Rockstar Magazine - April Issue

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The Music Ranch

2014 Upcoming Shows APRIL

18-19th “Back to Roots Campout 2014”

May

10th The Music Ranch Presents “Mother’s Day Appreciation Show” 16-17th “RAD” Art Show 2014

June

The Music Ranch Anniversary Party

July

Freedom Fest First Annual Rockstar Magazine Festival Classic Rock & Blues Festival Redneck Olympics

August to September TBA

October

WeirdFest Rocktober Fest Pumpkin Man Haunted Trail

Back to the Roots

By Serena Brown

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nly 10 minutes from downtow The Music Ranch was enough away to escape the SXSW chaos.

This year the TMR family held our own events outside the Annual SXSW Showcase. Death X Southwest, Home Away From Home, Slam Force Five, The Otanana Fest and Reggae In The

Hills Jamm Space Awards Showcase.

The Music Ranch opens its stages to all genres and musicians. We want all musicians to have a platform to network and promote themselves.

Our current purpose is to provide resources for musicians, festival goers and industry proffessionals that need a place to call home. It’s all about networking.

It’s hard having no family or friends in Austin, but here musicians of all genres have resources and place to call home all year long, with onsite camping and a venues to try play and listen.

While The Music ranch is in development, its the musicians that keeps us moving forward. This is about the music. The musicians and volunteers that are involved with us are part of the family.

We are so thankful for all the bands that came to TMR and shared the gift of music for us and our fans for 9 straight days of music during the Home Away from Home Showcase

Staff Interview Trans Art Art Director

J What are your goals for your time at The Music Ranch?

My goals here are to help Gino unite artists and musicians in a way that will create a subculture. The idea is to build the ultimate environment condusive to audio and visual creation. Thereby

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Rockstar at the Ranch 2014. If you missed it, don’t worry, next year will be even better. We made so many new friends. Much love and respect for the music shared with us by over 100 bands. We wouldn’t exist without them.

New at The Ranch This year has already held lots of developments for TMR. Push ATX Skate Shop is building and refining The Mu-

allowing all creatives to there start and work together. We want to combine talent to acheive individual goals while promoting TMR as the best music and art venue in Texas and the world!

J What brought you to The Music

Ranch?

I am here simply because I fell in love with Gino’s vision and the land. I simply

sic Ranch Skate Park due to be open in May. The Arrowhead Garden has a new Garden stage. UnderPar Golf has plotted 9 disc golf holes. Kenny Davis is working on our paintball course and the RV Park is coming along.

We finished our two big screens on the front stage and back stage. We also want to thank Micheal and Maria Goll for all there help and welcome them to The Music Ranch Family.

This month we are hosting the Stupid Stars video shoot, so look out for the video release party coming to TMR on one of our big screens. Also the Start of the Visions Show featuring the first two bands that ever played TMR; Audic Empire and Sher Kahn and the Space Case.

In May we are holding the Mother’s Day Show with Jamie Bladeras on the 10th and on the 16th and the 17th we are holding the RAD Art Show. Watch our calander for upcoming events and like us on facebook to receive invitations to all our shows.

could not pass up the opportunity to be a part of something this wonderful. My life goal is to go down in history and Gino has given me the opportunity to do that. The Music Ranch will go on forever as gino’s legacy. There is no stopping him and no stopping me. I get to be a part of The Music Ranch legacy leaving my mark as well!

- S. Brown

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The Greasy Skillet Stompers

Jacob Teel, Megan Legates, Matthew Holley, Fernando Rosales, Lukes Jones, Tony Galbraith, Kevin Whiteman.

Band Interview J Tell us about The Greasy Skillet Stompers.

Signs and murals by Art Director Trans for The Music Ranch and are seen throughout the ranch.

We are just good old time music. It reminds of you of your roots. Four of us were travelling around playing as The Greasy Skillet Stompers and we found Pint of No Return while we were travelling through Austin.

We played so well together that now all six of us play as The Greasy Skillet Stompers. We love to drink bourbon together.

J What is your relationship with The Music Ranch?

It’s become our home. We’ve been travelling for so long that we were so thankful find such a great place to unleash our creativity. It’s a musicians haven. We can help build TMR and practice on our free time. We love wroking in Arrowhead Garden. The land really inspires us to be creative and build on our music. Gino is such a bad ass. He took us under his wing. We love this place so much. We have traveled all over the country and this place is at the top of our list! We are a big family that works hard together. There is a harmony among all the staff and volunteers so there is never any drama.

J What are your future plans?

Recording the Split EP with Pint of No Return and we’re trying to network to get a summer tour in the works so check us out on facebook under The Greasy Skillet Stompers and check us out at The Music Ranch for the Back to the Roots Afterparty on April 18th and 19th . We are playing on the Main Stage and the Arrowhead Garden stage.

- S. Brown

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themusicranchatx1@gmail.com 512-574-2767

From Austin with Love Benefit Austin, Texas- Visionary Kevin Finch in conjunction with Warhorse Marketing presents, “From Austin With Love” A South

By Benefit Relief Concert.

Sunday May 4, 2014 Doors Open at 2pm The Backyard 13801 Bee Cave Pkwy Bee Cave,Texas 78738.

Headlining this event is Monty Montgomery, Guy Forsyth, Dave Sebree with Malford Milligan & Lisa Tingle, Vallejo, Shelley King, Ms Lavelle White, Del Castillo and many more.

Advance tickets are available at www.TheBackyard.net and will also be available at the door day of concert. (This event is not connected with the South By film and music festival).

On March 13,2014, just hours after the Red River St incident occurred, Mr Kevin Finch realized the immediate need of the victims of this tragedy and took the time to initiate the creation of this event. The mission of “From Austin With Love” is to give all profit proceeds to the injured persons and deceased (family) as quickly as possible. Mr Finch, Warhorse Marketing,The Backyard and it’s owners and staff, Russell Dowden of Rockstar Magazine,The Chronicle, Omar Vallejo, DWI DUDE, the artists and many other sponsors have come together as the voice of the Austin community reaching out with love to help those involved in this horrific incident.

A silent auction of items donated by local businesses will also be taking place from 2pm to 5pm prior to the Benefit Concert .

For additional info regarding the event, vendor space or auction donations, contact Kevin Finch at 512-963-7569.

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“A LETTER TO THE INTERNET “ Dear Internet, If you had a conversation of any length with me between the years of 2000 to 2011 when I had my own radio show - working a cushy 4 hours per day, driving free cars and going on fabulous trips - at some point you would have heard me say something like “oh yeah, I know I’ve got it good living my dream, but one day when it ends I’ll have a long way to fall and have to get serious, hahahahaha” I always added the nervous laugh in because I guess I felt guilty for actually living my dream and actually meaning what I had just said.

Not the part about it all coming to an end, I never thought that would actually happen, never, the visions of my future as the radio king of Austin, Tx. were so clear and thick I could reach out Field of Dreams style and swat ‘em with my hand.

But, alas it did end, and it was like falling backwards through a thorny motivational calendar of positive cliché’s only to realize that a window really does open when a door closes, I just gagged when I wrote that but it’s true, gagged again.

The window was Digital Media.

Thank you internet, because had I been canned in 2001 I couldn’t have gone to Guitar Center and bought my own podcast studio for $500 and stayed connected with my audience by launching my podcast The Hodgecast within one week of leaving traditional airwaves, so thank you internet.

My crash course in digital media clashed with my collegiate courses which had all been analog, stupid 1990’s technology, but never the less my digital quest had begun. Do I miss the cushy 4 hour days? Hell yes, over the last 3 years cultivating a successful podcast and building a new podcast network at tastypodcasts.com has been the hardest work of my life. Seriously I have a callus now, but has led to more great relationships and opportunities than I could have ever imagined, gagged again. It sounds schmaltzy but my dreams are larger than they’ve ever been, gag, so thank you internet. And tune in when you get a chance readers of Rockstar Magazine.

Regards, Charlie Hodge *may not actually be true - Charlie Hodge CharlieHodgeShow.com

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Tech-Gear- That Gain Knob is that it is where your sound aside from your instrument truly starts. If your gain is down your circuit will not be warm enough and the signal will therefore not be as full or and rich in overtones and harmonics.

These are the key factors that make up qualities such as sustain and tone that give your sound the punch and natural distortion that it needs to cut through the crowd and reach the back of the room and well as getting that warm crunch when you hit that sweet spot. The gain channel is where you are initially either opening the gate or narrowing the way for the sound coming into your amplifier.

What The Heck Is That Thing?! ~ The Gain Knob By: Christopher Jordan So you have played guitar for years. Your Fingers can shred through scales like a thresher through a wheat field. You have worked hard to try to craft a “signature” sound, but the tone just seems to be lacking…”Maybe it’s time for a new amp” you say. Well while a new amp is always fun, I have found more often than not that the settings on a lot of players amplifiers have been the culprit of weak signal and tone loss than anything.

Don’t feel bad as I said, it is common and hey let’s be real. You don’t see likes of Eric Clapton handling intonations on his guitar and tweaking his amp for optimal sound, he has specialists for that. Okay then, let’s take a closer look at the main component that contributes to the typical loss of tonal quality, gain.

Just a simple look at the typical control surface of an amplifier gives a general idea

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of the signal flow through the amplifier channel itself. It starts with the input, goes to the gain, from gain to volume and from volume to equalizer and then out to speaker.

In truth it is that is really all there is to an amplifier, but as all things guitar it is the subtleties that make the difference. To put it simply, in the amusement park of options that is your amplifier your gain is the entrance and volume is the exit.

Gain is the first stage of the amplification process. The purpose of gain is to take the signal being injected from your source and boost is overall level going into the circuit, thereby allowing you increased range in the output as well as variation in equalization. Now of course the more gain you put into your signal path the more you raise the noise floor of your signal. The easiest way to compensate is to lightly trim your highs and bring your volume knob back just a touch until you hear the noise get hushed out. The key to remember with gain, especially with tube amps,

If you have the gain set too low then you are severely limiting the range that you can achieve with your equalizer and thusly giving less signal to ultimately be taken out of the amplifier from your volume circuit. Many people are afraid of the gain knob on their amp.

That is understandable. If you have it set too high and step or turn the wrong way you can get a howl that will bring every head banger around like some sort of twisted metal mating call.

While in certain sonic situations this is desirable, most

of the time it is not. But that howl believe it or not means something. You have a warmed circuit! Believe it or not that utterly ear piercing shriek of a sound is the easiest way to begin “tuning” your amplifier. Find the point of howl and begin adjusting the tone knobs until you have a range of sound that you like, get enough low end, just the right amount of mids and highs. Once you have that, hold onto your strap and set your volume level. Yeah that’s right adjust this horrible sound to a volume level you can tolerate. Once that is attained trim back your gain slowly until the sound dissipates and viola…you have one quickly tuned amplifier.

Now as I said this is just the most common issue I have found. On occasion I had guitarists that did literally have the wrong amp for the job; like the jam/rock guitarist that could not figure out why his tube amp just would not break up and give him natural distortion. Well, the answer was he was using a 100 watt jazz amplifier

that had no gain channel.

The amplifier was doing the precise job it was made to do, take a clean signal and make it loud…not colour it with gain…just plain amplify it. As I have noted in previous articles, do just a smidge of research before buying your amp and once you get it play, play, play, take a nap and play with the amp some more. Now that you know what that pesky gain knob is for and how to tame it you can get one step closer to playing One Toke Over The Line like never before. ~ Christopher Jordan has been a live audio/video engineer and recording artist for over 15 years and owns AustinHotMods.com an Austin,TX based pedal modification and repair company.~ Have a comment, technical question or an article suggestion? Visit our contact page on AustinHotMods.com and let us know.

Rope- A-Dope Rockstar Magazine: Welcome to Rockstar Magazine.

Rockstar Magazine: About how many venders carry these pipes?

R-A-D: On terms of “vendors”, not that many. Smoke shops, on the other hand, do carry our R-A-D:We have been making these since 2004. We have them products. Pipe Lion, in Kyle in Florida, Louisiana, Ohio, North carries our product, and every smoke shop in San Marcos; Carolina, Colorado, northern California, Oregon, Washington, including San Marvelous Smoke Shop, High Life, and Studio 13.

Nevada, and Canada. We take them to disc golf courses, festivals, biker rallies, and X Games. Rockstar Magazine: I hear We make bracelets, necklaces, you have a special event belts, key chains, and earrings. up in May at The These are all my designs. There’s coming Music Ranch. Tell us about not much that we can’t do with this. a single request. We can do glass beads and/or bowls upon R-A-D:t is a BYOB, 2-day camp request. out featuring local 512 musicians and Artisons. From glass-blowRockstar Magazine: How did you ing to graffiti to jewelry makers. come up with the idea to make This is our first annual festival these pipes? strictly based on local 512 artist networking for vending and R-A-D: These are all my designs. other shows and events. So, you There’s not much that we can’t are free to talk about the Austin do with a single request. We vending scene and how to make can do glass beads and/or bowls it flourish. The short list of bands upon request. is: Greasy Skillet Stompers, Rock Bottom String Band, Big City Folk, Funky Toes, Red Lady Rockstar Magazine: Where Band, and Shere Chan. This list is can the public find these in the subject to change and more to be Austin area? announced.

R-A-D: All Oat Willies locations, Rockstar Magazine: You acWhatever Kitch and Smoke, Pipes Plus. If they are not your tually have a booth at many favorite smoke shops, you should events around the country ask them why. right?

Tell us about Rope-A-Dope.

R-A-D: Yes, hard to be everywhere at one time these days, but we have done shows as far as Reggae on the River in Humboldt County in California to Hemp Fest in Seattle, Washington, Swany River Music Fest in Florida, and back to SXSW.

Rockstar Magazine: What kind of bands do you have coming up at your event in May?

R-A-D: Funk, blues, bluegrass, and jug, and the occasional Reggae.

Rockstar Magazine: Any special offers this April for 420? April 20th Sale?

R-A-D: Our bracelets are usually $30-35 online, but if you call me and mention this interview-- I will drop it down to the street price of $20.00 with $5 for shipping and handling.

Question 10: www.Etsy.com/ shop/ropeadope jewelry. On Facebook at ropeadope jewelry.

Or you can call me at (830)351-3273.

How can folks learn more about you online?

R-A-D: www.Etsy.com/shop/ ropeadope jewelry. On Facebook at ropeadope jewelry. Or you can call me at (830)351-3273. **Keep an eye on Rockstar Magazine for more events by R.A.D. (Rope-A-Dope) Jewelry .

Rockstar Magazine:Thank guys for you time. Hope you have a great spring and nice event in May!

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She taught me that I wasn’t just a singer, that I was a song stylist. In a world of fancy rifs, I didn’t worry about that anymore; I got my point across without all of the extras…simplicity at its best.

Tina Turner- From hearing her first note, Tina has always spoken to me with her raw ingenious self-expression. I was never afraid to sound raspy or to scream and rock out like Pat Benetar and Janis Joplin. I always think of Tina when I sing. She was the first singer that I listened to that had a raw unbridled love for rockin’ out as well as keeping it soulful and fluid.

Terence Trent D’Arby is one of my favorite male singers. I own every album and am always shocked and amazed at how he incorporates rock with funk and a great deal of soul! His voice is undeniable and it signifies the joining of three of the main genres that encompass me. His voice is razor sharp and can cut through my soul on any given day at any given time; I just stop, listen and enjoy the ride.

I want to know about your struggles or obstacles you have faced. You have a voice. A song you must sang. It’s your TIME now Jacqui so...do your thing: While growing up and wanting to sing rock music, I heard a lot of comments like “ singing rock music is not being black enough”, which didn’t make sense to me. I discovered early on that some people’s minds worked that way but I didn’t care. I was going to sing the style of music that I wanted to and do my best to rock on! I remember when my music instructor chose to “turn off” the recorder at my voice recital when I brought my funk band up for a few tunes. I would be lying if I said that it didn’t bother me, but I couldn’t let it discourage me. That night after the recital my band and I headed to New Orleans for the Jazz Festival and performed three shows. The appreciation for what we brought to the festival was enough for me to keep on keepin’ on.

When I sang blues for the first time, I also had a few uncertain audience members because I didn’t really “look” like I knew anything about the blues. Once I opened

my mouth and began to sing, heads started to turn and nods of “I can dig it” came my way. That was music to my ears.

What got you to Austin, and what TOOK you so long! Share how you got started here, and did you get any help.

I lived in Los Angeles for 13 years before making the “big” move to Austin. I had just completed my MBA program and was looking for a “healthy” music environment where I could flourish. For the previous four years, I didn’t write, sing, or perform until I released all of the negative energy that was paralyzing me. It was definitely time for a fresh start. I came to Austin to visit one of my best friends who was a former band mate and fell in love with this cities support of the arts. After my visit, I went back to Los Angeles, packed up, and found an apartment in Austin. I completed my move in 30 days with my two cats and no job. My mother told me that I had out grown Los Angeles and she was right. I moved here and flourished like I have never before. I finally found my voice.

There were many bands/musicians that helped me out and still continue to do so, such as Erin James, The Blues Posse, Catfish Daniels, Aaron Navarro, Steve Sarber, Brannan Lane, Birdlegg, Soulman Sam, Mike Milligan, and Miss Lavelle White to name a few. They introduced me to the world of “open jams” and taught me to have no fear. It was time for me as they say, to “ just do you”!

Anything you want to ad? It’s your time to sing: It is sad to say that the Austin live music scene is being driven out bit by bit, condo by condo, and landmark by landmark, but there is still a lot of music left to see, hear and create. If you’re a musician, don’t be afraid to veer away from the cover gigs that may consume you and cause you to neglect your natural will and desire to create original music and express your true self. Artists are so colorful, that to wear one color is to live within a prison of one emotion. Write your music and deliver its message. I think that will help to keep the Austin Music scene alive.

Most importantly, beware of the soul suckers…they’re everywhere.

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For more info on Jacqui visit her website at: www.jacquiwalkermusic.com

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Nasty Nathan’s Waterloo Underground you know we could get to where we need to go safely. Almost like what they do at the airport.

You know you are going to go there and be able to catch a cab anytime of the day or night that is well lit and with security.

Third would be the clubs having a proper back-line. I have first hand knowledge that people for South by Southwest were actually charging people to use their back line! That is fucking crazy! We are already playing for fucking free and now we have to pay for a back line! How greedy do you want to be!?! QUIT IT!!!

NASTY NATHAN’S WATERLOO UNDERGROUND Well hello again to all you fine fine rock and rollers. Did everybody make it past South by Southwest and all the craziness that puts Austin on the world map? I must admit that sitting on the outside for most of it really really did my heart good. Only I found myself missing all the hoopla that goes with all the titanic cool kids running around just to be signed and passing out all of their swag including their homemade CD of their last rehearsal.

So there was a lot of South by Southwest bashing that has been going on and I was thinking about jumping on that bandwagon, but instead what I decided to do was talk about what we can do to make next year’s gathering better than this year’s. There’s no way we could stop this machine, because it generates so much money for the City of Austin, but what we can do as a community is come up with better ideas on how to make things smoother.

First, let’s talk about what the big cities like NOLA do during their Mardi Gras, and that is concrete barriers. If we are going to turn into this big city and host all of the things downtown that we

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have started to do during spring, we need is concrete barriers. I know that sounds like a lot but that would make sure and keep people safe. Especially when you get a bunch of musicians all in one spot. I don’t think we are really known for taking precautions until the dust has all settled.

Maybe even keep 6th Street barricaded all year round and put benches and plant trees and with little shop venders on the inside of “rock n roll park”. I know that’s a far stretch but that would be really cool.

Next, it would be designated load in spots. Places for musicians to be able to load in and out quickly and efficiently. I know the City of Austin makes a lot of money off of tickets downtown, but we are what makes your music festival and it would be great if the city would help us out with parking and loading zones. If the city was smart they would work out a place for people to park away from downtown and to shuttle people in on Capital Metro.

They’ve been working so hard on public transportation that there is no reason for us not to utilize that asset. It’s already there, so lets make the best of it. And what we really need is more taxi cabs and a place for all of them to gather, so

I’ve heard a lot of complaining, I must admit I am one of the hecklers, but then I have been doing South by Southwest since it was for unsigned bands to be discovered. People would actually come here to listen to the best music that Texas had to offer and bands didn’t mind putting in the work it takes to make spring break a time for music. Lots of it!.

Now we have people that have to jump through hoops on fire and smear poop on themselves to get into a Lady Gaga show. Far cry from where we started, but hey, that made money too. So lets figure out a way to get those big shows out towards the Circuit of the Americas. Maybe even have South by Southwest out there in a “tent city”. All the clubs, all the different venues have their own little area and everybody goes

out there and then bus back into town. Hey I’m not saying all of my ideas are great, but they are ideas and at least that’ll get us talking. If you have a better idea, get ahold of me at a show. I will be the one screaming rock and roll at the top of my lungs! I would love to sit and come up with some ideas and take them to Casey Monahan at the Texas Music Office or even take these ideas to that stupid city council that is doing nothing but killing the music scene and the environment with their ideas of expanding. Building condominiums all along the green belt and by the way, can we tear down more cool shit and build another high rise condo building?!? That would be fantastic! We need somebody cool on the council soon! Someone that has Music & Arts and the tourist industry as a priority. Hmmm, how does Nasty for City Council sound?

I also have friends who actually played over spring break and made money! What!! Yup, they had the back line paid for and they played five or six shows, all while having a great time downtown rubbing elbows with the rock nerds and their way too hot girlfriends.

I was going to say that all of this festival rock and roll activity is for the young but one of my best bros, after years and years of lugging and tuning other people’s gear finally made it to rockstar status! Yep I am talking about

Bobby Landgraf who is now playing guitar and writing new music for the New Orleans metal band DOWN! They are touring the world and coming to burn your house down!!!

So then with all of the musicians, young and old, coming into our town with illusions of grandeur, expecting to rock and make it to the top, know that if you stick to your guns and you do it long enough, hard enough, with integrity, and lots of hard work, blood, sweat and tears, three blown up vans and a beat up suburban, that you too, can live the dream.

Rock and roll people, it’s a vicious game!!!

We will see you at a show soon!

Maria Tacos on April 9th 9p-12a with Brian Carter.

Thanks .Nasty Nathan - Nathan Olivarez

stupiddrama.com facebook.com/StupidDrama waterloounderground@ yahoo.com

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