Houston, Texas has produced a number of great artists who have had a major impact on popular music. Born and raised in Houston himself, singer-songwriter Griffin Swank dreams of carrying his passion in the same direction. Working his way into the scene from open mic nights, Griffin began to build a name for himself – playing restaurant gigs and venues like Fitzgerald’s and McGonigel’s Mucky Duck. In the fall of 2010, he released his first EP entitled ‘Here to Stay,’ a collection of three songs recorded to give public audiences a taste of what’s to come. Griffin lives and feeds off of many diverse genres that surround him, inspiring the creation of a unique music style, one described as “acoustic-folk pop” by the Houston Chronicle.

Swank, 19, has emerged as a sophisticated multi-instrumentalist and a prolific songwriter. “Griffin has a stage presence and performing style that is far more mature than most others his age,” says Grammy winning producer/engineer, Randy Miller. Miller continues, “Griffin is the real deal. He’s already a professional. Griffin can really sing a song and his music is fun and easy to listen to.”

Griffin currently lives in Austin, Texas, where he is finalizing his debut full-length record. The album will consist of 10 original tracks and is expected to be released in December 2012.

JOIN us for a special CD release party with Don Vickers along with special guest Holly Hicks TONIGHT.

Here’s a little about Don and his music. Tickets are $10.      

Don Vickers was born in Houston, TX  and     grew up with music as a staple in his life; from his mother singing in the Houston Symphony Choir to honky tonkin’ down the road with his dad listening to Don Williams, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Jim Reeves.  When DV was a teenager, he convinced his mother to buy him a guitar – so off to the pawn shop they went, where they bought a yellow Arbor guitar and a Gorilla amp.  That was the beginning of his musical career.  It is worth mentioning that he has also upgraded his equipment since!

DV, a naturally gifted vocalist and one of the hottest lead guitar players in the Houston area, has been the front man of The Misbehavin Band for just over a decade and has been packing in the house at dance halls and saloons such as Rowdy Bucks and the Texas Saloon and even holding and breaking attendance records.  He complements his achievements by also stepping into the light as a solo artist and songwriter and has been influenced by great artists such as George Strait, Vince Gill, and Keith Urban.   He has taken the stage at the Dirty Bay Beer Company for the “Keep’n it Country” The Songwriters Series with singer/songwriters: Byron Hill, who just celebrated the 30th Anniversary of George Strait’s first #1 … “Fool Hearted Memory”, Mickey and Jack Jones (aka: The Jones Boys) and Dustin Kelley.  DV made his live radio debut December 2012 on TXRDR, the “Justin Frazell Radio Show”.  His live performance showcased two singles from his “Halfway There” CD and was syndicated nationwide through more than twenty affiliated broadcasting stations.

DV began songwriting in 1999 with a dedication to his wife “Anything for You”; a beautiful song that has since been requested by brides and grooms in countless nuptials.  Armed with a catalog of hits, DV is ready to show the world a talent that has been decades in the making.  The “Halfway There” tour will showcase his newest CD and is expected to climb Texas music charts at an unprecedented rate.

From hard and alt. rock bands hail the composite of the Tribe. We have been part of numerous projects and through a little studio time, we have finally found our destination. We can all truly say that we love each other and are having the time of our lives seeing this project take off. God has blessed us with each other; like minded, driven, professionals who get to have fun on the job. We would like to thank you for buying, burning, and enjoying the album. Our gratitude is not enough. If you liked “Rock On” you’ll love the next one! We can’t wait to see you at a show. God bless you all!

The SOUL of COUNTRY Music; the SPIRIT of southern ROCK

If you love pure country music, you’ll love Jerry Audley. His sound is like no other. Jerry has created a blend of classic country with a tough, southern rock feel. Unlike the abundance of pop-country sounds today, Jerry Audley is true to country music and aims to be the artist who ignites a revival of sorts; reclaiming country music “one honkytonk at a time”. Jerry used the influence of artists, George Strait, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, Gary Stewart, Willie Nelson, and Keith Whitley to create his signature Rockin’ Honkytonk sound. Jerry Audley’s style, sound, and stage presence has led fans and peers to honor him with the title, MR. HONKYTONK.
Once the lead singer in a Rock and Roll band called INFLITE, Jerry’s road to stardom was temporarily blocked during an audition for executives of Mercury- Polygram Records. The tie-breaking audition was held between INFLITE and a band that would go on to become a worldwide phenomenon, KISS. Following the decision, Jerry chose to take a break from a music career to nurture his family.
Family obligations complete and a family grown, Jerry Audley chased his true passion and burst onto the Texas Country Music scene in 2008 with the release of his debut CD Audley Enough. That freshman effort earned him many accolades including nominations in the TMA for Best Song, Best Record, Best Band, Best Male Vocalist, and Best Album. Jerry took home the award for Best Song, with the TMA RECORD of the YEAR for “Lucky Me, Lonely you”. Not only had this song reach the number 1 spot, but it remained there for four straight weeks. His second release off the debut album, “I Just Want To Hold You”, reached number 1 and stuck there for five weeks in a row. “Storm” was the third release and it took the number 4 spot on the chart. Three releases, three consecutive hits.
Audley’s sophomore CD, AUDLEY FAMILIAR, is promising to produce another slew of hits. The first release, “Sundown” hit number 21 and his second release, “Never Say Never”, climbed into the top 20′s. The third single, “Rollin’ On”, (also written by Audley) topped at number 19 last fall. This spring Audley’s team released “Lucky, Lucky Me”, the follow-up song to “Lucky Me, Lonely You”. After only 3 weeks on the chart, it is showing serious positive movement. Everything, in fact, released by Audley has seen significant radio play and success on the charts. With this rapid and consistent succession of hits, it is no wonder that Jerry has earned himself a nickname among radio as “The Texas Hit Man.”
Jerry has shared the stage with such greats as Joe Nichols, Gary Stewart, Stoney LaRue, Bucky Covington, B.J. Thomas, Jerry Jeff Walker, Deryl Dodd, The Bellamy Brothers, Deryl Dodd, The Tejas Brothers, and many more.
“To hear Jerry perform is an absolute joy; to see him perform is an experience that you won’t soon forget.”

Brian Evans dreams of hearing his music on the radio; as an up and coming country music talent, this is to be expected. Oddly enough though, when he was only six, his only dream was to run a radio station.

“I used a Singalodeon karaoke machine to record shows onto cassette tapes. I arranged CD’s by song tempo, wrote up transitions based on the lyrics and just started recording,” Brian recalls. “My parents and the neighbors complained a lot about the noise.”

Growing up in Deer Park, Texas, a town 20 miles south of Houston, Brian was exposed to a heavy dose of country music. Whether it was his grandfather pickin’ the guitar on Saturday mornings or his brother playing George Strait to coerce him to sleep at night, Brian came to appreciate the art of country music.

This love of country music didn’t fade and Brian entertained the idea of performing country songs as he sang in a number of grade school choral productions. He finally got his chance at a solo in the eighth grade; his rendition of “To Make You Feel My Love,” which was inspired by Garth Brooks’ version of the song featured in the movie “Hope Floats,” sealed his musical fate.

“No one had heard me sing country music before and all eyes were on me. They were sitting there in anticipation and I was standing there ready to let my voice be heard,” Brian remembers. “When the crowd erupted at the end of the song, I knew at that moment that I wanted to be Brian Evans the Country Music entertainer, not Brian Evans the baseball player, football player or basketball player.”

Brian upped the ante at 19 when he competed on the locally televised talent show “Gimme The Mike, Houston.” The benefit of the experience, plus two congratulatory calls from his boyhood idol Clay Walker, fueled Brian’s desire to pursue music full-time. He had gained a wealth of performance knowledge and decided it was time for him to load up his pick-up and chase his dreams all the way to Nashville.

While in Nashville, Brian formed great friendships and really took the time to become a student of “the business” learning from a select group of knowledgeable and well-respected individuals. The most notable: Jim Catino of Sony Music Nashville.

“Jim mentored me during my time in Nashville,” said Brian. “I was extremely ‘green’ and he helped by providing insight about the ins-and-outs of the industry. The best advice he ever gave me was to find myself, figure out who I want to be, expose that niche, and the rest will take care of itself. I remind myself of that every day.”

Brian eventually was led to a crossroads where he had to make a very important life decision. In the fall of 2006, after intense consideration, he headed back to Texas to finish his business degree at Texas State University, temporarily putting his budding music career on hold.

Now, in 2013, Brian and his band have a new direction and are looking forward to leaving a lasting impression on every stage they step foot on. “My wish is that there is at least one song during my show that resonates with every walk of life.”

From a Singalodeon recorder to the stages of Tootsie’s (Nashville) and Big Texas (Houston), Brian Evans has come a long way from pretending to run a radio station in his bedroom. With a playlist of songs catchy enough for the airwaves and emotional enough for any mood or season, stay tuned to your local country station…this young star is determined to make his childhood dream of being on the radio, in some form or fashion, a reality.

Jarrod Birmingham’s CD, “No Apologies,” spawned a 1 single and earned the country music outlaw a top ten spot in the Best Of Texas Top 30 songs of the year.

He has been compared to Waylon Jennings and Hank Williams, Jr. and producer Eric Paul described the country traditionalist as “the first real singer of the 21st century.” Humbled by the accolades, Birmingham attributes his pure and gritty musical style to his true grit life style.

“I believe that country music should reflect the common people,” says Birmingham. “That’s pretty much my mission statement, to stay grounded in the knowledge that I‘m a blue collar individual, a country boy. There are a lot of people out there like me, and I’d like to be their voice.”

This South Texas native is no manufactured “hat act.” Birmingham is a REAL cowboy. A former professional bullrider who has enough pins, plates and screws in his body to make it difficult to pass an airport scanner, Birmingham’s music is steeped in stark realism.

“I never really quit riding bulls,” he laughs. “The music just sort of took over. But, what you see is what you get when you deal with me, and that is how I want to come across through my music.”

Junior is blazing and burning up every stage that he and the band steps foot on, “the doors have opened finally” he says. Recently they have shared the stage with Hal Ketchum, Sammy Kershaw, Asleep at the Wheel, Jake Hooker and Wayne Toups. The band has gone through growing pains, learning curves, and some times being totally dysfunctional. Junior got tired of making no money and dealing with inflated egos, but he is now backed by the best guys in the business

Crawford’s self-released EP “In The Maze” made its debut in the Top10 of the iTunes S/S charts (June 2012). With this first collection of tracks, he showcases an undeniable gift for capturing the emotions evoked by his musical arrangements and channeling them into gospel-rooted lyrics. Crawford’s pure approach to songwriting brings a refreshing taste of timeless thoughts that press into the depths of the human soul and span relevance from yesterday, today and beyond tomorrow. His singer/songwriter style displays his influences from contemporary folk to acoustic pop, channeling artists such as Ryan Adams, Patty Griffin, Paul Simon and John Mayer.
Description
Crawford’s writing exudes a singer/songwriter style that displays his influences in contemporary folk to acoustic pop, channeling artists such as Ryan Adams, Patty Griffin, Bob Dylan and John Mayer. His self-released EP “In The Maze” made its debut in the Top10 of the iTunes S/S charts (June 2012).

Danny was born in Aurora, Colorado. As a child, Danny knew what he wanted to become: US NAVY SEAL. He graduate in 1999 from Heritage High School and He enlisted in the Navy in 1999 when he was 19 years old. He graduating from Hell
Week Class 232 and earned his SEAL trident in 2001. He was then subsequently assigned to SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team Two in Virginia Beach, VA. There he did his first deployment in 2003 and In April 2005, Danny deployed again with his Special Reconnaissance element to Afghanistan to support Naval Special Warfare Squadron TEN and the prosecution of the Global War on Terrorism.
On June 28th, 2005 Danny and three others were assigned to do reconnaissance on a high ranking Taliban leader in the Hindu-Kush mountains.
There, Danny gave his last breath to fight evil and stand proud for his country and his Trident.
That day was the greatest lost for the SEAL community. “NEVER FORGET”

He earned many medals for his actions including the NAVY CROSS.

There is a memorial fund set up in Danny’s name to raise money for a scholarship fund for the children of Active duty SEALs who’s fathers are currently deployed fighting the war that Danny left behind. This will give an opportunity for these children to go to college and and follow their dreams like Danny followed his. If you would like to donate please go to:

http://www.nswfoundation.org/donate.htmgo

under “DONATE” and once you added the desire amount, choose
“Program Area” Danny Dietz Memorial Roping or you can leave a note to donate in Danny Dietz Memorial Roping.

Thank you and God Bless.

Patsy Dietz-Shipley

Cooper Wade has grown up with music since he was born. Both his parents sing and played instruments, so it was fitting Cooper took right to it also. He started playing the piano at age 7, drums/percussion at age 12 and self-taught guitar starting in high school. He received a percussion scholarship to college where he earned a BM in percussion performance with a minor in piano and voice. He has enjoyed being on stage since he was a kid and the stage jitters don’t bother him at all.

Cooper loves the outdoors and hunts whenever his schedule allows. He is a huge bird hunter and loves to go duck and goose hunting. Other times he grabs his compound bow and heads out for those elusive Texas Whitetail and other exotic deer. After the hunt there’s nothing like sitting around the campfire with a guitar singing songs and telling stories . . . not lies!!

Cooper’s a devoted father to his 2 awesome kids and when he’s not in the studio or on the road he’s doing free concerts in the living room of their home.

Cooper Wade can be booked as a solo act or with a full band. He specializes in performing at venues conducive to live music but understands limitations. He is available to head-line a show or open up for a larger, more well known act. He is also a perfect choice for those corporate events and, of course, the rodeos and festivals.