There’s a new band in town!

Hail Freedonia! The new CD has arrived on iTunes and on Amazon.com!

14 new songs from this exciting new band from the Live Music Capital of the World.

 

“Freedonia" is a new group made up of some of Austin’s finest musicians:

 

Scott Laningham-Drums

James Fenner-Percussion

John Fremgen-Bass

Eddy Hobizal-Wurlitzer Piano

Christopher Cross-Vocals and Guitar

Tenor Sax-Russell Haight

Tenor Sax-Seth Carper

Alto & Soprano Sax-Justin Vasquez

Randy Miller- Production

 

Scott Laningham has been a popular drummer in the Austin music scene for over 35 years. He is a core member of the award-winning soul jazz group Church on Monday, as well as Austin's eclectic TresMusicos.

Percussionist James Fenner performed in sold-out stadium and arena concert tours throughout the world with Christopher Cross. He is highly sought as a studio musician and is heard on many Austin recordings, including the Grammy Award-winning CD "Ah Via Musicom" by Eric Johnson.

Cadence Magazine calls John Fremgen “…an adroit craftsman on the strings slapping and popping away on electric or plucking resonant tones on acoustic.” He performs in Austin with Butch Miles, Mitch Watkins, and other lumiaries. He is an associate professor at The University of Texas, teaching jazz improvisation, jazz history, bass and he directs the AIME ensemble.

Eddy Hobizal has produced critically-acclaimed albums for Sara Hickman, David Pulkingham, Elias Haslanger, and many other artists. He is also featured on two albums of original music - Anamnesis and Kinetic. 

Christopher Cross made history with his 1980 self-titled debut album, winning five Grammy Awards, including—for the first time ever—the four most prestigious awards: Record of the Year (for the single “Sailing”), Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist. is most recent solo relase is Take Me As I am. Freedonia is the result of a new crop of original songs and Christopher's musical relationships built over a lifetime.

Dr. Russell Haight is an Assistant Professor of Saxophone and Improvisation at Texas State University. His recent CD release, Destination, won a Silver Medal in the Global Music Awards. He has performed with luminaries such as Bobby Shew, Vincent Herring, Rufus Reid, and the late George Duke.

Seth Carper has shared the stage with jazz greats Ernie Watts, Vincent Herring, Maynard Ferguson, and Kenny Werner. He has also performed with Grammy winning groups The Temptations and The Four Tops, The Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, and many more.

Alto and soprano saxophonist Justin Vasquez's fiercely open-minded approach to composition is the hallmark of his artistry. He has honed a boundary-defying style as fluid and organic as it is impressive. “My goals are to play with very the best musicians and to push myself as far as I possibly can," Justin concludes.

I wanted to let you know that I have embarked on a quest to create lyric videos for my entire catalog, since You Tube has become the biggest source for people to listen to music. My purpose in this effort is to garner attention for my more obscure songs, the “deep cuts” as they say. Given You Tube's algorithm, my hope is folks who search for “Sailing” may discover “November” or ”Walking In Avalon” and others. 

My dear friend and BG singer Marcia Ramirez introduced me to a wonderfully talented video designer in Nashville, Shaye Smith to create the content. Shaye has been working hard and we have been able to post a song each week. I invite you to check out my Video section or visit my You Tube Channel.

As always thank you for your support.

The new album from Christopher Cross is available now at these online retailers: