Fan Appreciation Show on Wed. December, 16th @ Momo’s, 7pm!

David live @ Momo's, 2009 by Jon Patillo

Appreciating you at our last 2009 Show Tomorrow @ 7pm!
(same Big Top. half the price.)

With the release of Big Top, great tours, new friends, The Texas Music Awards, and some of our most fun and memorable shows and radio appearances, 2009 has been a year that I’ll long remember. Given that it’s not the most economically stable time to be forging a path in an already shaky music business, I’ve felt very blessed, in no small part to your support.

So, before we hibernate for the holidays, we’re going to have one last show to celebrate this past year and YOU! Tomorrow at Momo’s, for 1 evening only, I’m offering Big Top: Vol. 1 & 2, a double disc album, for half price! Only $10!

If you haven’t purchased a copy yet or are considering buying it as a gift, come join me and the band, featuring the return of Brady Muckelroy on drums, Tom Benton on upright bass, and Matthew Pipkin on mandolin, and get the best deal ever offered on Big Top!

My old friend and great songwriter, Brian Keane, is also playing tomorrow night, too. So spread the word, bring your friends, and join us for a great evening of live music at Momo’s on W. 6th St. at Rio Grande above Katz’s.

Her Majesty’s Big Top

Big Top UK Tour - 2009…More dates TBC

Oct 2 2009 8:00P
House Concert - Uckfield

Oct 3 2009 8:00P
House Concert - Portsmouth

Oct 4 2009 8:00P
The Ranelagh - Brighton

Oct 8 2009 4:00P
Radio Reverb - Brighton

Oct 9 2009 8:00P
Fishbowl Acoustic @ The Cellar - Royal Tunbridge Wells

Oct 10 2009 8:00P
Upstairs @ The Three and Ten with Peanut Albinos  -  Brighton

Oct 11 2009 8:00P
House Concert - Melton-Mowbray

Oct 16 2009 8:00P
Lewes Acoustic - Lewes

Oct 18 2009 8:00P
London, TBC - London

Oct 21 2009 8:00P
Cup of Tea Sessions with Folkwit Records @ Lee Rosy’s Tea - Nottingham

Oct 22 2009 8:00P
Globetrotters - Pontypridd, Wales

Oct 23 2009 8:00P
Jules Wine Bar - Llandrindod Wells, Wales

Oct 24 2009 8:00P

Kirby Twins Acoustic Club - Kirby Bellars, Midlands

On the Air with Bryan Beck on 107.1 KGSR

Thanks to Bryan Beck and 107.1 KGSR for having us on KGSR In The Morning! James David Smith and I had a great time talking with Bryan about the upcoming shows and Big Top and playing an acoustic duo version of “Stay Awhile.”

Live on KGSR with Bryan Beck

Live on KGSR with Bryan Beck

Big Top Texas Tour! Including Live on KGSR, The Saxon Pub, The Bugle Boy, Momo’s, & More!

Greetings, Friends! We’re back and have a great slate of shows for you, featuring the return (from the UK) of my good friend and a tremendous musician/vocalist, James David Smith, to our lineup. Also, tune into 107.1 KGSR on Monday the 27th @ 9:45am for a live duo performance and interview with Bryan Beck! Please tell your friends and family and make plans to join us - both in Austin and just down the road - for multiple shows…Each one will be different, and we’d love to see you.

Saturday, 7/25: Lorraine’s in Marble Falls, 9pm

Sunday, 7/26: The Saxon Pub, 3pm Matinee (no cover!)

Monday, 7/27: 107.1 KGSR, 9:45am with Bryan Beck on KGSR In The Morning

Thursday, 7/30: Momo’s, Acoustic string band show! 8pm

Friday, 7/31: The Bugle Boy in La Grange - 7pm door, 8pm show (this is one of the country’s premier listening rooms and a special, once-a-year, kind of show. WELL WORTH THE DRIVE!)

Friday, 8/7: The Corner Cafe in Navasota - Dinner at 6pm, Show at 7pm

Saturday, 8/8: JP Hops House in Houston - Houston CD Release Party! With Brian Kalinec

THE LATEST on BIG TOP - Now Up to #22!

Just after releasing the news that Big Top had entered the national Roots/Country Chart at #32, some superior fact-checkers (2 are lawyers, no less) notified me that Big Top had just hit #27…Well, in just another week, it’s jumped to #22! It’s definitely picking up steam; so, please keep calling your favorite americana/roots radio station (non-commercial), and request a song off of Big Top! It occurred to me that, obviously, ANYONE (not just Austinites) can call these Austin-area stations - KGSR at (512) 390-5477 and KNBT (New Braunfels) at (830) 625-7311 to make a request! Thank you!

Also, thanks to all of you for the great turnout this week at Momo’s and to Robert Rich and The Daily Texan for coming out to do a feature (Click HERE to read it!). We had about as much fun as you should legally have on a week night.

David at The Texas Music Awards and New ***** Reviews!

Well, what a weekend it was. While I didn’t take home the awards (Congrats to Wade Bowen and Tres Womack!), I had the honor of being nominated alongside some tremendous artists, musicians, and some of my TX music heroes, including the host, Michael Martin Murphy.

Being asked to perform before hundreds of TX music fans, industry folks, and music legends was a great honor, too, and a total thrill. For the performance, I was paired with the phenomenal Cornell Kinderknecht, who took some killer jazz breaks and truly elevated my nominated song, “Found You.” We had a great time, and, I think, saved our best for the ceremony. Thanks again to the Academy of Texas Music and all who were involved in hosting and producing the weekend, and to you, my fans and friends, for helping me get there.

Also, I’m really excited to share these two recent reviews. Both publications gave us their highest ratings, (5.0 and “KILLER”, respectively) and I couldn’t be happier with how they connected with Big Top…

***** AUSTIN DAZE.COM (click for the full review)
“David Lutes is a musician’s musician…Recently nominated for “Male Vocalist of the Year” and “Song of the Year” at the 2009 Texas Music Awards, Lutes is on top of his game fusing jazz, pop, rock, Americana and everything in between…”

***** AMERICANA MUSIC TIMES
“David Lutes is back - this time without the “Plumtucker” moniker - and he’s stronger than ever with Big Top. From the haunting “Lucia’s Song” through the beautiful “The Night Watchman” the listener is treated to one aural feast after another on this two-disk set. My favorite tune is “Coming Apart,” which sounds deeply personal as the artist struggles with the conflicts of life, love, and the music he lives for. The lyrics on Big Top are gorgeously poetic, the melodies are richly original, and David’s voice is, as usual, simply stunning. The production on this record is deeply layered, and if you listen closely, you will find yourself quite often wondering “how’d they make that sound?” Listen and wonder as Big Top spins you to new levels of musical pleasure.” -Steve Circeo, giving Big Top their rare “KILLER” Rating!

Big Top Reviews Coming In…

Big Top: Vol. 1 & 2 is out, and folks are taking notice! Here are some excerpts from the 2 most recent reviews. Click the reviewer’s link to read more!

“…Like the ringmaster at the circus, Lutes separates the different performances on the two-disc Big Top allowing each to take a moment in the spotlight…Moving from haunting (the opener “Lucia’s Song”) to roots rock (”Love in the Hard Times”), Lutes meticulously weaves melodies together…[while] the second volume can be equated to the lion-tamer act. It’s flashy and dangerous, with room for the occasional flare of the unexpected. Diving head-first through syncopated pop (”Ginny On Fire” and “We Love Me”) before landing into the net of “Fine Line,” Lutes’ voice is continuously smooth like an amalgamation of Lindsey Buckingham and Lyle Lovett…”

- Nichole Wagner, Austin.com

“You always hear talk of how artists are a mixture of different styles, but with Lutes, that’s actually true. The first disc features the familiar twang of Texas country, but mixes in dissonant electric guitar, traditional hymn-like vocal melodies and some powerful pop hooks. These two CDs are a perfect recipe for a lazy summer day, a lazy rainy day or pretty much any time you’ve got an hour and a half to lounge around the house and listen to some great music. These gems, the music that actually makes it worth your time to listen to all these free discs, are what keeps me going. Hopefully you’ll feel the same.”

- Robert Rich, Austin Dischord

Austin Release Show at Momo’s on Saturday, March 7th!

Thanks to James, Tom, Brady, Dony, Carolyn, and David and to all of you for packing out Momo’s and making the Austin release show such a special night. Here are a few action photos from the night taken by Jon Patillo.

On the Radio in Austin, TX

Hope you got to catch us on the radio airwaves this morning in Austin, TX.

Special thanks to Bryan Beck with 107.KGSR In The Morning.

In the studio at 107.1 KGSR with Bryan Beck on the Sound of Our Town

And to Rowdy of the the Rowdy Time Radio Hour on 91.7 KOOP.

Live on the Rowdy Times Radio Hour on 91.7 KOOP

Texas Music Awards Nominations!

On February 1st, the nominees for this year’s Texas Music Awards were announced. It’s a great pleasure to let you all know that I’ve been nominated for both Male Vocalist of the Year and Song of the Year (”Found You” off of my live album, Solo Stages - available to preview and purchase thru my online store below) in this statewide process. First of all, thanks to all of you who nominated me for these awards! It wouldn’t have happened without your help. Secondly, being nominated puts me in the top-5 in both categories for 2008-09; so there’s another process underway in selecting who will be honored at the awards ceremony in April. For both categories, public voting will count for 10% of the final determination - so I could really use your help again. You can vote via the TMA press release below.

From The Texas Music Awards.org: THE TEXAS MUSIC AWARDS with a concert by your host, Michael Martin Murphey immediately following the show. VOTING BEGINS!! Click HERE to vote. VOTING ENDS AT MIDNIGHT (CST) on FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20th, 2009. Public voting begins at 12:01am (CST) on Monday, February 2, 2009 for the 7th annual Texas Music Awards to be held Sunday, April 26, 2009 at the Palestine Civic Center in Palestine, Texas.