Look at our Songwriters Series Internet TV Show season V finale: Van Wilks, John Pointer and Evan Felts. Enough said. I am posting this one week prior to the November 15, 2008 concert so if you have stumbled upon this in your Internet search of what to do on this particular Saturday night then come on down for one fun live concert that happens to be a live broadcast to the world via Internet broadcast. If you are stumbling on this ten years later in an Internet search then log onto SongwritersSeries.com or TVKnob.com and watch the show. You can’t lose either way. It’s Austin music at its finest. Live. Real. And good. Hank Sinatra is the king of live television broadcast and Doug Watkins is its kin in Internet live broadcast. Put the hooka down, please. And log on Saturday night November 15, 2008 to join John Pointer, Vank Wilks and Evan Felts at 6:30 PM (CT) for their Songwriters Series Internet TV performance.

September 27, 2008 8 PM Hank Sinatra Presents the Songwriters Series orchestrated another great concert at Linda and Hank’s backyard in Austin, TX. This September concert in our fifth season represents a team full of artistry and deliberations. Whether you were there or on the web-tube interfacing or interacting with our Internet TV show, you cannot deny the power of the moment or the art or the broadcast of  both to the world. Once again, we captured the beauty of songwriting, live performance and the Austin-TX-HankandLindaBackyard-NeoHippy-ArtistryFirst mantra and connection thereof.

Larissa Ness is your pop vocal songwriter virtuoso. Her strength is her vocal strength and she showed it on our stage. She has an Austin momentum with some national considerations that are reflective of her artistic commitment. She was our first artist and her piano performance alongside with her vocal excellence was the point of our invitation, broadcast and essence of our show.

Next was 17-year old Brenna Pritchard who caught my eye with her YouTube video broadcast of “Yes We Can” of Barak Obama’s campaign pledge that led me to contact her mother for her appearance on our show. She deserved it. Earned it. And was worth it. Great job Brenna! You caught our eye for a reason and now we have the footage to prove it. I still think “Yes We Can” is your hit. Keep ‘em coming.

Last, but not least, was Jeremy Yocum and Eric from New York City who travelled a couple of miles from New York City with a very broad-stroked and talented accompaniment (Eric) to join the worldwide energy of the Songwriters Series Internet TV Show here in Austin, TX. Your dedication of “Drifter Girl” to Alaina May was not only inspirational but reflective of the proud spirit of inclusion and love to our newest member of the crew and the show. And, “Drifter Girl” is worthy of recognition, broadcast, performance and longevity so as a fan and one who has that song on his ITunes favorites, there is a reason Jeremy Yocum performs. So thank you Jeremy and Eric. Thank you for your artistry, your appearance on the Songwriters Series show and for coming down to Austin, TX to join da family.

The current episode of the Songwriters Series Internet TV Show features Ted Hadji (and his sister on one song about their parents.) It’s a great episode that just typifies the energy we capture outside Hank and Linda’s chicken coop tucked away near downtown Austin, TX. Ted is definitely tomorrow’s songwriter that we need to pay attention to today. (That’s one of our catchy motto’s we like to promote about our Songwriters Series Internet TV Show.) Ted is young, talented and writes some great tunes. So far, my favorite is “40 Days of Rain.” I’ve already tried to buy it on Itunes but he is not listed probably out of independent rebellion and the fact that Itunes’ percentage to artists is not that favorable but they are the most popular thus the conundrum. Anyway, I’ve seen so many young artists who burn out or quit out of the frustrations of artistry and that it takes a long time to get your ROI and before you’re even close to realizing that you do get a return both financially and/or spiritually – you quit. So, Ted, my request is to stick at it because you got it and if you – the world – don’t believe me, watch the show and make your own judgment.

The same goes for Dave Madden, the Flyin’ A’s and Danny Britt. We captured and broadcast live their songwriting energy last Saturday night and with great live performances from all. Now I can’t wait to see the footage. Danny Britt is a songwriting veteran with a country feel. The Flyin’ A’s are a repeat performance on our show which speaks for itself. The Flyin A’s duo of Hilary and Stuart had a stand-up bass player and a Dobro player which was a really cool addition and Dave Madden was the young songwriter who is tomorrow’s songwriting star today. Hank compared him to Jack Savoretti, the English songwriter who has been on our show.

Songwriters and fans from across the world, join our energy and our artistry. We broadcast songwriters regularly on our Internet site while we broadcast live the concerts where the songwriters perform while we shoot and record. We are taking artistry into the 21st century offering live and taped broadcasts to the world with the traditional genre of songwriters – straight from Hank and Linda’s backyard out of Austin, TX. The world of songwriters and Internet broadcast is just a click away and join our world, send us an e-mail and let us know what you think!

July 19, 2008 Songwriters Series Live Concert

It has been 75 100 degree days this June and we still have a week to go. Usually June in Texas we are becoming acclimated to our Summer with 89 to 95 degree weather in June to prepare us southern fools for July and August where it becomes 7,843 degrees on a daily basis. But not this year. Not in Summer ‘08. It is one hot mo fo and it is only June and we have broken all time records. Hank says Al Gore is on drugs. I say it is one hot mo fo. So, basically, we have nothing to look forward except the one day of the month where it doesn’t matter how hot or not. Because it is Songwriters Series night.

Our team converges on a hot Summer night and broadcast three songwriters performing before a live audience and the world in Hank’s backyard over on the east side in Austin, TX. A whole group of us stupid motherfuckers who have a passion for art and production and technology get together and make this really odd but cool event happen where a live Austin-tatious concert is joined by the world through Internet broadcast on www.songwritersseries.com.

We do this every month from March to November and Saturday night June 28th – it is the night. We have Carol Ann Ames, Samantha Miller and Tommy Joe Hill. Carol Ann Ames is required to perform “West Virginia,” as it is a great song and also where she made a name for herself from the 2006 Folk Festival CD that went worldwide. Now she is stopping by on her tour to perform that song as well as her new material that is just as awesome. Carol Ann Ames is a real treat to have on our Internet television show and you need to know that. So log onto that. And be that with that that’s that in that Internet chat of that audience that logs on at that.

We have just-turned 18-year old Samantha Miller. She has been stealing the headlines and heads of audience members and industry folk including us with her maturity as a performing songwriter. We pride ourselves on allowing up-and-comers the opportunity that otherwise doesn’t exist in gatekeeper Austin, Tx so log on. We have earned the trust of America because we broadcast artistry – period. Samantha Miller is one of those and we are proud to have her on stage to the world. Hello world, this is Samantha Miller. Samantha Miller – meet the world.

Tommy Joe Hill. He’s our Tom T. Hall and our gateway to Europe. He will be performing third in the line up and will bring late night or early morning Europeans to our Internet family who sit in their home office with a beer, cognac or glass of wine in their hand chillin’ to the chill of Austin, TX music that the world knows and craves. But, don’t worry. Log on if you can’t afford the gas or a plane ticket. That is the beauty of Hank Sinatra Presents the Songwriters Series. You get to let your belly out. Drink alot of beer while you scratch your privates and watch the best Songwriters Series show in the world and if you’d rather do that in private, you can also log on along side with the world. See ya June 28th and send us a message in those few private moments when your beer is not in your hand.

It’s May 2008 and you are chomping at the bit on who our special Songwriter guests we have scheduled for our May 17th Songwriters Series Live Internet broadcast concert. Well, I will tell you. I am feeling charitable or shamelessly self-promotable but it is all in the spin. We have legendary songwriters from the Greezy Wheels – Cleve Hattersly and Sweet Mary. The Greezy Wheels were the first band on Austin City Limits and now they pioneer music television once again appearing on one of the world’s first independent Internet-broadcast television series – The Songwriters Series.

Next up, we have Haydn Vitera who is bringing along David Vitera and Dave Perez. Haydn has played for Asleep at the Wheel and Rick Trevino but he’s much better being himself. We saw him at Nuevo Leon restaurant several years ago and have been hounding is agent for him to play but they have been giving us the windy day so when I added myself as his devoted fan upon his fan list, I was able to ask him directly and do you know what he said to me? He said – OK. So, there it is. The heck with managers. They just get in the way because Haydn saw the power and beauty of our worldwide broadcast and not only said “OK” but “Hell Yeah.” So, Give ‘em Hell Yeah Haydn as my persistence for the past three years hounding you has paid off but, really, our worldwide fans will reap the benefits.

Last but not least is San Antonio songwriter Laura Marie. She’s bringing some Congas with her too. I found her in my pursuit to reach out to other Texas cities and either San Antonio is void of songwriters or void of a songwriters group to access or have issues with Austin being a cooler city. But Go Spurs Go! BUT, finally a songwriter comes out of the ashes of the Alamo to drive up to our lil’ town to perform for our show to the world. You cannot miss this show. And I mean that literally. If your cheap ass can pay for an Internet line that is above a phone cord then you cannot miss the show. Log onto the Songwriters Series at 8:30 PM (CT), grab a cold one and e-mail Doug@Watkins.org with your requests or zodiac sign (he’s single) and join us for a great Songwriters Series May 17th concert!

Well, as usual, the Millennium Falcon of audio and production equipment held up just enough to capture, broadcast and produce another great Songwriters Series Internet TV Show concert. Flying by the seat of our pants, our crew has to pull together with duct tape one of the most difficult triumvirates of production – live concert, live Internet broadcast concert and recorded live concert for not just for one act but THREE. Geesh. What were we thinking and we did it without a beer sponsor. I said without a beer sponsor not without beer. But, anyway, I digress. Let’s blog about the show. First up was songwriter, Bob Cheevers.

Bob Cheevers is a Nashville-transplant moved to Austin. I know that sounds crazy (sarcasm inserted here.) But Bob is pure Austin and he should have moved here years ago. Another interesting point about Bob is he is alot like Willie Nelson. He has those tones and style to him that wreaks Willie. He is a seasoned songwriting veteran and it showed. No wonder he’s won an Emmy. What a consummate professional and performer. He was a treat to watch and listen and we were honored to have him.

Next up was Meagan Tubb – the band. We don’t have bands. But here we are. We have a band. Meagan was adamant about it so we acquiesced (that means we caved in) and had the band stripped down as much as possible and it was well worth it. She is a bluesy rocker that rocked the backyard and the large crowd that showed up. We, as the Songwriters Series, sometimes have an excess of mellow, cryin’-in-your beer, I’m-the-biggest-depresserino-in-the-world, self-pitying artists who sacrifice their lives to be a songwriter so it is always a treat to have a jammin’, rockin’ songwriter like Meagan Tubb and her great band. And they were great. Thank you Meagan for pushing your band on us but for all of you other songwriters don’t think about it. You’re not as charming or persuasive so forget about it.

Last was a rare repeat of Graham Weber. This is the second time Graham has appeared on our show. We are in our fifth season so we have the right to repeat and we have done so several times but not very often. So that should tell you how we feel about songwriter Graham Weber. He is your songwriters songwriter who is also a gem of person to hang out with. I was freaking out at the end of Meagan’s set wondering where the hell Graham was but lo and behold at the very perfect timing, Graham walks out of the shadows and onto the stage for another repeat grand performance. Thank you again Graham.

Well we survived another Songwriters Series concert. We had our on-air host Sarah for the second time and that’s been a great addition. As for the rest of the crew, great job as you all know it just watch the show. It shows! So, log on now to the Songwriters Series Internet TV Show and watch the great performances from Bob Cheevers, Meagan Tubb and Graham Weber!

The Songwriters Series April 19th concert on Saturday night has been scheduled for Saturday night April 19th so this Saturday April 19th the Songwriters Series Concert is on! (Advertisers claim that repetition is the best advertising tool so Saturday night, April 19th the Songwriters Series LIVE INTERNET BROADCAST concert is on!) Oh, it begins around 8:00ish PM (CT) and anybody in the world can log on in the world and watch it live at http://www.songwritersseries.com.

Or, come if you can, bring a lawn chair and something to drink (we have lost our beer sponsor, so if you know a brewer, pass it on). Directions are below.

We have a great line up of seasoned songwriting veterans to the next generation of songwriting stars. They are:

8:00 – 8:45 PM Bob Cheevers
Bob Cheevers is an Emmy winning songwriter from Memphis now living in Austin. He’s a Kerrville and Napa Valley Festival winner with six commercial CDs to his credit including two top 20 Americana chart CDs. Bob just completed a successful three month tour of the UK and has most recently been performing in Texas and California, promoting his current CD, Texas to Tennessee. Check him out www.bobcheevers.com <http://www.bobcheevers.com>

9:15 – 10:00 PM Meagan Tubb
“Roses may be red and violets may be blue, but you can see those flowers any time you like, I’m only here once in a blue moon”, Meagan Tubb is a rare breed of female artist with her own enticing scent. This singer/songwriter/guitar player tirelessly strives to convey messages of hope, belief; and life observations of God, herself, nature, love, and relationships through unexpected vantage points within her songs. She is often compared to Sheryl Crow, Tracy Bonham, Fiona Apple, and Grace Slick in vocal style, ability, and technique while her guitar playing is carved out from the masters of the trade such as Jimmy Hendrix, Shuggie Otis, Eric Clapton, and Jimmy Page. Check her out at www.meagantubb.com <http://www.meagantubb.com/> or http://www.myspace.com/meaganmarileemusic <http://www.myspace.com/meaganmarileemusic>

10:30 – 11:15 PM Graham Weber
From a certain glass-half-empty point of view, Austin, needed another singer-songwriter when Graham Weber moved to town, but even a music town as glutted with songsters as Austin could use a hell of a lot more of ’em of his caliber. Through love and life, he moved back and forth, but finally migrated back south to Texas to make his second record, Beggar’s Blues. And you need to hear Beggar’s Blues. Graham is showing himself to be one of the very few really good ones who jumps out from the middling crowd and makes a lasting impression the first time you hear him do his thing. Just ask fellow Austin transplant (and fellow “really good one”) Slaid Cleaves. Check him out at www.grahamweber.com <http://www.grahamweber.com/>

Remember you can watch the show live from your own couch, patio, hot tub, whatever…….over the Internet anywhere in the world at http://www.songwritersseries.com or http://www.TVKnob.com or http://www.austinmusicvideo.com.

Brought to you by Hank Sinatra Presents, Richard May Productions, TVKnob.com and the Austin Visual Arts Association.

This project is funded in part by the City of Austin through the Cultural Arts Division and by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts.

Directions: Hank’s Place 2407 Riverside Farms Road Austin, TX 78741-4829
From IH 35. Head to downtown Austin. Take the Riverside Exit and head East. Travel East down Riverside Dr. for two miles whistling your favorite rap ballad. After Pleasant Valley Rd., the third or fourth next right will be Riverside Farms road where you will take a right and travel down about a 1/2 mile to 2407 Riverside Farms Road on your left. Go into the backyard, beyond the chicken coop and join us for a great Songwriters Series Showcase Concert.

“We’ve been here at SXSW for a week and this is the coolest place yet.” And I quote Jack Savoretti verbatim. Or I think it’s verbatim. Anyway, the point is that England’s hot songwriter, Jack Savoretti is commenting about his one week experience in Austin, TX and of all the travails, margaritas, Leslie sightings, famous Austintatious moments the convention and visitors bureau promotes and, yet, of all of these places in Austin, TX – it’s the set of the Songwriters Series Internet TV Show in Hank’s backyard in SouthEast Austin that is the favorite of all. But, hey, don’t take my word. Go ask MTV, Black20.com, some video dude from Germany, some journalists from London and about several hundred blogs from across the world listing Hank’s Place as the coolest venue in Austin, TX and SXSW.

I have been trying to tell the world this for five friggin’ years but, no, don’t listen to the self-promoting, over-hyping producer but, rather, listen to MTV’s John Norris. He has a job. He has credentials. Evidently he is worth noting and I’m just another angry blogger demanding attention due to my oversized ego coupled with an insecure artistic addiction to seek affirmation from all. Hold on, this is WAY too much information and should be spoken to a shrink and not on a public blog. Geesh. Anyway, go to the Songwriters Series Internet TV Show and watch songwriter Jack Savoretti perform a great set. In the meantime, where is my Zanex?

“Thank yous” all around are in order for many things that has happened in just a few days during SXSW here in Austin, TX. First of which, go to songwriters Jack Savoretti, Tori Sparks and the United Steel Workers of Montreal for the artistry, their songs, their live performance and their patience regarding the Songwriters Series Internet TV Show Season Five Opening concert. Our live broadcast bandwidth was filling up meaning there was thousands of viewers on-line joining our concert at Hank’s place in Austin, TX and what a treat.

Jack Savoretti from London, England is your Bruce Springsteen meets Cat Stevens who is also a really nice person. Is being a nice person worth mentioning especially when it has nothing to do with your art? Well, yes. If you’ve been in the music industry for twenty years as I have promoting musicians you realize that being nice and being talented are not bound by each other so when you do meet someone as humble and nice as Jack and his great team from London, you want to help their success. So we did and we are. Jack is the real deal and he will be a name we will all know in years to come. He may be our golden pick that we are becoming famous for our season openers – Ayo, Gordie Sampson, Rachel Sage – who have since risen to new levels and distinction with their music after performing for the Songwriters Series season opener.

Tori Sparks we owe you an apology for making you late for your next appointment but when you deal with live Internet broadcast, a live concert and a television taping all in the same event, there can be technical thingamajiggies that need jiggamathinging or mathinkajigging. But, she’s a pro and she showed it. Got up, did her set, was great with the crowd banter and was just seductive as hell. Her bass tones in her sexy voice with the melodic storylines of her guitar wrapped around with her command on stage was just awesome. Thank you and we apologize again Tori.

Lastly was a group of Canadian renegades who fled south for SXSW to escape the tyranny of Montreal and Canada. Okay, maybe they were invited to play our show and SXSW and drove down willingly as proud Montrealers and Canadians. But, they are still renegades dammit. What a great group who call themselves the United Steel Workers of Montreal. They are also the United StoryTellers of Montreal especially when Gern drops the Mic stand to half mast bends down to begin a story and a song that transcends songwriting to performance art. Unbelievable. They also were so gracious to perform “77-87″ and “Trigger” for the show as I basically begged them to do so and being the co-producer they may have felt obligated but I got what I wanted which was those two songs and I’m a selfish bastard. So there.

Jack and the United Steel Workers of Montreal stayed for the whole time and drank some beer with us and shared some life, love, philosophy and their art at the great Austin haunt known as Hank’s place. Hank Sinatra’s backyard is a funky Austin outdoor concert place that has become known on the underground blogs and circles as Hank’s place. Hank’s place has become known because the day before MTV news showed up and hung out with Hank and his New York buddies +1 Music for, oh, five hours or so drinking 40s, Bloody Marys and eating great Texas barbecue while hosting the party of SXSW, or at least, that’s what MTV heard and reported. Yes, MTV said just that and I have it on camera as I shot John Norris and crew as they interviewed Hank asking him directly what his opinion was that the word out in the SXSW streets was the best party was at Hank’s Place. Damn. It doesn’t get any better than that. And if you were there then you would know. More than 200 musicians, industry folk and fans hung out for 10 hours eating and drinking everything from artistry to great music to great food, libations and a great time. All in Hank’s backyard – farm animals and all. Sam Winter from Black20 was there. Matt Roeckl from Viddinet was there. All covering the event of the event and it’s all thanks to SXSW who successfully has commanded the attention of the world’s music scene to Austin, TX for several days and some of that worldwide attention spilled over to Hank’s place and the Songwriters Series Internet TV Show.

Log into the digital fireplace with a live performance from a group of songwriters you will most likely never see together in your lives again. Log onto the Songwriters Series Internet TV show Saturday March 15th at 7:00 PM (CT) and we will be broadcasting live our Songwriters Series Season Five opener featuring the United Steel Workers of Montreal (Montreal, Canada), Tori Sparks (Nashville, TN) and Jack Savoretti (London, England). They will all be performing on our lil’ backyard stage in Austin, TX while we shoot them alive with digital firearms that will broadcast them live to the world on the Internet. Are we the friggin’ Jetsons or what? Anywhere in the world where you have a connection that is beyond a tin can and a string and you can join our concert.

E-mail us at Doug@Watkins.org and send us requests, reviews or just tell us that our color coordination of our evening’s attire is just not right.

The United Steel Workers of Montreal are a progressive hillbilly jug band with a twang and a bang type of feel that is intoxicating, real and raw.

Tori Sparks is a rockin’ country girl or country rockin’ girl. I’m not quite sure yet. But she has those qualities in her voice, music and look that smell pop success. And we have a record for this show of picking those so is she this year’s Songwriters Series American Idol? We shall see…

Jack Savoretti is the Bruce Springsteen meets Bob Dylan meets today’s songwriter. He typifies the songwriting rebel image that reeks artistry – harmonica and all. I cannot wait.

You will be joining, of course, the famous and cantankerous Hank Sinatra and his farm animals. We are in his backyard. Actually, it’s Linda’s backyard and she is nice enough to keep Hank around. He feeds the farm animals, cooks and is the famous live music video director so sometimes he’s worth his overweight. I and fellow producers, Doug and Kelli will be there too along with a great crew of videographers that include MinsterG, Dave Madewell, Travis and who knows who will show up. It will probably be one of those nights.