Often when I got to block parties or looking for live music Austin usually comes to mind first not Waco. However with Waco rapidly growing the amazing coffee and beer house known as Pinewood Roasters decided to throw a kicking music fest known as the Pinewood block party from 11:30 am to 10 pm. For $7 you got access to an all day music extravaganza complete with art work and food vendors. The morning session featured acoustics acts under the shade of a large tree which made for a splendid place for one to enjoy their coffee or beer. The evening meant the opening of the main stage and time for guitars to shred peoples faces. The first band up was Good Heavens! and good heavens did they start the party off with a sonic bang! They currently have 1 single out on spotify right now called Suck.  The following band was the cover band Flat 7 and boy did their lead singer have amazing pipes she absolutely entranced everyone listening with her sweet voice and powerful vocals! She could have done an amazing cover of Great Gig in the Sky. However she got everyone out and dancing with her version of Rock with you that would have even made the King of Pop himself proud!  The band following was known as The Irons. They were young full of energy and had stage presence that rivaled many veteran acts if the stage! They brought the young audience to this family friendly event and absolutely got the crowd going with their angsty songs of youth and love, they had a saxaphone player who demolished his solos on stage and just absolutely electrified the crowd with their rendition of the cha cha silde complete with bringing audience members on stage! Following them was the country rock act of Thomas Csorba drawing inspiration from artists like Townes Van Zandt. His cover of Plastic Jesus was fantastic filled with soul and even managed to capture some of the humor of  the song quite well. The final act was the house band consisting of owner Dylan Washington and his friends including Thomas Csorba just jamming out onstage with country and rock covers such as Rocky Mountain way and provided a fun end to an amazing day. The other Hidden Gem of the party was custom hat maker Logan Miles Allison and his mobile business The Heart Hatter! They often say you get what you pay for well with The Heart Hatter you get a truly unique hat custom built to last you a lifetime. From the moment I first talked to Logan I could tell this business was his passion and he put his heart and soul into the businesses aptly named the Heart Hatter. Not only is it custom made but he brings his businesses to you.  This hat practically pays for itself years after all your other clothes have become old and worn this piece of custom made artistry will still be going strong! you can check them out here !

Well after the Tuesday night server fiasco the Wednesday night 2.0 broadcast was a success. The show broadcasted loud and clear. I managed to fix the sound quality and got rid of the echo that was coming from the mic. So thankfully all those who tuned in could hear the rockin line up that was in store for them that evening. The show kicked off with a great new single from Scott Yutzy out of Wichita, Kansas. The song was great and had a nice mid 2000's feel to it. Honestly if that track was thrown into a 2000's post grunge track I don't think anyone would even notice it was a song dropped in 2019! Just from this one single I am excited to see what the future hold for Yutzy and his music will always have a home here on The Prowl.  Not only was Kansas represented but musicians from 4 other states excluding Texas and 1 country. Follwing Yutzy's angsty tune we blasted Detroit's punk group Heroes of Charlotte with the song Lets Dance.  It was both bright anf up bight while still having that raw distorted power of punk and it came together to form a song that both made me want to dance while simultaneously headbang! Out of Pennsylvania we blasted acid rock group Bearsloth with their song Get in the Van. It was raw, heavy, and did not skimp on the fuzz and distortion. After listening to that song I felt like I grew a few more hairs on my chest and had the urge to go by a VW microbus. Another hard rocking band we featured was the blues rock band 2000 Foot Turtle from Phoenix. They bring a raw heavy sound to the table that just makes you want to kick back on a front porch chair and jam out. I saw them live in concert at SXSW and the energy they  bring to the stage is absolutely mesmerizing.  However my favorite song of the night had to be Fifty Years from Now by the music duo DONN out of Lawrence, Kansas.  Fifty years from now is like having an existential crisis on ecstasy. The song questions if the moment they are in will even matter in the future. The song itself though is extremely bright and upbeat. It's a song that no matter how bleak your day has been will at least in the slightest make your crack a smile and have the urge to just break out in dance where ever you are. Be sure to check out these artists on spotify, Facebook, and Bandcamp 

Well after weeks of testing the radio equipment tonight's show was supposed to be a seamless transition back into the world of online radio however like most things in life it did not go that way. 3 songs into the set and one well versed monologue late I was receiving texts that the web player was not working properly and not playing any audio like it was on mute. Well considering I barley even just figured out how to properly install all the needed radio software this was well above my capabilities of  problem solving and caused almost an hour long panic session as I button mashed and tried resetting my broadcast server to no avail. I even emailed the server tech support and desperately waited for a response. Not only this but I had quite a few bands excited at the opportunity to be played on the radio and here this server was throwing a tantrum and messing it all up. Finally however after almost an hour the server miraculously started working again and beautiful music was once again returned to people speakers. However hopefully this was just a first time glitch and will be back to working like normal.The goal is to rebroadcast the show tomorrow and hope it all goes better than today. But as they say that's show business and one has to adapt at a moments notice. To all those who attempted to tune in today I thank you and hopefully you tune in tomorrow for a great show. 

After a very frustrating few weeks of trial and error the Prowl is on its way to returning to your homes. Much of my frustration was aimed at my laptop and lack of technical skills and considering much of the programs I was looking at for running the show required downloading a few different pieces of software there were a few moments I came close to just throwing the laptop across the room! However thanks to some more tech savvy friends and a great sale at guitar center this death star is finally operational! That being said though please bear through the inevitable hiccups of figuring out a whole new broadcast set up. As mentioned previously  the show is all new and for those who listened to the old show will no longer be a classic rock focused show but instead this one is for the indie fans. Dedicated to those bands who are still grinding out long van rides hoping that each next show is the one that gets them in the big time! A new feature that will take some serious trial and error with is the ability to take live callers during the show which I am personally quite excited to try out. Be sure to like us on Facebook to stay updated on our showtimes. 

For those who have never traveled to Kansas or  have just seen it via the airplane window, the town of Manhattan Kansas may not ring any bells. For those who are fans of college sports then you may be aware that it is the home of Kansas State University. However tucked away in this small Kansas town lies more than just a college. Just like Austin has its 6th street district Manhattan has Aggieville and tucked away in this area saturated by college bars and the smell of wings lies a hidden musical gem. In the heart of Aggieville lies Sisters of Sound music. Of all the 28 states and records stores I have traveled to Sisters of Sound has to be my absolute favorite. They have a very wide ranging and unique selection to choose from. They've had quite a few Reggae collections walk through the door. Albums autographed by artists who seldom sign their John Hancock. A one of a kind Dark Side of the Moon album from Australia on green vinyl and a psychedelic christian rock album that currently retails over the 1 grand mark. Not wanting to drop some serious change on a record? That is fine as well they also have their haggle bin any record you see in their is up for wheeling and dealing. However its more than just their selection that makes this record store my favorite. Through out my many travels I have realized that there is a shrinking number of places that makes one feel right at home when you walk in. Yet from the very fist moment I walked into Sisters of Sound I felt immediately right at home. From the warm welcome you get when you walk in the door to their willingness to answer all you vinyl questions. This is a far car from my fathers first experience in a record store last week. He decided to check one out in Dallas for the first time and decided to ask the person working where he could find a certain genre and was just met with a half hearted point and a "it should be over there". This however is not the case at SOS. Looking for a certain album they will be more than happy not only to show you the album you are looking for but may similar to it. I am all too familiar with this as I once went in for an Eagles album and left with almost Poco's entire discography.Another time I walked in looking for new vinyl for my radio show which led to a lengthy conversation and list of suggestions on albums with great B side songs that often get overlooked. It is not just their wonderful service and musical knowledge though that makes them truly special. Owner Sarah "sue" and all those at SOS have been very supportive of the community. They host live music through out the year, have now started doing vinyl and cocktail nights, and been wonderful for the college music programs. Thanks to SOS my partner and I were able to host a live radio show from SOS and became the first program in school history to host a show out of the city limits, she was more than willing to shout us out, rearrange the store a bit for us and brought in listeners from all over the united stated to tune into a college radio show and showed us how to quickly and properly set up our turntables for the show which was a skill my partner and I were severely lacking. We can't thank y'all enough for that wonderful experience. For those looking for an affordable vinyl store that offers wonderful service and an abundance of knowledge then go check out Sisters of Sound! 

I recently took and excursion to Houston, and during my traffic filled time there I decided to try and bolster my library for the future radio show.  After some googling and looking for what store was not going to cost me an hour in traffic just trying to go a few block. I Stumbled upon Cactus Music. Upon arrival it looked just like any other store nothing super fancy just a white building  with a plain sign that read Cactus Music. However upon entering the store I began to notice just why it has been in business for  over 40 years. The store contained a stage for live performances. The store contained an overwhelming number of Cd's, Cassettes, posters, and of course vinyl.  Not only did it contain a multitude of records but there was something for everyone in there. Not a fan of paying an exorbitant amount for Vinyl? The as long as you don't mind  them in a little bit more loved condition they had an entire wall full of 97 cent albums. Are you an avid collector? Looking for something to maybe hang on the wall? They had numerous rare finds some of which were upwards of $150 or more. They had just about every genre imaginable, everything from Tu Pac to Buddy Holly, and had plenty of specials on many of the records. Luckily for me and the future radio show they had quite the collection of indie records. After some digging I stumbled upon one that caught my eye for $15 it was only 1 of 300  made and came on clear and white vinyl. J Fernandez was the artist and one I was not familiar with however with the help of Spotify I decided to take a gamble on this record and look forward to writing a review on it in the near future. However for those looking for a music lovers paradise whether it be Cd, Cassette, or Vinly be sure to stop at Cactus Music in Houston.