Friday, March 20, 2009

Kalmazoo's own Frankie Ballard signed to Warner Brothers records


Kalamazoo, Michigan's own hometown hero Frankie Ballard has been signed to Warner Brothers records in Nashville today March 20th, 2009.
Frankie was a college baseball player at Western Michigan University and got a later start than most in music. Frankie grew up with country and rock influences and used to impersonate Elvis and Johnny Cash with his father. Frankie and the Frankie Ballard Band have been playing sometimes four nights a week here around town and have also opened up for Kenny Chesney, Shooter Jennings and David Allen Coe and many more. Over the last year or so Frankie has been making many trips to Nashville to write with some of music row's best songwriters like Doak Turner, Walt Aldridge and Jim Bo Hinson. Frankie is an acomplished guitar player and captivating entertainer who also has a strong background playing blues and southern rock in various local bands. We here in Kalamazoo look forward to watching the next steps he takes on his journey to fame as a country music star on the rise.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Hear the songs

I posted a new music player at the bottom right corner of my page, just scroll down and you will see it. I have added some of my favorite artists and songs, some from those i have photographed and some from those i will be seeing soon. Just click play or forward through the songs. Hope you like some of these songs.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Cross Canadian Ragweed @ Joe's


The music playing over the PA system in Joe's bar before the show was "my kind of town, Chicago is" by Frank Sinatra, when the boys from Oklahoma started rocking it was clear that they are fans of the windy city. Cross Canadian ragweed played a good long set, debuting a few new songs that get more polished at each show in anticipation of going into the studio in Los Angeles later this month to record the new record. They always have a party around them and i cant say for sure which song they started the set with or which song they ended with, i want to say they started off with "smoke another" and soon kept it going with their version of Ray Wylie Hubbard's "wanna rock & roll" and ended with the Doors "l.a. woman" but i cant remember for sure, when it was all over Cody lit the set-list on fire and left the place feedback still ringing in every ones ears. This photo is of Drummer Randy Ragsdale, Cross Canadian Ragweed is one of the few bands in this genre that employs a lighting designer "Will Wright, the wizard" and they bring their own lights to augment the venues existing system.

Stephanie Briggs and the Oso @ Joe's


Stephanie Briggs and the Oso opened the show at Joe's bar in Chicago for Cross Canadian Ragweed on March second. Stephanie and her husband and music partner "the Oso, Spanish for bear" are residents of New Braunfels, Texas which is also where a couple of the guys from Ragweed call home. Her first CD entitled "spark: was released in January 2006 and features an eclectic mix of indie style songs that can have an explosive sound that reminds me of the Pixies and maybe because she covered the song "cannonball" in her set, the Breeders also come to mind, which was a perfect song to suit her style. Stephanie has a new release coming out soon called "birds barely know us" and it features Cody Canada of Cross Canadian Ragweed on guitar as well. Look for it in stores soon. She is highly original and stands out above other artists from Texas that sometimes sound the same.