Collin County Songwriters Association News

See video clips from CCSA’s variety show, June 10, at AK’s (soon to be The Venue Grille) in Allen/Fairview at www.YouTube.com/collinsongwriters, and see pictures (were you there?) at the CCSA Myspace site. Included in the clips are C. Aaron Moore, Diane Hart, Chad Ireland, Dan Scot Parr, Michael “The Mudcat” Reames, Nelson Miller, and Ryan Michael Galloway.

CCSA member Eric Sykes will perform with his partner Chris Paul at Neuhaus Café, 626 Preston Royal Shopping Center, Dallas, Saturday, June 28th. Shows are from 6:30 to 9:30. Great music from the 60s through 90s.

Diane Hart will play this Friday, June 20th, at AK’s (soon to be The Venue Grille), 441 Stacy Road, in Allen, and Poppy’s, 107 S Church St, in McKinney on Saturday, July 25th.

Ryan Michael Galloway will headline the Dallas Songwriters Association’s July Songwriter Showcase at The Varsity Club in the northwest corner of Spring Creek and Coit in Plano, Saturday, July 5. This will be a very special original set comprised of music from RMG’s last two releases, and some new material to be included on his upcoming EP, “Nation.” CCSA members may be dropping by to sit in on this one. See recent live video clips of RMG at www.YouTube.com/rmgalloway. RMG is also giving Master Classes at this year’s Camp Jam, founded by former 38 Special guitarist Jeff Carlisi.

Public speaker and CCSA VP, Chad Ireland, appeared at the Pecha Kucha event hosted by the Visual Arts Guild on Thursday night, June 19th. He was there to explain the role that the CCSA fills in the community, and the organization’s goals. Pecha Kucha events are gatherings for people in the arts (artists, musicians, etc.) to network and share the approaches and techniques behind their work.

Michael “The Mudcat” Reames was recently covered in a story on Dallas Morning News’ site, NeighborsGo, http://www.neighborsgo.com/stories/16739. Read about The Mudcat’s upcoming recording project in Houston at the Vault Studios, with international contributor Bron Buick.

Ryan Michael Galloway
www.GigsterClinics.com (music business education)
www.RyanRocks.com (the Ryan Michael Galloway music and education portal)

Local "Rockin' Bluesman" Goes International

Michael “The Mudcat” Reames came to Frisco, Texas from Oak Cliff—by way of New Orleans. In an odyssey that took him from playing as a teenager with Stevie Ray Vaughan in the band Liberation, to jamming with the fledgling ZZ Top, to singing in a Yes tribute band, to rocking the New Orleans Club scene, to returning to North Texas after Katrina blew it all away, The Mudcat has pretty much seen it all. For the last two years he has helped to found the Collin County Songwriters Association, and is one of its most outspoken ambassadors. Through it all, the playing, singing, and blues harmonica playing hasn’t stopped. He can now be seen playing at a number of showcases and clubs, and the appearances have turned more frequent, as the association teams up with the Visual Arts Guild for a number of art shows in the area.

Now The Mudcat embarks on a new CD project that has ties to UK and Europe. In mid-July, he will begin a major recording initiative at The Vault Studios in Houston, where he is the not-so-silent partner of producer/engineer, David Williams (former drummer for Hall and Oates, Diana Ross, The Ojays, etc., and former record company executive).

In his spare time, Mr. Reames has been working his Myspace page like a pro. In doing so he has, like many players on this side of the pond, made a number of connections overseas. But in his case, he’s actually gotten people excited enough to come to Texas to record his material. Among the various musicians involved in the project is Bron Buick, a guitarist from London. Bron got involved because he want to cover Reames’ song “Love Sickness,” which he will place on his own release and bring back to the UK and Europe when the mix is finished. Bron will perform on other songs on Reames’ CD as well.

In an effort to reach out beyond Texas’ borders, The Mudcat also recruited West Indies musician, “Cash,” and brought back Reames old friend, co-writer and collaborator Wayne Folse, the stellar blues and rock guitarist from New Orleans.

Members of the Collin County Songwriters Association, who have been collaborating with Reames on an association compilation, will also meet on the session to complete some recordings started in May. The sessions will be taped by CCSA member Sam Moore who is currently working on a series pilot about Texas music.

Bron Buick, a London native, has toured extensively through Europe including Scandinavia and England with his own band Buick Hill Band, with Bron as the front man with guitarist Chris Hill. He’ll be touring the US when he takes time out in July to do the session with The Mudcat in Houston.

Bron says, “I have come a long way, from playing to two people who were just trying to get a beer at the top of their lungs, to 130,000+”

Bron’s forthcoming album “Battered and Bluesed” is his second. His first CD is entitled “Just a Thought...” One of his tracks, “Lovin' Lucy” was featured in the compilation CD “Rock 4 Life,” now in stores around the world.

“I am so happy to be able to get a man of his obvious talent and love of the blues to play and make some good music,” says Reames. “With the help of my friends Wayne and Dave we ought to turn out some good stuff.”

Ryan Michael Galloway
www.GigsterClinics.com (music business education)
www.RyanRocks.com (the Ryan Michael Galloway music and education portal)

Catching up...

I haven't made a serious post here since last October, so here is what I've been up to:

• Released "Rock the Big House Down" EP (get free downloads at the link) at the end of December
• Wrote and released The Band Promotion Turbo-Charger (more fans, more fame, more fortune) in February 2008
• Started facilitating the Collin County Songwriters Association song critique circle, every first Tuesday of the month at Anderson Guitar Gallery in Frisco, Texas
• Led the Collin County Songwriters Association Spring Seminars in May
• Started a new live playing campaign--see me at places like Zen Zin Wines and Bistro, AK's (soon to be The Venue Grille), and The Varsity Club (July 5, 2008) in Plano
• Started capturing and editing videos for CCSA: See our new YouTube with live videos at www.youtube.com/collinsongwriters
• Joined most of the CCSA leadership on a trip to Houston for a spirited impromptu recording session
• Got invited to perform as part of a PBS program on Texas songwriters, taping in October in Missouri
• Held a Master Class on promotion at Camp Jam in Dallas (founded by Jeff Carlisi)
  Began developing material for the next CD, entitled "Nation"

Okay, that's some of it anyway. My apologies for the ego-fest. More info on the way.

Ryan Michael Galloway

http://www.gigsterclinics.com/ (music business education)

http://www.ryanrocks.com/ (the Ryan Michael Galloway music and education portal)

Back in the Saddle

MAN, time goes by in a hurry these days. Well, it's time to get this blog active again, if only to aggregate and repost some of my more important writings to this audience. My apologies for the sabbatical, and here comes some stuff!

Ryan Michael Galloway
www.GigsterClinics.com (music business education)
www.RyanRocks.com (the Ryan Michael Galloway music and education portal)