Friends and Acquaintances
Over the years, we've had the good fortune of knowing many fun and talented people. Dennis and Lynn both worked in the electronics industry for years, and Dennis has spent a great deal of time in the music business, particularly since "retirement". Here are some websites of our friends, family, and acquaintances.
Musical
Bigfoot Yancey - Dennis' band. He plays with 5 other area musicians and performs regularly in the Central and West Texas areas. Check out the website for some pics and clips, as well as the current schedule.
www.patobryan.com Pat is a very talented musician, songwriter, recording engineer, and producer. He and Dennis were partners in the now-defunct Gazinkus Entertainment, Inc. and the associated record company, publishing company, and recording studio. Both still play music, occasionally together, and remain friends. Pat has ramped down his recording efforts, but still writes and produces his own albums.
www.raywylie.com Ray Wylie Hubbard was just an obscure name mentioned on an old Jerry Jeff Walker album until Dennis met him after moving to Wimberley. Ray and his family are also Wimberley residents. Ray is so much more than "Redneck Mother" - he's a great songwriter, an excellent musician, and a great person, to boot. Dennis has worked sound for Ray and his band many times.
www.jimmylafave.com Jimmy LaFave is an Austin-area singer/songwriter/bandleader of immense talent. Dennis met him via another Wimberleyite, Val Denn, who serves as his manager. Jimmy possesses one of the most haunting voices you'll ever hear and is also a wonderful person. Dennis has worked sound with him and his band on several occasions.
www.saengerhalle.com Bob and Shirley Saulle, two New Yorkers who decided to transplant themselves in Texas, took an old, dilapidated dance hall on the outskirts of New Braunfels, TX and turned it into one of the finest music venues in this area. Dennis met them several years back, when he was in a band and looking for gigs, and has since become one of the house contract soundmen. They focus on Americana music - blues, folk, authentic country, rockabilly, swamp rock - anything but the commercial pap you hear on the radio. Bob and Shirley sold out a couple years back and moved to Florida, but Saengerhalle keeps going.
www.sistersmorales.com Roberta and Lisa Morales are the beautiful and extremely talented leaders of this act. They combine Linda Ronstadt-ish country rock with sweet Mexican folk songs, exquisite harmonies, powerful lead vocals, and strong supporting instrumentation. They're also nice people and have great bandmates. Dennis has worked with them several times at Saengerhalle.
www.radionewbraunfels.com/derailers.htm The Derailers are a hoot. Dennis (and Lynn) worked sound for them one night at Saengerhalle, and have run into several members here and there. Imagine a combination of Jan and Dean and Buck Owens and you get the idea. Surfer twang. Rhinestone tremolo. They were also featured on the same Austin taping of A Prairie Home Companion that included Tish Hinojosa and Jill Jones. Dennis and Lynn attended that show.
www.thesouvenirs.com The Souvenirs are another band that Dennis met via a Saengerhalle sound gig. Immense talent, great sound. Imagine an updated Ray Price.
www.shakerussell.com One of the great Texas singer/songwriters, Dennis first heard him years ago in Houston. Val Denn manages Shake these days, so Dennis has worked sound for him three or four times, including a gig at the bar Dennis ran for a year. Shake wrote "One More Payment" for Clint Black as well as the hauntingly beautiful "Deep in the West", and hundreds of other great tunes. He has a distinctive, beautiful voice, and is a humble, gracious, and generous person.
www.crosscanadianragweed.com Never mind the name. These guys rock. 4 young fellows out of Oklahoma do the Americana country rock thing. Imagine Robert Earl Keen meets Megadeth. Well, maybe not. They're talented and fun and great guys. Dennis has worked with them several times at Saengerhalle. Since I first posted this, these guys have exploded. They're now sharing the stage with some of the best in the biz.
www.radionewbraunfels.com/chriswall.htm Dennis worked with Chris and his band once at Saengerhalle. Chris is known for penning the hit song "Trashy Women" (Confederate Railroad) and for being an Austin honky-tonk legend.
www.stevefromholz.com Steve is another player from the Wimberley charity gig, and is best known for his song "Bears", recorded by Lyle Lovett on his album "Step Inside This House". Steve has a wicked sense of humor.
www.brandonrhyder.com Brandon and his band are Austin-based country-rockers. Dennis worked with them several times at Saengerhalle. Great guys, great music.
www.shelleyking.com Shelley and the band were booked numerous times at The Waterhole, the bar Dennis managed in Wimberley. A rising talent, Shelley is becoming better known every day.
www.pontybone.com Ponty Bone and the Squeezetones are great guys and wonderful musicians. Ponty plays the accordion and sings, weaving among swamp rock, Cajun, zydeco, conjunto, and Tejano styles. Lots of fun to watch. More Waterhole veterans.
www.thehollisters.com A Houston-based power-rockabilly band. Another Saengerhalle gig for Dennis. Loads of talent, hard workers, nice guys.
www.terrihendrix.com Terri is a tremendous talent as an Americana singer/songwriter. Her producer and accompanist is Lloyd Maines (yes, Natalie's dad...). Dennis worked sound for Terri several years back.
www.stephenbruton.com Stephen is an Austin-based musician and record producer. He's a very talented guitarist and worked with Dennis and Pat on Pat's album "Of Trains and Angels". He was also the dance hall singer in the John Travolta / William Hurt / Andie MacDowell movie "Michael".
www.michaeloconnormusic.com Michael is a talented guitarist and singer. He writes and plays his own material and occasionally works in other bands, including that of Ray Wylie Hubbard. A former Wimberleyite, Michael and his wife still live in the Hill Country.
www.mazakmusic.com Grant Mazak owns one of the few music stores between Austin and San Antonio. His shop in San Marcos is a magnet for all the local pros and amateurs alike. Grant is a great guy and a fantastic guitar player. He fronts his own band and plays in dozens of others, as well as teaching music at Southwest Texas State University.
www.masterpiecestudio.com Billy Stull operates a high quality mastering studio in Wimberley. He also is a guitarist and musician and has jammed with Dennis several times.
www.murrywoods.com Murry and his band Tangled Blue are Texas blues rockers and nice guys. Dennis has booked them several times at The Waterhole and even sat in on a few songs with them.
Tish Hinojosa Tish is a very talented lady known for crossing the Tex-Mex cultural lines, blending her Spanish folk influences with Texas country. Dennis met her working sound for a charity gig in Wimberley. Earlier, she had worked a Prairie Home Companion live show in Austin that Lynn and Dennis attended.
Marc Benno - Stevie Ray Vaughan used to play in Marc's band. Marc has a Grammy from a song on the "Beverly Hills Cop" soundtrack and wrote the song "The Shape I'm In". He was also the onetime bandleader for Rita Coolidge and Manse Lipscomb, and played on The Doors' "LA Woman" album. He recorded and toured with Leon Russell for several years. Marc lives now in San Antonio, but lived for a while in Wimberley. Dennis and Marc have jammed many times.
Elizabeth Lee - Elizabeth and husband Larry Chaney are new Wimberleyites. Elizabeth is a fantastic blues singer. Pat O'Bryan and Larry are regulars in her band, and Dennis has sat in with them.
Larry Chaney - Larry is Wimberley's top gun guitarist. He's Edwin McCain's ("I'll Be") studio and road guitarist as well has his wife's (Elizabeth Lee) guitarist when he's not on the road. Larry is a fantastic talent and a very nice person.
Bradley Kopp - Bradley is a tremendous guitarist, recording engineer, and producer. He can sing, too. Brad produced Pat O'Bryan's album "Of Trains and Angels" in Dennis and Pat's studio, and played most of the guitars on that album. He tours with Iain Matthews and several other Austin-based acts.
Eliza Gilkyson - Eliza is another Val Denn client, and another Americana-introspective-folk singer/songwriter. Dennis has worked sound for her at several events. Her friend and occasional accompanist Mark Andes is a former bassist for Heart.
Jill Jones - Jill does the Cowboy thang. Or Cowgirl thang, as the case might be. Yodel-ay-e-hoo. It might not be your cup of tea, but you have to note the talent here. She played the same Prairie Home Companion show that Tish Hinojosa and The Derailers worked. Her band includes Dennis' buddy and part-time Wimberley Volunteer Fireant Doug Floyd, possessor of some of the fastest flying fingers a mandolin has ever seen. Dennis worked sound for Jill and the band at a benefit in Wimberley several years back.
Willis Allan Ramsey - Willis is a minor legend. He had an important album in the early 70's and then disappeared off the map for many years. He resurfaced in Wimberley a couple years ago and began playing again. Willis is known for "Muskrat Love" (yes, that one...) and a number of more obscure and less commercial songs. Dennis met him at the Wimberley charity gig.
Susan Gibson - Dennis met Susan working the Hill Country Sun 10th Anniversary party. "Who's Susan Gibson?," he said before being introduced. "Oh, she wrote 'Wide Open Spaces'". "Ooookaaay..." And she sings it better than the Dixie Chicks, too.
Second-degree Musical Contacts
These are people Dennis and Lynn don't know personally, but have friends who are associated with them.
www.asleepatthewheel.com Asleep At The Wheel is the Austin-based western swing band that is tied for receiving the most Grammies ever. Dennis & Lynn's friend Chuck O'Connor is the monitor mixer for them.
www.halketchum.com Hal is a tremendous talent, although apparently self-destructive. Dennis's friend Keith Carper, an occasional bandmate, is a longtime member of Hal's band. Keith has also played with Kris Kristoffersen, among others.
www.ely.com Joe Ely is a Texas singer/songwriter/bandleader legend. Dennis has met three of his bandmates through various events: Lloyd Maines (see Terri Hendrix), David Grissom (via the studio and Pat O'Bryan's album "Of Trains and Angels"), and the bassist Gary Herman, with whom Dennis has jammed.
Other Friends and Family
www.geocities.com/~cbpdoc Dennis met Kevin Smith (and Pat O'Bryan) via the Compuserve guitar forum many years ago. Since then, he and Kevin have stayed in touch and become long-distance friends. Kevin is now a degreed, licensed chiropractor in the state of Pennsylvania.
www.digitalenterprises.com Dennis and David Fradin co-founded Desktop Video Products in California in the early 90's. The success of this company, and it's evolution into DVP Technology, Inc., and later DVP Techdoc, Inc. led to Dennis' ability to "retire" and move to Wimberley. Dave and the company parted ways a couple years later, and Dave founded Digital Enterprises, Inc. Dennis and Lynn do occasional consulting work for this company, specializing in Internet information services and marketing consultation. Dave and Digital Enterprises are based in Saratoga, CA and Maui, HI.
Maui Mana Kai - this is David Fradin's condo in Maui, which he rents out to visiting executives and such.
www.hillcountrysun.com The Hill Country Sun is a monthly newspaper/magazine serving the Hill Country area of central Texas. Madonna and Allan Kimball are the publisher/editors, and Jimmy Ash is the music writer. Dennis is friends with all, and occasional Ash Brothers Band member.
www.systech.com Mark Fowler and Dennis worked together at TI years ago, and later at a startup named Zaisan in Houston. Mark recruited Dennis to come to ITT in California, where they worked together again. Mark is now the President of San Diego-based Systech, a networking equipment company. Mark has also recruited several ex-Zaisan and ITT employees for his staff.
www.mollyllama.com Molly Westmoreland and her husband Jeff were among the first of Dennis and Lynn's peers to shuck the corporate lifestyle, move to the sticks, and simplify their lives. Molly, one of Dennis' former employees at Wyse Technology, and her husband bought a small farm in coastal Oregon, moved out of Seattle and the big-business lifestyle, and settled down to a bucolic life raising llamas and assorted other critters.
www.gridleygraphics.com Joe Gridley is one of Dennis' oldest friends, dating back to junior high. Joe and Dennis met Jane in college; Joe and Jane have were married for years, but recently split. Jane and Joe remain friends, at least with Dennis. Jane runs a professional graphics service and is a talented artist.
www.ktbc.com Dennis worked at KTBC as a computer geek for a while following the relocation to Wimberley. He helped design the website and ran the entire computer network for the local Fox affiliate.
Jeff Maziarek - Jeff and Dennis worked together at TI years ago. After years of wheeling and dealing as a marketing executive with high technology firms and startups, Jeff is now a technical writer and marketing consultant in suburban Chicago.
Gary Madden - another TI buddy with Dennis, Gary is now a winery general manager on Long Island, NY.
Ed Hall - Dennis hired Ed for Wyse Technology in 1986. Ed and Dennis worked together for several years there and have remained friends. Ed started a computer service/refurbishment company in Dallas a few years back and recently sold out. He recently started up an environmentally friendly construction company.
Dwight Barron - another TI buddy, and an ex-Zaisan guy to boot, Dwight is now a Senior Fellow with Compaq in Houston. His wife Martha is also ex-Zaisan.
Paul Pipitone - another TI buddy, now a lawyer in Houston. Dennis, Ray Barry, and Paul are co-owners of a rental condo in Galveston ( www.casadelmar.com ).
Ray Barry - another TI buddy, now an engineering manager in Lexington, KY and head of the KY branch of the Sierra Club. Ray, Paul Pipitone, and Dennis are co-owners of a rental condo in Galveston ( www.casadelmar.com ).
www.intersurf.com/~nethken Robert and Sylvia Nethken are Dennis' stepfather and mother, respectively. This is their website.