Washington Home & Garden Blogs

by Steve Houk

When DC-area based singer/songwriter Shane Hines talks about stepping in the door of Abbey Road studios, the hallowed musical home of his idols the Beatles, to actually record music, his feelings of awe are still palpable.

“That was friggin’ amazing. I’ve been there twice and the second time, I wasn’t like, completely, utterly in shock, so I got to take more of it in. Beatles is my band. That’s the one for me, so to walk in there, and it’s not just the Beatles, you walk in and there’s the Dark Side Of The Moon speakers that they mixed that through. But the coolest thing is that you think, ‘Hey, music brought me here.’ ”

Like most of his peers, Shane Hines could only imagine Beatle-type success at this point, but the good buzz surrounding him and his alt-rock band alter ego The Trance, as well as the clear passion he has for his music, are all palpable in their own right.

In fact, Hines has developed such a great cult following that fans helped him pay for his last album. Judging by the roll this guy is on, he won’t need their help again.

The Fairfax native and Annandale HS grad is now out on the road playing both regional and further-away gigs consistently, including a number coming up right here in Northern Virginia and Maryland, has two full length records in his canon with another on the way, and above all, has some great songwriting chops that all aspiring musicians need, to really have a shot.

“As soon as I started playing a guitar, I started writing songs. I don’t know why but I just felt compelled to do it. Over the last five years, I’ve really honed in on it. Honing in on the craft of it. I’ve also been doing a bunch of co-writing in Nashville, and just really thinking that this is how I want to make my living. I feel so lucky.”

Hines plays quieter acoustic shows where the venue calls for it, usually with longtime sideman Brian Keating on bass, or he’ll turn up the volume with Keating and other of his collaborators for rousing rock shows. They’ll even do what he calls “Split Personality” shows, like one upcoming at Vienna’s Jammin’ Java on July 24th, where he’ll do both shows in the same day at the same venue; one at 7pm and one at 10pm.

“The shows are the polar opposite. The 7 o’clock show is gonna be chill, seated, and then the 10 is just like, we bring it in the band show. It’s so fun ‘cause I love both sides of it, I love it all. And to be able to do it in one night? I’m really looking forward to that.”

Hines’ sound is familiar yet also remains refreshingly original, with thoughtful songwriting amidst crisp indie-rock hooks and melodies. There are hooks that you might even hear in a ‘Gen Y’ TV show or movie. And that’s not an accident, Hines’ music has made it to the soundtracks of successful shows like The Hills and Real World.

“Our whole thing is that TV is our radio. The radio playlists are so small these days, the thing with TV is that they’re much more open to independent artists. We hope they like us of course, but we know it’s partly because if they want to license a Coldplay song for a hundred grand, you know what, they’ll go get song that sounds like Coldplay for five grand. So yeah, TV’s our radio and we really focus on that. I’m hoping that we should have some pretty cool things with TV and films coming up that we’ve been working pretty hard on.” 

Above all, Hines’ acutely optimistic attitude and a true dedication to his craft are what could end up securing his future in a very tough industry. I mean, you just tend to believe him when he says, “This is what I do. This is it. And I’m gonna do whatever I can do to make it happen.”

Yeah, I admit it, I’m in a Trance.

www.shanehines.com

www.jamminjava.com

By Steve Houk

TRAVIS TRITT (Photo Courtesy of: Flickr Creative Commons)

The highly eclectic nature of National Harbor’s Sunset Concert Series is in full force in July, as a wide variety of different sounds make their way to the stage on the banks of the Potomac: genre-bending country music icon Travis Tritt on July 16th, legendary prog rock gods Yes and Asia on the 23rd, and jam-band infused Government Mule on the 30th.

YES (pictured: Chris Squire) Photo Courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

Tritt, a multi-platinum selling country music artist, is a two-time Grammy winner who has had thirty singles on Billboard’s Hottest Country Singles Charts including five Number Ones. His latest release The Storm (2007) reached number three on the US country charts. Tritt is also a budding actor who has appeared in several films including Fire Down Below, Holiday For Love and Blues Brothers 2000. His song “Bible Belt” appeared in the film My Cousin Vinny.

An appeal of Tritt’s is that although he has always been squeezed into the country music mold, his musical influences range widely, from bluegrass to soul and R & B. While trying to break into the music business in the late 80’s, he refused to go along with the mindset of becoming a fist-pumping country artist, and although today he remains best known for his country music stylings, he remains a man of many talents.

One of the most memorable moments of Tritt’s career was when he was asked to tape an episode of “Crossroads”, a television program where artists get to choose another artist, sometimes outside of their genre, to perform with for an evening. Tritt chose the legendary Ray Charles, whose roots are steeped in country music even though he is best known for his R & B staples. The two Georgians formed a deep musical kinship that lasted up to Charles’ death.

ASIA (Photo Courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons)

Yes and Asia are another story. Yes began it’s hugely successful progressive rock career in England in 1968, formed by vocalist Jon Anderson and bassist Chris Squire. One of Yes’ most memorable early gigs was opening for Cream, featuring Eric Clapton, at the group’s farewell concert at London’s famed Royal Albert Hall.

Many music fans will say that the group’s biggest successes were in the early 70’s beginning with the classic Close To The Edge album which featured their soon-to-be-legendary longform improvisational stylings, powered by two true virtuosos: guitarist Steve Howe and keyboardist Rick Wakeman. The band released a number of other successful albums over the next decade, but personnel changes caused them to undergo a variety of lineups and breakups through the years.

The current lineup is without longtime lead vocalist Anderson, whose health problems forced the band to replace him last year with Canadian Benoit David on vocals, who had been singing in a Yes tribute band. Original members Squire, Howe and drummer Alan White are along on this current tour, with Wakeman’s son Oliver in as keyboardist.

Asia began their career in 1980 featuring members of some of rock music’s most influential progressive rock bands, including Yes, Emerson Lake and Palmer, King Crimson, Uriah Heep and Roxy Music. After the breakup of a number of these bands in the 70’s, several of their members joined forces to create what was billed as a “prog rock supergroup.” Although their music seemed to turn off fans of the more longform improvisational prog rock offerings of their previous bands, Asia found huge success on AOR radio and on the road in the 80’s, including a number one album (Asia) and a top five hit with “Heat Of The Moment.”

GOVERNMENTMULE (pictured:Warren Haynes) Photo Courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

After two successful albums, the band’s successes waned and they underwent several lineup changes leading up to today’s ensemble. Asia currently features a superb lineup of prog rock heroes, including keyboardist Geoff Downes (formerly of Yes and The Buggles), lead vocalist John Wetton (King Crimson and Roxy Music), drummer Carl Palmer (Emerson Lake and Palmer) and yes, current Yes guitarist Howe, who plays onstage with both Yes and Asia on this tour.

Government Mule is primarily powered by two words that many well-schooled music fans revere today: Warren Haynes. The immensely talented singer/songwriter/guitarist is not only a member of the cult favorite Mule, which he co-founded with the late Allan Woody and drummer Matt Abts in 1994, but is a vital current member of the legendary Allman Brothers Band. When the Allmans reformed in 1989, Haynes was added on to help power the resurgent Southern Rock machine. When songwriting wasn’t being offered enough to satisfy the talented songwriter in Haynes, he dovetailed off to form Mule in ’94, releasing their first album a year later, while also keeping his spot in the Allman Brothers, which he holds to this day.

Government Mule has established a hugely popular reputation in the Southern rock and jam band communities with both their own solid compositions as well as striking covers of well-known rock classics. They appear regularly at major festivals like Bonaroo and the New Orleans Jazz Fest, and tour extensively, performing concerts that often last for several hours.

For tickets and more information, go to: http://web2ticketstobuy.com/nationalharborticketing/index.php

By Steven Houk

Photo by Flickr/JackO'Diamonds
Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top.

After spending Father’s Day with my 13 and 7 year old in a kind of idyllic Father’s Day fashion, and 33 years after my first Aerosmith and ZZ Top concerts when I was 15, I went to see…yes…the Daddy’s Day double bill of rock legends Aerosmith and ZZ Top at Nissan Pavilion.

Just knowing I was going to see two of the bands that helped cultivate my deep love of live music was a truly ecstatic thought.

By Steve Houk


 
My local Northern Virginia cover band Second Wind (www.myspace.com/secondwindva) has had some of it’s most memorable gigs playing outdoors.

There’s something about playing music with the sky above you, the wind blowing, sometimes having the trees as your backdrop, hopefully the sun shining on your face, that really elevates the experience to a whole new level.
 
This summer, we played the annual Celebrate Fairfax Festival, which even though it was misting rain and the

by Steve Houk

Thanks to some of the area’s finest party bands, brass outfits and classical concert ensembles, many local communities and locales are cranking up the volume as well as the fireworks with a slew of July 4th weekend attractions that musically have everyone in mind - the happy dilemma is choosing which one to go to.

Things start off on Friday July 3rd with "Gaylord National’s July 4th Celebration" at National Harbor, complete with live music from We The Band, playing American pop, rock and country, plus the Carribean sounds of Eawbo.

In Virginia on the 4th, Lee District Park offers up two great musical options: The M & R Project covers great old soul standards and the Annandale Brass Ensemble provides a breathtaking orchestral sonics. At Vienna’s Independence Day Celebration, Jimmy Buffett tribute band B2B is sure to get you dancin’. The Mike Aiken Band, now with a song on the Twitter country charts, rocks Herndon’s celebration at 7:30pm.

In Manassas, local high school bands join with cover bands to provide some great musical fun. Other Virginia celebrations take place in many communities including Fairfax, Falls Church, Reston, Gunston Hall in Mason Neck, and many others.

All around Maryland, great music is also part of nearly every July 4th celebration. At the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Gaithersburg, it’s Free Spirit, one of the most sought after party bands in the country. In Frederick, Springsteen fans will love well-known cover band Bruce in the USA, and for country followers, it’s the sounds of seasoned country star Steve Azar.

Rockville kicks it out on the 4th on the Rockville campus of Montgomery College with the brass sounds of the Fugitive Brass Quintet, who are nearing their tenth anniversary entertaining local audiences, as well as Redline, who cover everything from M otown and Top 40 to country, blues and rock. Redheads, unite!

There’ll also be music-tinged celebrations at Buddy Attick Park in Greenbelt with the sounds of the Greenbelt Concert Band; the Daryl Davis Band is back by popular demand at the University of Maryland at College Park with their mix of blues, rockabilly, boogie-woogie and doo-wop; and of course the Naval Academy Band will do it up like no other in Annapolis.

Other Maryland celebrations abound including Kensington with Superflydisco; plus events in Laurel, Columbia, Bowie, Takoma Park and more.

In DC, the 43rd annual Palisades Parade and Picnic has live music and a parade amidst it's gamut of fun activities. And one of the best musical events of the weekend is the annual Capitol 4th Celebration in front of the Capitol Dome on July 4th. In addition to the best in patriotic tunes from the National Symphony Orchestra, there will be performances by Aretha Franklin, Barry Manilow and the cast of the hit Broadway show "Jersey Boys" which plays in Washington soon.

Even though most of these events offer fireworks at dark, check before going just to be sure. It’s easy to get details about any of the events mentioned here by just ‘Googling’ the town or locale you want and adding ‘July 4th 2009.’ Info you need should be available that way.

So if you’re adventurous and have a good map, you can catch a slew of great music all over our area this July 4th. Enjoy!
 

Dolce & Gabbana Exhibit a New Model

If you have a moment to Google while at work; like most of us do try searching for 'dolce & gabbana new model' on Google and you'll see a plethera of posts regarding the newest member to the Dolce & Gabbana modeling family. D&G has been well known for their sophisticated, chic styles that seem to transend the years in term of style, functionality and endurance to fashion.

Very little is know about this fresh young model however he is creating quite a stir on all the media circuits and we are just waiting (bating breath) for D&G to announce their new young celebrity which has seemed to bring alot of attention to the brand again. Take a lingering gander below at what all the hype and buzz is about.

Ladies/Guys..take a deep breath!....

This Sunday, after spending Father’s Day with my 13 and 7 year old in a kind of idyllic Father’s Day fashion, and 33 years after my first Aerosmith and ZZ Top concerts when I was 15, last night I went to see…yes…the Daddy’s Day double bill of rock legends Aerosmith and ZZ Top at Nissan Pavilion.

Just knowing I was going to see two of the bands20that helped cultivate my deep love of live music was a truly ecstatic thought. Sure they are 60 year old, craggy-skinned rockers trying to keep their own careers alive decades after they began their journeys, but who cares. This was gonna be good. Oh, and being at the concert with the most beautiful woman in the place didn’t hurt the experience either...and yeah, she’s also my best friend and enjoyed it as much as I did.

And the two old rock and roll train engines didn’t dissapoint. This double shot of blues driven, hard drivin’ classic rock was as good a pure rock and roll show as you will see these days, with both bands showing their chops are still razor sharp, and in each of their sets, rolling through truly a multitude of classic rock songs everyone in my demo has some kind of teen memory attached to.

Cue the keg in the basement: Dream On, Legs, Walk This Way, Tush, Sweet Emotion, La Grange, Train Kept A Rollin’, Gimme All Your Lovin, Come Together, Sharp Dressed Man, to name just a few. It was like I was riding around in Johnny Kaz’ Dart with that Strawberry Wine all over again.

Especially impressive were the voice of still-looks-like-a- Rock-God Steven Tyler, who hasn’t lost a beat and reached some high notes that I wasn’t sure he’d hit, and the ‘axcumen’ of guitar aces ZZ’s Billy Gibbons and Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, who both proved that age does not have to diminish stellar guitar playing.

Bonus: Aerosmith also rolled the entire Toys In The Attic album all the way through, which took me straight back to ripping the cellophane off and cranking it up in my bedroom at 15, having just picked it up at the local record shop and as it played, wondering, "What the **** is this amazing stuff?" Yep, my first taste of rock and roll. And all these years later, it still tastes sooo sweet.

All in all, my exhilarated rock and roll soul was shot with a jolt of rock and roll adrenaline; me, someone who’s also trying to keep his own rock dreams alive. Take my band Second Wind’s myspace page for instance:
www.myspace.com/secondwindva.

Shameless plug? Sure. Hey, some rock and roll dreams never die.
 

By Steve Houk

It’s been a mixed bag of emotions ever since my Dad died five years ago.

On the one hand, I am so elated to be a father, and totally bask in the best wishes, attention from, and time spent with my own sweet kids.

But there’s always that time in the day, it kinda creeps up on me every year, where I start thinking of John Houk, my Dad, and realize I can’t call him to wish him a happy father’s day myself, that I won’t hear that wonderful voice on the other end of the line, that he’s just not here.

So what do I do? I get out the pictures.

Part of me knows it will be so hard to look at the face of this man I loved so deeply, so entirely, the man who made my childhood chock full of unconditional love and support and friendship, and know he’s gone. Sure I’ll get that inevitable lump in the throat, those misty eyes, recounting the countless times he made me feel so special. It ain’t easy.

But it also brings me back closer to him, it helps me to remember all of those treasured times we spent together that were always filled with happiness and wonder: the hours of talking in our old barn on Millstone Road next to a roaring fire; driving up to Ridgefield on Sunday morning to get the paper and a Slim Jim, pretending we were Batman and Robin in the Batmobile; walking on the beach in Nantucket holding his hand; seeing him sitting in the bleachers smiling when I was on the mound trying to hold a 2-1 lead in the 7th inning, and on and on and on. There are so many wonderful memories they wash over me like a waterfall and make me smile.

The memories I have of my father are so completely positive that even though my heart still aches that he is not alive, those photographs – the polaroids, the color prints, the black and white shots, whatever – bring him back to life on a day where I might need him the most.

So if you are in a similar scenario as me, or even if your Dad is far away and you can’t visit with him in person, break out the albums and let the beautiful memories wash over you. I guarantee, through the tears you may shed or that lump, you will feel his presence...and smile.

Happy Father’s Day.
 

by Steve Houk

When you first hear the mesmerizing flamenco-tinged sounds of the force of nature called Gipsy Kings, you get the feeling there’s something much deeper going on here than just some catchy Latino-influenced pop.

But it’s when you learn about their utterly captivating family history, that you really get what weaves and resonates throughout their rich,lustrous sound.

The founding fathers of this world-famous septet, comprised of two groups of brothers who are cousins, four Reyes and three Baliardos, were Spanish Romanis, real-life gypsies or ‘gitanos’, who were brutally persecuted and oppressed in their native country of Spain for hundreds of years beginning around the time Columbus left Spai n and discovered America.

Their families fled from Spain to France, where all the band members were born, during the Spanish Civil War, where because of their standing they were not able to fight for their country, just be shot at by both sides.
"[Our people] were obliged to live in a Nomadic lifestyle because no community wanted to accept us," lead singer Nicolas Reyes told roots.com. "In the past, our parents were obliged to move from place to place every three days. We were called ‘traveling people’ because those who lived in the countries where we went did not authorize us to live in their territories."

Knowing this about the Gipsy Kings, you can hear in their music what truly motivates much of their creative expression.
 
"[Flamenco] music is the deep shout and tears of our community," Reyes says. "Rumba-Flamenca is the popular expression of Flamenco - burning and passionate - an expression of the happiness we found, and yes, our sensual attitudes - ultimately how we face up to life."

The two bands of cousins were fatefully thrown together in the early 70's when the Reyes’ father, legendary flamenco singer Jose Reyes who counted Charlie Chaplin, John Steinbeck and Miles Davis as admirers, played alongside flamenco guitarist Manitas De Playa, a cousin of both families.

It was in the days after the elder Reyes’ death that the two young groups of cousins, the future Gipsy Kings, would blend the Reyes’ voices and the Baliardos guitars in an all night jam session and find the magic. They initially called themselves Los Reyes, changing the name fittingly to Gipsy Kings soon after. And they began their history, yes, like gypsies, playing in the streets, as well as at festivals and weddings.

Now they play Royal Albert Hall, record at Abbey Road and tour extensively worldwide, including two shows at Wolf Trap this weekend, bringing what Rolling Stone magazine has called "a place where Spanish flamenco and Romani rhapsody meet salsa funk", to the far corners of the globe. Currently, they have almost 20 million records sold worldwide and are France’s most prolific musical group. ''

But among their legions of passionate fans, there remain detractors who see them trading in their traditional roots music for a mor e commercialized sound.
 
"You know.. the narrow minded are everywhere and from everywhere, unfortunately, "Reyes goes on. "It is natural and necessary that our music will develop new sounds with the help of new instruments. But our rhythms, our guitars and our voices will always stay, and if we have to go ‘on the road again’, it will be with them."

But Reyes says it is hard to pinpoint a feeling or a sound that is behind the miraculousness of the Gipsy Kings’ music.

"It is difficult to explain something that is in your blood, your spirit and your heart. It just IS, that's all."