnight Sun, was a blazing showcase of his signature chops and Latintinged compositions that featured a stellar cast including drummers Steve Gadd and Lenny White, bassist Anthony Jackson and Jaco Pastorius, keyboardists Jan Hammer, Barry Miles and Chick Corea and percussionist Mingo Lewis. Over the course of six more albums with Columbia Records – Elegant Gypsy, Casino, Splendido Hotel, Electric Rendezvous, Tour De Force and Scenario –Al established himself as an influential force in contemporary music. 1980 marked the triumph of the acoustic guitar trio with Paco De Lucia and John McLaughlin. Their debut recording on Columbia Records, Friday Night in San Francisco,

became a landmark recording that surpassed the four million mark in sales. The following year, 1981, Di Meola was inducted into Guitar Player’s Gallery of Greats after five consecutive wins as Best Jazz Guitarist in the magazine’s Readers Poll and winning best album and acoustic guitarist for a total of a record eleven wins. The three virtuosos in the trio toured together from 1980 through 1983, releasing the studio album Passion, Grace & Fire in 1982. In 1995, they reunited for a third recording, Guitar Trio, follow by another triumphant world tour.

In early 1996, Di Meola formed a new trio with the violinist Jean-Luc Ponty and RTF bandmate Stanley Clarke called The Rite of Strings. Their self-titled debut was released in 1995. Di Meola subsequently recorded with the likes of opera superstar Luciano Pavarotti, pop stars Paul Simon, classical guitarist Manuel Barrueco, and Italian pop star Pino Daniele. Over the course of his career, he has also worked and recorded with Phil Collins, Carlos Santana, Steve Winwood, Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams, Herbie Hancock, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Milton Naciemento, Egberto Gismonti, Stevie Wonder, Les Paul, Jimmy Page, Steve Vai, Frank Zappa and Cuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba.

Di Meola’s 2013 release All Your Life was an acoustic tour de force that had him revisiting the music of a seminal influence – The Beatles. “I really credit the Beatles for the reason why I play guitar,” he says. “That was a major catalyst for me to want to learn music, so their impact was pretty strong.” A virtual one-man show of virtuosity, it features the guitar great interpreting 14 familiar Beatles tunes in the stripped-down setting of strictly acoustic guitar.

In 2015 he released Elysium, which finds the guitar great blending the lush tones of his nylon string Conde Hermanos acoustic prototype model and a ’71 Les Paul electric (his Return to Forever and Elegant Gypsy axe) in a collection of songs that are at once invigorating and alluring. “It represents a new composition phase for me, whereby the writing became, in a sense, my therapy during a challenging personal transition in my life,” he said. In the same year he was honored as the 22nd recipient of the Montreal Jazz Festival’s Miles Davis Award, created in 1994 to honor a great international jazz musician for the entire body of his or her work and for that musician’s influence in regenerating the jazz idiom.

2018 marked a new era for Al Di Meola: His first of six signed projects with German record label ear music, “OPUS” was released in March. The Grammy award winning virtuoso says: “With Opus I wanted to further my compositional skills as I think that the evolution of this part of my persona has labelled me more composer/guitarist than guitarist/composer. For the first time in my life, I have written music being happy, I’m in a wonderful relationship with my wife, I have a baby girl and a beautiful family that inspires me every day. I believe it shows in the music.”

In July 2018 Di Meola received the Honorary Doctorate Degree of Music of his former alma mater Berklee School of Music.

A retrospective of Al Di Meola’s nearly 50 year acclaimed career is expressed through his latest Ear Music release of March 2020 “ACROSS THE UNIVERSE” with his virtuosic arrangements and creative interpretations of 14 Beatles songs with lightning speed electric guitar orchestrations balanced with lavish acoustic arrangements.

Jackopierce Return To Dosey Doe Big Barn January 26

Jack O’Neill and Cary Pierce, the “Jack O” and “Pierce” who make up the seminal duo Jackopierce, are celebrating 30 years of making music that has amassed a loyal following of millions of fans across the country and the world with a super highenergy live show and what the Dallas Morning News has called “spotless harmonies.”

Having just released their first studio project ‘Feel This Good’ in 5 years, Jackopierce is poised and ready to get back on the road full-time.

Jackopierce formed in 1988 in Dallas as theater students at SMU. The duo steadily made a name for themselves, especially with two of their signature tracks, “Vineyard” and their version of the classic “Please Come to Boston.” They released ten studio albums (two for major label A&M), toured three continents, nine countries, and 45 statesamassing millions of loyal fans along the way . Over the years They have shared the stage with John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band, Matchbox20, Counting Crows, The Wallflowers, Sheryl Crow, Toad the Wet Sprocket - to name a few. After a five-year breakup, the guys reunited in 2002 to test out the waters. They were very warm and city by city, Jack

& Cary got back out there to play for grateful fans that thought they would never see them again. The two now have a totally renewed creative vigor, mutual respect and deep gratitude for their fans.

These good vibes shine through on their 25th anniversary live album “Live 25.”

It’s definitely been a creative time for the duo, and celebrating the past inspires the guys to move forward in new, inventive ways. To freshen up the live show, Jackopierce started creating uniquely intimate “Destination Shows.” These shows are a whole new fan experience where people can enjoy gorgeous scenery, share delicious food & wine and have “campfire”- type access to their favorite band. It’s a vacation and concert in one. Each Destination Show provides a unique experience dedicated to the local culture: Napa/Sonoma vineyards at sunset, a ranch in Austin Hill Country, high society in Dallas, a two-mile-high a private club in Aspen, amazing history at the Biltmore in NC, a 14,000 square foot hacienda in San Miguel de Allende, MX - and the list goes on. July 27, Jackopierce will host their first 7th Destination Show in Martha’s Vineyard and they’ll be back for their fourth annual Destination Show in San Miguel in April

2020.

“We have been doing destination events for 10 years now and they have been a huge hit with our fans and have allowed us to make so many great new ones along the way,” said Cary Pierce. “I think these events continue to grow and sell out because people want more than “just a show” - they want an experience. They want to create lasting memories, explore a new place or visit an old favorite. In some cases, we’re offering them a trip of a lifetime. We’re finding there a lot of people that really value these experiences.”

Jackopierce has celebrated numerous career milestones including the T-Bone Burnett produced A&M debut album

“Bringing on The Weather,” being a part of one of the world’s largest live events with close to 400K people in attendance at the 1997 Blockbuster RockFest at Texas Motor Speedway alongside artists No Doubt, Counting Crows, and Matchbox Twenty, performing on Conan O’Brien in 1992 with the Max Weinberg Band backing them up and sitting in the chairs on the Rosie O’Donnell Show.

“Even after 30 years I feel like we’re just getting started,” said Cary Pierce.

Friday, Jan. 6 Sparky Parker Band

Saturday, Jan. 21 Mathias Lattin Trio Friday, January 27 Paul Ramierez & Friends

Saturday, January 7

Shawn Pittman Trio

Sunday, January 8 Big Al Bettis Band with Scott McGill

Friday, January 20 James Boogaloo Bolden Blues Band

Saturday, Jan. 14 James Wilhite & The Classix

Friday, Jan, 13 Mike Morgan & The Crawl

Saturday, Jan. 28 Josh Garrett Band Sunday, January 22 Tweed Smith

A Flock Of Seagulls Perform At Houston’s House Of Blues

A Flock Of Seagulls may well be known for their bizarrely teased haircuts as much as their hit single ‘I Ran’. A Flock of Seagulls were one of prime movers in the 80’s new wave era. Growing out of the synth-heavy and ruthlessly stylish new romantic movement. Hairdresser Mike Score (lead vocals, keyboards) formed A Flock of Seagulls with his brother Ali (drums) and fellow hairdresser Frank Maudsley (bass) in 1980, adding guitarist Paul Reynolds several months later. The group released its debut EP on Bill Nelsons Cocteau Records early in 1981, and while the record failed to chart, its lead track, ‘Telecommunication,’ became an underground hit in Euro-disco and new wave clubs.

The band signed a major-label contract with Jive by the end of the year, and their eponymous debut album appeared in the spring of 1982. ‘I Ran (So Far Away)’ was released as the first single from the album, and MTV quickly picked up on its icily attractive video, which featured long shots of Mike Score and his distinctive, cascading hair. The single climbed into the American Top Ten, taking the album along with it. In the U.K., ‘I Ran’ didn’t make the Top 40, but ‘Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of

You)’ reached number ten later that year; in America, that single became a Top 40 hit in 1983, after ‘Space Age Love Song’ peaked at number 30. ‘Wishing’ was taken from the group’s second album, Listen in 1983. The band released 1984’s The Story of a Young Heart which fielded the minor hit ‘The More You Live, The More You Love’. Shortly after Paul Reynolds left the band.

Mike and Ali moved to the US shortly after basing themselves out of Pennsylvania. The band now as a trio released the album ‘Dream Come True’ in 1986. Ali and Frank left in the years afterwards. Mike released the ‘Light At The End of the World’ album in 1996.

A Flock of Seagulls never really broke up. Mike carried on touring with session musicians and quietly, surely and steadily the folk lore surrounding the band began to grow. The references in culture from TV (Ross’s Haircut in Friends), Computer Games (I Ran was the standout track on Grand Theft Auto Radio), Film (The band and haircut are reference in Pulp Fiction, X-Men and The Wedding Singer) cemented the bands reputation and brought the band to a whole new legion of fans.

In 2003, the original line-up of Mike, Ali , Frank and Paul reunited for a one-off performance on the VH1 series Bands Reunited. In September 2004, they reformed again and did a brief tour in the United States. From 2004 to 2017 Mike was as busy as ever touring the band around the world. In 2018 the band appeared on record together for the first time since 1984. The Ascension album was recorded in multiple studios around the world and featured the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra providing backing to their hits.

Best known for their 1982 hit “I Ran (So Far Away),” A Flock of Seagulls’ reign as a Top 40 act, while brief, established them as one of the definitive bands of the new wave era. Growing out of the stylish new romantic movement, their combination of lush synths, textured guitar, and a sleek dance-pop landed them on the U.S. Hot 100 four times in all. Despite often being referred to as a one-hit wonder, they charted twice as many times in their native U.K. as in the U.S. between 1981 and 1985, including with the Top Ten hit “Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You).” After their fourth album, 1985’s

A Flock Of Seagulls Perform At Houston’s House Of Blues

Dream Come True, failed to chart, they briefly disbanded, but regrouped with a frequently shifting lineup behind leader Mike Score and toured primarily as a nostalgia act for decades to follow.

Hairdresser Mike Score (lead vocals, keyboards) formed A Flock of Seagulls with his brother Ali (drums) and fellow hairdresser Frank Maudsley (bass) in 1980, adding guitarist Paul Reynolds several months later. Bill Nelson’s Cocteau Records label issued their first song, the stand-alone single “(It’s Not Me) Talking,” which reached number 78 on the U.K. singles chart in 1981. The band’s debut EP, Modern Love Is Automatic followed quickly on the same label, and its lead track, “Telecommunication,” became an underground hit in Euro-disco and new wave clubs. A Flock of Seagulls signed a major-label contract with Jive by the end of the year, and their eponymous debut album appeared in the spring of 1982.

It was their third single and first with Jive, “I Ran (So Far Away),” that brought them out of the clubs and into heavy rotation on MTV. Featuring shots of the band and Score’s distinctive

winged hairstyle, the song’s music video became a staple of the summer of 1982, and “I Ran” climbed into the American Top Ten, taking their debut album along with it. The follow-up single “Space Age Love Song” also charted, peaking at number 30. Meanwhile, in the U.K., “I Ran” just missed the Top 40, but “Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)” reached number ten later in the year; in the States, that single became a Top 40 hit in 1983. “Wishing” was taken from the group’s second LP, 1983’s Listen, which landed in the Top 20 in the U.S., the U.K., and Canada, among other countries. The band had their final U.K. Top 40 hit in 1984 with “The More You Live, the More You Love” from 1984’s The Story of a Young Heart, which reached number 30 on the album chart. The song and LP fared slightly less well in the U.S., charting in the 50s and 60s, respectively. Reynolds left soon after and was replaced by Gary Steadman; the band also added keyboardist Chris Chryssaphis. Still crafting club-minded synth pop, the new lineup was showcased on 1986’s Dream Come True, which failed to chart, though the single “Who’s That Girl (She’s Got It)” made an appearance in the U.K. Top 75.

Shortly after its release, the band broke up, though Score assembled a new lineup of A Flock of Seagulls in 1988, releasing the single “Magic” and touring the U.S. the following year. The song was eventually included on the 1995 album The Light at the End of the World, which saw Score backed by Ed Berner (guitar), Dean Pichette (bass), and A.J. Mazzetti (drums). More lineup changes ensued as the band reappeared with a cover of “This Used to Be My Playground” for the 2000 album The World’s Greatest 80s Tribute to Madonna, on a 2003 episode of VH1’s Band Reunited (that featured all the original members), and on a 2004 tour. Over the next ten years, A Flock of Seagulls continued to perform at festivals, charity events, and on ’80s-themed summer tours.

In March of 2014, Mike Score released the solo album Zeebratta, and in 2018, A Flock of Seagulls returned with their first studio album in over two decades. Titled Ascension, their sixth LP included 11 orchestrated versions of their ’80s tunes performed with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, along with one original song.

Morat Perform At The Arena Theatre On February 5th

Morat is a Colombian folk-pop quartet from Bogotá featuring childhood friends Juan Pablo Villamil Cortés (voice, banjo), Juan Pablo Isaza Piñeros (voice, guitar), Alejandro Posada Carrasco (percussion), and Simón Vargas Morales (bass). Their sound melds contemporary and folk instruments with expert songwriting that walks the edges of traditional folk songs, hook-laden pop, punk, rock & roll, corridos, mariachi, cumbias, vallenato, and much more, as evidenced by their 2016 debut longplayer Sobre el Amor y Sus Efectos Secundarios (Love and Its Side Effects). The album showcased a bright, sunny anthemic sound complete with four-part harmonies, pop hooks, expert songwriting, and smooth organicsounding production. Their singles and albums have charted across Latin America and have made real inroads in the U.S. They backed Alejandro Fernandez on “Se Qwue Te Duele,” and placed inside the Top 40. In five short years, they netted a Latin Grammy nod, won four Cadena Dial Awards, and have been certified gold and platinum numerous times. Their sophomore outing, Balas Perdidas in 2017, boasted the number one single and his collaboration with Juanes on the single and video for “Besos en Guerro” rang up more than 20 million views during its first week of release.

Morat was formed in 2015 by childhood friends Juan Pablo Villamil

Cortés (voice, banjo), Juan Pablo Isaza Piñeros (voice, guitar), Alejandro Posada Carrasco (percussion), and Simón Vargas Morales (bass). Their sound combines what Billboard called “Perfect summer road trip pop in Spanish, with banjo adding an Americana touch.” The band was assembled when these friends and classmates graduated from high school. They made their recorded debut with the 2015 single “Mi Nuevo Vicio,” whose version with Paulina Rubio reached the charts not only in Colombia but also in Spain (number one) and Mexico as well as inside the Top 20 on the Latin Songs Airplay chart. They followed with the EP Grabado en Madera, that included the chart-topping digital single “Cómo Te Atreves.” Their debut long-player for Universal, Sobre el Amor y Sus Efectos Secundarios, included no follow-up singles. While on a promotional tour, they began writing their second album. A

slew of singles hit the airwaves and streaming services including “Del Estadio al Cielo,” “Amor con Hielo,” and “Ladrona.” In April of 2017, “Se Que Te Duele,” a collaborative single with Alejandro Fernandez, peaked inside the Top 50 on the Hot Latin Songs chart, followed by the full-length Sobre el Amor y Sus Efectos Secundario...Y Unas Cuantas Cosas Más in June. It peaked at number five on Spain’s album charts and was certified gold and later platinum. It netted them a Latin Grammy nomination and its singles, including “Cómo Te Atreves” were all certified five-times platinum. After wildly successful tours of Spain, Colombia, and Argentina, Morat re-entered the studio. Throughout 2017 and 2018, singles and videos were released, among them “Amor con Hielo,” “Yo Contigo, Tú Conmigo” (feat. Alvaro Soler), and “Besos en Guerra” (feat. Juanes), and all were certified multi-platinum and charted across Latin America.

In 2018, Morat released their sophomore long-player, Balas Perdidas. Its title-track single reached number one in Mexico, followed by gold and platinum certifications, tours of Mexico, the U.S., and Latin America. They also received a Latin Grammy nomination in the Best Contemporary Pop Vocal Album category. Throughout 2019, Morat delivered singles and videos that registered at radio and on You Tube. They began 2020 with “No Termino” and followed with “Nunca Te Olvide”; both landed on the airplay charts in Spain, Argentina, and Mexico. In the early spring, just as coronavirus was shutting down the globe, Morat released the single “Bajo La Mesa” (feat. Sebastian Yatra) and followed it in May with “La Bella y La Bestia” in collaboration with Reik.

Ana Popovic Performs At Main Street Crossing January 26

Ana Popovic celebrating 20 years as a touring musician. The award-winning guitar player, singer and songwriter therefor releases ‘Live for LIVE’, an exciting hour and a half CD & DVD demonstrating why she’s proudly looking back at a career of thousands of shows worldwide. This highenergy concert showcases not only Ana’s mesmerizing guitar skills but also her fabulous band, successfully merging musical styles. Ana’s passion on stage is so evident

that the title sums it up, this IS what she lives for.

“It’s really hard to believe that twenty years ago, I gave up a career in graphic design, formed the Ana Popovic band, and decided to be a full-time musician. Soon after, I traveled to Memphis to record HUSH!, my first solo release,” says the hardtouring guitar slinger speaking from her home in Los Angeles. “I had big dreams back then

and I still dream big today.”

“Around that time, I appeared as a special guest on tour with Michael Hill. It was my first North American tour and that springboarded me to the point where today, two decades later, I can proudly look back at a career of thousands of shows over five continents. I’ve successfully merged musical styles and inspired a new generation of guitar players male and female to start pursuing their dreams, regardless of where they were born. Sometimes, the clichés about (music) business are right. If you work hard enough and want it bad enough, you can make anything happen.”

“It feels like just yesterday, I started this project in a garage in Belgrade. Friends and family where supportive, a try-out show at a local bar became a steady gig, and through perseverance and hard work, here we are now. To celebrate the occasion, my sixpiece band is walking down memory lane playing music of all of my albums. I’m excited to play older tunes I haven’t played in a while, giving ‘fans of the first hour’ that sweet ‘a-ha feel’.

Ana estimates that over the years she has done about 2500 shows, and easily has another 2500 in the making. “I never get tired of it.” That unconditional drive shows on ‘Live for LIVE’. About the recording Popovic says: “I have the best job in the world that allows me to lose myself in music. Performing with a fabulous band that musically connects to every move and every idea I bring to the stage, while sparking their own musical background to bring out the best in all of us.”

Today, you’ll find Popovic in a select group of excellent modern blues guitar players. One reason could be the fact that she’s always willing to work a little harder and travel a little further to hone her craft. That dedication has resulted in twelve albums, two DVDs and six nationwide Experience Hendrix tours. She’s called “one helluva a guitar-player” by Bruce Springsteen and nominated for seven Blues Music Awards nominations. Ana has appeared on the covers of Vintage Guitar and Guitar Player magazine. Her albums ‘Can You Stand The Heat’ and ‘Unconditional’ were USA Today PicksOf-The-Week and featured on NPR Weekend Edition, who praised her “Fiery technique on the Stratocaster”. Nearly all of Ana’s albums reached the top of the Billboard Blues Charts. She and her six-piece band have toured tirelessly, sharing stages with B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Jeff Beck, Joe Bonamassa and many others.

Ana has been moving west all her life. She fell in love with American blues as a kid, starting back home in Belgrade, Serbia. Then moved to the Netherlands to study at the conservatory of jazz and world-music. After living in Amsterdam for over ten years, she relocated to Memphis, TN to record and work with Southern musicians. Finally in 2016, she moved her family to Los Angeles, California where she now lives.

Noah Kahan Performs at White Oak Music Hall January 27th

An American singer/songwriter with a distinctively warm, light rasp to his voice, Noah Kahan makes folkinfused pop in the realm of artists like Ben Howard and Vance Joy. After his 2017 debut single, “Young Blood,” went viral, “Hurt Somebody,” from his 2018 debut EP of the same name, charted in countries including Australia and New Zealand. Kahan released his debut album, Busyhead, in 2019, followed by 2021’s I Was/I Am and 2022’s Stick Season, the latter of which reflected his dedication to refining his songwriting.

Born in 1997, Kahan was raised in rural Strafford, Vermont, where his family owned a tree farm. He first started writing songs at the age of eight and was still in high school when he and his friends began producing and uploading some of his work online. After coming to

the attention of producer Joel Little (Lorde, Broods), who offered to collaborate, Kahan signed with Republic Records at the age of 20.

The label released a series of singles throughout 2017 beginning with “Young Blood,” which went viral, collecting tens of millions of streams. By the second half of the year, he was touring in support of the Strumbellas. The EP Hurt Somebody arrived in January 2018 and featured singer Julia Michaels on the title track. “Hurt Somebody” charted in several countries, including reaching number 13 in the Netherlands and 14 in Australia. Kahan made his late-night TV debut on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that February and spent the rest of the year touring in support of George Ezra and completing his first headlining tours of

North America and Europe.

Working with producer Joel Little (Lorde, Taylor Swift), Kahan recorded his debut album, Busyhead, in New Zealand. Led by the single “False Confidence,” the record was released in June 2019. He followed it a year later with another EP, Cape Elizabeth, and “Pride,” a collaborative single with mxmtoon. In September 2021, he returned with his sophomore full-length, I Was/I Am, which again found him working with producer Little. Featured on the album was the song “Someone Like You,” a collaboration with Joy Oladokun. Kahan’s third LP, Stick Season, arrived in October 2022 and included the title track, which hit number 13 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart.

We Came As Romans Perform At White Oak Music Hall January 30

Brotherhood lasts forever.

No matter what happens, those bonds endure in memories and moments. We Came As Romans hold a similar link between them. After nearly 15 years together, countless sold out shows, critical acclaim, and over 250 million streams, the Michigan quintet—Joshua Moore [guitar], Dave Stephens [vocals], Lou Cotton [guitar], Andy Glass [bass], and David Puckett [drums]—weather their darkest time and emerge stronger in the name of a fallen brother and member: Kyle Pavone.

The group soldier ahead with a sixth full-length opus befitting of his memory.

After Kyle’s death in 2018, they made a careful decision to push forward, returning to the road with Bullet For My Valentine before gathering themselves in the studio with longtime collaborator Nick Sampson [Asking Alexandria, Born Of Osiris] and seeking perspective from Drew Fulk [Motionless In White, Lil Peep].

We Came As Romans introduce

this next chapter with a pair of singles, “Carry The Weight” and “From The First Note.” Evocative clean guitar echoes at the beginning of “Carry The Weight” before giving way to a hammering groove and cathartic screams that culminate on a hypnotic chant—one of the band’s most irresistible.

Meanwhile, “From The First Note” hinges on thick guitars as it delivers a fast and furious elegy. Steamrolling forward on a punk gallop, the chorus rings out, “I can’t replace you.”

In the end, the brotherhood between We Came As Romans lives on. We Came as Romans emerged in the late 2000s with a sound rooted in post-hardcore and screamo. Hailing from the Detroit suburb of Troy, Michigan, the band became fixtures on the Billboard charts with acclaimed efforts like 2013’s hard-hitting Tracing Back Roots and 2015’s more melodic rock-driven We Came as Romans. The untimely death of frontman Kyle Pavone in 2018 resulted in the group going on hiatus, but they returned in 2022 with the cathartic Darkbloom.

Guitarist Joshua Moore, bassist Andy Glass, drummer Eric Choi,

guitarist Lou Cotton, and vocalists David Stephens and Kyle Pavone headlined shows in the Michigan area before graduating to the national circuit, where they opened for the likes of Our Last Night, Gwen Stacy, and the Number Twelve Looks Like You. We Came as Romans took time off in September 2008 to record an EP, Dreams, which they released for free two months later. Over 50,000 copies were downloaded within its first week of availability, and the band used that momentum to sign a contract with Equal Vision Records in early 2009. They returned to the studio with Joey Sturgis (who had previously recorded the group’s EP) that same year to work on a full-length album, To Plant a Seed, which was released that fall.

The band toured ceaselessly after being signed to Equal Vision, with multiple trips across the United States, Canada, and Europe as well as New Zealand and Australia. In 2011, the group began work on Understanding What We’ve Grown to Be, a lyrically darker affair than To Plant a Seed. Amid constant touring and Joshua Moore contracting bacterial meningitis, taking him out of commission for a short while, the band released the record in September 2011 to positive reviews, peaking at the number 21 slot on the Billboard 200. Arriving in 2013, Tracing Back Roots offered up a cleaner, more melodic take on the genre, a musical shift that became even more pronounced on 2015’s eponymous We Came as Romans. In September 2017, the band issued the title cut from their fifth studio LP, Cold Like War, which was released later that October. Sadly, vocalist Kyle Pavone died in August of the following year at age 28.

Broken, but not defeated, We Came as Romans soldiered on as a fivepiece, and in 2019 they issued the defiant stand-alone singles “Carry the Weight” and “From the First Note.” Three years later, they released their long-awaited sixth long-player, Darkbloom. The band’s first album for Sharptone, it included the singles “Black Hole” (featuring Caleb Shomo of Beartooth) and “Daggers” (featuring rapper Zero 9:36).

Gary Puckett and the Union Gap Perform at Dosey Doe January 21st

Gary Puckett and the Union Gap was one of the most successful musical groups of the sixties.

Gary’s unmistakable signature voice garnered six consecutive gold records and top ten Billboard hits with the following titles: “Young Girl” • “Woman Woman”, “Lady Willpower”, “Over You”, “This Girl Is A Woman Now”, “Keep The Customer Satisfied”,

Gary Puckett has performed on more than thirty network television shows and prime time specials during his career, even adding a command performance for the President and Prince Charles at the White House. The Union Gap disbanded in the seventies. In 1974, “Young Girl” was reissued in England

where it received a silver record award for attaining a top five position on the pop charts, several years after its initial release.

Gary continues to tour nationally & internationally. The current members of The Union Gap including Gary are Jami Hilboldt (Keyboards/Vocals), Woody Lingle (Bass, Vocals), and Mike Candito (Drums, Vocals). Jamie Hilboldt was born and raised in Upstate New York Jamie has called Austin Texas home for the past 30 years. He enjoys touring as part of the Union Gap band and spending time at home working on various music projects. He has also performed Keyboards and vocals with Archie Bell and the Drells, The Funk Brothers, WC Clark, Legends in Concert, Lenny Williams, The Marvelettes, The Platters, Rotel and the Hot Tomatoes. Nashville Bassist Woody Lingle has worked or recorded for countless artists through the years, among them Steve Wariner, Emmylou Harris, Ty Herndon, Chet Atkins, Ricky Van Shelton, Leslie Mills, Phil Keaggy, Richie Cole, Kevin Denney, Linda Davis, Susan Ashton, Margaret Becker, Charlie Peacock, Out of the Grey, Liberace and Fred Waring. Woody’s a Bassist/Writer/Producer who stays busy with his own projects as well. He’s recorded 2 CDs, and he’s equally at home whether he’s playing Jazz, Country, R&B, Funk, Latin/Salsa or Pop. Recently he wrote for TV’s “Guiding Light” and “As the World Turns”. When not on the road with Gary, he stays busy in the Studio or playing around Nashville. Venerable drummer Mike Candito is well known for his exceptional versatility and love of working in all advanced musical settings from Jazz, R&B, Funk, Rock, Country and Latin. His formidable talents have afforded him a vast array of accomplishments in the fine arts of music, stage, TV, radio and film. Mike was born and raised in New York where he studied with Drum Legends Jim Chapin, Gary Chester and Joe Morello with honorable mention to

“Don’t Give In To Him”, and “Home”.

Gary Puckett and the Union Gap

(continued from previous page)

mentors Jack DeJonette, Billy Cobham, Elvin Jones, Roy Haynes, Victor Lewis and Freddy Gruber. Mike has also performed with Gary Puckett, The Spinners, Wilson Pickett Band, Grover Washington Jr., The O’Jays, Stanley Turrentine, Tommy Flanagan, Gary King, Chris Carter Blues Band, Peter Noone, Gregory Hines, Paula Abdul, Bobby Short, Les Paul, Sam and Dave, Tony Cherry, Billy Joel, Mary Wells, Candi Staton, Luther Vandross, The Drifters, Denny Randell, Biddy Schippers, Chubby Checker, The Tramps, Invisible Man’s Band, Milton Berle, Jackie Mason, Sinbad, Joan Rivers and so on.

During the late ’60s — a period forever distinguished as rock’s most radical, innovative, and far-reaching — Gary Puckett and the Union Gap forged a series of massive chart ballads almost otherworldly in their sheer earnestness and melodrama. Likely the only pop band of the era to play two nightly shows in the Catskills — the early gig for their younger fans, the later appearance for the fans’ parents — the group pioneered the hip-to-be-square concept two decades before spiritual descendants Huey Lewis and the News; clad in Civil War-era getups (complete with fictitious military ranks) and bizarrely pedophilic lyrics, Puckett and the Union Gap were in their own way as far-out and singular as any other act of the period.

Frontman Puckett was born October 17, 1942, in of all places Hibbing, MN, (where Bob Dylan went to high school). Raised primarily in Yakima, WA, he picked up the guitar as a teen, and while attending college in San Diego played in a number of local bands before quitting school to focus on music. Puckett eventually landed with the Outcasts, a hard rock group comprised of bassist Kerry Chater, keyboardist Gary

“Mutha” Withem, tenor saxophonist Dwight Bement, and drummer Paul Wheatbread. Despite earning a strong local following, in 1966 Wheatbread relocated to Los Angeles to serve as the house drummer on the television series Where the Action Is; the remaining members of the Outcasts toured the Pacific Northwest, and on their return, Wheatbread also moved back to San Diego and rejoined the lineup. For reasons unknown, manager Dick Badger — convinced his charges needed a strong visual hook — then sent the group to Tijuana, where they were outfitted with Union Army-style Civil War uniforms.

A demo was soon cut in L.A., and Badger arranged a meeting with CBS producer Jerry Fuller. Though impressed by Puckett’s soaring baritone, Fuller believed the band’s gritty, R&Binfluenced approach was all wrong, but agreed to check out their live show at the San Diego bowling alley the Quad Room. Believing Fuller was due to arrive on Saturday, the Outcasts opted to save their energy, delivering an atypically mellow set on Friday night. Fuller, who was in the crowd for both shows, signed the group contingent on their willingness to foster their latent soft rock leanings. Re-christened the Union Gap in honor of a suburb of Yakima, on August 16, 1967, the band recorded its first single, “Woman Woman.” Suggesting a mellower Righteous Brothers sans producer Phil Spector’s majestic firepower, the single reached the Top Ten late in 1967 and was a million-seller by February of

1968; concurrent CBS press releases gave each member his own imaginary military rank — Puckett was the general, Bement the sergeant, Chater the corporal, and both Withem and Wheatbread were relegated to privates.

In the spring of 1968, the Union Gap scored their biggest hit, “Young Girl,” written by Fuller in the style of “Woman, Woman,” but exchanging the age-old theme of infidelity for the ageold theme of the temptation of underage romance: “My love for you is way out of line/you better run, girl, you’re much too young, girl,” an anguished Puckett wailed. The juggernaut rolled on, and the group continued rattling off hits — “Lady Willpower,” “Over You,” and “Don’t Give in to Him” among them — and also headlined at the White House and Disneyland. But there was dissension in the ranks: the Union Gap wanted to write and produce their own material, and Puckett found himself increasingly confined within the CBS-mandated ballad formula. In 1969, stalemate: Fuller assembled a 40-piece studio orchestra for a new song he had written, but Puckett and the Union Gap refused to cut the tune. The session was ultimately canceled, and Fuller never again worked with the group. For the Union Gap, it was a pyrrhic victory.

The band immediately returned to the Top Ten that autumn with the Dick Glasser-produced “This Girl Is a Woman Now,” but it was to be their last hit.

Korean Pop Band Oneus Bring Their “Reach For Us” Tour To The 713 Music Hall January 29

Specializing in R&B-tinged pop, this South Korean boy band are a product of the Seoul-based entertainment company RBW. They emerged in 2018 after their members had competed in the survival reality TV shows Produce 101 and Mix Nine. The group consists of six members: Ravn, Seoho, Leedo, Keonhee, Hwanwoong, and Xion. The group released their debut EP, Light Us, on January 9, 2019. By the end of 2021, they’d placed six EPs in the Korean Top Ten, three singles in the Japanese Top Ten, and their debut album, Devil, charted highly in their home country at number two.

The band formed during the online project RBW Trainee Real Life: We Will Debut. Lead vocalist Keonhee and dancer Hwanwoong were the first members to be selected. At the beginning of 2018, another lead vocalist, Seoho, and rapper Ravn were added to form a quartet, initially called RBW Boyz. Rapper Leedo and vocalist Xion joined in March, and by June they’d been given the Oneus moniker. Their debut release, “Last Song,” was released in September, a joint single with their alt rock namesakes Onewe.

The debut Oneus EP, Light Us, appeared in January 2019 on the same

day as their first-ever concert, at Seoul’s Yes24 Live Hall. Oneus released their second EP Raise Us on May 29, 2019, with the lead single titled “Twilight”.

On June 21, It was announced that Oneus’ first concert in Japan titled 2019 Oneus Japan 1st Live would be held in Osaka’s Zepp Namba on July 28 and Tokyo’s Zepp DiverCity on August 25.

Oneus then made their official

debut in Japan with “Twilight” on August 7.

The Raise Us EP followed in May and contained “Twilight,” a single that was re-recorded for the Japanese market, subsequently becoming a hit after debut live appearances in Osaka and Tokyo. Following the launch of their third EP, Fly with Us in November, they embarked on their first U.S. tour. On their return to Asia, they consolidated their success in Japan with the December single “808.”

Oneus released their third EP Fly with Us on September 30, 2019, with the lead single titled “Lit”.

In November 2019, Oneus held their first tour in the US, Fly With Us, kicked-off in six cities from New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, Minneapolis and stopped in Los Angeles.

On December 18, they made their first Japanese comeback with 808. “808” debuted at number 1 on Oricon Daily Single Chart with 3,662 copies sold within one day since its release.

In 2020, Oneus finished fourth in the reality TV show Road to Kingdom before releasing their Lived EP in August. Their debut full-length album, Devil, appeared in January 2021 and featured the singles “Bbusyeo” and “No Diggity,” the latter of which hit the Japanese Top Ten. Two additional EPs were issued that year — Binary Code and Blood Moon — both of which reached number two in the Korean charts. Culled from the latter EP, “Luna” helped Oneus to win their first TV competition as part of the 2021 season of Show Champion.

Open 6 Days A Week

Tuesday thru Sunday

Sunday, January 1 - Katie’s Blues Jam featuring guest host Paul Ramirez

Wednesday, January 4 - Wednesday Jam with Bob Emmons Thursday, January 5 - Shawn Pittman

Friday, January 6 - Mike Zito Saturday, January 7 - Peewee Bowen

Sunday, January 8 - Katie’s Blues Jam featuring guest host Lightning Rob Wednesday, January 11 - Wednesday Jam with Bob Emmons

Thursday, January 12 - Eric Demmer

Friday, January 13 - Zach Tate Saturday, January 14 - Paul Ramirez Sunday, January 15 - Katie’s Blues Jam featuring guest host Hugo Jamz Wednesday, January 18 - Wednesday Jam with Bob Emmons Thursday, January 19 - Blues Survivors Friday, January 20 - Pierce & The Purple Moon Saturday, January 21 - Wake Zone Sunday, January 22 - Katie’s Blues Jam featuring guest host Pierce Wednesday, January 25 - Wednesday Jam with Bob Emmons

Thursday, January 26 - Josh Garrett Friday, January 27 - Brad Stivers Saturday, January 28 - Scott McGill Sunday, James 29 - Katie’s Blues Jam featuring guest host James & The Classix

Schwayze Performs At Warehouse Live January 14

Raised on the beaches of Southern California, Aaron Smith is a rapper, actor, musician, and father who became known to the world simply as Shwayze following a massive music breakout in 2008.

Although the Jamie Kennedy movie Malibu’s Most Wanted posited that the beachside Los Angeles suburb is so upper class and lily white that the only rappers it can produce are rich teenagers fronting gangsta poses, reallife Malibu resident Shwayze begs to differ. He’s in touch enough with movie culture that his handle is a corruption of the surname of the star of Dirty Dancing and Roadhouse, and his musical mentor is Cisco Adler, son of multi-millionaire record producer Lou Adler, most notorious for a hugely unflattering nude photo widely circulated on the Internet while Adler was dating TV star Mischa Barton, as well as a stint on a short-lived VH1 reality series, The Rock Life. Shwayze claims to have grown up in a comparatively tough trailer park in one of Malibu’s less prosperous neighborhoods. Born Aaron Smith in 1986, legend has it Shwayze was working as an assistant to his handyman grandfather in 2005 when he began an impromptu onstage freestyle with a friend, drummer Alex Orbison, prior to a local gig by Orbison’s band Whitestarr. Adler, Whitestarr’s singer/songwriter, was impressed enough with the young rapper

that he started collaborating with him. Co-writing the songs with Adler producing, the duo came up with a mellow, largely acoustic sound akin to a hip-hop Jack Johnson, far removed from the glammy Southern rock revivalism of Adler’s own band.

Let It Beat

Shwayze signed to Geffen Records sublabel Suretone in 2007 and his selftitled debut album was released the following year, preceded by the single “Don’t Be Shy” and followed by a stint on the 2008 Vans Warped Tour. The album yielded the hit singles “Corona and Lime” and “Buzzin’,” the latter of which became the title of the duo’s shortlived reality show, which aired on MTV during the summer of 2008. A year later they returned with the electro-influenced album Let It Beat along with the single “Get U Home.” Following a few free mixtapes and EPs, the duo released Island in the Sun in 2011 on their own Bananabeat Records. The release was credited to Shwayze & Cisco Adler rather than just Shwayze, in order to avoid confusion. However, Shwayze and Adler ceased working with each other after the album’s release. Shwayze’s first release without Adler was the 2012 EP Shwayzed and Confused, followed by the full-length Shwayze Summer in 2013. His EP King of the Summer appeared in 2015.

Shwayze has since gone on to work with an array of producers and release several independent albums such as Shwayze Summer on his self-funded Feel Good Entertainment Music label. He continues reinventing his sound while staying true to the influences that brought him where he is today.

The past decade has boasted an impressive resume including a top 10 album, Billboard chart topping singles including ‘Buzzin’ and ‘Corona & Lime,’ a rock-doc reality show on MTV, and a number of roles in feature films and major network television- all while living on the road much of the year touring the world.

Shwayze continues to play more than 200 shows a year and with each year he finds new territories and fanbases to connect with.

Summer 2019 marked the highly anticipated return of Shwayze’s next full length album, a project fans had been anxious for. The fifth studio album, Beach Boy was released on July 19, 2019. It features 9 tracks and three singles “Perfect Wave” featuring Cisco Adler, “Beach Boy” featuring Paul Couture, and “God Gives” featuring Thev Case.

On July 17, 2020, Shwayze collaborated with producer Paul Couture with the release of a sixth studio album, Surf Trap, which featured 12 tracks. Special guests included reggae rock band HIRIE featured on “Play God”, Cisco Adler on “Stuck” and Fxckyeah featured on “Adios”.

On September 2, 2022, Shwayze released his seventh studio album, Shway SZN, and his first with Ineffable Records. The album has a very strong reggae and reggae rock-vibe, especially with the five singles released leading up to the album’s date. Jared Watson of Dirty Heads is featured on “Too Late”, The Elovaters featured on “Gone With The Wind”, The Hip Abduction featured on “Planes”, Pepper and Slightly Stoopid featured on “Tides”, as well as, Garrett Nash featured on “Breathe In”.

In addition to the singles, the album includes 12 tracks that feature more guest appearances, including Rome of Sublime with Rome, Claire Wright, and Little Dume. Shwayze describes the album as “Feel good, Cali reggae with a splash of Nashville!” Shwayze SZN is also being “considered” for a Grammy Award nomination for “Best Reggae Album” at the 65th Grammy Awards in 2023

Fantasia Performs at Smart Financial Centre January 15

Fantasia Barrino may have won the third season of American Idol with “I Believe” (2004), an eventual number one pop hit, but it was a passionate take on George Gershwin’s “Summertime” that effectively launched the powerhouse singer’s career weeks earlier. Confident to a degree that she could have been considered brash, Barrino at first glance seemed an unlikely candidate to take the teenoriented show’s title, but with her dynamic,

gospel-rooted voice that never failed her, she became the favorite of the Idol judges and of the voting public. Through the RIAA-certified albums Free Yourself (2004) and Fantasia (2006), the singer affirmed that she was more than simply the winner of a talent competition, and it wasn’t long before she reached a higher level of acclaim by winning a Grammy award for “Bittersweet” (Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, 2010). Barrino

remained an old-school soul stalwart throughout the next decade with her third, fourth, and fifth Top Ten pop LPs, including The Definition Of... (2016), and her sixth proper album, Sketchbook (2019).

Born and raised in High Point, North Carolina, Barrino — a niece of the Barrino Brothers and a cousin of brothers K-Ci and Jojo Hailey — fell in love with music through a mix of artists including Aretha Franklin, Brandy, P!nk, and Aerosmith. Being a 19-year-old single mother and an Idol finalist had some of the media mumbling and sneering, but the alwayscertain Barrino paid no mind. Becoming a teenage mother focused Barrino and gave her the strength and drive to audition for the show in Atlanta. Out of 70,000 hopefuls, Barrino earned her way to the top by adjusting her style to whatever genre was thrown at her. Upon beating runner-up Diana DeGarmo, Barrino’s first words as American Idol 2004 were “I broke my shoe!” Numerous appearances on talk shows and a cameo on the television show American Dreams — playing the role of her beloved Aretha Franklin — followed shortly thereafter.

Barrino made history when she became the first solo artist ever to reach number one with her first single, “I Believe,” an inspirational ballad co-written by Idol alum Tamyra Gray. J Records released her full-length debut, Free Yourself, in November 2004. Also featuring two Top Five R&B/Hip-Hop hits, it went platinum, and its lead single won a Billboard Music Award for Top Selling Single of the Year. Barrino was also nominated for three Grammy Awards. A year later, her autobiography, Life Is Not a Fairy Tale, appeared and was turned into a film directed by Debbie Allen; it premiered on the Lifetime cable network in 2006. Her sophomore effort, simply titled Fantasia, landed that December. It debuted at number 19 on the Billboard 200 and eventually went gold. Back to Me, released in August 2010, was led by a pair of Chuck Harmony-produced singles in “I’m Doin’ Me” (number 11, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop) and the Grammy-winning “Bittersweet” (number seven, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop). The singer’s fourth album, Side Effects of You, was released in April 2013. Big K.R.I.T., Kelly Rowland, and Missy Elliott made guest appearances on the set, driven by the Commodores-sampling “Lose to Win.” In July 2016, following a co-headlining tour with Anthony Hamilton, Barrino released The Definition Of..., her fourth Top Ten album. A holiday LP, Christmas After Midnight, was out the next year. The singer closed out the decade in September 2019 with Sketchbook, an advancement of her self-termed “rock soul” style.

Chris D’Elia Performs at Smart Financial Center February 5

Chris D’Elia is an American standup comedian, actor, writer, and podcast host. He is known for playing Alex Miller on the NBC sitcom Whitney, Danny Burton on the NBC sitcom Undateable, Kenny on the ABC television series The Good Doctor and Henderson on the Netflix thriller series You.

D’Elia started acting in high school and had some guest roles on Chicago Hope.[10] He attended New York University and studied acting, but dropped out after a year because he did not like college. He then appeared in a movie that went straight to DVD. During his downtime as an actor, he started writing scripts. When he was 25 he decided to try stand-up comedy, which he had always wanted to do.

D’Elia has been performing stand-up comedy since 2006. His first set was at the Ha Ha Café in North Hollywood. He considers himself to be a stand-up comedian who acts. He has been featured on Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham, Comedy Central Presents, and Showtime’s Live Nude Comedy. He was introduced to a broader audience as a regular on the series Glory Daze, which ran for one season on TBS. He was initially cast only for the pilot and was later made a series regular. He then co-starred in the NBC

comedy series Whitney, opposite comedian Whitney Cummings, for two seasons.

D’Elia was one of three hosts of the Ten Minute Podcast (2012–2015), along with Bryan Callen and Will Sasso. Since February 2017, he has hosted the weekly podcast Congratulations with Chris D’Elia, which has charted in the top 20 comedy podcasts in multiple countries. Listeners of the podcast are often referred to as ‘Babies’. Other podcasts have been heavily influenced by his style, including The Fighter and the Kid. D’Elia also gained over 2 million followers on Vine.

In January 2013, D’Elia released his debut parody rap album, as MC “Chank Smith”, called Such Is Life (produced by Mr. Green).

On December 6, 2013, D’Elia’s first one-hour stand-up special, White Male Black Comic, aired on Comedy Central. He has had three subsequent comedy specials: Incorrigible (2015), Man On Fire (2017) and No Pain (2020), all of which aired on Netflix. These were directed by his father, with the exception of No Pain which was directed by his brother.

D’Elia had a lead role in the 2014–2016 NBC sitcom Undateable as Danny Burton, a ladies’ man whose friends are all

in one way or another “undateable”. The show often incorporated improvisation, with a cast of stand-up comics who were friends before the show. In 2015, executive producer Bill Lawrence and comics from the cast (D’Elia, Brent Morin, Ron Funches and Rick Glassman) went on a series of stand-up tour dates to promote the show.

In 2016, D’Elia headlined the Leafly 420 Comedy Tour show in Chicago with special guest Ron Funches.

In March 2019, it was announced that D’Elia had been cast in the recurring role of Henderson on the second season of the Netflix thriller series You.

On an April 2018 episode of his Congratulations podcast, D’Elia imitated rapper Eminem and made fun of Eminem’s middle-aged fans, while conceding that Eminem was “one of the best rappers of all time”. Positive reaction to that imitation led D’Elia to imitate Eminem’s rapping again in videos he posted online in September 2018 (in his car) and January 2019 (in his garage). In February 2019, Eminem posted the garage video on his Twitter account, writing, “This is INCREDIBLE!!! 4 a second I actually thought it WAS me!!” The May 2019 single “Homicide” by Logic featuring Eminem then included an audio clip from the car video at the end of the song. D’Elia said that it was a “huge honor” to be included in the song and that he did not ask for any royalties. D’Elia then had a substantial role in the music video for the song, released in June 2019, which had each rapper’s part performed/lip-synced by someone else: Logic’s part was performed by actor Chauncey Leopardi (in reference to a humorous internet meme that claimed that the two were the same person), Eminem’s part was performed by D’Elia, and D’Elia’s part was performed by Eminem, mimicking the appearance of D’Elia in the car video.

In August 2020, it was officially announced that D’Elia would be replaced by Tig Notaro in Army of the Dead (2021). Trailers for the film were released in April 2021 with Notaro in place of D’Elia.

On January 13, 2022, Brendan Schaub and Theo Von added D’Elia to their weekly podcast “King and the Sting”, renaming it to “King and the Sting and Wing”. On November 4, 2022, “King and the Sting and Wing” was officially renamed “The Golden Hour”, with Workaholics actor Erik Griffin Replacing Von.

This January at Leon’s Lounge

Sunday, January 1 - The Lab with Arlo - Comedy Open Mic Night and Sunday Night Live Comedy Show

Wednesday, Jan. 4 - Randy Soffar Singer/Songwriter

Song Swap and Open Mic @ 8:00 pm

Thursday, January 5 - Mayor Of McGowan Day saluting Leon Yarbouough

Friday, January 6 - Texas Backbone Band

Saturday, January 7 - Lush Life

Sunday, January 8 - The Lab with Arlo - Comedy Open Mic Night and Sunday Night Live Comedy Show

Wednesday, Jan. 11 - Randy Soffar Singer/Songwriter

Song Swap and Open Mic @ 8:00 pm

Thursday, January 12 - Bombs Over Leon’s

Friday, January 13 - Noise Band

Saturday, January 14 - Scotty B. Sunday, Jan. 15 - The Lab with Arlo - Comedy Open Mic Night and Sunday Night Live Comedy Show

Wednesday, Jan. 18 - Randy Soffar Singer/Songwriter Song Swap and Open Mic @ 8:00 pm

Thursday, January 19 - Industry Night!

Friday, January 20 - Mean Old Dogs

Saturday, January 21 - Dirty Minds

Sunday, January 22 - The Lab with Arlo - Comedy Open Mic Night and Sunday Night Live Comedy Show

Wednesday, Jan. 25 - Randy Soffar Singer/Songwriter

Song Swap and Open Mic @ 8:00 pm

Thursday, January 26 - Bombs Over Leon’s

Friday, January 27 - Sedated - The Ultimate Ramones Experience Saturday, January 28 - Retro Radio

Sunday, January 29 - The Lab with Arlo - Comedy Open Mic Night and Sunday Night Live Comedy Show

The Biker, The Blues, & The Musical Gumbo Of The South

Sounds and styles of the blues come in all flavors but no one could dispute the downright enjoyable creations that come out America’s south. The south’s unique presence is a class A distillation of multiple genres and soul filled personalities. Little Feat, The Allman Brothers Band, ZZ Top, Dr. John and the great Trudy Lynn just to name a few. If you have been up or if you have been down the blues, the genre and its many sub-genres have touched you at some point in your life. After that first experience we all keep going back for more. What is it that’s inherent within us all that drives our thirst to be quenched over and over by the subtle nuances created by the great songwriters and artists of America’s south? What glue pulls them all together, unites them, to form this passionate cool musical gumbo and yet each contributor remains unique in their own right?

There’s a place, basically a modern day juke joint located on Kirby Street in Houston. Maybe the place holds two hundred people at most. It is without a doubt the most unique setting for the multitudes of blues lovers from every walk of life. It is known for its always friendly, pleasant crowds and yet the place jumps when its stage lights up with a who’s who of well regarded artists and bands. Normally the door charge is either a five or ten dollar bill and on the outside there is a man that fires up his smoker just outside that door. Is it ever crowded well the question really is when isn’t it crowded? You would have to know the owner, Tommy, he’s the real deal, his heart is right and it’s dead centered on the blues and zydeco. Ah, there’s that southern influence coming into play, zydeco. This particular style has been influencing southern blues forever and there’s no let up in sight. Yet it is only one facet in this multi-faceted diamond called southern blues. A guy named Steve Krase, one of the south’s most well respected blues harp players, turned me on to the Big Easy. The place was eclectic. Young, Old, White, Black, Male, Female, all with one common denominator - the blues. There were miles of smiles. A five dollar cover, a three dollar bottle of beer, and yet top notch live entertainment. That night Trudy Lynn was performing and the lead guitar player was Houston’s top rated James Henry. Steve would join them on stage and kick off Trudy’s set. Wow is the only word that comes to mind even today, years and years later. Then Trudy Lynn went to the stage and the place erupted, this was my first experience attending a Trudy Lynn event. I was blown away by the mere mention of her name and the crowd instantly went wild over her. Soon I could not only hear why but see why. Trudy does not portray a traditional blues singer, this woman is one indeed. To this day this woman tours Europe at least four months out of every year. Back in the states in cities like Memphis and across the big pond in Europe major blues festivals such as Lucerne in Switzerland. Trudy Lynn is blues royalty with over fourteen

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albums to date and performance schedule that would choke a horse. So here I was in the thick of it in a place I had not heard of previously that was to say the least jumping that night. One guy was even on roller skates just dancing away. No one minded, it really is that down home. In fact that is how you find the southern blues performers too. Everyone is cool with who you are and does not take your presence for granted. They all know that you are there to receive what they have to give and so entertainment with class is the priority of the evening. Not convinced yet? Well the south has ZZ Top and they have been delivering top shelf blues rock with class for years upon years. Recently when the group lost Dusty a young aspiring blues rocker Clay Melton of Cypress Texas paid homage to the group with his remake of “Jesus Just Left Chicago”. The recording was not an effort to duplicate the marquee sound of ZZ Top but to be as close to them as a new generation artist could be as it is their key influences along with Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray that drives the amazing guitar prodigy. The Big Easy is also the place that features rising acts that are on their way up and one of those acts is Ally Venable out of the Dallas Texas region. Ally fronts her own trio and they tour almost constantly and when they are coming through Houston you can almost bet your bottom dollar that this sexy super talented blues rock singer songwriter will be on the bill at The Big Easy. About six hundred miles west of Houston are the twin cities of Midland Odessa. A blues festival promoter named Lisa Grissom resides there. Their annual blues event draws literally thousands from around the U.S. and many other countries as well. They come to hear the best in blues and that of course includes southern blues men such as the one and only Kenny Neal from Baton Rouge Louisiana. Kenny is not only a much sought after artist but also the man owns his own juke in southern Louisiana. He’s blues to the core. Returning back to the very most southern area known for musical gumbo we come to Galveston Texas. The one and only Bert Wills, master lead guitar and blues harp player extraordinaire performs there on a regular basis at the Old Quarter. The Old Quarter is well known for its evenings of all original blues music. Bert Wills fits right in with his combination blues country sound. Bert’s lyrics are not only penetrating but like the roots songwriters of the Appalachian Trail he presents both real life situations and well as lore. Another southeastern talent, a two time Blues Music Award recipient no less is none other than blues vocalist Annika Chambers. Annika’s up tempo releases have thrilled audiences all the way from the south in the U.S. over to the many countries in Europe. Also, it would be remiss not to include the top rated talents of the man that hails from the northern blues community of Shreveport Louisiana, Kenny Wayne Shepherd. What’s not to say about this extremely talented bluesman who help stirs the pot within the south’s cavalcade of stars. If you are driving

James Henry, Steve Krase, Trudy Lynn performing at the internationally famous Lucerne Blues Festival Switzerland.

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through the south keep an eye on Kenny’s home town show plans but it’s tough to see him locally as this man’s tour package has him routed to both domestic and international destinations most of the time. Moving right across northern Louisiana and into Mississippi (a nice ride for scooter folks by the way) we run smack dab into the real deal himself, Mr. Dexter Allen. To this day Dexter still lives on the family farm in Mississippi although his music takes him to stages all over the world. He’s laid back but his sound is fresh, driving and I might add that while he can grind an axe with the best of them his true to the blues format is as traditional as it gets. Dexter’s neck of the woods is located close to the famous crossroads of Robert Johnson fame and in today’s blues world the home of Morgan Freeman’s Ground Zero juke joint. Ground Zero is located in Clarksdale an area south of Memphis that to this day still turns out roots artists that carry the torch forward. This part of Mississippi is also home to the famous cigar box guitars that are hand made to this day for veteran bluesmen and women around the world.

Dropping back down into Louisiana we find ourselves at its southern most tip in New Orleans. Well does one have to tell you about New Orleans? Of course we all know about its deep roots into American jazz but for those that love the blues New Orleans has got that going on too and in a big way. None of us will ever forget Dr. John whose originals remain so powerful they can stop a locomotive. Not just a powerful writer and artist but a showman beyond compare. When it came to stage dress one never knew what to expect from Mack and his antics oh that was

another calling card. It could rain tons of glitter all around the stage and on the first rows of the audience and then turning on a dime the room’s ambiance would change and the man would deliver an in depth portrait of the human condition. Both with great taste no less. This mixture I write about, this musical gumbo, isn’t a commercial application that paints a veneer over a standard musician. It’s a way of life that transcends time. Sounds and rhythms that have been handed down and refined, somewhat duplicated but always original.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd

Dexter Allen

The Late, Great, Dr. John Of New Orleans

Ditta Von Teese

The Lone Bellow Return To The Heights Theatre January 26

Throughout their lifespan as a band, The Lone Bellow have cast an indelible spell with their finespun songs of hard truth and unexpected beauty, frequently delivered in hypnotic threepart harmony. In a departure from their past work with elite producers like Aaron Dessner of The National and eight-time Grammy-winner Dave Cobb, the Nashville-based trio struck out on their own for their new album Love Songs for Losers, dreaming up a singular sound encompassing everything from arenaready rock anthems to the gorgeously sprawling Americana tunes the band refers to as “little redneck symphonies.” Recorded at the possibly haunted former home of the legendary Roy Orbison, the result is an intimate meditation on the pain and joy and ineffable wonder of being human, at turns heartbreaking, irreverent, and sublimely transcendent.

“One of the reasons we went with

Love Songs for Losers as the album title is that I’ve always seen myself as a loser in love—I’ve never been able to get it completely right, so this is my way of standing on top of the mountain and telling everyone, ‘It’s okay,’” says lead vocalist Zach Williams, whose bandmates include guitarist Brian Elmquist and multi-instrumentalist Kanene Donehey Pipkin. “The songs are looking at bad relationships and wonderful relationships and all the in-between, sometimes with a good deal of levity. It’s us just trying to encapsulate the whole gamut of experience that we all go through as human beings.”

The fifth full-length from The Lone Bellow, Love Songs for Losers arrives as the follow-up to 2020’s charttopping Half Moon Light—a critically acclaimed effort that marked their second outing with Dessner, spawning the Triple A radio hits “Count On Me”

and “Dried Up River” (both of which hit #1 on the Americana Singles chart).

After sketching the album’s 11 songs in a nearby church, the band holed up for eight weeks at Orbison’s house on Old Hickory Lake, slowly carving out their most expansive and eclectic body of work yet. “I’ve always thought our music was so much bigger than anything we’ve shown on record before, and this time we turned over every stone until we got the songs exactly where they needed to be,” says Elmquist. Co-produced by Elmquist and Jacob Sooter, Love Songs for Losers also finds Pipkin taking the reins as vocal producer, expertly harnessing the rarefied vocal magic they’ve brought to the stage in touring with the likes of Maren Morris and Kacey Musgraves. “Singing together night after night for a decade allows you to understand what your bandmates are capable of, in a way that no one else can,” says Pipkin. “There are so many different qualities to our voices that had never been captured before, and producing this album ourselves was a nice opportunity to finally showcase that.”

Recorded with their longtime bassist Jason Pipkin and drummer Julian Dorio, Love Songs for Losers embodies an unvarnished intensity—an element in full effect on its lead single “Gold,” a galvanizing look at the real-life impact of the opioid crisis. “We don’t ever try to write songs with an agenda, so with ‘Gold’ the idea was to tell the story from the perspective of someone in a hard situation—in this case, a guy who’s stuck in the downward spiral of addiction,” says Elmquist. In one of the most exhilarating turns on Love Songs for Losers, the chorus to “Gold” explodes in a wild collision of bright piano tones, potent beats, and massively stacked guitars. “We’ve sung ‘Gold’ as a folk song in the past, but for the album we wanted to really experiment and push our sound as far as it could go,” Elmquist notes.

Imbued with equal parts brutal honesty and heart-expanding wisdom, Love Songs for Losers opens on “Honey” and its synth-laced reflection on the more delicate aspects of enduring love. “‘Honey’ came from thinking about how my wife doesn’t like being called ‘honey’ or ‘baby’—she thinks it’s lazy, it

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always rubs her the wrong way,” says Williams. “It turned into a song about sometimes wanting to go back to when we were first in love, when everything was crazy and exciting and we were right on the verge of ruining each other’s lives at any second.” Later, on “Cost of Living,” Pipkin takes the lead vocal and shares a raw and lovely expression of grief, her voice shifting from fragile to soulful with impossible ease. A quietly shattering piano ballad featuring Elmquist on lead vocals, “Dreaming” channels the ache of lost love with exquisite specificity. “It’s a song about two people catching up with each other, and I love how the lyric goes from ‘How’s your mother?’ to ‘How’s that devil in your heart?’—there’s no middle ground, which feels very true to me,” says Williams. And on “Wherever Your Heart Is,” The Lone Bellow present a beautifully slow-building piece exploring a particularly powerful form of devotion. “I love those moments, even in friendships, when someone surprises you or reveals something you never knew about them before,” says Elmquist. “I think it’s so vital to any relationship to keep on chasing the mystery and maintain that curiosity, instead of just making your mind up about who or what the other person is.”

One of the most tender tracks on Love Songs for Losers, “Unicorn” unfolds with a cascade of heavenly melodies as Williams offers up an unabashed outpouring of affection for his wife Stacy (“I was kinda thinkin’ I could tell you my feelings/Sit you down and wreck you with some words that are pretty/I could say ‘I love you’ but I wanna say more/I think God made a unicorn”). “That’s definitely one where the physical location seeped into the song, and Roy Orbison’s ghost maybe led us toward the path we ended up on,” Williams points out.

Even in its most lighthearted moments, Love Songs for Losers bears the same heady depth of emotion that’s guided Williams since his earliest days

as a songwriter—a period of time that followed a devastating horse-riding accident that left Stacy temporarily paralyzed. As she recovered, Williams learned to play guitar and began setting his journal entries to song, routinely performing at an open-mic night across the street from the hospital. Soon after Stacy regained her ability to walk, the couple moved to Brooklyn, where (after eight years as a solo artist) Williams joined Elmquist and Pipkin in founding The Lone Bellow. In 2013, the band made their auspicious debut with a selftitled, Charlie Peacock-produced album that quickly landed at No. 64 on the Billboard 200, later turning up on bestof-the-year lists from the likes of Paste and Pop Matters. With over 100 million career streams to date, The Lone Bellow’s past output also includes the Dessner-produced Then Came the Morning (a 2015 effort that earned them an Americana Music Award nomination) and Walk Into a Storm (a 2017 release produced by Cobb and hailed by NPR

for its “warmly rousing, gospel-inflected Americana”).

For The Lone Bellow, the triumph of completing their first self-produced album marks the start of a thrilling new chapter in the band’s journey. “At the outset it was scary to take away the safety net of working with a big-name producer and lean on each other instead,” says Pipkin. “It took an incredible amount of trust, but in the end it was so exciting to see each other rise to new heights.” And with the release of Love Songs for Losers, the trio feel newly emboldened to create without limits. “This album confirmed that we still have beauty to create and put out into the world, and that we’re still having fun doing that after ten years together,” says Elmquist. “It reminded us of our passion for pushing ourselves out onto the limb and letting our minds wander into new places, and it sets me on fire to think of what we might make next.”

Morat Se Presenta En The Arena Theatre El 5 De Febrero

Morat es un cuarteto de folk-pop colombiano de Bogotá con amigos de la infancia Juan Pablo Villamil Cortés (voz, banjo), Juan Pablo Isaza Piñeros (voz, guitarra), Alejandro Posada Carrasco (percusión) y Simón Vargas Morales (bajo). Su sonido combina instrumentos folclóricos y contemporáneos con una composición experta que recorre los límites de las canciones folclóricas tradicionales, el pop cargado de gancho, el punk, el rock & roll, los corridos, el mariachi, la cumbia, el vallenato y mucho más, como lo demuestra su debut en 2016. reproductor Sobre el Amor y Sus Efectos Secundarios. El álbum mostró un sonido de himno brillante y soleado completo con armonías de cuatro partes, ganchos pop, composición experta y una producción de sonido orgánico suave. Sus sencillos y álbumes se han posicionado en América Latina y han logrado avances reales en los EE. UU. Respaldaron a Alejandro Fernández en “Se Qwue Te Duele” y se colocaron dentro del Top 40. En cinco cortos años, lograron una nominación al Latin Grammy, ganaron cuatro Premios Cadena Dial, y ha sido certificado oro y platino en numerosas ocasiones. Su salida de segundo año, Balas Perdidas en 2017, se jactó del sencillo número uno y su colaboración con Juanes en el sencillo y el video de “Besos en Guerro” obtuvo más de 20 millones de visitas durante su primera semana de lanzamiento.

Morat se formó en 2015 por los amigos de la infancia Juan Pablo

Villamil Cortés (voz, banjo), Juan Pablo Isaza Piñeros (voz, guitarra), Alejandro Posada Carrasco (percusión) y Simón Vargas Morales (bajo). Su sonido combina lo que Billboard llamó “Pop de viaje de verano perfecto en español, con banjo agregando un toque estadounidense”. La banda se formó cuando estos amigos y compañeros de clase se graduaron de la escuela secundaria. Hicieron su debut discográfico con el sencillo de 2015 “Mi Nuevo Vicio”, cuya versión con Paulina Rubio alcanzó las listas no solo de Colombia sino también de España (número uno) y México, así como dentro del Top 20 en la lista Latin Songs Airplay. . Siguieron con el EP Grabado en Madera, que incluía el sencillo digital “Cómo Te Atreves”. Su debut de larga duración para Universal, Sobre el Amor y Sus Efectos Secundarios, no incluyó sencillos de seguimiento. Durante una

gira promocional, comenzaron a escribir su segundo álbum. Una gran cantidad de sencillos llegaron a las ondas y servicios de transmisión, incluidos “Del Estadio al Cielo”, “Amor con Hielo” y “Ladrona”. En abril de 2017, “Se Que Te Duele”, un sencillo colaborativo con Alejandro Fernández, alcanzó su punto máximo dentro del Top 50 en la lista Hot Latin Songs, seguido por el álbum de larga duración Sobre el Amor y Sus Efectos Secundario...Y Unas Cuantas. Cosas Más en junio. Alcanzó el puesto número cinco en las listas de álbumes de España y fue certificado oro y luego platino. Les valió una nominación al Grammy Latino y sus sencillos, incluido “Cómo te atreves”, fueron certificados cinco veces platino. Después de giras tremendamente exitosas por España, Colombia y Argentina, Morat volvió al estudio. A lo largo de 2017 y 2018 se lanzaron sencillos y videos, entre ellos “Amor con Hielo”, “Yo Contigo, Tú Conmigo” (feat. Alvaro Soler) y “Besos en Guerra” (feat. Juanes), y todos fueron certificados multi -platino y listado en América Latina.

En 2018, Morat lanzó su segundo largo, Balas Perdidas. Su sencillo principal alcanzó el número uno en México, seguido de certificaciones de oro y platino, giras por México, Estados Unidos y América Latina. También recibieron una nominación al Latin Grammy en la categoría Mejor Álbum Vocal Pop Contemporáneo. A lo largo de 2019, Morat entregó singles y videos que registraron en radio y en You Tube. Comenzaron el 2020 con “No Término” y siguieron con “Nunca Te Olvide”; ambos aterrizaron en las listas de reproducción al aire en España, Argentina y México. A principios de la primavera, justo cuando el coronavirus estaba cerrando el mundo, Morat lanzó el sencillo “Bajo La Mesa” (feat. Sebastian Yatra) y lo siguió en mayo con “La Bella y La Bestia” en colaboración con Reik.

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Texas TNT Perform At Aspen’s in Clear Lake Shores

Without a doubt, one of our favorite bands is Texas TNT. Ronnie, Ramona, and Ian have been rockin’ Houston for years now and their show is second to none. They always do a fantastic job. They also have a fantastic setlist. They don’t play the same old tired songs that you hear at most clubs around town, their songs rock and their delivery of these songs is excellent. This Christmas Eve we needed a change from the usual Christmas music that we wer hearing everywhere, so we headed out to Aspen’s for some really cool Rock ‘N’ Roll. Texas TNT rocked the club with songs from Rufas Thomas (“Walking The Dog”), Greg Kihn (“The Breakup Song”), Bob Seger (“The Fire Down Below”), 3 Doors Down (“Kryptonite”), Janis Joplin (“Take Another Piece Of My Heart”), Mountain (“Mississippi Queen”), Tom Petty (“Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”), Joan Jett (“I Love Rock And Roll”), Guns N Roses (“Sweet Child Of Mine”), and AC/DC (“TNT”, “Thunderstruck”). It was an incredible show that night!

Photos By Kevin Wildman

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Evelyn Rubio Performs

At The Big Easy

We had a great evening this night at The Big Easy when our favorite saxophonist, Evelyn Rubio and her band performed there. Evelyn is the consumate musician. Her vocals are flawless. Her stage presence is phenomenal and her sax abilities are stupendous. I’ve never seen her perform a bad show and I try to do my best to catch her every time she performs at The Big Easy. She always has a great band with her as well. Tonight she brought along James Wilhite (guitar), Barry Seelen (keys), Arthur Kennedy (bass) and featured Memo on drums. Another great evening of entertainment.

Photos by Kevin Wildman

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SuperPop Perform At Leon’s Lounge

Tonight Leon’s Lounge hosted one of the finest bands I’ve ever seen there. SuperPop featured a great mixture of Spanish and English rock songs. The mixture of music was genius. One moment they were performing Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick In The Wall” and the next moment they were performing “A Quien Le Importa” by Thalia, or it could be “Sweet Child Of Mine” by Guns N Roses followed by Selena’s “Como La Flor”. It really was a remarkable evening. If you ever get a chance to see SuperPop, please do so. They are wonderful. Thanks goes out to Leon’s Lounge for daring to be different.

Photos By Kevin Wildman

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The Hightailers Perform At Shady Acres Saloon

One of Houston’s legendary bands has to be The Hightailers. These guys have built up such a great reputation of putting on one of the finest shows around. The band features Little Screamin’ Kenny on guitar and let me tell you, this guy is one helluva guitarist. The rest of the band is equally impressive as well. This night we caught them at Shady Acres Saloon in the Heights and were happy to announce that they will be back there again this month on Thursday, January 12th. Believe me, you need to see these guys. They’ll rock your socks off!

By Kevin Wildman

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Jonn Del Toro Richardson Performs At Green Oaks Tavern

When we heard that Jonn Del Toro Richardson was going to be at Green Oak Tavern in Humble, we made a point of being there. Jonn is one of the finest guitarists and showmen we’ve ever seen, so we knew it woud be a great show... And gues what... It was. He always puts on a good show and his song selection and presentation is second to none. He’s another fine Houston musician you need to put on your list of things to do and see. If you’ve seen him already, then you already know. GREAT SHOW! YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE!

Photos By Kevin Wildman

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Static Blues Perform At Katie’s Bar In Bacliff

This night, Static Blues performs at one of our favorite clubs, Katie’s Bar in Bacliff. Katie’s Bar always features the best in entertainment and this night was no different as they featured one of the club’s most popular bands, Static Blues. Static Blues puts on a great show too with a good selection of songs. While we were there, they performed songs from The Spencer Davis Band (“I’m A Man”), Jimi Hendrix (“Little Wing”), Motley Crue (“Home Sweet Home”),

Van Halen (“Panama” and “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love”), and RATT (“Round And Round”). Static Blues is Juan Hernandez (guitar, vocals), Roger Hensley (bass, vocals) and Jason Padilla (drums).

Photos By Kevin Wildman

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Downfall 2012 Perform At The Acadia Bar & Grill

This night we needed a little Metal in our lives so we headed out to The Acadia Bar & Grill to catch the Downfall 2012 show. Let me tell you, if you want metal, this is the band you need to see. Downfall 2012 is a 3-piece alternative metal rock band from Houston. The band prides itself on their ability to appeal to future fans who otherwise may never indulge in such a genre, while still holding on to those aggressive music entusiasts in the front row of each show. Downfall 2012 has toured with Avatar, Otep, Hed PE, Saliva, and Terror Universal, as well as performed along with Alice Cooper, Limp Bizkit, Hollywood Undead, Powerman 5000 and more. Their recent record, “We Welcome The Pain” (2019) debuted at #4 pm on the Billboard Charts. In July of 2020 the band released “Adapt”, an acoustic compilation of re-worked Downfall 2012 songs in the midst of the covid pandemic.

By Kevin Wildman

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Steve Krase Brings His Holiday Christmas Show To The Big Easy

Steve Krase brought his great band to The Big Easy tonight for his Annual Christmas Holiday Show. As always, the show was a blast! Steve and the guys performed non-stop and the dance floor was filled all night long. Here’s another guy that really takes pride in his performances. Every show that I’ve seen Steve perform has been a really enjoyable night, whether he performs solo or with Miss Trudy Lynn. Tonight’s Show was full of surprises as Steve brought on stage a couple of really talented performers. Joining Steve this night was Miss Allie Rae (bottom left). Believe it or not, Allie is only 11 years old, yet she sings with the conviction of a seasoned professional. It was certainly a great sight to see and take in. She did a fantastic job performing the Janis Joplin song, “Mercedes Benz.’ She was truly inspiring. Also joing Steve and his band on stage was guitarist Mathais Lattin. Now this guy was just smokin’. He’s another young up and coming performer that put his all into his performance there. He really did a good job and I would like to commend Steve on bringing these two up on stage and exposing them to an audience that might have had to wait years to see them perform if it wasn’t for him. And of course, we can’t forget the nucleus of this band, the wonderful musicians that make up the Steve Krase Band. On bass was Texas legend, Dr. Rock Romano. On drums was Carter Peveto, and rounding out the lineup was Texas Dave Carter on guitar. Let me tell you, you can’t ask for a better lineup than that. Keep it up Steve, we had a blast!

by Kevin Wildman

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Kissing Judas Perform At The BFE Rock Club

We dropped by The BFE Rock Club this month for their Annual Christmas Party and it was a lot of fun. We saw a lot of old friends there and really had a good time visiting with them. On stage performing that night were several bands. Here is one right here, Kissing Judas. These guys are phenomenal. They’ve got a lot of great originals and right now they’re working on a new album. We can hardly wait to get our hands on one as soon as it comes out. We’re also told that there are several guest stars on the album, so we’ll let you know more about that in the coming months.

Photos By Kevin Wildman

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Pierce And The Purple Moon Perform At Katie’s Bar in Bacliff

Pierce And The Purple Moon put on quite a good show this night at Katie’s Bar in Bacliff. The performed a great mixture of both Blues and Rock coverings song like Three Dog Night’s “Never Been To Spain,” Grand Fund Railroad’s “Some Kind Of Wonderful,” Them - Van Morrison’s early group’s version of “Gloria,” and a cool rendition of “Going Down.” Here’s another band you really need to check out sometime, and Katie’s Bar is probably your best chance for seeing them.

Photos By Kevin D. Wildman

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Photos By Kevin Wildman

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SOA Perform At The Acadia Bar & Grill

Photos By Kevin D. Wildman

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Photos by Kevin D. Wildman