Whats Happening!!??

Hey ! Its 2013 a brand new year!!! I have realized I have not been steady at my blog, so I guess I need to make the resolution to blog more regularly, eh? So many things have went on since I blogged last year, so I thought I just might get try to get ya caught up. Last July I disbanded Gypsy Head, a band I had formed back in 2009 which went through several line-up changes over its 3 year run. Reasons for the break up is.....no comment. LOL. But, only one month later, in August 2012, I had put together a new band! I got the original Gypsy Head bassest, T-Bone, (whom I have been friends with since 1982), guitarist Metal Mike (who was in Gypsy Head for its last two gigs), singer/songriter David Cargil, (whom I met about two years ago at an open mic night, and drummer Alan Wade, (who has played with Never Die Crew, and Alex Smith & Two Car Garage, and is also a stand- up comic.) With this crew of like minded musicians, with stress free attitude approch, and duel lead vocalists, I hope to have something that will get noticed and endure time. The new band is called, "The Lost Gypsies". The Lost Gypsies did three shows with in three weeks last October (note, we had only been together barely two months at the time). First one being the Fall Frolic in Jewett, Tx, then on the Peeler Swith Fest 3, sharing the stage with seveal bands, such as, Cody Hodges and the Linemen, Ben Morris & Great American Boxcar Chourus, FlintLock, Quxotic Flux, and 69 South. It was very cool. Then, a week later got a call from the LoneStar Cantina,needing a band to play...we pulled together along with our buddies Flintlock and gave then a double bill. Now, we are concentrating on our first FULL night gig coming up February 9th, 2013, at the Rusty Cactus in Oakwood Tx. then we are wide open to book as much as we can ...we just wanna play....and get in a studio and record...we have a lot of original material. Oh, I almost forgot to mention, I also met a star in the making at a kareoke night. Her name is Whitney Hicks....I have sang some duets with her...and asked her to open for me at a solo gig at The Healthy Rythms Art Gallery in Faifield. She did, and was a huge hit! I have since gave her the nickname, "Star~Child". She is amazing. Well aside from seeing some really good bands, such as, Lauren Alexander, Black Top Mojo, Guilty Pleasures of Austin, and Backseat Molly....that is pretty much what has been going on...plus, my Gypsy Lady Lisa took a job out of town and we may be moving asap.Looking forward to that. Here are some photos from 2012....The Lost Gypsies, FlintLock, Whitney Hicks and me, Backseat Molly, Guilty Pleasures Austin. Till next time....gypsy~on!!

Backseat Molly

Having an afternoon band practice and celebrating a good friends birthday...can it get any better? Well...yes...as the afternoon faded into night and we all converged on The Rusty Cactus Grill and Cantina to enjoy the live music of BACKSEAT MOLLY...yes it did!!! It ROCKED!! My band (the LOST GYPSIES) have been working our butts off trying to get our set together for our very first gig coming up in October. Its a lot of work..but a lot of fun at the same time..especially this last Saturday afternoon practice we had, with friends on hand to let us know what they think of the new band. And since it was LuLu's Birthday, there was a bit of drink involved..(maybe too much. lol) Needless to say, after practice, we all met back up at the Cactus to have some food, and hear Backseat Molly. Soon the joint was a packed house as Steven and the guys rocked the walls down. As the night rolled on, Steven motioned me up on stage to join in vocals on a song....I was like, "who ME??!!" It was a very cool feeling to be on stage with those guys...a real honor. All the guys in BACKSEAT MOLLY..Steven, Brenden, Heath, Brennen, and Trevor, are all awesome musicians and all around nice guys. They were recently victims of theft, and thousands of dollars worth of equiptment was stolen...including their drum kit (notice in the photo, The Bigsbys were nice enough to let them borrow their kit.) Its good to see they did'nt let that stop them from staying on top...and its good to see other local musicians supporting them through it all. I look forward to the next time I get the oppertunity to see them play again. And my good friend LuLu...she had an outstanding Birthday too. I was going to write this blog the very next day...but...I was sorta comatose for about 48 hours there after...not so much sleeping...just suffering..which means, "It was a great weekend!!"...and it was well worth it and I am ready to do it again. Gypsy~On!!!

A Lost Gypsies Photo Shoot

I've been playing music for a long time now, but have wanted to have a band since I was a little kid. Granted, I have been in a few over the past 15 years, and finally I think I have stumbled onto one that will work out. The right group of guys that are on the same page is hard to find. Ant way, This band is called 'The Lost Gypsies'. We will have our debut public performance on October 13th at a small town festival in Jewett Texas. I asked a photagrapher friend of mine (she help out with my previous band photos a few years ago) if she would be interested in shooting us. Well, she said yes! Donna Helm came all the way from Dallas Texas to shoot us in Leon County (Oakwood to be specific). Donna is an awesome photographer, and very patient with us guys in the band (especially when T-Bone wanted to moon the camera....and did) She took the time in the East Texas heat getting all the right angles, locations, and poses to get the best of what she had to work with...us. (LOL) It was a great day for us.. she made us feel like rock stars, which we are far from that...but she made us feel great about ourselves while still keeping it very profesional. Donna Helm of Casa Noir Photography in Dallas Texas..http://​casanoirphotography.c​om..find her for your photography needs. In my opinion, she is the best to capture what you are looking for in photos. I know this....she is the bands official photographer from here on out. Gypsy~On!!

DONNA HELM

THE LOST GYPSIES

Three Nights

It was a 3 night purge. Three nights in a row.....its been a long long time since I have done that. And I felt it when it was all done and over...my body and in my wallet. LOL. But it was all worth it. Three nights in a row of live music in one form or another. Night one was open mic night. Not a big turn out for that, just a few musicians and a comedian...and an audience not much bigger than a double handful...but it was still great live entertainment. Night two..karaoke. Say what you will about karaoke. A lot of musicians hate it, say it's a big joke, its for wannabes. I dont fully agree, and I am a musician. It gives the average person the opertunity to have the spotlight. Not everyone is blessed with the gift of playing an instrament...but may be blessed with a voice, this gives them the chance to show off their voice. And believe me, on 'night two', there was quite a few blessed vocies in there. Whitney Hicks has such an amazing voice, I always love to hear her sing. Her twin sister, Breann, totally blew me away with her equally anmazing voice. And then, their brother, JP Hicks, took the mic and did a fantastic job. Trully a blessed family indeed! Night three. After a long afternoon photo shoot and practice with my band, (you'll be hearing about that in a future blog), we went to check out the band that was playing at the Rusty Cactus...The TJ Broscoff Band. The band was a three piece, and they had a great sound, not as traditional as most bands that you hear in this area, but that was what I liked most about them. I really enjoyed what TJ Broscoff did...very smooth and tight performance. Wow, it was a long weekend for me...but man...it was fun...even tho Im broke and tired. Gypsy~On!! Oh yeah, just a little note to always remember. The worst thing a band or singer can hear after a song...., is silence. Remember to make some noise, clap, whistle, yell, stomp your feet. Even if it wasnt that good. It takes a lot for them to do what they do, so give them some notice and a shout!

Last weekend I had the pleasure of enjoying some good live music from a band that I had never heard before, and hope to hear again. Cody Hodges and The Linemen, from Brenam Texas. They took the stage at the Rusty Cactus in Oakwood, and made it their home, cranking out one great dance song after another. But what I liked most was Cody's original songs. Songs ranging from huracanes to rodeos and everything in between. Cody Hodges and The Linemen put on a great show with lots of energy and heart. Daniel York was the opening act of the night, he was great getting the audience pumped up and ready for Cody Hodges. The night was off and running with a fantastic start....and it didn't let up, it just kept on getting better. At the end of the night came a big surprise. Joining Cody Hodges and the Linemen on stage for the last few songs were local musicians, Doug Neal, Daniel York, and Randy Stevens....it was an awesome performace with out a doubt. I am so glad I made that short drive to Oakwood...., it looks like that little town in Leon County is about to become a hot spot for live music, at least thats what I think. So be on the look out for more live music in this area...its coming.....gypsy~on!