Brian Kalinec is excited to host Susan Elliott and Leslie Waugh in his Brian.at.Berkalin Songwriter Showcase series at Kojak's.
About Susan: Susan Elliott is an award-winning vocalist, songwriter, producer, and voice teacher based in Houston, Texas. She made her debut as a solo artist at the historic Anderson Fair in the spring of 2017, but is hardly a newcomer to the Texas music scene. For more than three decades, she and her late husband and creative partner, Joe Romano, were a fixture in the Houston jazz community as the duo Mood Indigo, and delighted audiences across the region, performing their original songs for children as The Non-Toxic Band. When Joe was diagnosed with cancer in 2015, Susan found an emotional and creative outlet in songwriting. She describes her music as genre-less, but a background in theater and jazz are evident in both her singing and writing. Harmonically complex, intimate and lyrical, her songs paint a portrait of the human condition, weaving narratives that are both deeply personal and universally resonant. Her first solo recording project, This Strange Season, was released in October, 2019.
About Leslie: “I feel like I’ve never stopped learning,” says Houston’s Leslie Waugh (formerly Leslie Krafka) of the journey she began nearly two decades ago after attending what she calls a “life changing” songwriting workshop hosted by Terri Hendrix and Lloyd Maines. It was a surprise 20th anniversary gift — not quite the trip to Hawaii she’d asked for, but ultimately far more impactful. Although she’d never written a song or played guitar before, Leslie came away from that weekend with a new sense of purpose and personal empowerment, and she’s spent every day since honing her craft and slowly but surely establishing her bona fides as a true Texas troubadour. Her first two albums, 2011’s The White Cat Sessions and 2014’s on.ward (co-produced by Maines and Hendrix, her teacher-heroes turned duly-impressed peers), were warmly received out of the gate, with Richard Skanse of Lone Star Music Magazine praising her songs for being “full of buoyant melodies that never sag or drag and lyrics that convey both maturity and a young-at-heart spirit that’s playful but never fluffy.” Other accolades include her wins for “Songwriter of the Year” and “Song of the Year” from the Houston Songwriter Association, as well as being named a Regional Folk Finalist at Kerrville and a finalist at Songwriter’s Serenade. And she’s still gathering steam. In the spring of 2022, she released the EP Vignettes From a Woman’s Serenade, a short-but-sweet collection of songs spotlighting love, life, hardship, and perseverance from a woman’s point of view — then chased it with Vignettes From a Woman’s Serenade, Volume II later that same year and, in September 2023, Volume III. Will there be more? “I always saw them as a trilogy, but, being a woman — I reserve the right to change my mind,” Waugh demurs with a laugh. Regardless, count on this: Whatever she does next, this woman’s serenade is worth hearing.
About Brian: Texan Brian Kalinec has been called "a combination of Woody Guthrie, John Steinbeck, James Taylor, and Rodney Crowell in the stories he tells" in a review in music magazine Rootsy. Marilyn Rea Beyer, host of Midnight Special & Folkstage, WFMT describes Brian’s performance and writing as "Down to earth vocals with some “What was that, again?” lyrics.“ Winning events such as the Songwriter Serenade Competition and the Big Top Chautauqua Song Contest, placing second in the Woody Guthrie Song Contest and being chosen as a three-time finalist in the UK Songwriting Contest, has brought Brian significant recognition as a writer. He was nominated for Songwriter of the Year and Musician of the Year in the Texas Music Awards. He has appeared at the Kerrville Folk Festival, and venues such as Uncle Calvin's in Dallas, The Bugle Boy in La Grange, and as a featured guest on Folkstage on WFMT in Chicago. Brian has also played Houston’s Mcgonigel’s Mucky Duck and Anderson Fair. He has been an Official Showcase Artist at the Southwest Regional Folk Alliance (SWRFA) and appeared as an Alternate Official Showcase Artist at SWRFA in 2023. Most recently Brian was selected as a Finalist in the American Roots Category of the 2025 InterContinental Music Awards.
Brian released his newest project, “The Beauty of it All”, in 2023, which reached #9 on the September 2023 Euro Americana Chart in its third month and #16 on the June 2023 FAI Folk Chart. A song from this album, “Redwood Fence”, premiered in late January on Americana Highways. He toured in Europe in the past summer, with a festival appearance in the Czech Republic and performed in the UK with Libby Koch and Patterson Barrett, including appearances at the Belladrum Festival near Inverness. He tours yearly as well with Kj Reimensnyder-Wagner in the duo Kalinec & Kj. His writing and guitar skills have drawn praise from well-known artists and musicians such as Steve Gillette, Steve Weisberg, Tom Pacheco, and Merel Bregante.
Brian is a recipient of the “My Texan” Award at the 2012 Texas Music Awards for his support of the music and musicians of the state, He and his wife Pam own Berkalin Records, a label which is home to a number of well-respected folk and Americana artists. Brian is Past-President of the Southwest Regional Folk Alliance, and he was recently on the boards of directors for Songwriter Serenade and HoustonLive. Brian currently hosts his monthly Brian.at.Berkalin songwriter series at Kojak’s, now in its 15th year.
Also check out other Music events in Houston, Entertainment events in Houston, Arts events in Houston.
|
