VINTAGE: CASEY BERRY AND THE LIVE TEXAS MOSQUITOES:

This last year has been a busy one for many Amarillo area artists. With many long awaited album releases from many of locals and not so locals favorites.

Casey Berry and the Live Texas Mosquitoes will be releasing their own awaited album ‰¥þVintage‰¥ÿ October 2nd with a CD Release party at the Golden Light Cantina in Amarillo on October 5th. Berry has been one of the regular players here in Amarillo, playing many shows locally and around Texas and Oklahoma, redefining his craft and music over the years and it shows with this new release that he has matured and developed as an artist and performer.

Casey got me a copy of the upcoming album to review, and I have to say that ‰¥þVintage‰¥ÿ sounds like great Texas Panhandle music. It really captures a feel and sound that is unique to this area but not just appreciated here.

Berry䴜s songwriting which has shown great potential is really polished and refined to a new level. The songs are danceable with some great additions by big studio players- Mike Deering and John Michael Whitby ( Asleep At The Wheel and George Strait䴜s Ace In The Hole Band).

The album is well produced and has as good of a quality of work as any major label release.

As a Texas Panhandle native I am proud that our area musicians are coming out with great sounding music and great sounding albums that are going to be heard far from our homes here in the Panhandle.

I got a chance to talk with Casey Berry and heres what he had to say.

THE INTERVIEW:
So where were you born and raised?
I was born in Canyon. I was raised in Hereford. I moved to Tempe, Az for high school until I got a rodeo scholarship at Frank Phillips College

What was your first musical memory?
My first Musical memory was hearing a garage band practicing in there backyard. I guess I was about 5 years old. That was cool seeing people play live the stuff you heard on the radio.

Who most influenced you in your songwriting?
Matt Martindale was a huge influence on me. He was one of the first ones heard playing songwriter music. That led to Steve Earl, Guy Clark etc

Tell me about this album‰¥Ï‰¥Ï. How long has it made to come to completion?
‰¥þVintage‰¥ÿ is the name of the new album. It‰¥ús got that old school feel. It‰¥ús a little bit from here and a little bit from there. In my eyes it‰¥ús been three years, but actually we started laying it down in June and finished in August

How was the process of making it?
This process was one of the hardest, mentally draining things I䴜ve ever done, but also one of the most rewarding. It䴜s cool when things come together better than you imagined

How many other projects have you done and what was the year of their releases?
I have one other album out called ‰¥þGleam of Hope‰¥ÿ that came out in 2003

How long have you been playing?.....and how long have you been playing with the Live Texas Mosquitoes?
I started playing when I was thirteen out in Tempe, AZ. My guitar instructor was trained by Andres Segovia. I started the Mosquitoes in 2003 with the release of my first Album

As a songwriter, where are these songs coming from?
Songs come from everywhere for me. My experiences, other䴜s experiences, a mood, or even a melody

When is the CD release?
The CD will be available on Oct. 2nd

Where?
The actual release party will be at the Golden Light on the October 5th.

Where will it be available?
It will be available at all the on-line stores, from our website, Myspace, Hastings, or our shows

What is your website?
www.caseyberryband.com and http://www.myspace.com/caseyberryand theltms

Have any big shows coming up?
Every show is a big show we try to play are butts off for everyone who comes to see us