Amy Bolding is a Texas Hill Country resident who recently published a collection of poems written as she processed a divorce. The book, titled "Dearly Divorced," is available at booksellers such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble. In addition to printing Amy's story in the Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post, I wanted to give Amy a chance to share her journey through the creative process of writing and publishing a book of poetry.

Justin is a born and raised Texas Hill Country original. He is also a staple performer in the area as a solo artist and with a band with his dancehall traditional country sound that's made for toe tapping and boot scootin'. Enjoy this brand new episode of Downbeat with Justin Heflin, and thank you for supporting local live music and the podcast.

Jake Martin is a singer-songwriter and performer from the Fredericksburg area regularly performing around the Texas Hill Country as a solo performer, with the band The Jakes and as the picker's circle host on Sunday evenings at Luckenbach Texas. Jake has a laid back song style that matches his personality. His songwriting is full of literary narrative and rich story. With new music being released on Spotify and other streaming platforms, Jake took a few moments to come play a few songs and talk about his musical journey with me this month for Downbeat.

Libbie Horton is a choreographer and dance professional residing in Kerrville, Texas. She is the co-founder and co-producer of Hill Shapes Productions, a unique dance business that is bringing dance and movement to people in creative ways. Libbie is the first non-musician guest on Downbeat, and I can guarantee you will enjoy her story and her experience with dance, and the power it can have in people's lives.

For our February 2023 episode of Downbeat, I interview Texas singer/songwriter and performer Julia Hatfield. Julia is a veteran of Texas music despite her young, has released recordings featured on Texas Radio, and was formerly awarded as Female Vocalist of the Year by Texas Regional Radio. She joins me on Downbeat to talk about her life in music and to perform several songs for our audience. 

Downbeat continues in 2023 with more stories on regional Texas musicians/artists. Our January episode features Boone Holding, who performs as Whose Boone. Boone has a songwriting and performing style that I would describe as conversational and personal. His lyrics are something of a campfire sit-down storytelling session and a narration on his own life. At the last note of each Boone song, a listener feels like they know him better. He is a truly unique human being, and a creative and talented songwriter who is staying true to his own uplifting and inspiring personality. Enjoy the episode and thank you for listening!

Jeremy Parsons is a talented singer-songwriter in the San Antonio area, and a recent finalist in the esteemed Kerrville New Folk songwriter competition. He is performing regularly around the Texas Hill Country after spending time in Nashville as a songwriter. Today he joins me here at Downbeat to perform a couple of his songs and visit with me about his creative process and his experience in music. 

For our second episode of Downbeat I have invited Allora Leonard to join me. Allora has been performing regularly in central Texas and throughout the state. She is a young performer who is making big splashes in the Texas music scene. She is a gifted songwriter, writing honest lyrics that seem true to her heart, and a soulful singer that can move the soul of any listener. During the episode Allora tells me about her journey through music and she performs two of her original songs for our listeners.