Joel Melton
“Joel writes for anyone and everyone. His songs are character driven and rife with detail.” —The Oklahoma Gazette
Susan Herndon
Playing around 200 gigs a year for more than a decade, Susan Herndon has retained that true troubadour’s ethos, sharing her passion for song and stirring thousands of kindred spirits throughout Oklahoma, Texas, the American heartland, and in Europe.
Born in St Louis, raised in Tulsa and bred in Oklahoma, she earned several degrees including one in French. Herndon’s youthful wanderlust took her to the south of France for many years, and while in that Gallic state of mind, she began her musical odyssey in the most humble – and purest – of ways: busking for francs on the busy streets of Pau deep within the Pyrenees.
It was there and on other thoroughfares throughout Europe that Herndon honed the skills and presence needed of a dedicated working musician and an immediately engaging entertainer. “Music really is our universal language,” says Herndon today. “And I do believe that good songs – in any language – can truly touch souls. I know they have saved my life on numerous occasions.”
With an engaging smile and graceful charm, she touches upon themes both universal and deeply personal, from longing and loneliness, to home, family, faded memories and hopeful dreams. And she connects with her listeners in a voice that conveys equal parts savory innocence and knowing savoir-faire.
Joel McColl
JOEL McCOLL is a 32 yr Austinite and a 40+ veteran of the music community. He cut his musical teeth in the coffee houses and folk venues of Oklahoma before hitting the road in the early 70’s. After several years of playing in stage shows and a 7 piece show band, he joined forces with Jim Tracey and the power duo McCOLL & TRACEY was born. Over the span of a decade, M&T appeared with Bonnie Raitt, Hoyt Axton, David Bromberg, Kenny Rankin, Ian Matthews, Rusty Wier and others. With 2 albums to their credit, M&T had an American Song Festival semifinalist song with “You Depress Me”. A 15 yr stint with MIDLIFE CRISIS followed, leaving a trail of humor, satire, cynicism and jocularity in its’ wake. He’s also known for his 20 yr run as producer/emcee/judge of the O HENRY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PUN-OFF CONTEST held annually. Having retired in 2008, he was named the 2006 International Punster of the Year.
Show Details
Fri, August 4, 2017, 8:00pm
Tickets: $20
Doors open half an hour before show time.