Beyond The Pale delivers a wild ride with stunning harmonies and dazzling instrumental flare. Weaving traditional Celtic music together with songs and world instrumental pieces, this quartet effortlessly spins out fiery reels, jigs, original songs, both humorous and haunting, offering culturally rich stories and music from around the world, including Celtic, Bluegrass, Folk, Mexican Polkas, Eastern European and Scandinavian tunes, Americana/Appalachian and even a little Texas Swing! The entire band sings, from well-crafted original songs to "celticized" versions of contemporary songs ranging from 1930's music hall songs to stunning a cappella pieces.
Expect the unexpected as Beyond The Pale cooks up a tasty acoustic stew on fiddle, flute, hammered dulcimer, accordion, guitar, bodhran, whistle, concertina and saxophone. Discover your roots and expand your borders with this highly versatile never-a-dull moment band!
From a young school girl singing in The Texas Girls' Choir, to twenty plus years on the New York City scene, Gale Cruz has had the good fortune of backing up such artists as PHOEBE SNOW, PATTI AUSTIN, and PHYLLIS HYMAN. While in New York, Gale also led her own jazz group as well as corporate/society bands performing for numerous clients such as SMITH BARNEY, MAYOR BLOOMBERG and SONY CORP. to name a few. She also did numerous jingles and voice overs. Gale has recently relocated to her DALLAS/FT. WORTH roots.
Drummer and percussionist Bob Stewart has played venues and events of all types imaginable while backing Lou Rawls, David "Fathead" Newman, James Clay, and many others. The core group also includes bass player Eric Zukoski. Eric Zukoski has backed artists ranging from The Drifters and Three Dog Night, to 1970's soul artist Al Wilson ("Show & Tell") and classical crossover star Daniel Rodgriguez, and can be heard on numerous recordings on rotation on TV and radio. Rounding out the core group is pianist Frank Hailey. As noted in All About Jazz, "Frank Hailey is a cousin of seminal jazz pianist and composer Cedar Walton. But . . . Hailey need not invoke the reputation of his well-known relative to gain recognition, revealing he is a fine piano performer in his own right."
Rebecca Henricks’ music is a unique blend of traditional country and bluegrass that is upbeat and offers her own humorous spin on small-town life, love and relationships. Her energy comes straight from her heart and her inner beauty shines through her infectious smile and personality. A modern-day June Carter Cash whose straighten-up-and-fly-right Texas roots, talent, and southern hospitality will have audiences at hello and charm them ever after. Her themes and lyrics give men and women something to think about and laugh about.
Producers and club owners call her shows "high energy and power-packed" and says that she "always makes you want to jump up and join in on the fun." Whether she is playing major festivals across the southwest, live music venues, or performing live on television, the passion she puts into singing a powerful ballad or rockin’ a classic country song is undeniable.
Kat Daddy delivers an exciting, eclectic mix of sounds from the 1950s to the present, focusing on classic rock and dance music. Based in Fort Worth/Dallas, this is a high-energy band that's always big fun.
Definitely Maybe® is the premier party band of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. An eight-piece band featuring a hot horn section and dynamic vocalists, performing a wide range of styles - from old school funk, classic rock, and 70s dance music, to jazz standards, romantic ballads, roadhouse blues, and even a little country and western.
Bob Boatright began playing his fiddle professionally at an early age. When his family moved to Wichita Falls, Texas he played two television shows a week and traveled the Texas and Oklahoma area playing dances and stage shows five and six nights a week.Bob continued playing dances three nights a week while attending Midwestern University in Wichita Falls where he received a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Mathematics. Bob was a member of the Original Texas Playboys, when the group retired after giving their famous "For The Last Time" concert in Fort Worth, following the death of their great piano player, AI Stricklin. During the last thirty-four years he has worked with Leon Rausch and band. Bob is currently working with Bob Will's Original Texas Playboys under the direction of Leon Rausch and Tommy Allsup. They were invited to play for Paul McCartney"s party for his "End of the World" Tour in Chicago. Bob has performed on stage with many of the top Western Swing Acts in the country. He also plays at many Western Swing Festivals, cowboy poetry gatherings, celebrity golf tournaments and other music festivals around the country.
Guitarist and composer James Gabriano is an artist who plays his instrument with the intensity of an August afternoon in Texas. As a guest at one of his live performances, you are quickly drawn to his "flamenco jazz" style. The Latin rhythms and fiery guitar make you want to get up, stomp your heels, and click your castanets. Just catch his rendition of "Bambaleo" by the Gipsy Kings and you will feel the meaning. The band has been performing regularly around the metroplex.
Cordobés delivers an eclectic, acoustic-based sound that is fun and accessible on the first listen. Her style is based on American folk and Cuban, with additional influences like bossa nova, flamenco and samba. Tania's original material combines beautiful melody, syncopation and soulful lyrics that embody her Cuban-American heritage. Her voice and the unique instrumentation of her band are perfect in any venue, from festivals to listening rooms.
A combination of some of Dallas/Ft. Worths' most talented and seasoned musicians and performers, Domino Effect Entertainment offers the best in live music services. A party with the Domino Effect band means a party with some of the most highly energetic and techically superb talents that will keep the dance floor groovin'! Their musical services can cater to the needs of any event size and type; covering genres of FUNK, ROCK (CLASSIC AND CURRENT), POP, HIP-HOP, MOTOWN, JAZZ, R&B, and DISCO!!
Big Sam's Funky Nation have established their presence on the forefront of the New Orleans music scene. Trombone powerhouse and band leader "Big Sam" Williams, formerly of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, has been celebrated as "the top man on the slide trombone in the birthplace of jazz" by the San Francisco Chronicle and the band has been touted for consistently "bringing a straight raw party" by Jambase. 2010 has been a busy year for The Nation, with two European tours (France and Greece), a recurring role in the new HBO original series "Treme", and a busy US touring schedule including festivals such as the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Bonnaroo Arts & Music Festival, South by Southwest, Doheney Blues Festival and Gathering of the Vibes. For 2011, BSFN does not intend to slow down. The momentum BSFN has recently accumulated will only continue to grow off of the successful release of their fourth and most prolific album to date, King Of The Party. Be on the lookout for BSFN's masterful blend of a rock, with an improv-style associated with jazz and a horn-heavy front section that's the hallmark of funk. The energy level is always high voltage when BSFN takes the stage.
Everyone knows Better Than Ezra. They're the million-selling band with hits like "Good" and "A Lifetime" that sells out venues coast to coast and enjoys a legion of fans so faithful they've dubbed themselves the Ezralites. So, what's the story behind that name?
"We have never revealed it, even under duress," says front man Kevin Griffin. "We just said, 'Why don't we just keep it a secret, and that will be our one little publicity stunt.' As a result, there's a couple of books out there about the origin of band names. U2 or Rolling Stones will have a paragraph dedicated to them, and then there's like a page and a half on
the origins of Better Than Ezra, which is just hilarious."
While the band name remains a well-kept secret for now, the seemingly mysterious title of Better Than Ezra's latest project, Paper Empire, speaks right to the heart of a world asking a lot of questions and ultimately discovering the things worth holding onto.
"I was drawn to that phrase "Paper Empire,' Kevin explains. "It seemed apropos given the current economic woes and where we are right now. Most of these institutions in your life -- whether it's love, relationships, your belief system, religious convictions, or politics -- are pretty fragile when it comes down to it. There's a really precarious nature to everything that you hold dear in your life. If you recognize that, you're more likely to do a better job taking care of it."
The future of Better Than Ezra may have seemed a bit precarious to their fans who've been waiting for new material from the band since 2005's Before the Robots. While that project spawned BTE's radio hits "A Lifetime" and "Juicy," the guys felt a need to recharge their creative batteries after the tour behind that album was finished. Lead singer
Kevin Griffin took time to pen tunes for other artists including David Cook, Howie Day and Blondie while bassist Tom Drummond was busy producing other musicians in the band's native New Orleans. In late 2007, Kevin got the urge to fire up what he calls the "Better Than Ezra thing" and start recording his own material again.
"It happened really organically and when a song was good, it got recorded," Kevin explains. "We didn't feel that pressure to do it all in a two week blast. We took a year and a half. So, I think as a result, the songs on the album are the cream of the crop that stood the test of time in the editing process to make the album." The fruit of that recording method is highlighted in Paper Empire's first single "Absolutely Still.” Marked with Kevin's knack for creating an infectious melody and a
meaty lyric, the tune also encapsulates how fragile a love affair can really be.
"'Absolutely Still' is about when you're with someone, and you have those fleeting moments of clarity when everything is right between the two of you, and you can block out all the chaos and noise outside. You don't have to say anything and everything is understood. Before it all goes wrong, there are all those perfect moments of bliss."
While the driving, uptempo rhythm of "Absolutely Still" and the second-chance anthem "Just One Day" will cover familiar territory for BTE fans, Paper Empire contains a few musical detours most evident in the stoned childhood reflection of "Black Light" or the New Orleans gospel strains of "The Loveless."
"I think the reason we've been able to stick around as long as we have is that we're all bringing in new influences into the band. Whether I'm listening to a Friendly Fires album or MGMT or the new Raconteurs, you're gonna hear that in our music. The sound has always kind of changed as we've changed, but I think that's why we continue to have success and every album as a couple of songs that do well at radio. We stick around. It's gotta be interesting and challenging to us if we're gonna keep doing it."
Another vital influence to Better Than Ezra's ever-evolving sound is the group's newest member Michael Jerome on drums. Boasting a very accomplished resume (John Cale, Richard Thompson), Michael brings a nuanced yet powerful drumming style to the BTE sound.
"Some drummers are at the back of the beat, and really in the pocket and all about the feel. That's the way Michael is," Kevin says. "He's also a very muscular drummer as well. Being a three piece band, everybody's really gotta hold their own. Michael does that with aplomb."
Fans can witness Michael's drumming prowess when Better Than Ezra hits the road in support of Paper Empire. Bred in the southern college circuit that produced R.E.M. and The B-52's before them, BTE has made a point of putting on a surprising, high-energy live show every time they hit the stage.
"You can never accuse Better Than Ezra of being a shoegazer band. Our show is a lot of fun, and it's entertaining, whether we're getting people onstage to play our instruments or I'm using a digital sampler out in the crowd to sample phrases people are saying to me and then mix it into a song, There's usually something different that we're gonna do in addition to a different set list every night when you come and see us. That's our mantra -- we put on a great show."
The Texas Gypsies have an eclectic sound, combining Classic standards, Gypsy jazz, Western swing, as well as our own originals from 3 CD's and a unique take on pop and jazz standards, with a look evocative of the '30s and '40s. The group features two guitars, violin and bass, but can add drums and a horn section for an even bigger sound.
FM is an extremely talented band from the Dallas Fort Worth area. They bring together many years of experience with outstanding Male and Female vocals.
Born in Dallas, Texas, Hunter Hendrickson is an emerging 18-year old guitar player that has tapped into the past through his guitar, bridging distant sounds of screaming blues and rock into the modern day with a purpose. Not only as a player, but as a singer/songwriter, he leaves behind old genre boundaries by pulling on a deep reservoir of all styles of music developed from years of a burning love affair with music and life. This can be heard not just in his flooring guitar playing, but his groaning voice and unique and sometimes painfully honest songwriting. Hunter's artistic and compelling intensity has led audiences to him that demand encores at venues across the Dallas/Fort Worth music scene.
For more than thirty years, the legendary Buster Brown Band has toured the world and performed to thousands of fans with an infectious mix of old school rhythms and new surprises. The Buster Brown Band has graced the stage with numerous hit artists including The Gap Band, Stevie Wonder, Babyface, and Sheila E to name a few. With the powerful vocals of Kelly, Big Al, Roger Burton and James Kings, your soul will be lifted, and your feet will groove with the rhythm. And just a warning ladies: don't look in the face of Roger while he's singing Prince hits, you will be affected!
Phyrework was a seven piece funk/rock/jazz band from Dallas, TX that performed from 1976 to 1987. Similar to Tower of Power and Earth, Wind, and Fire, Mercury Records released their self titled LP produced by Michael Cooper of Con Funk Shun in 1978, and the group subsequently toured and opened concerts for Gino Vanelli, The Average White Band, The Barkays, Herbie Hancock, and many others. They self-released a 4 song EP in 1981, produced by Patrick Henderson and the band, and continued a long run as one of two house bands at a famous dance club in Dallas, Popsicle Toes. The group broke up in 1987, but all of the members (John Bryant,Gerald Calhoun,Bill Eden,Jim Foster,Frank Hames,Clarence Washington and Willie Smith) are healthy and still performing, with a reunion concert to take place April 16, 2011 at the Main St. Art Festival in Fort Worth.
Mia Borders has captured the attention of both local and national audiences with her energetic blend of funk, soul, and contemporary songwriting. Offbeat Magazine's Alex Rawls writes, "Note to self: Pay more attention to Mia Borders," and USA today named Mia one of the 2010 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival's “hidden surprises.” The April 2010 release of the band’s second full-length album, "Magnolia Blue,” earned them a nomination for Best Emerging Artist at the Big Easy Music Awards, as well as a nationally broadcast performance at N.O. Jazz Fest '10. They hit the road this year and performed at Mount Helena Music Fest, San Jose Jazz Fest, Taos Mountain Music Fest, Voodoo Fest, and Bonnaroo (VIP pre-party with Big Sam's Funky Nation). When the band opened for Corinne Bailey Rae at the House of Blues New Orleans in September 2010, "Borders drew the crowd in and had them cheering for more" (NewOrleans.com). With this and much more ahead, Mia Borders has secured her role as one of the fastest rising artists from New Orleans.
In their fourteen years together as a band, celebrated Los Angeles culture-mashers Ozomatli have gone from being hometown heroes to being named U.S. State Department Cultural Ambassadors.
Ozomatli has always juggled two key identities. They are the voice of their city and they are citizens of the world.
Their music-- a notorious urban-Latino-and-beyond collision of hip hop and salsa, dancehall and cumbia, samba and funk, merengue and comparsa, East LA R&B and New Orleans second line, Jamaican ragga and Indian raga-- has long followed a key mantra: it will take you around the world by taking you around L.A.
This has never been truer for Ozo than it is in 2009. More than ever before, the band is both of the world and of L.A.
Originally formed to play at an area labor protest over a decade ago, Ozomatli spent some of their early days participating in everything from earthquake prep "hip hop ghetto plays" at inner-city L.A. elementary schools to community activist events, protests, and city fundraisers. Ever since, they have been synonymous with their city: their music has been taken up by The Los Angeles Dodgers and The Los Angeles
Clippers, they recorded the street-view travelogue “City of Angels” in 2007 as a new urban anthem, and most recently, they were featured as part of the prominent L.A. figures imaging campaign “We Are 4 L.A.” on NBC.
"This band could not have happened anywhere else but L.A.,” saxophonist and clarinetist Ulises Bella has said. “Man, the tension of it, the multiculturalism of it. L.A. is like, we're bonded by bridges."
Ozo is also a product of the city’s grassroots political scene. Proudly born as a multi- racial crew in post-uprising 90s Los Angeles, the band has built a formidable reputation over four full-length studio albums and a relentless touring schedule for taking party rocking so seriously that it becomes new school musical activism.
"Just being who we are and just doing what we're doing with music at this time is very political," says bassist Wil-Dog Abers. "The youth see us up there and recognize themselves. So in a playful, party-type of way, I think it's real easy for this band to get dangerous. We are starting to realize just how big of a voice we actually have as a band and how important it is for us to use it."
In 2007, the reach and power of that voice went to new global heights. The band had long been a favorite of international audiences—playing everywhere from Japan to North Africa and Australia—and their music had always been internationalist in its scope, seamlessly blending and transforming traditions from Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East (what other band could record a song once described as “Arabic jarocho dancehall”?), but last year, they entered the global arena in a different way.
They were invited by the U.S. State Department to serve as official Cultural Ambassadors on a series of government-sponsored international tours to Asia, Africa, South America, and the Middle East, tours that linked Ozomatli to a tradition of cultural diplomacy that also includes the esteemed likes of Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and Louis Armstrong.
For those who wondered how a band known for its vigilant anti-war stance could become a partner with the very Bush administration they have so vocally critiqued in the past, the band was clear about their position: it was all about responding to a global “cry for change” by using music to promote messages of peace and understanding.
As Bella told The Los Angeles Times during the band’s visit to an orphanage in Cairo, “Our world standing has deteriorated. I’m totally willing and wanting to give a different image of America than America has given over the last five years.”
In places like Tunisia, India, Jordan, and Nepal, Ozo didn’t just play rousing free public concerts, but offered musical workshops and master classes and visited arts centers, summer camps, youth rehabilitation centers, and even a Palestinian refugee camp. They listened to performances by local musicians and often joined in for impromptu jam
sessions with student bands and community musicians. Most shows ended up with kids dancing on stage and their new collaborators sitting in for a tabla solo or a run on the slide guitar.
In the case of Nepal, the band’s trip was part of a celebration of the country’s newly ratified peace accord and they arrived with a direct message: “different instruments but one rhythm, together we can make a prosperous Nepal.” Their concert, which drew over 14,000 people, was a historic one—Ozo were the first Western band to do a concert in Nepal and the event was the country’s first peaceful mass gathering that was not a protest or religious ceremony.
For the U.S Embassy in Nepal, Ozomatli were a model of how diversity promotes change. According to an official embassy release, “Ozomatli is living proof that diverse backgrounds make a stronger and more prosperous whole. Ozomatli’s nine members are committed to addressing social issues of local, national and international importance
and they use the power of their own diversity to achieve this.”
Suddenly the lessons of L.A. had found their way into the world at large.
“I’ve always felt that music is the key to every culture, the beginning of an understanding,” says vocalist and trumpet player Asdru Sierra. “It’s a language far more universal than politics.”
Curtis Tilton, Doc Wesson, and "Diamond" Jim Richmond are collectively known as "3 Fools on 3 Stools". A musical and comedic adventure that is sure to entertain and amuse you.This dynamic trio serves up a unique blend of Texas music, featuring harmony and humor. They mix great original songs with classic music from Jimmy Buffett, The Eagles, Van Morrison and the Beatles as well as Willie Nelson, Roger Miller, Marty Robbins, Jerry Jeff Walker and Merle Haggard.
Bonnie & Nick Norris have been performing in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area since 1994. The brother and sister are available as a duo or as a band. Bonnie sings and plays a fierce fiddle and soulful violin while Nick maintains a solid driving rhythm on guitar. He awes the crowd with his signature sound when he solos on guitar, steel guitar, and banjo. Currently, Bonnie and Nick are writing and recording all original music for their upcoming CD.
2008 marked NAKED LUNCH's tenth year of kicking out their tribute to the music of Steely Dan. Audiences continue to be amazed at how they are able to meticulously conjure the spirit of the Dan recordings while maintaining their own unintrusive musical imprint. Over the years, they've been joined by the likes of such esteemed Steely Dan alumni as Chuck Rainey and "Blue Lou" Marini (and some members have even gone on to play with other alum such as Dean Parks and Elliott Randall).
This sensational band from Fort Worth has been on the musical circuit for more than 30 years. Led by brothers Carlos and Leo Saenz, Latin Express band has racked up many accolades over the years, including the "Little Joe y La Familia Lifetime Achievement Award.”
Cienfuegos is an 11pc salsa orchestra that has one goal at each performance: to keep the dancers moving. The band’s repertoire is a mixture of Latin styles, including classic salsa dura, contemporary salsa, timba, merengue, cumbia, Cuban son, and more.
Starting out as a 3pc Cuban son group in 2004, Cienfuegos has expanded in size and repertoire to become the premier salsa orchestra in Austin, TX. The ensemble features a 3pc horn section, three percussionists, three vocalists, as well as bass and piano, to produce a high-energy sound that makes standing still virtually impossible.
CIENFUEGOS was voted “Mejor Artista Nuevo” (Best New Artist) in Univision’s PREMIOS MUSICA LATINA de AUSTIN (Latin Music Awards of Austin) 2006 and won top honors in the Salsa/Merengue category in 2007. The band has previously been featured on Fox 7 News in the Morning in Austin, Great Day S.A. in San Antonio, and Horizontes Latin music program on Austin’s KUT 90.5 FM. Mayor Will Winn and the Austin City Council honored the band by proclaiming Nov. 17, 2005, “CIENFUEGOS DAY”.
