Funhouse Music: The Usual Suspects
Grace Pettis - singer/songwriter
Grace has been singing and writing songs since she was a little girl.
As she got older, she got better, and decided to be a musician since, well, she has no other response to life than creating music.
Now, at 20, she writes and plays original music in Austin, TX with her band, consisting of Steve Allen on bass, and Daniel David on guitar. Sometimes her friend Ariel Simpson sings back-up and when that happens, life is even better.
Grace carries a plethora of songs around in her head and is constantly writing more, sometimes two or three new songs a week.
Her professional goal is to be able to play and write music without having to do anything else.
Grace records most of her low-quality demos on her MacBook using only her guitar, the built-in microphone, and her imagination, however, she wants to put together a new EP in the near future.
Gordon Garrison and David Gentiles made it possible for Grace to record a simple acoustic album consisting of 8 tracks, called "Me and My Guitar." (available for download at http://www.myspace.com/gracepettis)
Grace Pettis wrote this herself, in the third person, because it's fun to talk that way.
The Canvas Waiting - band
In the winter of 2003, childhood friends Nathan Medina and Grant Shirley began writing songs and would later join up with local drummer Josh Rodgers in hopes of creating music that would touch and inspire others. After a couple months of practice and with only a hand full of songs, The Canvas Waiting would showcase their talent for the first time at a local battle of the bands and to their surprise win. Soon the three realized that the chemistry and connection that they shared was not coincidental and that this band was unlike any other musical project they had been in. With the addition of friend and musician Chris Applegate on the bass, the band was finally ready to take off. Driven by an undeniable passion for music and their faith in God, The Canvas Waiting began to pour their hearts into every song, creating what would be the In Search of Beginnings E.P. This E.P is a testament to the challenges and transformations that the band underwent over the course of writing this record and how they found hope through their faith, their families and each other. Entering the studio with acclaimed Houston producer MD Thompson of Ivory-Tower-Realizations, the band came out with a record that they were not only proud of but knew would captivate the listener. Track after track of this seven song E.P is filled with melodic rock and pop sensibility without ever compromising intelligent songwriting. Vocalist and song writer Nathan Medina states, I would like to think that our music contains a certain depth but at the same time is something that you will want to sing along to, both of which are becoming more rare in music today. With the release of their E.P in 2005, the band has attracted a large and loyal following. As they play more shows and continue selling records, The Canvas Waiting hopes to take what they have started in Texas and share it with the world.
Paul LeMond - singer/songwriter
Liked “Kiss” - (Ace Freely on guitar)
Wanted to be a rock star.
Got a guitar for my 15th birthday.
Schoolwork suffered.
Got together with friends to play songs from the radio.
Called it "The Kents".
Schoolwork suffered again.
Started writing songs.
To hell with schoolwork.
Formed a band to sing my songs.
Called it “No One’s Safe”.
Changed it to “No One’s Café”.
Played a lot of Sundays.
Got into running sound......Best day job ever.
Began “folking” around with John Barnes.
Called it “Late Night Chinese”.
Some people liked it although one Chinese woman was offended.
Over a bottle of Rum we decided to move to Dallas.
That, as they say, was that.
Back in Austin to regroup - Opened for John Scofield.
Like telling an hour long joke to a dog.
Steamboat 1874 on 6th street becomes a second home.
Ran sound for “Apaches of Paris”.
Next thing I know I’m the guitar player.
Julieann Banks, Nick Travis, Justin Hess, David Boyle.
Fast friends - great band!
Played a lot of gigs - Won some awards.
Slammed guy shots and left no prisoners.
Confused the record labels.
Next band was creatively named “Paul’s Band”.
Justin and Cornbread = POCKET.
Played in “Agents of Karma” with the very talented Chris Wright.
Shaggy’s on Congress.
Chris Wright and I wrote songs for our imaginary band “Leon”.
Johnny Arredondo, Charles Reiser & Chris Meitus helped bring Leon to life.
It had a short, bright life.
What’s next?
Put out the CD “Dimestore Philosophy”.
Thanks to Steve Bernal, Mac McNabb, Ian Bailey
Barry "Frosty" Smith, and Bryan Keeling.
(Yes, I know it should be Dime Store)
Started the Paul LeMond Band with Jeremy Bow and Nick Travis.
Props to The Rib Room in Fort Smith, AR.
Recorded and/or did gigs with
Michelle Mayfield, Julieann Banks (with and without The Activates),
Jimmy Lee Hannaford, Scott Gibson, Beth Black, Geoff Queen,
Leo Stokes and Christina Bell.
Also playing guitar for Rick Hornyak.
Need to learn more country picking.
Still like “Kiss”.
Ed Kliman - singer/songwriter
After decades of roadwork across North America, Ed Kliman has become a familiar face to audiences in Austin, Texas since 1988. Ed's story songs are stretched on a musical framework constructed from elements of jazz, blues, country, folk, funk and whatever else suits his purposes. His supporting cast includes some of Austin's best musicians. For more information, go to the 'links' page.
Rick Hornyak - singer/songwriter
That's right: Hornyak. Pronounced "horn YAK" in the Czech Republic. But he's heard a few other pronunciations along his journey ... and what a journey it's been.
Rick Hornyak had it all: a house, a car, friends, family, a union job. But he wasn't happy, something was missing, lost. He knew it couldn't be found in Clarks Mills, PA. And it wasn't long after that, that he woke up, went to work, and didn't work. He quit. So long, farewell, ADIOS.
He had the biggest yard sale in the history of Clarks Mills - house included. Everything must go. Most especially Rick. He left town with a couple of guitars, a bunch of scribbled songs, and a dog named Buddy. He figured Buddy deserved to come along, considering that Buddy was the only one who hadn't told him he was crazy.
White lines and road signs, America zipping past his window. Road signs that kept announcing Austin, Texas, Home of Guitar Heroes. The place where all the songs that he had rushing through his mind would emerge free and wild. The people, the scenes. The clubs. It's an amazing feeling to come home to a place you've never been before.
But then, this is an amazing guy. And the best way to get to know him is through his songs. So check out his schedule. Check out his show. Stop by afterwards and say hello. You might have a yard sale of your own one day.
Spoken Groove - spoken word/music
Spoken Groove. It’s the best way to describe the unfettered energy and rock ‘n’ roll innovation produced by Peter Nevland and virtuoso guitarist Paul Finley. With a style and ability to inspire audiences reminiscent of the way Bob Dylan and Jack Kerouac exploded from the beat generation of the late 60’s, they’ve created an entirely new musical genre.
Peter Nevland had no idea what he was getting himself into when he left behind his engineering job at Motorola in September, 2002, to team up with Paul Finley, a struggling Catholic guitarist who called his guitar Mary. They had no record deal or name recognition, so they started playing for any audience who would listen, giving them front row seats to stories exploding with witty comedy, perseverance through struggle, and compassion for the outcasts of society.
Since then they’ve completed countless tours across the U.S., Canada, England, Germany & Australia, connecting with just about every audience imaginable. College students love the intelligent lyrics and explosive music. Teenagers go nuts for Peter’s funky white boy dancing and raw honesty about not fitting in. Little children love their innocently hilarious humor and crazy, wild fun. They haven’t found an ethnic group or cultural segment whose hearts are too different to be mesmerized by their passion. Even senior citizens are blown away by their creativity and artistry. It’s that kind of response that has allowed them to sell over $75,000 worth of cd’s & t-shirts and build a loyal following of fans with no musical contacts and barely a trickle of press attention. “After all, why do we need to have all the right qualifications to pursue our dreams?” Peter asks.
Make no mistake. Paul Finley has qualifications to play guitar. Its strings captured his heart the first time he touched them at age 12. At the age of 16, he began teaching, getting a diploma in Guitar Performance from the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, and joining his talents with the indie band, Mas Optica. He’s played with symphonies, comedy troupes, rock stars and buskers in his journey from Wisconsin to Austin. Combine that with Peter’s wide range of slam poetry, musical talent, dance moves and ability to touch the heart of any crowd, and you get two performers who’ve only begun to scratch the surface of their unstoppable artistic potential.
Watershed - duo
Watershed is the electronic musical vision of Austin, Texas musicians Steven and Caleb Allen. Utilizing a combination of loops, found sounds, samples and synthesis, Watershed is musically schizophrenic. It started as a project to compose music for video games, and at some point, took on a life of it's on. Watershed(as Vessel) has performed in public twice, at the 2005 HopeArts Festival and downtown at Austin's Club 115. The first performance included Steven Allen on musical noise and Paul Q-Pek on improvised vocals. New songs are added as they are written, re-written, or re-mixed by Steven and Caleb. At some point in 2008, a CD should be available. Maybe.