TV series to promote show at Common Grounds on Friday
Courtesy Photo
By Candy Rendon
Reporter
“I’m in love with genuine stories that present that human quality,” country singer songwriter Zane Williams said. “And this new documentary ‘Troubadour’ shows the real stories of real artists. I know that is rare.”
“Troubadour, TX” is a television series from London Broadcasting Co. and 41 Entertainment that follows a group of more than 30 singer-songwriters as they pursue success as musicians all across Texas. The television series is unique because it is part documentary and part reality television, but its star quality comes from its ability to provide objective truth and personality to the artists that it follows.
The show takes viewers behind the scenes and into the lives of the artists from highs of joy and passionate entertainment to sometimes depressing but brutally honest lows, the show grants a wide assortment of perspectives on the journey to make it as a musical artist in Texas.
“‘Troubadour, TX’ is sure to bring audiences something exceedingly exciting,” Elisabeth Jordan, the artist development manager for Be Music & Entertainment, said.
Jordan, who graduated Baylor in 2007, found her role with Be Music & Entertainment and described it as a company that has partnered with “Troubadour, TX” to bring a more insightful view on artists’ daily livings.
Jordan runs the Dallas office and coordinates the artists’ bios and public relations information with fellow Baylor graduate Robin Creasman. Creasman is the supervising producer for “Troubadour, TX” and he orchestrates a large portion of the artists’ recordings as responsibility.
“Above all this is a documentary with two main purposes,” Creasman said. “One, we want to expose these talented artists to the public, so that they may hopefully develop with much deserved support, and second, we want the ability to find those rarities, or diamonds in the rough, among a crowd of several, so that others can recognize the magic of true musical prowess.”
“Authenticity is key,” Jordan said. “We wanted our artists to have genuine talent and strong singer songwriter skills.”
Creasman said too much of modern television focuses on overblowing mediocre talent with fancy edits and elaborate stages. He says that with ‘Troubadour’ the documentary-series format prevents the artists from covering up possible flaws. The audience sees them for who they really are, on and off the stage.
“That is the real power of this series,” Creasman said. “These uniquely different people all share one commonality, and that is their gift for musical expression. Why would you want to cover that up? We’re not ‘American Idol.’”
Creasman said the artists vary widely in terms of their ages and that the artists who are participating find communion in their differences.
“We have this one really talented girl on the show,” Creasman said. “Her name is Kylie Rae Harris, and she is this adorably cute young girl with a sound that just parallels Sheryl Crowe. Then we have Zane Williams, this strong-looking good ol’ boy who just gushes with country soul. The two, who have different sounds on their own, sing with such a unique harmony when joining each other on stage that you would think they were brother and sister.”
Kylie Rae Harris, a 22-year-old from Texas, was nominated for Best New Female Vocalist of the Year in the state of Texas in 2011. She has performed with Chuck Cannon, Roger Creager, Kevin Fowler, Radney Foster, Walt Wilkins and Josh Abbott, among several other artists, and she often writes with Wayne Kirkpatrick.
Williams is an award winning Texas singer-songwriter from Nashville. For him, the slope of success didn’t start until three years ago, when people began listening to his work. His 2010 song “Hurry Home” was cut by Jason Michael Carroll, and it peaked at No. 15 on the Country charts.
“They are both picking up on each other’s timing and talent to bring really powerful, really good music to the people,” Jordan said. “The main obstacle is getting people to listen.”
Jordan and Creasman both said they are astonished with the volume of talent in the group of potential stars. They said they are in disbelief that these artists are struggling to make it. Each of the artists has shown something new to the viewers, they said, and many of them have been able to grow and adapt to the new demands of the music industry.
“You see that’s the thing about this series. There is so much change going on,” Williams said. “For example, from the start of the show to where we’re at now [episode 16 airs this weekend] Kylie and I have grown so much. We both started with a handful of gigs and what not, but now we’ve got partnerships with Be Music & Entertainment, and this weekend we are going to be opening for Texas’ Heritage Hall of Fame Awards.”
“Troubadour, TX” is making a guest appearance this Friday at Common Grounds to promote the second half of this year’s season.
The festivities start at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at Common Grounds where KCENTV will also be joining. Artists from the show will be performing and tickets are $5. Creasman and Jordan encouraged people to come by and share support, and also to catch up with the early episodes at troubadourtx.com.
“We are bringing the public a firsthand glimpse into the daily lives of Texas musicians,” Creasman said. “And for that, any fan of any music should take a look.”
