BF Deal Sampler Vol1 Official Site

Spencer Starnes

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 09:13:26 +0100

Spencer Starnes plays bass on all of Frank Zigal's songs, an outstanding bass player, I recall he had a bass that was a reconstruct of a very famous early 1800's Italian bass. In searcing the Internet for information on Spencer we found this description of the bass. The Bass is a Classic Italian style 3/4 size Bass made in Pizza, Italy - 1817 by Guiseppe Del-Serra. The instrument is setup for jazz style play with Dr. Thomastik Spirocore orchestra gauge strings at a medium height of 3/8. The String length is 40 Â½ The rounded back is somewhat exaggerated which adds great depth to the tone. Spencer went on to become a prolific bass player and engineer, founding Bee Creek Studios, he became a Grammy Award Winning Producer. He appears on several Asleep at the Wheel albums, Pasture Prime and The Wheel Keeps On Rollin as Bass Player, and 10 as engineer. From the same sight describing the bass comes this description of Spencer. Spencer Starnes is a premier Austin bassist, Studio Engineer, Player, Producer and Arranger. He has performed with a variety of acts including: Mose Allison, Charlie Byrd, Les Brown, Micheal Martin Murphy, Paul Glasse Group, Asleep at the Wheel, Jerry Jeff Walker, Joe Ely, Herb Ellis, David Liebman, Paul English, Rich Harney, Beth Ullman, Herbie Mann Just to name a few. For an extensive list of Spencer's credits, you can find it HERE.

Frank Zigal

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 14:13:43 +0100

From the liner notes BF Deal SamplerFrank Zigal si-i-i-ings with a rasp and a grin that both come from about two thirds of the way down a bottle of Crown Royal. At a recent Austin picking party Frank abandoned the living room and snuck off in a corner to pick some Rhythm Blues with the East Side Flash. Pretty soon the party moved to the corner. You can’t fool Austin pickers. (Sometimes you can fool the Flash, but only if he’s never heard the song before) Everybody likes Frank, because he doesn’t care if he’s a fool or not, long as he’s rasping and grinning.

Will Walker

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 13:59:05 +0100

From the liner notes of the BF Deal Sampler;Will Walker always seems to be smoldering, and when he picks and sings it breaks out into Cajun Fire. Louisiana Bayous were Wills stomping grounds before he came to Austin, and a swamp-snake rhythm flows through his music. A lot of Texans think he sings funny, which is a pretty odd thing for a Texan to say abut anybody at all. Will doesn’t say much….except when he fires off a song.

East Side Flash

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 08:43:39 +0100

Bennet Spielvogel (aka: The East Side Flash) is one of the most instrumental musicians on the B.F. Deal Sampler. East Side was one of the most coveted musicians in Austin at the time and the Sampler was very lucky to have him be a part of it. Not only one of the diversely Talented musicians on the album, but a big part of its sound, Bennet played: Dobro on “Texas Boy” and “If I Were A Child” Piano on “Double Standard Blues”Dobro on “Big Black Cadillac”Acoustic Lead Guitar on “Lady From Carolina” and “Thieves and Fools”And last but not least Piano on “When I Call Your Name”East Side was so much a part of the album, his energy helped to make it come alive. Since those days The Flash became one of the most sought after musicians for sessions so much so that in 1989 his love for music lead him to open one of the most prolific recording studios in Austin, TX, and he became a copious Producer, if you Google the name East Side Flash you will see what we mean. You can learn more about The Flash and Flashpoint Studio HERE for an extensive list of East Side's credits you can go HERE.

Mike Williams

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 07:20:55 +0100

Mike Williams the Producer of the BF Deal Sampler Vol 1 and without whom the project would have never happened, is a charismatic entertainer with a baritone/bass voice that rings in your ears like a church bell. He has been a fixture at the Kerrville Folk Festival since the earliest of days. On one internet music site his promo info reads:A veteran of 200 clubs and 500 college concerts, Mike sings with a power that whisks you away to places of delight. His original songs look you right in the eye. They remind you of your first dance, tales your grandmother spun, loves you've won and lost. Mike's warm baritone voice is an arm around your shoulder, coaxing you to smile. That honest voice has seen the world. You can't fake a voice like that. There's heart in every note. Mike's lyrics and melodies rise above rich chords on his double-wide twelve-string guitar. His songs cut to the chase on the very first lines:Then, just when you peg him as a romantic, he nails you with a rollicking dartboard of puns:This man knows road rhythms, sky colors, and heart secrets. He's an overgrown boy who's equally at home pounding across deserts on a motorcycle or counting moonbeams with a sweetheart. When you hear Mike sing, you discover treasures in yourself that he's known about all along. You can feel him winking at you: That's right, pardner. That's right. Mike now resides in New York City with his Lovely Wife.

Nanci Griffith

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 07:10:06 +0100

From the liner notes BF Deal SamplerNanci Griffith is either a butterfly or a bird of paradise….or maybe a sparrow just in out of the rain. As you watch her sing, it is easy to get caught up in a sweet sadness, and sometimes noisy rooms get quiet while Nanci sings folks their own stories. And just when you think she’s too frail to survive, she belts one out Hot-Mama style, and everybody goes a little nuts trying to figure out how all that music come out of a girl who looks like she’s only fourteen years old.

John Garza

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 17:03:34 +0100

From the liner notes BF Deal SamplerJohn Garza packs a ten-foot voice. It comes busting out, impossibly high and strong, like a street-corner horn on a free Saturday afternoon. When Garza sings, musicians come running, and it’s a rare night when his show only features three or more guest pickers and vocalists. His intensity makes him a natural band leader, and now you are in his band. John’s high energy makes it hard for you to just sit still and listenBorn in Houston Texas John started singing at 6 years of age . In his teens he spent a lot of time playing at coffee houses, one in particular Sand Mountain (where Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt got started) and at parties with friends. He won outstanding vocalist in Houston while in the band The Midnight Shift and opened for local bands like Fever Tree and The Moving Sidewalks (later became ZZ Top), then spent a year or more singing with the band St Laufren. Moving to Austin TX at age twenty John returned to his solo career playing many venues. In 1975 he was a finalist at the Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk and in 1976 he won and was joined at the winners concert by David Amram , renowned jazz musician and composer for the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, on pennywhistles. John returned the next year to Kerrville to perform on the main bill. Over the years John has persued his carreer and has Shared the stage with people like Taj Mahal, Jesse Winchester, John Stewart, The Outlaws and , many others.After Living in California for several years and joining a couple of Bands, State of Siege a fusion band in Santa Cruz and Diamond Ridge a country rock band in Susanville, In 1984 John set out for Flagstaff Arizona and back to his activist roots to work for the Navajo Traditionals resisting relocation. It was there that he also became involved with Hopi Tradional Leaders and their struggle against their illegaly appointed Tribal Council after several years of political involvement John returned to his musical carreer. In the 90's John went back to a love he had in his youth, the Theatre, and in 1990 was a principle in Hair and performed many of the songs including the opening number, Aquarius, in 1993 John was Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar and in 1999 Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof. Moving to his property in Snowflake AZ in 1999 John took a long sabatical from the City Life and set out to build a Hogan by hand. Later moving to Concho AZ John became a sound and lighting engineer for the White Mountain Apache at their resort Hon-Dah Casino and worked with many well known and famous musicians. In 2004 John moved to Durango Co and presently lives there with his family, two dogs, ten cats, eight goats, three sheep and one yak.

Patterson Barret

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:01:35 +0100

Patterson Barret, was a local Austin Musician and had become an Austin All Star in his own right. He played pedal steel on Double-Standard Blues (Nanci Griffith). Patterson Barrett moved to Austin shortly after appearing on Jerry Jeff Walker’s first release on MCA records, playing pedal steel, dobro, and guitar (including the song “L.A. Freeway”). Not long after arriving in Austin, he formed the band Partners In Crime, which included Buddy and Julie Miller, releasing one album on their own label, Criminal Records. In the years since, Patterson produced some of Hal Ketchum’s earliest demos, served in Al Kooper’s back-up band, and performed before 10,000 festival-goers as Chuck Berry’s pianist. He accompanied Nancy Griffith on Austin City Limits, legendary Austin singer Lou Ann Barton in music clubs around the country, and Buddy Miller on his Your Love And Other Lies CD. You can learn more about Patterson on his Homesite and hear some of his recent music on his Myspace Page.

Tom Zigal

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 14:14:40 +0100

Born in Galveston, Texas, in 1948 and grew up in nearby Texas City on the Gulf Coast, Tom Zigal is Frank's brother. He sang harmonies on Texas Boy (Nanci Griffith) and Big Black Cadillac (Frank Zigal). At the time of the Sampler Tom was a UT Graduate and Stanford Graduate and a budding young writer. Since then Tom has become a very successful author having written such works as The White League and Pariah as well as many others. You can find more informaiton on Tom at his website. Tom Zigal's Homesite

CD Information

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 19:47:53 +0100

Availability of the BF Deal Sampler is a long time question for many people. There are plans in the near future to release the Album on CD, and when it is they will be on sale through this site. Also recently we were informed that there are still at least 50 sealed LP’s still in existence and there are plans to make them available for purchase. We will be offering a package, with the purchase of an LP you will receive a CD so the album can remain sealed and a collectors item. The LP/CD package will be on a first come first serve basis and we ask that only one be purchased by each customer. Once these LP’s are sold there will be no more. Keep checking back for updates and more info here.