From Bluegrass to 50s Rock N Roll, our musical guests promise a toe tappin' good time!
Some stories come to us best through a musical note. We're sure to have plenty of music to please you.
Owen Temple |
Owen Temple is known throughout Texas, the Midwest, and the Eastern US as a first-class songwriter, compelling performer and fine singer. He won the B. W. Stevenson Songwriting Competition sponsored by Poor David’s Club in Dallas and became a finalist at the Kerrville Folk Festival’s New Folk competition in 2007. “I love traditional music--old songs that cross time and space to tell you what the people cared about,” Temple says. “With my songs I'm trying to get down some of the stories of this place.” |
Three of his previous albums, General Store, Passing Through, and Two Thousand Miles, produced by Lloyd Maines, became regional best sellers. Temple’s last album, Dollars and Dimes, hit #5 on the Freeform American Roots chart and #1 on the Euro Americana chart and earned raves for its uncompromising vision of the American dream’s darker side. On his latest release, Mountain Home, Temple narrows his focus, honing in on the small towns and colorful characters of his home state. Temple’s emotive singing brings the songs to vibrant life. The songs on Mountain Home are vignettes of real life. Temple’s singing gives them a sense of time and place that makes you feel the hot dusty sun and the cold chill of the unforgiving night. The album captures the feel of the desperate dreamers who want to believe in their latest scheme, even as they feel reality breathing down their neck. “I’m a songwriter out of the narrative folk tradition,” Temple says. “The songs I remember hearing years afterward, that stick with me longest, are songs that have taken me places, that allow you to travel with the story. I hope to continue that tradition, to pass that experience on.” |
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Riptide |
Hotrods to Surfboards & Everything in Between Storyfest is delighted to have Riptide return again this year. Their high-energy music gets everyone into the spirit for fun. They play 50s-60s rock-n-roll, surf, swing, honky-tonk, rock-a-billy, and original music. Riptide enjoys their audiences and makes sure theirs is a family-friendly show. Needless to say, Riptide is a crowd favorite! |
Brush Country Cowboy |
After being asked to clog at last year’s Brush Country Cowboy Church Vacation Bible School, Fran Lipton felt led to teach others the art of clogging. Over the past year several ladies have joined her: Karen Hale, Susan McCumber, Marilyn George, and Peggy Skoruppa. It is their desire to pass the joy of clogging on to others. The Brush Country Cowboy Church Cloggers enjoy dancing for the Nursing Homes in Live Oak County, as well as their church home. Recently at this year’s Vacation Bible School over 100 boys and girls, ages 3 – 12, were introduced to clogging. Parents enjoyed watching as the children clogged to the Old Time Rock and Roll. “We’re excited to be clogging for our community, family, and friends at Storyfest. We hope you’ll have as much fun watching as we’ll have clogging for you.” |
Clifton Jansky, Gospel |
"From Amarillo by Morning to Amazing Grace" is not just one of Clifton Jansky's single releases in Christian Country music, but it is his life story. As a young boy growing up in South Texas, Clifton's dream was to stand on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry with the big boys and sing. He had his first band at the age of eleven and recorded his first record at the age of seventeen. Clifton was so successful in South Texas that Country music was his sole source of income for 22 years. As a mainstream country artist, he had twelve records on country radio including a regional hit on "Amarillo by Morning" three years before George Strait. Clifton opened shows for Gary Morris, Lee Greenwood, Tanya Tucker, Eddie Rabbitt, and Holly Dunn. It seemed as if he was one song away from really hitting the big times, but in reality Clifton was one prayer away from changing his life and his dreams forever. |
After his band trailer was stolen and a marriage ended in divorce, Clifton began to go to a Bible study in January, 1984, at the age of 27. For the first time, Clifton heard the Word of God and that God had a plan for His life. On May 3, 1984, he put his faith in Jesus Christ and was overwhelmingly saved by God's Amazing Grace."
Though Clifton has been singing and entertaining all of his life, he was a newcomer to Christian Country Music. He released his first single “ Heart Transplant" to Christian Country radio in August, 2000, and it became his first #1 Song. In November, 2001 Clifton stood and sang on the stage of the Ryman Auditorium at the Christian Country Music Association Awards Show. God fulfilled the dream of a six year old boy to sing on that stage and a few minutes later, Clifton was awarded with the 2001 CCMA New Artist of the Year. Clifton has since been awarded 2002 CCMA Male Vocalist of the Year, 2004 CCMA Entertainer of the Year, as well as 2005 CCMA Songwriter of the Year. Clifton has had six number one singles in Christian Country Music and looks at the success as a door that God has opened to allow his message and music to be heard by a large number of radio listeners across the country and around the world through the internet. Clifton is on the road and in the air for Jesus. He sings and speaks wherever God rings his phone to go. He has traveled overseas with International Evangelist Sammy Tippit to England, Macedonia, Siberia and Scotland and has also sung in three different languages in stadium crusades in Romania and the former Soviet Union. He ministers in the prisons and jails of this land with Bill Glass, as well as doing revivals, concerts, banquets and rodeos for everyone who rings his phone. Clifton states, “I am now doing what God created me to do. My heart is to go where the people are and share God’s love through my music and my life so that they can take the ride From Amarillo by Morning to Amazing Grace just like me.” Clifton still resides in San Antonio. He has been in full-time ministry for almost 22 years now and has committed his life to serving the Lord and as best as he can to do God’s will. |
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Lonestar Bluegrass Band |
Back by popular demand, the Lonestar Bluegrass Band, which has been playing their version of traditional and contemporary bluegrass music with a flair for entertainment since 1982, returns to the Storyfest stage. The band has been called “witty” and “entertaining.” Reviewer Marc Gunn said their music is “some of the best rockin’ bluegrass music” he has heard. This four-piece band was voted “Best Bluegrass Band in Houston,” part of the Houston Press Music Awards, in 2002, 2003, and 2004. Member Chris Bagley won the 2006 Texas State Flat Picking Guitar Championship, and Chris Hirsch is a three-time winner of the Texas State Banjo Championship and a past winner of the Southwest National Banjo Championship. Bass player George Hanson and fiddle player Matt Morris round out the band. The Lonestar Bluegrass Band is “the hardest working bluegrass band in Southeast Texas.” |
Chano Cadena y Sus Conjunto |
Chano was born on October 31, 1937, on a ranch, near Palito Blanco, a community ‘muy chiquito’, 14 miles south of Alice, Texas. The family would listen to phonograph records—78’s of Narcisco Martinez and Lydia Mendoza—as well as listen on the radio to the latest Mexican rancheras beaming from Mexican stations across the border. Chano wasn’t the first accordionist in the family. His older brother Jose began to first play the instrument until he shipped off to Europe during World War II. Jose returned after the War and again picked up the accordion. Seeing his older brother playing the instrument inspired Chano, who was 10 years old, to began playing a toy accordion. His father, Don Ignacio Cadena, immediately recognized his son’s talent, so he sacrificed and saved up enough dollars to buy Chano a real accordion and began taking him around the ranchos to play for neighbors and friends. |
Father and son would walk miles to these ranchos with Chano’s accordion in a pillow case. Soon after, he was being taken around to the cantinas to play for patrons who would pay him nickels and quarters for polkitas, valses and popular canciones. It was when he started going to school in Alice that he began to form a conjunto. His first recordings were advertising jingles for a department store recorded with Tejano music pioneer Armando Marroquin. From then on, Chano recorded several times with Mr. Marroquin as a session musician, and soon after, he recorded with his own conjunto. In the 60's and 70's, Chano's conjunto toured all over Texas and even in states such as New Mexico, Colorado, and Florida. It was on this Conjunto circuit that the conjunto shared a stage with many legendary greats such as Tony De La Rosa and El Conjunto Bernal. Many successful musicians such as Juan Sifuentes, Manuel Solis, and Ruben Naranjo began their careers as a member of Chano's conjunto. In the late 1960’s and 70’s, Chano’s conjunto assembled perhaps his most talented lineup, featuring the vocal duo Tonio Vasquez and Fidel Cavazos. The 80’s and 90’s brought another great era as the conjunto recorded many successful albums with Beltran Garcia’s Canasta label out of Kingsville. Chano Cadena was inducted into the Tejano R.O.O.T.S. Hall of Fame in Alice, Texas, in 2001. He was also inducted in 2007 to the Texas Conjunto Music Hall of Fame and Museum in San Benito. Chano continues to record and play to this day in and around South Texas. In 2011, Chano Cadena celebrated its 57th year of bringing the finest in Conjunto music to its fans and to the public. |
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Fresca Uncion |
Fresca Uncion (Fresh Anointing) is a Christian group which formed about three years ago in George West. Band members are Tim Martinez, keyboards and bass; Tiffany Martinez, drums; Joey Munoz, Jr., singer; and Israel Moneno, lead guitar. This family-based Christian group plays at churches in the surrounding communities and has been blessed to have recorded two CD’s. Founder Tim Martinez began playing drums at age two and was playing music in church by age five. When he decided to start a band, he asked his sister Tiffany Martinez, who started playing music at age eight, and his uncle Joey Munoz, Jr. to join him. Israel Momeno later came on board to round out the group. They hope to continue playing God’s music, which they believe is their calling. Fresca Uncion plays God’s music in hopes to touch people’s lives. |
