The Best Music
Shelley King | Brian Wolff & The Howlers: Texas Radio Live
September 10 @ 7:00 pm
Shelley King
Shelley King has been busy; Busier than ever touring relentlessly with Carolyn Wonderland’s band for the last several years. But the road has not kept her from working tirelessly on her own music and the creativity has flowed in magical ways for King. “Madam Mystic” marks Shelley King’s 10th album release and the third album on which Shelley King has collaborated with John Magnie and Steve Amedée, members of the renowned New Orleans group, the subdudes.
This album is truly a testament to the power of collaboration and the magic that can arise when talented musicians come together. Shelley King recorded the basic tracks with Magnie, Amedée, and esteemed Colorado bassist Eric Thorin, creating a solid foundation for the rest of the album. As the creative process unfolded, she ventured into numerous different studios across the country to capture the essence and soul of each track: Two sessions in Colorado, two different Austin, Texas studios, three sessions in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and finally a Woodstock, New York studio, every location brought its unique flavor to the music.
In addition to the core team, King has enlisted an array of exceptional musicians to elevate the sound of “Madam Mystic”. Multi Grammy winning Cindy Cashdollar, the steel guitar/dobro virtuoso, lends her incomparable talents to the album. Electric guitar maestro Will McFarlane adds his signature touches. Shawn Camp further enriches the album’s sonic landscape with his mastery of the baritone guitar, mandolin and vocals. Carolyn Wonderland shows off her whistling skills, plays some down and dirty guitar and sings a ton of background vocals. Amedée on drumset, and a wild bag full of percussion toys and sound effects as well as his considerable vocal ability. Magnie plays keyboards, sings, orchestrates hand claps, kazoo choruses, and arranges the horn parts, bringing in northern Colorado horn players Greta Cornett and Phuong Nguyen on a few songs. Shelley performs a heartfelt duet with Matt Skinner, and Tim Cook’s vocals can be heard holding down the bass on several tracks.
Shelley King is known for penning a treasure trove of original material on her own, but on this album she also co-wrote numerous tracks, including one with Nashville songwriting wiz Shawn Camp. On other songs she splits songwriting credit with John Magnie, Matt Skinner and Robert Cline, and her longtime band mate and guitarist Marvin Dykhuis. “Madam Mystic” effortlessly blends elements of soul, country, R&B, rock and gospel, treating listeners to a captivating musical journey.
Shelley King’s decades-long journey in the music industry has been on her terms. Throughout her career, Shelley King has taken on the roles of songwriter, band leader, studio producer, owner of her own label and publishing company, to self-release all of her work. Her talent, energy, commitment to the craft, and service to the community led her to be recognized by the Texas Legislature and appointed Official Texas State Musician. She’s won several Austin Music Awards, and had her songs recorded by several internationally known musicians. Her relentless touring efforts, determination and unwavering belief in writing good songs and delivering powerful performances has taken her all over the world where she has built a strong national and international following.
-shelleyking.com
Brian Wolff & The Howlers
“Brian Wolff is a guitarist, singer and songwriter based in Austin, Texas. Born in upstate New York, Brian moved to Austin in 2012 and has taken the local music scene by storm. Wolff’s musical style draws influence heavily from Classic Rock, 90’s Alternative, and Blues. His songs are marked by big guitars and impactful rhythms complete with thoughtful, introspective and unique lyrics. Brian was one of the founding members of the band Fair City Fire, a mainstay of Austin performance venues for over 7 years.
Led by Brian’s playing and his powerhouse vocals, Fair City Fire produced two LPs, The Simple Truth and Shake Your Bones. They embarked on five national tours, playing in legendary clubs such as Antones, Stubbs and Mohawk in Austin, Bowery Electric and Pianos in New York, the Warehouse Live in Houston, Ironworks and Babeville in Buffalo, and The Slippery Noodle in Indianapolis. The City of Austin even declared August 31, 2019 “Fair City Fire Day,” in which they were featured in a presentation by the Mayor before their set at Antone’s.
When the band went on hiatus during the pandemic and eventually decided to call it quits, Brian turned inward creatively. He used his newfound extra time during the pandemic to write new songs and to livestream concerts from home. He found inspiration for writing his new material while listening heavily to a wide range of artists including Bruce Springsteen, Manchester Orchestra, Foo Fighters and Jason Isbell. He also started a podcast called Greetings from Wherever, in which he interviewed artists across a variety of media: comedy, photography, writing, and more.
In Summer 2021, Brian Wolff teamed up with producer-extraordinaire, Frenchie Smith, to record his debut five-song EP, “The Punch” featuring his band, Brian Wolff & The Howlers. Current members are Tim Moen on bass, Joe Valadez on drums and Scott Blanco on lead guitar. Wolff’s songs “I Love You, Goodnight” and “Motion” were separately featured as KUTX’s Song of the Day. Upon “The Punch” EP’s release in June 2022, listeners from all over the world have listened in on all major online streaming platforms.
His sophomore EP, The Golden Age, was released in July 2023 to a packed house at The Pershing in Austin, Texas. It has received airplay from radio stations and playlists all over the world, including the single “Talk to Me” which garnered a spot in Sun Radio’s regular rotation.”
-BrianWolffMusic.com
