Randy Ball - Drums and Vocals ;
Leo De La Vega - Guitar and Vocals ;
Brian Wicker - Bass and Vocals ;
T. Wayne - Organ, Piano and Vocals
Influences
Sounds Like
Dallas Observer 2005 Best Blues Band
You might be surprised at the number of blues clubs around town: Keys Lounge, Deep Ellum Blues, Lota's Goat, Hole in the Wall, 6th Street Grill, J&J's, to name a few. It's hard to believe they can all stay in business, what with no radio station to support the genre like rock, hip-hop and Latin music receive. Even more interesting is that one band plays so many of these joints it could single-handedly keep them all afloat. The Silvertones, three-time winners of the best blues award, have been rustling around Dallas since 1993, and to put that in perspective, blues legend Stevie Ray Vaughan has been dead only three years longer than they've been together. It's an appropriate touchstone, as Leo De La Vega leads his rock-leaning blues quartet with loud howls and guitar wails that would make Vaughan a proud papa. The guys are currently at work on a third LP, and in the meantime, you can always catch them live. Don't worry if you miss a show—you'll just have to wait a couple of days. —Sam Machkovech, Dallas Observer --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Silvertones have recorded three CDs:
Cruisin, which was self-produced in 1999,
Hot in The Hole, which was recorded live in July, 2002, at The Hole in the Wall in Dallas , Texas , and
Ride in My Cadillac, which was produced by Deep South Productions in 2005.
Brian Wicker, bass, is a Long Beach , California native. He graduated from Chico State , which was hailed as the 1 party school in the nation during Brian’s tenure there. (Not that he saw ANY of that!) Brian began playing the guitar in junior high as a side hobby, but his high school and college years were devoted to that classic California sport—volleyball. Brian first became serious about his music when he moved to Texas and met the not-so-serious Kyle Copeland. Brian and Kyle met at Delta Airlines and mixed as well as oil and vinegar until discovering their common musical interest . Brian and Kyle played together for fun, put together a demo tape, shopped it around to bars and restaurants, and The Silvertones were born. Brian began as a guitar player, but then switched over to electric bass when the original 5-piece Silvertones band downsized to four. Brian came across a Denton newspaper ad for a stand-up bass in 1999, and added that to his musical arsenal about the time Cruisin’ was released. ---------------------------------------------------
Randy Ball, drums and vocals, grew up in Wichita , Kansas in a very musical family. Randy grew up playing with his brother Mike—a phenomenal stand-up bass player in a Boston jazz combo. (You can hear Mike on The Silvertones’ newest CD, Ride in My Cadillac.) Randy moved to Texas in the early ‘80s, and has performed continuously with DFW-area rock, country and blues bands. In 1994, at a gig at Lone Star Country Club in Coppell, The Silvertones were approached by a woman whose musical taste proved prophetic. During a break, she informed Brian that her husband could sing “way better than that guy you’ve got!” and insisted that Brian take her business card and give her husband a call. That call came a mere week later, when The Silvertones arrived for a gig at Tucker’s Catfish Haven—minus their lead singer. No call, no show from the singer, so Brian pulled out the business card and phoned Randy at 10 pm and invited him to play a gig. Randy said “Sure. When?” and Brian’s response was “Now.” Randy dragged his body out of bed and sped to North Richland Hills while The Silvertones played an all-instrumental first set. The consummate pro, Randy pulled it off without a hitch, and was an immediate addition to the band. Randy has performed with Buddy Miles, Rusty Burns, Smokin’ Joe Kubeck and jazz great Homer Osborne. -----------------------------------------------------------
Leo De La Vega, guitar, is from Harlingen, Texas and relocated to north Texas in early ‘90s. Leo also grew up in a musical family and began playing the guitar when he was about 12 years old. As one of the younger children in a very large family, Leo had to share a guitar with his brother. But, ever the hard worker, Leo saved until he could afford a guitar of his own. The family took Leo to Sears to make his purchase, and Leo was proudly cradling his very-own-guitar while riding in the back of the family truck. The truck hit a big bump in the road, bounced sharply, and Leo watched in stunned disbelief as the guitar shot out of his arms and shattered on the freeway pavement. Fortunately, this disaster did not deter him from pursuing his musical passion. For many years, Leo has been a regular jammer at local blues clubs, which is where he and Randy first met. In 1997, Kyle Copeland left the band and Randy brought Leo into the fold. Leo plays a right-handed guitar left-handed, so it's strung upside down. Leo has been joined on stage with David Brown, Smokin’ Joe Kubeck and his brothers and sisters.-----------------------------------------------------------
T. Wayne, piano and organ, from Ft. Worth, Texas, brings his stage and studio experiance to the band. After years of playing and recording with
such performers as Joe Jonas, Zac Harman, Lucky Peterson, John Nitzinger, Buddy Miles, Rusty Burns, Rocky Athes, Tutu Jones, The Uncle Bill Roach Band, and Chuck Rainey, just to name a few. T. Wayne says he has been influenced by some of the best musicians in country and rock. “ I think Texas is like the melting pot of all music. Blues, Rock, Country…., down here all the good musicians play it all , and I’ve played with some of the best.” T. Wayne has also worked on both sides of the glass at several recording studios in the DFW area and is a regular fixture at S R Studios in Ft. Worth (www.myspace.com/srrecording). He is also a published song writer and has a movie score to his credit.
Come see me Friday @ Muddy Waters live on stage! Activities start around 9:00 with Def Point a rock/blues band and I will take the stage at 10:00! LOVE TO SEE YOU THERE... FUN WILL BE HAD BY ALL!!
Hello from David Curiel!! Checking in on the Family Reunion!! Hope everybody is doing GREAT! Hope you can come us some night when ya'll are off, we're gigging a lot! We'll come drop in on you when we can!
Hello and welcome from the Arkansas Delta. Thanks for the add, and We'll be at the Hot Springs Blues Festival Sept 2009 Details at Blues Guitar News www.bluesguitarnews.com From Mike, Guido, Brad and Fraz - Keep on jammin' them blues, it's music to our ears. Come on out and join us at the Thusday Jam Session - Odie's House of Blues on Central Ave, Hot Springs.
Drop by my page my friend. I posted a video and MP3 of me doing one of the hottest versions of “Voodoo Child” that you’ll ever hear.....guaranteed to make you smile! …..and you can download the MP3 for free!
