Author: adventgx

Grand Stafford Theater has partnered once again with the Institute for Applied Creativity and AdventGX to bring Bryan-College Station together to celebrate creativity by hosting the next quarterly event officially sponsored by PechaKucha, a global movement for informal discussions in casual settings. PechaKucha Night will occur at Grand Stafford Theater on Tuesday, December 1st.

PechaKucha was invented by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham of Klein Dytham Architecture early in 2003. It is a simple presentation format where presenters show 20 images, each for 20 seconds.

The first PechaKucha Night was held in Tokyo in February 2003, and Klein Dytham Architecture still organizes and supports the global PechaKucha Night network. PechaKucha Nights now happen in over 800 cities worldwide and provide a gathering place for people to share and show their work in a relaxed setting.

December’s presenters include Dr. Reuben Buford May, Helen DeWolf, Becky Phillips, and Renata Myers. Dr. Reuben May is a Sociology professor at Texas A&M University who spends his free time writing, recording, and performing rap music around the Bryan-College Station area. Helen DeWolf is an Assistant Research Specialist in the Conservation Research Laboratory at the Department of Anthropology at Texas A&M University. Becky Phillips is an art professor at Blinn College where she teaches painting, art history, and drawing. In 2013, her work was featured at the SEAD Gallery in Downtown Bryan. Renata Myers is a real estate agent and broker from Austin, Texas.

December’s PechaKucha night is on Tuesday, December 1st at Grand Stafford Theater. Admission is free but a $10 donation is suggested. Read more about PechaKucha nights and donate here: https://grandstaffordtheater.com/event/pechakucha-night/

The Rotisserie Chickens are a young, six-piece ska band from a suburb north of Dallas, Texas. Since the release of their first EP in January 2015, The Rotisserie Chickens have become extremely well known in the Texas ska scene.

The Rotisserie Chickens are still relatively new to the ska music scene, but they have been making big waves since the release of their first EP last January. Each member of this band has a unique musical background; some were previously in an indie folk band, some were previously in a metal band, and some just knew how to play the horns. But when they started playing music together, all six members understood that they had stumbled onto something special.

The Rotisserie Chickens released their debut EP, titled “Family Reunion,” in January of this year, but didn’t play their first show until June of 2015. After that first show, The Rotisserie Chickens spent the majority of the summer touring around Texas and recording their debut album, “Hung Out To Dry,” which was released in July. Praised for their ability to blend indie, metal, and ska music, The Rotisserie Chickens’ growing fan base shows no signs of stopping.

Don’t miss your chance to see this awesome Texas-raised band! The Rotisserie Chickens will be performing at Grand Stafford Theater on Friday, November 13.

The third installment of our fall Real Jazz Series, occurring every second Tuesday, is back this week. This month, Blue Sofa Orchestra (formerly R.G. Watkins & Friends) will be joining us for what is guaranteed to be another night of great jazz music featuring a group of extremely talented musicians!

Blue Sofa Orchestra (formerly R.G. Watkins & Friends) is a long time member of the Brazos Valley jazz scene. For the past six years, the band has served as the house band for jazz at The Frame Gallery in Downtown Bryan for First Fridays and Texas A&M University events and concerts. The band consists of Bill Clark on guitar, Laurie Clark on vocals, Richard Kent on horn, Conrad Guthrie on bass, and Randy Watkins on drums. Bill Clark, one of the performers at our first installment of Real Jazz in September, has been playing jazz guitar for over three decades. He has also studied jazz performance at William Paterson College with world-renowned guitarists. Clark is also the Head of the Political Science department at Texas A&M. Clark and his group of extremely talented musicians bring decades of jazz experience to each show they play. Each member’s individual talent paired with over six years of playing jazz music together makes for an exciting jazz music experience.

Take a step back in time with us this week and join us for jazz, swing, blues, bossa, and more. Come early and enjoy Craft Beer and Cocktails served by Cody Schilling!

Jay White, a veteran of the music industry and a long time Texas resident, has returned to what he knows best: making incredible blues music. Alongside a team of world-class musicians, White has released an 11-song blues album titled “Jaywalkin’.”

Jay White was born in California, but he moved to Texas as a young boy and has spent most of his life here. After receiving a guitar for Christmas when he was 10 years old, Jay developed an extreme passion for music. Inspired by the Jimmy Reed songs that his neighbor taught him, White was soon hooked on the blues. Shortly after learning guitar, White teamed up with  different bands and recorded many extremely successful albums. After many years of recording and performing the blues, Jay White took a small break and spent time leading worship in churches around Texas. He continued to play in blues bands after hours in many central Texas bands and, despite focusing more on Christian music,  White says that, “it all boils down to the blues.”

Jay White recently teamed up with John Mills, Allen Huff, and Kevin Hall to begin his new project, Jay White and The Blues Commanders. All of these men come from extremely impressive musical backgrounds, and, like Jay, they all know and love the blues. The band is performing in select spots around central Texas and touring to promote the release of their 11 song album titled “Jaywalkin’.” All 11 songs are original and represent the musical journey that White has experience throughout his lifetime in the music industry.

Come out to the Grand Stafford Theater on Friday, November 6th at 8:00pm for a free First Friday performance by this incredible band in Downtown Bryan. Premium passes are on sale now!

Shadow Of Whales is a talented indie-pop band from Austin, Texas. All 5 members of this young band have a passion for music and people that is unmatched in the Texas music scene. Following the release of an extremely successful debut EP in 2014, Shadow Of Whales has experienced an explosion of support that shows no signs of slowing down.

One thing that makes Shadow Of Whales special is that all 5 members have had experience pursuing careers in the music industry with previous bands. After forming Shadow Of Whales in August of 2013, the band had an easy time writing music because all 5 of the members are talented songwriters, they all love music, and they all really love people. Working together with the goal of spreading hope through friendships, Shadow Of Whales has experienced a quick rise to the spotlight.

Shadow Of Whales made their debut performance at the Austin Convention Center in front of thousands of people for DellWorld. This was the perfect gig as it later gave them the opportunity to appear on TV a few weeks later on FOX 7 and earned them praise from online music websites like the Indie Band Guru. A year later, Shadow Of Whales released their debut EP and experienced a large amount of support from their growing fan base and from many online music sources. Since the release of their EP, Shadow Of Whales has played many festivals, including South by So What?! And Vans Warped Tour. Shadow Of Whales has now finished their second record and is releasing new music next month.

Don’t miss your chance to see this up and coming Texas band! Shadow Of Whales will be performing at Grand Stafford Theater on Thursday, October 29 – get your tickets here!