STEAM Magazine South Texas Entertainment Art Music volume 3 issue 12 March 2015

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Words by Tamma Hicks, STEAM Magazine

STEAM TR3N is a pretty unique name, how did you come up with it?

TR3N We are a Spanish/ English Rock Band from Mcallen Tx. Originally TR3N had started the band as a 3 piece so the 3 in TR3N stood for the 3 men in the band. What is interesting about this is that we were all lead singers in our own band, so it felt very easy to work with each other in 3 part harmonies. A few months after that, we started looking for a bassist to complete the band. We had already developed a following so we decided to keep the 3 in TR3N. It naturally grew together and the rest, as they say, is history.

STEAM Who are the band members and how long have you been together?

TR3N We’ve been together for two and a half years after getting together at an unexpected show in Downtown McAllen, TX. We

are: Greg Garza "Arzalez" (Vocals/Guitar), Jesse Ray Jimenez (Vocals/Guitar), Josh Moroles (Vocals/Drums), and Frank Muñiz (Bass/Vocals).

STEAM How do you choose which songs fit your style?

TR3N Our style is all over the place but in a controlled musical style that flows easily. Our shows are a wide musical variety of sounds including: reggae, rock, alternative, mariachi, and Latin rhythms. At any moment one of our songs can go from Reggae to Hard Rock with a different type of break down while still keeping the same rhythm of the song. Our newest song “Ball Room Love Affair” is a true testament to this, during the song it has a rock solid beat that goes into a big band swing feel.

STEAM Tell me about your original songs. What inspires the music you write?

TR3N We draw inspiration from many situations including personal experiences, topics we feel strongly about, and being on the road. Greg actually finished “Cuidado Con El Tr3n” on the way tone of our Austin gigs.

STEAM Do you have an album out now? Are you planning on going into a studio or are you already recording?

TR3N Our debut album will be completed and released in April 2015. Just in time for our road trip to the Julien Film Festival in Dubuque Iowa where we will be debuting much of our new music for many well respected film producers, directors and Nenad Bach, the famous Croatian composer who has worked with the likes of Bono from U2.

STEAM So where can we see you?

TR3N March and April are filled with Austin Tx and local dates around the Rio Grande Valley as well as Dubuque IA. We’ll be at the Hard Rock Café in Puerto Rico in May. Following our Reverbnation (reverbnation.com/tr3n) and Facebook (Facebook.com/tr3n956) pages are the easiest ways to keep up with us. We also have a YouTube channel (Youtube.com/ Tr3nrgv).

STEAM Is there anything that I have missed? Or do you have something you’d like to share?

TR3N Music is a Universal Language and we truly appreciate the venues and fans that come out to see us. We would like to send a special shout out to all our family, friends, and fans we have met on our musical journey. Thank you!

CONTENTS SOUTH TEXAS CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE FOR UPDATES & ANNOUNCEMENTS

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MAR 2015 VOL. 3 ISS. 12

ENTERTAINMENT 18 3RD COAST FOODIE MIKEL MAY’S BEACHSIDE BAR & GRILL

20 TROUBADOUR INSIGHTS

ART 12 JAY’E JONES: ADVENTURES IN TATTOOING 22 AROUND TOWN

MUSIC 3 LOCAL TUNES: TR3N RODEO CONCERTS 8 HUNTER HAYES 10 THE BAND PERRY 17 GARY ALLEN

PUBLISHER RUSTY HICKS EDITOR TAMMA HICKS COMICS EDITOR ALLENE HICKS STAFF WRITERS RICK BOWEN, DALE MARTIN, TAMMA HICKS, JON-PAUL JONES CONTRIBUTING WRITERS J MICHAEL DOLAN, DEREK SIGNORE, ADAM DAWSON STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS ALLENE HICKS, RUSTY HICKS, JON-PAUL JONES, KEVIN MCDERMOTT TO ADVERTISE WITH US 361-904-4339 SALES@STEAMTX.COM SEE US ONLINE AT WWW.STEAMMAGAZINE.NET WANT YOUR CD, BOOK, OR SHOW REVIEWED? HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? SUBMISSIONS@STEAMTX.COM

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COMICS 6 CD REVIEWS 7 NEW MOVIES 9

NEW CDS 9 QUICK READ 5

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

NO REGRETS J. Michael Dolan (:19) In spite of all the doubt, risk, struggle, insecurity, and uncertainty, I’ve never known a musician who regretted being one. I’ve never met an entrepreneur who dreamed of having a 9-5 job.

I never knew an actor who didn’t figure out a way to accept rejection. I’ve never met a writer who was satisfied with the first draft. I’ve never seen a committed business owner retreat from a company challenge. Whatever barriers rise to block our way, the mere process of creating, conceiving, experi-

“I'm looking for the truth. The audience doesn't come to see you, they come to see themselves.”

—Julianne Moore, Best Actress

Oscar’s lessOn J. Michael Dolan (:21) Whether or not you were nominated for an Oscar, SAG, Emmy or Grammy this year, and whether or not you’re a seasoned pro or a struggling artist, the message is crystal clear: Hold your desire for excellence high above your craving for riches and fame. Given you now have the opportunity to present your work to thousands if not millions of people, continue to strive for mastery over mediocrity. Commit to learning all you can about your particular craft and business, and absorb as much knowledge about our ever-changing industry as you can hold. You’ll end up “ahead of the pack” with more confidence, and a greater, more worthy expression of your unique talent.

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www.theawkwardyeti.com | www.lunarbaboon.com

GOODNIGHT TEXAS UNCLE JOHN FAQUHAR (TALLEST MAN) As the The San Francisco-based quartet, Goodnight Texas, have taken the idea of “retro music” a quantum leap further. Their sophomore album Uncle John Farquhar, released in August of 2014, is set up as a scrapbook of tales from the Civil War and Reconstruction eras.

The album's 13 songs are a mixture of shout and stomp neo-folk, banjopickin’ bluegrass, and lonesome Western country, inspired by stories and letters uncovered from digging through books and archives. Two of the artifacts collected from Patrick Wolf's great, great grandfather John Farquhar, for whom the album was named, include a sermon Farquhar delivered on the passing of Abraham Lincoln and several letters he wrote home after visiting a hospital just outside of Gettysburg, VA. The sound of the album is lush and expansive, featuring all acoustic instruments and tight vocal harmonies.

It was recorded with an up-closeand-personal contemporary vibe.

The pop sensibility of lead single “Button You Collar,” with its singalong hook and clap-your-hands chorus, makes you forget it was written as homage to the world of 150 years ago. The hoedown continues for the jaunty “A Bank Robbers Nursery Rhyme,” with Patrick Wolf’s nimble banjo doubling the vocal line. That strong use of banjo as lead instru-

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Rick J Bowen

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ment continues during the lonely ballad “I Just Can’t Stop leaving Town," where it's mixed with a lovely counterpoint of pedal steel to create a sweeping aesthetic. The deep blues of “Cold Riders” sends a chill up your spine with every hit of the deep kick drum.

Two tracks dig deep in to the sorrow of the era: the hymn to the fallen called “Many Miles from Blacks-

MAGNUS BERG CUT ME LOOSE (SCREEN DOOR RECORDS) First you see his wide eyed pink and peach fuzzed young face and think “no way,’ he’s just kid,” then you hear his voice, a gravely baritone with a touch of southern drawl and then his guitar rips with a gritty blue tone and all one can do is shake your head in disbelief at Magnus Berg, a 18 year old wonder kid from Norway.

His debut album, Cut Me Loose, released in November 2014, is a fantastic collaboration of Berg and his seasoned band Bjørn Tore “Daffy” Larsen on harmonica, Håvard Sunde on drums and Roy Oscar Pettersen on bass, and producer Erik Boyd and mentor and songwriting partner Kirsten Thien. The seven originals and three classic covers showcase Berg’s talent and serve as jumping off point for his career.

The riff-based title track opens the album with a blend of teen angst and road warrior blues as Berg serves up his pent up energy. The tempo shifts to a southern two beat boogie for the jaunty “One Way To Please,” with Berg and Larsen doubling the hook melody before trading solos.

Berg then delivers a convincing Texas shuffle on “Drifting,” and a Death letter styled blues “When You Leave.” Berg tackles the old chestnut “Kansas City Blues,” with spritely finger picking and notches up the tempo of Freddie King’s classic instrumental “San-Ho-Zay.” New York Chanteuse Kirsten Thien sweetly sings the country ballad “When It’s

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burg,” and “Dearest Sarah,” based on an actual Civil War letter written from husband to wife in 1861. The latter is respectfully recited with waltzing and close harmonies. Sullivan Ballou's letter is read in the Ken Burns film Civil War, which inspired Avi Vincour to set it to music. It certainly would make a fine addition to that film's soundtrack.

To lift the mood, the band delivers the old-time holler “Hello Nebraska,” which reflects the optimism of America’s Western expansion in the last half of the 1800s, and possibly gives us a glimpse of the next musical research project we can expect from Goodnight Texas.

formation of Willie Dixon’s bump and grinder “Hoochie Coochie Man,” into a Stonsey loose ramble is a refreshing new take, although all that sexual bravado is a bit much to swallow from a teen ager. “Saint Pete Boogie,” is a bit of a Hooker and Gibbons re-vamp but like the album as a whole is delivered with conviction.

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Words by Derek Signore, Sound Magazine

Awards vary across the celebrity spectrum and in the case of the Country Music Association’s Best New Artist Award Hunter Hayes, the 2012 recipient earned metal for his ‘intense and single-minded dedication to his music.’ What makes him stand out against a crowd of other recent winners is his definition of the craft he performs. He is an artist and this is his job.

Define it by stamina; define it by expertise (he played all of the nearly 30 instruments on his freshman release).

Hunter is an artist who is good at his job. A job we would find out affords him no days off. Many will remember him for the thought provoking, emotion inducing performance of ‘Invisible” as the 2014 Grammy awards. In a world where musicians often fall into the trap of preaching their message Hunter knew that would not befall him. “I wasn’t looking to deliver a message. I wanted to start a conversation. What does the song mean to you?” Combined with visual showcasing quotes from fellow musicians, Johnny Depp and Lady Gaga, that conversation quickly started across both social feeds and the audience members, both seated in the auditorium and at home. ”You always dream that one day you will write a song that will mean something to someone, but you never think that the song will end up changing you as well.”

Hunter’s sophomore release, “Storyline”, was released in May and his excitement for the world to hear his new band, which he collaborated with on this new release, is still evident. “For my first record I played every instrument myself, so I knew going into the studio again I wanted to work with my fellow musicians, if not only for the sake of experimentation.”

How was he able to filter down the list of possible candidates?

He didn’t have to look too far. “Out on tour is when I realized how talented my onstage

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See Hunter @ Houston Rodeo 3/4 @ 6:45 PM www.hunterhayes.com

performers were and, over time as we got closer, I realized I would be a fool not to at least attempt to work with them on the new record. They all had their own unique voice on their instruments, which is something I wanted as part of the new material.”

Bringing in his tour team on the album also allowed him to focus on efforts outside the studio, including his world record-breaking tour, the 24-Hour Road Race to End Childhood Hunger, an event that took nearly two years in planning. “It’s amazing the rules and stipulations there are when you try and attempt to break a world record,” Hunter said of the record-breaking attempt that saw him perform at 10 venues in 10 different cities during the 24hour period. Beginning May 9th, at 8:17 a.m. with a concert in Times Square on ABC’s Good Morning America and from there his road trip took him to Boston and Worcester in Massachusetts; Providence, R.I.; New London, New Haven, and Stamford in Connecticut; South Orange and Asbury Park in New Jersey, with the closing show in Philadelphia. More important, though, than the world record for “most live concerts in different cities” Hunter pointed out, was to bring light to a charity he supports. “The main thing we were looking to do is bring awareness to child hunger. We found a really cool way for fans not only to be part of this record attempt, but to raise money for that campaign as well.”

In the mist of all this, the young artist also had time to pay tribute to one of his inspirations, recording his own rendition of the Elton John classic “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” as part of the record reissue out now. The album also features Fall Out Boy, The Band Perry, and more performing tracks from the legend’s breakthrough album. “It was an amazing opportunity but also pretty nerve-racking at the same time. I don’t often make rules for recording and my rule for that song was that I was not going to play piano. It was risky because you want to pay homage to the source material, but with your own unique spin and I think we succeeded at that. Here’s hoping Elton likes it.”

It’s rare that such a youth earns ink for his craft and not for making headlines in the police blotter. In a world where Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus are revered as icons it’s comforting to know that the youth out there has a welcoming alternative, someone who still appreciates what it’s like to live the life he leads while never forgetting where he came from.

MARCH ALBUM RELEASES Tuesday 3 March Aero Flynn Aero Flynn AJR Living Room Au.Ra Jane's Lament Brandi Carlile The Firewatcher’s Daughter Brodinski Br∂v∂ Gateway Drugs Magick Spells Jeff the Brotherhood Wasted On The Dream La Batteria La Batteri Moon Duo Shadow Of The Sun Never Shout Never Recycled Youth (Volume 1) Of Montreal Aureate Gloom Purity Ring Another Eternity Ryan Culwell Flatlands Swervedriver I Wasn't Born To Lose You Tuesday 10 March Aero Flynn Aero Flynn ANAMAI Sallows Beans On Toast The Grand Scheme of Things Cancer Bats Searching For Zero DTCV Uptime!

Enslaved In Times Evans the Death Expect Delays Jeff the Brotherhood Wasted On The Dream Madonna Rebel Heart Matthew E. White Fresh Blood Taylor Berrett Great Falls Will Butler Policy Young Guv Ripe 4 Luv Tuesday 17 March AWOLNATION Run Houndmouth Little Neon Limelight Inventions Maze Of Woods Modest Mouse Strangers To Ourselves Nic Hessler Soft Connections Nick Lutsko Etc. Simon Joyner Grass, Branch & Bone Sleeping With Sirens Madness Twin Shadow Eclipse Monday 23 March Brodinski Br∂v∂

Seafood & Steaks International Cuisine Vegan/Vegetarian Fare Fine Desserts Absinthe Parlor Craft Cocktails Beer & Wine

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Dream A Garden Short Movie Tuesday 24 March Bala Brothers Bala Brothers Etiquette Reminisce Gabrielle Papillon The Tempest Of Old Hit the Lights Summer Bone Hollerado 111 Songs Humming House Revelries Jimmy Whispers Summer In Pain Kodaline Coming Up For Air Laura Marling Short Movie Lightning Bolt Fantasy Empire Liturgy The Ark Work LoneLady Hinterland People Of The North Era Of Manifestations Portico Living Fields Steve Grand All American Boy The Cribs For All My Sisters The Go! Team The Scene Between Them Are Us Too Remain Vetiver Complete Strangers Monday 30 March Benoît Pioulard Sonnet Donato Dozzy And Anna Caragnano Sintetizzatrice Only Real Jerk At The End Of The Line Tuesday 31 March Boxed In Boxed In Death Cab for Cutie Kintsugi Föllakzoid III Hollywood Undead Day Of The Dead Jerry Paper Carousel Lower Dens Escape From Evil Marching Church This World Is Not Enough Ringo Starr Postcards From Paradise Ron Sexsmith Carousel One Sufjan Stevens Carrie & Lowell The Prodigy The Day Is My Enemy The Soft Moon Deeper The Sonics This Is The Sonics The Staves If I Was UFOmammut Ecate

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band in Country Music today. With a highenergy live show and tremendous crossover potential The Band Perry are rewriting the rules for not only the industry, but for music fans as a whole, turning them onto a genre of music they never knew they loved. We had a chance to speak with Reid Perry to discuss the band’s success, both on and off the stage.

STEAM As the three members of the band are family members, one has to question how you all stay so close and drama free. When other such bands, like oasis and the Kings of Leon, struggle?

TBP I think the credit goes to our parents. They always instilled that we would be friends, even on the threat of grounding. They always made sure we that we got along. One time they actually took us to the front window and pointed out saying, ‘Out there is an big old world that’s going to want to tear you apart, but you’re not going to do that in this house.’ I think the other element is that there is a lot of mutual respect for each other as musicians. You’re not just going to be in this band because your name is Perry; you have to earn your sport spot.

STEAM The band was featured on The Voice as part of Team Blake’s advisory panel. Watching young and upcoming talent perform your songs on such shows do you ever find yourself in disagreeance with the judges as they rate the performances of your material?

TBP We’re always honored to know that our songs are popular enough to be picked and featured on shows like that. Before this group we started off as a cover band and I love and respect anyone that can cover material and put their own spin on it because we’ve done that to. While we might not always agree with the judges, we appreciate everyone who has ever used their precious airtime to perform our material.

STEAM Pioneer has been out for over a year now. What is the song that has surprised you the most in terms of fan reaction, the song that really they really got behind?

TBP That’s interesting. I think that honestly depends on where we are playing. Over the past year we’ve had a chance to perform in over 14 different countries and I feel like each country has

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HOUSTON RODEO 3/20 @ 6:45PM WWW.THEBANDPERRY.COM

their own track. In Europe it seemed like the title track, “Pioneer”, was the fan favorite, no matter the language barrier. Here in the states and Canada “I’m a Keeper” seemed to be the most popular.

STEAM The band has such a high-energy performance out on tour, to the point where it resembles the energy of the hard rock performance. What inspires that kind of performance for you and were you concerned that kind of high energy show might turn off hardened Country Music fans?

TBP I think that inspiration comes again from our parents. Our mother is a huge music fan, from country music to pop, and our dad was a huge rock ‘n roll fan; with both championing different kinds of music. We’ve blended the elements of both as best we can. We are very emotional performers, meaning if we had a good day, you’re going to see that on stage. If someone made us mad, you’re going to see that as well. It’s where we are in that moment and to be honest, the best shows are those where we take the stage mad (laughing).

STEAM The band has had a tremendous crossover effect

Words by Derek Signore Sound Magazine

on terrestrial radio without losing your country music roots.

What do you credit that to?

TBP I think that no matter what song is crossing over it all starts with what the story is saying. No matter what genre you’re a fan of the story is the reason you are listening. I think the stories we tell are able to reach across different genres to the masses.

STEAM Congratulations on your 2015 Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for your adaptation of Glen Campbell‘s ‘Gentle on My Mind.’ As a country musician is the Grammys the pinnacle of music achievement?

TBP I think the Grammys are the top award a musician can be honored with. We might have been at this for 15 years, but only five of such have been in the public eye and an award like this is a tremendous benchmark for us.

STEAM PICKS FOR MARCH ENTERTAINMENT USS LEXINGTON TIME YOU EXPLORED WHEN WAS THE LAST THE BLUE GHOST? CHRISTI NORTH BEACH, CORPUS OPEN DAILY 9AM-5PM

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MIKEL MAY’S BEECHSIDE BAR & GRILL, ON BOB HALL PIER, CORPUS CHRISTI THURSDAYS FREE SALSA DANE LESSONS, FRIDAYS WITH FABIAN RIVERA, SATURDAYS WITH RUBEN LIMAS, 3/7 BEACH STONE RISE, 3/14 JOHNNY TEQUILA, 3/20 JAZ & THE JETTYMEN, 3/21 BEACH STONE RISE, 3/28 WALTER MIDI BAND GIGGITY’S, 722 TARPON ST, PORT ARANSAS LIVE MUSIC EVERY NIGHT! SUNDAYS: ANTONE & THE ALL STARS, MONDAYS: OPEN JAM, TUESDAYS WITH PAUL TAYLOR BAND, THURSDAYS: FREE BEER BAND, 3/4 FLETCHER CLARK, 3/6 ULRICH ELLISON & THE TRIBE, 3/7 BEAU WALKER BAND, 3/11 RUBEN LIMAS, 3/13 BUBBA WESTLEY BAND, 3/14 SHELLY KING BAND, 3/18 TIFFANY, 3/20 PAUL ORTA, 3/21 TODD DORN & THE SEA DRIFTERS, 3/25 BILLY SNIPES, 3/27 THE DAZE, 3/28 TY DIETZ BAND RED’S SPORTS BAR, 5114 CARROLL LN, CORPUS CHRISTI SUNDAYS - DJ, WEDNESDAYS - BENTO RAMON, 3/6 VINYL, 3/7 TRISUM, 3/13 3 IN A ROW, 3/14 PROFILE, 3/17 JOHN CORTEZ BAND, 3/20 TRISUM, 3/21 LYRICAL BYNGE, 3/27 CATHOUSE , 3/28 JOHN CORTEZ BAND SHORTY’S, 823 TARPON ST, PORT ARANSAS 3/6 FLETCHER CLARK, 3/7 INDEPENDENT THIEVES, 3/13 MANDY ROWDEN, 3/14 TIFFANY, 3/20 TY DIETZ 7 TONY SARACENE, 3/21 RUBEN & THE ROLLING JAYS, 3/27 BILLY SNIPES, 3/28 HOLD FAAST FABLES THEO’S BILLIARDS, 5815-B WEBER RD, CORPUS CHRISTI 3/15 UFC 185 THEO’S BONESHAKERS, 4528 WEBER RD, CORPUS CHRISTI METAL MONDAYS; THROWBACK TUESDAYS WITH MUSIC FROM THE 70s 80s & 90s, WEDNESDAYS: AN EVENING WITH ELVIS (SONGS AND KARAOKE); THURSDAYS: OPEN MIC; LIVE MUSIC EVERY FRIDAY & SATURDAY, 3/15 UFC 185 FRONTIER SALOON, 9709 LEOPARD ST, CORPUS CHRISTI THURSDAYS: KARAOKE WITH HOLLY ADAMS; 3/7 JUL & THE CHROME WHEELS, 3/14 JIMMY WILDEN, 3/21 JOHN CORTEZ BAND, 3/28 DUKE E BROWN

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KEEP ON GIVING! Just because the holiday season is over doesn’t mean the local community food banks aren't still in need of your help!

Support your local community by donating: NON-PERISHABLE FOOD BABY AND TODDLER SUPPLIES MONETARY DONATIONS The Food Bank Of Corpus Christi 826 Krill Street, Corpus Christi, TX 78408 Alice Food Pantry 311 East Main Street, Alice, TX 78332 Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley 724 North Cage Boulevard, Pharr, TX 78577 San Antonio Food Bank 5200 West Old Us Highway 90, San Antonio, TX 78227 Donations can also be made at your local HEB; just ask your cashier!

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the shop. I keep it simple now…one or two international conventions a year. My favorite by far is the Expo de Guadalajara!!! As for awards, I don’t know, they’re in boxes somewhere in my garage. I really don’t even compete anymore, I just go to have a good time, make new friends and ogle all the amazing talent that attends! I’m not in this occupation for any kind of recognition, I just like making art, meeting awesome people, traveling and having fun working with an insanely kind and talented crew while I do it.

Continued From Page 13 Don’t get me wrong, I love making pretty pictures, sleeves, back pieces, chest piece etc.….but working with scars usually comes with a deep emotional reason behind getting the work. Whether their scar was from an accident, or surgery (I work on a lot of double mastectomy clients,) covering a scar like that has a real healing power to it. Tattooing has always carried an element of “healing” for many people. Not just from the endorphins and adrenalin that run through your body while getting the tattoo, but the emotional outcome of erasing a bad memory, or highlighting a great one.

STEAM A lot of pictures of you are mirror images and you have a mirror image tattoo on your chest. Can you explain the double / STEAM mirror image?

What’s the “Tattooing has always Celebrities – meaning carried an element of can you say behind it? Are who you’ve “healing” for many tattooed and you a Gemini? people. ” what you’ve JAY’E I’m done on them? seriously addicted to my mirror photo JAY’E I am very private app. That’s it, it’s that simple with my celebrity clients, but I haha. I’m an Aquarius….but have had the honor of working I’m currently crushing on a on many rock stars, and actors.

Gemini, if that counts for anything! As for my chest STEAM Can you tell us piece (tattooed by one of my artists Anya Gladun,) the origi- about tattooing Wayne Static? nal artwork is from one of my I saw that you tattooed his favorite painters Audrey Kawa- hand prints with his ashes on saki. I had a print of that paint- Tera Wray Static. Can you tell ing on my wall for about two me about that? Techie quesyears before I finally made the tion! When you tattoo using plunge and got it as my chest someone’s ashes (mom, dad, loving pet, whoever) what piece. I couldn’t love it more!! happens to the ashes – do they get absorbed in the body or do STEAM We think the they just stay in that one place idea covering scars with tattoo for life like the ink? is very creative. Is this a com- JAY’E I befriended Wayne mon practice? and Tera Static roughly seven JAY’E I absolutely LOVE years ago. I had met them once working with scars. Every off-roading (what everyone client’s scars are different from does out here in the desert,) the last, so techniques vary. but really got to know them Scars from burns, for example when they started swinging by can be thin, or very puffy. The the shop, and eventually came more puffy and texturized they in to get tattooed by me. The are, the harder they are to first time I tattooed them, I did tattoo. Sometimes, you can just the one thing that I never do graze the surface, rebreaking on anyone – each other’s the skin, and it will regenerate names. I always advice against as normal healthy skin. Some- this, for many reasons but this times, it can just create more was one exception that I made scar tissue. Scars should be at and I’m glad I did. Wayne and least a year old, and not have Tera were very sweet, very any pink, or healing skin left. generous and amazing friends This kind of tattooing is a huge and clients. Wayne will be part of missed greatly, and Tera is so my love strong and really handling for tat- everything the best way she tooing in can. I couldn’t be more proud general. of her. Since Wayne’s passing,

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Start of Back Piece: I did this over three days. She flew me to Kansas to tattoo her. The top sunset schnitzel was done one day in about four hours. It is 3 days old in this picture, so it is starting to peel already. The cherry blossom poofs on the tree were split into two 1-hour sessions over the next 2 days. She was pretty sore, but she took it like a champ (left).

Radio Arm Piece (above).

Back Piece Completed (below).

Continued the future? we have been spending Does it quite a bit of time together, and have really “The first time I tattooed i n v o l v e become good friends. them, I did the one thing that aweThe other day she that I never do on any- s o m e Fender passed some of Wayne’s one...” you just equipment onto me, got? which was really awesome and super sweet of her. A little JAY’E I keep my plans pretty while ago, I started the first (of open for the future. I try to travel as many) memorial pieces for Wayne on much as possible and see the world.

Tera. Before having Wayne cremat- I’m not married, and my dogs are my ed, Tera got his handprints done. I only kids, so I try to leave my optook his ashes, filtered out the bone tions open. My future will definitely fragments, and dissolved them into involve my sweet new Tele, via my some black ink (Tera’s special bottle, AWESOME dad over Christmas. just for her.) As for how the ashes Really, I have the greatest Dad ever. I stay on the skin it has been argued hope to be a 10th of the musician that that the ashes can dissolve into the he is someday! If you get the chance, skin, separating from the ink, but check out Corpus Christie’s local either way, it’s the meaning behind it genius The Walter Midi Band, my that counts. I then tattooed his dad will be the one shredding guitar! handprints on her sides, placed right As for playing music on my end, I’ve where he would always hold her. It always been the jack of all trades and was a very emotional and humbling master of none. I played Clarinet, experience. Up next for her, is a back and bass clarinet for nine years growpiece and sleeve (for Wayne,) featur- ing up – (Marching band, symphonic ing artwork from the Wayne Static band, jazz band and winter drumFacebook page fan art contest that line.) I began playing piano at a was held in December. young age, and guitar when I was 12.

STEAM What are your plans for

These days I predominantly play

guitar, mandolin, and ukulele…little bit of keys, and I’m currently learning the accordion. I’m always working weekends, so playing with a band hasn’t been a thing for me for many years now. I mostly just jam with friends, and rarely show up at an open mic now and again.

STEAM When you’re on vacation – do you still do work? Like when you come to Corpus Christi do you take appointments? By the way, I’m a chicken so this is just a question.

JAY’E I’m technically on vacation right now; does this interview count as work? Haha. Till about a year ago, I would always work wherever I traveled; Texas, New Jersey, Kansas, New York, all over Mexico, all over everywhere, really. Tattooing has taken me to some really beautiful places around the world, and introduced me to so many wonderful new friends! …Then I discovered what a real vacation is. Now I leave my equipment home half the time and really try to enjoy life, adventure and traveling everywhere I can.

Jay’e with equipment and Tele ready for the future (top). Tera & Wayne Static and their matching tattoos (right). Tera showing off her “special” tattoos (left).

In case you’re still wondering, “Pigments implanted beneath the growing layer are in the dermis or supporting layer of the skin and are not removed by the natural process of skin turnover. The body recognizes pigment granules as foreign material and there are cells whose function is to remove such material by engulfing them and transporting it to the lymph glands. These cells are unable to engulf pigment granules every certain size and, therefore, the body seem to surround them at their microscopic level by a thin layer of fibrous or scar tissue. And they become permanently trapped in the dermis.”- (source: www.thenakedscientists.com )

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FACEBOOK/STEAMTX

STEAM

I remember hearing you the first time in 1999, Smoke Rings in the Dark. That is still one of my favorite songs.

GA

That’s great; it’s still one of my favorite songs to play.

Right now, my favorite song is It Ain’t the Whiskey. It’s a real strong song and I have been playing it for about four years acoustically in my shows. I think It Ain’t the Whiskey is the strongest on the record besides Every Storm. It’s really fun to play. We’ve played it live at every show and it goes over very well; we have a great response to it.

Words by Tamma Hicks, STEAM Mag. Photo Eric Adkins

STEAM

GA

Not anymore. When we first started to tour, like on the Brooks & Dunn tour, we only played for about 20 minutes and, if we felt we needed more play time, we would go to a club and sit in.

STEAM

I think people assume the West Coast is all rock with little country, so growing up in California did you always

believe you would be a country artist?

GA

My dad and brother play and I’ve played country music in bars with them since I was 12. However, I was in several pop punk rock bands when I was in 8th to probably the 11th grades, but country was always my favorite. It’s what I wanted to do and what I cut my teeth on. I remember going to the Highwaymen’s tour and just being blown away. That’s when I knew country was the genre I wanted to be in. And really, California has a lot of country like Buck Owen, Merle Hager.

Dwight Yoakum was a huge influence

while I was in high school and that was also the time where there was just a slug of bands out there. I think we were just at the tail end of the urban cowboy era, where everyone had a band and played in a bar. Texas still has a lot of live music, but the rest of the country is full of DJ stuff now.

STEAM

I know you’ve played a lot in Texas, have you ever played Gruene Hall?

GA

I have a long time ago. HannaMcEuen opened for us, I think back in 2005 or so. That’s where I met Jamie (Hanna) and now he plays for me.

STEAM

Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show 3/13 @ 7pm in Mercedes TX Www.garyallen.com

STEAM

Every artist has to start somewhere and, basically, have a fall back plan. What do you think you would be doing if it hadn’t been for music?

GA

Before I got my contract I built spec homes, so I’m sure that if I hadn’t gone the way I did I would probably still be in construction. Actually up until about three years ago, I still had that thought in the back of my head, “If I don’t make it, I can always go back to construction.”

STEAM

Well, I’m sure glad you

made it in music!

Do you have a core band or do you use piece players?

GA

Well I’ll tell you, holding a band together is a lot like nailing Jell-O to a tree. I’ve been very fortunate in that we don’t go through a lot of turnover.

Some of my guys have been with me for 15 years and a few as little as a year.

STEAMMAGAZINE.NET

I am really looking forward to seeing you at the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show on March 13th. I know a lot of artists will go out to small clubs and try out their new material or to just play and not tell anyone. Is that something you do?

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3rd Coa s Foodie t

By Tamma Hicks

I know we haven’t had an extremely cold

winter, nothing like the people in the Midwest and Northeast have had to deal with, but since we have acclimated to the warmer temperatures of South Texas anything below 60 is chilly and when it’s less than 50 out you’d think I’m part Eskimo, I’m so wrapped up in layers. So on one of the last cold grey days of February we met our friends, John and Karen, for lunch on the beach where we could dream about warmer temperatures.

The only problem is when you’re on the beach of the Gulf, where can you eat without leaving the ocean breeze behind you? Well, it turns out there is only one restaurant and bar on North Padre Island that can solve this… It’s Mikel May’s Beachside Bar & Grill located atop Bob Hall Pier. Yep, you actually sit above the Gulf waters and can watch the waves come in! Once the sun comes out and the temperatures go up so do the walls so that wonderful breeze comes right in.

Now if that doesn’t make you melt in relaxation the food and drink will! We decided to try a little bit of everything because, well… cold weather makes us hungry and Shannon (Tipton, our server and the co -manager) kept telling us about all the great food they serve. First

LOCATED ON

BOB HALL PIER

N PADRE ISLAND TX 361.949.PIER

OPEN DAILY MON—THU 11am-10pm FRI 11am-2am SAT 7am-2am SUN 7am-10pm

LIVE MUSIC FRI FABIAN RIVERA @ 6pm SAT RUBEN LIMAS @ 1:30pm BANDS START @ 9pm 3/7 BEACH STONE RISE 3/14 JOHNNY TEQUILA 3/20 JAZ & THE JETTYMEN 3/21 BEACH STONE RISE 3/28 WALTER MIDI BAND

thing you should know about Mikel May’s appetizers is that one order is large enough to be an entrée for one person, so we ordered the 10 piece Chicken Wings with Sweet & Spicy and Raspberry Chipotle sauces. If you don’t like the heat of Buffalo wings, you’ll love these! Sweet & Spicy definitely has a kick to it and the sweet helps mellow it out, but our favorite was the raspberry chipotle, what a great twang it left in your mouth! We also had the Sliders which were mini replicas of their hamburgers, even the sweet rolls! They came with grilled onions, pickles, and we added cheese; very FACEBOOK.COM/MIKELMAYSBEACHSIDE

tasty. For our last appetizer we had Beachside Crab Balls and I can see exactly why they go through so many plates of these! The corn meal stuffing with big chunks of crab meat were perfectly seasoned and fried.

So now that we were stuffed and thinking twice about having ordered so much our meals began arriving and instantly we were hungry again! All of the entrees came with one side and these were definitely large portions. In fact when the side salad arrived we all looked at each other and asking who’d ordered a large salad. No one, that’s just how big they are!

Mikel May’s has a great Build Your Own Burger selection, but we went with a basic burger and potato salad. We were pleasantly surprised with size of the Angus burger with cheese, lettuce, tomato, and pickles on a sweet bun. Love those buns! The Padre Island Fish Tacos were splendid! Lightly grilled fish served on a bed of lettuce with a mango-pineapple salsa on top wrapped in a flour tortilla. The three tacos were accompanied by a side of coleslaw. What a pleasant sweetness! As May’s Club was sat down in front of us all I could think was, “my mouth doesn’t open that wide!” A buttery croissant stacked high with ham, turkey, bacon, avocado and all the fixings. Wowzers!! Now the Ribeye Steak Sandwich was brought out and I think we all died and went to heaven! I honestly was taken aback by this. I know it said “steak” so I expected chopped steak like in a Philly cheesesteak. Nope! It was a Ribeye steak so tender that we cut it with a table knife! And the onion rings were perfect and you’re talking to an onion ring enthusiast!

Mikel May’s Beachside Bar & Grill has a few specials that I think are noteworthy. On Wednesdays they serve a Seafood Boil with all the trimmings and on Thursday evenings you can take free Salsa Dance lessons while you munch on chips and salsa, how fun is that?! Fridays and Saturdays Mikel May’s features some of the best live music in the area. Both days feature an acoustic performance in the afternoon (Fridays with Fabian Rivera and Saturdays with Ruben Limas) and Saturdays at 9pm they bring out a band! Genres range from country to rock to blues to reggae. Their March lineup includes Beach Stone Rising, Johnny Tequila, and Walter Midi Band. For Spring Break they’ll have Jaz & the Jettymen on Friday the 20th; just check the Facebook page for a full listing. For those of you looking for party or meeting rooms that will get your group out of a normal setting, Mikel May’s has a room that will accommodate up to 49 people. Oh and did I mention the serve breakfast on the weekends? So if you are planning a full day at the beach, staying at the park or beachcombing in the morning they’ve got you covered!

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MAR 2015

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MAR 2015

THE NORTH END

Troubadour Insights

One of the cool things about

San Antonio/New Braunfels/San Marcos/Austin

With Dale Martin

writing this column is getting to hear new albums by your favorite band or better yet, hear a new album by a new band.

Such is the case with Blue Water Highway, a young band from just up the road in Kyle.

Consisting of Zack Kibodeaux, Greg Essington, Catherine Clarke, Kyle Smith, Daniel Dowling and Zach Landreneau, they comprise one of the most talented groups I’ve seen in a long time.

They all sing and play so many instruments, it’s impossible to list them all here. Their debut CD, Things We Carry, was produced by David Butler and recorded at Orb Studios and Matchbox Studios. They had some very special guest join them in the studio, such as Lloyd Maines, Warren Hood and Cindy Cashdollar. When Lloyd Maines plays on your CD, that’s a major big deal for any band, much less a young up and coming one.

One thing you notice about the band is not only do they all get along together; they are all extremely nice people.

No egos in this group, which is so refreshing these days.

While the chief songwriters are Zack Kibodeaux and Greg Essington, this is definitely a full band effort. Each member has a special talent that blends together perfectly. Greg informed me that one of their main influences was The Band, the iconic band that included Levon Helm and Robbie Robertson. In fact, this November they plan on doing a tribute to The Band at the Brauntex Theatre. To promote the new album, they will be touring all over the Lone Star State, so go to their website at BlueWaterHighwayBand.com to keep up with all their upcoming live shows.

I realize it’s only been a month since I’ve written

about Willie Nelson and here in Texas, we have to talk about ol’ Willie on a regular basis. I get several press releases every week about some new project he’s involved in. For a guy in his 80’s, I’m constantly amazed at his work ethic. His latest two projects are good news for us fans. The first is a new movie being filmed at his ranch in Luck, Texas. They are using the old town set pieces he built for the ‘Red Headed Stranger’ movie back in 1986. The new film is called ‘Waiting for the Miracle to Come,’ and it’s a fantasy adventure starring Nelson in one of the lead roles. Production is set to begin in March. It was written by Australian filmmaker Lian Lunson and she plans on directing it as well. The film follows a young girl who finds a letter from her late father directing her to a goldmine in a remote area of the California desert. That's where she meets two retired vaudeville stars, played by Nelson and acclaimed British actress Charlotte Rampling. In their talks, the couple inspires the girl to find things more valuable than gold.

"I wrote this script for Willie Nelson; his presence and stillness as an actor is unlike anyone else," says Lunson.

"And growing up I always wanted to be Charlotte Rampling, so bringing these two icons together on screen is a dream come true for me." Joining Lunson on the film's

six executive producer credits is legendary U2 lead singer, Bono, who will also write a song for Nelson to sing on the movie's soundtrack. The 81 year old Nelson has somehow balanced nonstop touring with an impressive acting career.

He also has a third career as a novelist, with several best-selling books under his belt. Now with more than six career decades behind him, he’s looking back on his remarkable life with the soon-to-be-published memoir, ‘It's a Long Story: My Life.’ Due from Little, Brown and Company on May 5th, just days after his 82nd birthday, the book chronicles Nelson's youth, in the small farm town of Abbott, Texas where he left work picking cotton to perform in honkytonks and dance hall at just 13 years old, and traces his rise to stardom as the writer of now-legendary hits such as "Crazy," "Night Life," "Funny How Time Slips Away" and "On the Road Again." As one of Nashville's "Outlaws" in the Sixties and Seventies, Nelson was an outsider who didn't always fit the profile of a "commercial" writer or performer, so, instead, he helped change the rules, becoming one of the most recognizable country music figures throughout the entire world. The book, written with the help of David Ritz, the only four-time Gleason Music Book Award winner, promises to dig deep into some of the most talked about parts of Nelson's life and career, including his legal wrangling with the IRS, the many women in his life, and the stories of his countless famous friends in the entertainment industry.

Leave it to Billy Gibbons, guitarist for ZZ

Top, to continue pushing the envelope a full forty years into his career. He’s going to Cuba this June to play a jazz concert, and even he isn’t sure why. "How did my name get on a jazz roster? I'm a blues and rock & roll player," says Gibbons. "But I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. I'd love to go to Havana."

Gibbons has been in the studio, writing what he calls "Cuban music." When he was just thirteen, his father got him a guitar and sent him to New York to study Latin percussion with Tito Puente. Gibbons is eyeing the project as his first solo album. "I put together a little side band," he says. "I'm going back to wrap up the project and, believe it or not, it's turning out to be such an obtuse, oddball, unexpected left turn from ZZ Top's blues background. But there is something to it." While filming Dave Grohl's Sonic Highways documentary series, he even turned to the Foo Fighters leader for advice on balancing careers. "I said, 'How do you get around having multiple bands?'" Gibbons recalls. "He said, 'Keep the golden goose.

Doing a little side project ain't no big deal!'"

With ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill recovered from an August fall on his tour bus, Gibbons and the Texas trio will return to the road in March to resume their tour. Last week, the band marked 45 years since playing its first gig together in 1970.

www.martinsmusic.com

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