Friday July 30, 2010 - 8:00 pm
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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.
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Thursday June 3, 2010 - 8:00 am
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Broken Plumbing and Cancelled Shows
 We are sorry to announce that we have cancelled the Blues Jam for this month. We're waist-deep in a major plumbing repair and will also have to cancel the Ward, Bowen & Steinman show on Friday night. We are hoping to be open for Saturday's show with Jack Edery & Ultrasuede. Stay Tuned for updates.
We appreciate your patronage. We'll see you in a few days! Click on the link below to see some photos of the project... don't fall into the canyon.
Photos
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Monday May 31, 2010 - 12:00 am
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Big City Rhythm & Blues
 Our friend Jack Edery of local Blues / R&B band, Ultrasuede, is a content contributor for a bimonthly music magazine called Big City Rhythm & Blues. The magazine covers the national blues scene with in-depth articles, interviews, photographs and CD reviews. They focus their coverage in the following major cities: The Motor City, The Windy City, The Music City, The River Cities and The Crescent City. Jack was kind enough to bring us a copy of his article titled "Texas Blues," in which he covers the Southeast Texas Music Scene and his favorite venues in the area. The article is quoted as follows:
Texas Blues
by Jack Edery
 O.K. I made it back. Last month, running out of space, I promised to write about some cool places to hang out and listen to live local Southeast Texas music. Or maybe if your band is traveling from Austin to New Orleans, a place were ya'll could get a gig. You know, Beaumont is about halfway between those two Meccas. First, I sadly admit that there are no straight ahead blues bars in this area. The battered economy has closed a half-dozen rooms in the last year. But still, some cool places remain to let us state our case.
One of my favorite rooms is The Logon Cafe, 3805 Calder Avenue. Now this place is not a wooden-boxed honky-tonk and they do not serve hard liquor, only beer and coffee. But it is a great sounding room and with an especially accommodating staff. Another nice perk: a real nice PA system and even a house drum set. Jason Spencer runs the sound and does an outstanding job. For the price of a bucket or two of fried chicken, he can make a fantastic live recording of your show. In addition to some of the best local talent, many bigger name road acts will often stop by the Logon for a show. Recently, I saw Nick Moss & The Flip-tops tearin' it up. I feel fortunate that starting in April my band, Ultrasuede,
will be playing the first Saturday of every month.
Now, for a sweaty, wooden box with ice cold beer and pool balls flying , go to The Place, 5875 West Port Arthur Road. In Port Arthur, they say to hell with the smoking ordinance. In this small wooden cubicle people like to smoke and drink as much as possible. Although they only sell beer, they'll gladly provide setup for patrons who bring their own bottles. I have a great time every time I play there. It's a great sounding room, and the second crowd is usually very connected, enthusiastic and appreciative.
Another one of my favorite honky-tonk rooms, similar to The Place but with a purple velvet coating, is The Shop, 6610 Gulfway in Port Arthur. We have played some great shows there' it's a great sounding room. I like to walk around with my cordless mic, both to entertain and to gauge how we are sounding from across the bar. In this room it is always smooth, fat and warm. I say a purple velvet coating, 'cause that's how it feels to me. it is a rough street side honky-tonk run by a sweetheart of a club owner named Dee Jaye. This lady truly loves the music, and her sincere appreciation is contagious. The lighting, mirrors, carpeting and a dancing pole set to the side of the stage - all give this room a comfortable, sleazy 1970s aura which makes me feel warm and fuzzy. They keep trying to get me to do a pole-dance, but so far all I have done is jumped up on the podium and used it as a slide. But we are actually playing there this Saturday, so anything may happen!
Let's head back to Beaumont. i love playing at the PaceSetter, 6358 Phelan Blvd., because it is only about 1000 yards from my house. This room is a little more sophisticated than a road-side honky-tonk. Miguel, the manager, keeps it interesting, mixing live DJ music along with a variety of live bands. The clientele is mixed, from the young college kids to middle-aged warriors like myself. Most of the live music is the red-dirt country Texas sound. Beaumont spawns a lot of that talent such as the Kaiser Brothers or Christian Dozier; look out for these talented youngsters. Miguel however has an open mind. He listened to our Fried Chicken & Whiskey CD and he liked it a lot. Now we play there about once every six weeks. Miguel is talking to me about starting a Blue Monday Jam Session. That would not make me mad. The PaceSetter has an outside patio for the smokers, a big dance floor, comfortable couches, and a very accommodating staff. And what I like the most about it is when I am done playing I could skateboard home - if I only knew how to skateboard.
One last, very cool, place to gig and listen to music is Cafe Del Rio at 2830 I-H 10 East, mentioned in the last issue about cool places to eat. Update: the outside patio has been renovated. Something about margaritas, tacos and live music make for a good combination. Many bands from New Orleans to Austin play this cool venue, Ricky, the manager, really cares about the musicians and that makes it all the more special.
In the last issue, I also promised that I would write about the Janis Joplin Birthday Bash January 23 at the Port Arthur Civic Center. For some legal reasons, the official name of this event is now the Gulf Coast Music Hall of Fame Show, but to me and everyone else it was still a wang dang doodle in honor of the legendary Janis Joplin. My band felt very honored and excited to be part of this event.
Opening up the show, a very impressive cover band, the Still Cruisin' Band featuring Cheryl Guidry and Kenneth Babineaux, tore it up. I counted 11 pieces up on stage: horn section, percussion, and the two world-class vocalists. This band drum line is tight, covering R&B standards from Otis Redding to Whitney Houston.
Next up was the Ken Marvel Band, featuring Swamp Pop legend, Jivin' Gene. Ken and his band played it funky, sparse and swampy, mixing elements of Zydeco, early rock and roll and blues into a comforting, down home concoction. Backstage Doug Dean, their saxophone player entertained me with his band stories. These Southeastern Texas gentlemen have been playing together for some 30 years. They just put out a new CD, simply and justly entitled Swamp Pop Music. It has been betting real good reviews. If you are interested you can go to KenMarvel.com.
Augmenting this set was swamp pop star Jivin' Gene. Back in the early 1960s, this Port Arthur native had nationwide hits such as Breakin' Up is Hard to Do, Going Out With Tide, and Release Me. In a very unassuming way, this man had a very soulful, emotional and honest delivery, and I am glad he is still performing. The name of his latest CD is It's never Too Late, and that night jivin' Gene proved it.
Alright, next in the line was my band Ultrasuede, featuring the soulful Susan Pierce. Our segment was the Janis Joplin tribute. For two months we rehearsed 45 minutes of the Diva's material, and it was all worth it. We had a great time; it felt great playing on such a big stage in front of 1000+ people. We must have sounded pretty good because we got a compliment from Marcia Ball, the evening's headliner.
Marcia originally hails from Orange, Texas part of the Bermuda - I mean Golden - Triangle. That night she was inducted into the Gulf Coast Music Hall of Fame along with swamp pop record producer Floyd Soileau. During a rocking set with her band, she made it clear why. With her ever-dangling leg over leg, she mesmerized the audience with soul and swagger. The sound coming off the stage was pristine clear and bursting with energy. Her band consisted of some of Austin's best musicians.
It was a fantastic and joyful way to end the 23rd Annual Gulf Coast Hall of Fame Show. They are calling it that, but in our hearts it still was and is the Janis Joplin Annual Birthday Bash. Good bye for now, see ya'll next time around.
~ Jack Edery for Big City Rhythm & Blues
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Thursday April 15, 2010 - 8:30 am
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Don't Miss The Quartet
 Calling all jazz fans for the monthly appearance of The Quartet. These guys have been playing together for a very long time and are one of the tightest bands in the area. They play mostly jazz standards but also play your favorites from the pop, classic rock and blues genres. You can usually catch them on the 3rd Thursday of each month, but this month they will be on the 4th Thursday.
The Quartet is Dana Arterberry on vocals, Paul Stienman on guitar, Chuck Pierce on bass, Kurt Killian on saxophone and keys, and Ken Turner on drums. Together, they bring to life classic jazz standards and contemporary jazz throw-backs including Ella Fitzgerald, Natalie Cole, Diana Krall and more. In addition to her jazz vocal prowess, Dana is equally adept at light rock and pop styles. If you have had the pleasure of catching their show at Hoffbrau Steaks or perhaps at a private party over the last several years, you'll know why The Logon Cafe gives this show a must-see rating.
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Friday April 9, 2010 - 6:00 pm
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West Virgina String Band Stops in Beaumont
 One afternoon in March these guys stopped into the cafe for a cup of joe and ended up staying for several hours talking with Michelle, Ed, Gytha, and Rodney. In their brief visit, they ended up re-stringing and tuning the fiddle we have hanging on our wall, tuned up our house banjo, and played a few tunes for our lunch-time audience. Everyone liked them (and their music) so much that they were asked to play an evening show. We came up with a early Friday show on April 9th at 6pm before Long Neck Road. We hope you will join us for an unexpected musical treat... and bring a friend or two, these guys are great!
In their own words:
Relationships are the core of our musical inspiration... relationships with people, music, and places. We come from the Mountains of Southern West Virginia. BrownChicken BrownCow StringBand emerged in the past year on to the acoustic scene performing original Appalachian String Band Music. Influences of our mountain roots can be heard in the stylistic twist we put into our string band music. Writing and arranging our own compositions we strive to bring sincerity and emotion to the stage. "BrownChicken" is about the energy shared with the listener. The music becomes an interaction with the audience. The sounds move from the stage, resonating with the audience and returning to spontaneously fuel the next moment of the performance. Our band approaches music like a conversation. The bow strikes the fiddle strings leading a melody, accompanied with harmony from the mandolin while the guitar pushes the rhythm of the song through dynamic swells. We play a variety of music, from foot-stomping fiddle tunes, vocal country/folk songs, to sweet ballads. We make it a priority to focus on being present with our audience while performing, naturally making each show unique. Listening to the subtle nuances and responding to detail keeps the music fresh and listeners engaged. Traveling to new places and meeting new people as we perform has been an inspirational gift that keeps us on the road and performing. Currently we are in Northern California playing music until October when we will travel to Oregon for a short time before returning to Maui for the Winter. Shoot us an email if you would like to book a performance, we would love to hear from you!
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