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If you're tired, you're not

alone. A 2014 survey published

in the medical journal BMJ found that 36 percent of people

had experienced fatigue in the

past week. Transient fatigue, mental or physical, is a normal

reaction to overdoing. Maybe

you stayed up late finishing a novel, or perhaps you've been

working long hours, raising kids or exercising too hard. A num-

ber of lifestyle changes can re-

lieve weariness and even reduce fatigue associated with some

chronic conditions.

12 Energizing Habits

1. Listen to your body. Rather than trying

to fight or ignore your fatigue, search for

the natural remedy that's best for you. Even though caffeine can temporarily

enhance alertness, it won't correct the

underlying problem.

2. Get enough sleep. More than 40 per-

cent of American adults and teens fail to get a full night's sleep on weeknights,

according to the National Sleep Founda-

tion. While sleep needs vary, the average adult needs eight hours a night. Plan ample

time to sleep and avoid sleep-hindering

substances, including afternoon caffeine, and late-night alcohol, tobacco and other

stimulants.

3. Say, “No.” This stress-survival skill can

sometimes seem impossible, but do it

anyway. Practice saying it in front of the mirror: “Thanks for asking, but that

doesn't work for me.”

4. Meditate. Done regularly, meditation

has multiple benefits. Chief among them is

the ability to reduce stress. Pranic medita-tion, a technique that uses breathing tech-

niques and visualization, has been particu-

larly effective at reducing fatigue and psychological stress, as well as improving

sleep quality and quantity in breast cancer

survivors. Studies show that mindfulness-based stress reduction eases fatigue in

healthy (but

speed limit, stressing out about it won't get you to your appointment any faster. In-

stead, appraise the situation. Is it that big

of a deal? If your initial reaction was nega-tive, can you rethink the situation? Accept

what's already happened—ruminating only

serves to perpetuate stress—and find ways to take responsibility and regain a reasona-

ble sense of control. Tell yourself you can

handle what comes your way. These strat-egies are typically taught in cognitive

behavioral therapy, which has proven

effective at managing stress.

9. Balance social life and solitude. Lone-

liness is a risk factor for fatigue. However, the amount of socializing you need de-

pends upon your personality. Socializing

tends to recharge extroverts, while too many social events can be draining to

introverts. Find the equilibrium at which

you thrive.

10. Pamper yourself. Many of us put the

demands of work, family and friends ahead of our own needs. We might even

feel selfish when we take time for our-selves. In fact, self-nurturing can improve

work and social relationships, as well as

keep us functioning well. Each day, make time for a refreshing break. Curl up with a

book, take a nap, soak in the bath or get a

massage.

11. Prime your diet. Malnutrition—

deficiencies of both macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein and fats) and mi-

cronutrients (vitamins and minerals)—

leads to fatigue. Maintain a varied whole foods diet to cover your nutritional needs.

Eating junk food, particularly sugar and

refined carbohydrates, puts us on a blood-sugar roller coaster that ultimately robs us

of energy. Also watch out for food intoler-

ances and allergies, which can drain vitali-ty; and don't skip meals—most notably,

breakfast.

*Energizing Mashed Sweet Potato Recipe

(look for it on

www.MotherEarthLiving.com)

12. Rule out illness. Call your physician if

fatigue lingers longer than several weeks or interferes with your usual activities.

Causes of persistent fatigue include ane-

mia, cancer, diabetes, depression, autoim-mune disorders, sleep disorders, chronic

infection, neurologic disease, heart and

lung disease, and chronic fatigue syn-

drome.

Our Advice: Relax with Yoga

Restore energy with the simple yoga prac-

tice savasana. The translation of savasana from Sanskrit is “corpse pose,” which

sounds morbid but is meant to suggest that

we arise from this moment of disconnec-

tion feeling restored.

From Mother Earth Living, By Linda B. White

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

stressed-out) individuals and those with chronic ill-nesses. For more on mindfulness, read Mindfulness

101: Live in the Present Moment.

5. Move your body. Moderate physical activity ener-

gizes, relieves stress and promotes nighttime sleep.

Even in the face of chronic illness, exercise has anti-fatigue effects—though it's a good idea to get medical

clearance first. Studies support moderate aerobic

exercise, resistance training, yoga, tai chi and qigong. Start slowly and build over time. If you do too much

too soon, you may feel sore, discouraged and weary.

6. Consider herbal allies. Herbs have long been used

to cope with stress and fatigue. Studies indicate that

both American and Asian ginseng combat fatigue in chronic conditions such as cancer. Research also

supports rhodiola, eleuthero, cordyceps and schisan-

dra. These adaptogenic herbs help us cope with stress and can help reduce fatigue. Find these herbs in cap-

sule or tincture form at your health-food store.

7. Drink plenty of water. Dehydration also contrib-

utes to fatigue. Avoid soda and other sugar-sweetened

drinks, which cause unhealthy blood sugar spikes and

weight gain. Also keep alcohol intake to a minimum.

8. Think positively to reduce stress. Long-term physical and psychological stress can be exhausting.

If you've had the experience of doing the same task in both a calm state and a harried state, you know which

one saps your energy faster. To reduce stress, change

your attitude about a taxing situation. Viewing poten-tial stressors as interesting, surmountable challenges

can help, and learn to accept reality. If you're running

late and stuck behind a car driving 10 miles below the

E 33 JAN 2015

ART ENTERTAINMENT MUSIC

STEAM Magazine is published monthly by STEAM Maga-zine 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 correc-tion. Please direct all inquiries to: submissions@steamtx.com

CONTENTS JAN 2015 VOL. 3 ISS. 10

CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE FOR UPDATES & ANNOUNCEMENTS

WWW STEAMMAGAZINE

NET

SOUTH TEXAS

8 BOOK REVIEW

11

MARTIN MOLINA: BRIGHT COLORS &

TWISTED NARRATIVES

20

WRITER’S BLOCK

3 A HAPPY &

HEALTHY 2015

16 TROUBADOUR

INSIGHTS

18 DANCEHALL SERIES: SCHROEDER HALL

12 JEFF BRIDGES: FROM SCREEN

TO STAGE

9 ROBERT EARL KEEN:

THE HAPPY PRISONER

18 LOCAL TUNES:

CHRIS CARROLL TROUBLE & TIME

JEFF BRIDGES PHOTO BY

DANNY CLINCH

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

ALWAYS

IN STEAM

COMICS 6 CD REVIEWS 7 NEW CDS 8

NEW MOVIES 8 QUICK READ 5

ALTERNATIVE WEEKLY NETWORK

GLOW J. Michael Dolan (:21)

Career success is not about having the right agent, the right manager, the right coach, or the right staff. What it’s really about is the extraordinary talent you have, stirring deep with-in. After that, it’s about your resolve to keep improving. After that, it’s about your tenacity to persist—day after day, year after year.

And after that you begin to glow...

It becomes about what you feel inside and letting it flow freely, with confidence; your songs, your script, your acting, your writing, your art, your great ideas, your vision for your business, and your big dreams for the future. And finally, after that, what matters most is a crazy burning desire to get your best work in front of as many people as possible...at any cost!

E 55 JAN 2015

THE RIGHT TO SWEAT J. Michael Dolan (:13)

Every single day we struggle to figure it out, effort to get it right, scrutinize the next step, analyze our next move, and risk everything to create something great from an idea or vision that’s stubbornly lodged between our ears. The process itself is mentally confronting, emotionally frus-trating, and physically exhausting. However it’s from the sweat of that exhaustion that our destiny is forged. Artists & treps are very aware of this, and still they forge ahead, though it’s often difficult for others to understand.

MISGUIDED J. Michael Dolan (:13) The life of an artist/trep is truly about self-motivation, self-discipline and self-reliance. Problem is, YOU are the worst person to consult when you’re deep inside the belly of the beast being devoured by doubt, and consumed with confusion. Amateurs are guided by their own self-righteousness, and insist they can handle it themselves. Pros know their limitations, and they're smart enough to know when to consult an advisor to help avoid occupational roadblocks, and sort things out during perplexing times.

“Every man

gotta right to forge his own

destiny.” —Bob Marley

COMICS www.theawkwardyeti.com | www.lunarbaboon.com

E JAN 2015

66

M 77 STEAMMAGAZINE.NET

Blues," with Gordon”Saxman” Jones quoting "Night Train” during the lonesome song. Harris weaves together Griot and Delta styles with his finger picking ostinato riff, mimicking the sound of an African Kora. Hook Herrera then joins him on harmonica for "J.Gilly Blues," a little rag-time tune about a rambling man. The band returns for the soul blues tale of decep-tion -- "Tallahatchie" -- with Harris moving to gritty electric guitar. The title track aims to bring to light the tragedy of Fulton, a community in Richmond, VA that is older than the city itself. The Black town on the east end of the city endured for more than 300 years until its land was seized and the families living there were forcibly evicted. Harris gives heartfelt readings of three classics. The first is the sinis-ter Skip James tune "Devil Got My Woman," the playful "Catfish Blues," and "That Will Never Hap-pen No More," a gem from pioneer of Piedmont blues Arthur “Blind” Blake. Harris does not mince words with his rebuke “House Negro Blues," and the sorrowful "Lynch Blues." For him and many others the scar of slavery remains an open wound.

WWW.COREY-HARRIS.COM

CD CD REVIEWSREVIEWS

GRAVEL ROAD

EL SCUERPO

(KNICK KNACK RECORDS) By Rick J Bowen, twitter.com/rickjbowen

Seattle based Gravel Road learned many lessons in their five year apprenticeship with T Model Ford, chief among them being to play to one’s strength and seek out fine collaborators. The quartets album El Scuerpo, released November of 2014 once again finds them mining the caverns of the emerging genre that mixes the raw energy of garage and punk rock, the simplicity of delta blues with

a psychedelic seventies sonic known as Deep Blues. The nine tracks rest heavily on the shoulders of the stout rhythm section of Joe Johnson on bass and drum-mer Martin Reinsel who lay down dynam-ic entrancing grooves while the guitars push the envelope of compressed over-drive, mixed to perfection by audio genius Jack Endino at his Sound House studios in Seattle. The opening track “Waiting For Nothing,” reveals slow burning tale of a lonesome man’s inner struggle. The groove gets swinging for the North Mississippi styled “Wolf On Down The Way,” and the heavy duty boogie “40 Miles.” The amazing Lisa Kekaula of the Bell Rays delivers a stirring performance as the first of two guest vocalist on the Junior Kimbrough gospel blues tune, “Lord Have Mercy.” Andrew Chapman leads the band through the sludge rock stomp fest “DD Amin,” and the eight minute epic “Asteroid,” testifies to the band’s first love of doom rock pio-neers Black Sabbath. The jaunty “Flesh And Bone,” plays upon the popular fixa-tion with zombies with marvelous tongue in cheek flair, and may qualify as the groovy new theme song for The Walking Dead.

WWW.GRAVELROADBLUES.COM

COREY HARRIS

FULTON BLUES (DELUXE EDITION) By Rick J Bowen, twitter.com/rickjbowen

Upon first listen to Corey Harris's music, you hear that his voice and guitar playing are not as flashy or as smooth as his contemporaries. But, as his music sinks in, you get a sense that this man has a deep intensity and genuinely lives and breathes the songs he is singing. Denver-born Harris has been a globe-trotter, spending time in New Orleans and West Africa, searching for the roots of what he calls “True Blues.” His latest studio album, Fulton Blues, released in the spring of 2014, is an extension of his quest to refine the traditional blues formulas of Appalachi-an, Piedmont, and Delta blues styles, mixing them with modern themes and topical relevance. The opening track features his full the band, The Rasta Blues Experience, on a Chicago-styled shuffle called "Crying

RODNEY CROWELL

TARPAPER SKY

(NEW WEST RECORDS) By Adam Dawson, www.thebrokenjukebox.com

Rodney Crowell does not need to write or record any more songs. If he simply stopped doing so, his legacy would still sit firmly among the upper echelon of song-writers in American history. Lucky for us he doesn’t feel the need to stop seemingly any time soon. Following last year’s Grammy winning duo album with EmmyLou Harris, Crowell released Tarpaper Sky. It never ceases to amaze me when someone who has been producing such great work for over three decades, continues to release records that do not seem forced or stagnant. Some of Rodney’s best work in my opinion has come long after his supposed peak in the 80’s. Albums like Fate’s Right Hand and The Outsider have shown that Crowell is still very much a master of his craft, and Tar-

paper Sky is right in line with those rec-ords. Rodney took the helm, producing this album, his first on New West Records and the sound ranges from straight country classic to Buddy Hollyesque throwback rock and roll. Being Rodney Crowell has its advantages when it comes time to have folks come sit in on a record, appearing on this one are the likes of Vince Gill, Ronnie McCoury, John Cowan, Will Kimbrough, Jerry Douglas, Fats Kaplin and many oth-ers. All of which add layers to the richness of the record. Crowell’s lyrics and comforting vocal sound are still at the forefront of every track. On “Grandma Loved That Old Man” he offers a tribute to his grandparents in a way that paints them both in a good light while still acknowledging their human flaws. Later on the album, “Jesus Talk To Mama” offers a plea to Jesus, asking that the Lord reassure his mother that he will eventually be joining her in heaven. Crow-ell dips into the well of love songs for the tender hearted “I Wouldn’t Be Me With-out You”, a straight forward declaration of undying adoration. Tarpaper Sky does not have a bad song on it, which is exactly what we have all grown to expect from Rodney Crowell. I fully expect this album to find its way on to my top albums of 2014 as well as many other people’s list when the time comes. New West has scored again by signing a legend whose prime refuses to subside in any manner.

WWW.THEBROKENJUKEBOX.COM

BOOK REVIEW Adam Dawson, www.thebrokenjukebox.com

If you have ever seen Todd Snider

live, you are familiar with his story

telling ability. Often on stage the

banter between the songs is as

entertaining as the songs them-

selves. After years of talking about

it, Snider has now compiled a good

number of these stories into his

new book.

I Never Met a Story I Didn’t Like,

is not really an autobiography, but

rather a nonlinear collection of

glimpses into Todd’s life, both in

and out of the music business. The

book reads in Todd’s on stage

cadence and has the same comedic

timing that he does during a live

performance.

Some fans may think that because

they have seen Todd live so many

times they will not need to get this

book and those people couldn’t be

more wrong. Even the stories that

appear in the pages of this book

that I had previously heard him tell

have a new life, including Todd

admitting at times when he has

embellished a story for the sake of

the show. Classic Todd stories,

from the time Garth Brooks nearly

covered one of his songs, to the

tales of Moondawg’s Tavern ap-

pear next to ones I’ve never heard

before including Jimmy Buffett

chucking fruit at Todd in anger.

The book is full of Todd’s encoun-

ters with his heroes over the last

twenty years. While he has clearly

taken a rightful place among them

in the hierarchy of songwriters,

when you read his accounts it is

very obvious and endearing that he

is still in awe of all of them. Mak-

ing appearances in the book are the

likes of Buffett, Prine, Kristoffer-

son, Shaver and many more and

Todd pulls no punches with any of

them.

What allows Snider to be so honest

about all of the people who appear

in his tales is his willingness to do

so when looking in the mirror.

Make no mistake, Todd has been

no angel throughout the years and

has even disappointed the afore-

mentioned heroes, his friends, and

band mates along the way. He doesn’t try to

hide from these facts either, but rather he owns

his own missteps in a big way, which only adds

to the authenticity of this book.

I’ve Never Met a Story I Didn’t Like is not an

overly heavy read, in fact I finished it in one

day, and neither is it a vanity project meant to

draw attention to the greatness of the author. It

is basically a chance for Todd to sit down and

bullshit with all of his fans across the country

all at once, and when you put it down you feel

as though you may have been in a couple of

these situations right alongside of him. I would

highly recommend this one to anyone who

likes to laugh and has an interest in any music

not just Snider’s as well as to those of his that

have been his fans for years.

Todd Snider : I Never Met a Story I Didn’t Like

JANUARY

ALBUM RELEASES

Tuesday January 6

Catfish And The Bottlemen The Balcony

Tuesday January 13

Blue and Gold Blue and Gold Dan Mangan + Blacksmith Club Meds David Bronson Questions Justin Townes Earle Absent Fathers Panda Bear Panda Bear Meets The Grim...

Thursday January 15

Dengue Fever The Deepest Lake Justin Townes Earle Absent Fathers

Tuesday January 20

Alex Calder Strange Dreams Belle & Sebastian Girls In Peacetime Want To... Derek Grant Breakdown Disappears Irreal Fall Out Boy American Beauty/American… Hanni El Khatib Moonlight Hidden In The Sun Seven Seasons Joey Bada$$ B4.DA.$$ Man Without Country Maximum Entrop Marilyn Manson The Pale Emperor Mikky Ekko Time Sick Feeling Suburban Myth Siskiyou Nervous Sleater-Kinney No Cities To Love The Decemberists What A Terrible World, What... The Sidekicks Runners In The Nerved World The Waterboys Modern Blues Viet Cong Viet Cong

Monday January 26

Cotillon Cotillon Gaz Coombes Matador The Phantom Band Fears Trending Xibalba Tierra Y Libertad

Tuesday January 27

Corey Dargel OK It's Not OK Danny Kroha Angels Watching Over Me Doomtree All Hands Fifth Harmony Reflection Howlin Rain Mansion Songs Jan St. Werner Miscontinuum Album Mark Ronson Uptown Special Napalm Death Apex Predator - Easy Meat No Spill Blood Heavy Electricity Pond Man It Feels Like Space Again The Dodos Individ The Dø Shake Shook Shaken Ty Segall Live in San Francisco Venom From The Very Depths Young Ejecta The Planet

Thursday, January 1

The Gambler Drama R Friday, January 2

The Woman in Black 2 Angels of D... Drama PG-13 [REC] 4: Apocalypse Horror R Friday, January 9

Selma Drama NR Taken 3 Action R Friday, January 16

The Wedding Ringer Comedy NR Paddington Adventure PG Blackhat Thriller NR American Sniper Drama R Friday, January 23

Strange Magic Musical PG The Boy Next Door Suspense R Mortdecai Crime NR Black Sea Adventure NR

STRANGE MAGIC ANIMATION/MUSICAL

PG STARRING Kristen Chenoweth, Maya Ru-dolph, Alan Cumming STORYLINE A madcap fairy tale musical in-spired by 'A Midsum-mer Night’s Dream.' Popular songs from the past six decades help tell the tale of a colorful cast of goblins, elves, fairies and imps, and their hilarious misad-ventures sparked by the battle over a pow-erful potion.

1/23/15

IN THEATER’S THIS MONTH

E 88 JAN 2015

361.290.7143

314 E AVE. G

PORT ARANSAS

WWW.BRONSBEACHCARTS.COM

STEAM Good morning! I hope I didn’t wake you; I

know how some musicians are.

REK Good morning, well I don’t really fall into that

category. I saw a show years ago about sleep and they did sleep tests on rats. They had the early riser rat, the night owl rat, and then this rat that couldn’t get a schedule and they called him the mutant rat. I said they got me, “the mutant rat”. But really you can’t sleep late in the music business; there is just too much stuff that you have to do. I have this horrible Cruella Deville of a mother-in-law who used to tell me that half the world wakes up at 6:30 and the other half at 7:00. So that’s what you have to do for inter-views and whatnot, get up early. And if you’re doing TV? My goodness, you have to be there at like 4 o’clock in the morning!

STEAM I know that’s just ridiculous! Let’s talk about

your new album that’s coming out. We talked with Lloyd Maines a couple of months ago and he said that you rec-orded 25 songs for the new album. He also said that you didn’t take long to record, but you worked on it for close to a year.

REK Yep, we did. You know Lloyd is one of the busiest

guys that you’ve ever met. He does a lot of shows with Terry Hendrix and he has other projects too, but he pro-duces so many records. But you know when you make a record it’s not much different than cooking. You put on your main course and as you go along to have to pay atten-tion to it; add some spices, turn the meat, mind the tem-perature, and cool it down. If you don’t pay attention it won’t turn out quite as good as it should’ve, so with this record we worked on it every opportunity we could all get together. It was a whole lot of fun and a long process.

STEAM I was really surprised that you didn’t write any

of the songs; they are all covers of old standards.

REK Well, I didn’t want anybody to think I was trying

to reinvent the genre. I just want people to know that I have a true love for Bluegrass music which goes back to when I was a young teen. What I wanted to do was play the kind of music I really love and put in as much passion as I could and pay homage to what

I believe as being really great Bluegrass songs.

STEAM With 25 songs recorded I’m going to guess that

there will be more than one album.

REK The first CD has 15 songs and then if you get the

deluxe version or the vinyl there’s an additional 5 bonus songs. We’re working with the remaining five as a top-secret plan.

STEAM That’s sound interesting! I saw that you brought

in some big ringers for this. Lyle Lovett, Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek), and Natalie Maines to name a few.

REK Well first off, everyone in my band is a fan of Blue-

grass. Rich Brotherton is an incredible flat-picking guitar player and Bill Whitbeck on stand-up bass, Marty Muse on Dobro, and drummer Tom Van Schaik, so when I went to them and said I wanted to make the Bluegrass record they were all in, albeit a little surprised. After that we just brought in the people we thought were really at the top of their game when it comes to Bluegrass.

STEAM How did you come up with the album name,

Happy Prisoners?

REK It’s what my family and I call our pajamas, Happy

Prisoners. You know, it’s what you wear when you get a big ol’ bowl of popcorn and watch a movie. I just thought that was kind of funny and represents Bluegrass music because there is this bittersweet happiness that you can’t extract from the music itself. And of course, banjo kind of makes every-body smile and it’s always upbeat and fast; although the theme is quite often tragic. I feel that I’m connected to Blue-

did this song is Red Clay Ramblers and if they were around today they’d be a version of Mumford and Sons. They are a truly string band, had a whimsical musicality, and had an incredible writer Tommy Thompson.

The single we’re releasing first is Hot Corn, Cold Corn. We were having so much fun in the studio while we recorded this song and it holds the best memory I have of doing the album. We just laughed so hard, we were having such a good time.

Let me just say this: I think that all great records have a really great story and experience behind them. And I do think this is a great record; in fact, it may be the best record I’ve ever made. It holds together very well and I feel that this album brought together great people with lots of laughs and lots of good stories. It was a great musical experience!

STEAM I have to tell you, I think that is just an awe-

some statement. I know there are a lot of people that go out there and make an album because they have to make an album, but this sounds like you made an album because you wanted to. Actually, it sounds like you’re a newbie to music and you still like it which is very impressive for someone who’s been in the music business for as long as you have.

REK Well, you know, I’ve never really wanted to do any-

thing else, and I appreciate that. I think there are two things people should do: 1 I think they should do what they want and 2 I think they should live where they want, and if either one of those is not matching up; you need to make a change.

STEAM With the album coming out February 10 on

Dualtone Records, can you tell us your plans for touring and the show?

REK I think dates up on the website now and February is

about full; the rest is filling in nicely too. We’re going to start on the East Coast and swing our way through Texas and beyond. We’ll be doing a lot of the Bluegrass Festivals

as well. Now the first part of the show we’ll do songs from the Happy Prisoner, then take a little break, and come back with some high-lights that people know me best for.

STEAM Last question and it’s one I really like to

ask singer/songwriters; do you have any advice for people who are just getting into the business?

REK Man, I can teach a whole class on what to do and not

to, although it is changing so fast that it’s hard to keep up with.

I worked in the oil field when I was going to college. I was a roughneck on a rig every year during the summer to pay for college. So when I worked in the oil field I would ask them, How tight do you want me to turn this nut? How tight you want me to close this lid? And the guy would tell me “as tight as you think you can and then one more time around.” So what I would say to anybody in general, about whatever it is you’re doing, and especially about music business and the songwriting business: do the best you can and then one more time around, because there are some people out there that are fabulously talented writers and the ones that aren’t quite as talented are really good with studio gear. You’re not just com-peting against people and music but against loops and sounds.

Lyrics aren’t as important as they used to be, so you need to dig deep and nonstop because that’s what people in the music business are looking for. I don’t think luck has as much to do with it as it used to; you have to work hard. Be ready to jump in with both feet and work your ass off. It is amazing. I go into the studio to work with these talented writers and there’s nothing there, but they take that nothing and turn it into

something. And that is the future.

M 99 STEAMMAGAZINE.NET

Words By Tamma Hicks, STEAM Magazine | Photo by Darren Carroll

T h e H a p p i e s t P r i s o n e r

grass music in such a way that it makes me a happy prisoner of this type of music.

STEAM Do you have a favorite song off Happy Prisoner?

REK My favorite song is called Twisted Laurel, which is the least

Bluegrassy song of the bunch. It’s not an upbeat song, it may be the sleeper of the album and you may just skip over it, but it has a lyric that rivals anything you find in great American poetry. The band that

Happy Prisoner: the Bluegrass Sessions

Due out 2/10/15 on Dualtone Records. Pre-order your copy @

www.robertearlkeen.com

STEAM PICKS FOR JANUARY

HOUSE OF ROCK, 322 STARR ST, CORPUS CHRISTI TUESDAYS OPEN MIC, BEER WEDNESDAYS

WITH THE BAR NUTZ, 1/3 NINA DIAZ, 1/8 AUDIC EMPIRE, 1/9 THE HEROINE & GUESTS,

1/10 ROCKOHOLICS CALENDAR RELEASE PARTY, 1/11 CORPUS CHRISTI SONGWRITERS,

1/15 JOHNNY HOOTROCK, 1/16 TOWN HALL DEVILS, 1/19 AMERICAN AQUARIUM, 1/20 MIL-

LIONAIRES, 1/22 INDEPENTENT THIEVES, 1/23 TWO TONS OF STEEL, 1/24 PINATA PROTEST,

1/31 AFTER DARK REVUE

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, 1/2 TYDIETZ, 1/3 SHELLY KING BAND, 1/7 UNCLE WILLY, 1/9 SELFIE, 1/10

RIPTIDE, 1/14 JIM DUGAN, 1/16 ALOHA DAVE, 1/17 LYRICAL BYNGE, 1/21 TIFFANY, 1/23 MATT

HOLE, 1/24 TOODD DORN, 1/28 BILLY SNIPES, 1/30 RED GIANT, 1/31 JT COLDFIRE

RED’S SPORTS BAR, 5114 CARROLL LN, CORPUS CHRISTI SUNDAYS - DJ, WEDNESDAYS - BENTO

RAMON, 1/4 VINYL, 1/9 HARD CANDY, 1/10 PROFILE, 1/16 CATHOUSE, 1/24 VINYL, 1/31 HARD

CANDY, 2/1 SUPER BOWL PARTY

SHORTY’S, 823 TARPON ST, PORT ARANSAS 1/2 TIFFANY, 1/3 JIM DUGAN, 1/9 MANDY

ROWDEN, 1/10 RUBEN LIMAS, 1/16 INDEPENDDENT THIEVES, 1/17 SELFIE, 1/23 STEVIE START,

1/24 TY DIETZ & TONY SARACENE, 1/30 UNCLE WILLY, 1/31 BILLY SNIPES

THEO’S BILLIARDS, 5815-B WEBER RD, CORPUS CHRISTI 1/3 UFC 182, 1/22 STRAIGHT LINE

STITCH & MORE , 1/31 UFC 183, 2/1 SUPER BOWL PARTY

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, 1/3 UFC 182, 1/12 THE TEXAS HATE

TOUR, 1/31 UFC 183

FRONTIER SALOON, 9709 LEOPARD ST, CORPUS CHRISTI 1/3 SUNSHINE COLLECTIVE, 1/10 JOHN

CORTEZ BAND, 1/17 VINYL, 1/24 WALTER MIDI BAND, 1/31 ROCKOHOLICS

STINGRAYS, 401 BEACH ST, PORT ARANSAS 2/1 2ND ANNUAL SUPER BOWL PARTY WITH MU-

SIC BY JOHN BOYD BEFORE THE GAME

ENTERTAINMENT

USS LEXINGTON

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU EXPLORED

THE BLUE GHOST?

NORTH BEACH, CORPUS CHRISTI

OPEN DAILY 9AM-5PM

ART ROCK N’ ROLL PHOTOGRAPHY ART MUSEUM OF SOUTH TEXAS, 1902 N

SHORELINE BLVD, CORPUS CHRISTI

FIRST FRIDAY ARTISTS RECEPTION PORT ARANSAS ART CENTER, 323 N ALISTER

PORT ARANSAS FIRST FRIDAY 1/2 5:30-7:30PM FIRST FRIDAY ARTWALK DOWNTOWN CORPUS CHRISTI 1/2

OTHER

STUFF Historic Gruene

New Braunfels

The Riverwalk San Antonio

Morgan’s Wonderland

San Antonio (F-Su)

South Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature Center

Corpus Christi

E 10 JAN 2015

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 donat-ing:

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!

MORE MUSIC

CHECK OUT THE NEW STEAM MAGAZINE

RADIO STATION @

WWW.STEAMMAGAZINERADIO.NET

WE’RE PLAYING MUSIC FROM THE MUSICIANS

AND BANDS WE FEATURE!

FIND US ONLINE

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A 1111 FACEBOOK/STEAMTX

By Tamma Hicks, STEAM Magazine

Not too long ago we introduced

you to Martin Molina, a

bright and creative artist from

Corpus Christi. As Martin pre-

pares to graduate this spring

with his Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) degree from TAMU-CC we decided to give you another look at his work. STEAM When did you really begin taking an interest in art?

MM I began drawing when I was in middle school, during classes, and re-ceived many negative reprimands for not paying attention.

STEAM I know you’re an Army vet-eran. How has that affected your art?

MM My father was in the Gulf War and, after I graduated from college in 2005 with my degree in fine arts, I de-cided to join the Army too. In 2006 I enlisted into the U.S. Army infantry and served almost 5 years in active duty. I was stationed in Fort Wainwright Alas-ka as a company weapons repairer and a fire team leader of 1-5 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Charlie Company 25th Infantry Division. I was deployed in 2008-2009 to Baqubah, Iraq in the Di-yala Province.

In 2009 I was injured while on a patrol and was sent back to the U.S. When I returned to America I was full of hate and shame for leaving my friends in Iraq, so I began taking painting classes at the University of Fairbanks Alaska. I started painting things from my night-mares, day dreams, and concocted a bunch of paintings involving grotesque figures using bright colors and twisted narratives. After I was honorably dis-charged from the Army I applied to graduate school, here in Corpus Christi, and was accepted. I now have the op-portunity to create paintings and draw-ings full time.

STEAM In the two years since we first met, what have you been doing and when is your MFA Exhibit?

MM I have been teaching at TAMUCC for almost 2 years as a grad student and this spring semester will be my last semester before I graduate. My MFA show will open on April 17, at the Islander Art Gallery and feature mostly paintings, prints and draw-

SELF PORTRAIT 2014 (above) *** ADAM 2014 (below left) *** EVE 2014 (below right)

Continued

On

Pg 14

ings. My current body of work grew mostly out of frustration, I started tackling the problem of form by using large geometric shapes and found that by over lapping squares and triangles I was able to con-struct depth and optical color mixing. I

A 1414 FACEBOOK/STEAMTX

have always had an obsession with color and the figure and now my challenge has been to combine the two and produce works that will encompass my personal struggles and allude to narratives that will spark an interest in the viewer, but not give them all the information, and allow them to still enjoy my work. I am very excited about my MFA exhibition.

STEAM I have a few favorites in your gal-lery, but for me the Turtle with the Lantern is creates very positive feelings. Where did this idea come from and what does it mean?

MM I created the Turtle with the Lantern as an idea I have for a Children’s book about an old weathered turtle that roams the earth, and his shell is an intricate labyrinth of houses and caves. This turtle never stops and his light is always lit. This turtle is a more polished version of me, because like everyone who wants to continue living in this world of evil and doubt, you always have to keep the thought of hope alive. Hope is the lantern and even though, for some moments of our life, our “lantern" may seem dim, we must always maintain its flame. The homes on the back of

the turtle are the places where our memories, fantasies, and thoughts live. We never lose them, although sometimes we neglect them; they make us who we are. We can never stop our journey through life. We can never stop our struggle and the feeling that the lives of our families, our friends, and the world rests on our shoulders. These experiences that we have connect us all. Sometimes they make us feel a lot older than we actually are.

STEAM I think you are wiser than your age. Thank you for your time. Any last thoughts?

MM My studio is full of paintings and my mind is full of ideas. I don't consider this op-portunity in STEAM Magazine as another notch in my belt; I consider it another mem-ber of the colony of accomplishments that will live forever in my shell.

Find more information and to see more of his incredible work at

martinmolinaart.com

WHALE U BOAT 2014 (top) LAMP 2011 (middle right)

TURTLE WITH THE LANTERN 2011 (above)

BIRTHDAY CARD SHARK 2011 (bottom right)

C o n t i n u e d F R O M P g 1 1

www.ayersstreetmusic.com

We Carry

All Your

Musical Needs

Ayers

Street Music

3433 Ayers St, CC TX

361-960-2760

Now that 2014 has come and gone, the music business saw many changes, some good and some bad. Several artists had bucket list experi-ences, performing shows on hallowed stages or having the chance to perform with one of their idols. One such artist is Kacey Musgraves, who had an amazing year com-plete with winning New Artist of the year and Album of the Year awards at the CMA Awards Show in Nash-ville. She spent much of 2014 defying the country music odds with her sound and message, and something tells me she’s just getting started. Her song ‘Follow Your Ar-row’ was a fan favorite, but country radio didn’t really support the song. The song stalled at No. 43 on the chart but people connected with it and it was a hit in her live shows. This was a song that didn’t beat around the bush with its message. Musgraves wanted her fans to know its ok to simply be whoever the heck you are. It’s that kind of candor and honesty she’s known for. The song took home song of the year honors at the recent CMA Awards and is the lowest-charting single to ever win that title, according to Billboard Magazine. Loretta Lynn is a fan of Kacey’s music and they performed Lynn’s “You’re Lookin’ at Country” on the CMA show. Mus-graves admitted it was a once-in-a-lifetime moment. “Getting to sing with her at the CMA Awards the same night that ‘Follow Your Arrow’ got song of the year was abso-lutely mind-blowing,” she said in a recent press release. “At this point, I don’t have a bucket list anymore. I’m just along for the

ride.” If last year is an indication as to what’s next, Kacey has a very bright future in the music business.

Willie Nelson released several albums in 2014 and was also presented with his Fifth Degree Black Belt in the art of Gong Kwon Yu Sul, a modern Korean martial arts system.

"Really all my life Charles Atlas and Bruce Lee were on my mind," he told Men's Health. "It's a good form of exercise, especial-ly as you get older. I went through school playing all kinds of sports. Then when I went to Nashville I got into some martial arts and kung fu and really liked it." The cere-mony took place at Mas-ter Martial Arts in Austin two days before Willie’s 81st birthday. Will Willie ever slow down? It doesn’t seem likely that he will, not anytime soon.

Popular Texas artist Roger Creager and his crew pulled off a Guin-ness World Record for Largest Raft of Swim Rings/Tubes in 2014 in New Braunfels. Approxi-mately 950 people joined him on the Guadalupe River just down the hill from Gruene Hall where

he was performing a four night stand of sold-out concerts. In order to qualify as a “raft” all the tubers joined hands and floated together. Prior to setting the record, Creager performed a few songs acoustically on the banks of the river, among them were “River Song,” which went on to hit number one on the Texas Mu-sic Chart.

Kevin Fowler, another uber popular Texas artist, opened his private ranch in Wimberley to the public at the end of September for weddings, anniversaries and other special events. Because Kevin collects historic build-ings, you’ll walk back into Texas’ past at Rustic Ranch. He has a dancehall, a log cabin built in the 1800s and a 95-year-old farmhouse among his treasured buildings. Kevin does much of

the restoration work himself when he’s not performing for huge crowds around Texas.

George Strait got his start playing in Texas honky tonks like Gruene Hall and Cheatham Street Warehouse. Stevie Ray Vaughan, Joe Ely, Todd Snider and Randy Rogers also got their start play-ing at Cheatham Street early in their career. In fact, the question is what Texas band hasn’t played Cheatham Street Warehouse and received words of wis-dom and advice from owner Kent Fin-lay? Kent’s daughter Jenni is co-writing her father’s biography titled “Kent Fin-lay: Dreamer” with help from Brian T. Atkinson, author of “I’ll Be Here in the Morning: The Songwriting Legacy of Townes Van Zandt. Texas A&M Press will publish the book as part of their John and Robin Dickson Series. The book will draw from Jenni’s interviews with her father about his life and his contributions to Texas music. Atkinson will contribute info he got from his con-versations with George Strait, Eric John-son, Todd Snider, Randy Rogers and many more artists about Kent’s astound-ing influence in their career.

As I mentioned earlier, the music busi-ness has seen good and bad in 2014. The bad is that people aren’t buying albums anymore. Taylor Swift was the only act to sell a million copies of her new CD, ‘1989.’ More fans are streaming their music on their phones or tablets from websites like Spotify and Pandora. Swift made a bold move last year when she pulled her music from Spotify due to lack of royalty payments. With album sales down, labels aren’t signing new artists like they once were. More and more acts are deciding to self-release their music on small independent labels or just putting it out themselves. The ‘do-it-yourself’ busi-ness plan seems to be especially popular among Texas acts. It gives them com-plete control of their music, but also means they must promote the project on whatever budget they have. It will be interesting to see how things progress as streaming becomes more popular among the upcoming generation of music fans. I guess time will tell.

San Antonio/New Braunfels/San Marcos/Austin

With Dale Martin

Troubadour Insights

THE NORTH END EEE 16 JAN 2015

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SOCIAL: CHRISCARROLLSONGS.COM FACEBOOK.COM/CHRISCARROLLSONGS, & TWITTER.COM/CHRISCARROLLTX

GET Trouble & Time: CDBABY.COM & CHRISCARROLLSONGS.COM

SHOW INFO: 1/18/15 CHEATHAM STREET WAREHOSE IN SAN MARCOS TX M 1717

STEAMMAGAZINE.NET

“Play your music.” - Three simple words spoken by a beloved grandmother in the wan-ing moments of her life. To some it may sound like a line from a Hallmark movie, al-most too moving to be true. To Chris Carroll, it was that sentence that cemented her convic-tion to follow a passion that had been moving her since grade school. The oldest of four children, Carroll was raised in St. Catherine's, a sailing town on the Canadian shores of Lake Ontario. Early on Chris was pegged by a teacher as a singer and performer, convincing her to join the choir in the 4th grade. At that point the fire was lit and Carroll would continue to seek out the stage as her place of refuge. While still a minor she began to sit in at a local venue dubbed, The Club, on guitar and vocals. The eclectic range of music she found herself immersed in on that stage, began to form what would later become her “style”, an intoxicating mixture of Americana, jazz, R&B, Blues and country that sets her apart from her female, countryesque contemporaries. Prior to settling in to take care of her ailing grandmother and having that life changing conversation, Carroll spent a year planting trees across Canada and held down numerous day jobs, all the while eagerly grabbing what-ever gig happened to be available. Those gigs included a two year run as the lead singer in what she describes as a “psychedelic jam band,” Buddhas Don't Box. Buddhas provided even more ingredients for the young Carroll to use in her musical kitchen, incorporating a range of covers from Nina Simone to the Grateful Dead. Once music became her desired career, she began cultivating her songwriting chops both as a solo performer and working with a talent-ed young local guitar player, Tim Kulakowsky. Chris and Tim were playing 3-5 nights a week and more and more of Chris's original compo-sitions were what the crowds desired. So, they entered the studio and quickly cut a 6 song EP entitled, Before and After. It was shortly after the release, of that now out of print, EP that Chris was offered a spot on the roster of Roger Marin's Cicada Festival held in her home town. Little did she know at the time, this gig would be just as influential to both her life and career as that conversation from a few years earlier. Also playing the festival that weekend was

Texas singer/songwriter, Adam Carroll. The two spent the after show hours swapping songs and stories. Sensing a strong connection both personally and musically, Adam and Chris began getting to know one another via skype while living over a thousand miles apart. Eventually Adam asked Chris to move to Texas and in 2013 they tied the knot. Upon arriving in Texas, Chris already had a sack full of phenomenal songs and the obvi-ous next step was cutting a proper record to showcase them. Alongside a fine band (Adam on Harmonica, Producer David Beck on every-thing under the sun, Kym Warner on mandolin, Dees Stribling on drums and percussion, and Bill Whitbeck on bass) Carroll dove into the ses-sions at Austin's Fast Horse Studios. The result-ing record serves as a loud announcement of Chris Carroll's arrival on the Americana scene. Trouble & Time is as diverse as the influences that have impressed themselves into Carroll's life over the years. She is completely comforta-ble singing a jazz bass flavored, conga driven track like the lead single, “Cause or Cure” as she is the more straight forward country tinged folk ballad, “Just Like That”. Carroll's lyrics are concise and entrancing, and the Ca-nadian's delivery allows the listener to really settle into the songs regardless of which genre she happens to be channeling at the time. In addition to the release of her debut album, Chris will be expanding her touring area over the next year. Whether she is sharing the stage with her husband or headlining the show, it is inevitable that she will continue winning over new fans every time one of her songs finds its way into any true music fan's ears.

By Adam Dawson, www.thebrokenjukebox.com

S C H RO EDE R H A L L -

TT his month I head down to

southern Texas, to the town

that used to be called German

Town, for a legendary dance-

hall that claims to be the second

oldest in Texas. The town was

founded in the 1840’s, but be-

cause supplies were limited the

first store wasn’t built until

1887. In 1890 they opened the

dancehall for the 182 residents.

So, if you have read this series

from the beginning you will

realize it is not the second old-

est dancehall in Texas, but is

still very old and historical.

The town changed its name in

1918 because of the anti-

German sentiments caused by

WWI. They changed the name

to Schroeder in honor of the

first townsman to lose their life

to the war. In 1925 fire de-

stroyed almost the entire town

leaving just the community

center and Schroeder Dance-

hall. The original dancehall was

a flat roof building about one-

third its current size.

With a major remodel many years

ago Schroeder Hall now has a

pitched roof and can accommodate

up to 1200 patrons. The original

part of the building is the current

dance floor with a full length bar

in the back and a stage in the front.

The floor is in perfect condition,

and there is plenty of seating on

both sides of the dance floor for

those who wish enjoy the music

and libations without dancing.

Exiting out the side leads to a

fenced off courtyard with picnic

tables and an outdoor stage. There

is also an un-attached building

that hosts a small saloon with a

couple of TV’s, so a person won’t

miss an important game.

While most of the

dancehalls I visit have

turned into ghost E 1818 JAN 2015

towns, Schroeder has more than

doubled in size. There is also

many decent size cities and towns

within a short drive. Goliad is the

closest town with accommoda-

tions for those who want to make

the drive and stay the night. It is

about 15 miles away, or a person

can drive about 17 miles the other

direction and stay in the historic

city of Victoria. There are plenty

of people within proximity to

keep Schroeder Hall busy. The

nearest competition is about 80

miles away in Corpus Christi.

Since there is plenty of locals and

no major competition Schroeder

Hall is able to book the most pop-

ular country artists.

They offer live music Fridays and

Saturdays, unless booked for a

private event. Hopefully, in the

next few weeks they will be offer-

ing live blues on Sunday after-

Seafood & Steaks

International Cuisine

Vegan/Vegetarian Fare

Fine Desserts Absinthe Parlor

Craft Cocktails Beer & Wine

112 S Fulton Beach Rd112 S Fulton Beach Rd Fulton TX Fulton TX

(361) 790(361) 790--96269626

noons; something the manager is cur-

rently working on with sponsors. The

January line-up features: Granger

Smith, Aaron Watson, and Tim Hall.

Check out their website to buy tickets,

directions, and the most up to date

calendar of events.

Even though this was a long drive

from my location in the Hill Country,

I was very excited for the trip. It is

one of those dancehalls that every-

body seems to mention. It wasn’t un-

than probably anyone else

in Texas, Stephen Dean, is

probably one of the smart-

est decisions he made.

This is one of the largest and has more

entertainment than any of the others I

have visited. It is definitely a must vis-

it.

www.schroederdancehall.com

E 1919 JAN 2015

til I was leaving that I found out that

the manager is legend himself. Ste-

phen Dean is co-founder of the Texas

Dancehall Preservation Society. He is

also the author of Historic Dancehalls

of East Central Texas, a book that can

be purchased at Amazon. He has doc-

umented over 800 dancehalls

throughout Texas.

The current owner, Doug Guller, is

the owner of the chain of Bikinis

Sports Bars. He also owns the dance-

hall we featured in November, Guller

Hall. He is not looking to bring the

Bikini girls in to change the feel of

these dancehalls. He is working on

preserving them and keeping them

alive. He has an understanding of

how the music scene is growing

throughout Texas, and just not lim-

ited to Austin. Having someone who

knows more about historic dancehalls

Writer’s Block By

Forrest Lee Jr.

My signature Washburn Forrest Lee Jr Acoustic Bender is available and it's a songwriters tool as much as a great radio tour and session guitar. Please read on for some other cool writer tools.

Here's what I'm talking about. Just like all the other writers, I'm always on the lookout for tools out there to help me come up with interesting melodic and rhythmic twists. The Roger Linn Adren-alinn is one of the hottest writer tools around because it does a few things: it gives you a beat, and plug in a guitar... and viola! It tweaks the tone to the beat you've chose. So you come up with a cool rhythm pattern by hitting a single chord. I've even heard these "work tape" tones make it to the real major label rec-ord!

I had originally used the idea of an acoustic B bender equipped guitar for radio touring. I had to play pedal steel licks acoustically; very hard without a bender. Then a producer friend of mine wanted one to use for a friends record. They wanted to do a lot of acoustic stuff, but it all had bender licks, so they needed an acoustic bender. Since his first record went to number one on the country charts, we have high hopes for this one. So I went to work on the acoustic bend-

er process. They did use it extensively on the record, and for all the radio gigs.

Then it dawned on me while I was on tour in Florida. I had the prototype with me. The boys in the band are all writers in our writer group. And we often kick back after the show, crack open a cold beer and write. This time I had the Washburn with me, and I could play signature steel type licks right out of the gate! This lent itself to writing more Country style songs because I had the ability to hear what an arrangement might sound like with steel guitar. We ended up writing 3 songs that night. I've since used it for every writing appoint-ment, and we always write 3 songs in the time it usually takes to write one.

There are several awesome writers tools out there that I suggest everybody at least check out. Try the Adrenalinn, Its cool and it gets you're groove on! Check out the Forrest Lee Jr Bender Acoustic from Washburn, the inner chord bends alone will give melody ideas a twist. And get a copy of Masterwriter (they have a demo to try). Also as fun as it is to scrib-

ble down ideas in a notebook or on the back of a napkin, make sure you have a laptop connected to the internet so you can Google

Tools of the Trade

i n f o r m a t i o n sources . If you are wri t ing about a specific subject, person or place, do your homework with search engines.

If you're on an airplane and you get a gut feeling, then the little white bag in the magazine pouch works pretty good... unless you need to use it for s o m e t h i n g else... I wrote

an alternative country song about all my heroes on one. It was weird. I was in the airport and ran into Radney Foster and Ebo, and they were flying to Texas for a gig, as was I. We chatted for a few minutes and then hopped on our planes. They headed for Corpus, I was flying to Dallas to play at Gilley's with Trent Willmon. I started thinking how many of us were living in Nashville, but flying back to Texas for gigs. There are LOTS of Texans in Nashville. Feeling my own mortality, I wrote a song about Stevie Ray Vaughn, Buddy Holly etc... and what Waylon must have felt after giving up his seat on that plane. I love the song even though it’s very dark subject matter.

Anyway, all of these things help speed up the writing process and get your crea-tive juices flowing, with the exception of the airplane bag. Forget I said anything about that.

Forrest Lee Jr is a singer/songwriter, guitarist, and producer in Nashville, TN. He co-manages Loretta Lynn’s Coal Miners Daughter Recording Studio. His songs have been released by several re-cording artists, and used in hundred of films and TV shows.

www.ForrestLee.com

A 2020 FACEBOOK/STEAMTX