2015 Concerts

January 2nd, 2015 (7 PM) - Butch Hancock

A world traveling troubadour with a long string of recorded songs and albums, Butch Hancock has been called "one of the finest songwriters of our time" and is acknowledged by his peers and critics alike as one of the premiere singer-songwriters Texas has ever produced. His tunes evoke mystical visions of wind-swept dry-plains and his lyrics are profoundly imaginative, often displaying for his listeners the miracles that occur in the ordinary through creative irony and metaphors. His lyrical style has often been compared to that of Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie and his songs have been covered by the likes of Emmylou Harris.

Hancock is also a member of renowned country rock super-group, The Flatlanders, along with his lifelong friends, Joe Ely and Jimmie Dale Gilmore, a band they formed in 1972.

During his acclaimed career, Hancock has written and recorded several landmark albums, some of them sparse and simple, others as big as the West Texas sky. After moving to the progressive country hotbed of Austin in the mid 70s, he started his own label (Rainlight) and released the quintessential West Texas Waltzes and Dust-Blown Tractor Tunes in 1978. In the years that followed he continued to release albums deep with meaning and memory, a foundation that cemented his world-wide reputation as a master wordsmith. In 1990, Hancock and more than two dozen musician friends staged a Guinness Book of World Records worthy event entitled No Two Alike and played six straight nights of live performances in Austin's famed Cactus Café, recording 140 of his original songs without repeating a single song. He released the staggering output later in the year as the No Two Alike Tape of the Month club. This past year, Butch reprised the event, this time entitling it, No Two More Alike.

I (Thomas) lived down the street from the Flatlanders while I attended Texas Tech in the early 1970's. I was honored to get to see the Flatlanders in small living rooms with 10 or so other people. Over the years I have jumped at every opportunity to see Butch perform. I consider Butch Hancock one of the most prolific songwriters on the planet and Gail and I are very excited to have the opportunity to present him to the Sycamore Creek audience.

February 7th, 2015 (7 PM) - Vance Gilbert

The Sycamore Creek audience is in for one heck of a treat. Gail and I first saw Vance Gilbert at the Kerrville Folk Festival. We later saw him at the Rouse House Concerts, Cactus Cafe, and Blue Rock. Each performance has been spectacular. His songs are beautiful and his voice will fill any room he plays. As soon as we began holding concerts at Sycamore Creek, we started efforts to bring Vance for a concert. The time has come! Vance will take the Sycamore stage on Saturday, February 7th, at 7:00 pm.

You can learn more about Vance at vancegilbert.com. Vance hasn't played in Austin for quite some time, we joined with two other house concerts in the area to bring Vance in for a 3 concert weekend. We are certain this one will sell out at all 3 house concerts.

March 14th, 2015 (7 PM) - Shake Russell & Michael Hearne

Mike Roberts, Shake Russell, Michael Hearne

So, Gail and I are sitting in our living room listening to Songs on the Radio waiting to "push the button" to invite you to the upcoming Shake Russell and Michael Hearne concert. My goodness, what memories of the first time I heard that album. A special night is in store for those of us who will be at Sycamore Creek on March 14th!!!

For more than three decades, Texas singer-songwriter Shake Russell has been entertaining audiences throughout the region with his unique, Americana style of folk-rock. A prolific songwriter, Shake has written or co-written hundreds of melodies. Through the years, Shake’s songs and albums have frequented the Billboard charts, including favorites “Deep in the West,” and “You’ve Got a Lover,”

Weaving sophisticated harmonies through his songs and drawing from various genres, Shake created a style of folk-rock that is uniquely his own. His repertoire consists of a blend of love songs, ballads, and waltzes, skillfully balanced with lively rockabilly tunes and soulful rhythm and blues pieces. His lyrics are imbued with beautiful imagery, catchy phrases, and inventive similes and metaphors. But it is the rich, melodious voice of Shake Russell that breathes life and spirit into the lyrics.

Shake has recently teamed with Michael Hearne, How do you say "Acoustic Southwestern Americana Musical Guitar Genius" in just two words? Michael Hearne, that's how. Since the 1970s, this native Dallas Texan has strolled down a musical path inspired by the great folk and country singer-songwriters who typify and have characterized the Americana "roots" scene. He is a songwriter's songwriter, cut from the same cloth that propels an artist on a committed journey to experiencing life as a series of creative events and fulfillments. His New Mexico anthem, "New Mexico Rain," was recorded by his uncle and aunt, Bill and Bonnie Hearne, and country music legend Johnny Rodriguez.

Shake & Michael will be joined by Mike Roberts on bass.

April 11th, 2015 (7 PM) - Bob Livingston

Bob Livingston is an American singer-songwriter, bass player, and a founding member of The Lost Gonzo Band. Livingston was a key figure instigating the cosmic cowboy, progressive country and outlaw country music movements that distinguished the Austin, Texas music scene in the 1970s.[1] Over the years, Bob Livingston has gained a reputation as a band leader, solo artist, session musician and sideman in country music. He has toured without stop for 44 years, and is one of the most experienced and recorded musicians in all of Texas music. Livingston's newest CD, Gypsy Alibi, released by New Wilderness Records in 2011, won the "Album of the Year" at the Texas Music Awards 2011.

Bob's 2012 Sycamore Creek Concert is one of the high points of our five years of concerts. Attending one of Bob's concerts is truly a unique experience. He takes you from familiar songs you heard him sing with Jerry Jeff Walker and Michael Martin Murphy to songs he has written and performed as a solo artist. Few performers can match Bob's energetic, humorous and professional presentation of an eclectic array of music. He is just the best, but I suspect I am preaching to the choir, everybody in Texas knows and loves Bob.

Those of you who were at Bob's last Sycamore Creek Concert will remember the incredible energy of that concert. Those refrains still echo up Sycamore Creek Valley. Bob approached us soon after that concert and asked if he could come back and video tape a show, so this is your chance to star in a Bob Livingston video!!!

September 19th, 2015 (7 PM) - Susan Gibson

CMA Songwriter of the Year for “Wide Open Spaces”

BMI Writer of the Year 1999

2009 West Texas Music Hall of Fame:

Those loyal Sycamorites among you will remember Susan Gibson’s fantastic show in 2010, her first show after getting the cast off of her arm from an automobile accident, she knocked our socks off.

Well, it is time for Susan to return to Sycamore Creek.

With two new albums since 2010, and a bag full of new songs, we are honored to kick off the 2015/2016 Sycamore Creek season with this talented artist.

Most of you will recognize the song, “Wide Open Spaces”, made famous by the Dixie Chicks, but written by Susan. She also co-wrote Evergreen with Michael Hearne who recently performed at Sycamore Creek with Shake Russell. Those are just a sample of the many incredible songs penned by this prolific songwriter. Visit her website at: www.susangibson.com for a taste of some of her music and to learn more about her.

November 7th, 2015 (7 PM) - 2015 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Award Winners

It is that time of year again, the annual Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Award Winner Fall Tour.

The Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition
There is a yearly competition every May at the Kerrville Folk Festival to discover promising new singer-songwriters called the New Folk Competition. Thirty-two finalists are selected from a field of up to 800 entries to share two of their original songs in an afternoon appearance on the stage of the Threadgill Theater during the Festival. From these 32 finalists, six Award Winners are selected by a small group of well-established performing songwriters, to take home cash and other tangible prizes.

A win at Kerrville carries considerable prestige in the singer/songwriter community. This is in part due to the peer-professional judging and the festival’s long history of recognizing emerging artists who have later gone on to wider success. There have also been examples of notable performers who have appeared as finalists in the competition without ever earning a win.

2015 Award Winners are:

David Berkeley (Santa Fe, NM)
Wes Collins (Chapel Hill, NC)
Amy Kucharek (Somerville, MA)
Tom Meny (Buda, TX)
Anna Tivel (Portland, OR)
Becky Warren (Nashville, TN)

Wes, Amy, Tom and Becky will join us at Sycamore for an evening of some of the most incredible songs you have ever heard.

David and Anna will join the tour later.

The 2015 competition delivered an incredibly talented and diverse group of award winners. You will not want to miss this opportunity to see these emerging artists in the intimate Sycamore Creek listening environment.

December 5, 2015 - Steve Seskin

Steve Seskin is one of the most successful writers in Nashville today, with a boatload of songs recorded by Tim McGraw, Neal McCoy, John Michael Montgomery, Kenny Chesney, Collin Raye, Peter Frampton, Waylon Jennings, Alabama, Mark Wills, and Peter Paul and Mary. His song "Don't Laugh At Me" was a finalist for CMA "Song of the Year" in 1999, and has spurred an entire tolerance movement, launched by the Don't Laugh at Me Project. Other Seskin hits include: "I Think About You", "Life's A Dance", "No Doubt About It", "If You've Got Love" and "Grown Men Don't Cry."

Not only can Steve write incredible songs, he is also an electrifying performer. "His voice has a natural lilt that can't be learned," writes Joel Selvin in the SF Chronicle. He's "a really exceptional talent," writes Alan Lewis in the SF Bay Guardian. And "the presentation is simple, affective, and effective," writes Jim Carnes in the Sacramento Bee. Few performers can face an audience with only an acoustic guitar and hotwire its emotions. But that's what happens at Steve's concerts.

A Steve Seskin concert will have you wiping away a tear one minute and laughing out loud the next. His songs all have messages that touch the hearts of everyone: from the feelings of a little boy missing his father, to growing up and being true to yourself, to one of his most well know themes of being considerate to and respectful of one another as expressed in “Don’t Laugh at Me".

Thomas met Steve several years ago at the Kerrville Folk Festival where Steve coordinates and leads the renowned Kerrville Folk Festival Songwriting School. We have been trying to schedule a Steve Seskin concert ever since, lucky for you, we were finally successful.

You can get a taste of Steve's songs at his website: www.SteveSeskin.com