Category: Songwriting


Rickey Gene Wright, Denise Owen

Rickey Gene Wright with Denise Owen opened the TexasSelectRadio.com Shaun and Dan show at Canucks in Lewisville on February 22. Rickey played his Americana songs, such as Island Red and Waitin’ On My Time.

Rob Case

Rob Case took the stage next and played songs from his Last Call in Texas cd. Songs such as Song About Texas, Ipanema Farewell, and my favorite, Bayou City.

Jeff Stachowski

Next up was Jeff Stachowski with his electric guitar. He was a standup comedian in a former life and it shows in his songs of introspection with dry humor. Month of Mondays, 99 Postcards, and Little Green Men are three such songs.

Clint Buchanan played a set of country cover

Clint Buchanan

songs. Dan Roark closed out the evening with songs from his upcoming Ep, Hello Out There.

Follow the links and hear their music for yourself. Make a note of when they’re playing next and go see them and support live music.

Dan Roark

Come on out to Canucks on Thursdays and be a part of the TexasSelectRadio.com Shaun and Dan show. Good music, good food, and friendly atmosphere. If you are a songwriter and would like to be on the show, send Dan a message.

Keep writing the songs that are in your heart.

Peace be with you.

 

 

Harry Hewlett

The TexasSelectRadio.com Shaun and Dan Show  at Guitars and Growlers on February 19 began with Harry Hewlett and his west Texas music and humor. Harry grew up on a farm in west Texas. His songs, such as Dirty Old Man, and Everclear illustrate that.

Lynn McCracken, with Bill Hudson on guitar, and Gigi Gostas on cajon, played her introspective songs, such as I Wrote You a Letter, and Fear.

Gigi Gostas, Lynn McCracken, Bill Hudson

Rob Case, with Alayna Mitchakes adding vocals, played songs from his cd, Last Call in Texas, such as Bayou City, and and a couple of cover songs.

Allen Larson followed Case, and played a mix of his original tunes, such as You Got This, and cover

Alayna Mitchakes, Rob Case

tunes which included a song by Bruce Cockburn.

John Herbert played a short set of cover songs. Dan Roark  wrapped up the show with I Just Want to get Social, Waffle House, and Hitchhiking Song.

Follow the links, hear the music for yourself, and notice when they are playing so you can see them live. Come to Guitars and Growlers on Mondays for good

Allen Larson

music, good food, a large variety of craft beers that changes constantly, and be a part of the radio show. Songwriters – message Dan or Shaun to be on a coming show.

John Herbert

Keep writing the songs that are in your heart.

Peace be with you.

Dan Roark

 

 

 

Robbie Marks

The inaugural TexasSelectRadio.com Shaun and Dan show at Canuck’s in Lewsiville on Thursday, February 15 began with Robbie Marks. Robbie shared his songs mixed in with country covers. John Mason followed Marks and played his original Americana songs, such as I Wanna Know, and California.

John Mason

Mr. Troll took the stage next and sang his original tunes like Cry, and Goin’ Nowhere. Robin Willis followed Mr. Troll. Her powerful voice lends an extra ounce of interpretation to her songs.

Mr. Troll

Shaun Outen wrapped up the show with a few songs that included his singles  Senoritas and Tequila, and Without Your Love.

Follow the links, hear the music for yourself,

Robin Willis

and notice when they’re playing so you can see them live. And come see the next TSR Shaun and Dan show at Canuck’s and enjoy some good food along with the music. If you are a songwriter, message Dan or Shaun to be on a future show.

Shaun Outen

Keep writing the songs that are in your heart.

Peace be with you.

 

Dan Roark

I opened the second TexasSelectRadio.com Shaun and Dan show at Guitars and Growlers on Monday, February 12. Following my set, John Mason took the stage. His set of originals included his song about the beverage we all love and why we call coffee “Joe,” entitled I Wanna Know.

John Mason

Gigi Gostas followed Mason. She played a set of her original songs that tell tales of a life lived and learned. Including a song she wrote thinking about all of the physical changes that a woman goes through. Don Wall came on next and played his tunes which included Hard to Handle, Home in my Dreams, and Papa’s Recipe. Shaun Outen took the stage to play a few songs before Dan closed out the night.

Gigi Gostas

Follow the links and hear their music for yourself and notice when they’re playing next so you can go see them live. If you’re a songwriter and would like to be on the show, send Shaun or Dan a message. Or say so in a comment.

Don Wall

 

Keep writing the songs that are in your heart.

Peace be with you.

 

Shaun Outen

Ireland Casteel

I introduced Ireland Casteel to begin the inaugural TexasSelectRadio.com Monday night Shaun and Dan show at Guitars and Growlers on February 5. Ireland is one of the better and popular young teenage songwriters in the Dallas area. Her songs illustrate her experiences and the things she has learned. Without any pretense of being older than she is. Which helps her have insights – brought out in her songs – she would not have had otherwise. I have invited her to play showcases a number of times in the past couple of years and will continue to do so. You will know what I mean when you hear her songs – which will soon be in rotation on TexasSelectRadio.com.

Cat McGee

Cat McGee is a songwriter with intense emotion. Not just in her voice or expression, but the words themselves as well. As illustrated in the song, City of Steeples, which she wrote about Charleston, South Carolina on a tragic day as she watched the community respond with determination and faith. Cat was struck with the large number of churches, hence the title. Follow the link to hear that song and others and see where she is playing.

Bill Nash

Bill Nash followed McGee and displayed his penchant – out of necessity – for using capos and alternate tunings. With his MS symptoms, his hands sometimes are cantankerous – as it were – and the capos and tunings help him to keep playing guitar and writing songs. His songs are distinctly folk, which is not surprising given his 25 years of volunteering at Uncle Calvin’s Coffeehouse and decades residing at the Kerrville Folk Festival. He has a song he wrote as a Christmas song that friends talked him into changing into a song about Kerrville. “But it’s still a Christmas song.” Follow the link and check him out when you can.

Clint Sherman

With most of the younger songwriters I see being girls – which is a good thing – it’s nice to see a young man such as Clint Sherman write some nice songs. Blackland Fever is the name of his band and I wouldn’t mind hearing him with them. But he does pretty well by himself.

All in all, it was a great first TSR Shaun and Dan show. Come on out to Guitars and Growlers on Mondays and be part of a fun experience. We have John Mason, Gigi Gostas, and others next week. If you are a songwriter and would like to be on the show, send me a message and we’ll find a night for you. We usually keep a spot or two open for walk in sign ups, but they go fast, so it’s best to sign up in advance.

Keep writing the songs that are in your heart.

Peace be with you.

 

Keep writing the songs that are in your heart.

Peace be with you.

Shaun Outen, Darren Rozell, Alayna Mitchakes, Rob Case, Dan Roark, Mike Freiley

Shaun Outen and I had a good show last Tuesday at Love and War in Texas, Plano. We changed the starting time to 7 p.m. As usual the show was broadcast on TexasSelectRadio.com.

I started the show and played songs from my upcoming EP, Hello Out There. Mike Freiley took the stage after me. He played a set that included one of my favorite songs of his, Dog Left in

Mike Freiley

the Rain. He told the story behind the song when he played at my Songwriters for Autism benefit last year. The short version is he saw a dog that was hiding under parked cars in the rain as he was leaving an event.

Darren Rozell followed Freiley and played his original country songs. Which included It’s Complicated among others. Rob Case, with Alayna Mitchakes, performed next and wrapped up the show. They performed songs from Case’s cd, Last Call in Texas. Love and War was having the floors done and closed at 10 p.m., so we had to end at 9:30.

As always, follow the links and hear their music for yourself. More pictures can be found on my Facebook music page.

Keep writing the songs that are in your heart.

Peace be with you.

Terry Strange

Shaun Outen and I had a good lineup at the Songwriters Showcase at Love and War in Texas, Plano on Tuesday, January 23rd which was broadcast on TexasSelectRadio.com. So much so that we didn’t get a chance to play. Terry Strange opened the show with a set that included his song, How About the Truth?  Mark Burnaugh took the stage next and played a set of cover songs.

Baylis Laramore

Next up, Baylis Laramore played a number of his original songs. During the set, he played his haunting tune, Ghosts of Galveston. Jade Nickol played a solid set of originals and a few covers. She also played her Happy Birthday song.

Mr. Troll played a strong set of his original tunes, including Cry, which is one of my favorite songs of his. Kenneth Waters wrapped up the evening with his commanding vocals and mix of original and cover songs.

Mr. Troll

As always, follow the links to hear their music for yourselves. It will be time well spent. Then come out and join Shaun and myself on Tuesdays as we host songwriters and broadcast on TexasSelectRadio.com. The show will now begin at 7 p.m. rather than 7:30. Enjoy great food while listening to live music. More pictures will be posted on my Facebook music page.

Keep writing the songs that are in your heart.

Peace be with you.

 

 

Robbie Marks

Robbie Marks opened the showcase last Tuesday, January 9 at Love and War in Texas, Plano that Shaun Outen and I host. Marks played a set of originals mixed with country covers.

Ray White took the stage after Robbie Marks. The show was broadcast on TexasSelectRadio.com as usual on Tuesdays. Ray followed Robbie’s example of playing originals and covers.

Ray White

Troy James has a unique sense of humor that he displays in his clever songs. He is also a fellow author. I didn’t realize until later that we had both been judges at Little Anthony’s Reach For the Stars Talent Competition. Follow his link to find his music – as with all the performers. It’s hard to take notes, pictures, and be a host at the same time.                          

 

 

Rob Case followed Troy on stage. Case played played a number of his originals, including my favorite, Bayou City. He closed with a couple of cover songs.

Shaun Outen played a few covers, including one of his favorites, Willie Nelson’s Me and Paul. Shaun ended with his recent single, Senoritas and Tequila.

Rob Case

Dan Roark closed out the evening with three songs from his upcoming EP. Then the waitress, Yvonne – I don’t have her last name – sang “Crazy” A Capella. She did a very nice job.

Come on out and join us on Tuesdays – except for tonight (January 16). Come listen or plan to play a few of your songs on TexasSelectRadio.com. The heaters usually suffice to make it comfortable. Good music, good food, friendly staff. More pictures will be found on my Facebook music page. Follow the performer’s links to hear the music for yourself.

Keep writing the songs that are in your heart.

Peace be with you.

Dan Roark

I was guest host for Bill Hook at the first Wednesday night Songwriters Showcase/ Open Mic of 2018 on January 3rd at Guitars and Growlers. While it was every other Wednesday in 2017, SS/Open mic is now weekly.

I was getting over a cold

Jade Nickol

that I got for Christmas. I opened the show and made it through two songs before I realized it was time to pass the mic. Jade Nickol took the stage and played her original songs as well as a Stevie Nicks cover.

Remy Reilly, another teenage songwriter, played piano and sang her original songs. She also played a Stevie Nicks cover – since Jade had.

Remy Reilly

Anna DiTommaso took the stage after we got the keyboard off the stage. “I will now play some songs that I definitely didn’t write,” Anna said as she introduced herself. She then did musical justice to four cover songs.

Local songwriter, Alex Benavides, followed DiTommaso. Benavides played his original songs and ended with Country Roads by John Denver and everyone singing along. Karl King played a couple of tunes on harmonica before asking Joe Gerard, who was up next, to join him on stage for a song. The two performed Locomotive Breath by Jethro Tull. Gerard then stayed on stage to play a set of cover songs. Donna Weis closed out the evening with her unique brand of folk music, hearkening back to the ’60s and ’70s.

In all, an interesting musical evening. More pictures will be on my Facebook music page. Join Bill Hook each Wednesday to hear some good songwriters and/or play a few of your songs. Good music, good food, great craft beer selection and friendly staff.

Keep writing the songs that are in your heart.

Peace be with you.

 

 

 

Jason Gibson and Mark Purnell

Now that Christmas is over and I’m finally starting to get over the cold I got for Christmas, it’s time to start catching up.

Jason Gibson and Mark Burnaugh opened the show at Love and War on December 19th that Shaun Outen and I hosted. They swapped songs as well as accompanying each other. Their set included Don’t Take My Whiskey and One Night Taco Stand.

Cold Multiple & Domestic

Cold Multiple & Domestic took the stage after Gibson and Purnell. The band consists of Craig Fasken, rhythm guitar and vocals, Craig Smith, lead guitar, Michael Levy on bass, and Matt O’Dea on drums. They play rock and roll and blues. And they do it well.

Dan Roark

The band played songs by Old 97s, Bob Seger, and others. Their set also included originals like the one about Pancho Villa. Fasken said that the first two songs they wrote together were blues songs. Then they played Fifteen Years, one of the two songs.

I followed the band and played a few songs, including Waffle House is a Mighty Fortress, and I Got My Ass Kicked in Nashville from my upcoming cd, Hello Out There. Terry Strange followed me and closed out the evening with a set that included his songs, Angel Song,

Terry Strange

and How About the Truth.

It was a great show. Come on out this Tuesday and join Shaun and myself. Come listen or plan to play a few of your songs on TexasSelectRadio.com. Good music, good food, friendly staff. Come join us!

Keep writing the songs that are in your heart.

Peace be with you.