Upcoming shows
(at the Cantina Sound Workshop)
For people that are not going to the second weekend of the Kerrville Folk Festival, we are having the best alternative, two previous Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Award Winners!!!
For the past two Dripping Springs Songwriters Festival (2022, 2023), I have been talking to Chris Moyse about playing the Cantina Sound House Concert Series. This year the answer changed from, "if I'm in the area" to "we can make that happen". While talking to Chris about playing this year, Rachel Laven walked up and Chris asked her if she wanted to do a joint show with him at the Cantina Sound House Concerts and a plan was put together.
Rachel Laven is from a musical family and performed with The Lavens. Rachel switched from piano to guitar when she was 10 years old. She has released 2 CD's of her music, "Love & Luccheses" and "Unwind". The short form of her biography from her web site says the following:
New Folk Award winning songwriter, Rachel Laven performs a blend of Texas Folk and Americana music. A positive force of nature on stage, Laven not only captivates with her smiling lyricism, but with her electric vocals and accomplished guitar work. She calls Nashville, Tennessee home these days, but her roots are deep in Texas where she was born and raised. Laven is currently building a team to produce her third album titled, Hard Truths.
Chris Moyse moved to Nashville in 2013 and released his first seven song EP in 2016, this led to him submitting 2 songs to the highly-competitive Kerrville New Folk songwriting competition. Not only was Moyse selected as a finalist from a pool of over 600 applicants, but he also went on to become a 2017 Kerrville New Folk Winner. He released his first full-length CD in 2020, "Bitter Ballads & Cynical Prayers".
I worked with both Chris (2017 New Folk) and Rachel (2016 New Folk) during their respective New Folk Award winner shows and was impressed by them both, which is why I kept talking to them about doing house concerts.
The requested minimum donation is $25 per person at the door. All donations go directly to the artists.
Make your reservation now.
The return of Barbara Nesbitt! Last year was fun, so for a first time, we are having a repeat performer.
MJ and I became aware of Barbara Nesbitt when she started cohosting the Monday Night Supper Club at the El Mercado Backstage. I had seen some livestream footage online, but it wasn't until we saw her live and in person that we wanted to have her out to the workshop for a full show. I also realized later that I had heard Barbara on the radio as part of the band "The Whiskey Sisters". She can also be heard as part of "Sister Golden Hair".
Barbara has 4 CDs of music available on her website, with the latest being "Someday, Maybe Sooner". She is currently in preproduction for her next recording.
“With a voice that is clear as a mountain meadow and emotive as Patsy Cline, Barbara Nesbitt sings songs of life's journeys with fire grace and country soul” Ray Benson, Asleep At The Wheel
The requested minimum donation is $25 per person at the door. All donations go directly to the artist.
Reservations to be opened for this show about a month before the show, but sign up on our mailing list to be the first notified.
Ray Prim is no stranger to Austin Music. He has been a frequent performer at the Dripping Springs Songwriters Festival, as well as venues all around Central Texas. Ray performs in many configurations from solo to an eight-piece full band. He will be appearing at Cantina Sound House Concerts in a solo show.
If you are not familiar with Ray, check out some of his videos and listen to some of his music (both on his website). Ray's latest CD EP is "Six" and has a total of 17 releases available on Bandcamp.
From his website:
Imagine Ben Harper and Ray Lamontagne heading over to Abbey Road in a Cadillac convertible to pick up John Lennon and Paul McCartney so they can catch the tail end of The Reverend Al Green's sermon....
Review Excerpts from his website:
“Rediscovering his lyrical center in a calmer acoustic setting – being honestly heard without rock guitar – set forth another path toward personal redemption. In this singer-songwriter iteration, mounds of material made each succeeding project an improvement over the previous one, diverse sounds and voices piling atop one another. While 2017's affirming To Whom It May Concern signified a great leap forward, Unconditional evolves, refines, and crystallizes his rich, Bill Withers-esque amalgam of soul, pop, R&B.” Kahron Spearman - Austin Chronicle
"Ray Prim's voice is outstanding: warm, soulful, a bit reminiscent of Marvin Gaye with the high register of Al Green. As excellent as his voice is, it's his eclectic arrangements, mixing folk and chamber with R&B, that make this otherwise straightforward record a worthy listen." Paul Carrubba - Austin Monthly Magazine
The requested minimum donation is $25 per person at the door. All donations go directly to the artist.
Reservations to be opened for this show about a month before the show, but sign up on our mailing list to be the first notified.
Husband and wife team Hilary Claire and Stuart Adamson, known as The Flyin' A's, perform Americana with a Texas Kick (from their website).
We last saw them perform at Sycamore Creek Concerts just before the pandemic hit (January 2020, photos at left or above depending on your viewing mechanism) and just before their latest album No Holds Barred was released (February 2020). Their previous album, You Drive Me Crazy was selected to be on the 2017 first round Grammy Ballot and has taken them on tour around the US, UK, and EU.
Watch one of their videos:
• Faith and Gasoline - video
• The Flyin' A' promo video
You can also listen to a couple of their songs on their website.
The Flyin' A's are currently gearing up for a US tour this summer, as well as writing new songs for an album that will be recorded in the UK and New Zealand.
The requested minimum donation is $25 per person at the door. All donations go directly to the artist.
Reservations to be opened for this show about a month before the show, but sign up on our mailing list to be the first notified.
From Kimmie Rhodes' website biography: Kimmie Rhodes is a Modern Renaissance Woman. She has a proven array of skills and expertise, from songwriting to gourmet cooking, from playwright to humorist, documentarian to ambassador, and more.
She has done a lot over more than 30 years, released 18 solo albums; written and produced three musical plays; published a novella/cookbook and a memoir; and written many multi-platinum songs, recorded by such stellar artists as Willie Nelson, Wynonna Judd, Trisha Yearwood, Amy Grant, CeCe Winans, Joe Ely, Waylon Jennings, Peter Frampton, Mark Knopfler, Emmylou Harris, and others.
She's another of the Lubbock native who moved to Austin in 1979 where she married legendary Joe Gracey (KOKE-FM DJ, producer). Her first album was recorded in Willie Nelson's studio in 1981 and Willie dubbed her "an undiscovered superstar”.
The requested minimum donation is $30 per person at the door. All donations go directly to the artist.
Reservations to be opened for this show about a month before the show, but sign up on our mailing list to be the first notified.
While I was vaguely aware of Gary Nicholson, I had never seen him live and realize the real extent of his songwriting. Mary Jo and I were able to see him on the Sandy Beaches Cruise XVIII.
Gary Nicholson is a two-time Grammy Award winner. He has a rich voice with superb guitar skills, funny stories and the energy to hold a crowd.
Gary was Texas born but is now Nashville based. He is a number one hit songwriter (Texas Heritage Songwriters’ Hall of Fame and Nashville Songwriters’ Hall of Fame), recording artist, world traveling performer. There are over six hundred recordings of Gary's songs by Delbert McClinton, Ringo Starr, Robert Plant, Buddy Guy, Willie Nelson, Taj Mahal, George Strait, Garth Brooks, John Prine, Neil Diamond, John Mayall, BB King, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Plant, Fleetwood Mac, Etta James, etc., etc..
He has cowritten songs with a Who's Who of songwriters, from Neil Diamond, Ringo Starr, Guy Clark, John Prine, and Buddy Guy to Marcia Ball and Lee Roy Parnell.
Gary was Delbert McClinton's lead guitar player and collaborated with Delbert on much of his music since 1974. Gary has performed with Guy Clark, Billy Joe Shaver, Asleep At the Wheel, etc.. He has an international following from the Delbert McClinton Blues Cruise and festival appearances.
The requested minimum donation is $30 per person at the door. All donations go directly to the artist.
Reservations to be opened for this show about a month before the show, but sign up on our mailing list to be the first notified.
Way back in the late 1970's, I was in charge of the Special Events committee at the University Houston. We booked traveling musicians and one year I went to a college booking session in Kansas City. One of the acts that showcased that year was Jay Boy Adams. Somewhere I have one of his T-shirts. We didn't actually book him after that appearance, but I always remembered seeing him. Then just a few years ago, I was able to see Jay Boy at a house concert in Wimberley and remembered why I always remembered him.
Jay Boy Adams had some success when managed by Bill Hamm (Lone Wolf Management - ZZ Top) in the late 70's through early 80's. He then retired from the road. Many years later, he slowly started writing and performing again. In 2007, his release The Shoe Box climbed the Americana radio charts.
Jay Boy Adams’ music has always represented a resonant mixture of country, rock and blues, while remaining steeped in tradition. His first 2 albums, Jay Boy Adams (1978) and Fork In the Road (1979), were released on Atlantic Records. Since The Shoe Box, other releases from Jay Boy are Let it Go, How Long How Long (with Zenobia) and a release with the Brothers of the Southland (supergroup with Jimmy Hall of Wet Willie, Henry Paul of The Outlaws and Blackhawk, “Dangerous” Dan Toler of the Allman Brothers, Steve Gorman of The Black Crowes, Bo Bice of “American Idol” fame and other top players).
The requested minimum donation is $30 per person at the door. All donations go directly to the artist.
Reservations to be opened for this show about a month before the show, but sign up on our mailing list to be the first notified.
Pierce Pettis knew he was going to be a musician since he was very little. His current focus is now simply doing good work while making music.
One of his early songs, “Song at the End of the Movie”, was recorded by Joan Baez’s on her 1979 album Honest Lullaby.
He released his first solo independently released album in the mid-1980's which led to signing with High Street Records, a division of Windham Hill, and releasing 3 more albums. He was a staff songwriter for PolyGram from 1993-2000 and then signed to Compass Records, where he has continued releasing more recordings including a 2013 co-effort with Kate Campbell & Tom Kimmel, "New Agrarians -- Songs & Stories of the Southland". His latest solo release is “Father’s Son”, also released by the Compass Records Group, had widespread critical praise in the US, UK and Europe.
I think the first time I saw Pierce was at the Kerrville Folk Festival, he was a Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition winner in 1987.
The requested minimum donation is $25 per person at the door. All donations go directly to the artist.
Reservations to be opened for this show about a month before the show, but sign up on our mailing list to be the first notified.
The West Texas Exiles will be the largest ensemble to play at Cantina Sound House Concerts. They will play as an acoustic band and consists of Daniel Davis (vocals and acoustic guitar), Marco Gutierrez (vocals and acoustic guitar), Colin Gilmore (vocals and mandolin), Eric Harrison (vocals and bass), and Trinidad (Cajon). The release of their debut EP, Volume I, showcased the talents of their three singer/songwriters (DAvis, Gilmore, & Gutierez). They have toured as the band both for Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore (yes, he is Colin's father).
The requested minimum donation is $30 per person at the door. All donations go directly to the artist.
Reservations to be opened for this show about a month before the show, but sign up on our mailing list to be the first notified.
Giulia Millanta is an Austin-based, Italian-born americana/folk musician.She can sing in 4 different languages, English, Italian, Spanish and French.
Her latest CD is titled "Only Luna Knows" and is being released on April 19, 2024. This is her 9th full length recording project. In addition, she is releasing a book "Dinner with Giulia - Flavors, Songs and Stories of a Florentine Troubadour", a combination of cook book, song book, and story book. She has 5 different recordings available on her website, as well as a previous book, "Between The Strings".
Check out her website and youtube videos.
“The best and scariest thing about Giulia Millanta is not just that she is truly a tightrope walker herself but that she continually pulls you out there with her... with melodies, singing, stories, imagery. No matter what language her lyrics may be in... and I’ve lost count of how many her lyrics use here... she’s always understandable because her music is, like any fine art, universally recognizable. I can’t wait for her next one!” - Dave Marsh
The requested minimum donation is $25 per person at the door. All donations go directly to the artist.
Reservations to be opened for this show about a month before the show, but sign up on our mailing list to be the first notified.
This one is a little far out there, but Scott White called and wanted to do a video shoot at the Cantina Sound Workshop to make two videos that Susan Gibson had sung harmonies. One song was from his latest recording "even better on the bad days" and the second from his previous recording, "Call It Even". After finishing the shoot, the talk turned to a Cantina Sound House Concert with Susan. I didn't talk to Susan about playing here when I last worked with her, since Cantina House Concerts is small and she can attract a much larger audience! Once we set the date, Susan turned to Scott and ask if he wanted to share the show with her.
For the few who are not familiar with Susan Gibson, she came to prominence when The Chicks recorded her song "Wide Open Spaces". She got her musical career started after college as a member of the band The Groobees. Susan's latest CD is "The Hard Stuff", but she has released has released six other CD's of music, including a live album. Susan regularly hosts and participates in songwriter workshops.
"The Hard Stuff is what happens when a brilliant intellect conjures heart and life experience into song, conveyed in a voice you want to crawl inside forever, and produced to perfection without any hint of compromise." - Eliza Gilkyson
"When I listen to a Susan Gibson song, I know she is sharing a piece if her heart and soul with me. Susan writes about true stories in her life. She writes with courage puts forth her message with powerful and heartfelt guitar and vocals. It only takes a few lines of her recorded songs for me to recognize that "Susan Sound." Her new record has that for sure. Enjoy....." - Lloyd Maines - Music producer and musician.
Scott Sean White played at Cantina Sound House Concerts in October 2023, prior to his latest CD release. His CD, even better on the bad days", is now out and has received rave reviews.
"Some songwriters spend precious time struggling to find their truth and make it rhyme. Others just pick up their guitar and tell it. Scott Sean White is one of the others.”- Jack Ingram, singer and songwriter
“…Powerful thinking and writing at its very best… a contender for album of the year” - Lesley Hastings, Country Lowdown
Reservations to be opened for this show about a month before the show, but sign up on our mailing list to be the first notified.
Discussions are underway with other artists for shows this summer and next winter.