Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Musically, I appear to suffer (or benefit) from GADD (Genre Attention Deficit Disorder). I write songs in a wildly eclectic array of styles, not content to mine one type of music for very long. Rock and Roll, blues, Pop, Broadway, Country... no genre is safe from my experiments in musical diversity. When people ask me what kind of music I prefer, I say I like what I like, and whatever I write reflects what I'm feeling at the time and how I express it in melody and rhythm.

What are my influences? As a kid, I listened to Marty Robbins, Johnny Horton, Hank Williams, Pat Boone, Roy Orbison, Elvis and the rest who were popular in the late fifties and early sixties. Up until 1963, my primary influences would be what was then known as country and western. That all changed when the Patterson family brought back an album from England entitled "Meet the Beatles." John, Paul, George and Ringo became my leading musical lights until a friend gave me some 8-track tapes just before I left for college to study art and drama. Those tapes included "Steppenwolf"; "Steppenwolf the Second"; "Wheels of Fire"; "Led Zeppelin"; "Led Zeppelin II" "Strange Days" and "Waiting For The Sun", among others. Though I had been one of the few who found "Born To Be Wild" to be grating and noisy, I became a fan of Steppenwolf, and remain so to this day. Following this, I listened to Linda Ronstadt, The Monkees, Mott the Hoople, Ian Hunter, Queen, Gary Allan and more, but the Beatles, Steppenwolf and Ian Hunter appear to be my lasting favorites and musical influences, with a heavy nod to Marty Robbins, Johnny Cash, and even Tiny Tim.

Though Brenda Donaloio Lee is now my wife, she still remains my best friend and creative mentor, balancing my flights of fantasy and imagination with a cruel but necessary dose of reality.

There will be new CD releases forthcoming in 2007, including "Rock and Roll Singer" and "A Simple Time and Place".

We are currently sending out my original Plays to drama publishers. I have been unable to convince the local theaters (Strand Theatre and Island East End Theater Company) to produce any of my work, all of which had successful runs in Houston, Missouri City, Sugar Land, Kansas City and other locations. It's all very exciting, and we hope the New Year brings recognition and success in George's forays into the world of creative arts!

I will be updating my performance schedule here as I book new gigs.

I will soon be exhibiting new artwork, including my collection of signed and numbered pieces entitled "Ceilings on the Wall", which are made from stamped tin ceiling panels rescued from gutted historical buildings (circa 1915) and framed in red pine that is over a century old and soaked in the flood of the 1900 storm. I also have a number of new watercolors.

Currently, a small portion of my artwork may be viewed at the Art League Gallery at 21st and Post Office Street here in Galveston. We are contacting some galleries in the Houston Village and West U area as well regarding a showing of new GeorgeArt.

Stay tuned for more news and watch for my comatose column of humor, "One
Day In A Row" to be resurrected soon!

and the apple itunes store
for downloads and sales
Special thanks to David Stanowski of Galveston Music Scene.com
for his continued interest in finding me places to play!!!