Schedule - Tuesday, SEPTEMBER 23, 2003
SEPT 2 | SEPT 9 | SEPT 16 | SEPT 23 | SEPT 30
Billy Block's Western Beat is EVERY Tuesday Night at Exit/In - 2208 Elliston Place, Nashville, TN

Pamela Stansberry

 Pamela Stansberry - 8 pm
If you’re drawn to traditional roots music and "Down From The Mountain Gospel" you’re sure to be elated with recording artist and songwriter Pamela Stansberry. This multi-talented artist has a spectacular voice that is rich with emotion and authentic soul, as are her artfully crafted songs. Pamela’s Appalachian nuances spring from growing up in East TN where her family still lives. The future promises many exciting projects from this dynamic new talent. She is currently working on a new CD entitled "So Goes My Soul" and a book that features Pamela’s vivid spiritual insights, as well as her talent for poetry and fine arts.


Collin Herring
 Collin Herring - 8:30 pm
In a time when "Texas Music" has almost become as contrived and formulated as the mainstream country it set out to defy, it’s a pleasant change of pace to find a Texan playing by his own rules. Collin Herring is a twenty five year old singer/songwriter from Ft Worth who spent the last five years in Colorado going to school and honing his craft as a songwriter in order to return home and form a band with his father, Ben Roi and a few close friends. The end result is a dark insightful sound that can be heard on his debut release, Avoiding The Circus. The album was produced by newly famed alt country guru Matt Pence (Jay Farrar’s Sebastopol), and mixed by Stuart Sikes (White Stripes). The mass of experience behind the technical side matched perfectly to Collin’s mature songwriting and rootsy instrumentation, giving forth one of the most solid first albums to come out of the Texas.

Ben Atkins

Ben Atkins - 9:00 pm
Just as there is something special about Texas, there is also something special about Texas music and the singers and songwriters that create it.  It's a heritage that stretches back to the days when Jimmie Rodgers lived in the Texas Hill Country and continues through the likes of Bob Wills, Willie Nelson, the late great Townes Van Zandt, Rodney Crowell, Steve Earle and Robert Earl Keen up to today. And the latest addition to that lineage is 24-year-old newcomer Ben Atkins.
www.benatkinsband.com

Aaron Watson

Aaron Watson - 9:30 pm
One of the newest kids on the block in the Texas honky tonk circuit, Aaron is quickly causing quite a stir with his latest album, Shut Up and Dance. His new single “Off The Record” is being played on over 60 stations in Texas and he has a rigorous tour schedule that is slated to exceed 250 dates this year in support of the record. Add to that a new national TV commercial campaign with Justin Boots featuring 3 of his songs and being recently debuted on CMT.com’s website, the word about Aaron Watson is spreading like wildfire. With the likes of other Texas artists such as George Strait and Tracy Byrd, Aaron Watson is definitely an up and coming act to look out for in the future from the Lone Star State.
www.aaronwatson.com

Ellis Hooks

Ellis Hooks - 10:00 pm
Ellis Hooks was born 28 years ago in Mobile, Alabama to a full Cherokee mother and a father of African American descent. He didn’t have a pair of shoes until he was eight, and didn’t know the meaning of fun. His Baptist family disdained blues and rock music, so when Ellis heard the radio and lost interest in leading the church choir he was thrown out of his household at age fourteen. Hitch-hiking to New York, he was supporting himself by singing in the streets. He ended up back in NY where he met producer Jon Tiven (Wilson Pickett). Over the next six months, the two worked on Ellis’ amazing debut album, "Undeniable." Hooks has recently finished two successful tours of Europe and a featured opening slot on the prestigious JVC Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl. Ellis is a rare talent, embodying all of the finest aspects of Southern musical traditions.
©2002 Western Beat Entertainment