UpRoar Tour
GodSmack
ShineDown
Staind
Papa Roach
POD
Thousand Foot Crutch
Adelita's Way
and many many more
Friday, June 29, 2012
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Friday, June 1, 2012
The Damn Quails May 2012 Fiddlestrings
The Damn Quails
Off The Beaten Path, Texas Country’s
The Damn Quails from Norman, Oklahoma (I would call it more
alternative Country) yeah babes I said Country...
These guys are tearing up the black top playing back to back shows
with tour dates all over the Map of the south.. God Bless their souls. Check them out Acoustic or with Full Amps…
Wondering down to what many of us endearing call “our Patio” at
Fiddlestrings in San Angelo, Texas to get the latest from the girls, I was
surprised to find a live band gearing up to play.
The Damn Quails….. Performed a nice little acoustic style set for
myself and 200 of my closest friends.
While we here ROCK and you know it… We appreciate
the energy artist put into their music and performance and on this cramped area
by the pool one of the performers Spiritual ENERGY struck me. I tried to
capture what I felt on camera, however a
snapshot could not even come close to the energy I was seeing going on.
(Jon Knudson)
Back at the table with the gang, we all stopped for the sound coming
from the stage. This Texas Country pegged band had a fiddle solo that was not
so much fiddle like Charlie Daniels but a more classical serenade, a violin. I
was amazed to look up and see Jon making this beautiful sound.. At that moment, everything ceases to exist,
except the sound coming from his beautiful instrument.
I ran into Jon, we had a quick chat before he went to attend to the
fans. Intrigued by what he had to say I had
to return to the scene of the Music, to see if I could visit with him for a
few.
Below is what I learned from the three members
that lent their time.
Jon Knudson, 30 steel guitar, fiddle, and Ivories. Better question was what do you NOT
play? Attended OU on a mjusical
scholarship with a minor in business. He comes from a musical family who would
gather around and sing and play. His father plays around 17 different
instruments. He says his favorite instrument to play is the piano.
Jon is the one who struck me on this sunny afternoon on the patio…
there was something about the relationship going on between the music, steel
guitar and Jon. Jon tells me “I just try
to open the doorway to the musical consciousness when I play”. I hope you can see it in the photo.
As Jon is formally schooled and grew up with music in his family I was
not surprised to hear him proclaim…”Every note has been played by someone
somewhere through time it is just a matter of me making is say what I want it
to say”.
He tells me he is haunted by the fiddle. That scores come to him in
his sleep. While ill for a few weeks and
stuck at home, he would wake up in the middle of the night with new music in
his head.
This tall, skinny, long haired man can be plucked up and placed in any
musical situation and I think he would excel and you would still see that
relationship going on between the instrument he is playing, the music and the
man. His laid back demeanor even after playing
in the hot sun was also enjoyable.
Tom “The Dude” Young, 36 drums.
This was my first glance at Tom,
as he was hidden behind the drums, in his words, ”all I saw were every one's
asses” . Being an acoustic show he was
not on his full set, I cannot wait to see that performance.
Tom has been playing for about 20 years and you can see his excitement
for what he does not only in his smile but in his words and bubbly
personality. “I cant believe they pay
me to do this I love what I do”. Tom,
tells me, “I transcend, thinking about what is going on in my life and what is
next on this journey” when he plays. “I am a student for life and strive to be
better today than I was yesterday at whatever I am doing”. This was seconded by Jon
Tom talked about being nominated for a Texas Country Award. His face
lit up as he talked about the honor of being nominated. He loved the fact he can “break all
expectations”.
Tom likes and looks forward to the big stage but still loves the intimate
settings such as Fiddlestrings and hanging with the fans. Well Tom the Fans love hanging with you, but
next time we are all just going to jump in the pool.
Blake Lennon, 29 lead guitar, mandolin and percussion. Blake also attended OU and has played for
about ten years. Blake is the one who
talked about how The Damn Quails connect musically even laying tracks
separately in the studio, “We just know what and where the others are and where
we need to be”.
Blake tells me they all write a little of the music they play but for
him he is “Amazed to work with ridiculously awesome Writers “ Bryon White and
Gabriel Marshall of the band,
Blake tells me: “I don’t think about the song or the next cord. I just
open myself up (motioning from the top of his head) and let it flow through me
and out” when he plays on stage.
I spoke with three of the five that were there that night.
I hope to get the opportunity to talk in depth with the rest of the band in the
near future.
From what this patron can see they love what they do they feel the
music through their bodies and souls. They love getting to know the fans. They
are influenced by many many genres of music, rock, classical, country, jazz,
blue grass and the list goes on and you can see a little of every one of them
as they play.
Till Next Time and I may even bring my dancing shoes, a girl could get lost in your music wrapped in the arms of a dance partner..
Nicole
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