THE SILVER STAR

The Silver Star is off of Ella, just north of 610 and I-10.  Traveling north on Ella, pass under the 610 loop.  Stay straight until you cross over some railroad tracks(about a 1/4 of a mile).  Take your first left after the tracks on Judiway.  Drive 1/2 mile and it's on your left hand side.  Killer little honky tonk/beer joint. 

This year we've been nominated for Best Country and Western Band along with Shawn Supra for Best Bass Player.  Come out and check out the band at the Houston Press Showcase on July 29th and cast your vote!  See you there!

For those of you who don't know, making a new cd is kind of like giving birth.  Being a father and knowing what it takes to raise kids into healthy young adults...it isn't easy.  You never know how it's going to turn out.  Many people like to criticize what you're doing.  It's easy to do that.  What's not easy is the time spent doing the hard things.  Those things, oddly enough, are things that make you love them more than you can explain. 

Tomorrow, I release an acoustic record that I recorded upstairs in my house with the help of my engineer from Sugar Hill, Steve Christensen.  We went through 10+ bottles of red wine in the process within 2 days of recording.  We mixed it in one day...with no bottles of red wine.  It's been a few months since I rocked out with my old band and I'm kind of itching to do some more of that, soon.  I have even got a few new songs written on the back burner.  But for tomorrow,  I will be releasing my acoustic record to the public.  It'll be me and a guitar at the Duck.  No drums, bass or loud guitars...just me.  All of the songs I've written have started out as acoustic songs.  Plain and simple.  

At some point, I think you have to go back to the basics of where you "come from".  I have never thought of myself as a standard writer.  And, I hope I never will be.  Record deals seem to suck the life out of artists.  If I'm lucky, I'll never have one.  Some people wonder why I would make rock records when I have such a country music background.  Basically, I like to rock out.  Country music radio is so bad that I don't want to be associated with it.  At this stage of the game, rock radio is just as bad.  I'd rather just make records that make me happy.  And the funniest thing is that people don't realize that it's all just presentation.  Most of my hardest rock songs started off as country songs.  The bottom line is that it's all just music. 

Money and wealth doesn't define success.  A record deal doesn't define success.  To me, a record deal means that you are catering to the most common denominator.  Papers in town have written many articles on why Houston musicians never make it out of Houston.  Some of us CHOOSE to stay here.  Some of us don't give a shit about what everyone else thinks music is supposed to be.  Some of us tour nationwide but call Houston home.  I'm proud to be from Houston. I'm proud of the musicians I'm associated with here in Houston.  I can't think of another place I'd rather be.  Here's to H-town and the Mucky Duck tomorrow night.  What a fun show this will be!  I'm excited and I hope you guys are, too.  Back to the basics.  A guitar and a song.  Right on.  

Howdy everyone,

No need to freak out.  Life happens.  Everybody's cool.  I just hope the new guys are as pretty as the old guys.    We're starting to audition and it will all work out. 

I love y'all for putting up with everything I always end up putting you guys through every year and a half. Try RUNNING a band.  It's a little different than playing in one.  I guess it would be worse if our record wasn't kicking ass on rock radio nationwide...and we're up against the majors...who-da-thunk So Long was such a sleeper? 

Anyway...I'll get back when I've got more goods for you. 

Dirty South...ROCK ON.

-John