21 Jun 19 Album Review – Josh Ward – Live at Billy Bob’s Texas
To say that Josh Ward is a country singer is an understatement. Josh and his band define Texas music, Texas honkytonk, in a way that reminds of the music that has been a part of our life as Texans. There’s only one place that comes to mind when you hear his music – Billy Bob’s Texas. Combining the two provides us an opportunity to hear iconic music played in an…
Posted by: John South
Tags: Billy Bob's, Josh Ward, Rosewood Studios
05 May 14 Ordinary Elephant: Dusty Words and Cardboard Boxes
CD Review Ordinary Elephant: Dusty Words and Cardboard Boxes Pete Damore and Crystal Hariu-Damore, released August 2013 Bill Aspinwall Magic comes in all sizes. It’s not always obvious, but if you’re paying attention, like saints and poets and the IRS, one can learn to pick up on the traces of pleasure signals, the joy twitch of the limbic and the call of wild bliss that can round off the rough…
Posted by: John South
10 Feb 12 Josh Grider – Live at Billy Bob’s
Checking out the website for Josh Grider, you find that he loves writing songs and he loves playing for people. This was evident as he was tapped the first winner of the Live at Billy Bob’s Texas Recording Contest. He beat out 41 other contestants. Given the quality of the talent participating in the event, one can appreciate that this was no small feat. Grider wrote all of the songs…
Posted by: John South
Tags: Josh Grider, Smith Entertainment
13 Mar 11 Little Girl – Big Words
When I opened the package from Emmeline’s team containing her debut EP, “Early Morning Hours”, out popped a neat little piece of marketing swag proclaiming, “Emmeline – little girl – big words”. Not to criticize the marketing, but it missed the mark. It should actually have read, “Little Girl – Big Talent”! As I cranked up the first cut of Emmeline’s debut EP, “The Story”, I was certain that listening…
Posted by: John South
Tags: Emmeline
31 Oct 10 Guitarists Find Sanctuary in McKinney
Retail stores open every day; many never catch your eye. However, a store opened this past weekend in McKinney, Texas which sets a new bar for servicing guitarists and musicians. It’s called The Guitar Sanctuary, with Quinten Hope, Caron Hope, Maylee Thomas and George Fuller (Geo) as founders. What’s interesting about this store is that its name has multiple meanings that might not be caught by those who don’t know…
Posted by: John South
Tags: Andy Timmons, George Foster, Maylee Thomas, Quitnen Hope, The Guitar Sanctuary
23 Oct 10 NSAI Houston Upcoming Events
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24TH NSAI SUNDAY SONGSWAP 4:00pm to 6:00pm, followed by Sunday Night Open Mic Every 4th Sunday at JP Hops House This is not a formal meeting, program, showcase or critique format- just writers hanging out with other writers, giving and getting some inspiration. We will do a “song circle” style of gathering, for writers to try out a new song or two and get feedback from fellow writers….
Posted by: John South
25 Jan 10 Earl Bailey – Guitarist and Innovative Educator
By John South Evenings in Plano are generally fairly quiet, not that Plano is the small, sleepy bedroom community it used to be. But on most evenings, outside one particular house, one can hear the distinctive low frequencies of guitars and the thumping of a drum machine that signal that you have reached the studio of a music teacher. This is not the studio of just any teacher though. As…
Posted by: John South
Tags: Earl Bailey, Guitar, Guitar Teacher, Music Education, Rock
18 Jan 10 The Truth Is
By John South On the back porch of a house in a small Texas town, a little girl sat and dreamed of playing guitar and being a singer. She made up songs – singing through the day. She listened to the music of Joni Mitchell – she wanted to be just like her, to sing just like her. She also found inspiration in the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Jeanie…
Posted by: John South
Tags: Austin Songwriters Group, Jeanie Sliva, Milo Deering, nashville songwriters association, Patrick McGuire, Rocky Dribble
26 Nov 09 Will Polka for Beer
The one thing that is a constant in Texas is that if it is Friday night, there is music playing somewhere. It’s not always the Stevie Ray Vaughan or ZZ Top wannabes that you find. In fact, in many bars, grills and restaurants, you can hear some really talented people performing either their own songs, music written by others but with a personal interpretation, or even songs that are part of their national…
Posted by: John South
Tags: Alpenmuzikanten, Bavarian Grill
21 Nov 09 Welcome Home Shelley King
Shelley King, 2008 Official State Musician of Texas, presents us with a new offering, Welcome Home, that that not only highlights the flexibility of her vocal talent, but also underscores the craftsmanship that she and the Subdudes (John Magnie, Tim Cook and Steve Armedée) put into each and every song. One factor of craft that really standouts out in this recording is King’s minimalist approach to instrumentation. She doesn’t overpower…
Posted by: John South
Tags: Shelley King, The Subdudes
