Homage Nation musical director Adam Pickrell has once again assembled an all star cast of North Texas musicians to present an evening of music by the legendary Elton John. 

Performers will include Chris Holt, Kenny Withrow, Patrice Pike, Hunter Hendrickson, Poppy Xander, Ginny Mac, Dave Monsey, JJ Johnson, Mike Daane, Amy Curnow, Chris Norwood, Paul Slavens, Mark Pirro, Bryan Wakeland, Tom Bridwell, Eric Neal, Clay Pendergrass, Earl Darling, Larry Gee, Joe James, Zach Galindo, Linda Garner, Rocki Langlanais, Jason Corcoran, Anique Fazaldden, and Clate Bowen. 
 
Visuals will once again be provided by the great Sarah Kasprzyk. She will also design a limited edition silk screen poster which will be available for sale on that night. 
 
Homage Nation is a unique opportunity for the entire Dallas music community to join together and celebrate the important recording artists who have influenced their own careers. 
 
Past Homage Nation nights have featured the music of Tom Petty, Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, Daniel Johnston, Sparklehorse, and the Grateful Dead.

 

Homage Nation is a time-honored tradition at The Kessler Theater, featuring a gathering of esteemed North Texas-based musicians and vocalists coming together for one evening to pay tribute to the transformative recording artists who have influenced their own music and creative projects.
 
Part I: Keyboardist and Musical Director Adam Pickrell (Nelly Furtado/Decadent Dub Team) has once again assembled an all-star line-up of first-call musicians and vocalists. The evening will begin with an start-to-finish rendition of the acclaimed 1994 album "Wildflowers", featuring David Monsey (bassist for Fiona Apple), JJ Johnson (drummer for Gary Clark, Jr.), Chris Holt (guitarist for The Eagles), and Michael Smith (guitarist for The Speaker Wars.)
 
Part II: Following that, this core ensemble will present a number of classic songs from Tom Petty's catalog, along with the addition of many guest musicians: featuring guitarist Andy Timmons, guitarist Kenny Withrow (New Bohemians), bassist Mark Pirro (Tripping Daisy/Polyphonic Spree), drummer Bryan Wakeland (Tripping Daisy), drummer Tony Barsotti (Hagfish), vocalists Patrice Pike and Will Kniffen, and guitarist Hunter Hendrickson,  Additional vocalists will include Chris and Carrie Norwood, Bob Watson (Shallow Reign), Clate Bowen, Amy Curnow, Jacob Metcalf and his father Jim Metcalf, with back vocals by Bann Crooks, Sarah Kasperzyk, and Jason Corcoran. Guitarists Cameron Ray and Marc Solomon will also participate, as well as bassists Emsy Robisnon, Linda Garner, and Mike Daane. Drummers John Solis, Tom Bridwell, and Joe James, along with keyboardists Paul Slavens (Ten Hands) and Jay Terleski, will round out the roster of players. 
 
Like our previous Homage Nation events celebrating the music of Pink Floyd, Grateful Dead, Alice Cooper, Daniel Johnston, Sparklehorse, and Harry Nilsson, these gatherings are about honoring profound musical influence and celebrating this extraordinary North Texas music community. Visual artist Sarah Kasperzyk will once again provide live video projections and imagery.
 
Executive produced by Kessler Presents Artistic Director Jeffrey Liles and Adam Pickrell. Doors open at six o'clock, performance kicks off at seven PM.

If you want to know Josh Thompson, just listen to the lyrics of his music. Thompson showcases his undeniable gift for writing with songs like the anthemic “Way Out Here,” or the unapologetic “Blame It On Waylon,” and on his upcoming projects, the “aw, shucks” admittance of “Same Ol’ Plain Ol’ Me,” the nod to his humble background, “Daddy Had A Beer,” and the breathtakingly poignant “I Like To Believe In That.”

They’re songs born of a hard-working, blue-collar raising. The son of a Wisconsin concrete worker, destined to follow in the steel-toed boots of a laborer, Josh veered to the left when he picked up a guitar. Like the stone cold country icons that he grew up listening to and admiring, Josh had something to say. “What made me want to play guitar and write songs was what attracted me to country music. People like George Jones, Merle Haggard, Hank Senior, and Lefty Frizzell.”

Josh made the move to Nashville in January 2005 and by August, he had signed his first publishing deal. One of the first songs he wrote, “Church Pews Or Bar Stools,” became his first Jason Aldean cut. Most recently Josh co-wrote the title track of Tim McGraw’s album Damn Country Music as well as Jason Aldean’s “Any Ol Barstool.”

“Life definitely isn’t easy for a lot of people,” Thompson surmises. “I think if there’s one thing people can cling to it’s their beliefs and their way of life. I think people need that simplicity in country music. People who hear my songs will know how I was raised, they know that I’m into working hard and drinking beer, they know that I’m a Christian and they know I sometimes tend toward the dark side. These songs are my picket sign – they’re all I got.”

Dallas based musician and singer/songwriter Chris J Norwood has a couple of different personalities.  None of which may ever be considered “cool”, or “hip”, or terribly “rock & roll”, but Chris is ok with that.  By all accounts he’s just an average guy who loves his wife, works hard, and tries to stay out of trouble. Classically trained and drawing off of influences from America’s earliest musical traditions like folk, blues and jazz, Chris creates a sound that is strangely familiar, yet uniquely his own.