[June 09, 2011] Spotlight on Texas Artists: Dave Edwards, Joe Ely and Wagoneers Tweet Jun 08, 2011 (The Dallas Morning News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Who said recording and then releasing a CD was easy? Dallas-based pianist Dave Edwards can tell you just how long and loopy that road can be. Elusive Dreams, consisting of 12 original piano instrumentals augmented by saxophone and drums covering classical, pop, blues and smooth jazz, is Edwards' first solo album in a career spanning 46 years. It's a pleasant listen, at once moody and majestic. Edwards has an evocative quality in his piano playing and his songwriting. Edwards also has a long local history. He studied classical and jazz piano at the University of North Texas. During the early '80s, he was part of the late B.W. Stevenson's band. That led to his own country-rock outfit, Stallion, which did some recording in Muscle Shoals, Ala., and at Willie Nelson's famed Pedernales Recording Studio. In the early '90s, Stallion was briefly signed to major-label powerhouse Capitol Records. But what is a pianist to do without his hands? Years of constant playing rendered his hands useless at the keyboards. He spent a decade without playing. Special hand exercises, massages and technique adjustments finally brought Edwards back to the keys in 2004. Practice helped him hone his chops again, and he began writing new material that culminated in Elusive Dreams. Wednesday, June 15 at 8 p.m. at Opening Bell Coffee, 1409 S. Lamar St., Dallas. $5. www.openingbellcoffee.com. CD Review Joe Ely Satisfied at Last A Rack 'Em Records There's no mistaking a Joe Ely album. His stinging, road-hued voice commands lyrics about life, love and the wandering spirit. Ely's penchant for flamenco guitar, accordion and keyboards still enhance his Texas-proud guitar-bass-and-drums formula. It's all here on Satisfied at Last, including several stellar Ely originals, particularly "The Highway Is My Home" and "Not That Much Has Changed," as well as a beautifully chugging cover of Billy Joe Shaver's chestnut, "Live Forever." This is quality stuff, folks, and we expect no less from this Texas troubadour. Austin's reunited Wagoneers bring the past to the present Monte Warden and his fellow Wagoneers -- Tom Lewis, Craig Pettigrew and Brent Wilson -- continue to bask in the reunion limelight. The cool Texas country-rock quartet was once the toast of the music industry when they released two critically acclaimed discs, 1988's Stout and High and 1989's Good Fortune. Commercial success, however, never gelled for the Wagoneers and the group called it quits in 1990. Fast forward to 2011 and it's reuniting time. Buoyed by a recent South by Southwest Music Festival performance and the release of The Essential Wagoneers, which compiles the band's two albums and tacks on three previously unreleased bonus tracks, the Wagoneers play Dallas for the first time in more than two decades. The show, featuring opening acts Colin Boyd and Pat McKanna, is Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Kessler Theatre, 1230 W. Davis St., Dallas. Tickets are $22 through www.thekessler.org. To see more of The Dallas Morning News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.dallasnews.com. Copyright (c) 2011, The Dallas Morning News Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]