We have a great concert in store for you tonight at 6pm!! 

Adam Carroll and Michael O'Connor have teamed up to produce a new album that has only been in stores since the first of this year.   Don't miss the opportunity to get up close and personal with the guys... and even hear new material from the legendary storyteller himself.   You can pick up the new album "Hard Times" in our store today and meet the singer/songwriters!

Adam Carroll is back and seldom to disappoint!   Come out and meet the LSM crew and have a sample of Ziegenbock beer....

All absolutely free!  Now you have no excuses..

The Lonestar Music Awards are coming up quickly!!! 

You can find a ballot page in the

latest issue of LSM Magazine today

or

follow this link to get to the ballot page here on the LSM website and you can vote for your favorite artists before it's too late!  http://www.lonestarmusic.com/awards/

Lookin for a way to start off your weekend with a 
                                                            little live music and a free sample of Zeigenbock beer? 

Yes I said free beer..

but of course you were more concerned with the music right? 

Join us Friday for Texas Dirt with special guest Long Woodson.   They are playing a free live in store show for all you Texas Country Music fans!  It starts at six and is guaranteed to rock... don't miss it!

     Lonestar Music will be featuring exclusive interviews with the Texas Country music performers attending the Help Austin Help Haiti benefit this past Sunday January 24th. 

This all day music jam featured performers Joe Ely, Asleep at the Wheel, Band of Heathens, Bob Schneider, Bruce Robison, Charlie Sexton, Guy Forsyth, The Gourds, The Flatlanders, Kelly Willis, Patricia Vonne, Paula Nelson, Shawn Colvin, Reckless Kelly, Ray Wylie Hubbard, and Robert Earl Keen.  This amazing line up teamed together to raise money to help the relief effort in Haiti.  All ticket proceeds and a silent auction went to the cause.  Needless to say, this concert was one of a kind and surely rose to the occasion with stunning guitar ballads from Joe Ely, Gourds, and Reckless Kelly; amazing lyrical endeavours from Guy Forsyth and Bob Schneider; and rocking beats from the Band of Heathens and Asleep at the Wheel.  Lonestar Music made sure to document this fantastic cast and will be bringing it to you via All Access Live right at the tip of your mouse.  Be sure to check it out!

Wish you could have been there! 

~The Crew @ Lonestar Music

If you haven't already heard this remarkable artist tearin up the radio waves on KNBT 92.1, you are truly missing out on a perfect collaboration of song writing genius and soulful, one of a kind vocals.  Though not a Texas native, McConnell has joined with the Texas Country greats, Wade Bowen and Randy Rogers, to create hits "In My Arms Instead" and "Somewhere Beautiful."  But McConnell is a force to be reckoned with in and of himself.  Be prepared to be overtaken by this artist.  I have never seen a performer on his calibur and he will be sure to put on an outstanding show again tonight.  So come out and don't be wishing that you had gone! You can purchase his cd's here at LSM.com and in the store in Gruene.  Stop by on your way over to the Hall tonight.  I'll be here with free Zeigenbock beer! 

It's your LUCKY day!!! Lucky Tubb will be playing live in the store in Gruene at 6pm tonight!!! Ziegenbock samples will be served ice cold. Also Lucky's newest album, Damn The Luck, will be available for purchase during the show.

Apparently, my last blog "repost" hit a nerve with some musicians, and I received a reply from Butch Mayhugh titled:

Don’t Piss Off The BAND or the VENUE: A Musician’s Rebuttal 

He obviously skipped out on reading my intro to the post, and as anyone who has played in a band with me can attest to, I know *nothing* about running sound. Personally, I thought the Don't Piss Off the Sound Guy post was humorous and tongue-in-cheek, not intended to be serious and mean-spirited at all. Mr. Mayhugh disagrees. 

In the interest of presenting both sides of the case, here is the rebuttal. I was going to add what I thought of it, but in the end I decided that letting his words speak for themselves was even better.

Don’t Piss Off The BAND or the VENUE: A Musician’s Rebuttal

What follows is some good advice for all of the prima-donna sound guys out there who want to prove something to the players, the front-of-house, and the venue management…

Section 1: General Info

1.1 Music in > garbage out. If the sound guy sucks, he won’t be hired again.

1.2 You don’t need a college degree to be a sound guy, but it doesn’t hurt.  College degree or not, having no preconceived notion of how to mix music is a sure way to get yourself yelled at, stepped on, insulted, and FIRED… in short, it’s a one-way ticket out the load-in zone.

1.3 It’s great that you run the sound at your church on the weekends.  Errrr… OK, thanks.

1.4 I can’t turn it down anymore…you’ll have to talk to the guitar player… i.e. “even though the venue and/or band is paying me tonight, I’ll take my expertise elsewhere if you fail to recognize my cool mullet, my sound engineering prowess, and my taste in gain.”

1.5 Don’t try to impress me by throwing around a bunch of equipment model numbers or a bunch of Physics information like Ohms, Watts, Inverse Squares, Decibels, SPL, Phase Cancellation, and that kind of stuff. You can talk about your textbooks all you want, but at the end of the day you still have to have some experience to realize that the textbook stuff is usually a bunch of crap.  Any sound guy who approached me with this kind of attitude would be fired on the spot, and I’d pull the board onstage and run it my damn self.  Quality music reinforcement requires time, effort, money, and knowledge.  Don’t know the difference between Ohms and watts?  OK, goodnight, you’re not going to blow MY speakers and/or make me sound like shit.

1.6 We’re not “roadies”. That term fell out of common usage in the early 70’s right after the Jackson Browne album came out.  OK, Sound Engineer.  But do you know how to engineer sound?  Let’s see…

Section 2: For the Band

2.1 To the guitar player: I’ve gone on at length about how much I like the sound of a Les Paul plugged into a Marshall, but in a club you might have to turn it down a bit. If you have a huge guitar amp screaming a few feet away from your vocal mic, it’s just not gonna work. Two words for you: Isolation cabinet.  But I’M the guitar player (in the band who’s PAYING you tonight), and *I* prefer the sound of a Telecaster blowing through a Roland Jazz Chorus amp with a phase-shifter on this song and a Space-Echo on the next… why should I give a flying rum-dum double-decker fist-fuck about what YOU prefer?!  Sorry for the language, but come on.

2.2 For the drummer: I’m going to put a gate on the kick and the snare, and compressors on some of the other instruments and vocals in the band. Part of my job is to manage dynamics. All those cool ghost notes you’re doing on your snare drum won’t translate to the nosebleed seats in an arena. Get over yourself, or go play some jazz somewhere.  But I’m the drummer (who’s in the band that’s PAYING you tonight), and I am keenly aware that gated snare drums went out with Duran Duran back in ’88, and you just gave away that you don’t even know what dynamics ARE.  And wait a minute: I could name at least a hundred songs where the ghost notes ARE the song, from the front row to the back-of-theater.  Lose the snare ghost notes at a Steely Dan concert and see how long your “sound guy” career lasts!

2.3 For the trumpet player: Take your part down an octave so you don’t have to play so loud. You’re not Doc Severinson, and you can’t hit the high notes anyway.  Right.  What successful band worth their salt on stage wouldn’t expect the sound guy to counsel them on how to rearrange their songs (for just tonight) to meet HIS needs?!  Wait a minute, if the songs’ arrangements are giving me problems, might it not possibly be my own incompetence at work?!

2.4 To the vocalist: Give me something to work with. I can’t turn a whisper into a shout. If you sing softly, you’re not gonna hear yourself.  Hmmmmm… tell that to “Whispering” Bill Anderson or Bob Dylan and see if you’re not running sound on the P.A. at your local Greyhound Bus Station next week.

2.5 For the whole band: The monitor guy is not going to change every element of your mix for every single song. Understand the difference between what you WANT to hear and what you NEED to hear. The more you micro-manage the monitor guy, the less happy you’ll be.  Never mind that with an attitude like that, that very same monitor guy will be working at Seven-Eleven next week.

2.6 More for the band: I don’t care if you’re not completely comfortable. I have to do my job in some of the most ridiculous situations imaginable, in the rain, the wind, the snow, the blazing sun, and often without an adequate amount of time or resources. Heaven forbid that you might have to do the same…grow up and stop your whining.  Hmmm… would you like me to stop my drum solo (even though I’m also freezing my ass off) and come blow your nose?   Now this one was a JOKE, right?

Section 3: For other technical personnel

3.1 For the studio guy: I don’t give a f--- how you did it in the studio.  Then you’re full of s----, because front-of-house sound works by the very same principals as studio recording.  If you can’t set a crisp, punchy, balanced EQ spectrum, dial in a proper levels mix, or bring the lead singer out front (kinda like they did in the studio), well, it’s “Gomer’s Last Night At The Console”.

3.2 For the video people: It doesn’t matter if you can see some of my equipment in your camera shot. The people watching should be looking at the talent. Zoom in and shut up.  Even if the videographer is the venue owner’s wife? Hmmmm…

3.3 For the lighting guys: Don’t run your cables on top of mine. No, you can’t put a light on top of the sidefill. No, you can’t use a channel of my snake for your control line. No, I won’t pack your console up for you. Get your truss off the stage and up in the air so I can do my gig. Go away now.  So far, I would say this is a great article on “how to get FIRED for being a sound guy ASSHOLE-with-an-attitude-who’ll-be-working-at-Taco-Bell-next-week.”

Section 4: Corporate gigs

4.1 To the event planners, banquet staff, hotel salespeople, florists, decorators, and various other people who walk around with clipboards: None of your sh—matters if we can’t hear the guy at the podium. Recognize!  This may reflect the sentiment of the amateur prima-donna sound guy, perhaps even the gut feeling of the guy at the podium, but it will prove highly offensive to the people PAYING you and the guy at the podium… just think about it.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER

A good sound tech can't make you sound better, but a bad one can make you sound worse

AND THEN REMEMBER THIS...

You are working for the band.  No matter how much you think they “sux” and your favorite band “rulez”, it is the band in front of you that is putting food on your table tonight.  You should recognize and respect that coming in.  If the band isn’t paying you, then the venue is.  You come into my venue or hook up to my band with an attitude like that, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find another paying “sound guy” gig in my neck of the woods this century.  If I hire you for my gig or at my venue, then you’re expected to arrive with not only a textbook knowledge of sound reinforcement, but a cooperative, cool-headed, can-do attitude.  If I’m paying you to provide the P.A., don’t come packing in with that Yamaha, Community, Soundcraft, or other cheap, feeding back shit from Lester’s Music & Salvage.  Hook me up with some EAW or QSC… and hook it up right, and label the board – f*cking WRITE IT DOWN: You should know which player is in which channel on the boards (monitors and mains).  If I say I need more of my vocal in my monitor, and the trumpet comes up in the bass player’s monitor, something’s wrong on YOUR end, not mine… don’t look up at me with that deer-in-the-headlights look… you configured the snake.   You should start with the faders lowered and work your way into a solid mix WITHOUT feedback either onstage or front-of-house.  Here’s the Golden Rule of sound engineering: IF IT’S FEEDING BACK, YOU’RE FUCKING UP.  Even if you don’t like the lead singer’s voice, the audience obviously does (or they wouldn’t be here providing the money to pay you tonight), so you should work not only to make sure he can hear himself comfortably enough, but that he also sounds “right” to the audience (which means you should probably be familiar with some of his recorded music so you know what he’s SUPPOSED to sound like).   

BOTTOM LINE FOR WOULD-BE “SOUND GUYS”:   How many times have you ever heard anyone say: “I’m going to Billy Bob’s tonight – I don’t know who’s performing, but Michael Devers is running sound!”  If anyone heeds a WORD of this goofy-assed tirade, they might enjoy one night as a “sound guy”, but they’ll leave with a bloody nose, and as they say in Fort Worth, “It ain’t what it was supposed to be, but it is what it is.”  Goodnight, Irene. 

Post Script from Michael Devers: I'll be running sound at the Enormo-Dome in DFW on Jan. 29th. No band, just me hooking up a PA and checking mics and levels. Butch Mayhugh punches me in the nose for the encore. Tickets on sale now, $20 in advance, $25 day of show. 

This was posted in a Facebook Group of the same name and I felt compelled to share as I have witnessed each one of these scenarios go down at least once over my past twenty-plus years in the music business. Thanks to Tracie Ferguson for making me aware of it, and if you're a musician playing live, you should really join their group!

Enjoy!

What follows is some good advice for all of the armchair audiophiles out there who approach the sound engineer at a show with something to say…

Section 1: General Info

1.1 Garbage in = garbage out. If the band sucks, there’s nothing the sound guy can do.

1.2 You don’t need a college degree to be a sound guy, but it doesn’t hurt. Your cool home theater system doesn’t make you qualified to be a sound engineer.

1.3 It’s great that you run the sound at your church on the weekends. I do this for a living.

1.4 I can’t turn it down anymore…You’ll have to talk to the guitar player.

1.5 Don’t try to impress me by throwing around a bunch of equipment model numbers or a bunch of Physics information like Ohms, Watts, Inverse Squares, Decibels, SPL, Phase Cancellation, and that kind of stuff. You can talk about your textbooks all you want, but at the end of the day you still have to have some experience to realize that the textbook stuff is usually a bunch of crap.

1.6 We’re not “roadies”. That term fell out of common usage in the early 70’s right after the Jackson Browne album came out.

Section 2: For the Band

2.1 To the guitar player: I’ve gone on at length about how much I like the sound of a Les Paul plugged into a Marshall, but in a club you might have to turn it down a bit. If you have a huge guitar amp screaming a few feet away from your vocal mic, it’s just not gonna work. Two words for you: Isolation cabinet.

2.2 For the drummer: I’m going to put a gate on the kick and the snare, and compressors on some of the other instruments and vocals in the band. Part of my job is to manage dynamics. All those cool ghost notes you’re doing on your snare drum won’t translate to the nosebleed seats in an arena. Get over yourself, or go play some jazz somewhere.

2.3 For the trumpet player: Take your part down an octave so you don’t have to play so loud. You’re not Doc Severinson, and you can’t hit the high notes anyway.

2.4 To the vocalist: Give me something to work with. I can’t turn a whisper into a shout. If you sing softly, you’re not gonna hear yourself.

2.5 For the whole band: The monitor guy is not going to change every element of your mix for every single song. Understand the difference between what you WANT to hear and what you NEED to hear. The more you micro-manage the monitor guy, the less happy you’ll be.

2.6 More for the band: I don’t care if you’re not completely comfortable. I have to do my job in some of the most ridiculous situations imaginable, in the rain, the wind, the snow, the blazing sun, and often without an adequate amount of time or resources. Heaven forbid that you might have to do the same…grow up and stop your whining.

Section 3: For other technical personnel

3.1 For the studio guy: I don’t give a f--- how you did it in the studio.

3.2 For the video people: It doesn’t matter if you can see some of my equipment in your camera shot. The people watching should be looking at the talent. Zoom in and shut up.

3.3 For the lighting guys: Don’t run your cables on top of mine. No, you can’t put a light on top of the sidefill. No, you can’t use a channel of my snake for your control line. No, I won’t pack your console up for you. Get your truss off the stage and up in the air so I can do my gig. Go away now.

Section 4: Corporate gigs

4.1 To the event planners, banquet staff, hotel salespeople, florists, decorators, and various other people who walk around with clipboards: None of your sh—matters if we can’t hear the guy at the podium. Recognize!

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER

A good sound tech can't make you sound better, but a bad one can make you sound worse

At the Lone Star Music Christmas party this past week, we engaged in a lively discussion regarding our FavoriteAlbums of 2009.  What you see here is not a comprehensive "Best Of" list, but rather a glimpse into our Christmas party discussion, the albums that were discussed, and as accurate a description as we can remember...

Sarah Jarosz- Song Up In Her Head

"Graduated high school, received a scholarship to an elite conservatory, nominated for a Grammy, and released one of the finest displays of overall musicianship you'll ever hear - 2009 has been quite a year for Sarah Jarosz."

Matt King- Rube

"Criminally overlooked this year,  Matt King brings the juju like nobody's business.  It's almost impossible to imagine a better under-the-radar album than 'Rube'...  Well, at least if you like your guitars amped up to 11 on a scale of 1-10."

Todd Snider- The Excitment Plan

"With the current state of affairs in our nation, Todd Snider delivers more than his fair share of help with "The Excitement Plan".  Make sure to check out "America's Favorite Pastime".  It will leave you with a smart-ass smile on your face."

Lucky Tubb- Damn the Luck

"If our honky-tonk forefathers were alive today, chances are you would run into them at a Lucky Tubb show."

Sean McConnell - The Walk Around EP

"Winner of the 'Who is this and why don't I own this album' award when the CD is playing at our store... Having co-writes and tours with Randy Rogers and Wade Bowen in 2009 helped introduce Lone Star Music fans to McConnell and his latest EP, "The Walk Around EP"." 

Ryan Bingham - Roadhouse Sun

"The rarest sight in the Texas/Red Dirt firmament – an artist evolving."

Uncle Lucius - Pick Your Head Up

"Uncle Lucius absolutely destroyed their instore performance.  And I mean that in the absolute best sense of the word 'destroyed'.  A jam-packed crowd bobbed their heads and danced in the aisles of a cramped CD store.  As unassuming as the album cover is, nothing about this album is anything other than face-melting goodness."

 The Band of Heathens - One Foot in the Ether

"With all their swagger and southern charm, Raoul Duke would be proud."

 Dustin Welch - Whisky Priest

 "The hard edge of this album pays tribute to so many roots-rock bands of the past and yet this is one hell of a fresh album!"

Drew Kennedy - An Audio Guide to Cross Country Travel

"For an album with such a long title, this is one tight record.  Interesting fact: Drew Kennedy is 8 feet tall."

Jason Eady - When the Money's All

"Take some Mississippi blues mixed in with Texas country marinated with southern rock and you end up with Jason Eady's "When the Money's All Gone".  The opening track "God Fearing Blues" makes it feel like Sundays after church dinner."

Bart Crow Band - Heartworn Tragedy

"Get up close and personal with Bart and the rest of the band on their latest release, "Heartworn Tragedy".  This album is anything but a tragedy..."

Well, search no further.  From now until December 25th, buy a 1 year subscription of LoneStar Music Magazine for only $19.  Perfect gift for that special person or if you have a $20 limit at your office party.  Every two months, they will be reminded of the wonderful Christmas gift that you gave them.  Click Here to take advantage of this exclusive offer.  Happy Holidays from your friends at LoneStar Music.

While we are still a couple of months away from the Reckless Kelly's newest release, "Somewhere In Time" due out February 9th, we have recieved some cool new Reckless Kelly merch.  Click here to check out the new girl's and guy's shirts, along with koozies and hats.  Just in time for Christmas, enjoy!

Guy's Shirt

Ryan Bingham has a new song featured in the upcoming movie "Crazy Heart", starring Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Robert Duvall and Colin Farrell, due out December 16th.  There has already been Oscar buzz surrounding the title track for Mr. Bingham.  Click here to check out "The Weary Kind" along with the movie trailer.

We tweeted this morning about what LoneStarMusic could do for our followers this week. Our first reply was from @kctipton who asks:

Recommend music for Christmas purchases! New from the last year, something like that.

Well, @kctipton, here are our top 12 sellers from CDs released in 2009. Some, if not all of these should make your Christmas list!

#1. Cross Canadian Ragweed - Happiness and All the Other Things
#2. Ryan Bingham - Roadhouse Sun
#3. Charlie Robison - Beautiful Day
#4. Mike McClure Band - Onion
#5. Robert Earl Keen - the Rose Hotel
#6. Various Artists - Undone: Tribute to Robert Earl Keen 
#7. Kyle Bennett Band - Grey Sunrise
#8. Micky & the Motorcars - Live at Billy Bob's 
#9.  Walt Wilkins - Vigil
#10. Zack Walter & the Cronkites - Ambition
#11. Jackson Taylor & the Sinners - Aces & Eights
#12. Chris Knight - Trailer II 

Don't forget to watch Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses on Letterman Wednesday November 4, 2009.

This Wednesday, November 4th, Love and War in Texas will be presenting Gary P Nunn with a life time achievement award.  Come celebrate this wonderful occasion with live music from Max Stalling,  1100 Springs, The Tejas Brothers, last years winner Tommy Alverson and many more.  There will be a silent auction with proceeds going to the Rusty Wier Fund.  Show starts at 5:30 and is $15 at the door.  Congratulations Gary!!!

Whether you missed it or want to relive last Saturday, here are LoneStar Music's favorite clips from some of the artists:  http://www.youtube.com/user/lonestarnation.  More artists will be added in the near future.  We also have archived interviews with Hayes Carll, Bob Schneider, Wade Bowen, & Cody Braun here http://tinyurl.com/ycf772o.  Be sure to check them out!

There are some awards that you just always aspire to win (Nobel, Pulitzer, World Series MVP, Guinness Award for most consecutive winning lottery tickets, etc.) and then there are those that, upon learning of their existence, you move from "mildly intrigued to win" to "just gotta have it" status.  Such is the case with the "Tastiest Testes" award, given out annually at Doug Moreland's Cattlelacs Calfry event.  Now, if we've already lost you at "Tastiest Testes", well, get over it...  Cow balls were cookin', beers were flowin' and good tunes were rockin' at this year's incarnation, held, as always, in Manchaca, Texas.  And amidst all of the jubilation/debauchery, our own LSM team of assorted chefs, cooks, and stragglers emerged victorious, capturing the elusive "Tastiest Testes" award.

   Thanks again to all the fine folks that took part in the event and especially to Doug Moreland and HAAM (the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians) for making this year's event so enjoyable.  Look forward to repeating in 2010! 

So, without further ado, our winning team:

From L-R: Cody Skaggs, Mike Wrage, Chris Nygard, Shane Jones, Matt Warren

And the trophy itself, which we'll house in store at Gruene for your viewing and photographic pleasure.