Amy LaVere & Will Sexton with Joseph Huber and Derek Pritzl

Amy LaVere‘s live performances are anything but predictable. She captivates her audiences and never fails to take them on a memorable journey. Her performances have been called hypnotic, mesmerizing and legendary. She’s never had trouble finding top tier players like drummer Brady Blade, Violinist Bob Furgo or guitar players WIll Sexton and David Cousar to travel and perform with her to support her stellar songwriting material. Her voice is unique and beautiful and she’s been honored by having been voted ‘Best Of Memphis’ on three separate occasions and been nominated many times.

Amy has performed in venues as wide-ranging as St. Andrew’s Hall in London to Memphis’ famed dive bar Earnestine and Hazel’s. She’s been featured at festivals such as Bonnaroo and Beale Street Music Festival and also performed in intimate clubs and house concerts around the world. Be it a small listening environment or a grand festival stage, there’s no room she can’t find an audience in and charm it to pieces.

Will Sexton, whose writing credits range from work with Waylon Jennings and Stephen Stills to Joe Ely and Bill Carter, is shaped by the unique diversity of the Austin music scene. Fate and his own sheer talent placed him on stage with local legends before he’d lived out his first decade. Will and his big brother, Charlie, started playing together at the Continental Club when Will was 9 and Charlie was 11. Many of the sounds of his childhood still resonate in his current work. Will received early success in Austin and was signed by MCA at age 16. He has survived in the tough Austin music scene by playing gigs with a variety of notable artists. It is never unusual to go out to catch a show featuring an Austin singer/songwriter and see Will onstage.

Will’s credits as producer and songwriter range from collaborations with Waylon Jennings to psychedelic pioneer Roky Erikson to Steve Earle and punk legend Johnny Thunders. Will has written for MCA and Almo Irving and recorded for MCA, A&M, and Zoo Entertainment. Will was in the New Folk Underground with David Baerwald, which resulted in the co-produced (w/ David Kitay) Lost Highway release Here Comes the New Folk Underground. Will names Terry Allen and Sheryl Crow hitmaker David Baerwald among his favorite writing partners. 2009 marked the completion of new production credits, including Randy Weeks’ Going My Way, and Ruby James’ CD, Happy Now, co-produced with his brother Charlie Sexton.

———–

Joseph Huber hails from the state of Wisconsin, and seems to bring forth the varied voices of whatever it may be that lies dormant within either the fertile soil or the callous concrete of that world. It has been said, “You don’t just like Joseph Huber’s music. You feel it’s something that the rest of the world needs to hear, and how criminal it is that it isn’t spreading far and wide.” That sentiment could be related to the fact that the voices which Huber unearths are subtle and take more than a hurried listen to truly absorb. A person who appears reserved and matter-of-fact in everyday speech brings forth songs that are anything but that.

As the singer, songwriter, performer, recorder and producer of all of his own material, Huber has his hands full, but never seems to miss a beat. And his own ‘solo’ material has now certainly surpassed the output of his past efforts, both in volume and substance. As one of the founding member of the .357 String Band–a group that would probably fit better in today’s ‘Americana-saturated’ environment than in the early to middle aughts–he’s gradually honed a sound that seems to fill a very real gap within the still-emerging genre. Having progressed, Huber continues moving onward and upward captivating folks with his sincere and well-crafted songs under his own name along with the impeccable musicianship of his fellow touring partners. Whether it’s irresistible, fiddle-driven, dancing tunes or honest, heart-wrenching “songwriter” songs, Huber’s songs and shows spans the spectrum of ‘Roots’ music while preferring not to stay within the boundaries of any strict genre classification.

———–

Derek Pritzl is a Wisconsin singer/songwriter born and raised in the fertile farmland of Valders, Wisconsin. He brings a style and narrative that is reminiscent of some of the great songwriters of yesterday and today, continuing a tradition of songwriting developed by artists such as John Prine, Guy Clark, John Fogerty, and Bill Walkner. His songs evoke visions of the struggles of the working man, the road-weary traveler, and of love found and love lost. Regardless of the size of venue, his music and songs create an atmosphere of intimacy, reflection, and fellowship that brings the audience into his world.