Breathing, when you want to hold it or scream!

For all my grammar freaky friends, this blog will undoubtedly drive you batty. I will be as unethically grammatically wrong as possible to make my point with pictures, runons, and inappropriately placed punctuation. Jus' sayin' ahead of time: )

I slowed down today, when on a normal day, I wake up racing to the coffee pot, drink one cup really fast while making breakfast for my brood, start a few projects on the computer, answer more than a few phone calls, run someone to somewhere that needs to be there NOW, only to do the same repetition of activities two more times during the day. At the tail end of that day, take a shower that puts me to sleep before I stumble to the bed. Today was a different travel for me and an intentional one at that. I realized that my little one was asking me to look at him in the face. One of my teenagers mumbled something in passing that did not even register until he was headed up the stairs. My 5 year old daughter said she did not feel special today...........................that one hurt a little more than I wanted to admit to at first. It is true that I "have alot on my plate" with 9 kids at home, a husband worn smooth out, and a business to run almost alone. I thrive on the activity of it all  most days, but TODAY I had to tell myself

STOP!!

     STOP!!!    STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
                                                            STOP!!!                               
STOP!!!!                                                                 STOP!!!!!


I took a deep breath, which I reccommend to all who have over-achieving brain activity in order to allow more oxygen in.  I called a friend who could relate to most of all what I was going through, but certainly not the kid factor. My goodness, how easily we dive into the activity that surrounds those we love without much thought to how the activity may just be a selfish endeavor covered up by a blanket of reasons why we love those people in our lives. Might be is all I said becuase I certainly don't think I am only doing these things for myself. I am saying that once in a while, look into those little eyes and love 'em back no matter how inconvienent it might seem. Sip the coffee instead of down it for the next two or three.(Some of us are also guilty of the monster addiction: )) The handholding and kissing in a normal day is far over looked by those in my position too. So very little investment that I almost overlooked the HUGE returns! Life is crazy enough.....I KNOW because I actually stopped and read some news today. THIS I DO NOT RECCOMMEND TOO OFTEN. I don't know who realy cares anymore or who truly listens to my rants, but I do know that we all seem to be hurting and hurting the wrong people in our lives...not that you should hurt ANYONE, but it is inevitable if you chose to love someone else. Sometimes, we hurt those closest to us because we cannot see past the last one we loved that hurt us. Seems to me that it is all so messed up way too often and it makes my heart sad at being anything remotely close to a hurt for someone I say I love dearly..........stay connected. Stay soft. Don't buy into that line of thought that the HURTING ONES have to believe in to survive. I took a deep breath today. Loved on my little ones more. Went to McDonalds with my 5 yr old(which I cannot personally stand!) Took time to pray with them before bed. (Even though my two youngest boys decided to secretly get their older brothers super glue and proceed to stick it to their TEETH!!!!! Where do they come up with this stuff!) I sent my husband a "sweet text" and then a hug. I am going to practice, just tomorrow, looking at who is talking to me. Hug my husband when I see him (He is one of the hurting ones without eyes to see me,YET) I am going to listen more than I speak (HAHA I will just write more I think! but that doesn't count : ) The world is just as crazy, the mean lady at the grocery store will still burn a hole in my head for being in her way, and I will still be behind on my projects until they are done. I will still have just as much to do, but maybe, just maybe! those little changes will change how what I am doing is percieved by the LOVED ONES in my circle of life. I stopped, and took a deep breath.

NOTATION:
Some elements of my rant may not make sense to some, hit spot on for others and be completely picked apart by a few left.....but I sure hope that it was condusive enough for YOU to have taken something with you when you finished. We, NONE OF  US, are perfect, but don't settle for the UN'S IM'S and IN'S at all.

unloving
inconsiderate
unattentive
intolerant
unappreciative
inappropriate
uncaring
untrusting
impatient
unsharing
impertinant
unreasonable

Thank you Mark Allan Atwood.....the most eloquently spoken description of my work...... EVER.

"Melissa's work www.texasrephotography.com brings to photography what songwriters and performers can only hope their art brings to the ears and hearts of their fans. There's a vibe, an 'aliveness' to her live music photographs that literally steals the moment, places it captive in her hands and then allows later viewers to relive more than merely the look of that second in time. Her grasp of colors, contrast, angles and the very emotions that ripple across the faces and bodies of the performers she photographs, allows her to tell a story as powerful as any of her subjects. Further, her understanding of those same requirements to capturing great live shots helps her still photo work to be anything but still, brimming with life and a realness hard to translate through a lens. Simply put, she has a gift for both creating and recreating, that elevates her work to the top of my list."   
                                                                                   

                                                                                    Mark Allan Atwood www.markallanatwood.com

Mark Allan Atwood and Brimstone

– Rebels, Old Souls, New Horizons

Over the past two years Melissa and I have worked closely with Mark Allan Atwood on several projects and we have gotten to know him much better not only as a friend, but as a sounding board for our ideas about the Texas music industry. I think I know Mark well enough by now to voice my take on his songs without offending. Mark Allan Atwood has been a Texas musician and songwriter for many years and I consider him a Texas treasure. Not only is he one of the best singer songwriters around, he is one of the least appreciated in the business today. He has a quality and cohesiveness to his lyrics that, although not always apparent at first, subconsciously grow as one listens to the songs. The words pass through your ears and roll around in your head, then the true lyrical greatness, feelings, and depth of meaning follow after. He has a strong singing voice, clear and loud, or soft and low when required but always demanding your attention. It does not matter if it is a slow serious song or a belting ballad he annunciates the choruses with heart and feeling, and not an ounce of trepidation.

Listening to the rough tracks from several of the songs on the new CD “Burned at the Crossroads” I’ll admit I was a little nonchalant and cursory at first. Later I was able to listen more closely to the music and the complexities of his words while Melissa was developing the ideas she would later use as the album artwork.

I am going to get the only issue I have with this collection of great songs out on the table and up front. I  also know it is a personal opinion. Not one that is unfounded, although it is an unpopular position with younger musicians today. It seems as if almost every songwriter has a signature song with references to Marijuana. It’s nothing new to the business, but it tends to limit the marketability of a song when it comes to airplay time. Let’s face it, the bottom line is in the end every song written has a dream of being a number one hit on the radio. Otherwise, why try to market the song in the first place. I personally would have liked to have seen at least two of the first four songs, be different songs. Preferably not three songs about drug use at the veritable beginning of what I think could be a defining point in Mark Allan Atwood’s musical career. I have no issues with the songs themselves per se, just the order they were placed in during engineering. I believe in putting your best foot forward so to speak, and one song with some vague references could be more easily acceptable in my humble opinion. Though I am suitably impressed he figured out how to use the word “Paraquat” in a song. . There I got it off my chest, let’s move on.

All that being said this collection of hit songs excels on every other level. Produced and engineered by Brimstone and Adam Odor (Stone Cringe) and recorded by the guys at Yellow Dog Studios, This CD touts guest appearances by Lloyd Maines and subtle background vocals by Bonnie Whitmore, and includes the songwriting talents of Heath Childs and Dennis Phillips. The top notch talent of the Brimstone band consists of Mark Allan Atwood on vocals, guitar, and harmonica, Wayne O’Neil on lead guitar, Matt Nunn on Bass, Rich Tulp on Drums, and “Uncle” Mitch Connell on Piano and B3 organ.

There are many reflective and precise songs on this CD, and every one is unique and imaginative. Some are dark, and some are retro and groovy like the song “Liar”, but every song on the CD invokes common feelings we all have at some point in our lives.

“Anyone listening” is one of the most powerful songs I have ever heard. Everyone has felt the cold grasp of loneliness at times. There are so many people in our world today who battle with loneliness and depression. From the plight of the elderly, to the struggling teenager, to the handicapped veteran, all of them are screaming out just to be noticed. Wanting anyone to acknowledge them, spend a moment or two talking with them, showing them they really matter and still have some worth in life. Another powerful and well written song is “Dead man”. It’s about the end of a relationship, and the beginning of the long hard road to surviving that loss. It speaks of the situations we create for ourselves, when we are forced to accept the harsh reality of life without someone we rely on. In “Good Old Days” and “Ocalla Road” Mark sings about nostalgia for the things of an earlier time, and a younger world when life seemed more safe and simple. By far the most fun song is “Good Dog”. The gals will giggle, and the guys will say sheepish things but the truth is a dog really can be a man’s best friend. When it comes to unconditional love, a good one can’t be beat.

Finishing up, I want to comment on “Ghost”, and “California” two of the premiere songs on the CD. Singers like Townes Van Zandt and Doug Sahm were the pioneers who forged the way for many early Texas and Americana musicians. Townes’ lyrical style has always been a driving force for Texas songwriters. They all want to write songs as close to his style as they can. His music was raw and gutsy, and  definately not flashy or mainstream.  Musicians struggle to write songs like those and still remain unique and different, and then to be acknowledged as such. It works really well but sometimes it works too well. “Ghost” is about the spirit of Van Zandt always being present for some. There is always one guy in the crowd who wants to hear “Pancho and Lefty”. Listen carefully to the words of “Ghost” and you’ll hear a little bit of TVZ in every sentence. Then skip on over to “California” at the end of the CD. A haunting dreamscape Mark paints of the California Gold Rush and a mine cave-in in a small town. The song begins with a first person narrative from a trapped miner awaiting rescue that never comes. Then the story changes to the point of view of the great, great grandson of that very same miner and a revelation of what it must have been like. Mark Allen has written a spectacular song, with a twisted and riveting ending. My final opinion on Mark Allan Atwood’s composition “Burned at the Crossroads” is this is one of the most down to earth, bare bones, hard hitting CD’s of the year. Raw, emotional, entertaining, and energetic, and one of my favorite CD’s of all times. Mark Allan Atwood and Brimstone are a fast rising force in Texas Music today and all I can say is great work, and keep ‘em coming!

Dale Arnold

Co-owner, Co-producer

Texas Red Productions

www.hwy82musicreview.com

~Where LIVE music is an addiction!

Justin Bowerman

In Persuit of Life,Love and…well…Wild Game.

In the pine thickets of East Texas and forests of Southern Arkansas is where I grew up. My family hails from in and around the Texarkana area. During my early childhood and young adult life I hunted and fished almost every part of these areas. That is one of the main reasons why Justin Bowerman’s musical style has such a nostalgic attraction for me.

When I first got his CD "Rock You"  and even before I listened to his music, I took a long look at the musicians who recorded the material. Immediately I knew it was going to sound and be a great CD. The cover art was simple and un-cluttered sporting his unmistakable fish-hook signature logo, and some very tasteful and well placed candid photos. The music was recorded and produced by Stormy Cooper (The Roger Creager Band) at Stormy Cooper Media in Houston. Stormy also performed on the CD along with Josh Owen, and Allen Huff also of The Roger Creager Band. Veteran Bassist Rankin Peters who has been called the best Bass player in Texas. Others contributing their talents were Fiddle player Chris Whitten (The Cody Johnson Band), sound engineer Lyndon Hughes on drums and percussion, and the great Kenny Jackson on Steel Guitar. Slipping the CD into my player, I eagerly drank in every song. His voice has a smooth, velvet-like texture, easy on your ears. Justin can hold the vocal strong notes to just the right length.

Songs like “Jugline”, and “Deer Meat” are a sportsman’s anthem. I can picture all of the Hunter’s and Fishermen standing up when one of these songs comes on the radio. Removing their hats, and wiping a sympathetic tear from the corner of an eye. “Hell or High Water” continues the call of the wild. It speaks of stepping out of the daily grind and letting nature take its course. If you ask me, it could possibly start another back to the land movement.

Justin Bowerman has appeal for the ladies too with songs like “Rock You”, “Almost Love”, and “4^th of July”. Justin shows he can write and sing a great country Love song that everyone will like. The Guys had better grab their best sweetheart and start boot-scootin’. I’ll bet the girls will be swooning and screaming at the edge of the stage when he belts out any of these tunes, or I’ll buy you a Kenny Chesney CD.

A personal favorite of mine is “Listen Good”. My wife has a saying whenever someone ends up telling her, a perfect stranger, their life story just like Justin sings in this song. She say’s “My sign must have been on”. Pertaining to the old Peanuts comics where Lucy has her psychology stand set out and gives Good old Charlie Brown her personal life advice for a nickel. It’s a song about how folks sometimes cope with the stress of everyday life, and the good-hearted people who get the wave of emotions that tend to spill out at awkward moments.

I’m not going to give away all of the gems Justin has put on this well made, great listening and fun compilation of songs. You will have to get his CD and judge for yourself. Justin Bowerman has all of the makings of a great singer and songwriter. He writes his lyrics from the heart, and his life. He has something to say through his music that every listener can relate to, and succeeds in bringing you right into his frame of mind. It shows Justin can hold his own, as far as song writing and musical skills go, with any of the popular artists out there today. I’m waiting on Justin to head out on tour so I can catch him live onstage. Watch your local venues for his name, and don’t miss out on hearing an All-American original like Justin Bowerman.

Dale Arnold

Co-Owner, Co-Producer

Texas Red Productions

http://www.hwy82musicreview.com/

~Where LIVE music is an addiction!

Dusitn Durham and Safari Road- This "Two Lane" leads to one great country sound

If I had a dollar for every time I did something for no good reason, I would be a wealthy man. I walk around occasionally in a daze, wondering where the time slips off to. Mind you, it doesn't bother me too much since I seem to be taking care of business. But, I have come to a realization that not slowing down long enough to see what is going on around me is what really bugs me. A while back Melissa and I met a musician named Dustin Durham. He writes songs, and plays guitar for Safari Road.
Safari Road is a local band from Bosque County Texas that writes, and records, and performs pure Texas country from the heart, all over the state. For no good reason one day I was reading some e-mail correspondence between he and Melissa and ran across a couple of his songs, one of them being "Bosque Country Nights". It hit me that I had been in the little town he was singing about. It brought back memories of campfire picking and howling at the moon near Bosque Bottoms. So I decided to listen to the next tune called "Nightfall", and I hear more small-town Texas. I spend most of my time trudging around the DFW area, and I find it therapeutic to get back to the dirt roads, and small country towns of rural Texas. "FM 219" is a song everyone can identify with. Weather it’s where you live, where you want to live, or what you like to do it’s all in this song. "In My Own Time" personifies the Texas broken-hearted blues. It reminds me of Merle Haggard, or Waylon Jennings. The raw and soulful lap-steel guitar, and direct to the point lyrics make you feel the drama of the moment. "Sunshine" is an escape tune. It’s the 4-o-clock office daydream. The "Man it’s just too nice a day to be working!" feelings everyone knows. Kind of makes me want to play hooky from work and head to Galveston for the weekend. The remaining tunes "Change Your Mind", then "Superman", "Famous", and "Around" turned out to be great songs.
Before I knew it I had listened to the entire CD. Appropriately named "Two Lane", it’s available at all the usual online sites, or at any of their gigs. The CD boasts the phenomenal talents of Bob "Slim Bawb" Pearce who produced and sat in, along with Dusty. The album was released on www.radiofreetexas.org in early March of 2012, and already has five songs among the top in Texas music. The hit "FM 219 is currently at #6. The words and music of Safari Road is soothing and unrefined, clean-cut and well-played. The entire collection of songs is honest Texas country in purest form. It’s good for dancing, drinking, or just listening to when you are cooking out on the grill with your friends. So, if you’re out visiting your favorite Texas venue and Safari Road is playing, just throw a little sawdust on the floor and watch the magic happen. Remember while you are listening to "Two Lane" and Safari Road, it always helps to slow down and revel in the spontaneous moments of life. I promise you will be glad you did.

Dale Arnold
Co-owner, Co-Producer
Texas Red Productions
www.hwy82musicreview.com

The Washers - "Tired Eyes" - A little texas band with a lot of heart

The Washers

Growing up around South Texas I had the opportunity to get to know many classic country artists who passed through from Nashville. I got to see many greats such as Waylon Jennings, Moe Bandy and Joe Stampley, Marty Robbins, Hank Snow, and many more. I never knew there was an under-the-radar movement of great songwriters flowing just below this limelight. Although many years ago it seems, I will never forget how it felt the first time I heard a song by Doug Sahms, Ray Wylie Hubbard, or Townes Vanzant. Many times I exclaimed, “What great songs, how come I haven’t heard of these guys before now?” It was a rush of well-being. Just like finding a forgotten twenty dollar bill in the pocket of your jeans. It felt exhilarating, almost like finding buried treasure. It seemed to open a whole new chapter in my musical appreciation journal.

 A few weeks ago I was contacted to do a music review for a band of musicians from the Houston area I had never heard of calling themselves “The Washers”. I didn’t know what I was in for but I agreed to listen and find the time to write some words of encouragement. When I contacted Matt Kopycinski back asking him for a few of his favorites from their newly released CD entitled “Tired Eyes”, I literally had no idea what to expect. What I heard took me by surprise and back to those days in the late-seventies when I discovered Texas Americana and the likes. The immediate feelings of, “Why aren’t these guys touring all over the U.S. in a Prevost bus, packing every show to the front doors?” came back along with a flood of good memories. I started listening to each song, and making mental notes, trying to be professionally critical of the music. Pleasantly speaking, I found myself liking everything I heard, and having fun!

 The tempos in “Two Left Feet”, and “Like A Gypsy Should” immediately had my feet tapping, and my head nodding to the down-beat. The songs are polished, and recorded flawlessly, upbeat and totally dance-worthy. Even their mandatory “Texas song” “Here In Texas”,  was not the usual, overly self-absorbed, we-know-everyone-wants-to-be-a-Texan, trivial expression. It rings of missing loved ones waiting back in Texas, and how there is really no place like Texas. Harmonic vocal forms, and great lyrics permeate the bodacious ballads of “Park Light, Drive”, and “Regret”. These songs ring with sin, and the excitement of doing all the wrong things and making them feel so right.

By far my personal favorite has got to be “Ashes”. Not since The Mavericks went their separate ways have I heard such a blues-y, crying steel guitar, coupled with dynamite lead licks, and pinings of lost love, and jilted romance. A hauntingly good reverb sound and a little slide guitar tie it all together nicely. I listened to it several times over just to keep the feel of the moment.

The Washers are some of the best new Texas talent I have heard in a long time. It’s fresh, alive, and young country to the max. The musical styles of each of these multi talented musicians meld very well together. I’m what you might call a fan at first listen, and I’ll be catching up with these guys in person real soon. I got a huge hankering to take my "Two Left Feet" and spend the night making lots of four left turns with my sweetie.

 Hey! What do you know, I just found a twenty dollar bill in the back pocket of my old jeans. Must be my lucky day!

Dale Arnold

Co-Producer, Co-Owner

Texas Red Productions

Music Review

I am idealistic, hopeplessly optimistic, and been called naive by some I love, but......

(another sporadically deep process of thought on this dreary Winter day of January 2012)
to the artist who writes and sings...............


I absolutely love creative people. Music and art are funny things. We have art teachers and vocal coaches and those who are good and sometimes great at helping some "rise above the rest" to perform their art in a manner that a certain demographic of people will pay alot of money to see, support, and freely promote. What does it really mean? I see so much on so many different levels of a few people who THINK they have what it takes for YOU the musician to "make it big". Twist it, tighten it, color it up til it isn't what it was born to be so it looks and acts and breathes like something else they know that glitters. I am sorry that I would rather sit in the bus station in South Louisiana and listen to an old black man sing about his life travels rather than pay 25.00-200.00 to get in to an arena to see a fraction of what could be only to have that money used to kill and distort the musician and music that was gifted to that person in the first place. That is not to say that some do rise on what they are and see "fame" without distortion. It is not the norm from my observations.

I absolutely love wildflowers..some, who know me, would not be surprised in the least. I love wildflowers because their beauty is untamed and free. Music, when sang by those who feel it, live it, love it, cry with and for it, die in it, and share it are much like wildflowers. The "scene" that some want to cover and write about and be close to for personal gain, is not as interesting as the alternative. If you write, please write for those like myself who want to hear what you have to say.:) Sing it, whisper it, scream it, laugh it out loud, but don't give up no matter what.  I personally don't ever want to be stuck with the twisted and tainted-ly changed to fit an other's prideful interpretation of what you write. This does not include co writing by the way which I find more and more fascinating each time I am witness to it. We speak to one another on different occasions and have great conversations, but there is something about having a song written to and for you that is special. Beautiful. All those I call friends who understand this, thank you for giving to the rest of us a piece of yourself or your life.

Absolutely beautiful.

Does anyone observe what I see too?

Music is truly an undefinable art of soulful expression......some will get yours, others will not.