Twisted South Radio

Sue Donahoe, author of "never Heard of 'Em" joins Twisted South this week. An exciting and personal account of the independent Austin music scene from the years of 1994 to 2000, especially surrounding the Austin record shop "Local Flavor", owned and operated by Sue and Mike Donahoe. Josh Garrett, born in New Roads, LA in July 1979, and raised in the bayou town of Houma, LA, Josh Garrett has been entertaining audience all over the country for the last five years with his own style of Louisiana Blues. Garrett’s style is a mixture of LA Blues, New Orleans Funk, Zydeco, and Rock ‘n’ Roll. “I’m drawn to all things Louisiana, it’s my culture and I try to embrace it,” says Garrett. He received an old acoustic guitar from his father when he was eleven years old. “[The guitar] was an old ’76 Alvarez. It was his guitar and he gave it to me. I was glad to get it and I haven’t put it down since.” say Garrett.

Buffalo Killers have been said to be a garage rock influenced by southern rock band from Cinncinati Ohio. Buffalo Killers place more emphasis on structured songwriting and lyrics that deviate from the typical Blues Rock topics.  "Cousin Dave's" makes all kinda crazy home-made instruments from parts laying around the barn. Cousin Dave were born at an eary age. After being orphaned and raised by a pack of wild hogs in the Okeefinokie he soon learned to whittle home-made instruments out of trees and dead gators. Kin folks told Cousin D. to move to Hooterville and open a combination music shop and home for battered shrimp.

Jay Nash, East Coast native and rock troubadour, has been blessed with the kind of excruciatingly rustic voice so rarely heard on record. He emerged into the national spotlight from the same Los Angeles music scene that gave rise to Sara Bareilles, Katy Perry and many other current pop luminaries, Nash has shared the stage with everyone from the Counting Crows and Maroon 5 to Keb Mo and Dave Mason (and Sara and Katy…). He has logged over a thousand live performances and sold over 25,000 albums without ever having signed a conventional record label deal. He writes songs that are all at once clever and down to earth. Although subdued at times, his voice articulates a quiet power that commands the attention of his listeners. Jay Nash is a ‘lifer’. He’s a musician dedicated to the craft of songwriting and the life of the rock n roll road show. His loyal fanbase was built brick by brick. See him once, and you will join them. John Carroll is the founding artistic director and executive producer of WCT. Weird City Theatre Company is a sponsored project of Austin Creative Alliance, a non-profit performing arts service organization. Weird City Theatre's mission is to encourage the growth of the artist and represent the uniqueness and vitality of Austin through re-envisioned classics and original works, cross-media, and merging a new audience with the traditional. Keeping a child-like sense of play, we focus on the process of the actor and are playing our part to keep Austin weird!

The Gills are 4 siblings on a mission to build a dream of creating and sharing music they love, spreading hope and strength through Jesse's story, and raising money and awareness towards helping other people who are going through the absolute hell of cancer. Dawn "Pinky" McConnell Newell is the creator of the women's motorcycle group T.I.T.S. Dawn lives in Arkansas. They are independent beautiful women who love the thrill of the ride whether they are riding on her own or riding with a partner. They  believe in the adventure of life and the romance of the open road. They stand for a sisterhood of women who will not take no for an answer or we can't just because they are girls, they’ll prove you wrong. 

The Resurrectionists celebrate the dark depths of American roots music with a feel-good, righteous rock fervor. Refined over the course of countless gigs in and around Boston, the 4-piece band’s performances combine driving rhythms and hellbent showmanship with a twilit vocal tour of family and faith, booze and the blues. Dirtfoot - a Dose of Gypsy Punk Country Grumble boogie. Whether performing on big stages at festivals, or playing intimate setting in pubs and the finer taverns all over the mid west & south, Dirtfoot puts on an uproarious show. The crowds come to take part in the fun and chaos, hollering to all the calls and responses, shaking their beancans, and getting down with the infectious grooves. There is only one Gypsy Punk Country Grumble Boogie band in the land, Dirtfoot.

With over a decade of recording and performing under its belt, Split Lip Rayfield has demonstrated an uncanny ability to survive adverse conditions and swim against mainstream trends to emerge as one of the Midwest’s most uncompromising bands. Split Lip hasn’t just carved a niche, it’s sounded a firm and furiously independent tone that reverberates in the ears of music lovers from coast to coast. With four studio albums- including Never Make It Home and Should Have Seen It Coming- and the recent Live at the Cotillion Ballroom DVD under its belt, by any means necessary live performances (including appearances at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Wakarusa, and road stints with The Reverend Horton Heat and Nashville ) and a four pronged attack of acoustic instrumentation, punk attitude and speed metal aggression, plus well-crafted songs (3.2 Flu, Redneck Tailgate Dream, and Outlaw), Split Lip has stared into the face of adversity and survived. The death of SLR co-founder and guitarist Kirk Rundstrom in February 2007 deeply impacted the band members, but Rundstroms’s tireless spirit and determination inspired Jeff Eaton (gas tank bass/vocalist) and Wayne Gottstine (mandolin/vocals) to continue advancing the SLR cause. In August the trio performed several regional dates to enthusiastic response – with the trademark blood and glory ethic as evident as ever – and decided that it was time to take the road once more. “I’m excited to tour again,” Gottstine said. “The four of us worked for 10 years as a band and we still enjoy making music together. Jeff and Eric are my favorite people to play with and we don’t want to give up on that.” With the band’s finest moment still on the horizon, doesn’t it seem time that you got hip, as they say, to the Lip?

Mountain Sprout is a highly energetic hillbilly music machine, spitting original tunes and blowing minds with whitty lyrics and face melting musicianship. The Sprouts are a full-time working band and play shows all year round for anyone who will listen. Whether it be Grayson VanSickle playing his machine gun banjo, singing out the novel of our lives or guitarist Adam Waggs, who yanks up the melody up by the ear and keeps you kickin'. With a smile on his face, Daniel Redmond pulls out cannon fire notes pounding the stand-up dog house bass, and Blayne Thiebaud gives the crowd a spectacular show, burnin' rosin and bendin' air, exploding the fiddle while bursting into flames. Together, they are MOUNTAIN SPROUT.

Author Pauline Butcher-Bird of the new book "Freak Out:! My Life with Frank Zappa" joins us this week to talk about her four-year work relationship with Frank Zappa from 1968-1972 and the book she just wrote about that time in history. After a chance encounter in London in 1967 with Frank Zappa, Pauline Butcher moved to work with him, his family and his band the Mothers of Invention to a log cabin in the Hollywood Hills from 1968 to 1972. Freak Out! is the captivating story of a naive young English girl thrust into the mad world of a musical legend. A vivid depiction of the late sixties rock n roll scene and the stark realities behind Hollywood's perceived glamour, this memoir is also the most revealing and intimate portrait of Frank Zappa ever written. Patrice "Candy" Zappa, Frank Zappa's little sister joins this show as well to talk about her life growing up as a Zappa and her career with Frank and her solo career as well. Candy is also the author of "My Brother was a Mother, A Zappa family Album" "After reading My Brother Was A Mother, however, no one will ever be likely to forget this fascinating family and their heartwarming story, told with humor and honesty by Candy. She recounts the childhood of her immigrant father Francis Zappa, who spent his early days in Baltimore working in his father's barber shop. "My Brother Was A Mother isn't only for Frank Zappa fans; it's a must-read account of an archetypical Italian-American family struggling to come to terms with their genius son in the turbulent '50s and '60s. And Candy Zappa has the pictures to prove it!"  

Chris Berardo & The DesBarados-"We're a bar band; that's where we live - for better or for worse - and whether you have a big rock club, a theater, a dark bar or a little pickin' room, we're coming there to play for whoever will listen. It's fun and it keeps us listening to each other. And when they blend together right, that's when I really get excited!"  Shirley To, actress, singer, songwriter, and bass player who has enhanced the rhythm sections, in the studio and on tour, of Juliette Lewis (US), Paulina Rubio (Mexico), Kelis (US), Jerzee Monet (US), Amanda Lee (Hong Kong), Jordan Chan (Hong Kong), Kahala Tomomi (Japan), G.E.M. (Hong Kong), Margo Rey and many others. She has turned her attention to her own music with this wonderful EP, titled “3” - a collection of creative, daring, yet very accessible songs written by this imaginative women, who splits her time between the real world and her own captivating fantasyland. Kemble Walters & The Blank Faces, born in the year 2010, is the brain child of front man and songwriter Kemble Walters (Juliette and the Licks, The Rise, Volume, AGES). He is joined on bass by Adam D'Zurilla (Salem, As Friends Rust, Sleepmask) and on guitar by Jonny Radtke (Kill Hannah, Ashes Divide, Polar Moon). Together, they make it really loud, and love it that way. So will you. We are all animals.

Twenty-three year old Sam Grow is a musician, singer, and songwriter whose soulful acoustic performances and emotionally crafted songs capture audiences of all ages. Born and raised in Southern Maryland, Sam’s love of performing and connection with his fans continue to fill various venues, often leaving standing room only. Sam’s powerful vocals and highly personal lyrics draw you into his songs as he tells stories of love, heartbreak, and his views on life in general. Tyler Bryant lives for music. Passionate about expressing himself and connecting with others through his songs and sounds, Tyler moved to Nashville from Honey Grove, TX when he was 17 to write songs and start a band. He has pushed the musical limits of guitar, vocals, and performance, and has captured the attention of the music scene with his spectacular talent and rare showmanship.Tyler Bryant, currently 20 years old, is a guitar prodigy who has shared the stage with Aerosmith, Jeff Beck, Heart, REO Speedwagon, Paul Simon, BB King, Pat Benatar, The Arc Angels, Vince Gill and many others. At age 15, Tyler won the Robert Johnson Blues Foundation's New Generation Award, which recognized him as one of the most promising new artists on the music scene. He has also performed at Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival in Chicago.         

  Patrick Doval is an American musician, singer, producer, multi-instrumentalist & video director, whose “80’s” inspired musical style, fuses elements of alternative rock with a new wave sound. In 2008, he independently released two-albums, “Deliverance” & “Fractured” and built a large following online, on his Myspace & Youtube pages. Patrick has also created, directed & edited numerous low budget music videos to many of his songs. Doval’s videos are creative and have gained attention from the artist community. In September 2010, his video for the song "Don't Let Me Go" was selected for the Deceptive Eye Video & Photography Festival at the Curators Voice Art Projects in the Wynwood art district. Later that year, his video for the song "Love" was selected for the Eclectic Art Exhibition, a silent auction and charity event for children at the prestigious Nina Torres art gallery. In January of 2011, "She's From Outer Space" music video premiered in Art Basel Miami His songs have now sold in 13-countries via iTunes & his latest album, "Unintended Consequence" is digitally distributed by Interscope Records.

Colonel JD Wilkes (songwriter and front man for the Legendary Shack Shakers), his wife Jessica, plus fellow Shack Shaker Mark Robertson, make up the old-time music trio THE DIRT DAUBERS! Hailing from Paducah, Kentucky and Nashville, Tennessee, these three have travelled the world internationally, singing loud-and-proud an eclectic mix of Appalachian, ragtime, and hot jazz standards and original music. From cowboy songs to bluegrass, Harlem jazz to honky tonk, the DAUBERS tackle it all with vim, verve and vigor. During Johnny Townsend's long and prolific music career, Johnny has appeared on stage with a multitude of music icons; Jimi Hendrix, The Doobie Brothers, Loggins and Messina, Jimmy Buffett, Little Feat, Fleetwood Mac, The Little River Band and a host of Southern Rock artists like; The Allman Brothers Band, The Marshall Tucker Band, Charlie Daniels, Dickey Betts Great Southern, Sea Leavell and The Dixie Dreggs. During and after his days with the Sanford/Townsend Band, Johnny was an in demand studio vocalist and songwriter working with a background vocal trio of himself, Michael McDonald and Jackson Browne vocalist, Rosemary Butler. The trio's voices appeared on dozens of music albums during the 70s and 80s. Many of those were gold and platinum efforts. Johnny also co-wrote songs on gold and platinum albums with Loggins and Messina, Kenny Loggins first solo record, Gregg Allman's "Just Before The Bullets Fly" album, Larry Carlton's "Lightning Strikes Twice" album, and many others.  

 Pokey LaFarge has been hitching through the countryside and whisking off to faraway lands ever since he was a teenager. He is a perpetual traveler, constantly in motion and drawing musical inspiration from the heroes and misfits of yesterday; the long lost troubadours of country, the kings of swamp-drenched ragtime, and all the legendary bluesmen of the Cotton Kingdom. Sharing that inspiration has been a mission of sorts for LaFarge, making sure that people remember that there’s more to music than just the sounds that manufactured pop stars are making today. LaFarge is out to help listeners and live audiences rediscover an earlier time in America by bringing forth his special mix of music, featuring such acoustic instruments as parlor guitar, guitjo, double bass, kazoo, and harmonica.  Long the bards of downward mobility, Southern Culture on the Skids have always embodied a sleazy, raucous, good-natured, good-time take on the culture of the South. Recently described by Dwight Yoakam (in Filter) as "really on the outside, like Dick Dale meets Hank Thompson," SCOTS have mixed high and low culture for decades, endlessly touring, serving up moonshine martinis and poultry picking for fans everywhere. Since 1983, when they formed in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, SCOTS have played their unique hybrid of Americana, surf, R&B, rockabilly, and swamp pop (the band describes their sound as "toe sucking geek rock - kinda weird, but it feels good when you're doing it"), all the while driving fans into ecstatic, sweat-drenched paroxysms of joy. Assisted by his cohorts in chaos — drummer Dave Hartman and bassist/singer/heartbreaker Mary Huff — Miller and crew have been prolific and ubiquitous for over twenty years

Jessica Breanne & The Electric Hearts draw on the soul of Stax and the blues of the delta to create an original sound that breaks the mold of the city they reside and perform in. Their music weaves together new sounds with classic throwback elements. The Electric Hearts have been hard at work completing their debut LP, which is being produced by local producer and band-mate, Mike Odmark. The record tells the stories of love, love lost and redemption while painting vivid pictures of the struggles and temptations of the soul. Meanwhile, they have been dominating the Nashville rock scene with their “no-holds-barred” approach anchored by Jessica’s undeniable stage presence and vocal prowess. After recently winning the “Battle on Third” competition against 36 local bands, opening for Robert Randolph & The Family Band, The Wooten Brothers, and more: Jessica Breanne & The Electric Hearts are quickly becoming the band to see in Nashville.   Photos by Melissa Madison Fuller

Twenty-three year old Sam Grow is a musician, singer, and songwriter whose soulful acoustic performances and emotionally crafted songs capture audiences of all ages. Born and raised in Southern Maryland, Sam’s love of performing and connection with his fans continue to fill various venues, often leaving standing room only. Sam’s powerful vocals and highly personal lyrics draw you into his songs as he tells stories of love, heartbreak, and his views on life in general. Growing up in a musical family, Sam began singing in church at the age of five. By the time he was ten, Sam was already penning his own lyrics. Inspired by his sister who played the piano, he taught himself to play guitar, bass, piano, and drums. Sam was born a natural singer without any formal vocal coaching. His father, also a singer, is a big influence. Sam draws his influences from such greats as Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Eric Clapton, and Gavin DeGraw. He enjoys performing anything acoustic that has soul and is fond of rock, pop, soul, blues, jazz, and country music.