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Fre e!F ree !F
steam OsoBay
A talk w/Roger CreaGer RecordStoreDay
Biennial XVII HitsHard
Pake Rossi
Caine’sArcade
Kingsville
Calallen
MustangIsland Ingleside
SixPoints
Portland
Flour Bluff
South Side
Corpus Texas Padre Island Downtown
Port A Beesville
Robstown
TheCut Rockport
Alice
Entertainment: Brewer’sLog-17
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Inside>Steam South IndieFilm-16
Event Calendar-20 OsoBayBienniel-18
Art:
TAMUCC-13
CorpusComicBook-10
HeavY Hitters-19 Music:
CainesArcade-07
Roger Creager-22
WritersBlock-08 BackstageLegal-04 Isolation CDReviews-05 Booth-15 RecordStoreDay-14 Sales: For rates, ad specs and advertising information email Rusty Hicks at sales@steamtx.com or call 361-904-4339. CD Reviews: To be considered for a review, please contact STEAM Magazine at 361-904-4339 or sales@steamtx.com
Steam Team! Publisher – RustyHicks Editor – Tamma Hicks Art Director – ErikHinz Writer – Don Joseph Writer – Mason Shirley Writer – Corbin Douglas Writer – Spencer Breunig
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STEAM Magazine is published monthly by Rusty Hicks Entertainment in Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Texas. All content copyright C 2012 STEAM Magazine (South Texas Entertainment Art Music). All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Views expressed within are solely the authors and not of STEAM Magazine. Typographical, photographic, and printing errors are unintentional and subject to correction. Please direct all inquiries: (361) 904-4339 and sales@steamtx.com
We are an official Texas non-profit organization for filmakers and those who enjoy the art of film, run entirely by filmmakers. Our goal is to teach the art of filmmaking to the community and to exhibit the work of filmmakers with underground and incredibly independent visions, especially those with the DIY spirit.
www.SouthTexasUndergroundFilm.com
owned by the entire band, how do you deal with that? Even if that isn’t an issue, what if a piece of band property gets stolen during a side gig? Is it insured? If not, should the whole band have to put up for a new piece of equipment that was stolen at the singer’s solo project? This could raise issues if not dealt with preemptively.
Backstage Legal:
knowledge, or lack of help from somebody who has knowledge, can get you eaten alive.
A
Am I saying that everybody who plays in a band should have a lawyer on retainer? Of course not. Allow me to take the analogy a step further: I wouldn’t perform a root canal on myself, but I certainly wouldn’t ask a dentist to help me every time I brush my teeth. You should, however, consider putting some sort of agreement on paper, regardless of how close you are with your bandmates or how long you’ve known them, before you invest a significant amount of time or money into your project. Be sure you’re all clear on who owns what. Does the drummer own his entire set? Is the guitar player borrowing a cab from the other guitar player? Who pays when the van needs an oil change or a tuneup? It might seem cut-and-dry at the outset if one member owns the van outright, but what about insuring the van so that others may legally drive it? What if the only time it gets driven is back and forth to gigs?
by Spencer Breunig, Esq.
friend recently asked me about whether his band should seek legal counsel for various seemingly simple issues. He mentioned a commercial he had seen for some do-it-yourself online legal-help page aimed at struggling musicians. He asked me about operating agreements between bandmates which would cover the issues of who owns the band’s equipment and how the band would handle personnel changes. Drawing on my experience as both a semi-professional musician and a full-time attorney, I can say that yes, many of us should look into this kind of precaution. At very least, you should try to address these situations prior to their (sometimes inevitable) occurrence. Think of it as a prenuptial agreement: “in the event of ABC, we will do XYZ.” Everybody signs off; you proceed with the magic (or lack thereof ). It is somewhat cliche in the world of law to liken professional legal help to professional medical help, (eg: “you wouldn’t perform open-heart surgery on yourself so why would you represent yourself in court?”) And the analogy is warranted. Laws are written and executed by people who understand the legal system, while most people do not. Lawyers do understand the system, and we are your liaison between this system and real life. Lack of
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We’ll cover liability a little further down. How are you going to deal with kicking somebody out? Even best friends kick each other out of bands. What if you want to keep playing a song that your now former member wrote the bridge to? How do you deal with solo and/or side projects? If the singer has a Wednesday night solo gig downtown, but the PA is
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The fact of the matter is that most of us will never need to worry about this. Everybody plays equipment that they personally own; everybody pays for their own maintenance; everybody splits the mutual investments (if any) and mutual proceeds (if any) as they come; everybody parts ways when the band breaks up. But what if the band makes it to the next level? I’m talking about an intermediate “next” level, when you’re playing a few times each week, driving multiple hours to gigs, recording and selling your own self-produced material, etc. Still no record label, no producer, no professional manager, no sponsors, no touring van. At this point you might want to think about who owns what, including the songs, how maintenance gets paid, and who is responsible for what. You should start worrying about copyrighting your material, complete with who owns what percentage of what, especially if you’re putting material online. You should also start thinking about incorporating. Yes, incorporating. That way, if you get in a car accident on the way to a show, you aren’t all personally liable. Yes, that is the way it works. A band with no legal incorporation is viewed as a simple business partnership, and in a legal partnership all members are liable for the actions of all the other members. Yes, that is as dangerous as it sounds. Incorporation shields you from that liability. So if your bass player gets drunk and falls off the stage onto a fragile member of the audience, breaking somebody’s back, the band as an entity gets sued and the idiot who caused the ruckus gets sued, but you don’t get sued. You can otherwise. Incidentally, the owner of the venue can get sued too, but he already has a lawyer on retainer and you can bet he’s fully incorporated.
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Last but not least, how about a musician who is playing under his own name? (Soand-so and the such-and-suches?) Simply stated, the frontman (or woman) owns the band name, the PA equipment, most of the amps, and half of the drum set; they act is their own managers, book all the gigs, and put together the band the way they want it; they get paid by the owner of the venue, and they pay the band out of that. This is an employer/employee relationship and it carries with it all of the liabilities you can imagine. People in this situation should certainly be incorporated in some shape or form. They should have a standard agreement that they make the members of their bands sign prior to a show. They should be very careful about how they run their businesses. Most of you reading this do not need to hire an attorney or go online for legal help because most of your problems or potential problems are not big enough to warrant the expense. (Just brush your teeth for now.) Some of you, however, should think about asking an attorney to incorporate you or at very least draw up a contract for your band.
— Spencer Breunig, Esq.
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The 13 songs of love for Texas and her sweet girls, hot cars, road trips, and the blues its self are delivered on sweet bed of what he calls Americana Blues. Sayers has found a pure combination of blues, country, rockin’ honky tonk, great guitar picking, and solid songwriting. His amazing duet with Foster “Back to the Blues,” is destined to be a classic, while “Sweet Texas Girls,” “Crush On You,” and “Hippie Getaway,” are radio ready tunes to be proud of.
CD Reviews
Sayers may not be the next guitar hero but he is a player who should get his due and some national attention. Let’s hope Hard Dollar strikes pay dirt.
www.haydensayers.com
Hayden Sayer: Hard Dollar
Soul singer Ruthie Foster convinced Hadden Sayers to come out of retirement, pick up his guitar, and join her band a few years ago, and the world owes her a debt of gratitude. Hard Dollar, Sayers first release in the better part of a decade is triumph of musical wisdom earned only after years of hard knocks and broken promises. To his credit Sayers sound joyful and optimistic rather than bitter and cold while he sings blues -filled tales with a voice that evokes time tested character beyond his years.
Micowave Dave & the
Nukes: Last Time I Saw You Dave Gallaher, aka Microwave Dave, is such a fixture in the community of Huntsville AL that in 2009 the local baseball club The Huntsville Stars created a bobble head in his honor. Well guitar man and DJ, Microwave Dave and his power trio The Nukes have just released their seventh album, ”Last Time I Saw You.” Dave is once again joined by long time songwrit-
MUSIC
ing partner Rick Godfrey on bass and harmonica and the exciting young drummer James Irvin. The thirteen song set impeccably recorded by Jeremy Stephens at Clearwave Studios is no doubt one the best self-produced blues and roots albums of the year. Right out the gate opening track “Drinkin’ Wine Since Nine,” hits with a growling guitar, Dave’s unmistakable rumblin’ baritone and one of the greasiest second line grooves ever, conjuring up all the ghosts of the delta for a party. Dave and Godfrey are poets with a rapier wit delivering scouring sarcasm on southern fried slide guitar and house rockin’ riffs. Lines like “Jesus was smart not to mate,” and “you’re the worst thing that ever happened to the blues,” make it hard to decide which of the three great tracks,
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cd reviews...Continued ”Jesus Was Smart,” “The Worst Thing,” and “Last Time I Saw You,” as the winner for the ultimate “Man Cave” anthem. Kit man Irvin displays his arsenal of chops on the Bo Diddley beat of “Alabama Saturday Night,” and the supersonic “All Night Boogie.” So great to hear the drums up front on a blues album, as the genre is often so very guitar centric. The album closes with a heartfelt instrumental simply titled “Rafferty,” no doubt an ode to the late great Gerry Rafferty delivered with dynamic gusto. Last Time I Saw You is a great album, and should no doubt bring about many first time views and listens to these veteran blues men.
www.microwavedave.com
—Rick J Bowen
Island BBQ JP Luby Mile
Marker 206
@DAY! Farah’s Bar
@ Night!
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$60,000 was raised. A week later, we received a matching dollar-for-dollar seed funding grant of $250,000 from the Goldhirsh Foundation to help start the Caine’s Arcade Foundation to help more innovative kids.
Caine’s Arcade
To view movie go to:
www.CainesArcade.com a film by Nirvan Mullick
About Caine’s Arcade
Caine’s Arcade is a short film about a 9 year old boy’s cardboard arcade, located in his dad’s used auto parts store in East LA.
Backstory
Caine Monroy is a 9-year old boy who spent his summer vacation building an elaborate DIY cardboard arcade in his dad’s used auto parts store. Caine dreamed of the day he would have lots of customers visit his arcade, and he spent months preparing everything, perfecting the game design, making displays for the prizes, designing elaborate security systems, and hand labeling paper-lunch-giftbags. However, his dad’s autoparts store (located in an industrial part of East LA) gets almost zero foot traffic, so Caine’s chances of getting a customer were very small, and the few walk in customers that came through were always in too much of a hurry to get their auto part to play Caine’s Arcade. But Caine never gave up.
If you like the film, please share it with a friend, and leave Caine a message on his Facebook page. If you are in the LA area, come on down and play Caine’s Arcade – Caine loves customers!
Caine’s Scholarship Fund & Caine’s Arcade Foundation We posted the film with an initial goal of raising a $25,000 scholarship fund for Caine to help with his education. The first day the film was posted, over
One day, by chance, I walked into Smart Parts Auto looking for a used door handle for my ’96 Corolla. What I found was an elaborate handmade cardboard arcade manned by a young boy who asked if I would like to play. I asked Caine how it worked and he told me that for $1 I could get two turns, or for $2 I could get a Fun Pass with 500 turns. I got the Fun Pass. The short film tells the story of Caine’s Arcade, and of our attempt to make Caine’s day. A roughcut of the film premiered at DIY Days, where Caine set up his arcade for people to play. Caine was commissioned by an attendee to build a custom cardboard claw machine, which he did for $80. The film is a collaboration between all of my friends who chipped in, as well as all of the folks online who got behind the idea of helping to make Caine’s day. Big THANKS to everyone who helped! See FILM CREDITS After the flashmob, at the end of the day as Caine and his dad drove home, Caine turned to his dad and said, “Dad, this was the best day of my whole life.”
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Fall
www.songpoets.net
in New York was a magical place. The trees were all wearing their golden and red faces. The leaves spiraled down to the earth as their hosts released them, where they are picked up again by the wind to begin their new life as they travel to who knows where. I was thinking about that fall day and New York while I was working at my restaurant on Vashon Island. At the end of the night, I sat in my office and put on some music. It was a Beatles CD. I poured some whisky in my coffee cup and listened to the song “Imagine” by John Lennon as I did my books. I was tired from the day and the whisky warmed my soul. I must have dozed off at my desk. I guess this is where I began to dream. I dreamt that I was sitting on a bench at the entrance to Macarthur Park on that fall day. Wouldn’t you know it, it wasn’t even Thanksgiving yet and the entire city is lit up for Christmas. I see people scurrying in and out of stores carrying gifts and getting into the spirit. Macy’s window displays are crowded with onlookers. My dream scene changes again and I find myself sitting on a curb in front of Skinneys restaurant on Bleeker Street in Greenwich Village. After our shows, most performers, and as (Mary Gauthier said it so well in one of her songs), “Drag Queens and Limousines” all went to Skinneys because they stayed open for us, and the food and atmosphere was great. I sat there holding a net bag containing a dozen steamed clams with butter sauce in a plastic cup that I had bought for a dollar and an Italian sausage on a hard Kaiser roll for eighty cents. Skinneys was packed. It usually was on the weekend, so I sat outside on the curb and ate. Clam juice and butter running down my hands and face, but who cared. I was young and happy and full of life. The world was mine, and passed before me. Besides it was my dream and this was the place as I remembered it, fifty years ago. Has it been that long? But, as I looked at myself sitting there on the curb, I was just a young musician. It’s strange. Have you ever wondered why we’re always younger in our dreams? As I sat there I realized that the dream had changed once again and I found myself sitting on a curb at the entrance to the Dakota Hotel on the corner of 72nd street and Amsterdam Avenue. I was eating a sausage sandwich on a hard Kaiser Roll. Hundreds of people were all around me, crying and holding each other. Some were placing flowers around the entrance to the hotel. I could feel a great sadness. Nobody paid any
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attention to me as I sat there. I guess that we become invisible in a dream. “I used to live here,” he said. I turned and saw that John Lennon was sitting next to me on the curb. I guess in a dream anything is possible. I told him that I was dreaming all of this. He asked, “Are you sure?” I said, “Yes” and offered him a bite of my sandwich, but he declined. It was as if we were old friends, just enjoying the day sitting on the curb. The song “Imagine” was playing from somewhere in the background. I asked him how long he had been sitting here. He said, “Since last night. I have an appointment here every year at this time, so I come and wait. You know what they say about New York, that if you sit in one place for a while, inevitably you will run into someone you know.” “Are you waiting for me?” I asked. “No, I’m waiting for someone else” he said. “I know that I know you, but how do I know you, I’ve never met you?’ “Probably through my music” he replied. “I write music too,” I said. “What kind of music do you write?” he asked. I told him that I write story songs. Songs that have a message, you know the kind I mean, the ones that try to change what’s happening in our lives and also the world. He picked up a small stone and flipped it into the street and said,” Me
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too.” John told me about a song that he wrote about changing the world. He asked me if I could imagine a war that didn’t happen because nobody showed up to fight. “That would be great,” I said. “It could happen,” he said. “Could you imagine that there wasn’t any greed in the world or hunger, or a Heaven or Hell?” John asked. I said no, because it was hard for me to visualize - there are things I want in this world, like a love in my life, a roof over my head, money in the bank…a hit record, fame you know, the essential things in life. “Do you feel greedy?” John asked. “Why should I feel greedy?” I replied. “As far as I’m concerned you have everything: a wife, a home, money, fame… Do you mean that once you have all that, you want more, maybe not for yourself, but for others in the world? Is that what you mean?” He didn’t respond and just sat there looking in a different direction - as if waiting for someone or something. It made sense, I thought. Maybe instead of asking, “What can I have?” I should ask, “What can I be?” Just then a Limo pulled up and Yoko Ono got out with two other people that I didn’t know. John stood up and went to her and whispered something in her ear as she passed, but she didn’t seem to notice him. She seemed to hesitate though for a split second and then continue on.
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As she walked into the hotel, John turned and said goodbye to me, and said, “Keep writing.” He disappeared at the doorway. He didn’t go into the hotel. I mean he just disappeared. My dream scene changed once again. I was sitting on the bench at the entrance to Macarthur Park, only this time I realized that I was holding the New York Times and crying. The headline read,” John Lennon Assassinated” accompanied by a photograph of the entrance to the Dakota Hotel where he was murdered. I looked at the date on the newspaper that I was holding. It was December 9th, 1980, the morning following Lennon’s death. There in the photograph was the entrance and the curb where we sat and talked. But now there were hundreds of people standing and crying. People held flowers and lit candles. I could feel their sorrow and loss I woke up. I was back in my office. “Imagine” was still playing. Did I just cat nap? Looking at the clock, I realized that I had nodded off for less than two minutes. It seemed like hours. I finished my entries and went home.
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can No need for greed or hunger A brotherhood of man Imagine all the people Sharing all the world You may say that I’m a dreamer But I’m not the only one I hope someday you’ll join us And the world will live as one
FLANAGAN’S
WTF
What THE Fu@% Wednesdays!
downtown
HAPPY HOUR
EVERY DAY 3-9
$2 DOMESTIC BOTTLES & DRAFT
DJ DUS $2 Wells w/ Bobby STUMP $3 Bloody Marys & Mimosas
John Lennon 1971
& Ste’Von VOICE $3 Red Stag & Tuaca
When I got home, I told my wife that I had a dream that John Lennon was dead. In the morning we found out that it was true, He had been shot and died in front of the Dakota Hotel. I’ve always wondered, was it a dream, or did I have an out of body experience that night? I remember that I had a T-shirt once that said: “Out of body, back in five minutes.” I wish I still had it.
— Don Joseph
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ENTERTAINMENT
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Corpus Christi Comic Book
by Corbin Douglas
The
concept for CORPUS CHRISTI and its protagonist Barry Christiansen was first created in 2002 by Trent Westbrook, based around the idea of creating a modern myth that revolved around specific locations that a reader could visit and form a connection to the story. Inspired by such titles as SPIDER-MAN, DAREDEVIL and TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, that were about characters living in the real city of New York, as well as the novels of Anne Rice that took place in real locations in and around New Orleans, the city of Corpus Christi was picked with the idea that one could visit the locations featured within the story, giving it a sense of realism and fun. CORPUS CHRISTI was not the original title in the concept’s first incarnation; the original title ultimately gave away the ending of the series and was dropped. Since the concept depended on the location which was a major story point and centered around the theme of redemption, it was decided in the end the name of the city would be the title. As the story and script was being developed by Trent Westbrook with Corbin Douglas as script writer, an artist was being sought out by the creative team to visually bring the concept to light. Despite having some talent as an artist in the past, Trent Westbrook was not initially the artist in mind; a certain look was sought out that back in 2002 the team didn’t believe they were capable of creating themselves.
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For a time two separate artists were attached to the title, both who were dropped out of the project after 6 months of not being to provide a single page or panel of work. Not even a single conceptual portrait for a character came out of this period. The complaint from the original artists involved was that they didn’t have enough of an idea from the concept and script to draw from. It was during this time that Trent Westbrook began drawing out pages of conceptual art and even providing photographs of locations as tools for the artists. Some conceptual pages provided were actual completed pages. It was recommended by friends at that time, that since Trent was doing so much of the visual work, why not use his art for the actual book and try not to rely on other artists. Not happy with his own work at the time, the CORPUS CHRISTI title was ultimately shelved, but Trent spent the next 5 years practicing drawing off and on and posting his work on website DeviantArt.com. In 2005, he had the privilege of meeting James O’Barr, the creator, writer and artist of THE CROW. It was during this meeting that O’Barr took a look at Trent’s work and gave him a critique to help him improve. Trent said, “The first thing he told me was that I working too hard. At the time I was using a lot of cross hatching to the minutest scale, and spending so much time on just one panel that I was losing time. What I didn’t realize was that most of that work would be lost in the translation from the original art once it was scaled down to the printed page. Not only would be it lost, it would look like a mess. It might have been nice to look at in the large scale I was working in on 11x17 pages, but all that work would be lost upon the viewer once it was scaled down.”
The special collector edition of CC #1 comes with a 3-song music CD. Add: Meet Trent who will be signing copies of all editions at Comic Plus in Moore Plaza and at Collector’s Planet in the Gulfway Shopping Center on May 5.
James O’Barr also introduced Trent to new inking tools as well as concepts of approach to drawing and inking. “Everything changed from that point”, said Trent. “It was the single most important moment when it came to my art, helping me figure out what to do, how to improve from where I was at that point, and essentially creating my own visual voice, that to this day is flattering to hear when someone says they can tell my art apart from other artists and know that is me. I can’t thank James O’Barr
ART
enough for giving me that help and time. I still feel I can do better and that I have a ways to go, but this basically not only got me going, but eventually got me work.” Trent continued drawing and posting his work online, and in late 2006 was discovered and hired by artist director Bob Giadrosich for Sharayah Press. His assignment was to draw two pinup pages for a poetry book entitled A LIFE OF RAVENS by poet Alex Ness. The assignment was completed
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comic book collector, decided to ask David De La Cruz, owner of Collector’s Planet, if he might be interested in the book and he agreed to carry a few copies of the title.
and the book saw print in late 2007. The job introduced Trent to Alex Ness personally, and Ness sought him out to begin working on his next book LANCELOT, providing 8 interior pages with a team of other artists. This working relationship continued with Ness having Trent as his sole visual artist for three more books, providing both interior pages and covers through 2011. After finishing work on ARTHUR, REX ETERNUS, and EMPIRE OF STONE in April of 2011, Trent finally started to feel comfortable with his art as well as his understanding of working with the medium of books and the creative process. At the same time he wanted to challenge himself, and ultimately decided to revive the CORPUS CHRISTI comic book. The work was started in May of that same year and was finished in early July of 2011. This was new territory and it was uncertain how the book would be received, much less where it would be received and how. If anything the title would start off small and could possibly be sold at small art shows locally, which the creative team was perfectly fine with. A Facebook page for the title was created a month in advance of the book’s release and helped to create a small buzz in the city of Corpus Christi, with people beginning to ask where they could purchase this book once it was out. Trent, already an avid
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The title was first released on August 31, 2011 with two separate covers: a regular black and white “noir” edition featuring the main character of Barry Christiansen on the cover in biker gear, and a second limited edition colored cover featuring the art from page 9 of the comic of Barry rushing to the scene of a crime on his motorcycle. “Page 9 initially was drawn as the primary cover and not considered to be part of the interior work”, Trent confirmed; “it was only during the creation of the book that friends of mine convinced me that art needed to be inside to tell the story. For this reason a new cover was created that was used for the regular edition, but I still wanted to have that bike shot on a cover, at least as a limited run just for me.” On September 15, 2011, a third cover was produced using the black and white regular edition noir cover, this time colored by artist Joseph Mitchell. This cover, along with the second “bike” cover that was exclusive only to Collector’s Planet, were released as limited editions of only 50 copies each. By October of 2011, the first printing of the regular “noir” edition and the two limited editions had sold out both through local outlets, including Comics Plus, Texas Toyz, and Disc Go Round of Corpus Christi, Texas as well as through online sales. A second printing of the “noir” edition was created and ran its course by January of 2012 with the release of issue 2. A 3rd printing is due to be released May 4th, 2012. The title received a bit of controversy online in September, 2011 from readers, claiming that the title was Christian propaganda. Both artist Trent Westbrook and script writer Corbin Douglas responded to this claim in an interview on Poplitiko.blogspot.com, that the title has never been intended as any kind of propaganda. “It made sense in a city named after the body of Christ to include Christian ideals and concepts for the protagonist as a story point. It was never included to isolate a particular audience or belief system; it is and remains to be merely just a story point.” —Corbin Douglas
ART
AYS Live Sound Inc 361.548.7759 | www.AYSlivesound
Corporate, Private Party, Venue, Festivals, Sound & Lighting.
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www.red-i-records.com contact Shelly or Mark red_i_records@yahoo.com Red-i-Records: Dallas, Texas
Winter’s Thoughts In our April issue we had an article about a band from Broken Bow; Oklahoma. They had recently been signed to a new label from Dallas called Red I Records. Since then they made a trip to South Texas, here in Corpus Christi to play a gig to a packed out crowd at Outta Bounds on Monday April 23rd. On their trip down, about 3 hours into the trip one of the trucks
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broke down. Ah the fun road trips! Luckily one of their friends brought them a new truck for the trip. In May Chalkline 259 will be recording their first CD in Fort Worth, TX and be looking for Chalkline 259 to be opening a few concerts in Corpus Christi also in May!
At the end of the road there is a place that I go, a trip I make quite often. At the right time of day it is a nice little walk, sets my nerves to ease and soften. It’s there I can go and sit for a while so to hear what my mind has to say. Upon reaching said place at the end of the road I approach the event horizon. As far as I can, to where water meets land, so close I could touch if I reached with my hand. This is the place my mind has the space to drift as it would on a breeze. The answers I find, at the end of the road, with the questions I learn how to ask. Arrive on the sand with the roll of the tide, and the whisper of wind at my back. I’ve learned how to listen
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in a particular way, not to interfere or think what I say. To listen to the sounds that have always been there, so things that have not, may start to sound clear. Many won’t, and some disappear, there’s always a few I will not want to hear. Up on this stone I listen in silence, here at the end of the road. For that once in while sound that appears, it’s a sound that I know it’s a sound that I fear. Like a beautiful song that hurts in my ear and I don’t want to listen but I still want to hear. The song doesn’t end but the sound disappears so long as I’ve heard it and tamed any fears. At the end of the road there is a place that I go.
—Cale Winter
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Disc Go Round celebrated Record Store Day in style. A Metal Head Army showed up
at the store on April 21st to see Mastodon and
Opeth and to get their records signed by the bands. Hundreds more showed up buying music to celebrate the holiday started as a celebration of the unique culture surrounding over 700 independently owned record stores in the USA, and hundreds of similar stores internationally. Disco Go Round had over 15,000 45’s on sale for .50¢. Then in classic Dico Go Style they threw an after party with live music by The Finds,
Corpus Gold and Gave Girl.
Fads come and go but records will live on. DGR has a good collection along with CDs, cassettes and other industry swag. And they’ve done an excellent job of promoting live music in Corpus. Look for their flyers and check out a show at Disc Go Round.
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MUSIC
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Isolation
Booth By Mason Shirley
From Garage Band to Local Legend & Beyond Part One
You
can succeed at almost anything if you are motivated, develop a plan to reach your goal, and actually follow through. Most of us hear this message early on in life, it’s engrained in us because it’s deeply rooted in our culture; it is the American dream. However, the moment you decide you want to be professional musician, people tell you it can’t be done, it’s impossible, the chances of making a career in music are so slim, always have a backup plan, ect. All musicians have encountered this resistance, and it can be very disheartening. After all, if you’re a musician you know it’s a part of your identity. Something deep within you beckons you to write, to play, and to perform. If I’m describing you right now here are some ideas on how to succeed and accomplish your dreams. First of all, decide what you want to do with your music. So many bands get sucked into this vortex of playing local shows, battle of the bands, benefit concerts, and go with the flow. They take the gigs that come to them and never
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reach the stage of being proactive instead of reactive. Be proactive and set a realistic goal of where you want to be in a year. Then ask yourself what you need to do to accomplish that and start doing it. For example, if you want a record deal start building up an impressive portfolio of independent record sales, thousands of likes on facebook, thousands of youtube views, and thousands of fans. If a record label knows you already have a large fan base that’s buying your music and paying to see you perform, they know they will see a return on their investment, and will therefore be more likely to sign you. Bottom line: specify what you want to do, make a plan, and bust your ass to accomplish it. Once you’ve decided exactly what you want to achieve with your music, you need to develop an artist/band identity, or brand. Start by thinking about how your band looks on stage. It baffles me when I go to a show at House of Rock and see everyone in the band dressed cool except the bass player, who’s wearing a Texas A&M school shirt, basketball shorts and tennis shoes. You know what that says to the audience? Amateur.
When you’re performing you need to look professional. Another aspect of branding is the merch table. Go buy a twenty-dollar foldout table from Wal-Mart, put a cool tablecloth over it, and have merchandise available at every show. Shirts, CDs, picks, stickers, posters, or anything you can slap your band’s logo on. You’ll be surprised how much money you can make on top of show pay if you just have merch available. If you put on a great show and make a connection with the audience they will want to remember that experience (a.k.a.buy merch) and will hopefully become interested in your band. Once you’ve won over some fans, keep their interest alive by releasing exclusive videos and recordings, and by maintaining a relationship with them via social networking sites. Plain and simple, if you present your band as professional, people will perceive you as professional. It’s not impossible to make a career out of music, or at least become a local legend. If you’ve got great songs, talent, and a passion for what you do just combine that with a well though out game plan, and start taking to steps to execute it. In next
ENTERTAINMENT
month’s article I will pick up with ideas on how to enhance your live show and turn it into an experience rather than merely playing through your set. So be sure to pick up the next copy of STEAM!
— Mason Shirley
JP Luby Mile
Marker 206
@DAY! Farah’s Bar
@ Night!
Island BBQ
15
Indie Film
Spot-Light
Reconvergence
TAMUCC
professor Edward Tyndall has a movie premiering at the Maryland Film Festival this month. His film Reconvergence offers an intriguing exploration of mortality, consciousness and identity in the modern age from the perspectives of four distinct characters: a naturalist, a neuroscientist, a poet and a historian. The combination of their separate journeys creates a rich tapestry that weaves together several complex facets of the existential dilemma. In fall 2009, Tyndall launched the South Texas Cinémathèque screening series, which spotlights innovative works by internationally-recognized independent filmmakers. The series, which takes place every semester and is free and open to the public, includes a question-and-answer session with the filmmaker.
by Mobius Films
Tyndall came to the University in fall 2009 to shape the production side of the Department of Communication. Tyndall, who received his MFA in Film and Video Production from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, teaches University production courses including advanced digital filmmaking. He is a founding member of Mobius Films production company, producer/ writer of the mid-south Emmy nominated PBS documentary Confederate Goliath and feature length documentary “Reconvergence,” which was shot in Peru and other locations. In September 2011, his film, “Reconvergence,” was selected as one of 60 international spotlighted documentaries at the Independent Filmmaker Project’s (IFP) Independent Film Week in New York City. Tyndall has screened at top international film festivals including the Tribeca and London Film Festivals.
www.ReconvergenceTheFilm.com 16
Maryland Film Festival Screening of
Reconvergence: Premieres May 4th & 5th
ENTERTAINMENT
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Brewer’s Log
Downton Corpus Christi 309N. Water Street Corpus Christi, TX 78401 (361) 884-SURF ExecutiveSurfClub.com
Saint Arnold’s Santo That’s Santo! With One S!
May 2012 Lineup
Description:
Santo is a black Kölsch, which technically doesn’t exist as a style, but this is as close as we can come to describing it. Essentially it is brewed using a Kölsch recipe with the addition of Munich and black malt. It is light bodied and floral yet with a distinct dark malt flavor. Our goal was to create a dark yet refreshing beer that would pair perfectly with a plate of enchiladas.
The label artwork is by Houston artist
Carlos
Hernandez who is known for his Day of the
May 3
Flatbroke
Rock with some sweet Reggae
Color: Dark Bitterness:
17 IBU
Alcohol Content:By weight - 3.7%; By volume - 4.7%
Ingredients: Malted Barley:
Pale 2 row, pils and Munich malted barley along with a small amount of black malt. Hops: Hallertauer Hersbrucker. Four separate additions to the brew kettle create the delicate flavor and aroma of this classic hop. Yeast: Traditional Kölsch yeast in this beer, fermented on the cooler side.
Bushbullit
Hilda Lamas
Southern Rock and Roll!
Party covers!
May 11
May 10
Sinizen Tin Can Phone
May 12
The Groove
Carlton Pride & Zion
& Make Shift Innocence
Roots Rock Regae Jam!
Come catch the Irie vibes!
Dead Rock Star series of paintings and prints.
Specifications Original Gravity: 1.045 (11.4° Plato)
May 5
May 4
May 18 Trysum
May 17
May 19
From Rock to Jazz Trysum lays it down!
Sun Salutation
Chris Duarte Group
Come jam with Sun Sal!
w/Jon Cortez & Cathouse
Guitar Shredding!
May 25
May 24 Bri Bagwell & the Banned Tearing up the TX “Red Dirt” scene!
May 26
Scarecrow People
Friday Nite Scarecrow style!
May 31
Shakedown
Max Stalling
w/ Matt Hole Opening Max and the boys are back to help with the long weekend festivities!
Rock & Soul
Wed. Night Open Mic! Free Order of Battered Fries! Good for one order of Battered Fries with the purchase of a sandwich. No cash value. Expires 7/31/12
www.SaintArnold.com STEAMTX.COM
ENTERTAINMENT
17
OSO Bay
BiennieL IIVX
If
Heavy Hitters Exhibit @ The Art Museum of South Texas you missed this year’s 2012
Oso Bay Biennial you missed a lot. But
lucky for you it will return in 2014. The Department of Art and University Galleries at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi held the inaugural Oso Bay North American Printmaking Exhibition, a competitive juried competition held in conjunction with the 2012 Oso Bay Biennial. The Oso Bay Biennial is a month-long festival that has proudly served fine art and culture to the South Texas Region for over 30 years. This year’s events focus on the expansive realm of Printmaking. TAMUCC’s own Ryan O’Malley spearheaded the exhibition, featuring artist from all around the country. Look for a write up on him after his return from a European trip this summer to Estonia and South France.
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In its 34th year, this month-long festival brings fine art and culture to Corpus Christi and the South Texas Coastal Bend. The mission of the 2012 Biennial is to provide an enriching event to a region thirsting for cultural opportunities, to demonstrate the diversity of print media, and link students, print shops and educators from schools across Texas and beyond in creativity and collaboration.
laborative parade and performance entitled “Wolfbats Beseech the Great Bear of Oso Bay” led by Brooklyn, NY Artist Dennis McNett! We will cover more of the parade and the Bienniel next month since PRESSTIME ended before the EXIBITION.
Special thanks to TAMUCC
Art Department
The Oso Bay Biennial XVII and
Threads Consignment hosted an exhibition of prints featuring students from TAMUCC, Texas State, Lamar U and
more! DJ OttO of New Orleans spun Booty Beats from Big Easy Streets and
St. Arnold Brewery provided SANTO beer! The featured event for the 2012 Oso Bay Biennial was a special col-
ART
19
Things To Do and Places To Go All Month Long! As complied by Tamma Hicks
Art
First Friday Artwalk
Friday, May 4, 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 venues. 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.
The Spring Awakening
May 1 – May 12 Aurora Arts Theatre, 5635 Everhart Rd., Corpus Christi, TX 78413 The winner of 8 Tony Awards, including Best Musical - told by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater through “the most gorgeous Broadway score this decade” (Entertainment Weekly) - SPRING AWAKENING explores the journey from adolescence to adulthood with poignancy and passion you will never forget. The landmark musical SPRING AWAKENING is an electrifying fusion of morality, sexuality and rock & roll that is exhilarating audiences across the nation like no other musical in years. Join this group of late 19th century German students on their passage as the navigate teenage self-discovery and coming of age anxiety in a powerful celebration of youth and rebellion in the daring, remarkable SPRING AWAKENING. www.auroraartstheatre.com
The Wedding Singer
May 4, 5 and 6, 2012 Harbor Playhouse, Corpus Christi 1985 and rock-star wannabe Robbie Hart 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 performance 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
The Sound of Music
May 18 – June 10 Harbor Playhouse, Corpus Christi The final collaboration between Rodgers & Hammerstein was destined to become the world’s most beloved musical. When a postulant proves too high-spirited for the religious life, she is dispatched to serve as governess for the seven children of a widowed naval Captain. Her growing rapport with the youngsters, coupled with her generosity of spirit, gradually captures the heart of the stern Captain, and they marry. Upon returning from their honeymoon they discover that Austria has been invaded by the Nazis, who demand the Captain’s immediate service in their navy. www.horborplayhouse.com
7th Annual ArtFest
May 20 Robert’s Point Park in Port Aransas The Port Aransas Art Center is going to have their 7th Annual Art Fest on Saturday and Sunday May 19th and 20th . It will be held in Robert’s Point Park in Port Aransas from 10am-5pm each day. Artists will set up their Booths with Fine Arts and Fine Crafts in the “Chili Field” area at the park on the grassy lawn. Booth Cost $100 includes both days. www.portaransasartcenter.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 wonderful place to tour during a leisurely afternoon 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 Christi Museum of Science & History . Tour the oldest shipwreck that was found nearby in the Gulf of Mexico and share the adventures of early explorers as you stroll among treasures from word-famous shipwrecks. www.visitcorpuschristi.com
Entertainment Buc Days 2012!
Corpus Christi, Texas Buc Days Stripes Caarrnival May 1 - May 6, 2012 NEW LOCATION! Shoreline Blvd. at Park Ave.
The Court from Splendorous Royal Palaces
May 3, 2012 American Bank Center, Selena Auditorium, Corpus Christi Las Donas de la Corte will present “The Court from Splendorous Royal Palaces” on Thursday, May 3, 2012, 7:30pm, at the American Bank Center, Selena Auditorium. The Robes Display will be at the Art Center of Corpus Christi, May 9-June 3.
Buc Days TOYOTA Illuminated Night Parrrade May 5th, 2012 at 7:00 PM
Hooks Baseball Games
Whataburger Field, Corpus Christi Home Games : Daily May 5 through 8 and May 23 through 28th. Games are daily. Weekday and Saturday games begin at 7:05 pm and Sunday games begin at 1:05 pm, unless otherwise noted.
Hooks Concert Game: Saturday, May 5 at 6:05 pm – vs. San Antonio Missions - Los Lonely Boys Postgame Concert presented by State Farm Hooks Friday Fireworks: May 11 at 7:05 pm vs. Frisco Rough Riders. May 25 at 7:05 pm vs. Arkansas Travelers. Friday Fireworks are presented by Bud Light For more information on Hooks home games and promotional events please visit their website: corpuschristi.hooks.milb.com
Cinco De Mayo Longboard Pro/Waveski Invitational
Corpus Christi May 5 and 6, 7:00 AM The Texas Gulf Surfing Association presents the Cinco De Mayo Longboard Pro/ Waveski Invitational, to be held the weekend of May 5-6, 2012 at Packery Channel on N Padre Island. TGSA is thrilled to have the support of the Corpus Christi Mayor’s Fitness Council on board for this event as well as the Corpus Christi Convention & Visitors Bureau and Scuttlebutts Bar and Grill.
Jon Wolfe’s 2nd Annual “Port A Getaway” Jon Wolfe
- Neil Austin Imber Melissa Brooke
The Back Porch Bar, 132 West Cotter Avenue, Port Aransas Thursday May 5 Jon Wolfe’s 2nd Annual “Port A Getaway”! Cinco de Mayo Baby! Featuring Jon Wolfe - Neil Austin Imber - Melissa Brooke and brought to you by The Badlands 94.7 and The Back Porch Bar.
Ring Kings: Mayweather vs. Cotto
Presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts in Century 16 Deer Park, 21600 W Field Pkwy, Deer Park Thursday May 5 Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with the comeback of Floyd “Money” Mayweather as he returns to the ring to challenge Four-Time, Three-Division World Champion Miguel Cotto Visit FathomEvents.com for more details.
CC Maiden Texas Roller Derby
Ayers Event Center, 3433 Ayers Street, Corpus Christi Every Friday night in May, 6, 13, 20, and 27
The CC Maiden Texas Derby girls will be strapping on their skates and hitting the track every Friday night in May at the Ayers Event Center! Don’t miss this full contact, hard hitting action. Doors open at 6:30, and tickets are $8 at the door. For more info you can also check us out at www.ccmaidentexasderby.com
Tattoos By the Bay
American Bank Center-Convention Center, 1901 N. Shoreline Blvd. Corpus Christi May 11 – 13 Tattoo convention draws more than 80 booths, artists from across the globe and lots of ink, piercings, cars and motorcycles. www.tattoosbythebay.com
May Feast & Truck and Tractor Pull
Nordheim Shooting Club, Nordheim TX May 18 – 20 See our full page ad on page 24!
Beach to Bay Relay Marathon
Corpus Christi Saturday May 19 The Beach to Bay Relay Marathon is an annual six-person relay running event held in Corpus Christi, Texas on the third Saturday in May. The Beach to Bay Relay Marathon is a complete 26.2 pointto-point relay route, beginning on North Padre Island, winding through Naval Air Station Corpus Christi and ending at McCaughan Park along Corpus Christi’s scenic downtown. The course is divided into six-legs approximating 4.4 miles. The first leg is run on the beach and the remaining legs are run of pavement. For more information on registration, sponsorship, and more check out their website: beachtobayrelay.com
Hurricane Alley Roller Derby
H.A.R.D. House, 3952 Leopard St., Corpus Christi Saturday May 19 Season opener!! Doors open at 6:00 p.m. for H.A.R.D. V.I.P., and 6:30 p.m. for general admission. Game begins promptly at 7:00 p.m.
16th Annual Festival of Wine & Food
The Texas Maritime Museum, Rockport May 26-27
Join us at the Texas Maritime Museum hosts wine tasting, wine seminars, fine foods and entertainment on the Museum grounds. 4-11pm both days. www.texasmaritimemuseum.org or www.texasfestivalofwines.com.
U.S.S. Lexington
Travel back in time aboard the famous U.S.S. Lexington. Featuring a flight simulator 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 colossal compartments while gathering interesting 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 complex is home to fascinating sea creatures of all kinds. A day at the aquarium is a surefire 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 National 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 sparkling shores, hunt for seashells, play in the surf and most importantly, enjoy the beautiful 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 different 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, bonfires, 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 convenient 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 located 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 standards, a SportCourt basketball playing surface, 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
Music
Brewster Street Ice House
1724 N. Tancahua, Corpus Christi www.brewsterstreeticehouse.com Featuring entertainment every night of the week!
Concrete Street Amphitheater
700 Concrete Street, Corpus Christi Staind / Godsmack: May 1 Social Distortion / Toadies / Lindi Ortega: May 5 Chevelle / Dead Sara / New Medicine: May 9 REO Speedwagon / Styx / Ted Nugent: May 13 Eli Young Band / Roger Creager: May 27 Snoop Dogg: June 1 www.concretestreet.net
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: Antone and the All-Stars Wednesdays thru Sundays: You can catch great bands every night. Genres include Texas country, rock, reggae, and of course blues! www.drrockitsbluesbar.com
Executive Surf Club
309 N. Water Street, Corpus Christi See our ad on page 17 www.executivesurfclub.com
Backwoods Saloon
1540 Sun Ray Rd, Ingleside, TX Live music every weekend!
Flanagan’s Downtown 417 Starr St., Corpus Chrsiti
See our ad on page
Garage Bar & Grill
15013 Northwest Blvd, Corpus Christi No Cover; Thursday night poker; Country and Southern Rock.
House of Rock
511 Starr Street, Corpus Christi Corpus Christi’s premier live music and event venue! See our calendar on www. texashouseofrock.com
Los Cabos
9601 South Padre Island Dr in Flour Bluff, Corpus Christi Live music every weekend!
Outta Bounds Sports Lounge 1402 Rodd Field Rd, Corpus Christi
7 Brothers Saloon
Highway 181, Normanna Live music and pool. Don’t want to drive home? Stay in our RV park!
Tarpon Ice House
321 N. Allister, Port Aransas Friendly staff, Live Music, 2 bars, pool, darts, big screen tvs, WIFI, beer garden, set-upsavailable, clean restrooms, fair prices. Locally owned and operated. Extra parking in the back. Bikers welcome.
Roger Creager “Back 2 Basics”
by Rusty Hicks
April 25, 2012 Roger Creager is an adventurist; he
does not like to sit still while the world passes by. Whether it’s climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, jumping off his boat to snorkel with wild dolphins, snow skiing in the Rockies, catching tuna 100 miles from shore, piloting his airplane to far-off concerts, spear-fishing around oil rigs, scuba diving coral reefs, surfing in Costa Rica, or playing music through the Italian countryside, he tries to get the most out of what the world has to offer. All of this finds its way into Roger’s music and live shows. His passion for life invigorates everyone around him including his fan base. Those who get hooked on his charisma and high energy come back show after show, year after year, and record after record. Creager’s newest record may be his best work yet. “Surrender”, released Jan 2012, was produced by Lloyd Maines and marks a “back-to-basics” approach for Roger. As always, Roger creates an interesting collection with songs that are very different from each other and will keep the listener’s attention start to finish. He co-wrote all songs except “Redemption Song”, a Bob Marley classic. In August 2006 Roger traveled to Africa and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, meanwhile back home, the band continued to tour without Roger under the name The Kilimanjaros. In the summer of 2007 Roger traveled to France to take part in the Festival Country Rendez-Vous. The members of the Roger Creager Band are Allen Huff (piano, organ, accordion, washboard, and vocals), Matt Medearis (drums), Rick Redfern (fiddle, Strat, and vocals), Stormy Cooper (bass guitar), and Aleph Yonker (lead guitar and vocals).
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I was able to catch up with Roger Creager during his recent tour. He was on the road heading to San Marcos to perform at the 12th Annual Texas Music History Unplugged.
song and for that reason I felt justified in covering one that a) so many people know and b) it was a Bob Marley song.
Rusty: I understand that you have been playing music since you were a child, however you didn’t start your professional career until you were in your 20’s and had finished college with two degrees. So tell me, how do agricultural and accounting degrees fit into the picture? Roger: Well, the agriculture degree was a degree I wanted because I thought it would be enjoyable. My classes were during the day when I started playing music. Aside from learning some cool stuff about farming and ranching it really hasn’t done anything. Accounting? Well, whether you like it or not, you need it. When you are in a band, you are in a business and so it has really helped me a lot. Rusty: I have seen you play guitar and piano and pictures of you on accordion, so you are obviously musically inclined, but what other instruments do you play and do you have a favorite? Roger: I play trumpet, guitar, piano, harmonica, accordion, drums a little bit, and I fool around on bass but I don’t think I can get by on bass. I can’t decide between piano and guitar; I’m probably a better piano player, but I can’t decide. Rusty: Surrender is your sixth cd and is doing great on the music charts. What made you decided to remake Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song”? Roger: (laugh) That’s a good one. Well, I felt like I had a different spirit and thought I could bring something completely different to an old classic song; one that I grew up listening to. I didn’t try to put myself in a position to out reggae Bob Marley, that’s just not possible anyway. But I just felt like I was bringing something new to an old
Rusty: Surrender came out in January this and is number 39 on the charts right now. Until now what has been your bestselling album? Roger: I think the best seller we have is “Live Across Texas”. It’s an album we recorded over 4 or 5 dates in various places around Texas. We’ve had two printings of that and we have done well with it. Rusty: I know that there is a large Texas Music following in the Northwest. I opened for Jason Boland at the Tractor Tavern in Seattle and it was a packed house. Are you planning to tour
“
You know I have played every kind of place you can imagine from bars to barns to a bar on the top floor of a pawn shop...
”
through the Northwest? Roger: We will eventually. It’s so far and sparsely populated between here and there that it’s tough to get there. We do a lot of stuff in the Northeast. In fact, two weeks ago we were in Washington DC, New York City, and Cleveland then went to Chicago the next day. That was just in a week before heading down to Nashville. It’s just easier for us to get out to the East and the Northeast. We are venturing more and more to the West; we’ll be in Mesa and Tempe, Arizona next month and then spread-
MUSIC
ing out to California. We’ll have to build solid fan bases between here and there to route it right. Eventually, yeah we’ll get up there. It’s one of our goals. Rusty: Who are you are playing with at Concrete Street on May 27th? You grew up in Corpus Christi, right? Roger: Yeah, I’m from there. We’re playing with the Eli Young Band, who is really coming on strong right now. This is going to be a great show. It’s always good to play for the home crowd. Rusty: I really wanted to make a connection between you and your career and some of the talented up-and-coming artist in this area. For example, one of the places Pake Rossi really enjoys playing is the 7-Brothers Saloon in Normanna. Do you have any information or advice for this group? Roger: You know I have played every kind of place you can imagine from bars to barns to a bar on the top floor of a pawn shop to bar-b-que restaurants. Just about every imaginable place I could play, even outside on a flatbed trailer in the middle of a field. Some were wonderful and some were awful. So my advice? Work your ass off. It really is a hard job, so work your ass off. Thank you Roger for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk with me, I really enjoyed it.
—Rusty Hicks
23
The Pake
Rossi Road-Show by Rusty Hicks
April 25, 2012 Born and raised in Hebbronville, Texas Pake is a singer/songwriter who grew up listening to and learning to appreciate traditional (good) country music. His first experience playing for the public was in church, accompanying his father (Clark) playing Bluegrass Gospel music. His music is a combination of Country, Folk and Blues, although he doesn’t like “labels”. Pake has been greatly influenced by his rich south Texas heritage and you can hear this tradition in the song, “Crosswinds” a ballad based on the true story of his great grandfather. Some of Pake’s greatest influences include, Rodney Crowell, Townes Van Zandt, John Prine, Todd Snyder and Houston Marchman just to name a few. Pake is currently living in Austin, Texas and released his debut Album “For All That it’s Worth” in Oct. 2010. The Album was recorded in Lytton Springs, Texas at Cowpatty Studio with friend and owner Donny Brewer. Pake has traveled the North Western US promoting the Album and continues to write and perform in and around central and south Texas. Interview Pake Rossi and Jason Maddox in the Pake mobile: Pake & Jason were playing a gig together Saturday night, so I drove over to Calallen, TX to sit down with these two South Texas artists, these guys are on the road to bigger and better things. We went outside to the “Pake mobile” and sat down, I turned on my new digital recording device, and this thing is on, test, test. R- Hey, this is an article about Pake Rossi but it is also about his friends, Jason, Richie, Ty and more. I feel that they are going to do some really good things with their music. P-J- hell ya. R-So I interviewed Felix Abrigo today got some good info about the 7 brother’s saloon and the 3 amigos! R- When did you get started playing music P- I got started playing in church with my dad (Clark Rossi). J- My dad has numerous times almost ended my musical career, all LOL.
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R-How many CD’s do you have out? P- I have one out and I’m working on another. R-Can you let us know the name of the new CD do you have a name for it yet? P- Ya, “Mercy the Mountain” and it will be out in the mid summer, and I don’t have a date yet, but you can stay toned for the date. R-So you’re living in Austin, TX now, how long have you been living in Austin? P- I’ve been in Austin for 2 weeks, then I lived in San Marcos and then I moved to Austin, after a stint of living on this couch right here. P- I don’t miss the floor, J-band camp right here. This is the real deal here. R- I remember touring in one of these in Idaho in the winter with no heater. P- You see we did that, me and my buddy Marshall Anderson took this van up to Washington State and back, P-and I figured out real quick that you could get warm with 4 or 5 blankets, R- Were you on tour up there with somebody? P-we just took a trip up there, and played music, we played at apple gate, was the name of it??? R- Applegate? R-Um Apple Blossom in Wenatchee, P-ya, ya, Apple blossom, whenhatchy, RWenatchee, WA P- Ya, Wenatchee and Moses Lake, R-Small world, Moses Lake, WA is my home town P- We were driving from Oregon to Wenatchee, P- We missed a turn somewhere and ended up in Moses Lake. We were there at night and it was beautiful. J-that trip is where “Mercy of the Mountain” came from. P- that is where that came from, not my new record “Mercy of the Mountain” but the song, that’s the only song I wrote on that trip. J- Pake came back and said that Marshall wrote like 10 songs on the trip and I only wrote one. Laughing and I only wrote one, it was that one. R- Jason what is your current CD that you have out, J- “Money is the Devil” is my only album
that I have out right now, I’m probably going to go back to Houston Marchman’s studio sometime towards the end of the year depending on money. The new CD is going to be a different vibe; “Money is the Devil” is a real rock kind of album, a lot of lead guitar on it. But I think we are going to go acoustic guitars, dobro, bongos, and traps, more blue grass on the next one. R- Is that where you recorded “Money is the Devil” J- yes I did record that with Houston, he is a hell of a guy and a great producer! J- He’ll also be playing with us at Western week in Beeville this year. I’m opening the show Saturday night in the rodeo arena, and then Pake and his full band then Houston’s playing followed by Ray Willie Hubbard and then Hayes Carll! R-Great line up! R- What message do you want to get out?
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I don’t miss the floor...” P- mostly to let people know about the new record, “Mercy the Mountain” R- what is the name of your first record, P- “For all that it’s worth” R- when did that come out, P- that came out in October 2010 R- Molly, Chrystal Ball, great songs, P- The new record “Mercy the Mountain” comes out mid summer. R- Jason when did “Money is the Devil” come out, J- It was released August of 2011, so not even a year. R- Pake what are the name of your band members, P- Ok, that’s Darin Abney on
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drums, Paul Loiodice on guitar and John Dixit on Bass, and they all live in Austin. Well I had a great time jamming with you guys at 7 Brothers Saloon, last week. I asked Felix who was the biggest band that ever played there and he said Pake, Jason, and Richie. J- Felix himself is a damn good songwriter. He’s like the Mexican Aaron Neville, that’s what he reminds me of, that voice. He’s such a good song writer! R- I would just like to let people know that I think you guys are really good and that you’re real! We want to give a shout out to Vick’s, 7 Brothers Saloon, Vernon’s, Frontier Saloon, and Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos.
—Rusty Hicks
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Nordheim Shooting Club presents
May Feast Friday Night:
Gates open @ 5 pm & show starts @ 7 pm featuring TTTPA Hotrod Truck and Tractor Pullers
Saturday:
BBQ N Chili Cook Off / Judging @ 1pm Remote Control Tractor Pull @ 10 am TMTPA Minirod Tractor Pull from 1 pm - 5 pm BBQ and Chili Cookoff Awards w/ Benefit Auction @ 4 pm TTTPA Hotrod Truck and Tractor Pull @ 7 pm Dance by the “Just Because Band” 9pm-1am. $10 Admission
Sunday-11am:
Adults - $12 Kids - $6 Under 5 - Free
Pork BBQ Supper Plates $8 Music by the Friends & Faculty
May 18-20
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