Jazz Central is where Brian Francis will be

Hondo Mesa Records recording artist, Brian Francis, is back in Syracuse for a gig this Friday at Jazz Central. Come on down. I'll see you there. Many will remember Kh'Mi's two-set show at a "Hondo Mesa Records Presents" evening a few months ago. The place was out of control! Brian and his band, Kh'Mi, tore it up. The place was hoppin' and rockin'. Acoustic Roots music... yo.. let's find out what that is!!!!!!

Radio Hondo Mesa playlist

Here is what is playing on Radio Hondo Mesa this week. Take a listen. Thanks.

Highway Patrol, Bara Jonson
Don’t forget about me, Joanne Shenandoah & Michael Bucher (New)
Let’s go for a ride, Larry Hoyt
Set us free, Kh’Mi
My baby belongs to no-one, HondoMesa Kidd (Live)
Number 9 Train, Corn-Bred
The next plane, John Engerman
K’n'D, 3rd & Main

More From the Road with Brian Francis

Still traveling through the US, the talented Brian Francis of the roots band Kh'Mi, has sent another installment of "prose from the road." Keep 'em coming Brian. To hear clips of Brian's music on Hondo Mesa Records, please check out CDbaby.com or itunes.





So it’s a day and two solid nights now since I left Lubbock, and the whole time I’ve been in the van.
Stopping only for gas and food, I sleep in the back. A few hours here and there, mostly at rest stops.

It’s restless sleep, dark and dreamless.

I wake feeling groggy, disoriented. Feelings I overcome with copious amounts of coffee, by pinching myself, by singing loudly along with the radio- what ever it takes.

I’ve passed through the flat lands of the North Texas pan handle, through the lonely red expanse of New Mexico, and up into the mountains and high desert of Arizona- and then,
right around midnight Friday: on into California.

There’s a check station at the border. Uniformed men with guns asking if I’ve brought any fruit, nuts or vegetable matter with me. One asks the questions, smiling, while another shines a flash light through my back windows, looking at what’s inside. I tell them I’ve got none of these things they’re looking for. They wave me forward.
As I pass through the gate I see a U-haul off to my right, parked on the shoulder of the road. It’s back door is open. Two men in civilian cloths are emptying it’s contents out onto the side of the highway, while two of the uniformed men watch. One of these holds a flash light, the other is cradling a shotgun.

I drive till 3 in the morning, pull off into a truck park and tuck myself in amongst the big rigs. The drivers leave them running all night to save on fuel, and the humming of their big diesel engines fills my ears as I fall to sleep.

Once again it’s a restless sleep,
dark and dreamless.

Brian Francis Traveling the US Looking for...

Hondo Mesa Records recording artist, Brian Francis of the fantastic roots band, Kh'Mi, is traveling across the United States in search of... well, I'm not sure. Brian is probably sure. Below is a except from his rough draft "essay" (but really it's a burgeoning ethnography). I'll post more if you are interested.
Regards,
Dennis


I’m not here at Tom’s to drink Daiquiris'.

All day I’ve been taking the back roads across Texas: driving through a rolling ocean of grays and greens at seventy plus (the speed limit in most places). To my eyes it seemed a scrolling sea of dots flickering past,
glimpsed but not really seen.
All day I’ve been doing this and at last I’ve got as far as Lubbock, and I’m hoping to catch the second half of the game. Having little cash, Tom’s happens to be my only option, all the other places on the strip either have a steep cover or no television.
This is my reality, and presently it’s all about Tom’s.

Kh'Mi's Limited Edition CD

The Medicine Show

Kh’Mi

Acoustic/Roots Music/Americana. The crossroads where jazz and country meet.

The Medicine Show (HMR005) Limited Edition - CD-R Special run for Jazz Central (Syracuse, NY) Concert (out of the studio just days before their big Jazz Central show, Brian Francis packaged Kh'Mi's newest CD for attending fans... now available, for a limited time, to the rest of us)

Hondo Mesa Records Store

Hello independent music lovers,
Good new - Hondo Mesa Records just opened its online store. Three new releases are now available:

HMR005 -- Kh'Mi, The Medicine Show
HMR006 -- Gary Small & The Coyote Bros., I Don't Play By The Rules
HMR007 -- Joanne Shenandoah and Michael Bucher, Bitter Tears Sacred Ground (available Dec. 31, 2008)

Radio Hondo Mesa Playlist

Hondo Mesa Radio - Playlists
Have heard a song on our

radio station

, and wondering which one it was? Have a look at the weekly playlists below and you’ll find the song and the artist. Please notice that the songs are played randomly.
Friday, Novermber 14 - Thursday, November 20
Hondo Mesa, Larry Hoyt
Boogie Woogie, Corn-Bred
Rollin’ with the punches, John Engerman
Miss Molly, Kh’Mi
Henry, 3rd & Main
Set us free, Kh’Mi
Angels of Night, John Engerman
Trumbling Cafe, 3rd & Main
Highway Patrol, Bara Jonson
Healing, 3rd & Main
Greenback Dollar, Larry Hoyt
I get a little crazy, John Engerman
Water, Kh’Mi
Leaving for Akwesansne, Corn-Bred
Ghost of Love, Larry Hoyt
Number 9 Train, Corn-Bred
My baby belongs to noone, Dennis Kinsey (Live @ Holy Kai Gardens)

New HMR Page at CDBaby

To see all 5 Hondo Mesa Records (HMR) releases to date, please check out HMR's new catalog page at CDBaby:

http://cdbaby.com/all/hondomesa

Newest addition is a Kh'Mi limited edition:

Kh'Mi's CD available at CDBaby.com

Good news music lovers,
Kh'Mi's first release on Hondo Mesa Records is now available at CDBaby.com. This is the special, limited edition CD created for Kh'Mi's fans at the recent Jazz Central show. It will not be around forever.

Radio Hondo Mesa Playlist Oct 17-23, 2008

Friday, October 17 - Thursday, October 23
Smooth, Kh’Mi
Are you ready, Corn-Bred
Healing, 3rd & Main
Pluck it up, Corn-Bred
Dance with me (live), Dennis Kinsey
Lady J, Kh’Mi
The Loncuna, Kh’Mi
Trumblin Cafe, 3rd & Main
Highway Patrol, Bara Jonson
If today was my last day, Larry Hoyt
Angels of night, John Engerman
Do I dare to dream of you, John Engerman
Let’s go for a ride, Larry Hoyt
Henry, 3rd & Main
Can’t wait for tomorrow, John Engerman
Got you on my mind, Corn-Bred
Cut to the chase, John Engerman
Bluegrass Blues, Larry Hoyt

Engerman's demos on YouTube

Hondo Mesa Records recording artist, John "wild" Engerman, is the first HMR artist featured on our youtube channel. HMR's man in Europe, Philippe Pascal, worked on John's album first. Check out our channel when you get a chance. Corn-Bred, Larry Hoyt, 3rd & Main, Bara Jonson and Kh'Mi coming soon.

Standing Room Only

The Bara Jonson and Kh'Mi Sept. 25 show at Jazz Central was a huge success. Our friend (and Hondo Mesa Records recording artist) Larry Hoyt sent us a shot of the standing room only crowd... Both shows (7:00 and 9:00) attracted an overflow crowd. The bands and audience had a great time.

Bialczak Reviews Kh'Mi CD

Hello Music Lovers,
Mark Bialczak, music critic for The Post-Standard, says Kh'Mi had to "dig deep to follow up" their SAMMY winning last CD. The review of their new CD, "Medicine Show," was published today. Bialczak acknowledges the unique variety that is Kh'Mi, not fitting "neatly into rock, blues, folk or any other definitively labeled style." On Medicine Show, "they're still grooving, soulful and brimming with good cheer."

Thanks for the review Mark and for posting a clip from the CD on your blog.