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CONTENTS
October 2016
VOL.5 ISS.7 ON THE COVER...
3 NEW MOVIES & TUNES 5 QUICK READ 6 COMICS 7 CD REVIEWS 8 ALBUM COVER OF THE MONTH 9 HOPE LOVE COASTAL VISIONS 12 BRUCE ROBISON AT CINNAMON SHORE 14 EVENTS 16 STEVEN JAMES ON THE ROAD 19 STEAM MAGAZINE’S 4TH ANNUAL ART SHOW & SPEED PAINTING COMPETITION
PUBLISHER RUSTY HICKS EDITOR TAMMA HICKS COMICS EDITOR ALLENE HICKS STAFF WRITERS DALE MARTIN, STEVE GOLDSTEIN, TAMMA HICKS CONTRIBUTING WRITERS J MICHAEL DOLAN, DEREK SIGNORE, ROB DICKENS, DAWN BELOTTI STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS ALLENE HICKS, RUSTY HICKS
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STEAM Magazine is published monthly by STEAM Magazine, South Texas Entertainment Art Music, in Corpus Christi, TX. 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 to: submissions@steamtx.com
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Your grand canyon J. Michael Dolan (:39) One of my all time favorite experiences ever is visiting the Grand Canyon. Every time I see it my eyebrows go up, my jaw drops down and the sensation of divinity becomes clear and present. If you stand on the southern edge of the Grand Canyon you can clearly see the dangerous, rocky, risky, steep and treacherous hike it would take to get to the other side. An ominous trek indeed. That said, if someone pointed across the dangerous, rocky terrain to the other side and said, “Look...that’s where your goals are! That’s where you’re headed! And hiking from here to there is your only chance of achieving your big dream.” Your jaw would drop, your eyebrows would raise and you’d probably say, “No way! Are you kidding me! WTF! How do you expect me to get there? There must be an easier way!” Important because the good news is there is no chasm between us and our big goals. It just looks that way from our doubting POV. And while many folks look across the imaginary chasm to the other side and say, “there must be an easier way,” others are excited by the challenge and committed to the adventure. They research all the possibilities, consult with experienced advisors, build the best support team, and muster up the confidence to stand on the very edge of the great (illusionary) divide that (appears) to separate them from where they are now to where they want to go, and proclaim “This I shall Do!”
Quack! Quack! Quack! J. Michael Dolan (:13) We spend so much time and effort getting our ducks in a row, and for good reason; we want to get it right and have everything in place before we release the record, debut the video, publish the blog, audition for the part, pitch the project or launch our newest offering. It’s so important to pause at the start of the runway (like all pilots do) and make sure that our ducks are ready to fly before we take off. Important because our fans & customers may not notice if our ducks are in a row, however they will notice (and remember) if just one of our ducks is out of line. costly detour for the long haul.
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CD
RICH ROBINSON FLUX (EAGLE RECORDS) BY RICK J BOWEN For his fifth solo album Flux, released in June of 2016, Black Crowes founding member Rich Robinson continues his southern blues rock journey and shows off the skills he has built along the way. The album opens with the dense psychedelic rocker “The Upstairs Land,” that shits and swells with layers of dynamics. The funky track “Shipwreck,” with its talk sing verses and big harmony chorus feels tailor made for Robinson’s brother Chris, but even though he doesn’t have gymnastic vocals skills of his brother, Rich does a fine job of delivering the soul. Charlie Starr of Blackberry Smoke, lends guitar alongside Robinson on the easy going “Music That Will Lift Me,” and the vibe stays positive with the tribal groove driven and gospel fueled “Everything’s Alright.” Robinson then pumps up the soul power on “Eclipse the Night,” followed by the lovely waltzing and expansive composition “Life.” The second half of the album downshifts from here beginning with the reverbed-out tribal rocker “Ides of Nowhere.” Robinson plays guitars, bass and thoroughly frenetic drums on the ballad “Time to Leave,” showing off his full range of skills. An Allman Brothers esque duel guitar lead opens the jazzy exploration ‘Astral,’ followed by the piano driven southern rocker “For to Give,” that also sounds like a lost cut from the Allman Brothers’ seminal 70s set, Eat A Peach. Robinson then digs into the grungy deep blues for “Which Way Your Wind Blows,” and the spacious “Surrender,” before mining the full depth of southern bedrock closing with the Zeppelin influenced “Sleepwalker.” Oh the mountains one can climb with open tuned loud guitars and big drums. RICHROBINSON.NET | WABLUES.ORG
REVIEWS
JOHN LISI & DELTA FUNK SHUT THE FRONT DOOR! (LOUISIANA RED HOT RECORDS) BY STEVE GOLDSTEIN The powerhouse horns and funky beat that greets you on SHUT THE FRONT DOOR informs you that the blues have arrived. Not just the blues. We’re talking bona fide, in your face, Delta Funk! It doesn’t take long for this New Orleans based guitar wizard to strut his stuff, shredding his Stratocaster and taking no prisoners along the way. With songs like “There Will Be” and “You Got Me There,” you know it’s the blues, you’re just not too sure where it’s taking you or where you’ll end up. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. The band’s familiar but uniquely fresh sound is evident on songs like the lively “Break In The Rain” and the descending rhythm and fun lyrics of “Java Man.” The raw, hard-edged funk on “Blue Hair Blonde” and “No Good Man” is nicely augmented with John’s tricone lap steel guitar. “Where’d Ya’ Go Radio?” features some delicious, Hendrix inspired guitar, while also showcasing the in-thepocket talents of Delta Funk! We’re told in no uncertain terms that “We Sho’ Ain’t Saints,” not even in New Orleans, with stomping blues that gives way to a jumpin’ gospel celebration. “Mariposa” is a fitting, genre hopping coda to this collection of 13 original songs. Delta Funk! (Eric Bernhardt on sax, Dr. Ian Smith on trumpet, Travis Blotzsky on baritone sax, Jacques Joshua on bass and Van Odom on drums) delivers the big, driving sound and powerful, live feel on SHUT THE FRONT DOOR! It’s all aided and abetted by Lisi’s and Queen Phleshette’s contrasting, but equally swampy vocals. But it’s John Lisi’s brilliant, multi-faceted guitar work that stands out front and center; blazing hot, comfortably warm, hard rocking, soulfully solid, and always in control. Laissez les bons temps rouler! JOHNLISI.COM
TERRI HENDRIX THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE SESSIONS (WILORY RECORDS) BY STEVE GOLDSTEIN With her latest endeavor, Terri Hendrix continues her ambitious Project 5 mission to release four albums and a book to be completed in June 2017. SLAUGHTERHOUSE SESSIONS PROJECT 5.2, due out on October 7th, 2016, is the second album in the series, each with a different theme, but all to be commonly joined together in the end. Named for a renovated slaughterhouse in El Prado, New Mexico where this album found life, Terri, along with producer and long time collaborator Lloyd Maines offer up 11 soulful tunes that not only reinforce Terri’s unique vocal skill, but also demonstrate that this San Antonio native has a firm handle on the blues. “The News” kicks things off with an airy vocal and sparse arrangement that sets the bar high for everything that follows. This is in sharp contrast to more upbeat and raucous tunes like “Bury The Devil,” “Ain’t It A Shame,” “One Of These Mornings,” and Dave Carter’s rustic “Crocodile Man” which all feature Terri’s spot on, Sonny Terry influenced blues harp. “Call You To The Carpet” is a punchy stomper that says that she ain’t gonna take any more dirty rotten lies. “The Lowdown” gives us a classic blues riff with a funky nod to Motown. “Double Shift Tuesday” is a folky blues co-written with Slaid Cleaves, that wonders how a hard working, dues paying person ends up in a dead end job with a deadbeat boss. It all comes to a nice end with A.P. Carter’s “Sun Of The Soul” which once again has a less-is-more arrangement. The whole album will hold you from start to finish with a mix of originals and covers by some of Terri’s heroes, like Elder Roma Wilson and J.C. Burris. Terri calls on her skillful band of regulars; Glenn Fukunaga on bass, Pat Menske and John Silva on drums and percussion, Riley Osbourn on keyboards, Bukka Allen on accordion, and Leeann Atherton on harmony vocals. Of course, every accolade possible should be given to Lloyd Maines. Besides his gifted contribution on just about any instrument with strings, his production is nothing less than astounding. The man form Lubbock instinctively knows what’s needed and will never be accused of over producing anything. THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE SESSIONS PROJECT 5.2 may not be the jumping off point for new listeners, but those familiar with the versatility of Terri Hendrix will not be disappointed by this latest installment in her Project 5 series. The songs dealing with serious, sometimes dark themes will leave you eagerly awaiting the next chapter in Terri’s fruitful journey . TERRIHENDRIX.COM
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By Tamma Hicks, STEAM Magazine
“one of of my my challenges challenges is is trying trying “one to explain explain something something that that to came so so easy easy to to me“ me“ came
OK, first thing. Is Hope Love really your name? Yes it is and my middle name is April, the month I was born in, I’m just glad that I wasn’t born in May. With a name like this I had the choice of being a stripper or an artist, so I chose art. That is so funny! I remember the first time I heard your name and I thought, “Why would an artist need to use a stage name?” Then the next was wondering if your parents are hippies? I get that all the time and when I was a kid I got made fun of a lot, but it didn’t help that my mom drove a VW bus that was hideous and yes, they are. They mellowed out over the years, but they are definitely hippies. I think there are nine Hope Love’s in the US. I don’t know that that is their given birth name, but it is mine Are you from Port Aransas? No, I moved here right after 9-11, so you could say I’m a native. I’m actually from Lubbock. You know, when 9-11 happened I realized how short life was, so I packed up my car, quit my job, and moved here with $700 in my pocket. And I’ve been here ever since. My mom was sad and my boss was sad, but that event just really opened my eyes to the idea that I needed to live life and not settle with being stuck. When did you realize that you wanted to be an artist and have people see your work? Well, I don’t think I ever really made that decision. I always
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INKED SLEEPING MERMAID
OCT 2016
Among
the Lone Star State’s finest tunesmiths, Bruce Robison has a knack for crafting deceptively straightforward songs around the universal struggles of modern life. His songs have a unique and significant personal touch, whether performed by someone else or himself, such as “Travelin' Soldier” recorded in 2003 by the Dixie Chicks, "Angry All the Time" recorded by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill in 2001, and "Wrapped" recorded in 2006 by George Strait. With many successes under his belt Bruce is a master at luring the audience into a vulnerable, captivating emotional core. Bruce has been calling his music simply “country” for the past 25 years. His philosophy has always been to let the music speak for itself, and his projects are all informed by bringing it back to basics in this labor of love. His songwriting philosophy is also readily apparent in his latest business venture, The Next Waltz. An oasis from the barrage of modern media, The Next Waltz experience is akin to a pre-technology era of sitting on a front porch talking and hanging with a great group of people. Like the acclaimed Food Network show Chopped, the artists get a secret basket of ingredients (great song, great studio, great band) and have to make something beautiful with what they’ve got because there aren’t any digital safety nets to fix any mistakes or falsely make anything better than what it really is. I noticed that you don’t make your way down to South Texas very often. Yeah, not a whole lot but I'm excited about coming down for the Fall Festival at Cinnamon Shore. Oh yeah it’s a great park atmosphere and it's a really fun festival. If you haven’t been down to Cinnamon Shore before you are in for a treat! It's a really neat community on the beach. I read that you have a big tour coming up with Charlie Robison (your brother) and Jack Ingram and this is for the album that the three of you did? Well, actually we did Unleashed Live years ago, when we were all the same label, and you know we've all just been friends forever so this is really a reunion tour. I think it's been 17 years and we never toured on this album. It’s crazy to think it’s been that long, but it’s great that you’re going out together like this. Yeah, you know we're just really excited to get to do this finally.
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Fall Festival 2016 @ Cinnamon Shore Bruce Robison with special guests Blue Water Highway 5009 tx hwy 361 Port Aransas tx
When I was looking at your website I saw that it’s connected to Kelly Willis’s. Is your wife joining you at Cinnamon Shore? No, not this time; it's me and my band. Most the time Kelly and I just do Christmas shows and we've done a few records together, but this time it's me and my band. You are a very talented songwriter and have written some terrific songs. Three have been huge number one hits for other artists.
Will you be performing those? Well, you know I'm really lucky to have written some great songs, have had them recorded by some fabulous artists, and that they've been so well-received; so quite honestly this is the best job there is! So for this show I'll be playing all those songs and many others. Well, let me tell you right now Traveling Soldier is one of my top 10 Bluegrass-country songs. I really love your performance of the song as much as the Dixie Chicks’. It’s just such a well written song. Thank you, thank you very much and really it's so much fun. I've recorded every song I've written and quite often when they've been recorded by other artists they're real similar to the way I would do it and other times they are very different but it's just a really great experience. I've done a lot of songs that weren’t big hits for other people but they were recorded by them like Garth Brooks, Gary Allan, and Lee Ann Womack, to name a few. Well, in honesty the songs that I know that you have written are timeless! Do you have any suggestions or advice to people who are either just stepping into the songwriter’s circle or are experiencing writer's block? Well, you know, I think you really have
to be true to yourself, you know. There the songs that I've done for other people that were rejected more times than not and you have to remember that you're in this because you love the music not because you’re going to get rich. So really it can be very frustrating at times but you really need to believe in yourself, in your ability, and get feedback from other people and believe in it.
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Earlier today we talked to Lauren Trahan, in your office, and she said that you were out in the boonies where there is no reception recording. So do you have a new album coming out soon? Yeah, I sure do! The first single comes out next month and the new record will be out towards the end of the year. The name of the single is Sweet Dreams and it'll be out on the Texas country radio stations and the country stations. I'm real excited about this! That's great news, so where are you recording that’s in the boonies? I've got a studio in Lockhart Texas which is just south of town (Austin). Look at the website TheNextWaltz.com, that's the where we put the music out from. I've got some other really good artist on there too and we do videos along with the songs. It's a great place to go to check out new music.
Bruceandkellyshow.com | Thenextwaltz.com Cinnamonshore.com
OWEN SHELLY FUNDRAISER FOR LUNG TRANSPLANT EXPENSES
Animal Tracks Inc Daily Agua Dulce, TX Get up close and personal with our animals! take an unforgettable tour of our ranch in agua dulce and create some amazing memories with one of our incredible animal experiences. Amazing Scavenger Hunt Adventure Daily Emily Morgan Hotel, San Antonio Turn San Antonio into a giant game board with this fun scavenger hunt adventure. Combine the excitement of the Amazing Race with a three-hour city tour. Guided from any smart phone, teams make their way among well-known and overlooked gems of the city, solving clues and completing challenges while learning local history. Shine For Life 10/29 Port Aransas Carwash Fundraiser!
Bikefest 9/22 Concrete Street Amphitheater Corpus Christi
UPDATE‌ Owen received double lung transplant surgery at the end of July. The recovery progress is slow, however he was released from the hospital in mid-August. Owen continues to grow stronger each and every day. Thank you for your continued support, donations, and prayers! ~ In 2012, Owen was diagnosed with pulmonary capillary hemangiomatosis (PCH) which is characterized by an overabundance of capillaries in the lungs and can cause pulmonary hypertension (PH) and heart failure. Owen had both PH and heart failure which made the simplest tasks of daily living impossible. The only treatment for his condition was double lung transplant. Owen and his wife Lindsey have three children, Tiler, Lionel, and Lucy, ages 6, 4, and 2. They relocated to San Antonio in June Thank you for supporting and donating to Owen Shelly’s fundraiser. Our goal is to raise $100,000. This amount will cover monthly expenditures including housing, food, childcare, transportation, and health care not covered by insurance as well as insurance premiums, transplant aftercare, and medications. Owen, his family and friends appreciate your support! newcovenanturc.org/ fundraiser-owen-shelly
Zeigen Bock Music Festival! 10/29 Concrete Street Amphitheater, Corpus Christi STEAM Magazine 4th Annual Art Show & Speed Painting Event October 7-9 Holiday Inn North Padre Island in Corpus Christi Join us for an evening of food, drinks, music, and ART! Russian Grand Ballet October 5 & 9 Beaumont and San Antonio STEAM Magazine has ticket giveaways! Keep your eyes on our Facebook page, Twitter account, & our website for your chance to win!
HAVE AN EVENT COMING UP? Then let us know! submissions@steamtx.com
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By Tamma Hicks, STEAM Magazine
Steven James & The Jaded caught the ears of the Texas Country
Scene in early 2016 after their debut single "Weak In The Knees" broke the Top 40 on the Texas Regional Radio charts. Now they've followed-up their debut hit, with the release of their new single "Texas Girls" off their recently released album "On The Run." It's a song Steven James calls a "tribute to the best women in the world."
In a way, their new single "Texas Girls" is the band's thank you to
Texas Music fans. It was voted "Best New Single" on the Texas Charts three times by Texas Music Pickers, and received the "highest debut" recognition on the Texas Regional Radio charts. Produced by Grammy-Nominated Producer, Dylan Ely, at The Loop Studios in the band's hometown of Corpus Christi, the new single and forthcoming album serve up the hooky, melodic Texas rock Steven James & The Jaded have become known for, with a polished finish.
Recently Steven and his beautiful wife Jessica had their first child. We caught up with him as he was headed to the daycare and discussed the new album and going on tour. First, congratulations on the little guy! So how do you like being a daddy? I am loving it! In fact I get to go pick him up right now and that’s the best part of my day! That’s great! Enjoy him now, he’ll be ready to move out before a blink of an eye! I was just listening to your new record On The Road with your single Texas Girls. Really, a great album. So, how do you like doing Texas Country instead of Rock? Well, I really love it because you know I was always kind of the country guy in my bands, you know. There were two or three guys that would write the rock songs and I was always a little more country and bluesy, you know. After years of playing in the rock scene I saw that there was just so much more going on in the Texas Country scene, from radio stations and publications like STEAM Magazine, you know. There just seems to be more like a party going on and I OCT 2016
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wanted to be part of it and so I just dove headfirst into the Texas Country scene and I have been accepted with open arms and the reception has been wonderful.
album but they could in the future. You know I did help Rich write the hooks I think the fact that your music is good theme, I'm Hooked, so every time I'm at is the plus that makes those arms so a ballgame and that comes on I take a welcoming. You mentioned that the video and send it to him. other guys wrote the rock songs, so did you write all the songs on this album? Very cool, I didn’t know that! I was just Yeah, actually I wrote everything on this looking at your schedule and you've album and Baby L.A., my debut album. got 5 or 6 dates coming up real soon You know everything I play or write starting on October 1st at the Execuabout is about my life and my experitive Surf Club in Corpus Christi and I ences because I really don't know anythink the last one is on November 12th thing else to write about. in New Braunfels at the Phoenix Saloon. Have you ever written for or with anyYeah, on the 1st I’m for opening for Larone else? ry Joe Taylor. We head up to New Actually, the guys I grew up with in HouBraunfels every month, you know, since ston which includes Rich O'Toole, we the baby and with everything going on, I get together once a year and cruise out try not to be out of town too much; so to like Port Aransas or somewhere and once or twice a month so we're headed we write songs and help each other somewhere like Austin, Houston, New finish other songs that are just dangling Braunfels, San Antonio. I actually want out there, so I've really written with to get up to San Angelo where Texas friends and for friends like that but I Girls has been making a big scene so I’d don't think any of them made it on an really like to get up there and play soon.
Will you be headed down south as well to the Valley and South Padre Island? You know when I was in high school we used to go down and party in South Padre but I really haven't spent a lot of time down there since, but that's about to change so I'm checking to see where we can play. So tell me about the guys in your band. I've got Adam Holloway on drums he's been with me since going solo. He was in Violet Crush and he was also in the Weekday Boys with Wayne so they work really well together. Matt Martinez on bass and he also plays in Arcade Hustlers which is a pretty cool psychedelic-jazz-soul band that's going on here in Corpus. And then Wayne Maroney, who was in the Weekday Boys which was a good reggae band from this area you know. I handpicked them pretty much so these guys are all really good and since they've all been in other bands they know how to work
and they know how to get the job done. We don't waste a lot of time. That's awesome because those are the types of people you need to surround yourself with; people that are there for the music and to do it right. Tell me about your future plans. Are you looking to go back in the studio right away or are you taking this “on the road”? Pun intended! Well you know I write all the time and I probably have enough material for two more records and I'll probably write a bunch between now and then, but at this point we're going to tour with Texas Girls and On The Road this fall. This spring we’re going to release the second single Dance With Me Tonight and then we'll tour on that. And on that song we actually borrowed the fiddle player from the Jake Ward Band, Owen Fitzsimmons. He's just phenomenal and, in fact, that song was the last one that I wrote just as we were going into the studio for the last time. I think it really is like a peek into the direction that our next album is going. I really want to have more fiddle, some saxophone, maybe trumpet. You know, just some more instruments to round out this sound.
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And you recorded with Dylan Eli Loop Studios ? Yep, Grammynominated producer! He is great! I worked with him on the Shakedown’s album, so we have a good working relationship over the last five years. And he's another one of those “this is what we want to do, this is how we're going to do it,” sit down and do it kind of guys. I like that. By the way the Shakedown album is one of my favorite local albums and it's by my CD player all the time. I don't think I’ve asked you before, but what other instruments do you play besides guitar? Well, on the first album, Baby L.A., I played everything except drums. I'm actually in OK drummer, but I just had a way better guy for that. Guitar, bass, drums, piano, and organ. I just got a
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to finish with a Thank You to the Texas Country scene for being so good to me! You know it's really like a family and I really feel that I've just been welcomed in and I'm really excited about the future!
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banjo, so I'm going to start messing around with that, because I’d love to hear that on the next record. That's my new hobby and it’s pretty hard, so I'm going to take time to learn it. So you took all the talent I could ever have plus from a few other people I know. I'm a good Roadie how's that? Well, I'm not a very good roadie so that's good. Hey, you know I’d just like
10/1 @ Executive Surf Club CCTX 10/8 @ Firehouse Saloon, Houston,TX 10/15 @ Cassidy's Irish Pub CCTX 10/20 @ Vino Mio Social Club, CCTX 11/12 @ Phoenix Saloon New Braunfels, TX
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