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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 1, 2010

"TEXAS BURNING: A LONE STAR SALUTE TO OUR TROOPS" TO AIR ON TEXAS AND LOUISIANA PBS STATIONS IN NOVEMBER

Most Texas PBS Stations to Broadcast Concert Special Honoring Members of the Military and Their Families on Veterans Day

Houston, TX - "Texas Burning: A Lone Star Salute to Our Troops," the award-winning concert special featuring seven well-known Texas- and Gulf Coast-based musical artists and honoring the U.S. military, veterans and their families, will air on Texas and Louisiana PBS affiliates in November, which is National Military Family Appreciation Month and Warrior Care Month.

Many of the Texas PBS stations are to broadcast the special on Veterans Day, Thursday, November 11.

Ten PBS affiliates, including nine of the Texas PBS stations : Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Lubbock, Amarillo, Midland, Corpus Christi, Harlingen and College Station/Bryan , along with Louisiana Public Broadcasting are scheduled to air "Texas Burning" during the week of Veterans Day, starting on Sunday, November 7. Seven of the stations are scheduled to broadcast the program during Prime Time on Veterans Day, Thursday, November 11. For a complete schedule of times and affiliates, visit the program's Web site, www.texasburning.com.

"Our show is a tribute to our current armed forces and our veterans who have proudly served," says the program's executive producer, Anthony Cutrona. "We are grateful the show will air during Military Family Appreciation Month, recognizing their families who have also sacrificed so much."

The concert is hosted by Austin music makers Patricia Vonne and Sam Baker, who also performed. Guitar goddess Carolyn Wonderland, internationally renowned blues player Sherman Robertson, GRAMMY Award nominee Ruthie Foster, singer-songwriter Shannon McNally and New Orleans' Swedish chanteuse Theresa Andersson are also featured. One of the concert highlights is an inspirational grand-finale song featuring a dozen musicians. The song's message is embodied in its title, "It's Gonna Be Okay."

"It was a very special night of music in recognition of our brave troops and their loved ones," says Vonne. "We hope everyone will tune in and join us in saying thank you." Her song, "Texas Burning," is the origin of the program's title and its theme song.

"Texas Burning: A Lone Star Salute to Our Troops" is the first project produced by Houston-based Rampant Entertainment. It premiered around this year's Memorial Day on the PBS affiliates in Houston, Killeen and San Antonio. On October 14, NETA, the National Educational Telecommunications Association, announced it would pryvide national distribution of the concert, via live satellite feed, to more than 350 public television stations nationwide.

The program was produced at the time of the grand opening of San Antonio's Center for the Intrepid, the state-of-the-art rehabilitation facility at Brooke Army Medical Center for soldiers catastrophically injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. The concert special includes introductory footage of wounded warriors being treated at the facility. Hundreds of military personnel have been treated there during the past three years.

The live concert audience included soldiers and family members. Rampant Entertainment donated seating to troops stationed in the San Antonio area, and all ticket proceeds were donated to Operation Homefront, a non-profit organization headquartered in San Antonio that provides support to the families of deployed soldiers.

The program was awarded Best Video Production-Shows/Specials honors at the 2007 WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival.

A DVD of the one-hour show, including a bonus track duet by Wonderland and Foster, is available for purchase on the program's Web site, www.texasburning.com. A portion of the DVD sales of the program will be donated to various military-support charitable organizations. Rampant Entertainment will release the complete three-hour concert CD, DVD and Blu-ray disc for sale in early 2011. It will include 30 songs, with three in Spanish, and features a number of duets and collaborations along with behind-the-scenes footage.

Rampant Entertainment plans to develop "Texas Burning" into a televised concert series by recording a concert annually in Houston and San Antonio. It hopes to shoot its first "Texas Burning: Live from Houston" concert from the historic Rockefeller Hall next year.

Texas and Louisiana Public Television Affiliates slated to Broadcast "Texas Burning," Concert Special include:

4 p.m. Sunday, November 7, Midland Basin PBS
10 p.m. Monday, November 8, Houston KUHT
11 a.m. Wednesday, November 10, Louisiana LPB
7 p.m. Thursday, November 11, San Antonio KLRN
7 p.m. Thursday November 11, Bryan/College Station KAMU
8 p.m. Thursday, November 11, Harlingen KMBH
8 p.m. Thursday, November 11, Lubbock KTXT
9 p.m. Thursday, November 11, Austin KLRU
9 p.m. Thursday, November 11. Amarillo KACV
9 p.m. Thursday, November 11. Midland Basin PBS
3 p.m. Friday, November 12, Louisiana LPB
2 a.m. Saturday, November 13. Amarillo KACV
2 a.m. Saturday, November 13, Austin KLRU
9 p.m. Saturday, November 13, Corpus Christi KEDT

Contacts:
Jill McGuckin, McGuckin Entertainment PR, 512.217.9404; jill@mcguckinpr.com
Anthony Cutrona, Rampant Entertainment, 713.298.5952; tony@texasburning.com

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January 31, 2007

San Antonio Express-News

 

NIGHT LIGHTS NOW

 

By Jim Beal

Mysa.com

 

Texas Burning

The organizers of the "Texas Burning" concert on Saturday (1/27/07) hoped to fill the Charline McCombs Empire Theatre with soldiers and their families.

 

That didn't happen, but "Texas Burning" was a rousing success nonetheless. The inaugural show of a planned San Antonio-based music series that will be broadcast on the World Wide Web came off without a hitch on both the technical and artistic sides.

 

The night featured punchy, inspired three- and four-song sets by, in order of appearance, Patricia Vonne and her band; Shannon McNally; Carolyn Wonderland and her band; Ruthie Foster backed by guitarist Sherman Robertson and his band; Sam Baker; Vonne and company with a Spanish language set; Theresa Andersson; the Sherman Robertson Band and a grand finale with everyone but Wonderland on stage. Radio station KNBT's Mattson Rainer served as master of ceremonies.

 

The sound was excellent; the cameras, and there were plenty of them, did not annoy the theatre audience and set changes were quick and smooth. With a running time of almost four hours, the show might have been a little long, but that's a minor quibble.

 

Because the concert was originally intended to be a private show with a few tickets sold to the public through the Texas Burning Web site to benefit Operation Homefront, there were quite a few empty seats.

 

Still, those in attendance responded enthusiastically as all the artists served up first-class material that rocked where it needed to and touched hearts and souls when it was required.

 

Jim Beal Jr.'s Night Lights covers the area music scene Wednesdays in S.A. Life and Fridays in Weekender. He also plays bass in the local band Miss Neesie & the Ear Food Orchestra. Send e-mail to jbeal@express-news.net. Beal is the host of the "Third Coast Music Network" show from 3-7 p.m. Thursdays on KSYM, 90.1 FM.

Copyright (c), 2007, San Antonio Express-News. All Rights Reserved.
 

 

January 26, 2007

San Antonio Express-News

 

NIGHT LIGHTS : Musicians to Salute Troops

By Jim Beal

 

The entertainment floodgates are wide open. There's enough happening this weekend and beyond to keep us all busy.

 

Texas Music & The Troops

The Charline McCombs Empire Theatre on Saturday night will be the setting for "A Lone Star Salute to Our Troops" and a preview of a proposed TV concert series called "Texas Burning."

 

San Antonio native and globetrotting singing songwriter Patricia Vonne will play host for the Saturday show. The bill will feature an array of roots-music purveyors -- singing songwriter Shannon McNally; folk/gospel/blues singer Ruthie Foster; blues/rock singer and guitar slinger Carolyn Wonderland; Houston-based blues singer and guitarist Sherman Robertson; New Orleans-based singer, songwriter and violinist Theresa Andersson; and singer/songwriter Sam Baker. KNBT radio's Mattson Rainer will serve as master of ceremonies. Showtime is 8 p.m. The majority of tickets are going to military personnel and their families. Members of the general public can gain admittance by making a donation to Operation Homefront via texasburning.com. The Web site also has details about watching the show on your computer. If all goes according to plan, a company called Rampant Entertainment will stage the "Texas Burning" (named for a song by Vonne) concert series in the Majestic Theatre and it'll be broadcast around the world via streaming video and high-definition broadcast TV. Stay tuned for details as they become available.

 

 

Winter 2007

Texas Music Magazine

 

Rhythm & News

 

An ambitious new live Internet broadcast series, Texas Burning, will debut with a benefit for severely injured soldiers Jan. 27 at the Charline McCombs Empire Theatre in San Antonio.  The line-up was still being finalized at press time.  The concept for the series itself (also being worked out) is to pair up and coming Texas artists with bigger name acts with whom they have some sort of connection.  Duets should ensue.  Patricia Vonne will host both the benefit concert and the show.