The Social Freelancer: Media, Music, TV & Film

I have been doing a lot of blues, boogie and roots music surfing online lately. Below are links to seven excellent sites I have discovered for insight on the MUSIC.

The list is not “scientific”, “all encompassing”, “definitive” or any of those fanciful terms, just spots I like for the music I love. If you are a fan of blues music and its history, I’ll bet you’ll enjoy them as well.

What’s your favorite? Any others you would like me to know about? Hope so! Comment below if you please… Thanks!

Willie Dixon courtesy The Willie Dixon Fan Club

The blues are the roots and the other musics are the fruits.
- Willie Dixon

Shuffle on to these seven sites for history and music for the soul. >>> Read more…

Dallas, TX (Aug. 16, 2011) A rocked up remake of Doug Sahm’s 1974 landmark track “Groover’s Paradise” has been released. The track is available at Trace Relations Band Official Site. “Groover’s Paradise” is one of four tracks released from the band in advance of their full length CD “Prosperity Street” coming in December, 2011.

The song was arranged and performed by vocalist Tracy Ready and guitarist Kevin Lewis of Trace Relations Band with Shawn Sahm of Texas Tornados, a tribute to his father, the late Texas music pioneer Doug Sahm.

GROOVER’S PARADISE

Read on for the story behind the track >>> Read more…

South Texas Soul: The San Antonio Sound – Augie Meyers, Doug Sahm and the history and influence of South Texas on popular music of today. Documentary filmmaker Tracy Ready examines the influence of German, Polish and Irish immigrants in South Texas on popular music styles including Country, Tejano, Blues and Rock and Roll, from a unique perspective.

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The multi-talented Shawn Sahm has reformed the Tex-Mex supergroup Texas Tornados with original members Augie Meyers and Flaco Jimenez. The band is getting rave reviews for it’s recent performances at Austin’s South By Southwest music festival. A decade after the passing of his famous father, Texas music icon Doug Sahm, Shawn is forging a new path for the group, which also lost original member Freddy Fender in 2006.

Shawn, Augie and Flaco are returning to the charts with “Esta Bueno” a CD bursting with enthusiasm, capturing the best of what the Texas Tornados were in their 1990′s Grammy Award winning heyday combined with a fresh feel for the future that is winning new fans worldwide.

In 2009, I sat down for an in-depth interview with Shawn for the upcoming film: South Texas Soul: The San Antonio Sound. Here are a few excerpts with Shawn discussing his life as Doug’s son, the Augie Meyers – Doug Sahm dynamic and, of course, the music that has made it all click.

Special thanks to Cheryl and Shawn for their hospitality down in “Groover’s Paradise”, to Jason Meyers for running camera and sound during the interview and to Jeff Mack for editing this piece.

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Great Lineup for Second Texas Music Conference!

The second Texas Music Conference hosted by Dallas Public Library is this Saturday, September 11th. This is an informative series put on for free by the library and is a must for music fans, history buffs, musicians and anyone interested in the diverse musicology of Texas.

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