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Freedonia began as a vision with my friend Randy Miller (who penned the name), back in 2014. The idea was to start a local band with original music to play in town when we weren’t on the road. The group had a few iterations as we struggled to get it going. One day I was talking to Scott Laningham about the concept, and he suggested we add horns to the mix. In fact, a section of three saxophones: two tenors and an alto-- much like the later Steely Dan sound. Thus, the idea came to fruition and we finally formed “Freedonia.”

We released our debut album “Freedonia” in 2018 and a year later our follow-up “Firefly.” The songwriting and production were collaborative, and we played quite a few shows in Austin. We had a blast!

We lost our dear friend Scott on May 8th of this year. To honor his memory, this EP “Bring Back the Dinosaurs” is dedicated to him. Without Scott’s passion, the vision of a local band would have remained just a dream.

Scott was the center of the group playing drums. He had a wonderful personality and sense of humor, and became the emcee at our performances. The title track to our second CD, “Firefly,” is one that Scott wrote.

The four tracks on the EP were recorded over those years but went unheard until recently Randy began reviving them with new mixes and production. Freedonia is a collective so the musicians playing on these tracks vary. Three of the songs are from our early efforts except for “You.”

This EP, “Bring Back the Dinosaurs,” is dedicated to Scott Laningham. I was honored to call him a friend and a band mate. Scott was a major part of Freedonia, which never would have seen the light of day without him. It is our way of saying, “thanks buddy, we will miss you.”

FREEDONIA - BRING BACK THE DINOSAURS

Produced by Christopher Cross & Randy Miller

Recorded & Mixed by Randy Miller

Artwork by Pixel Peach Studios

Written by Christopher Cross

YOU’LL GO IT ALONE – 2015

Drums - Wayne Salzman

Bass - Glenn Fukunaga

Keyboards - Eddy Hobizal

Guitars and Vocals - Christopher Cross

Acoustic Guitar & Background vocals - Randy Miller

Horn Arrangement and tracks - Russell Haight

SO IT GOES – 2014

Drums - Scott Laningham

Bass - Glenn Fukunaga

Keyboards - Stefano Intelisano

Guitars and Vocals - Christopher Cross

Background Vocals - Shelley Mac & Randy Miller

YOU – 2019

Drums - Keith Carlock

Bass - Brian Allen

Keyboard - Sean Giddings

Guitars and Vocals - Christopher Cross

Horn Arrangements and tracks - David Mann

BRING BACK THE DINOSAURS – 2018

Drums - Scott Laningham

Bass - John Fremgen

Keyboards - Sean Giddings

Guitars and Vocals - Christopher Cross

Horn Arrangement - Russell Haight

Tenor Sax - Russell Haight

Tenor Sax - Seth Carper

Alto Sax - Justin Vasquez

FREEDONIA

Firefly

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Freedonia is the brainchild of Christopher Cross and Randy Miller. The group is a collective made up of some of Austin’s finest musicians and features all original songs composed and produced by the group, with horn arrangements by Russell Haight. The sound of the band sound was inspired by Steely Dan in their Aja period, which featured Tom Scott's distinctive all sax section sound. Freedonia’s debut album was released last year and the new album “Firefly” is set to release soon.

Scott Laningham-Drums

James Fenner-Percussion

John Fremgen-Bass

Christopher Cross-Guitar & Vocals

Sean Giddings-Keys

Jeff Hellmer-Keys

Stephano Intelisano-Keys

Seth Carper-Tenor Sax

Russell Haight-Tenor Sax

Justin Vasquez-alto and Soprano Sax

Randy Miller Production

Russell Tanner-Tech

Publicity JP Authur

1. LOST RIVER

2. FBI

3. ELISE

4. UNRECONCILED

5. FIREFLY

6. NEVER SAW IT COMIN

7. BIG BLUE BALL

8. WAY OF THE WARRIOR

9. US

10. SOWETO

FREEDONIA

Freedonia

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The debut CD by Freedonia is available now.

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

About the Band

Scott Laningham

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, Austin's eclectic TresMusicos, and has worked with Alejandro Escovedo, Kat Edmonson, Red Young, and many others.

James Fenner

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.

John Fremgen

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.

Jeff Hellmer

Jeff Hellmer is Director of Jazz Studies and a Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Texas. A versatile performer, he has been active on the Austin music scene for decades.

Christopher Cross

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.

Seth Carper

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.

Russell Haight

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.

Justin Vasquez

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.

Sean Giddings

Sean Giddings is a pianist, singer/songwriter, and producer from Kansas City. He currently resides in Austin, Texas where he can be found as a regular collaborator with Christopher Cross, Cory Morrow, Alejandro Escovedo, Mitch Watkins, Carson McHone, Ephraim Owens, and Tameca Jones. Sean is an in-demand studio musician, both as a sideman and as producer. He has released four of his own records under the name Fall River Footmen. As a sideman, Sean has had the opportunity to perform alongside many jazz legends, including James Carter, John Clayton, Terell Stafford, Lynn Seaton, Ed Soph, Tatiana Mayfield, and Lyle Mays.