A Musical Life

Gia Watson is a vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and music educator.

“My dad’s a pastor, so I’m like the queen of the impromptu solo. I got really comfortable with getting up and just singing. That’s what I’ve always done and what I like to do. I wish there was a platform where you could just gig and having nothing prepared. And people would just throw things at you. That would be so much fun because it would feel really natural. Not necessarily produced.”

Weston Townsley plays drums with Not Cops and The Somber Arrows. He is also a photographer and sous chef at Siena Tuscan Steakhouse.

Dusty Grant is a singer-songwriter based in Wichita.

I’ve been writing songs since college. I was about 19 when I started. I got my first taste of writing writing rap metal. I was in Omaha, Nebraska, that’s where I got my start. I had a band that was fairly popular in the area. Then I got more into metal scene. Now, I’m writing all the stuff by myself. I’m writing all the guitars and everything.

This Musical Life profile was originally published on July 7, 2017.  

In 2013, Aaron Lee Martin left for a most unusual recording session. Martin's friend and fellow musician Danny Brewer had a cabin in the remote woods of northern Georgia. He wanted to know if Martin had any interest in making a record using solar power.

Kristyn Chapman is guitarist with Team Tremolo and Cartwheel. She will next play with the latter band at Kirby’s Beer Store on January 12, 2018.

“I just picked up a Fender Jaguar Pro. It’s a new series of Jaguars that have a maple fretboard. I just loved the way it sounded and I really wanted something I could just pick up and play and be confident about the tone and not have to think about changing out the pickups or whatever. I just wanted to be comfortable playing.

Cecilia Raheb is guitarist and vocalist with the Wichita-based band Crisis Casanova with Brenna Beeson.

Rhea Sewell is a Wichita music scene veteran who has played drums and/or sang with a variety of bands including 1/2 Mad Poet, 7/8 Quick and, more recently, False Flag. She also performs as a singer-songwriter.

This commentary originally aired on May 12, 2017.

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Jamie Briggeman is the lead vocalist for Herd of the Huntress, a band she formed with her husband, Garrett. She has previously performed with bands such as Ivy and The Dewayn Brothers.

Kevin Ives is guitarist, vocalist and keyboardist with The New Imperialism. The band’s releases to date include La Bella Fin (EP), The Sensationalism of Dr. Bordeaux and, most recently, Wax Wings. Presently, the group is working on a split EP with Tulsa’s The Dirty Mugs, tentatively slated for release in early 2018.

“In every band I’ve ever been in, I’ve always started off with a concept. The whole thing [was about] making a big show out of it. I’ve always liked to go see shows that had lights or something else involved, it wasn’t just about playing music.

Dale Ray Shuey began playing guitar at age 12 and has relentlessly pursued the instrument for 20 years. Shuey has studied classical, jazz, metal, blues, rock and country guitar in addition to teaching youth and adult guitar lessons for eight years. He joined Mountain Deer Revival in November 2012. Shuey's goal as a musician is to write the best music his hands and brain can produce and spread positivity through raw musical expression.