Kori Free is one of VERY FEW that have been at every single Blowin' Off Steamboat Music Festivals! The first year she was 14, and she blew us away! I knew then Kori was on a path of greatness, and we'll have her back every year that she'll still do it! This is now our fifth year, and Kori is back full band at 7pm with Alli Mattice sitting in for a few songs!
We had Jomo and Jes of Jomo & The Possum Posse with us last year, but we have a WHOLE MESS of Possum this year, the WHOLE POSSE!
Ok I'll stop. But seriously, if you haven't experienced this band, then you're REALLY missing something! From the HIGHLY popular "Guy on a Buffalo" YouTube series that currently has around 25 million views between the 4 parts, to great original songs like "Do What You Like", "Girl from Acadiana", "Farts Ain't Funny" and many more, or even some of their great spoof covers. If you like this band half as much as I do, they'll be one of your favorites!
Like every year we've got several bands and several acoustic song swaps... This year, my friends in the band Smoke Wagon are closing out the night... I've known rhythm guitarist Stephen since the 80's, we went to high school together, and I couldn't be more honored to know these guys because they have every bit of talent and potential needed to be one of the next great bands out of Texas that are in high demand across the country and even across the pond! They started several years ago doing red dirt and country covers, but in the past three years they've added several original tunes written by lead singer Jay Brown and rhythm guitarist Stephen Ocshner, and now they've got a radio ready catalog of original tunes! You're gonna like what you hear, I guarantee it! (I'll pat you on the back and smile as if I'm sad for you if you don't enjoy it) :)
Enjoy this video of one of my favorite Smoke Wagon songs, "Where Did I Go Wrong?".
Read this artist spotlight I wrote a little over two years ago about this great band, I can't wait for you to see them if it's your first time!
I interviewed Sean McConnell about his new self-titled album, his new relationship with Rounder Records and his upcoming show at Gruene Hall!
Sean McConnell may have been a household name to many of us in Texas for the past 6 or so years, but believe it or not there is a whole world out there that hasn't been properly introduced to the man! That terrible mistake will very likely be corrected soon, as Sean is about to release his 8th full length album which happens to be his first with a record label, and as his introduction to the rest of the world it is self-titled "Sean McConnell".
Sean recorded this new project on his own steam and out of his own pocket, but then signed with Nashville-based Rounder records back in February. Rounder also currently works with such artists as Steve Martin & Edie Brickell, Rush, Greg Allman, Sierra Hull and many more, and over their 46 years in business they have been involed with some stellar artists such as Allison Krauss, Ricky Skaggs, The Steeldrivers, Steep Canyon Rangers, Honeyhoney, Jimmy Sturr, Edie Brickell & Robert Plant just to name a FEW!
Sean's new album is due out on Friday, July 8th, and is tagged with the genre singer/songwriter. Sean is one of the best performing songwriters of present day, but he fits comfortably into genres such as Americana, Roots, Folk, Country, Pop, Rock, Blues or even Christian & Gospel at times. Some of those would be pretty loose affiliations, but fans of any of these are likely future Sean McConnell fans.
I've heard the two singles that have been released from this new album so far; "Queen of Saint Mary's Choir" and "Holy Days". Both show Sean's strong storyteller roots and he calls this his most personal album so far. "Queen of Saint Mary's Choir" is straight up an upbeat telling of Sean's life story. His parents were both musical, and played coffee shops and other small venues in the folk music scene in Massachussetts. His father played guitar and wrote songs while his mom sang both her husband's originals and folk covers of artists such as Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, James Taylor and more.
Sean has been performing for nearly the last 20 of his 31 years, and has performed at Gruene Hall and other venues in our area regularly since he began working with local artists such as Wade Bowen and Randy Rogers around 2009, and he will be at Gruene Hall on Friday, July 15th on his "Ghost Town Tour" with his new self-titled album in tow. Make sure to make it to this show and pick up a copy so you could say you were at his first show after the release of this game changing album that is likely to propel him into a new level of mainstream success!
Here's a lyric video for Sean's single "Holy Days":
This time TBA doesn't mean what you think it means, it's an acronym for the three sisters that form this band. Tristan is the drummer, Brittney is a singer and guitarist, and Aubrey is a singer and bassist. They grew up in a family full of musical talent, and nearly 4 years ago they played their first offical gig at Sandra's Cantina & Grill in Spring Branch, TX. They played at the 2nd Annual Blowin' Off Steamboat Music Festival in January 2014 just before heading off to Houston to audition for America's Got Talent, and although they didn't make it onto the show, it was a very valuable learning experience! They have continued to play in Canyon Lake and New Braunfels and have played quite a few shows with The String Slingers at Oma Gruene's Secret Garten. With all the growth that comes from playing as a band for 4 years, it's great to see these girl's hard work pay off in getting to play this well-deserved gig at the Bluebonnet Festival! You can also see TBA at Spring Fling which is a benefit for the Humane Society of the New Braunfels Area on Sunday, April 24th at Billy's Ice!
I had a great conversation with Ben Jaffe, multi-instrumentalist and harmony vocalist in HONEYHONEY the other day. We talk about their upcoming full band show at River Road Ice House on Thursday, February 11, 2016, as well as he and lead singer, violinist and banjoist Suzanne Santo's musical relationship that rapidly blossomed into something beautiful, and has continued to grow into an experience that you really need to let into your life.
Get TICKETS to the February 11th River Road Ice House show! If you're participating in our "share/retweet" contest, winner(s) will be notified on Sunday, February 7, 2016!
For a little history, Suzanne and Ben were introduced by a mutual friend Todd Averback in 2006. "The Double" or "T O Double" as Todd has been nicknamed, is a producer/writer/audio engineer who has worked with acts such as Dr Dre, 50 Cent and Weezer to name a few, but he thought their writing and musical talents would compliment each other, and after 9 years of writing, touring and playing together, Todd's suspicions have been well confirmed!
In 2008, after urging from Jenn Littleton of Red 4 Music, and finally entering and winning a "battle of the bands" radio contest where Kiefer Sutherland and Jude Cole of Ironworks Music were able to hear Ben and Suzanne perform, they released an EP "loose boots" in 2008 and a their first LP "First Rodeo" in 2011 under Ironworks Music. Sutherland directed and co-starred in their first music video "Little Toy Gun" in 2008, which was my first introduction to them when Apple featured it as a video of the week.
In 2011 HONEYHONEY released their second LP "Billy Jack" under Lost Highway Records, which seems to have dissolved into Universal Music Group. Before falling off the map, Lost Highway made quite a mark by working with some amazing musical acts, and even producing movie soundtracks including one of my favorites "O Brother Where Art Thou". A few well written, directed and produced HONEYHONEY music videos have popped up in the past few years, including the now 2-part "Angel of Death" (2011) and its follow-up "You And I" which was released about 2 months after their 3rd LP "3" which hit the streets in June of 2015. "3" was released through Rounder Records/Concord Music Group, and definitely has a similar vibe, but is even more mature and refined and has left me satisfied, but wanting more from this duo.
Suzanne and Ben are currently in the process of wrapping up the last couple of months of touring on the heels of releasing "3" last June. When they finish up this last bit of touring, they plan to really "sit down" with some songs they've already worked on but not performed, and start really working on their next project.
One very noble project Suzanne and Ben have been working on that I wanted to make sure and mention, is setting up concerts in conjunction with high school music programs to arrange and perform some songs with the high school band and/or orchestra in a city, and then donate proceeds from those shows into that local music program. They did the first show of this type in April 2014 at Mt Greylock Regional High School where Ben graduated, and they plan to do the next in Ohio where Suzanne grew up and if it works out they'll continue to try to do shows like these from time to time to help give back to music education.
Remaining winter/spring 2016 dates: Feb 03Ivywild SchoolColorado Springs, CO Feb 04Bluebird TheaterDenver, CO Feb 05SherbinoDurango, CO Feb 06Taos Mesa BrewingEl Prado, NM Feb 11River Road Ice HouseNew Braunfels, TX Feb 12House of Blues DallasDallas, TX Feb 13House of Blues HoustonHouston, TX Feb 14Spanish MoonBaton Rouge, LA Feb 181884 LoungeMemphis, TN Feb 19Camp HouseChattanooga, TN Feb 20The Grey EagleAsheville, NC Feb 21Cats CradleCarrboro, NC Mar 02Knitting FactoryBrooklyn, NY Mar 03World CafePhiladelphia, PA Mar 04The HamiltonWashington, DC Mar 05Club CafePittsburgh, PA Mar 10The BishopBloomington, IN Mar 11River Roots Music SeriesMadison, IN Mar 12Memorial Opera HouseValparaiso, IN Mar 13Seven Steps UpSpring Lake, MI Mar 16The ArkAnn Arbor, MI Mar 19Beachland BallroomCleveland, OH
Devil's Hollow was our 10:30 headliner at the 2015 Blowin' Off Steamboat Music Festival this year, they brought their big, 6-piece band and put on an incredible show! I recently interviewed the band, here's what came out the other end!
Devil's Hollow is a dry creek bed in north-western Comal County hanging off the Guadalupe River west of Canyon Lake. A road sign pointing toward Devil's Hollow fell on front man Justin Murray's eyes at just the right time one night when he was headed home after a gig and booking another gig over the phone. He went with it, figuring he could come up with something else later. Several years later, Devil's Hollow Trio (as it was known then) is staffed with six heavy hitters that have varied connecting ties back to previous (and current) other bands, all of which have helped develop Devil's Hollow into a blues-fueled sound interlaced with hints of funk, latin, jazz and rock. Front man Justin Murray's vocals and his blues guitar along with bassist Jimmy Hartman's deep blues roots guide the band's primary sound, but with the hints of latin from Mike Zeoli's percussion and Nick Doe's rockin' lead guitar riffs, Devil's Hollow is far from a one trick pony.
Justin Murray started a blues trio in 2007 after several years of receiving positive feedback about his guitar playing. He had remained a strictly recreational musician to this point, having mostly only sat in with a few bands from time to time. He finally decided to take things to that next level by actually gigging with his own band. Keyboardist Matt Cain was the first of the current members to join Devil's Hollow, he also played with a progressive rock band Spank along with guitarist Nick Doe, in fact Spank still gigs from time to time to this day.
By late 2008 Justin had named the band Devil's Hollow Trio, eventually dropped the "trio" portion and grew the band to considerable popularity. In December of 2008 Devil's Hollow opened up for Del Castillo, and since Mike Zeoli (Del Castillo drummer) had his rig set up on stage early, Justin invited him to play along. An instant connection and friendship began, and Mike started playing gigs with Devil's Hollow any time he wasn't busy touring with Del Castillo.
Wanting to expand and diversify the band's sound, Justin brought in Nick Doe at the recommendation of Matt Cain to audition (during a live show) for a shared lead guitarist role. Nick crushed this "audition" and joined the band in April of 2009. Justin is an incredibly accomplished blues guitarist, but Nick fills out the rock and roll side of Devil's Hollow, which not only gives the band more options on the style of songs they play, but also gave more texture to the blues style they had already developed.
In 2009 Justin began playing side gigs as part of a blues/soul band called Red Rooster Revue with a very young Adam Johnson. They shared
guitar leads and featured Adam Johnson on vocals. In early 2010 Jimmy Hartman joined Red Rooster Revue on bass and soon after joined Devil's Hollow as well. Devil's Hollow continue to play more and more gigs for another year or so until they reached the crest of that wave and opened a sold out Los Lonely Boys show at Gruene Hall in October 2011. At that point things just stopped. Murray and other band members needed some time to step back and reset, they had grown so quickly as a band and they didn't really know where to go next, so they didn't.
After a two year hiatus, Justin booked a Devil's Hollow gig at the Texas Craft Brewers' Festival in Austin on September 28, 2013. He brought WJ Robinson on drums, Pat Young on bass, and even brought Adam Johnson along to play shared leads. Due to a huge downpour during the festival, they ended up finishing this show to a very receptive crowd in a packed tent. This firmed up in Justin's mind that it was time to put Devil's Hollow back together.
Justin, Nick, Jimmy and Matt came back together, along with Mike when he was available, and in early 2014 they picked up Tom Raines as full-time drummer. Tom had recently moved to San Marcos from Brownsville. He had played a show with Los Bluzanos which features Del Castitllo bassist Albert Besteiro. Albert put in a good word to Justin about Tom and he was hired.
Besides Matt and Nick's connection in the band Spank and Mike as a full time member of Del Castillo until they went on hiatus in 2014, there is also filmmaker Robert Rodriguez's band Chingon. Mike Zeoli has played numerous gigs with Chingon, and Jimmy recently started sitting in with them as well. Jimmy has also played with Jeff Strahan, Del Castillo, Bobby Mack, Seth James, Ruben V and Daniel Thomas Phipps.
Look for a funky new single called "Traffic Jam" from Devil's Hollow soon, and watch for more details on a full-length album they are currently writing and rehearsing so they can hopefully get it into the studio later this year!
Upcoming dates:
• April 1: Sam's Burger Joint (San Antonio)
• April 4: The Parish (Austin)
• April 11: Real Ale's Anniversary Party (Blanco)
• May 8: Cheatham Street Warehouse (San Marcos)
• May 9: Half Moon Saloon (Brownsville)
• May 14: Dosey Doe Music Cafe (Conroe)
• May 16: NB Blues Society Party at Oma Gruene's Secret Garten
• May 16: Cypress Creek Cafe (Wimberley)
As the reality set in this past week that long time Cheatham Street Warehouse owner, songwriter, mentor and friend of many Kent Finlay was no longer with us, it hit a lot of people in different ways. Friends and family that were able to stopped by on one night or another so they could participate in celebrating his life. Here is the best timeline I was able to put together of what happened this week. Some stunning anonymously submitted photos are below.
Monday:
Blue Healer, Haley Cole and Court Nance performed plus the whole place broke into "I'll Fly Away"
Tuesday:
Tessy Lou & The Shotgun Stars, Lucas Eason, Sean Makra & Scott Feigh performed plus Jamie Wilson recorded "They Call It The Hill Country" in the Woodshed studio
Wednesday:
Many groups recorded as a choir to use in the last couple of choruses on "They Call It The Hill Country" the Jamie recorded on Tuesday. The Wednesday night Kent Finlay's Songwriters Circle turned into a night of tribute to Kent as many songwriters sang one song each in rememberance.
Thursday:
Jamie Wilson & Courtney Patton, HalleyAnna Finlay & Kathleen O'Keefe and Ashley Monical performed
Friday:
Foscoe Jones + Daniel Driver and friends are performing, and rumor has it some folks that graduated from the Kent Finlay school of life with honors may be there as well.
An impromptu gathering of musicians who frequent Cheatham Street Warehouse perform “I’ll Fly Away” in memory of Kent Finlay. Monday, March 2, 2015
Musicians gather on stage to perform “They Call It The Hill Country” in memory of Kent Finlay. Monday, March 2, 2015
A large gathering of songwriters assemble at Cheatham Street Warehouse on Wednesday night to each play one original song in memory of Kent Finlay. Wed, March 4, 2015
Engineer Russell Tanner prepares to record one of many groups of friends, family, and fellow songwriters in the chorus of Kent Finlay’s most recognized work, “They Call It The Hill Country” Wed, March 4, 2015
Kent Finlay’s son Sterling Finlay listens as in-house studio engineer Russell Tanner sings an original song for Kent Finlay, his employer of nearly a decade. Wednesday, March 4, 2015
With his father’s bandana at his feet young Sterling Finlay takes the helm of his father Kent Finlay’s renowned Wednesday night songwriter gathering, leading three generations of Texas songwriters in an emotional chorus of “They Call It The Hill Country.” Wed March 4, 2015
So not only is Charlie Stout a very talented songwriter and photographer who has an eye for beauty and the ability to turn a phrase; Charlie also had the foresight to immortalize Kent Finlay on his YouTube channel. Charlie has several video that he captured last year of Kent Finlay on his own stage at Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos, TX delivering songs, poetry or just talking about his personal history. I absolutely LOVE these videos and can't thank Charlie enough for doing this...
(note: Kent Finlay passed away early on the morning of Monday, March 2, 2015, nobody did more for songwriters or talented, up and coming local bands than Kent over the last 40 years, and he will be deeply missed)
On Monday, February 9, 2015, I stepped inside Cheatham Street Warehouse for the first time in over 4 years to see my friend Dennis Jay play an acoustic set at Cheatham Street owner Kent Finlay's annual 29th birthday. One note about the night, Kent was not on hand because of ongoing medical issues related to a long battle with cancer, but he was watching a video feed. The place hadn't changed much, from what I hear it never really has. I truly love Cheatham Street, Kent Finlay and everything that this place stands for, but sadly I don't have a ton of free time to venture over to San Marcos to catch shows, visit Kent's Wednesday songwriter circle or watch Dustin Welch work with veterans on Monday evenings teaching them to play guitar and write songs, or any of the other incredibly cool things they have going on over there. It's sad but true, when I have the time to catch a live show, I typically stay in New Braunfels since we have so many choices within our city limits on any day of the week or weekend. Cheatham Street Warehouse has one thing however, that New Braunfels does not, it has Kent Finlay. Kent has been supporting and helping songwriters of all skill levels at his warehouse on the tracks since 1974. There were times when Kent wasn't around because of other responsibilities including his own band "High Cotton Express", but for the largest part of the last 40 years Kent Finlay has been nurturing young talent and helping launch careers.
One of the earliest and possibly most impressive careers that started at Cheatham Street, was when a young George Strait auditioned to fill an open lead singer position in a band called "Stoney Ridge" that was playing weekly at Cheatham Street back in 1975. Needless to say he got the job, and they debuted as "Ace In The Hole Band" on October 13, 1975 where they continued to play regular Wednesday nights at Cheatham Street Warehouse for nearly two years until the crowds that came to see them would no longer fit in the building. In 1977 Kent and George loaded up in the yellow Dodge van pictured above (click photo to see more) and headed to Nashville to record a demo, and the rest they say is history.
Other notable artists that cut (or sharpened) their teeth at Cheatham Street Warehouse with guidance from Kent Finlay include Stevie Ray Vaughan, James McMurtry, Hal Ketchum, Al Barlow, Will Sexton, Charlie Sexton, Justin Trevino, John Arthur Martinez, Todd Snider, Terri Hendrix, Randy Rogers and many, many more!
I am linking to some sites below. One is a Q&A with Kent around the time of his birthday in 2013 by Brad Rollins of the San Marcos Mercury; it's a GREAT resource for lots of trivia about the history of the songwriting in the Texas Hill Country which of course has spread like wildfire into New Braunfels and left behind a wonderful community that embraces live music and supports and nurtures a growing songwriter population, and it hasn't stopped growing. The other is the "history" page on Cheatham Street Warehouse's website. They both have lots of great history on Kent, Cheatham Street and many of the careers he launched.
I leave you with this... Support live music, support the songwriters and go see them and quietly listen to them play their songs. You never know who might be the next Dean Dillon or even the next George Strait.
Although not a new band having been around since late in 2010, Cody Canada and The Departed are a band well worthy of this recognition from Rolling Stone. They first brought us the sounds of Oklahoma songwriters in the top shelf tribute album "This Is Indian Land" in 2011, followed that up with a selection of originals featuring both Cody and then co-lead guitarist/vocalist Seth James with their fantastic record "Adventus" in 2012. Now The Departed; being made up of 50% Cross Canadian Ragweed members Cody Canada and bassist Jeremy Plato have come full circle with a new record that has a sound that will be familiar to long-time fans of Cody Canada. What I've heard of these new songs from their upcoming record "HippieLovePunk" so far there is a distinct sound that is not something you can label as "Ragweed", but a sound that is very distinctly that of Cody Canada.
Here is the Rolling Stone article by Andrew Leahey
As the frontman of Cross Canadian Ragweed, Cody Canada spent years swirling Southern rock, Dustbowl country and roadhouse roots music into songs that celebrated the ups and downs of life in middle America. He was the poster boy for the Red Dirt movement, a proud outsider who could camp out in the upper reaches of the country charts — and sell more than a million copies of the band's albums, to boot — without playing by the rules of the Nashville machine. Even the band's own breakup bucked convention, with the guys deciding to throw in the towel after releasing four Top 10 records in a row.
Like many bands, I've been trying to see Smoke Wagon perform live for quite some time. I finally had the opportunity to see them last Friday at Billy D's in Universal City. The acoustics weren't optimal, but the sound was well balanced and filled the oddly arranged room well. Smoke Wagon plays primarily Texas Country and Red Dirt tunes from the more popular bands of the last decade, and they do this very well. With highly capable musicians in all corners and the recent addition of a clasically trained violinist turned fiddle queen, it really rounds out their sound and enables them to match the instrumentation of many bands such as Randy Rogers Band, Wade Bowen, Reckless Kelly, Turnpike Troubadours and more.
Smoke Wagon was formed in 2011 which involved a Craigslist post and an urge to put together a band to cover a better brand of popular music. Going back a bit, lead singer Jay Brown and bassist Dave James were already comfortable playing together as they were both founding members of the raunchy, San Antonio-based parody band "Skunkweed" since the mid-90's. Skunkweed members Jay Brown and Leon Waddy branched out and started an additional band "The Country Fried Pickles" in 2008 which played primarily in New Braunfels and achieved some level of success. However, life eventually got a little too hectic for Jay to keep up with the demands of two bands and "real life" so he had to step down as lead singer of "The Country Fried Pickles". To make a long story short, "The Country Fried Pickles" hired Dave Fenley as lead singer after Jay left, renamed the band to Poor J. Brown (because it's kinda funny), Fenley went on to become a semi-finalist in Season 8 of America's Got Talent in 2013 then moved off to Nashville to further his music career and remains there currently with his wife Eden.
Back to Smoke Wagon...
After Jay took his hiatus from being in multiple bands then joining Smoke Wagon, this nearly takes us to their current roster. Stephen Ochsner is the rhythm guitarist, backup vocalist and a lifetime musician playing piano at a young age, trumpet as a teen and later picking up the guitar. Jason Kahanek is the lead guitarist, he played saxaphone in middle school, but in 7th grade he took a guitar lesson and never looked back. Jason played in a few bands prior to Smoke Wagon, but he is now in a band that allows him to play a wide variety of styles and grab the occasional spotlight with very capable soloing. Dave James is the bassist and an over 20 year well seasoned veteran of several bands playing many styles of music all over Texas so he helps pull Smoke Wagon together into a tight, well polished unit. Brandon Neumann is the drummer, and has been playing the drums since the age of 12. Brandon has played with several bands in Austin and San Antonio before joining up with Smoke Wagon and rounding out their sound.
They finally had pulled together the right combination of musicians to pump out a sound that impressed not only fans, but music professionals as well. That is, until in January of 2013 they were playing a gig at Tavern in the Gruene in New Braunfels and a certain classically trained violinist came to the gig and watched them play. Deborah Peltier is the fiddle player, she brings a skill that almost only happens when you start playing at a very young age, which she did. Deborah started with piano then picked up the violin in the 5th grade. Aside from some time playing guitar in an all girl punk band and some coffee shop serenading, Deborah is a classical violinist who even played with the Virginia Beach Symphony Orchestra for 2 years. With so many Texas Country and Red Dirt bands including fiddle parts, Deborah was a welcome and completing piece of the puzzle.
All members of Smoke Wagon have "day jobs", so they don't give us weekly opportunities to see them play, but watch their Facebook page for upcoming gigs. Of course we will let you know when they play within 25 miles, which they do regularly because they mostly burn up the northest side of San Antonio.
Here is a video sample of Smoke Wagon from September 12, 2014 at Billy D's in Universal City:
Texas Renegade has been tearing up the highways quite a bit over the past year and we haven't seen them around the Wurstplex too much, but FINALLY that comes to at least a temporary end. This great local band made up of Andy Bertelsen and Tyson & Eli Carver has been together for the last 12 years; and they've booked monthly gigs at both Gruene Hall and Billy's Ice. At least 14 new songs have been added to their already impressive catalog as they gear up to release their next full length studio album "Surviving The Flood" on July 8. Below is a live performance of one of their new songs "Walking Away".
Upcoming local schedule:
Billy's Ice:
• June 6
• July 12
• August 9
• October 18
• December 13
Gruene Hall:
• May 22
• June 26
• July 31
• August 28
note: Allan Goodman passed away early in the morning on May 21, 2014, more information can be found at this page. Below however is EVERY video I took that Allan is in. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have!
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Allan Goodman was diagnosed with cancer back in the summer of 2012. He has fought a good fight and he is at the apex of that fight AS WE SPEAK... Allan and Ashley could use your prayers RIGHT NOW. Here are some videos of Allan I took over the past couple of years...
#prayforAGoodMan
February 28, 2014 at Tavern in the Gruene with Tony Taylor and Stan Little:
July 28, 2013 at River Road Ice House with Adam Hood for Galleywinter's Greenfest:
February 17, 2013 at Billy's Ice with Dead Rock Stars at "Retro Prom":
November 13, 2012 at Tavern in the Gruene with The Blooms:
September 9, 2012 at Billy's Ice, Psycopathy Red Respawns Benefit:
August 7, 2012 at Tavern in the Gruene with The Blooms:
May 20, 2012 at Gruene Hall with Adam Hood AND The Blooms for KNBT's 16th Annual Americana Music Jam:
March 16, 2012 at Tavern in the Gruene performing "So Far Away" during happy hour:
Seth James grew up on the Moorehouse Ranch in King County near his birth place of Guthrie, TX. He was no stranger to dirt, hard work, integrity and common sense. Seth has an interesting heritage; while some people come from families with either clean or dirty backgrounds, Seth has a little of both. His mother's side was made up of cowboys, ranchers or lawmen, and his father's side were all outlaws or musicians. This may sound like a tough combination, in fact his parents split when he was in elementary school. The rough and rowdy upbringing in a bunkhouse on a ranch could produce a man of a variety of temperaments, but Seth is a kind, soft-spoken man with a strong work ethic, love for family and God-given musical talent that has been worked into something truly amazing. Seth went to school in Guthrie, and graduated both salutatorian and in the bottom half of his graduating class of two.
Musical influences come from many places, Seth's came mostly from listening to the radio which he did a lot, and any exposure to live music only came from watching country or Texas Swing bands at the rodeo. Seth picked up the guitar as a child, but mostly only played in the privacy of the bunkhouse until he finally played publicly during college. Seth rode his high academic honors all the way to Texas A&M. His father played drums in a house band where Bobby Mack played from time to time, and when going to see his father play he experienced two firsts; seeing somebody play electric guitar live, and seeing Bobby Mack for the first time. Bobby's presence and skill etched a love for the blues into Seth, and this love manifests itself when he takes the stage. Whether playing an acoustic set, playing lead guitar in a band or joining up with the likes of Bobby Mack, Rick Richards and Jimmy Hartman to do a full-on blues show, Seth clearly puts his heart and soul into what he does, and he makes it all look effortless.
While still in college, Seth played with some friends in what they called Black Rose Band, playing mostly covers of Charlie Pride, Ray Price, Haggard, Fogarty, Buddy Guy and many more. Over the years Seth wrote, played and recorded many of his own songs, played with Ray Wylie Hubbard then Cody Canada and The Departed, and of course while on this journey he married his wife Jessica and they had 2 boys together and now live in New Braunfels, TX. Jessica is still a part-time vocalist with Wade Bowen, and if you're lucky you can catch Seth and Jessica singing together from time to time.
Seth and Bobby have 2 more blues shows booked at River Road Ice House on Wednesday, March 19 and 26th, and hopefully more will come in the future. Here is a sample of the first installment of this blues series at River Road Ice House!
Tom Gillam was born in Deptford, New Jersey, and was primarily raised in Camden, New Jersey. As the son of a nuclear power plant cooling system design engineer and a stay-at-home mom and member of a 5 child household with 4 boys and 1 girl, Tom says he had a great childhood. Tom's paternal grandfather and great uncle were musicians in the 1920's in Schmoken, Pennsylvania, and his brother Michael has played drums with John Waite since 2010 as well as having credits as drummer for John Waite's latest album, 2 of Tom's albums and several other records over the years. Tom picked up the guitar and played it through high school, but dropped it shortly after in lieu of taking vocal duties. Jumping into songwriting was a natural progression at the age of 22, and he also learned and added slide guitar to his arsenal. Tom's primary musical ingestion was by no surprise the "So-Cal" country rock sounds of late 60's and early 70's bands such as Poco, The Flying Burrito Brothers, New Riders of the Purple Sage, The Byrds and others which finally manifested into bands like The Eagles. These and many others helped shape Tom's musical tastes and stylings, but Tom has continued to branch out and enjoy MANY genres of music over the years. This diversity wasn't limited to his musical enjoyment however, Tom even fronted a punk/new wave band in Philadelphia for awhile, and has played many different styles of music over the years in many bands including several of his own. Aside from being a professional musician his entire life, Tom has taken the occasional odd job working at a music or record store to help pay the bills, and lucky for us he has also gotten into the world of broadcast radio.
My first exposure to Tom was hearing a few of his southern/country rock songs on KNBT in New Braunfels. Tom also started hosting the Cosmic Power-Hour on February 21, 2010, and has filled KNBT's airwaves with early country rock and Americana tunes most Sunday nights ever since. Tom's show has become popular enough that the Cosmic Power-Hour was extended to a second hour, and Tom also began filling in during the morning shift from time to time when Wayne Fanning left New Braunfels Communications last summer after 21 years in Texas, most spent on the air in New Braunfels. Soon after, it was announced that Tom would co-host the morning show with Misty Malone on Tuesdays and Wednesdays with Tom going solo in the 9 o'clock hour. Tom has also been involved in a couple of the Valmark Chevrolet's Greatest Hits Live series concerts at the Brauntex Theater. Tom's band performed a Creedence Clearwater Revival tribute show in November 2012, and Tom made a rare "vocals only" appearance as part of the local band Phantom 46 in February 2013 to perform a Bad Company tribute. Tom has also made numerous appearances at Gruene Hall leading song swaps, playing acoustic and full band shows, and has also played at about every other local venue you can name. Tom also does extensive traveling across the pond. He's made overseas runs as Tom Gillam Band, as part of US Rails, The Drakes and many others. Tom has built quite a large network of friends and fans on both sides of the water, and with his growing catalog of records, this fanbase will definitely continue to expand.
Tom started up a new project Tom Gillam's Kosmic Messengers that at times plays as an all acoustic ensemble, but they typically turn it up and go full electric which they did for the very first time at the 2nd Annual Blowin' Off Steamboat Music Festival back in January. We definitely got more than we bargained for, Tom and the band were beyond amazing. This "new" band is made up entirely of musicians Tom has worked with in the past, Tom of course on lead guitar and vocals, David Spencer on co-lead guitar (I love twin leads, when done correctly it will blow your socks off) Dan McCann on bass, Ian Bailey on drums and rich vocals in all directions. They kicked off this new concept back on Sunday December 29 at Gruene Hall. Knowing that this particular set was all acoustic I wasn't really sure what to expect, but with the talent packed into this band I should never have been surprised they exceeded every expectation I had. Add the extra layer of twin electric guitars and they are almost impossible to beat. Tom referred to the Kosmic Messengers as "The most comfortable band I've had in years". I would suspect this has something to do with talent and tenacity.
Tom's Kosmic Messengers will play two Gruene Hall dates in March, on Friday March 7th they will play at LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch in Katy, TX and they will also kick off the 2014 monthly live music series at a new venue "The Farmhouse" (txfarmhouse.com) which is located near 1863 and 281 in Bulverde on Saturday March 15 with Poor J Brown opening the show at 7pm. Tom will then go on the road with U.S. Rails during the month of April in Spain, Italy and France, then follow that up with a European tour with he and David Spencer in May.
Tom Gillam Discography:
2000: First of All
2001: Dallas
2004: Shake My Hand
2006: Never Look Back
2009: Play Loud Dig Deep (Tom Gillam & Tractor Pull)
2009: Had Enough?
2010: Better Than The Rest (European compilation of his first 3 records)
2011: Rustic Beauty
2013: Good For You
If you haven't already, be sure to check out Tom's great music, most of it is available on iTunes, can be purchased through his website or at a show. Also, be on the lookout for info regarding new music, as soon as I hear anything about a Kosmic Messengers record in the works, I'll be sure to let you know!
I LOVE this Jeff Strahan video from May 2013 in LaGrange, TX. I sure wish there was a video feed from the jam going on up in heaven right now, I'd love to see Jeff playin' with Muddy Waters and Freddy King right about now! Rest in Peace Jeff, wish I knew you better!
New Braunfels has an amazingly high concentration of talent within its walls for a "small town". Many people have migrated here over the years because of legendary venues such as Gruene Hall and the number of folks here with strong songwriting chops that make amazing collaborators and even mentors. The other side of that coin is the number of New Braunfels natives that have joined the local, unofficial songwriter's guild. One such talent is songwriter Jonny Burke. He was born and raised in New Braunfels, and was exposed to good music at a young age. His dad gave him the beginnings of his music education, feeding him with guitar fundamentals and great music. By the age of 15, Burke had already begun playing music in public, and even formed a band in high school that had a fair amount of regional popularity.
Jonny has spent many of his adult years on the road including a few years in Los Angeles, but has always considered New Braunfels home. Much of 2013, Jonny has been in Texas and has been writing and working on many songs in preparation of his as of yet unnamed full length album that is planned for a 2014 release. Jonny's prior discography includes a 2009 EP "The Long Haul", his first LP "Distance and Fortune" which he released in early 2011, and his latest full-length record "Cup Runneth Over" that was released in 2013.
Aside from touring and perfecting his new material, Jonny has been hosting a cool, new series at River Road Ice House in New Braunfels. His Rooftop Ramble series started out upstairs on Sunday afternoons, but when the chill of December hit, the ramble had to move downstairs where the doors could shut out the cold and keep the music playing. The guests that have joined Jonny so far read straight from the pages of "who's who" in music over the last year.
2013 Rooftop Ramble:
Nov:
3 - Kevin Galloway of Uncle Lucius
10 - Chris King
17 - Evan Felker of Turnpike Troubadours
24 - Jamie Wilson of The Trishas
Dec:
1 - Rob Baird
8 - The Damn Quails
15 - Owen Temple
22 - Mike Harmeier of Mike and the Moonpies
Many great weeks have past so far, but you can still make it to the final 2013 Rooftop Ramble at River Road Ice House with Mike of Mike and the Moonpies, which will most definitely end the series for the year with a nice dose of real country. Keep watching the schedule, as Rooftop Ramble appears to be in the works again for 2014!
2014 Rooftop Ramble:
March 9: Courtney Patton
March 16: TBA
March 23: TBA
March 30: TBA
Kori Free is one of VERY FEW that have been at every single Blowin' Off Steamboat Music Festivals! The first year she was 14, and she blew us away! I knew then Kori was on a path of greatness, and we'll have her back every year that she'll still do it! This is now our fifth year, and Kori is back full band at 7pm with Alli Mattice sitting in for a few songs!
I interviewed Sean McConnell about his new self-titled album, his new relationship with Rounder Records and his upcoming show at Gruene Hall!
