steam magazine south texas entertainment art music volume 1 issue 1 april 2012

South

Texas

Entertainment Hurricane Alley WaterPark… 9

Things To Do, Places To Go… 7

Art Mary Beach… 18

L. Leon… 20

Winter’s Thoughts… 5

Music Austin Connection… 10

Backstage Legal… 4 CD Reviews… 11 Forrest Lee Jr… 12

Isolation Booth… 3

Neil Austin Imber… 14

Writer’s Block… 15

Writers

Cale Winter

Don Joseph

Linda Bendickson

Mason Shirley

Rusty Hicks

Spencer Breunig, Esq.

Tamma Hicks

Photographers &

Graphic Design

Jessica Winter

Rusty Hikcs

Web Designer

Rusty Hicks

Layout Editor

Tamma Hicks

Contact Us

Online:

www.steamtx.com

Facebook/steamtx

[email protected]

Phone:

(361) 904-4339

Sales

TJ Gonzales

Rusty Hicks

STEAM Staff

STEAM Magazine Volume 1, I ssue 1

You’ve spent months writing and

practicing new songs, now it’s time to hit

the studio, design the album cover, and

press copies to sell to your fans. That’s the

usual progression of things when making

a record, but between jamming with your

band and cutting tracks in the studio lies a

very important stage that is often over-

looked or at least neglected: preparing for

recording. If you’re new to the studio,

implementing the following tips could

save you lots of time, money, frustration

and help lead to a great finished product:

Make sure your instruments are in tip

-top condition. Guitar/Bass players

should restring every instrument they plan

on using and make sure their guitars have

been checked for intonation issues by a

professional guitar tech. This is inexpen-

sive and can save you from frustrating

tuning battles in the studio. Drummers

should have new drumheads and come in

with the kit tuned as best they can. New

heads and strings improve the attack,

tone, and sustain of the instrument dra-

matically.

Choose a producer for the project.

The job of a record producer is multifac-

eted, but it’s essentially the equivalent of a

movie director. The producer should be

the one who knows how the end result

should sound and makes the major deci-

sions to actualize that sound. Pick some-

one either from your band, the studio, or

an outside producer to direct your project.

It should be a person who has some expe-

rience with your particular genre, is some-

what familiar with your music, would be

easy for you to work with, and hopefully

has done this before (In other words,

Harry the Merch Guy is probably not the

best choice). There are literally hundreds

of decisions that have to be made while

recording, each one affecting the final

sound, and someone needs to be the des-

ignated guide you can trust to make those

decisions.

Conduct a final detailed check on

each song that will be on the record. Here

is a brief checklist to take into considera-

tion: Does each part of the song contrib-

ute to the nature of the song or take away

from it? Does everyone know their solos,

backup-vocals, drum fills, etc like the back

of their hand? Are the lyrics done? Is the

song over four minutes, if so can an un-

necessary part be removed? You may

want to write out the arrangement of each

song with notes on what guitar tones,

keyboard patches, drum sounds, etc you

want on each part just to have a game

plan.

Know the basic recording lingo and

be ready to communicate clearly and di-

rectly. The key to a session running

smoothly is communication. Some basic

terms to familiarize yourself with are

punch-in, overdub, double track, reverb,

delay/echo, cue mix, tempo, time signa-

ture, verse, chorus, and bridge. Terminol-

ogy aside, let the engineer know what

you’re thinking about how things are

sounding. For example, if you’re record-

ing vocals and the bass is too loud in your

cue mix, ask the engineer to turn it down.

If you just laid down a guitar solo but

know you can do it better, simply say,

“redo” or “delete” and the engineer will

restart the track. Lots of valuable time can

be wasted with poor communication so

don’t be afraid to speak up.

Become best friends with the all-

important metronome. There’s no better

way to completely botch a recording than

to not be able to play along to a click track

(metronome). Unless you’ve decided to

record the rhythm section live, the engi-

neer is most likely going to find the tempo

of the song and start recording the instru-

ments using the click track as the guide.

This assures that the tracks will be tight

and in sync, plus it allows the engineer to

use utilities like Pro Tool’s “beat detec-

tive” to automatically edit and perfect

your performance. You can purchase a

metronome at your local music store for

around $20, or much cheaper as an app

for a smart phone.

If you put these suggestions into

practice, your next session will not only be

fun and exciting, but much more efficient

and cost effective. Happy recording!

STEAM Magazine www.steamtx.com

The Isolation Booth: Five Tips to Prepare for Recording by Mason Shirley

Photo by Mason Shirley [email protected]; www.soundmachinestudio.com

I read recently in a blog that the Ea-

gles are contemplating pursuing a lawsuit

against rapper Frank Ocean for sampling

Hotel California. The article released a

flood of thoughts on my part, both in

favor of, and against Mr. Ocean's rights,

both moral and legal. Objectively, the law

is fairly straightforward. The Constitution

of the United States gives Congress the

power to enact laws providing for the

protection of people's intellectual proper-

ty. Wikipedia describes copyright as "'the

right to copy'" (and) "gives the copyright

holder the right to be credited for the

work, to determine who may adapt the

work to other forms, who may perform

the work, who may financially benefit

from it, and other related rights." Under

this theory, it is no stretch to say that the

Eagles are well within their legal right to

ask Mr. Ocean to cease and desist. Sub-

jectively speaking however, should

they? When one looks at the individual

members of the Eagles and their track

records, one might be less inclined to fa-

vor them in an argument. Without getting

into too much detail, the Eagles have been

very open about their disdain for consum-

erism, greed, and capitalism in gen-

eral. There's nothing wrong with them

being so vocal about what they claim to

believe, but why now all the hubbub

about an up-and-coming artist sampling

one of their songs? Why should they be

so defensive about somebody else using

their riff and their melody? If you've ever

heard the song, you know that Mr. Ocean

did not try to conceal the fact that he was

directly using the chord structure and the

melody to Hotel California. Couldn't the

Eagles just ask him for a cut of the prof-

its? Shouldn't the Eagles be flattered by

the fact that a rapper is resurrecting a song

they wrote more than thirty years ago?

Now think about the consistency of

the Eagles' position on consumerism,

greed, capitalism, etc. One does not have

to look to hard to find quotes reflecting

the individual band members' views on

those topics, and those views regularly are

not consistent with their actions. The last

time I tried to buy an Eagles song off

Rhapsody and iTunes, I was unable to

find any. I couldn't even find any studio

recordings on YouTube. Go ahead and

look for yourself. Mind you, the Eagles,

and anybody else out there have the right

to "be credited for (his own) work, to

determine who may adapt (his own) work

to other forms, who may perform (his

own) work, who may financially benefit

from (his own work), and other related

rights....." Yadda yadda yadda. Ok, so the

Eagles are within their rights to scour the

internet making sure that no unauthorized

parties make recordings of Eagles songs

available for anybody to purchase or listen

to. And they do.

What am I trying to say? Don't get

me wrong, I love the Eagles. I mean, they

are one of my favorite bands of all

time. But all I see here is inconsisten-

cy. They talk about freedom, fairness,

openness, etc., but they clearly don't fol-

low what they say. Why can't a rapper

sample Hotel California? What's so spe-

cial about it? It's nothing more than a

natural descent through the key of Bm,

following the circle of fifths backwards,

repeated ad nauseum. Any 14-year-old

with an acoustic guitar can tell you

that. Even the leads and harmonies do

nothing more than follow said progres-

sion. Any 14-year-old with an electric

guitar can tell you that. Why don't the

Eagles send people into Guitar Center on

Saturday mornings to stop kids from play-

ing songs they didn't write on guitars they

will never be able to afford? Why don't

Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, and Lynyrd

Skynyrd send their people in to stop kids

from playing Stairway, Teen Spirit, and

Free Bird? Because that's lame,

man. That's how everybody starts

out. Where would Jimmy Page be right

now without Willie Dixon? Where would

Kurt Cobain have gotten without Led

Zeppelin? Where would any of us be

without our influences? Cypress Hill sam-

pled a horse for crying out loud. Yes, a

horse. That's what rappers do. They

sample sounds and use them to make

their own version of art. As musicians,

our medium is sound. Notes are our col-

ors and instruments are our brushes. Do

painters try to copyright the colors that

they use? No. Do they try to limit who

can see their art? Of course not. Sure,

the originals might be worth some money

to own, but certainly not to look at, and

not even to view digitally on your com-

puter. Ever hear of or see the painting

entitled "A Shot Of Marilyn Monroe" by

Andy Warhol? Look it up if

not. Consider it either way. That is what

I am equating the sampling of Hotel Cali-

fornia to. Somebody took a well-known

image and added his own interpretation to

it. The Eagles can, should, and will be

compensated for this. They should not be

able to limit Mr. Ocean's capacity to do

so. ~ www.spencerbreunig.com

Backstage Legal: Why All the Hubbub About Sampling? By Spencer Breunig, Esq. Attorney at Law


Smile today. What happens when you

see someone smile? Does it make you

smile too? Do you snarl, “What’s he smil-

ing about?” Then storm off and purge for

a few moments about, “What the heck

was so freakin’ great about his day any-

way?”. Do you even notice when you see

a real smile? Count today how many

smiles you see today. No fakes; just smil-

ing because I have to smiles. The nice old

lady, happy to be healthy smiling at the

sun, smiles. How does it make you feel at

the end of the day? Think about what it

was in those lives that might have been

the cause for such expression.

I have never met someone that does

not like being happy. Believe me, I am not

roses all the time either; however, when I

am finished pissing and moaning about

whatever it was that put a run in my pan-

tyhose, it’s normally a pleasant smile from

another that snaps me out of it. So, if I

smile in the morning, it just might pay me

back that afternoon.

My point is just, that being kind and

smiling doesn’t only make you feel better,

but it radiates to those around you. If it

makes me smile to see someone smile, I

think others smile at the sight of one smile

too. And how many of those smiles were

from another smile. As far as I’m con-

cerned, happiness is contagious. Most

everyday can be a great day.

Smile today.

Winter’s Thoughts By Cale Winter


What Makes You Smile?

Entertainment Ride on the Wild Side Bike Ride April 21, 2012 King Ranch, Kingsville Proceeds from the Annual Spring Bike Tour in Kingsville will benefit the Texas Lions Camp for Physically Handicapped Children. The camp, located in Kerrville, Texas educates children on how to work with their handicap and assists those stricken with Juvenile Diabetes to take control of their disease and treatment. The camp is 100% supported by the Lions of Texas and is free to all children 18 years of age and under. www.stxmaps.com/go/ride-on-the-wild-side-bike-ride.html Freer Rattlesnake Roundup April 27 & 28, 2012 Freer, Texas Get ready to head down to the Fre-er/Duval Airport Grounds for the biggest snake party in the country featuring con-certs with nationally known country west-ern and Tejano artists. It's going to be fun for the whole family including a carnival, parade, arts/crafts exhibit and show, stage shows, a dare devil snake show, fried rat-tlesnake meat, talent contest & much more. Out on Hwy. 59, it's way out in the middle of nowhere, say locals, but well worth a visit. www.freerrattlesnakeroundup.net Buc Days 2012! Corpus Christi, Texas Buc Days Miller Lite Pro PRCA Rodeo Presented by the Coastal Bend Chevy Dealers, April 19-22, 2012 at American Bank Cen-ter Arena Dunking of the Mayor April 26th, 2012 at 6:00 PM Come see the Mayor walk the plank! In the tradition of Buc Days-the pirate

queens sail into the Yacht Basin and cap-ture the mayor, who surrenders for the fun of it. The pirate proclamation is read and the mayor is made to walk the tradi-tional plank. From that moment on, Buc-caneer Days is in full swing in an atmos-phere of gaiety that speaks of ships, pirates and buried treasure! Come join the fun! Celebrate Our Port with Fireworks! Fri-day, 4/27 at Buc Days! Courtesy of the Port of Corpus Christi & HDR Engineering Plus: First 3,000 will enjoy a 75th Celebra-tion Cupcake courtesy of H-E-B! Buc Days Stripes Caarrnival April 26 - May 6, 2012 NEW LOCA-TION! Shoreline Blvd. at Park Ave. Buc Days TOYOTA Illuminated Night Parrrade May 5th, 2012 at 7:00 PM U.S.S. Lexington Travel back in time aboard the famous U.S.S. Lexington. Featuring a flight simu-lator and on-board movies at the mega theatre, your visit to this World War II naval aircraft carrier will be anything but ordinary. Explore dark corridors and co-lossal compartments while gathering inter-esting facts during a self-guided tour. One afternoon will provide a humbling glimpse of what it’s like to live and serve aboard this marvel of the sea. www.visitcorpuschristi.com

The Texas State Aquarium Let yourself be carried away into the deep blue water during an enchanting visit to the Texas State Aquarium. Located on Corpus Christi Beach, this stunning com-plex is home to fascinating sea creatures of all kinds. A day at the aquarium is a sure-fire way to keep your youngest explorers engaged and excited. Plunge into an ocean adventure you won’t soon forget. www.visitcorpuschristi.com Padre Island National Seashore Behold one of nature’s finest creations during an outing to the Padre Island Na-tional Seashore. Covering 130,000 acres, this spectacular expanse remains home to the largest remaining natural barrier island

in the world. The Padre Island National Seashore hosts a variety of wildlife such as birds and sea turtles. Relax along the spar-kling shores, hunt for seashells, play in the surf and most importantly, enjoy the beau-tiful gifts of Corpus Christi. www.visitcorpuschristi.com South Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature Center For a delightful fusion of beauty, nature and art visit the South Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature Center. Experience a variety of attractive garden creations such as roses, tropical flowers and 2,500 differ-ent orchids. Surround yourself with the tranquil and fragrant atmosphere of this unique South Texas garden. www.visitcorpuschristi.com Mustang Island State Park Families enjoy a serene environment at Mustang Island State Park . Fishing, bon-fires, building sand castles and birding are popular pastimes at this great spot. Along this 5-mile stretch of Gulf Coast beach just North of Upper Padre Island, visitors can enjoy the outdoors in either an RV or tent, or take it easy at one of the conven-ient condos or hotels nearby. Pack the kayak or rent one to enjoy the Mustang Island State Park Paddling Trail. www.visitcorpuschristi.com Whataburger Field The home of the Corpus Christi Hooks, Whataburger Field, tabbed by Minor League News as the best venue in North America over the last two seasons, is lo-cated near the Solomon P. Ortiz Center at the Port of Corpus Christi. The stadium features many "family friendly" amenities, including the Driscoll Children's Hospital Kids Zone, an interactive playground, the Stripes Diamond, a magnificent baseball field scaled down to youth baseball stand-ards, a SportCourt basketball playing sur-face, a rock wall, the APEX Pool and Spa and Kieschnick's Korner, a covered area great for groups and pre-game functions. www.visitcorpuschristi.com

Art

First Friday Artwalk Friday, April 06, 2012, 05:30pm - 09:00pm Downtown Corpus Christi ArtWalk is a self-guided tour of galleries, studios and gallery-for-an-evening venues in Downtown Corpus Christi held the first Friday of every month. Come join us for art, music, entertainment, refreshments and lots more. The event begins at 5:30 pm at La Retama Park with artist vendors and live music. Over 50 participating ven-ues. Ride the DTown tram free with on board entertainment and be sure to come to the prize draw held at 8:45pm in La Retama Park at Peoples and Mesquite where first prize is an original piece of art donated by David Phillips and other prizes including valuable gift certificates from Downtown businesses and the Corpus Christi Downtown Management District. www.artwalkcc.com. Coppelia Corpus Christi Ballet Saturday, April 14, 2012 - 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 15, 2012 - 3:00 p.m. Selena Auditorium at the American Bank Center, Corpus Christi Corpus Christi Ballet will present the full length story ballet, Coppelia on April 14 and 15, 2012 at Selena Auditorium at the American Bank Center. This whimsical love story has delighted audiences for over 100 years. The scene is set in a Polish vil-lage where an eccentric toy maker creates a life size doll named Coppelia in his magi-cal workshop. This comic tale encom-passes love, jealousy, mischief, and mistak-en identity. The story unfolds with exuber-ant dance, lively acting, and an extravagan-za of costumes and scenery. Coppelia is a fun, lighthearted comedy that will delight the entire family! corpuschristiballet.com/ The Wedding Singer Apr 13 - May 06, 2012 Harbor Playhouse, Corpus Christi 1985 and rock-star wannabe Robbie Hart

Things To Do, Places To Go All Month Long As Compiled by Tamma Hicks


is New Jersey's favorite wedding singer. He's the life of the party, until his own fiancée leaves him at the altar. Shot through the heart, Robbie makes every wedding as disastrous as his own. Enter Julia, a winsome waitress who wins his affection. Only trouble is Julia is about to be married to a Wall Street shark, and unless Robbie can pull off the perfor-mance of a decade, the girl of his dreams will be gone forever. With a brand new score that pays loving homage to the pop songs of the 1980's, Go back to a time when hair was big, greed was good, collars were up, and a wedding singer might just be the coolest guy in the room. www.horborplayhouse.com Texas SandFest April 20 - 22, 2012 Port Aransas we are having our Masters contest where Master sculptors from all over come to Port A to make pure magic. Everyone can enter a contest. We have an Amateur Contest for all ages. This is everyone's chance to show that you don't have to be a master sculptor to get your hands dirty and create something wonderful out of sand. Come to watch or come to play. Either way, you are going to have fun! www.texassandfest.com The Music of Led Zeppelin: A Rock Sym-phony April 21, 2012 @ 7:30pm The Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra Selena Auditorium at the American Bank Center, Corpus Christi Bridging the gulf between rock n’ roll and classical music, the Corpus Christi Sym-phony Orchestra performs The Music of Led Zeppelin at American Bank Center Selena Auditorium on Saturday April 21, 2012 at 7:30 PM. Amplified by a full rock band and accompanied by singer Randy Jackson’s screaming vocals, for over a decade creator Brent Havens has conduct-ed the ensemble as they capture Led Zep-pelin’s “sheer blast and power,” riff for riff while churning out new musical col-ors. www.ccsymphony.org Art Museum of South Texas Visit the Art Museum of South Texas, where culture and art merge to form a striking display of creative freedom and beauty. Offering diverse exhibits featuring local and national artists and also a variety of classes, lectures and performances, the

Art Museum of South Texas is a wonder-ful place to tour during a leisurely after-noon around downtown Corpus Christi. www.visitcorpuschristi.com Corpus Christi Museum of Science & History Step aboard an authentic reproduction of Columbus’ ship Pinta at the Corpus Chris-ti Museum of Science & History . Tour the oldest shipwreck that was found near-by in the Gulf of Mexico and share the adventures of early explorers as you stroll among treasures from word-famous ship-wrecks. www.visitcorpuschristi.com

Music Brewster Street Ice House 1724 N. Tancahua, Corpus Christi www.brewsterstreeticehouse.com Tuesday, April 3rd - Tech N9ne & Ma-chine Gun Kelly Thursday, April 5th - Cody Johnson Band w/ John Slaughter Friday, April 6th - The Spazmatics Saturday, April 7th - Gary P. Nunn Friday, April 13th - Another Level Saturday, April 14th - Second Satur-day Sing-Along Piano Show Wednesday, April 18th - James Dur-bin w/ Witness by Proxy Thursday, April 19th - Cory Morrow w/ Thieving Birds Friday, April 20th - The Klocks Saturday, April 21st - Metal Shop Thursday, April 26th - Bart Crow Band w/ The Pear Ratz Friday, April 27th - Five Card Draw Concrete Street Amphitheater 700 Concrete Street, Corpus Christi www.concretestreet.net The Avalanche Tour: 7 Apr Opeth / Mastodon: 21 Apr Korn: 27 Apr Staind / Godsmack: 1 May Dr Rockit’s Blues Bar 709 N. Chaparral, Corpus Christi www.drrockitsbluesbar.com Featuring Live Music Every Night!

Mondays: Open Jam with Antone Perez Tuesdays: Steven James and the Shake-down Wednesdays thru Sundays: You can catch great bands every night. Genres include Texas country, rock, reggae, and of course blues!

Executive Surf Club 309 N. Water Street, Corpus Christi www.executivesurfclub.com April 05 - Reely Rotnz with Cupids Victim and The Most April 06 - Scarecrow People April 07 - Latin Talk April 12 - Flatbroke April 13 - Cruise Control April 14 - Lyrical Bynge April 19 - Forty Pound Dog April 20 - The Bar Nutz April 21 - Flashback April 26 - John Evans Band April 27 - Another Level April 28 - Ben Tapia Backwoods Saloon 1540 Sun Ray Rd, Ingleside, TX Live music every Friday and Saturday. Garage Bar & Grill 15013 Northwest Blvd, Corpus Christi

Live music every Friday and Saturday. Katz 21 and Club 21 317 N Mesquite St, Corpus Christi DJ and live music Fridays and Saturdays.

Los Cabos Flour Bluff Dr, Corpus Christi Live music Fridays and Saturdays.

Outta Bounds Sports Lounge 1402 Rodd Field Rd, Corpus Christi Live music Fridays and Saturdays. Tarpon Ice House 321 N. Allister, Port Aransas Live music every Friday and Saturday.

Tweety Sports Bar 4710 Kostoryz Rd, Corpus Christi Live music Fridays and Saturdays. *** *** *** *** *** ***

Get Your Club Listed To get your club listed, please send an email to [email protected]. Be sure to include club name, address, city, and a calendar of events.


Hurricane Alley Waterpark, Corpus

Christi’s FIRST family waterpark, will be

making landfall Spring 2012!

The 8 acre waterpark is unique in

many ways, with its location being the

most unique feature. Hurricane Alley is

located directly beside Whataburger Field,

home of the Corpus Christi Hooks-the

AA affiliate for the Houston Astros, and

will not only be Corpus Christi’s first fam-

ily waterpark, but will also be the first

waterpark to ever be integrated into a

professional baseball stadium! The park

will share a common area with the stadi-

um, enabling a waterpark experience un-

like any offered at other parks.

This common area is a custom-

designed, baseball-themed spray deck.

The spray deck will be in the shape of a

baseball diamond and will allow children

to run all of the bases while water sprays

playfully from balls, bats and gloves. This

attraction is sure to be a homerun hit with

our young guests and Hook’s game-goers!

Along with its location and spray

deck, Hurricane Alley will also boast many

other attractions that are unique to the

park and were custom- designed specifi-

cally for it:

“USS Dusty”: Hurricane Alley’s own

replica aircraft carrier; designed to thrill

the kiddos with slides, water cannons,

replica aircraft and more, will be located in

the almost 6400 sq. ft. children’s pool!

The “USS Dusty” has been included as a

main attraction in the park to honor our

local military presence in Corpus Christi.

“Cat 5”: A 6-story thrill slide, reach-

ing heights of 65 feet! This complex is the

only one of its kind in the state of Texas

and is sure to offer an unforgettable ride

to the bottom!

“Momentum”: Riders will enjoy an

exciting trip through twin serpentine

flumes on this 3-story slide complex!

“Storm Surge”: This wave pool is

sure to offer something for the entire

family; an adventurous dip in the water

where guests can ride the waves in, or a

lounge area to relax and enjoy the gentle

splashing of the waves and the warmth of

the south Texas sun!

“Gulf Stream”: Hurricane Alley’s

lazy river is unique and unlike other lazy

rivers because not only will it offer a cozy

ride around the perimeter of the park, but

it also boasts one-of-a-kind views of

Whataburger Field and the Harbor Bridge,

as well as a convenient entrance and exit

into Typhoon Lagoon!

“Storm Chaser”: Riders will have a

chance to enjoy a little wet ‘n’ wild com-

petition as they race one another to the

bottom in our 4-lane racer slides that are

fun & speed!

“Wahoo Willie’s Hideaway Bar”:

Parents will have a shelter from the storm

in this customized swim-up bar where you

never have to leave the water; just swim

and sip! Child-friendly beverages will be

offered, as well.

For special events, Hurricane Alley

Waterpark will have many spaces availa-

ble, with our premier event area being the

beautiful VIP Deck atop “Kieschnick’s

Korner”. The VIP Deck will be built to

accommodate up to 200 guests for your

special event. Along with the VIP Deck,

the park will also have additional outing

spaces below the deck inside of

“Kieschnick’s Korner”, as well as a fun,

grassy area for picnics, birthday parties,

etc..

For an exclusive, one of a kind water-

park experience with Hurricane Alley, the

park will also be available for buy-outs of

up to 4 hours outside of normal, opera-

tional hours.

Developers of the project are excited

to be able to bring such a wonderful at-

traction to Corpus Christi and the Coastal

Bend of Texas, but not nearly as excited

as the citizens of Corpus and visitors

looking to come to the area! The re-

sponse from the community and tourists

to the southern coast of Texas has been

extremely enthusiastic and future guests

have already begun booking outings for

next season and filling up waiting lists for

a trip to the park after its grand opening

on April 14, 2012!


Family Fun Time: Hurricane Alley Waterpark Opens April 14! By Ashley Higson

Chalkline 259’s, serendipitous begin-

nings originate out of the town of Broken

Jaw in Southeastern Oklahoma and joins

lovers and friends together. Life partners

Matt and Hope Ash share the lead vocal-

ists spot. Matt is also lead guitar/song

writer, supported by bass player, Jimmy

George and drummer, Jake Wright.

So the story begins...In June of 2011,

Matt and Hope began performing togeth-

er. Shortly thereafter, they fell in love and

were married. The two found themselves

traveling back and forth on Highway 259

so frequently that a mental “chalk line”

formed in their mind’s eye, thus creating a

natural evolution for name of the band.

Chalkline 259 was born.

Chalkline 259 recorded their first c.d.

and began expanding their travel radius to

include Indiana and Virginia. Area radio

stations became part of their fan base,

giving airtime to songs like “I Do,” there-

by increasing the local followers.

January of 2011, things began to fall

into place and more serendipity played

itself out. Matt invited his good friends,

Jake Wright, to jam with the band as

drummer and Jimmy George, on bass

guitar. A little known fact is although Jim-

my had long dreamt of playing base, he

had never played guitar before jamming

with Chalkline. Matt began the task of

“teaching” Jimmy to play bass. Turns out,

Jimmy was a “fast take” and playing like a

pro in short order. The band was now

official. Soon thereafter, they cut a second

c.d., yet this time live and with barely any

prior practice.

Matt says his musical influences are

expansive and include everything from old

style Country, Rockabilly and Blues to

Janis Joplin and the Grunge of Nirvana.

While listening to some of their tracks, I

thought I noted a similar singing style and

voice to that of Shawn Mullins. When I

asked Matt if anyone had ever made the

comparison, he laughed and said, “Funny

you should say that, he’s one of my favor-

ite artists. I like music that tells a story”.

Take a listen to Chalkline on My

Space and Reverb Nation and you will

hear their tracks are as vast in style as

Matt’s influences have been.

Chalkline 259 recently signed with the

new Dallas Record Label Red I Records

so…

The next “big stop” for Chalkline 259

is a move to Austin, Texas in search of

more exposure and fans.

Austin On the Move with Linda Bendickson


Chalkline 259 is on the move to Austin featuring

Jimmy George, Jake Wright, Matt Ash and Hope Ash

Jack Wilson

Jack Wilson

Fluff and Gravy

Records

Jack Wilson sites his homes as being in Seattle and Austin, which explains the immediate mesh of influence on his self-titled debut and how they are a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll. Ten of the Eleven songs were in fact recorded in Seattle at Buttermilk Studios with a full back up band Wilson calls “The Wife Stealers.” Kicking off the album is the rolling epic “Valhalla,” that features lap steel, choral backups and a full horn sec-tion, immediately drawing comparisons to Neal Young and The Band. From here Wilson takes us on journey through time and space and the rich tradition of Ameri-cana songwriting. Presenting sad and love-ly ballads like “I’ll Do The Same,” and rousing alt-country kickers like “the Cure,” and “Praying For Misery,” adding camp fire stories like “Dogwood Days,” all held together by his easy conversational vocal style. The Album closes with “The Truth,” recorded in Austin with some fine blues grass pickers, it’s the albums strong-est sing along and would make Pete See-ger proud that young songwriters like Jack Wilson are carrying the torch into the next millennium. Sun Apr 01 3:00 pm Benefit for Austin Mothers Hafner House, Austin Fri Apr 13 Tantra Coffeehouse, San Mar-cos Sun Apr 15 Thrice Cafe, Austin Www.jack-wilson.com

Lydia Loveless

Indestructible

Machine

Bloodshot Records

Newly discov-

ered cow punk diva

Lydia Loveless is taking no prisoners on

her first release Indestructible Machine on

Bloodshot records. The nine song set is

equal parts twang and grunge: the opening

track “Bad Way To Go,” sets up a tem-

plate that features fiery banjo picking

alongside heavy guitar wail, over a pound-

ing two step rhythm section. When Love-

less spits out the line “you can write me a

love letter in the gravel with your piss,” in

a classic country drawl delivered as Kitty

Wells’ power punk granddaughter, you

know she means business. The album

continues with rugged and witty tales of

self-empowerment, heartache, heroes and

villains, with stand out tracks being the

defiant “Can’t Change Me,” and the

tongue in cheek yarn, “Steve Earl.”

Indestructible Machine frames the portrait

of a steadfast young woman ready to

shake off her demons and take on the

world. Mainstream country needs to em-

brace artists such as Loveless who are

delivering a dose of reality to a scene

dominated by Idol starlets and dime store

cowboys.

www.lydialoveless.com

CD Reviews By Rick Bowen


Forrest Lee Jr. has been flying under

the radar for 15 years. Most Telecaster

guitar players know who he is. B-Bender

players use his technology, and music

supervisors have been using his songs for

film and TV in thousands of shows. He

even has signature guitars named after

him; yet, he has eluded the mainstream

media somehow.

Though he started playing live music

when he was a child, it was his chops as a

singer and guitarist in his teenage years

that took him to Nashville in 1989, at

which time he was not able to pick up and

relocate to Nashville. Forrest spent the

first three years of the 90s playing six

nights a week in Canada with the duo

Bobby T and Forrest Lee, and the band

Gerry King and Sudden Thunder, the

whole time longing to get back to Nash-

ville.

When he was finally able to move to

Nashville in the mid 90’s, he was labeled a

guitarist immediately. His guitar chops

landed him the sub-gig for

Redd Volkaert in The Don

Kelly Band on the third day

he was in town. It was only

after 2 months of substitut-

ing for Redd that he discov-

ered who he was subbing

for. Forrest knew Redd

from when he was a kid

living in Bellingham, Wash-

ington, close to the Canadi-

an border. For the next sev-

eral years, he was a first call

sub for Redd and several

other artists’ guitarists in

Nashville.

In 1999 Forrest left

Nashville and his recording

contract dreams to raise his

family. He spent the next 6

years working in the IT in-

dustry, all the while building

his recording studio with the

steady paycheck. During this

hiatus from live gigs Forrest

scored 100s of film and TV cuts.

Forrest took gigs subbing for local

players in the Seattle area, and wrote a

catalog of 100’s of songs. He made an

honest living, and recorded a massive

catalog of music he pitched to the film

industry, landing songs in TV shows like

NBC’s ‘The Office’.

He started booking a few gigs with

his own band because the cubicle was

killing him slowly. After several gigs front-

ing some of the best players in the North-

west and not being artistically satisfied, he

decided to move back to Nashville and

dedicate 100% of his time to the music

industry, and his career. Prior to his move

back to Music City, Forrest released the

critically acclaimed instrumental CD

‘Telethon’ as well as, ‘Long Way down’,

‘Living My Life’. And in the past 4 years

he has released ‘Beer Truck’ and his blues

CD ‘Mr. Classified’.

I was able to catch up with Forrest

and do a rare interview with him.

Rusty: So what

brought you to Texas?

Forrest: Well, my

dad was a country artist

in the 50s, and he lived

in Houston for a few

years. He also booked

friends of his back in

the day in clubs all over

Texas. Lefty Frizzel,

George Jones, Ray

Price… he loved those

good old days, talked

about ‘em all the time.

And when I was about

15, he decided we

needed to be back in

Texas. We were living

in Washington State at

the time, and I got in a

bit of trouble with the

law… So we moved to Arlington, TX

right off S. Center. He booked all the

clubs up and down Division, and I would

setup the audio gear, and when requests

for George Jones or Merle Haggard songs

came along (with a generous tip) I would

sing them.

Rusty: So you have been playing in

Texas clubs since you were 15 years old?

Forrest: Yeah man, I could hang out

with my dad all night, have a cold beer,

and sing the requests he didn’t know off

the top of his head. One night a guy from

Dallas dropped several 100 dollar bills in

the tip bucket, and I think I sang 15 Hag-

gard songs that night, and then he took us

out for Breakfast.

Rusty:So you cut your teeth singing in

the Honky Tonks of Arlington?

Forrest: Arlington, and the general

vicinity. I can’t remember all the clubs we

played. Every place within 20 miles pretty

much. I never played in Dallas back then,

but did go to Ft. Worth a few times. I got

into a lot of trouble back then… I wasn’t

a good kid really, but I could sing Mamma

Tried and “The Race is On” pretty good.

Rusty: Were you playing guitar as

well?

Forrest: Yeah, I played acoustic with

my dad. I was picking my Tele most of

the time at home, but on those gigs, he

was doing a one man show, so I had to

play acoustic rhythm to accompany my-

self. I’d just grab his Martin and do the

tunes while he took a break.

Rusty: So do you consider yourself a

singer or a guitarist?

Forrest: I consider myself an artist; I

write, pick and sing…That’s been the

problem with my career so far. All the

Nashville cats look at me as a guitar pick-

er, even though on most label artist gigs

I’m singing the super high harmonies as

well as picking all the lead, and emulating

the pedal steel player’s parts with a B

bender. But they don’t know I’m a writer.

I get hired as a utility player that plays one

instrument, but can cover the steel parts

with a Tele, and sing really high harmo-

nies. But I didn’t move here to be a side

guy. I planned to get a record deal and

take over the music industry. So I’m a

singer, guitarist and a writer.

Forrest Lee Jr. Flying Under the Radar By Rusty Hicks


Rusty: Why would you release an

instrumental album (Telethon), if you

consider yourself a triple threat artist?

Forrest: I guess I felt as a guitarist, I

could go balls out on a record, not being

judged by lyrics and vocals. So it was self

indulgent really. I wanted to showcase my

playing, and also have some fun picking

with some friends. That whole record was

recorded on the road, in hotel rooms

while I was backing up other artists. When

I was in Austin, I recorded my lead parts

on a couple songs in the Austin Airport

Hilton hotel. I brought a portable Pro

Tools rig, a POD pro rack, and a Korg D-

1600 with me everywhere. I stopped at

Redd’s place, and tracked him through the

same gear. Then while I was in Ft. Worth

for a couple weeks, I finished the lead

parts, and harmony guitar tracks at Lee

Andersons’ place.

Rusty: No Amps?

Forrest: Nope, it was totally recorded

through a POD.

Rusty: What do you use now for re-

cording?

Forrest: There’s definitely a feel you

get from tubes, it’s the spongy feel in re-

sponse to pick attack. I also use a

Wampler compressor that Brian modded

for me a little darker for leads that need to

be chicken picked, or soaring. But I’m

recording direct through my Bolt BTC-

100 amp. The amp is killer, loud, and

stunning in versatility. But one of the

coolest things about it is that I can plug an

XLR into the back, and go direct. It has a

SM57 emulated direct out like a DI that

can be set on or off axis, I like the off axis

tone unless I’m doing an arena rock solo. I

can also mute the power amp so I can

tweak the tone to make it fit in the mix,

while sitting in the control booth. It’s the

best upgrade I’ve made in 10 years. But

the amazing thing is that the amp re-

sponds to your pick attack, because it’s a

bonafide MADE IN USA Tube amp…

on steroids.

Rusty: What about your guitars and

mics?

Forrest: Ok, I’ve been using my own

guitars for 90% of recordings. And I still

use my old pink paisley 80’s Japan Tele for

some live gigs. But besides the FCG cus-

toms, I use a 1977 Gibson Les Paul Arti-

san for crunchy stuff, and arena rock

leads. And I’ve been using a Squier Classic

Vibe 60’s Strat for ‘Vince Gill’ sounding

stuff. That’s a friend’s guitar and it’s so

damn good. It sounds amazing stock. I

have an assortment of others I use but

none are print worthy. But anything with

B-bender on it is a Forrest Custom Guitar,

either a pine or swamp ash body, with my

personally designed 3/2 pickups made by

Jeff Callahan. I use ¼” alnico 3 magnets

for the E and A strings, and 3/16” alnico

2 magnets for the rest of the strings for a

killer twang, and an even response across

the strings.

Rusty: What about microphones?

Forrest: Well on the amp I’m not

using one. The emulator is amazing.

On my vocals I’ve been using an LE

Wilson U47 clone that absolutely kills.

It’s got that amazing upper mid pres-

ence of $5000 mics. For acoustic guitar I

use an old AT 4033 that just can’t be beat.

It’s the best acoustic mic I’ve ever used.

Rusty: Tell me about the guitars you

have been building.

Forrest: It started by accident really, I

never planned to start a guitar company,

and I wouldn’t suggest it. I had a guy con-

tact me to make a For-

rest lee Jr. signature gui-

tar, complete with my

Frankentele B bender.

Anyway, the guitar never

developed, and after

doing a lot of work on

my own to help the pro-

ject see light, the deal fell

apart. During this time

someone wanted a bend-

er installed like mine.

The guys dragged their

feet for over a year so I

just installed the bender

myself. I also used my

computer skills to do

some paisley designs in

various colors, and figure

out a couple ways to

apply them to guitars.

Basically after all this

work, it was taking way

too long to complete a

single guitar, so I just

built them myself. Word

spread that I was doing

paisley T-style guitars

with benders installed

and viola…

Rusty: So you build them yourself?

Forrest: Yeah, my wife and I actually

machine parts, and when I’m not on the

road, and I assemble them. I play the hell

out of ‘em, and set them up as well.

It’s pretty crazy really. But I actually

love it. When I’m on the road or in the

studio, I’m in artist mode. It’s all about

playing and career. But when I’m home, I

enjoy my time off working on old Chevy

muscle cars, and building hot rod guitars.

Rusty: What is coming up in the fu-

ture for you?

Forrest: Several things are happening.

www.ForrestCustomGuitars.com is get-

ting a makeover. I can’t keep up with all

the work. I have a couple new instruction

videos coming out this year.

My gospel tribute to my father For-

rest Lee Sr. will be released as well. That’s

all of my dad’s gospel songs, picked and

sang by some of our best friends and

greatest pickin buddies. A couple of the

guest players are Johnny Hiland and Al-

bert Lee. When Albert, Johnny, Jay Dee

Maness and myself are cutting heads… its

pretty inspiring. I know my dad is looking

down from heaven with a big ole smile!

I’ll be on tour a lot this coming year.

I’ve been working with a new artist from

Florida. But I have a lot of my own dates

planned in Texas, and as far off as Eng-

land and Germany. I’m really looking for-

ward to those gigs. My back up band in

the UK, are all amazing players. I may do

an early extension to my UK tour with

another guy from Longview Texas. He

asked me to play the last couple weeks of

Sept over there, and my own tour starts

the first week of October.

I also just had a song cut by Daniel

O’Donnell, the Irish superstar. We co-

wrote a song called ‘Erin Tennessee’ that’s

a biggie. And also my song ‘Why Why

Why’ is being released in the new movie

‘The Possession’ with Kyra Sedgwick.

But the coolest thing is that Wash-

burn is releasing the first production

acoustic B bender ever – the Forrest Lee

Jr. Acoustic Bender. It’s based on a dread-

naught, but with cedar top, rosewood

back and sides and Fishman electronics. I

asked for a tree of life abalone inlay and

they added it, it’s beautiful.

Rusty: Are you doing any guitar clin-

ics?

Forrest: I just did a clinic on B bender

guitar in Brandon, Florida a couple weeks

ago. When the Washburn is widely availa-

ble, I imagine that will fill in the rest of my

clinic dates. But I’m always open to do a

clinic whether it’s a college or a music

store. If I’m available I’ll do it!



Sitting Down With: Neil Austin Imber By Rusty Hicks

Neil Austin Imber, Mathew Stuesser, TJ Gonzales, and I met down at the Exec-utive Surf Club on Thursday night for the Neil Austin Imber interview for STEAM Magazine’s Inaugural issue out April 2, 2012. Hitting the SPID Raceway, as my wife and I call it, here in Corpus Christi; I was helping it live up to its reputation by trying not to be late for the interview. Three of us converged at Executive Surf Club around the same time, Matt then TJ and yours truly last, while Neil was there already eating dinner.

We sat down by the outside fountain while Mathew and TJ set up the cameras and the audio recorder. You’ve got to love Corpus Christi it’s March 8th and every-one is in summer attire.

STEAM Have you been on any other magazine covers?

Neil: Yes, I’ve been on one. It was a back cover; however, was it more like an adver-tisement. There was a feature of me in the magazine, it was me and Willie Nelson and I was just 18 years old.

STEAM: I have seen you perform and play guitar. When did you begin playing?

Neil: Oh, yes. I picked it up when I was ten and figured out how to use it to write music.

STEAM: When and how did you get start-ed in performing and songwriting?

Neil: I was brought into the world with a love and passion of music. When I was three years old I fell in love with U2 and to this day am still a huge fan. When I was eight years old I found a U2 “Rattlin’ Home” video. I had my mom rent it every weekend and I would study the moves. So yeah, I fell in love with music when I was three and began performing and writing around the age of eleven.

STEAM: What was the best advice you have been given and by whom?

Neil: Wow, that’s a hard one. I would have to say the best advice I’ve been giv-en, and I can’t remember who said it, “Do

and sing and play what you love. Follow your passion. Don’t do something you’re not in love with.” And I totally agree with that. Being between here and Nashville and writing in Nashville is such a different music scene and I’ve been able to find the sound that is me and I stick to it. And that’s the Texas Music sound. It lets me sing and play whatever I want; I write from the heart and what I feel. That’s the best advice I’ve gotten.

STEAM: Although I am familiar with you, some of our audience might not be. Are you getting much radio air play?

Neil: I’m getting a good amount on the radio, but not as much as I’d like to be. I’m still new to it. I’ve been playing full-time for about two and a half years but I’ve been in the music business for quite awhile. Lately I have been in Nashville and writing with Trey Bruce who wrote for Randy Travis and Gary Allen and pro-duces for Carrie Underwood and Tracy Atkins. He’s just been a blessing to work with and now I’m going to start writing with a good friend of mine, George Dukes; who has written for Eli Young, Randy Rogers and Sara Evans. However, before I start that I’m taking the band back into the studio to cut a duet with Bri Bagwell, New Mexico’s next big thing;

she’s hot, talented, and an all around good person. I think our energy will really show through on the radio.

STEAM: Any interesting stories from the road?

Neil: The whole reason I sing and write is to move someone and there have been quite a few times when I’ve seen people cry. That is when I realize I am on the right path with my music and I will keep doing it just like that until I die because of those kinds of connections that I am mak-ing.

STEAM: Before I get too far into this and possibly forget, what are the names of your CDs and where can people buy them?

Neil: The first CD I cut when I was in high school, “Role the Dice”. And the second, “Livin’ on Credit, Workin’ for a Dime,” was cut about two years ago. I just didn’t think time was flying so fast, that’s why we need to get into the studio and cut this new one. You can get those digitally at my website www.neilaustinimber.com), CD Baby, and iTunes and in Corpus Christi at Surf Club Records and Lone Star Music Store in Gruene Texas.

STEAM: I have seen your cur-rent video, “It’s Been a Few Years” and it’s was great. How has it helped your career and do you have plans for another vid-eo?

Neil: “It’s Been a Few Years” was my first video and of course it helped me in getting a lot of gigs, but it also helped me land a publisher, Sandra Fox. She is the one that hooked me up with Trey Bruce for writing. He has been a great resource for me and helped get the songs together for the next CD which is some of the best stuff I have ever been a part of. So this next video is going to be the duet I wrote for Bri and me about me

and my ex and the passion you have even though you know it is not going to work out. It’s a very personal song.

STEAM: I was told you are hosting an open mic night in downtown Corpus Christi. What can you tell me about this?

Neil: I’m really proud of this one. In con-junction with 94.7 Badlands I’m hosting an Open Mic at the Hofbrau Bar and have been going three-months strong. The idea was to get more listeners involved in the station by making this a contest and the prizes are really good. This past Tuesday we had more than 100 people come in. I’m really enjoying getting this chance to see some of the talent in Corpus Christi and surrounding areas.

Steam: Do you have any closing com-ments for us?

Neil: I would like to remind everyone to please checkout my website for our up-coming schedule. I’d also like to thank Rusty Hicks and STEAM Magazine for letting me have a part in the first issue!

Neil Austin Imber during a

recent performance

The Ash Grove was a folk music club

on Melrose Aveenue in Los Angeles Cali-

fornia. It was founded in 1958 by Ed

Pearl and named after the Welsh folk

song, "The Ash Grove."

In its short fifteen years, the Ash

Grove forever altered the music scene in

Los Angeles and helped many artists find

a West Coast audience. Bob Dylan re-

called that, "I'd seen posters of folk shows

at the Ash Grove and used to dream

about playing there...." He did.

Halloween, Ramblin’ Jack Elliot and

Jesse Fuller were appearing at the Grove.

Jack was an old friend of mine. I called

Hoyt (Axton) up and told him that Jack

was playing that night, so Hoyt showed up

at the club. My girl friend, Pinky who later

on became my wife worked there and was

Ed Pearl’s right hand. I was his left. I had

to watch the door, MC, and do a show to

fill in every once in a while and generally

hang out in between sets in case there was

any problem with people sneaking in.

Hoyt and I were standing outside in

the parking lot enjoying some happy

smoke when Jack showed up in a

Volkswagen Camper. Hoyt and I started

to crack up, because every time Jack

would arrive somewhere, he was always

driving a different car or truck. Tonight it

was an older Volkswagen Camper with a

‘pop top’. Jack gets out and we all hug and

slap each other on the back with exchang-

es of; ‘How’s it goin’, what’s happenin’,

and, you got any smoke’?

We shared a lot of smoke in a very

short time. I asked jack why he had this

camper? He said that he just bought it that

morning so he could get here from Bak-

ersfield. (Smoke) I asked him where his

truck was? “Judy, my old’ lady left me and

stole it. (Smoke) Hoyt broke up. Didn’t

that just happen to you in Oklahoma?

(Smoke) Yeah, that chick Sherrie left with

my Camaro and I had to buy that old

truck. (Smoke, Smoke). I can’t understand

it. Every time a chick leaves me, they take

my ride. (Snorts and laughter).

Jack says; “Hey you guys want some

wine”? Jack opens the camper and pulls

out two bottles of ‘Annie Green springs’.

(Smoke, drink, smoke). At this point Jack

decides that it’s time to show off the new

camper. You have to get the picture. Here

are three totally wasted guys in a parking

lot trying to set up a camper on asphalt on

Halloween. Jack pulls out an awning and

hooks some of it to the camper, and

hands us four polls to put together. Hoyt

and I fumble with trying to put four poles

together, that don’t want to go together

and we’re laughing so hard that we have

tears in our eyes.

Jack is inside by this time trying to

‘pop’ the top so there is room to stand.

He succeeded in getting one end up and at

the same time he was teaching us some

new words of failure. We give up on the

poles but we do get one set together,

enough to hold up one end of the awning.

Jack stepped out of the camper. The top

looked cool slanted like that. (Smoke,

smoke, drink, drink). Jack pulls out two

lawn chairs so Hoyt and I can sit down,

which was great, as it was getting increas-

ingly hard to stand. Jack pulls out a table

that hitches to the side of the camper but

can’t find the legs, so he gets Hoyt and I

to pull our lawn chairs up so that the ta-

ble, although hooked to the side of the

camper, rests on our legs. Jack starts mak-

ing coffee and is proudly showing us how

to get water from the sink by pumping a

handle. By this time we have attracted

quite a crowd of people. Someone walks

up and says “Jack” its show time in ten

minutes and you need to see Ed Pearl

before you go on... [Freeze frame………

Action….]

The three of us scramble and start

tearing down the camper with precision

timing and finesse I may add but with

help from some of the crowd. We finally

opted by throwing everything back inside

the camper, except for the awning, which

we couldn’t remember how it went to-

gether or come apart, so we left it hanging

down the side of the camper. (Snort,

laugh, laugh, snort, snort) Jack grabs his

guitar and the three of us walk into the

Ash grove trying to look straight. Hoyt

and I were on either side of Jack Elliot.

Jack is only five and a half feet tall. He

must have looked like a sandwich.

‘Pinky’ was standing by the show-

room door. She told us later that the three

of us kept walking slower and slower until

we stopped and formed a perfect pyramid

without falling. From what I understand,

is that Ed and Pinky and someone else

from the kitchen helped Hoyt and I into

the showroom and Jack to the stage.

(Giggle Snort, giggle, snort).

Hoyt and I used to talk about that night at

the Grove. We don’t remember if Elliot

ever went on that night but Pinky said

that he did, and that he took thirty

minutes on stage trying to tune his guitar

and when someone in the audience com-

plained, Jack looked up at him and said;

“I’m sorry. I just want to be perfect for

ya” and then threw himself backwards


Writer’s Block: The Ash Grove By Don Joseph

into the drum set. All Hoyt and I remem-

ber is waving goodbye to his camper

going down Melrose Avenue with an

awning flapping in the wind and one

lawn chair and a table still in the parking

lot. But the funniest thing of all, was

when Jack came out of the Ash Grove

and asked; “Where’s the camper”…?

(Laugh, snort, augh, fall down laughing,

snort, snort)…

*** *** ***

My background in the music business as

a songwriter and musician spans many

years. I have worked with Harold Battiste

and Sonny & Cher’s “I Got You Babe”.

John Gummoe of the Cascades “Listen

To The Rhythm of the Falling Rain”,

Kent Morrill of the Wailers and The

Ventures “The Tall Cool One”, The As-

sociation’s “And Then Along Comes

Mary, Steve Clark and Randy Sparks Pro-

ductions and more.

I learned the craft of songwriting while

jamming and playing late night sets at

Gerde’s Folk City, Figgaros, Café Wha

and many other folk clubs in Greenwich

Village. I was lucky to write and play

music with some of the best performers

and writers of the time eg; Joan Baez,

Richard and Mimi Farina with Bruce

Langhorne guitarist, Phil Ochs, Tom

Paxton, Dave Van Ronk and others, too

many to name here.

My name is Don Joseph, but my stage name for almost fifty years was ‘Perrin’. Have you ever heard of me? Probably not. I was never a star but I’ve worked with s lot of them. The fly on the wall so to speak. To sum up my fame; One night as I was walking into Gold Stars’ Record-ing Studio, Phil Spectors’ “Wall of Sound” in Hollywood behind Sonny Bono, I was stopped and told that I couldn’t come in because the studio was booked for Sonny and Cher. Through gritted teeth I said, “I’m with the band”…

Writer’s Block: I’m With the Band


Star Anna and The Laughing Dogs Alone In This Together Local 638 Records “I’m gonna tear myself open and shine.” The first line in the chorus of “Shine,” the opening track of the third CD from Star Anna and The Laughing Dogs ”Alone In This Together” due out July 12th on Local 638 Records, are probably the most telling words of the album. On the new al-bum, Star Anna and the band tear themselves open and shine like a sun going supernova. The intensity of riding the edge of near destruction ,while pushing the limits of both physical and emo-tional boundaries, are reflected in each of these ten supremely crafted songs from Star Anna and guitarist Justin Davis. “He (Justin) played ‘Shine’ for me sitting on the porch in Ellensburg and I cried,” said Anna of Davis. “It’s his song, but it just fit me. I really need to believe a song whether it’s mine or someone else’s to sing it.”

There are no wasted words here as Anna’s aching raspy alto (imagine Joan Jett singing Patsy Cline) soars above the wide-open rocking Americana sound of The Laughing Dogs. Star Anna admits “we made a concerted effort to move to the city and away from the alt coun-try thing and towards a more rock sound.”

In part, this was accomplished by the fantastic addition of Ty Baillie on organ and piano, who Anna praises as “one of the best players around.”

“He sat in with us many times over the years and kept joking with us, ‘if you ever move to Seattle I’d join the band’, so we did and he had no more excuses,” she said.

Star Anna moved the band to Seattle in the fall of 2010 and entered the studio soon after.

Along with Davis (guitar), and Baillie (keys), the Laughing Dogs include Travis Yost (drums) and Keith Ash (bass) to create a strong and balanced band, reminiscent of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at their muscular best. The album’s mix of four on the floor rock, lonesome blues, country heartache and rolling gospel, play together seamlessly from start to finish as if the album was crafted as one continuous piece.

“We tracked in the studio for about a week, which was the easy part,” said Anna. “The hard part was all the overdubs and double vocal tracks, hours and hours of mixing with (producer) Brad, but now it’s done and we are just waiting for it come out and see what happens.”

Star Anna ,who has been winning a legion of fans while living in the shad-ow of fellow Northwest chanteuse Brandi Carlile, is bound to get some much deserved attention with the release of the first single and title track anthem “Alone In This Togeth-er.”

” I wrote this one for my family, so I am really proud of this song in every way,” Anna said.

On the song’s meaning, she said “It is big enough that people can make what they want of it.”

Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready makes a great guest appearance on the track, and two other tunes, after bringing the band to record at Pearl Jam’s Studio Litho, and signing them to a distribution deal with Monkey Wrench Records. “Mike is amazing; we cannot begin to thank him enough, without him, we’d still be spinning our wheels,” Anna said. “We met Mike through mutual friends and did the Hootenanny for the Gulf benefit together, and Mike asked when our next record was coming out, we said well we don’t know, we haven’t

got a deal or anything, he just said to me ‘let’s get it done, anything you need I’m here to help.’ “

McCready is joined on the Laughing Dogs team by Visqueen Singer and President of Local 638 Records, Rachel Flotard. “What she accomplishes in one day is more than I could do in weeks,” said Anna of Flotard, “she is just so amazing, I am so lucky to have her help.” The team formed a plan to bring Star and her band to a wider audience with more outdoor concerts this summer, the highlight of which will be their appearance at the PJ20 festival in August opening for Pearl Jam. “It is really exciting and should be cooler than anything we’ve ever done before, I had no idea we’d really get in and Rachel set it all up,” explained Anna.

When asked where the background for her intense songs comes from Anna said, “Every song is different and hard to pin point. I heard Tom Petty say once he did-n’t know where the ideas for his songs come from, and then he said ‘I hope I don’t find out ‘cause I might lose it’, well me either.”

Discussing other album highlights, including the gut wrenching blues of “For When I Go” which finds Anna channeling Etta James in her Chess Records prime, Anna said, “Justin wrote the chords for that one and I just went for it.”

The timeless songwriting of the duet with Justin Davis “Bird Without Wings,” could have been penned for Sam Cooke or Otis Redding. “Justin was kidding me that I didn’t have any happy songs,” Anna explains of the song’s origin. “No way, I have happy songs, what about Bird Without Wings? It’s a love song I wrote last summer while babysitting, but it’s still sad, really,” she added with a laugh.

On the riff rocker “Time,” Anna defiantly sings: “I can’t stand another minute of this crying,” sounding like a warrior of complicated love, determined to prevail no matter the cost.

The pure poetry of “Gold and Silver,” shines like a long lost gem from the Willie Nelson songbook.

The mournful lament “Just Leave Me There,” shows Anna’s talent for telling a tale of a heart that has been ripped wide open and left for all to see.

The album’s swinging gospel-flavored finale “High Water,” is fueled by the mighty B3 playing from Ty Baillie and revival tent fervor from”Uncle Sigmund’s Fun time Singers,” “that is everyone having a great time singing around one mic and trying not to laugh at Justin and his wacky low harmony,” Anna explained. But as the revelry fades, Anna gets in the last word, as always.

“I am just so excited about this album and what the future holds,” said Anna, who still has a day job for the time being. “I work at a Doggy Daycare, so that and music are all I have time for; oh yeah, and good food, those are my passions, dogs, music, and burgers with bacon.”

On Alone In This Together, producer Brad Zeffren and ace engineer Floyd Reitsma have captured a sound so pure and clear that it will no

doubt be on many an audiophiles top ten list for the year. The balance and depth of tones with each instrument allows the listener to be drawn into the center of the group where one finds Star Anna’s voice speaking directly to the heart and soul. Records and artists such as this come along so rarely in our times and all must fight very hard for exposure; with Mike McCready and Rachel Flotard in their corner, Star Anna and The Laughing Dogs are no longer “alone in this.”

"Star Anna is an American original. I am a huge fan of her music and especially her voice. She sings from a place of beauty that takes me to a higher place. Her Cds rarely leave my player." - Mike McCready, Pearl Jam

"She is the real deal. We can all say that we saw her when . . . . Guaranteed." - Duff McKagan, Guns 'n' Roses, Velvet Revolver, Loaded

www.staranna.com

An Up and Coming Star By Rick Bowen


At an early age Mary Beach

began painting and sold her first

painting at age twelve. After high

school she went on to graduate

from the University of North Car-

olina and marry. Later she was a

Vietnam widow left with four

children to raise and to support

her family Mary worked many jobs

while painting in the evening and

selling her work.

When she was living in Austin

she was chosen to be in the Arts

American Exhibit in Atlanta dur-

ing the 1996 Olympics. Chosen as

the finalist she was able to study at

the Guzman Studio in Paris

France and then spent the next

few years exhibiting her art

throughout Europe and Africa.

Mary returned just before 9/11 to

Corpus Christi where she planned

to retire and continue to paint.

Mary says the most rewarding

work she has ever done began

when she “retired”: teaching oil

painting techniques. She feels that holding

classes at Coastal Crush beach shop, in

Flour Bluff, has brought her career full

circle. She encourages student to paint

what they want by teaching them the tech-

niques and styles they need to do so.

Coastal Crush provides a

safe and relaxing place to

paint with a positive at-

mosphere. Mary also

works with disadvantages

student proving free tui-

tion, paints and canvas.

The proceeds her paintings

on sale at Coastal Crush

are applied to the costs for

the students supplies. In

these hard economic times

she tries to keep her paint-

ings affordable as she

would rather have them

with people who enjoy her

work.

For Mary Beach It’s All About the Art By Tamma Hicks


Paintings by Mary Beach (clockwise): —, Handsome

Toucan, Courage, and Mary Beach with Rusty Hicks

in her studio at Coastal Crush.

~ photos by Jessica Winter

I had a magnificent studio in Chicago

at the historic Thompson & Taylor Spice

Factory building on the sixth floor. It had

12 foot ceilings with huge timber beams,

fantastic maple floors, and windows—

tons of windows that let light pour in

which gave me perfect views of down-

town Chicago and allowed me to look out

on the Chicago River. In the warmth of

summer, you would smell nutmeg, cinna-

mon and caramel wafting through the

building. It was a spiritual experience and

existential inspiration.

The high ceilings and expansive load-

ing areas allowed me to create and move

big canvases. My roll of canvas is 13 feet

wide and more than 300 feet long so I am

able to stretch canvases of huge propor-

tion. Big canvases made sense in Chica-

go. The urban Chicago infrastructure is

huge and complex. Heavy steel and tow-

ering concrete define the massive “el”

supports. Bridges built in the late 19th

century are everywhere. The infrastruc-

ture is decaying and decomposing hurried

along by the tons of salt spread on the

roads during the long winter period. This

decay has found its way into my subject

matter and techniques. I decompose my

surfaces by using galkyd, neo-migilp, and

paint thinner. I degrade the otherwise

pristine surface of my images in the same

way the corrosion of centuries has eaten

away at the massive metal structures.

Now living in Port Aransas with a

studio on the island, my subject matter

has become lighter with a palette of aqua,

blues (cobalt and cerulean), sand, and

sun. I still employ the decomposition

technique but only on man-made subject

matter. I honor natural subjects to their

real and perceived state and don’t degrade

them as I will man-made surfaces and

objects. This defines the world in a natu-

ral state and honors the Zen of our exist-

ence.

From Chicago to Port Aransas, The View is Spectacular Story and Paintings by L. Leon


Paintings by L. Leon

Chicago in the Nude

Burning Portal

Blue Agave

and

Lydia Ann Lighthouse


Badlands 94.7 Open Mic Winner Announced By Rusty Hicks

Logan James was announced on March

20th as the winner of the Badlands Open

Mic contest that was held every Tuesday

during January, February and March. Lo-

gan was very excited when Neil Austin

Imber announced his name and the great

prizes at the Hofbrau Bar in downtown

Corpus Christi.

As part of the prize package Logan, who

plays fiddle and guitar and sings, opened

for Cory Morrow at the Firehouse Saloon

in Houston on March 24th. He will also

be heading to Sound Machine Recording

Studio for an interview with the legendary

Hank T. Moon. However, the prize that

shocked him was the $500.00 cash. Logan

later explained, “A friend of mine suggest-

ed that I had a good enough voice and

some nice lyrics and I liked the idea that I

could get to open for Corry Morrow. I

just wasn’t aware there was money.”

!

Rusty Hicks, Logan James, and a Badlands fan

steam magazine south texas entertainment art music volume 1 issue 1 april 2012

Documents