Crowd Control | September
poster design by Macy Burr
September Theme | The Wild
This month at Crowd Control, we're excited to announce we are teaming up with State Fair Records!
State Fair Records was formed in 2014 when Dallas music veterans, Trey Johnson, Paul Williams and Scott Davis decided it was time for North Texas to have a prominent independent record label. Local singer songwriter, Madison King’s sophomore album, Onward and Upward was State Fair’s first release. At that time, the young label was recording and producing out of the Southside Building in the Cedars district south of downtown. The label now has a new home with a studio in the Design District and has eight original acts signed. The musical genres are varied, from the soulful blues of Bree and the Fellas, to the lyrical Brooklyn based duo, Pueblo, to the alt-country rockers, Vandoliers that were recently named “Top Ten Country Bands to Watch” by Rolling Stone.
The label has released eight records in its three year run, including two E.P.s and one single, a collaboration between Madison King and Rhett Miller of The Old 97’s and the studio remains busy with three new albums currently in production.
Below is the line-up of State Fair Artists who will be performing this month at Crowd Control:
7:00-7:30 | Featured Artist - Charlie J. Memphis
7:30-8:30 | Open Mic
8:30-9:00 | Featured Artist - Chris J. Norwood
9:00-10:00 | Open Mic
10:00-10:30 | Spotlight Artist - Joshua Ray Walker
CHARLIE J. MEMPHIS
Charlie J Memphis is a Texas based singer-songwriter with a passion for telling stories through song.His musical discovery of artists like Bob Dylan, Jack White, Ryan Bingham, Lightnin' Hopkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Cramps, and Lincoln Durham led him to trade in his aggressive three chord punk rock stabs for a more nuanced sound—an aesthetic that transcends the dive bars and 2-penny pubs at which he performs throughout North Texas. And now after several years of gigging and busking, he’s just made another big change in his career—a stronger focus on songwriting.
CHRIS J. NORWOOD
Dallas-based singer-songwriter Chris J Norwood knows 'Love Keeps Us Strong' and believes his new music reflects that. Most of the new songs on his debut album, Longshot, were written in the year leading up to the birth of his first daughter, with some tracks added after the family gained a beautiful new member.
JOSHUA RAY WALKER
Raised on the music of the Smokey Mountains, Joshua Ray Walker took a precarious path back to traditional country music. one forged by musical exploration and life experiences that most his age have not yet endured. He has played his songs on stages All across Texas and beyond, enthralling listeners with his brand of melodic, character-driven writing which puts a new spin on traditional story-telling country. Expect his first full-length release this Summer, 2018. - State Fair Records