Arts Talk With The Johnson Brothers

The Beat is Dead, newly released solo album by Nina Diaz, lead singer of Girl In A Coma. Many albums capture the flood of introspection that comes after a life-changing experience. But The Beat Is Dead (out October 28 on Cosmica Records)—an expansive body of work that sonically references musicals, alt-metal, indie pop, new wave—powerfully chronicles Nina’s journey itself. “This album is the story of my addiction and my sobriety,” she says. Some songs were written while using, some in the infancy of going clean, some looking back months later with clarity. “It’s like I shed a lot of different layers of skin during this process.” The Beat Is Dead, produced by both Nina and Manuel Calderon (who engineered Girl in a Coma’s Trio B.C.), didn’t start out that way. While working on new material for her band, Nina penned the rousing “Trick Candle.” As with any other Girl in a Coma song, she fleshed it out with her bandmates, drummer Phanie Diaz (Nina’s sister) and bassist Jenn Alva. “I’m the writer, but our songs rea

For nearly a decade, Bantum Rooster has been playing music and providing entertainment across the Carolinas. The band plays a blend of classic rock and beach, funk and dance mix, and top 40 hits! Excellent showmanship, tight vocal harmonies, a hot rhythm section and a sensational horn line create an unstoppable show that leaves the audience wanting more. Bantum Rooster is "YOUR Custom Music Experience.Shane Morgan - Keyboards/EmceeJon Cheney - Rhythm Guitar/VocalsCourtney Raynor - VocalsMatt Hanson - Bass/VocalsChristian Morgan - Drums/Lead VocalsTerry Burrow - Lead GuitarJimmy Plater - Tenor SaxophoneDave Beitzel - TromboneDoug Woolard - Trumpethttp://bantumrooster.com/

Silo Road is a 4-piece Americana & Roots ("Ameripolitan") band headquartered out of Austin, Texas. Formed in late 2012, Silo Road evolved from an acoustic Roots act paying homage to classic Texas artists into the powerful live band they are  today. Their emphasis on well-crafted storylines, tight harmonies, and dynamic song elements, executed with precise musicianship, has helped them develop a unique sound:  Americana forged and hardened in the musical hearth of the great Republic of Texas.BAND MEMBERS:?Billy Broome - vocals and guitarChris Swindle - guitarBrendan Smith - bassJarid Craig - drumshttp://www.siloroadband.com/

Brett Dyer was born in Dallas, and grew up in East Texas. After high school, Brett attended Kilgore Junior College for two years under a full Presidential Merit Scholarship for his talent and creativity in art. He later was accepted at The University of Texas at Tyler. There, Brett received a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree in painting and printmaking.Brett started graduate school at Texas Woman's University in Denton, Texas in January 2003. There he received his Masters of Fine Arts degree December 2005. His major was in painting, and his minor was in intermedia arts. Brett currently lives and works in the Dallas area, where he has been working as a full time art professor teaching courses at North Lake College since 2012. In addition to his full-time position, Brett also offers various art workshops at museums, galleries, art centers, and art events in the DFW area. Brett has been teaching in higher education since 2006 and has previously taught at El Centro College, Tarrant County College, and Collin College

John Sheppard began his love of fiction at the age of four when he bought his first comic. The youngest of four children, his parents John and Josephine raised a happy family all of whom took on different challenges but stayed close. John has been a hockey blogger for website Around the Rink taking on subjects from a unique point of view. John loves fiction, building a story and coming back and proving something. It was why John excelled in literature. As John matured he wrote for fun, he also found an appreciation for writers like Robert Ludlum. A Graduate of the College of the North Atlantic, this is John's first book but it will not be his last.