The Feels

Last night I had the privilege of hearing Jarrod Johnson perform a song he and I wrote along with Michael White . Very cool hearing firsthand words I created put to song.  

American Idol has been around long while now. Spanning numerous judges, two networks, and a bunch of years to show lives on, but I've never being much of a fan. Truth be told me, I am not a huge fan of most mainstream music. Pretty voices, even prettier faces, all packaged nice and neat by corporations ran by well dressed mean behind mahogany desks. Predictable, boring fluff. And American Idol is simply the breeding ground for the next wave of cute predictable stars. Growing up, my mom worked at our local civic center so I saw nearly every big concert that came to town. From Liberace to Metallica. Huey Lewis to George Strait. Lights, pyrotechnics and sequins no longer interest me. I prefer to see a songwriter sit alone upon a plywood stage in some dimly lit bar. I prefer to hear a relatively unknown reveal the inner working of his mind over a "big star" strutting around and belting out lyrics someone else wrote. A singer that sings songs written al...

AJ Swope was a friend of mine. We met via Twitter. He was a local guy that somehow found me and my 140 character messages to the world. AJ appreciated my sense of humor. He openly admired my talents as a writer. Funny thing is, it took quite a few months before I discovered he had exquisite talents of his own. AJ was also a writer. A songwriter and singer and musician. He had many more talents than I'll ever have. We soon embarked on a project. He was writing songs based on some of my short stories. I was writing stories based on some of his songs. I was also working on TWISTED ROADS and struggling to amend a character that just didn't feel right. AJ and I met several times over beers. From the first second we set down, I felt I'd known him my entire life. An instant friendship born of common respect and admiration for he others ability to turn a phrase. AJ inspired me. He inspired Lucas Cahill the male protagonist, the replacemen...

I love live music. Especially small venue live music. I'm lucky in that the music I like best and the artists I most respect are not the huge arena and stadium types. I am a lyrics man first. Whether it be wit and cleverness or simply stunning wordsmith I greatly admire a musician than can turn a phrase, create a visual, or spin a good story in only a few minutes. there is no genre that does this better than Texas Country. Red Dirt. Y'allternative. I've heard all these terms used to describe the music I'm talking about. Americana. Folk. Southern rock. And traditional country. These are the ingredients behind most Texas country. is ay most because really it can be anything that works. There is a freedom and rebellious nature behind this mostly independent and lesser known studio artists. They experiment. Create original sounds and songs. At times actively shun the mainstream. I like and respect that. I incorporated some of this attitude in my upcoming n...

Ray Wilson is an old soul. That is apparent from the first note on Troubador . The album builds momentum taking the listener on a pleasurable time-warp of delicious funk and soul.   The opening track, “ Rebel In Faded Old Jeans,” is smooth and smoky and perfectly sets the tone for the album. A hard guitar lick underscores the passion of the unnamed rebellious troubadour, but somehow it is understood this track is Wilson’s pledge to give his all to both the album and his audience. “Racin’ Jake”   is a haunting coming of age tale about the challenges that make us who we are. Musically, it is perhaps my least favorite, but the tune is one everyone can relate to on some level. The third track “ Misty Waters” showcases Wilson’s vocal smoothness, but is otherwise only a prelude of the album’s real emotion and power which shines through on the back half. The folksy emotion of Wilson and the range of his voice materializes with “ Sit Beneath The Tree” and carries...