Saturday August 28, 2010 - 8:30 am -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lone-Star Pipe Band Fundraiser
The Lone Star Bagpipe Band, formed in 1987, performs traditional Scottish & Irish music on the highland bagpipes and drums. The band is comprised of seven bagpipers, two drummers, and around 10 students. They have played at weddings, funerals, parties, public events, and other engagements. If you are interested in learning the bagpipes or drums, or just honing your existing musical skills, you are invited to join the group. You do not have to have any previous musical experience nor do you have to be Scottish, anyone is welcome. The group meets every Monday night at 7pm at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church at 4090 Deleware Street in Beaumont. For booking and information on joining, please call (409) 658-4147.
m e m b e r s :
Jeff Courts (Pipe Major; tin whistle, vocals)
Brian Shajari (Pipe Sergeant; didgeridoo)
James Dean (bagpipes)
Jim McLaughlin (bagpipes)
David Rutledge (bagpipes)
John Scott (bagpipes)
Eric Ellison (bagpipes, bugle)
Peter Powers (tenor drum, Irish drum)
Chris Bordelon (snare drum, djembe)
Shannon Meaux (snare drum)
Jeanne Riley (tenor drum)
Robert Smith (snare drum, bass drum)
Kyle Bauer (bass drum)
Grammy award-winning songwriter Jon Vezner is a tunesmith of rare sensitivity and dry wit. His catalogue of recorded songs, topped by the poignant “Where’ve You Been,” reflects his straight-to-the heart sensibility and sensitivity. Vezner weaves the particulars of his own feelings with the lives of people he has known into universal themes that deeply touch listeners’ emotions.
Born June 6, 1951, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Vezner was lead singer and bassist in bands throughout high school and earned a B.A. degree in music theory and music education from Minnesota Southwest State University in the mid ‘70s. He was prepared for a career as a music educator, but his main interest was always songwriting.
In 1983, Vezner made his first trip to Nashville to attend the Nashville Songwriters Association (NSAI) spring symposium. In 1984, Vezner established a relationship with Ree Guyer of Wrensong Music, a music publishing company with offices in St. Paul, Minnesota and Nashville. Very soon after, he had songs recorded by Mel McDaniel and Dave and Sugar.
Vezner moved to Nashville in January of 1986, and within that first year he had songs recorded by Reba McEntire and Ronnie Milsap, followed by Lorrie Morgan’s first single in 1987, “Train Wreck of Emotion,” which he co-wrote with Alan Rhody.
In 1989, Vezner co-wrote “Where’ve You Been” with fellow singer/songwriter Don Henry, recorded by Kathy Mattea, a true story of Vezner’s grandparents that earned him “Song of the Year” honors with both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM) for 1990. The song was honored with a Grammy Award for “Best Country Song” and the Nashville Songwriters Association “Song of the Year.” Vezner was subsequently named “Songwriter of the Year” by the NSAI.
Other co-penned songs recorded by Mattea include “A Few Good Things Remain,” “Time Passes By,” “Whole Lotta Holes,” “Slow Boat,” “Who’s Gonna Know,” “All Roads to the River,” “The Innocent Years,” “Calling My Name,” “Trust Me,” and most recently the touching ballad “Ashes in the Wind.” Some of the other singles written by Vezner include “If I Didn’t Love You” by Steve Warriner, “Has Anybody Seen Amy” by John and Audrey Wiggins, “Then What” by Clay Walker, and “You’re Gone” by Diamond Rio. Vezner’s songs have been recorded by a varied list of artists such as Martina McBride, Janis Ian, John Mellencamp, Nancy Griffith, Faith Hill, Clay Walker, Diamond Rio and Native American recording artist, Bill Miller.
Vezner also has a growing list of production credits, producing CD projects for such artists as Danny O’Keefe, Victoria Shaw, and singing legend Patti Page.
Vezner presently resides in Nashville.
Brian Kalinec
Brian Kalinec is a native of Beaumont, Texas. He started playing guitar at the age of ten. While in high school, he actively performed with local bands throughout Southeast Texas at clubs, dances, proms, and private parties. In college, Brian performed solo and with friends at various venues in Beaumont, including Christopher's, Steak & Ale, and Carlo's.
During the summers in college, he lived in Houston and appeared at Theodore's, Gallagher's, and Steak and Ale. Brian and friends also performed at the 75th anniversary of Spindletop in January of 1976.
Upon graduation, Brian and his wife Pam moved to Houston, and he worked for a while as a professional musician. Although he later took a daytime job as a geophysicist, he never lost touch with music, occasionally performing at parties and clubs.
During the 1980's & 1990's, songwriting became an increasingly important drive in Brian's musical life. In 1980, Brian performed a song he wrote for his daughter Kerri titled "Challenged Child" at the 1980 National Convention of the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and at the Houston School for Deaf Children's Charity Gala, as well as several television appearances. In 1990, he joined the Fort Bend Songwriters Association, and served as its president in 1996 & 1997. He also was associate producer for the "1992 Best of the FBSA" release, a compilation tape of songs of members. He also co-produced the FBSA's "Sonny Throckmorton Songwriter's Festival" for several years. He is still an active member of the organization, now known as the Houston-Fort Bend Songwriters Association. Brian has been invited to perform in local writers-in-the-round at both Anderson Fair and Ovations in Houston.
In 1997, Brian began to perform on a regular basis. He teamed up with Joelle Joyce in a duo known as the "Urban Birds" and they appeared weekly in many clubs around Houston through 1999.
Brian teamed up with Melinda Mones in 2000. Melinda and Brian performed both as a duo and as a band. In 2001, Melinda Mones recorded her debut CD, which contained 3 of Brian's songs, "Good Life", "My Apology", and "Right Here, Right Now". Melinda and Brian were co-executive producers of this project. Melinda and Brian, who still perform together on occasion, have appeared at Blanco’s, the Firehouse, and the Rhythm Room.
In early 2002, Brian teamed up with Jeff Chambers, a Houston singer-songwriter-guitarist. Jeff and Brian trade off songs, original and cover tunes, as well as lead guitar licks. Jeff and Brian have performed at local Houston venues including the Grisby Grill and Ovations, as well as private parties.
Friday August 13, 2010 - 8:30 pm -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stray Dogs Present The Beatles Session
"Every good stray dog eventually finds a pack to run with and so it is that The Stray Dogs found their way to each other. Made up of musical veterans, these dogs have been around and know what it takes to generate a good time. Lead guitarist Ray Baker alternately ranges from pinpoint-accurate lead solos to wildly creative journeys into guitarland. Daryl Wilson drives the pack with rock-steady rythms that make you move involuntarily. Bassist, John Smith draws on years of experience with the acclaimed Southern Comfort band to make the classic rock and country music jump off the stage. Special guest, Ray Ward will join us with his cello for Beatles hit, Elanor Rigby, and many more. Vocals from rythm guitarist Bill Keating and harmonica virtuoso Blaine Duplechin blend and bend to really make the dogs howl."
g e n r e :
Rock (classic) / Country
m e m b e r s :
Bill Keating (vocals, guitar)
Ray Baker (guitarist)
Blaine Duplecion (vocals, harmonica)
Daryl Wilson (drums)
John Smith (bass)
Saturday July 31, 2010 - 8:30 pm -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Beaumont's Lowland Studio Catalog Lives Again
From 1969 till 1974 a local recording studio called Lowland, operated under the direction of a young recording engineer named Mickey Rouse. You may know Mickey from his work as a CPA or as musician with several local bands including his current project, Ronnie Bennett & The Night Riders. Mickey's aging collection of one-inch tape demos of local bands had a questionable future until one day he was contacted by an archival record label founded by Tom Lunt, Rob Sevier, and Ken Shipley, called Numero. Numero has evolved into a multi-format media company, devoted to dragging brilliant recordings, films, and photography out of unwarranted obscurity. They’re on a dirty, labor-intensive mission... and it’s urgent as all hell. Time kills off precious bits of passed-over sound, story, and ephemera every day, just as fast as they can haul this sprawling archive of under-heard recordings—along with the musicians, writers, and entrepreneurs who created them—out of exile.
Every Numero production–more than 60 titles in their diverse catalog of LPs, CDs, cassettes, 45s, 12"s, and DVDs—is a modest miracle of localized sound creation, shedding fresh light on the efforts of men and women who sang, played, recorded, and peddled—to shallow rewards, if any. Each track lives and breathes at the nexus of story and song, preserving human work and hope gone lost into freshly etched grooves. Every recording they unearth is painstakingly re-mastered and carefully researched, with obsessive attention to narrative and factual detail unmatched in the so-called reissue field. By self-imposed law, everything numbered by Numero is a stunning new artifact of image and word, tailored to the sounds it safeguards.
The second in their series of peeks into the world of regional studios hones in on Mickey Rouse's Lowland operation out of Beaumont, Texas. Long after the Big Bopper's plane crashed and the Johnny and Edgar Winter brothers and Janis Joplin split, Texas' Golden Triangle was home to a vibrant scene of musicians, songwriters, and entrepreneurs just trying to make it in Houston, let alone the world.
From the ashes of a vibrant garage and stage band scene, the Lowland studio and its clientele were formed. Holed up in a run-down strip mall, groups like Mourning Sun, Insight Out, Sage, Sassy, Mother Lion, Hope, Circus, and Boot Hill tracked out hundreds of demos, most of which were put on the shelf and left to bake in the South East Texas heat. Until now.
Over the last two years, Numero has painstakingly gone through every tape in the studio's archives, selecting the best of the best (22 for the CD, 28 for the 2LP) for this peerless compilation. The songs themselves run the gamut; southern boogie rock, CSNY clones, British blues thunder, garage-psych hangovers, Morricone-esque supper club instrumentals, yacht rock, and what can only be described as Bobby McPherin fronting the Velvet Underground, are threaded together in the way only a tightly-knit scene can be. Forget bringing these treasures back to life, Numero's giving them the life they never had.
Visit the link below and purchase your copy of local music history.
Friday July 30, 2010 - 8:00 pm -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shake Russell Trio Returns
For more than three decades, Texas singer-songwriter Shake Russell has been entertaining audiences throughout the region with his unique, Americana style of folk-rock. A prolific songwriter, Shake has written or co-written hundreds of melodies. Through the years, Shake’s songs and albums have frequented the Billboard charts, with many, including “Deep in the West,” “You’ve Got a Lover,” “Put Yourself in My Shoes,” “One More Payment,” and “Our Kind of Love” being recorded by such distinguished artists as Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, Ricky Skaggs, Clint Black, and Carolyn Dawn Johnson. Ricky Skagg’s hit recording of “You’ve Got a Lover” has appeared on three of Ricky’s albums. In 1983 Shake was commissioned by the Texas State University in San Marcos to write a song ,''River of Innocence''. for a documentary filmed and produced by the university. In 1986, Shake was asked by longtime friend Bruce Bryant, creative producer@Houston television station KTRK, to compose a theme song commemorating the Texas sesquicentennial. He obliged and wrote the regional favorite, “Traveling Texas.” ,br>Shake is a two-time recipient of the BMI “Million Air” award for Clint Black’s recordings of “Put Yourself in My Shoes” and “One More Payment,” both of which he co-wrote with Clint, and a four-time recipient of the BMI Writer’s Award. The Texas Music Association named Shake the “2004 Texas Music Awards Entertainer of the Year” and nominated his new song, “Cowboy Coffee,” for the “2007 Texas Music Awards Best New Song.”
Weaving sophisticated harmonies through his songs and drawing from various genres, Shake created a style of folk-rock that is uniquely his own. His repertoire consists of a blend of love songs, ballads, and waltzes, skillfully balanced with lively rockabilly tunes and soulful rhythm and blues pieces. His lyrics are imbued with beautiful imagery, catchy phrases, and inventive similes and metaphors. But it is the rich, melodious voice of Shake Russell that breathes life and spirit into the lyrics.
As a left-handed player, Shake taught himself to play upside down in the same way as the legendary folk artist Elizabeth Cotton. Later in his career, Shake would have an opportunity to meet this amazing lady at a performance in Chicago. Before settling in Texas in the mid-70s, Shake’s musical career took him from his hometown of Independence, Missouri, to Kansas City,Houston, Austin, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, Chicago , Nashville, and the legendary Coconut Grove, a renowned mecca for artists that is often described as the Greenwich Village of the southeast. Other notables who significantly influenced Shake’s development as a singer-songwriter were Bob Dylan, Lennon and McCartney, Robbie Robertson, James Taylor, Cat Stevens, Leonard Cohen, and John Vandiver.
By the early 70s, Shake had moved to Austin and played bass for John Vandiver's Ewing Street Times Band. An apprenticeship under John and tutelage from fellow band member, Michael Mashkes, afforded Shake an opportunity to hone his guitar skills and cultivate a musical style that would define his Texas-style brand of folk-rock. During this period, the band played at Armadillo World Headquarters, The original Saxon Pub, Cactus Cafe, Emmajoe’s, Alamo Lounge, Waterloo Ice House, and various other clubs in the Austin vicinity. After The Ewing St. Times disbanded, Shake eventually relocated to Houston, and was emerged into the vibrant music scene of the Montrose area, where they rapidly garnered an enthusiastic following.
In the late 70s, Shake formed his own band and was joined by hometown friend and fellow songwritermusician, Dana Cooper. Based in Houston, the duo enjoyed immense success throughout the state and was given extensive airplay on local radio stations. Many of the melodies on Shake’s “Songs on the Radio” album were recorded at Houston’s KLOL, including the hit “You’ve Got a Lover.” During this segment of Shake’s career, he played regularly at Theodores, The Texas Opry House, Ander Fair, Fitzgerald’s, Rockefeller’s, Corky’s; and later, the Mucky Duck. Although their respective careers have since diverged to different regions of the country, Shake and Dana have reunited on several occasions over the years for packed-house performances and CD collaborations. One of their most recent shows was captured on the “Island Nights” CD, which was recorded live at the Third Coast Theater in Port Aransas, Texas.
Shake’s latest CD, “Love is Why,” is a delightful array of original compositions that beautifully showcase the extraordinary talents of this singer-songwriter. To fully appreciate and comprehend the magnitude of Shake’s contributions to music, one need only listen to his life’s work. From his 1976 album, “Songs on the Radio,” to the 2006 CD, “Love is Why,” Shake’s music is a testament to the reasons why he is so widely celebrated as a Texas music legend.
Shake is currently touring with fellow veterans of the Texas music scene, Doug Floyd on mandolin and Mike Roberts on acoustic bass. The trio's contemporary acoustic arrangements, coupled with melodic three-part harmonies, create a unique, modern sound for those classic Shake Russell songs.
Brian Kalinec is a native of Beaumont, Texas. He started playing guitar at the age of ten. While in high school, he actively performed with local bands throughout Southeast Texas at clubs, dances, proms, and private parties. In college, Brian performed solo and with friends at various venues in Beaumont, including Christopher's, Steak & Ale, and Carlo's.
"Every good stray dog eventually finds a pack to run with and so it is that The Stray Dogs found their way to each other. Made up of musical veterans, these dogs have been around and know what it takes to generate a good time. Lead guitarist Ray Baker alternately ranges from pinpoint-accurate lead solos to wildly creative journeys into guitarland. Daryl Wilson drives the pack with rock-steady rythms that make you move involuntarily. Bassist, John Smith draws on years of experience with the acclaimed Southern Comfort band to make the classic rock and country music jump off the stage. Special guest, Ray Ward will join us with his cello for Beatles hit, Elanor Rigby, and many more. Vocals from rythm guitarist Bill Keating and harmonica virtuoso Blaine Duplechin blend and bend to really make the dogs howl."
