Recording studio
The Kitchen Sink
The Kitchen Sink
Johnston's new material is also something of a personal renaissance for the artist. The songs continue to embody the salient qualities that have distinguished his most beloved work, while moving him into fresh new creative territory.
"These songs came out pretty easily, and somehow they feel more direct and funny, or more truthful and bitter, because of the way we recorded them," the artist comments. "I've always had this weird thing where I don't feel comfortable saying I've done a good job. But in this case, I think I have. As you get more experience, the more you learn to recognize when something is good or when it isn't quite done yet."
Johnston's new material coincides with projected vinyl reissues of his highly regarded '90s albums Can You Fly and This Perfect World, and with his budding parallel creative pursuit as a painter.
"How this whole period started was the 25th anniversary of Can You Fly," he explains. "First, I thought we should celebrate the anniversary with a reunion band with everybody who played on the record, and everybody said yeah. But the timing wasn't right, so that went on the back burner. In the process, though, I reconnected with Mark Zoltak, my old producer and manager from the early days. Mark was really the first guy who guided me to get my songs together, and the first person I really trusted to judge my songs. Mark suggested paring my new songs down to Graham and Brian and me, getting the three of us in a rehearsal studio and just jamming the new songs together, with no pressure at all. So we started doing that and recorded some of the new songs that way, and they worked out pretty well."
In his near-30-year career, Freedy Johnston has created some of his era's most enduring and emotionally resonant songcraft, first on such beloved indie releases as The Trouble Tree and Can You Fly, and subsequently on the acclaimed major-label albums This Perfect World, Never Home, Blue Days Black Nights and Right Between the Promises. In recent years, he's continued to thrill fans with such low-key gems as 2010's Rain on the City, 2015's Neon Repairman and 2012's At Least We Have Each Other, the latter a pseudonymous collaboration with fellow troubadours Jon Dee Graham and Susan Cowsill as the Hobart Brothers & Lil' Sis.
"I don't know what the future of my music holds, but I feel like I'm rebuilding on some level," Johnston reflects. "I've spent so much time over the years obsessing over how my songs were recorded. But when I hear the songs now, I realize that whatever I was worried about didn't matter, as long as the songs came through. One thing that hasn't changed over the years is that people still love and need music, and that I'm still in that business. In some ways, I feel like I'm back where I was in my 20s, when I was just an artist doing my work and getting by. That still sounds like a pretty good deal to me."
Click to view PAST EVENTS AT THE KITCHEN SINK
EVENTS AT THE KITCHEN SINK - Fall / Winter 2018/19
Four voices coalesce. Rooted in rhythm. The women of Ley Line transcend language and genres to create a sound that seems to emerge from deep within the earth. Dynamic harmonies run like a current through textures of stand up bass, guitar, ukulele and percussion. Raised on the North American traditions of blues, folk and soul and inspired by their world travels, Ley Line creates a global soundscape; blending rhythms and influences from Brazil, Latin America and West Africa. Ley Line’s multilingual performances unite audiences around the world.
Ley Line is the musical merging of two duos. Austinites Kate Robberson and Emilie Basez met twin sisters Madeleine and Lydia Froncek at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in 2013. Since reuniting in Austin, Texas in 2015, Ley Line has been weaving together their individual journeys into a collective vision. Through intimate live performances and multilingual lyrics, Ley Line’s music inspires connection across the peaks and valleys of the human experience.
Through instruments and voices, music and storytelling, Ley Line builds bridges across cultures and life experiences. Their mission is to celebrate culture through musical tradition and innovation in order to create connection across borders and languages. Ley Line is a part of a growing movement of self-managed artists supporting sustainable and intimate touring practices. On the road and in their hometown of Austin, Texas they engage with local communities through music and outreach. Ley Line partners with schools and grassroots organizations, offering workshops and interactive performances to promote cultural appreciation amongst diverse populations. They have partnered to support non-profits including Girls Impact the World, The Amala Foundation, Fuel our Fire, GirlForward, Casa Marianela, Creative Action and Livroteca Brincante do Pina.
Joaquin Gallegos was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
He comes from a family of artists and musicians, starting music studies at age 7 and playing the guitar at 9 years old. Joaquin has made Andalucia his second home having spent several years living, studying and performing there and in the United States as well as in Latin America. He lived among gypsy clans in Sacromonte, Granada, learning the art of accompanying cante and baile. Some of Joaquin’s most important maestros have been Chuscales, Manolo Sanlucar, El Viejin, Emilio Maya and Antón Jimenez. Joaquin won 1st prize at the 2002 EXPO Flamenco Competition at the Festival Flamenco Internacional de Albuquerque and was a finalist at the 2007 II Concurso Internacional “Niño Ricardo” de Murcia. His first album, ‘La Jornada’, was released in 2005. Joaquin has recorded on many artists’ albums and toured with Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana, EntreFlamenco and as a solo artist. His second album, ‘Nuevos Comienzos’, was released in 2015 and has received critical acclaim for it’s composition, innovation, and technical virtuosity. His fluid technical expression, deep rhythmic sensibility and prolific composing abilities have made Joaquin a sought after guitarist for solo performances, accompaniment for flamenco artists such as La Popi, Lakshmi Basile, Kina Mendez, Nino de los Reyes, Roberto Lorente, jazz, world and soul music collaborations with artists such as Rahim Alhaj, Consuelo Luz, and as a composer of soundtracks for films.
Tuesday December 11th, 2018
Ley Line in Concert
Doors @ 7:00 pm / Show @ 7:30 pm
$20.00 - BUY TICKETS
100% of the proceeds from this event go to the artist
Saturday January 19th, 2019
The Red River Songwriters in Concert
Doors @ 7:30 pm / Show @ 8:00 pm
$20.00 - BUY TICKETS
100% of the proceeds from this event go to the artist
Friday November 2nd, 2018
Freedy Johnston in Concert
Doors @ 7:30 pm / Show @ 8:00 pm
$25.00
100% of the proceeds from this event go to the artist
Click to view PAST EVENTS AT THE KITCHEN SINK
Thursday October 11th, 2018
Amy Lavere & Will Sexton in Concert
Doors @ 7:00 pm / Show @ 7:30
$20.00
BUY TICKETS
100% of the proceeds from this event go to the artist
Saturday December 22nd, 2018
Joaquin Gallegos - "Cuerdas del Corazón-Heart Strings"
Concert and Live Album Recording
Doors @ 7:30 pm / Show @ 8:00 pm
$20.00 - BUY TICKETS
100% of the proceeds from this event go to the artist
The Red River Songwriters are a group of Central Texas-based performing songwriters who started a festival 8 years ago that takes place in Red River, New Mexico. It always happens on the last weekend of January, guaranteeing all visitors good skiing and warm places gather to listen to the hosting group of writers and their guest performers.
Susan Gibson is one of the most respected touring songwriters in the country. She’s also known for penning “Wide Open Spaces,” the huge hit that launched the Dixie Chicks’ career. She hosts songwriting schools and tours constantly, everywhere.
Kelley Mickwee currently tours as a singer the insanely popular national touring band Shinyribs. She was also a member of the The Trishas, enjoying a great 5-year run. She released her solo record, “You Used to Live Here” in 2014, and stays busy with touring and session work.
Josh Grider is one of the most visible contemporary Texas country performers, with 7 #1 singles on Texas Music Chart, and constant touring throughout the southwest. This year he released the record “Good People,” another stellar cellection of radio-ready goodness.
Drew Kennedy released his 9th record this year, “At home in the Big Lonesome” to enthusiastic praise from all corners. He is one of the most highly regarded young songwriters in the country, and he, too, travels the country as a solo artist, logging over 200 dates a year.
Walt Wilkins has over 100 songs recorded by other artists, as well as releasing 8 solo records, 4 with his band the Mystiqueros, and one with his singer-songwriter wife, Tina. He continues to travel constantly across Texas, US & Europe.
The guests this year for the festival are major label artist Jack Ingram, with a bunch of big-time radio hits, Jon Randall, writer of “Whiskey Lullaby” and other hits, and Jaimee Harris, who just released her first record, “Red Rescue.” The group is excited for their first performance in Santa Fe, and particularly grateful to play The Kitchen Sink.
There is no event parking available at the studio. Parking is available in nearby Guadalupe Street parking lots, in the municipal lot next to Allsups gas station, and ample parking is always available across the street from the studio at the DeVargas Mall.
Saturday December 1st, 2018
The South Austin Moonlighters in Concert
Doors @ 7:30 pm / Show @ 8:00 pm
$20.00
BUY TICKETS
100% of the proceeds from this event go to the artist
A burgeoning star, Amy LaVere is becoming renowned worldwide for her songwriting, bass playing, and vocals. She sings with a sweet, haunting voice that can turn on a dime from innocent to lusty (“Norah Jones with an added Cyndi Lauper element” — Mojo Magazine; “Spookiness suits her” — New York Times).
Whether playing as a duo with her husband Will Sexton or with retro-country sensation Motel Mirrors, she’s an inventive, thoughtful singer songwriter who has crowds throughout the US and Europe smitten.
Music fans first discovered this “sweet soprano” on This World is Not My Home in 2005, but it was her Jim Dickinson-produced breakout album Anchors & Anvils two years later that put Amy LaVere on the map. Her most recent release, Hallelujah I’m A Dreamer was a surprise for fans just nine months after Runaway’s Diary, was recorded with LaVere’s husband and noted guitarist Will Sexton. Will is a much respected artist, songwriter and producer with a list of acclaimed solo albums to his name.
On Hallelujah, Amy and Will capture the immediacy of the live show they developed on the road together, reveling in a more stripped-down sound and celebrating the freedoms and limitations that come with it in stunning form.
Amy also paired up with noted rocker John Paul Keith to create Motel Mirrors. Their styles clearly complemented one another, which made for magic on stage and in the recording studio. Their eponymous vinyl EP release was named one of the “10 Essential Albums of 2013” by No Depression.
"Cuerdas del Corazón-Heart Strings" This is going to be very special concert, which will be recorded for release as a live album. Joaquin and a group of five of the area's finest musicians, playing upright bass, cello, violin, percussion, and a vocalist, will perform selections from Joaquin's album 'Nuevos Comienzos' as well as new pieces, composed especially for this concert event. The string trio will play arrangements composed by Joaquin for this concert. Flamenco chamber music to "soothe the savage beast and warm your heart".
Presented
in collaboration with
Southwest Roots Music
and Santa Fe Performance Exchange
If you’ve seen more than a handful of shows in Texas, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve already seen most, if not all, of the musicians who make up the South Austin Moonlighters. These guys have earned their place among the elite of Austin’s burgeoning music scene and have played key roles in bands like Fastball, Monte Montgomery, Mike Zito, Stonehoney, Jimmy LaFave, to name just a few on a long, long list. Harkening back to a time before pitch-corrected vocals and corporate boardroom-written hits, The South Austin Moonlighters deliver their own unique brand of Americana music with organic show-stopping vocal harmonies, incredible musicianship, and well-crafted heart-felt songs.
Hailing from the “live music capital of the world”---the place that has consistently produced countless top-level musical artists year after year; from pop stars to folk icons. It’s in this place that The South Austin Moonlighters were born and continue to thrive. It all started with a simple question: “Wouldn’t it be great to get together more often and play music we love?” In 2011, a few friends did just that and a weekday residency at a local Austin live music venue (The Saxon Pub) was booked! Originally “moonlighting” from their regular steady gigs, eventually The South Austin Moonlighters BECAME the steady gig---with seven years, four albums, hundreds of shows, and hundreds-of-thousands of miles traveled together.
The joy of making music is a tangible and contagious part of The South Austin Moonlighters’ live shows. They are often compared to The Eagles, Little Feat, or Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young---but The South Austin Moonlighters are firmly positioned in today’s culture; writing and performing songs primarily from their own catalogue including songs from: 2012’s “Live at The Saxon Pub”, 2014’s “Burn and Shine”, 2016’s “Ghost of a Small Town”, and the highly-anticipated Anders Osborne-produced album to be released in March of 2019.
The South Austin Moonlighters are:
Phil Hurley singer/songwriter/guitarist
Chris Beall singer/songwriter/guitarist
Lonnie Trevino Jr. singer/songwriter/bassist
Daniel James singer/songwriter/drummer
“Success for this Americana ensemble has been about embracing supergroup ethos while shunning supergroup egos. At their best, the band represents not just what’s right about the Austin music community but about live music as a whole. And they’re only getting better.” Jeremy Burchard, Texas Music Magazine
“What began as a way to let loose between regular gigs has turned into something more serious, with gospel harmonies that evoke Band of Heathens. In fact, like the Heathens, the Moonlighters travel the Americana highway with taste and a manner that’s good-natured and down to earth.” Jim Caligiuiri, Austin Chronicle
“(The South Austin Moonlighters) cover a ton of stylistic ground…with gritty blues, nasty funk, R&B, pop, rock, and more cropping up along the way. DANG dudes! The highest recommendation!” Matt Blackett, Guitar Player Magazine
“The South Austin Moonlighters started as a collaboration of all stars but seems to be settling into way more than that from my point of view. The key as I see it is the total unselfish attitude amongst the four men…” Eddie Ferranti, Houston Music Review
It was time to come home," Freedy Johnston says of his recent return to the New York area, where the world-class singer-songwriter has reestablished the recording base that first introduced him as a vital musical force during the formative days of his career in the early 1990s.
2018 finds the much-traveled Kansas native not only returning to his old Jersey City stomping grounds, where he first made his musical mark in the early 1990s, but also reuniting with some of his earliest musical cohorts. The artist is easing back into active musical duty with a compelling new body of original songs that will form the foundation of a new full-length album due in TK.
The project marks a timely reunion with some of Johnston's earliest collaborators, namely producer Mark Zoltak, bassist Graham Maby, drummer Brian Doherty and engineer John Siket, who were originally the core of the artist's studio team on his 1992 breakthrough album Can You Fly.