23 March 2017 - New Soundboard!
We're celebrating some new gear! We're welcoming our new Behringer X32 and all the gadgets we need to plug into it.
25 March 2017 - Hyatt Centric
Trio gig on top of the Hyatt at Market Street. Easy in and out, great atmosphere, and a decent crowd all night. I love playing with these guys.
4 March 2017 - 19th Hole
This was supposed to be the first of two shows for Carthy tonight, but our joint at Blue Giraffe got rained out... For our first time in the space, I think it went really well!
20 Feb 2017 - Blue Giraffe again!
We jammed some inside this time. Ben and I took the opportunity in the close space to really snazz up the joint.
28 January 2017 - Blue Giraffe!
First of many visits to this quaint little jam spot
26 January 2017 - Leon's Lounge
This place was awesome! Super intimate and fun to play with a great crowd!
11 March 2017 - Garage Sale Band
Last Saturday Ben Miller and I sauntered down to Trader's Village in the rain. Ben's church was participating in a huge flea market-style sale and we were to provide some Muzak to help seal deals and sell some stuff. We had a simple set up - keys, drums, and two mics - and carte blanche on repertoire. I figured we'd play casually for an hour, pack up the soggy set and bail. We actually ended up playing for about four hours without really taking a break. We took requests, played some Carthy tunes, some covers, and some original jam-based stuff. It wasn't really like anything I'd ever done before. It was a vaguely-structured public jam session where the pressure of being on stage was forgone in the name of fundraising. It was cool, and damn fun. Some young folks walked by and yelled "Minions!" and we obliged. During our Motown set, folks our parents' ages stopped for a minute to remember an event in days gone by that may have looked very similar, with us having been replaced by a record or 8-track player. A wheelchair-bound gentleman and his family passed by several times, bringing huge smiles and a palpable positive energy with them each time. We actually even got crashes by two mariachis. We had begun a Latin-inspired environmental piece, and they heard this and came up and asked if they could play. We communicated a little bit in Spanish, but a lot in music. As one guy sat down with Ben at the keyboard, he demonstrated a familiar percussion pattern and I did my best to lay it down. "Eso!", he would say when I'd get it right or produce a fill that he recognised, always accompanied by a huge smile. We played three or four charts with those guys, and it was unlike anything I'd experienced in quite some time. Someone with a completely different musical background than me sat down and we made music together, even when the most casual of conversations may have been difficult.
I left that day feeling validated in so many wonderful ways. I'm glad I was able to provide entertainment or memories or even justnalund for folks who wanted or maybe even needed it. It reminded me that what I do is important and that any day or even can be an opportunity to learn and grow and connect.
Over the next few weeks, I plan to continue building my podcast library. I'll be recording some solo episodes as well as tightening up the recordings I have from those who were kind enough to share their time with me. I also want to announce that my tentative release date for episode 1 will be 1 April 2017! I'm going to try and release one a week. Quite a lofty goal, but one I've been thinking of for quite some time. If you wanna be in the podcast or have a good idea for a topic or guest, let me know at john@johnpaddiemusic.net
Thanks for your readership and support and as always,
be good.
-J
8 March 2017 - Things are coming together!
Several wonderful things to share with you, friends! I am fortunate enough to be able to travel quite a bit doing what I do. I am constantly reminded of how talented my friends and colleagues are, and I try to celebrate as much as I can how lucky I feel to be in the circle I'm in. Last Sunday, I caught the first part of the University Of North Texas Opera's presentation of A Little Night Music, but due to an unforeseen squirrel incident, the show was cancelled. Apparently, it's not wholly infrequent that a rodent to disable the campus from time to time. Huh.
I WAS able, however, to catch a show at Killer's Tacos with the dudes in Zero Detail and Rogues Among Us. My old college buddies Mark and Bradley fronted their groups, and it was everything I'd hoped it would be. Carthy is set to play with ZD in a few weeks, and seeing as how these guys are fresh to playing live, I wanted to get out there, show my support, and see these guys tear it down. There were some other bands from around Texas at the taco shop, and I was blown away at how great everyone played and how friendly and supportive everyone was. The staff, the patrons, and all of the band members were super kind and helpful, and a hell of a show was put on.
I am constantly moving around and taking part in different projects, so as more time passes, I will be posting a few different collaborative projects I'm working on. You may hear more from me than just pots and pans!
I'm still hot on recording podcasts and scheduling other folks. If you're still interested in talking with me OR you're newly interested, please drop me a line! Any and all musical topics are welcome, and any sort of analog (dance, art, theatre, etc.) are certainly celebrated and discussed!
Lastly, I'd love to hear from each and everyone of you! If you have a comment about the website, the media, a post, a piece, or anything like that, please feel free to use any of the methods listed below
Facebook.com/johnpaddie
Twitter: @ArsPura
Instagram: InfiniteAgelessInkwell
john@johnpaddiemusic.net
Much love, you guys! Here are some important links for your jammin'.
https://roguesamongus.bandcamp.com/ - Rogues. Check out their new EP, Analysis Paralysis
https://www.facebook.com/zerodetailmusic - Zero Detail - New group ready to jam. They're releasing new EP tracks over the next few weeks, so be sure to check them out.
www.CarthyMusic.com - We in Carthy are getting ready to make our summer and yours one to remember!
Thanks for your time, and I love you all!
Be Good.
-J
1 March 2017 - Carthy Shows
Hello all! I've posted some new shows for the upcoming months, and am actively seeking more performance opportunities! If you or someone you know is interested in booking me or my band, let me know at john@johnpaddiemusic.net! I am also seeking composition projects, working with either players, other composers, or anyone else who may be interested in a project of a musical nature.
I also want to draw attention to the groovy logos that will start appearing around the site. I'm working with a talented graphic artist and all-around lovely person to launch my brand and have a nice clean public face to the site. Once things get closer to being finished, I'll post more details about that.
The next few weeks will be wonderful, so stay tuned for all the good news!
Be good!
-J
18 February 2017 - The Blue Giraffe and Friends
I've played the quaint little coffee house in Spring a few times now, and every time is an interesting time. The dudes in Carthy fit the cumbersome five-piece in the inside stage. It was cozy to say the least, but the energy was definitely there. What made it especially cool for me, though, was the amount of folks who came to see me play. Since I've become a professional performer, I've rationalised that not every show is going to have a John Paddie fan club. Indeed, for a while, I played months in a row without anyone I knew in the audience at all. Saturday was different for sure. The stars aligned for me in such a way that I was able to jam in front of friends, colleagues, and family all in the same place. New connections were made, great times were had, and I actually walked out of there with some unexpected scratch. I want to thank mom, uncle Ralph and aunt Deb, Brandon, Adrienne, David, and Desiree for coming out. Bradley from Zero Detail/Rogues Among Us had some really nice compliments for the band, and Harley and the crew were gracious hosts as always.
I also want to thank everyone who allows me to share the stage with them at any point for any reason. Music is important to me, and being able to share my world with others is a valuable and fulfilling experience for me. Check out my friends page and see what else all these wonderful people are up to!
Until next time,
be good!
-J
Updates 13 Feb 2017
It's been a busy few weeks! Several show weekends away from home, meeting lots of new folks, completing projects, and some great news!
Michael Player and the Playboys have been tearing up the Texas roads, playing in Midland, Lindale, Kerrville, Ft. Worth, Tyler, Jefferson, and many more coming up!
Carthy will be visiting Old Town Spring next weekend, and several new trio gigs are in the works as well. Look for us to be joining the Houston rock scene in full force this Spring!
My string quartet, January, is complete and scores have been sent out! I will be looking for a string quartet for readings/a possible recording, so shoot me an email if you're interested! john@johnpaddiemusic.net
Lastly and probably most exciting, I received news from my top two graduate school choices. The University Of North Texas invited me for an interview (that actually just finished up ten minutes ago) and Sam Houston State has invited me back, officially accepting me in the master's program for composition! These are huge steps for me, and I have some tough decisions ahead of me, but I've never been more excited about my current lot. Anyone who knows me knows that this is a huge deal, and something that I've wanted earnestly for some time.
I'll be posting more news as I get it!
Thanks for keeping in touch, and be good!
-J
Podcast Recordings Underway!
Hello friends!
I've recorded the first episode of my podcast! The process has a bit of a learning curve, but as I talk to other who have taken the plunge before, I'll become more adept at it. Once I get a few more conversations recorded, I'd love to start posting them! I've had a few folks express interest, but what I'll do now is leave a link to a Google form at the bottom of this post, so that anyone who wants to fill out an interest form can do so.
https://goo.gl/forms/2XrnIy3gXsRf3pFb2
Thanks for your time!
Be good.
-J
Les Touches and other friends
I've had the privilege of sharing the stage with many talented and dedicated musicians over the past years, and by tomorrow, there will be a page dedicated to those folks. On Sunday, I played with Les Touches, a group of two fabulous musicians, and several other guests. The page will have a link to that event, the Les Touches website, and the other musicians' pages, as well as other events upcoming. Stay tuned for that, and an update on the podcast that I hope to launch within the next two months!
Be good.
-J
13 Jan 2017 - Headed to Lindale, TX
I'm headed now to Love and War in Lindale, TX to open up for Two Tons Of Steel Band! I've been enjoying traveling around Texas playing music with great musicians and getting to know the craft a little bit better.
Also, yesterday I sent out a few emails with a link to a google form about the podcast. Check your email if you've expressed interest and sent me an email about it!
-J
Big Site Updates! - 8 January 2017
Good evening! I've spent the last few hours cleaning up some things and adding info! You should be able to access the Blog, the CV, and the performance dates sections. I've linked some social media accounts as well, so if you catch this post on a platform other than the website itself, let me know that it worked! Thanks for tuning in!
Be good!
-J
Joe Burlison's Uptown Jazz - Monday, 2 January 2016
We had such a great show in the new venue! Monday Night Java Jazz has become a necessary part of my musical endeavours. It's so cool to be on stage with players of this caliber who are so welcoming and fun to be around. Be sure to check us out on 6 Februrary 2017 at the Big Barn!
30 Dec 2016 - Kerrville, TX
Greetings from the road! I'm currently headed out to central Texas to play some dance music for the folks in Kerrville, TX. I am fortunate enough to sit in with Michael Player this weekend; this will be the first of many times I get to do this this year!
It's been a few weeks since I've traveled in or around Austin, and I like this area more each time I pass though. Load in happens in a few hours!