The Jake Wright Session

Jake Wright sees life like this.

Less is more.  If you have two of something, there is probably someone out there who can use your extra. 

In the last five years he lived in Llano, Nashville, Fort Davis, Germany and Austin.  Much of that time all he needed could fit in his backpack.  He grew a garden in the mountains of West Texas.  He harvested apples and learned to bake bread on a farm near Hamburg, Germany.  He studied.  One time he rode his bike about 1,200 miles in a couple of weeks. He went to a place and stayed until he could speak the language. He worked on a horse farm.  He read books.  And he always made music.

Turns out his simple, somewhat vagabond lifestyle is the stuff from which great lyrics are made.  He has journals full of them.  Only a handful of people are fortunate enough to have an actual recording of them.  So we were really excited when he stopped by Agape Haus a couple of months ago to sing for us.  He was joined by his brother and sister (a grouping he calls "The Siblings Wright") for a live performance of "We Got Hitched".

We hope you enjoy Jake's Agape Session!
 

The Courtney Reed Session

“Living songs is writing songs, if you ask me.” 

That’s something Courtney Reed said once. 

This past year, the songs she’s lived were recorded in what she calls a serious milestone in her life.  Her debut album called “Somewhere Down the Road”.  It’s real and raw and it’s all her.  You just have to hear her sing one time to know it.  It’s in her voice— a certain commitment and connection to her lyrics.  The project was co-written by Courtney and her dad Allan Reed.  It’s all about life lessons and the ins and outs of a love story…from beginning to end.

“My dad wrote most of the songs, other than the two we wrote together. He knows me like the back of his hand, and for that I am truly grateful,” says Courtney.  For the past seven years, Courtney and her dad have played music together.  Somewhere along the way, her brother Cameron Chase Reed joined the mix, and then later lead guitarist Patrick Russell.

The Courtney Reed Band plays regularly in the Texas Hill Country at  The Badu House, Granite Top, Joe's Bar and Grill, Lincoln Street Winery,  Doc's Fish Camp and on occasion at Fuel coffee house.  You can also catch their live show now and then in Austin  at Iron Cactus and at Uncle Billy’s on Lake Travis. 

A few weeks back we were thrilled when Courtney, along with band members Allan and Patrick,  stopped by Agape Haus to play us a song.  We hope you enjoy her Agape Session!

If you’d like to hear more of Courtney Reed, or better yet purchase her music, you'll find it at

Amazon.com and iTunes.com.  Want to see The Courtney Reed Band live?  Visit http://www.reverbnation.com/courtneyreedband  for a list of upcoming shows.  If you’d like to book The Courtney Reed Band for an event, send an email to courtneyreedbevocal@gmail.com.



The Savannah Still Session

I am intrigued by musicians that  seem to come out of nowhere.  Boom.  It's like one day there they are with a soul that is filled to the brim with music and the music is slowly finding its way out.

Savannah Still is one of those musicians.

She's 16 and only those closest to her really knew about the music inside her.  Until now.

I guess we never know exactly what it is that coaxes the music out of a person.  Maybe is comes from summers spent traveling the country in an RV and attending music festivals.  Perhaps it's that.  Or maybe it's all the evenings at home doing something quite atypical for a 16-year-old---listening to Ella Fitzgerald.  Yes I said Ella.  Not Lady Gaga.  Ella.   With that said it won't surprise you that Savannah's music of choice is always jazz!

Savannah attends Faith Academy.  Piano, cello, violin, ukelele, guitar and mandolin are all instruments she plays or is learning to play.  For years she's written melodies, but only recently began to write lyrics.  When pressed about future musical plans, Savannah admits she doesn't have it all mapped out just yet. In the meantime, my guess is that she'll just keep listening to Ella, writing down whatever comes out and not getting in too big of a rush about things. 

One morning a few weeks ago,  Savannah dropped by Agape Haus to sing us a song-- a song that was inspired by her best friend and is being considered for a movie with some major Hollywood players. That's about all we can say about that now, but you'll be hearing more about Savannah Still in days to come!  In fact, 20 years from now, this recording will probably be referred to as Savannah Still:  The Early Years!!

The song is called "I Could Never...".   Enjoy!

The Justin Simpson Session

You never know exactly where you might find Justin Simpson.  He likes to fly a little bit under the radar!   He has a gig as a really fine barrista, so if you know his schedule you can track him down at the local coffee house.   And sometimes, you might catch a glimpse of him biking across the Llano River bridge.  So because he's somewhat off the grid, you can imagine how thrilled we were when he stopped by Agape Haus one recent afternoon to play us a song.

Justin has perhaps one of the most unique musical styles we've come across.  He's contributing to a whole new genre of music--a creative and somewhat primitive mix of poetry and spoken word--delivered in an inimitable one-man band style!

Justin plays his music around in the Central Texas area.   He regularly hosts the popular Open-Mic Nights at Fuel Coffee House in Llano,  Texas.   When he's not writing and playing music, he teaches guitar as well.  If you would like to hear more of Justin's music, you can find him on ITUNES under Lightnin' Paperboy Simpson  & the Feedbucket of Truth.  If you would like to book him for an event  you can find him on Facebook!
 
In this world there are "people" and there are "characters".

Justin Simpson is a character.  A character who plays some really creative music.  We hope you enjoy his Agape Session.

The Darrell Staedtler Session

Most mornings these days, Darrell Staedtler can be found having coffee at Fuel Coffee house in the small town of Llano, Texas with the mayor, a preacher, and an assortment of other small town characters. If you were to observe these early morning gatherings you might hear talk of the drought, sports and maybe some politics.  More than likely you wouldn't hear Darrell talk about his impressive music career. He's kind of quiet about these things.  So let us fill you in!

Darrell started writing songs and playing guitar when he was 15.  Before he got out of college, he had a #3 song on the Billboard Magazine charts.  It was  "It's Another World" recorded by the Wilburn Brothers.  In the 60's, Darrell lived for a time in Nashville.  He was invited to sing at the Grand Ole Opry.  During those years, he met just about everyone backstage at one time or another,  and he became good friends with Loretta Lynn.

In the 70's,  it was a demo of Darrell's songs that helped George Strait land his first major recording contract. Strait's recording of  Darrell's song, "A Fire I Can't Put Out" has gone platinum six times.  In case you don't know exactly what that means, it means it has sold more than 6 million copies!  He has three gold records, too, including "Blame It On Mexico".   Eleven of his songs have made the Billboard charts,  and more than 80 of his songs have been recorded.  Recent recordings of Darrell's songs have been chart-toppers in Europe.

And Darrell is still going strong.  These days, he writes songs that reflect his strong faith in God.  When he sings them  on a stage with just his guitar, he still has an uncanny ability to hold the audience spellbound.  To many, he is Llano's most precious gem!  And we at Agape Haus concur.

He recently stopped by to sing us one of his hit songs that Lefty Frizell recorded in the 70's.  It's called "Honky Tonk Stardust Cowboy".  We hope you enjoy the Darrell Staedtler Agape Session!

If you would like to purchase  a Darrell Staedtler CD,  they are available at Fuel Coffee House in Llano, Texas.  Or, just drop us a comment and we'll find a way to get you one!

The Lainey Wright Session

When Lainey Wright visited Agape Haus, it was late summertime in the Texas hill country and at least 105 degrees outside.  Her music was refreshing!  She was joined by a couple of fellows she's played music with for a good part of her life--her brothers Adam and Jake Wright.  Her good friend Keenan Fletcher joined in on fiddle.  We were blessed to be among the first to hear and record a brand new song called "Coming for Me".

Lainey recently released her first major recording project, "Traveler", which was recorded in Franklin, TN with producer Paul Colman.  Her single "Ride" is currently receiving airplay in the U.S. and Europe.  When Lainey visited us at Agape Haus, she was just wrapping up travels and performances in Canada and New England and looking forward to a busy fall.

Lainey currently lives in Austin, Texas.  If you would like to hear more of her music or have an interest in booking her for an event,  visit her website at laineywright.com or email her at laineywrightbooking@gmail.com.

We hope you enjoy her Agape Session!