Christian Songwriters In The Round

Every third Thursday of the month, Christian Songwriters in the Round meets a Windwood Presbyterian church to hone their skills as musicians. Currently, they are in the works of putting together a compilation record of some of the regulars. The following videos are from September 21, 2017, which was the second phase of the process.

For more information on Christian Songwriters in the Round, you can contact me at terrellbrinlee@thisintangibleexistence.com.

Kelly Zwern - Conversationalist with the Lord

I'm really excited to present this next artist; Kelly Zwern. She got her artistic start in the Austin area. Now, she's in Houston and brings her amazing talent to LocalHoustonMusic.com for a great interview. 

The Painter - Colorblind; Creating a Safe Place

We had the opportunity to meet with The Painter and chat about his journey as a music. This will also mark our first collaboration with The ETX Rock Show. Stay tuned for more interviews like this one! Check it Out!!!

SAVERCOOL & "Unburdened"

First, there’s the epic beard and the stark head, then there’s a persona that is unbolted and expressive. This artist's most prominent feature is the incredible ability to embrace so many people with his music. Like great artists before him, he goes by his solitary last name: SAVERCOOL. Richard Savercool’s dawning music career gushed onto the local scene with the release of his debut recording, Unburdened, back in late 2015. Since then, he has played with the likes of Theresa Yow and Justin Gambino. Local Houston Music met with SAVERCOOL and his wife in their home in North Houston to talk about their life as an independent artist in Christian Contemporary Music. SAVERCOOL will draw you in with his classic style of earthy tones and southern rock themes woven into a modern Christian worship set. His reach is broad with fans of many ages and different walks of life.

Besides listenership, his artistic allure introduced him to his now wife, Trista, at the age of 36. “My attraction to him was that he was a drummer, and, Lord, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into”, she says while laughing. The couple is a powerhouse of talent and management. Richard tells us “As the productions continue to get bigger and bigger, she’s right there with me learning as we go.” SAVERCOOL is a team effort between the two of them. “From late nights at Celebrate Recovery, to church every Sunday, the practices, and being in the studio with many musicians, and also being in the studio for himself,” Trista added, “It’s all been strengthening and a learning process about who he is, and it’s taught me not to be so selfish and to support him in what God has given him to do.”

In the early stages of SAVERCOOL’s musical conception, he spent countless hours in his home studio writing, recording, and refining his repertoire. With a catalog that seems infinitely long of original songs and covers, he spent the better part of the early 2000’s discovering his voice and the message that he sings about today. As his musical career began to take a foothold, and the gigs started to line up, Trista encouraged him to make his early recordings available online: “It took a lot of coaxing to finally get three songs from him that I could put on Reverb Nation. I mean, from the million songs that you have, you’ve got to give me something!”

Trista goes on, “At one point I told him that I was just gonna go and make a CD with what I had. I was no longer taking no for an answer.” With that kind of push, Richard pulled focus on ten of his best originals for an all acoustic recording.

“I thought to call it Unplugged,” he says. “Trista sent me a list of synonyms for the word ‘unplugged’, and before telling each other our choices, we both picked ‘unburdened.’ Now we had the name of the album. I didn’t think that I should title it after a featured song, but the morning before I was to go to the studio, at 8:00 am, I started writing.” So the song “Unburdened” was written. “It has affected so many people, and is one of the most requested songs,” Trista says.

The conceptions of most of his tracks span back almost a decade. They are filled with encouragement, the Gospel, and storytelling. One song, “Summerleigh”, was written in response to the child of a family that Richard and Trista knew. She danced to Richard’s music once during an encounter and opened his eyes to the innocence of children: how they are free to love so openly. “Summerleigh” is also one of the most requested tracks on the album.

SAVERCOOL’s latest release is a new song called “Thankful.” It is featured on the compilation CD, Crossroads, and was produced by Justin Smith. The record was compiled by ETX records in late 2016 and features many artists in the surrounding area. The new single is also accompanied by a music video which is another first for him.

Moving forward for Richard he looks to produce another full-length record. “It’s not to be about who I am, but who I am in Christ, and what he has done. I believe that is the focus.” Richard says, “I picture myself taking the core aspect of Thankful, and stepping forward with that similar sound for a more produced album that, I believe, is going to represent what I really want to be.”

SAVERCOOL’s album, Unburdened, is available on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify.

The new single, "Thankful", is also available on iTunes and Spotify.

For more on SAVERCOOL, check out his Facebook

Article Edited by Melinda Stringer

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Justin Gambino & "Your Hands & Feet"

Justin Gambino is one of the most transpiring and forthcoming acts in the Local Houston Music scene. He’s recently toured across America with his solo Hands and Feet Tour, and as the front-man for Shattered Silence. His work is honest and uplifting. This refreshing singer-songwriter tells the journey of a walk of faith with acoustic guitar riffs accompanied by the touch and feel of the late 90’s.

I previously met Justin at a concert for Savercool in early 2016. We had the chance to talk again for Local Houston Music, and he shared about his upcoming video for “Your Hands & Feet” which is first single for forthcoming EP Where I belong.

Justin Gambino: I am so excited to finally release the music video for this song. Since the song released, I couldn't make it work with my tour schedule to shoot one professionally, so I really wanted to focus on releasing one before the release of my next project, my 4 song EP titled "Where I Belong", followed by my full-length album titled "Journey Within My Soul".

Local Houston Music: One of my favorite lines in "Your Hands & Feet" is, "The rain washes away my footprints..."--I absolutely love the rain metaphor, and hoped you could talk about that line in particular, and how it relates to your walk with Christ.

JG: That's one of my favorite lines too. I really can't take credit for it, though, since I feel like God wrote that one through me. At the time of writing this song, I'm pretty sure it was raining a lot and the weather wasn't all that great. I was also feeling convicted of not pursuing my dream wholeheartedly, but I was reminded that none of that matters, but only what is happening now and what's to come. We can easily get so caught up in thinking about where we went wrong and get stuck in that mindset. I was feeling that the rain was sent to wash away all the time that I lost. So that I could let go of where I've been, and remember where I am.

LHM: What is writing like for you? Do songs come all at once, or do they happen over time?

JG: Writing naturally comes and goes. There are times when I will sit down and force myself to write a song; I think that helps me grow as a songwriter. I look at it this way: If I aim to make this my career, I need to schedule time for songwriting; and not just "when I feel like it" or "feel it". Those are awesome moments when that happens, but I believe that good songs are waiting to be found when we make ourselves look for them. Sometimes you can "stumble" across something valuable buried underground, but it usually happens when you are "looking" for something.

There are other times, when I start a song, and won't come back to it until a day, week or months later. As much as I write, sometimes 2-3 songs could very well become just one song.

There is a song coming out on the new album called "Silhouettes" and I wrote the entire song--minus the bridge--when I was on tour in New Mexico and Texas. The bridge actually came from a thought that I had from 3 years ago. I wrote it down and stored it in my writing pages while I was at work one day. It completed a song that I was writing three years later. Talk about crazy!

LHM: With technological advancements allowing a dramatic cut in overhead costs and the rise of digital downloads and streaming, What are your thoughts on the current climate of the music industry?

JG: Well, things are always changing: vinyl, 8-Track, Cassette, CDs and now digital. I can only imagine what comes next! With all of this change, it's important for the aspiring artist, to change with it. Even if we don't like it or prefer it.

For a while, I was on the same page with Taylor Swift and other artists, who were angered by Apple Music and Spotify. Now, I have grown to love them because if my music is getting streamed, that means that people are listening; If people are listening, then people are following; If people are following, people are showing up to shows. Real fans and supporters know or have an idea of what it takes to do this, and will put their money where their mouth is and help out a musician by purchasing their merchandise and music.

LHM: What advice do you have for other aspiring artists in the local Houston music scene?

JG: Our job, as musicians, is to stay active on social media, stay active with new music coming out, and music that attracts listeners! On top of all that, stay active with playing live and the rest will follow over time--but that's the hard part--over time. Without a label or team behind you, it's not an easy thing to accomplish, and it takes time. My hat goes off to any and all musicians who are out there, working hard to make their dreams come true.

Justin’s well anticipated EP Where I Belong is slated for early 2017. The full-length album, Journey Within My Soul, will follow. He is also inviting fans and artists to join in on the recording process with the BEHIND THE SCENES: VIP STUDIO EXPERIENCE PACKAGE in Lake Jackson, Texas.

To reserve your spot click here. For more of Justin Gambino’s work visit his website www.justingambino.com. His recordings are also available on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Play, as well as many other online digital music outlets.



Article Edited by Melinda Stringer

Crossroads Compilation CD - Release Concert

Last night at the Dosey-Doe Music Cafe in Conroe, artists gathered together to promote the release of the new compilation CD, Crossroads, produced by ETX Records.It was a "Fun night of friends and family," said Justin Smith of the band One Way Home--one of the featured acts of the evening. The band also holds the title track of the new record. He went on to say, "The compilation album is full of good people who are trying to do what they love, and have fun while doing in." Along with the song "Crossroads", One Way Home performed others from their new record Front Porch.

The night was opened with an acoustic set by Trent Mintor who's song, "In My Blues", is the opening track of the compilation. When asked about it he said, "The album is a great thing. It kind of shows that you can have all these different styles of music come from the same place, and mean the same thing. There's a little bit for every body."

Justin Gambino also performed that evening with a harmonica accompanied version of "Your Hands & Feet" that differed from the finale track of the Crossroads compilation. He also showcased an up coming track called "Silhouettes".

The evening concluded with a set performed by SAVERCOOL accompanied by a full band. He opened with his track "Thankful", which--as of now--is exclusively featured on the new CD.

Crossroads is available on Spotify.
To purchase a hard copy of Crossroads click here. 

To learn more about ETX Records, and the artist featured here check out www.ETXmusic.com.

One Way Home

Trent Mintor

Justin Gambino

SAVERCOOL

Welcome

Local Houston Music will be covering some of the most eclectic home grown acts in Houston. We cover all genres of music, so if you're interested in your act being included contact us at terrellbrinlee@thisintangibleexistence.com ;)