Music Notes, 7/31

Written by Mary Jane Farmer on 31 July 2010

Printed in the Sherman Herald Democrat, 7/30/10

By Mary Jane Farmer

Herald Democrat

Studios have taken on new faces at least twice in July — live at full-fledge venues.

John David Kent & The Dumb Angels recorded their full set at the Ida Road Honky Tonk Festival live, and are now mixing that as a new CD release. They were going to also video-record the set, but the darned-ol’ downpours that drenched the entire festival grounds prevented that happening. The band had some Nashville-CMT good results from their first video, “My Girl,” recorded in and around John David’s hometown of Celeste. The Dumb Angels consist of Jason Andrew on fiddle, Alex Mixson on drums, Michael Graska on lead guitar and sometimes vocals, and Jamey Gleaves on bass.

Robby White & The Tejas Gringos spent Saturday night recording from the Hank’s Texas Grill stage, and that CD is scheduled to come out in time for Christmas stocking stuffing. The Tejas Gringos are Chris Clifford on the drums, Brad King on bass, and Garry Moore on lead guitar. Joining them onstage was Amanda Graves of ShutDown Town.

Moore went off-stage for the last song, riding the shoulders of favorite fan Kevin Smith as excited fans cheered him/ them down the middle of the room.

In a real studio with four walls up closer than those around Robby, John David and their bands is Dickie Kaiser. Oh, you haven’t yet heard Dickie? He’s recently moved back after spending years upon years in a room probably smaller than the recording studio, as staff writer in Nashville. He’s played at Loose Wheels Texas and at Big Slick’s for fundraisers, exhibiting a voice rich with years of knowing just how to make a song sound right. More on his CD as it develops.

And speaking of a rain-soaked Honky Tonk Fest, the grounds, tent tops, and T-shirts were all that was drenched as festival goers’ spirits stayed high throughout the two-day event in Whitewright, July 9-10. Honky Tonk Fest, put together by the Ida Road Band and about 200 of their best friends, featured only local bands except for the two final Saturday night acts, the Pear Ratz and Jarrod Birmingham and his band, both from the Gulf Coast area. Word has it that it did take those 200 people about two weeks to get the Tractor Pull Arena grounds back in good shape after the sun came back out.

Rising Star competition has seen six bands competing over two Thursdays, as Round 1 continues until all 24 bands included have had a chance to move on to Round 2. The final winner gets a recording contract and the opening bill on 2011 Texas Music Revolution. In Round 1, Four Left Turns beat out Texoma’s The Triptones and the Dallas-and-San Marcos-based Clay Wilson Band. Three other Texoma bands in the top 24 are the Jesse Sims Band, Chasin’ Grayson, and ShutDown Town.

If you get a chance, go to the web site, www.notforgotten.tv, and check out what one local venue is doing for the military, with those overseas soldiers being their primary target.

Hot Summer Nights had a good run this summer, and now it’s all over until next year. The Sherman Tourism Bureau included a healthy mix of several different styles of music, including Motown, classic and southern rock and pop, along with several songwriters also on the Oliver Dewey Mayor gazebo stage. Attendance was good at every concert. Children playing on the berms in the back or dancing on the concrete before the stage, their adults having fun visiting with one another in a relaxed and family-friendly atmosphere.

There was only one rain-out, and it didn’t seem like anyone begrudged the rain, in spite of missing that one night of music. In all, folk music is the best way to describe it: Music written by folks, performed by folks, for folks’ enjoyment. Good job, Tourism Bureau and sponsors, for bringing this incredible concert series to Sherman each summer.

Music on Main in Denison has two more concerts before it winds down. Friday night features the return of Voodoo Blue, a Stevie Ray Vaughn tribute band that wowed the crowd last year, so much so that organizers brought them back to do it again.

Next Friday, Aug. 6, will have Jason Elmore & Hoodoo Witch on stage. This local blues band was rained out of its original gig, but scheduling was right for them to return when promoter Gary Sewell asked to tack on the extra night. Elmore’s new CD, “Upside Your Head,” is getting considerable airplay on blues radio stations nationwide.