Bill Pekar

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jun. 5, 2001

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MORE ENTERTAINMENT ADDED TO FREE FAMILY ZONE AT FAN FAIR
Jessica Andrews, Billy Gilman, PBS Series "Between The Lions" and Concerts


NASHVILLE - Fan Fairâ 2001 keeps getting bigger and better than ever with the addition of Billy Gilman, Jessica Andrews and PBS literacy series "Between The Lions" announced for the "Family Zone," presented by Blue Bonnet. The "Family Zone" is an alcohol-free environment for families with the Fan Fair Carnival, Fan Fair 2001 National Barbecue Championship Cook-Off, concerts and activities for children on the grounds of the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park in Downtown Nashville.

Dynamic young stars Jessica Andrews and Billy Gilman have signed on to perform at 10 AM Saturday, June 16. The 30-minute concert will serve as a kick-off to the performers' "=29 Tour," which starts the following day in North Platte, Neb., and ends Sept. 29 in Santa Clara, Calif., after stops in 37 cities.

NPT, Nashville Public Television (Channel 8), and CMA have joined together to bring popular characters from the PBS children's literacy series "Between The Lions" to Fan Fair for "The Mane Event" Saturday, June 16, with three shows at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park. Country Music artists will join character puppets Lionel, Cleo and Smarmy Marmy for a segment of the show, where the artists read aloud to children in the audience. Produced by award winning WGBH Boston and Sirius Thinking, Ltd., this popular television show about a family of lions who run a library, has garnered three Emmy Awards and also won the Television Critics Award as the Outstanding Children's Show on television.

"This is exactly the type of entertainment value we envisioned for the Bicentennial Mall Family Zone," said Ed Benson, Executive Director of CMA. "It is a wonderful opportunity for Nashville families to come out and enjoy the variety of entertainment that Fan Fair offers in a beautiful park setting."

The list of artists appearing at the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park continues to grow with the announcement of several artists who will be performing from 1:00-4:00 PM, Sunday, June 17, on the Fan Fair Stage at the Mall. Scheduled artists include Bobbie Eakes, Ken Mellons, Craig Morgan and South 65.

The "Best in Texas" music showcase offers a lineup of artists on the rise in the burgeoning Texas music scene including Lee Roy Parnell, Sonny Burgess, John Evans, Bill Pekar and Elbert West. The "Best in Texas" show will be 2:30-5:30 PM Saturday, June 16, on the Fan Fair Stage at the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park lawn.

The Fan Fair Carnival presented by SunCom, opens Wednesday, June 13 and runs through Sunday, June 17 with rides for the whole family. Hours are 5-11 PM Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, Noon to 11 PM Saturday and Noon to 10 PM Sunday. Ride tickets are available on site. Fan Fair four-day registrants with their credentials will receive discounts on the carnival rides and attractions. SunCom will be offering discount ride coupons to local residents via local retail outlets.

The Fan Fair 2001 National Barbecue Championship Cook-Off, presented by Greased Lightning, will feature top crews from across the nation competing for prizes and bragging rights for the best barbecue. The event starts at 4:30 PM Friday, June 15 with some of the teams selling barbecue and other goods. The event continues at 10:30 AM, Saturday, June 16, with judging from Noon to 2:00 PM, followed by an announcement of the winners later in the afternoon.

In addition to the carnival, cook-off and concert stage, an area will be set aside at the park with special activities for children - including games, crafts and clowns. The Kid Zone is open from Noon to 5:00 PM Saturday and Sunday.

Fan Fair's "Family Zone" is open to the public. Fan Fair four-day registrations and individual tickets for Nightly Concerts at Adelphia Coliseum are available by calling toll-free 866/FAN-FAIR, at the Fan Fair box office at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville and through all Ticketmaster outlets.

For a complete list of artists appearing at Fan Fair 2001, information and schedules visit www.FanFair.com. Fan Fair is organized and produced by the Country Music Association and is a registered trademark of CMA.

Partners for Fan Fair 2001 include CMT, TNN, Country Weekly and Country Music magazines. Ford is the official Truck of Fan Fair. Blue Bonnet is the presenting sponsor of Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park Family Zone activities. Food Lion is the presenting sponsor of Riverfront Park Stages. Promotional partners include Southwest Airlines, Bush's Country Style Baked Beans, Food Lion, Pizza Hut, Jack Daniel's Grilling Sauce, American Airlines, United Airlines, MUSICMATCH, Georgia Pacific and SunCom. MJI Broadcasting is the official radio packager for Fan Fair.

- cmaworld.com

Dale Martin with the Victoria Advocate


Bill Pekar: Singer and songwriter

Sunday, March 10th, 2002
Most people seem to think that music columnists stay on the cutting edge of all new music and hot talent. While that might be the case with some, more often than not, music columnists are the last to discover new talent.
The simple truth remains that such a massive amount of music is released each year, it is virtually impossible to give ample time to each title.
So, we usually depend on others to alert us about new music we need to hear. This is how I discovered the music of Bill Pekar, an extremely talented musician from beautiful Shiner.
Pekar's talent was no secret to me. His name had been mentioned by many of my friends in the music business as someone I should definitely take time to listen to. When I finally got around to listening to his debut CD, "The First Five Years," I immediately asked myself why I had waited so long.
Pekar's music is another glowing example of why Texas music is so popular right now. The songs are about things we can all relate to and the lyrics can be understood by all ages. Growing up in a small town in South Texas can give you a lifetime of subjects to write about. Pekar is in perfect tune with his surroundings and never misses an opportunity to jot down ideas in "little blue notebooks and yellow pads." Along with his friend and writing partner, Skip Brown, they have composed a near masterpiece of exactly what it means to be a true Texan.
Brown plays a very important part in Pekar's life, as he explains in his bio, "Skip and I started in the '80s as Nashville-bound musicians, and now it's turned into Texas music. That's what the song 'First Five Years' is about."
As a longtime musician, Pekar plied his trade with several area bands, including the popular Bobby Allen Jones, before striking out on his own.
In the spring of 1998, he took a handful of demos and settled in at M&N Studios in Mount Olive, just outside of Shiner. Those demos were so good they soon got the attention of Mark Hybner Entertainment, the company behind Chris Cagle and David Kersh.
From there, the songs were re-recorded at Curb Studios in Nashville and at Cedar Creek Studios in Austin. Robert Wright produced the project for Crime Scene Productions. A wide variety of musicians lent their hand to the album, including Lloyd Maines, Michael Tarabay, Howard Gloor, John Carroll, Damon Williams, Steve Turner and the late Champ Hood, to name just a few. Many hours in the studio and 12 classic songs later, the CD was finished.
On a sad note, Frank Cortinas recorded a beautiful saxophone solo just a few hours before being killed by a gunman in the parking lot of the Victoria Mall. Cortinas had added his sax solo to the haunting "The Way It Used To Be," making it the final musical gift he gave the world.
That's just one of the fascinating stories behind this album. It was a labor of love for everyone involved. That became evident during a recent phone interview I did with the reluctant star.
Pekar is still in the process of accepting the fact that he is quickly on the road to becoming a major star in the world of Texas music. Pekar is married and the father of a teen-age daughter and son. His main career is that as a school counselor who works with emotionally challenged children. His territory covers 21 schools in 13 districts; so, between his day job and his passion for music, this is one busy man.
One of the first things Pekar and I talked about was how important his writing partner, Skip Brown, was to his music. He and Brown have been writing together since the '80s and have been best of friends even longer. He describes Brown as a real renaissance man who prefers to stay out of the limelight, choosing instead to help Pekar with the lyrics instead of the singing.
Brown divides his time between homes in upstate New York and Florida, taking time to visit Pekar while traveling between the two.
Both writers approach their craft in a different way, and the finished product is better because of it. Brown is the more structured of the two, while Pekar brings a down-home simplicity to the table. Neither writes with anyone else, because as Pekar explains, "there's not a need to." Even if one of the duo writes a song alone, they still present it to the other for fine-tuning.
A case in point is the "Drunk Driver Song." Pekar witnessed the events of this song one night at a local tavern and within 10 minutes he had the song written. When he ran it by Brown, Brown suggested a few subtle changes. So, their co-writing technique surely is a match made in heaven.
The pair already is hard at work on album No. 2, writing songs on nights and weekends. Pekar has long since sold the home he owned across from the Spoetzel Brewery and has built a new home for his family. He is surrounded by many devoted friends and family that support his dream 100 percent.
"You know," says Pekar, "another big help has been Pat Green and Lloyd Maines. They have both taken me under their wing. They have been very complimentary about my writing and have both been a great inspiration to me."
Pekar recalled how the idea for the album came to be.
"I gave my homemade demos to Mark Hybner, who represents David Kersh. I knew David was getting ready to record another album and I thought he might be interested in recording one of my songs. To make a short story long, he listened to them and he came back.
"... I'll never forget this day, and he said, 'No, they are just not right for David, but Bill, you're gonna do them.' I almost fell over. You know, I'm not a singer, I'm a songwriter. But after that, things just took off. Mark started our own label, Corn Fed Records, so we could maintain artistic control of our music."
Since the album came out, Pekar's life has been nothing short of a blur. It has been one amazing story after another. As the dynamic duo prepare for the next album, the challenge is what to leave in and what to leave out.
"We're up to album 10," reveals Pekar. "We have so much material written, the hardest thing is what to leave in. We recently sat down and picked the songs for the next album, then we wrote a couple more songs. We have a new song called 'The Cardboard Car' that is getting phenomenal response."
During our interview, Pekar discussed the songs on the first CD and the inspiration behind each one. As is often the case, sometimes the story behind the songs is as interesting as the songs themselves.
"Jack Daniels and Michelle" was written about a bartender in Plattsburgh, N.Y. She works at the American Legion Bar and the song basically reveals that bartenders are great therapist. Naturally, "The Koozie Song" and "Colors Are All The Same" get a lot of requests, but "The Way It Used To Be" is also very popular with his fans.
Bill Pekar is a very patient man. With a happy marriage and his children nearly grown, he now has time to pursue a lifelong dream. He is very confident that one of his songs will be a career-making hit. Until then he is perfectly content to continue doing what he does.
As our talk drew to a close, Pekar wanted to leave me with some closing thoughts about his career. "I have so many incredible people helping me with my career." He stressed, "I can't say enough about my band; my road manager, Damon Williams; my partner, Skip Brown; my wife and children. The list goes on and on. I am a very lucky man."
And we are very lucky that Pekar has chosen to share his music with us. Check out his CD and his Web site at http://www.billpekar.com/.

Dale Martin is a music columnist for The Victoria Advocate. Contact him at 361-580-6518 or by e-mail at dmartin@the-cia.net.
- Dale Martin with the Victoria Advocate

Article by John Goodspeed at the San Antonio Express News)
'Colors' puts local hero in spotlight
A hometown hero will help open the star-studded lineup of the eighth annual Shiner Bocktoberfest on Saturday.
Bill Pekar became an overnight sensation with his debut album's first single, "The Colors Are All the Same," an Aggie/Longhorn love-conquers-rivalry story that rocketed up the Texas Music Chart.
Although Pekar will make his debut at Bocktoberfest, featuring Jerry Jeff Walker, Joe Ely, the Reverend Horton Heat, Jack Ingram, Cooder Craw and Roger Creager, the 46-year-old school counselor is no stranger to Shiner — or music. He began writing songs in 1980 at his home across the farm-to-market road from Spoetzl Brewery, famed for Shiner Bock.
"They give free beer in the afternoons at the brewery, and there was a trail cut across my front lawn," he said with a laugh, adding he recently sold the house.
Pekar played guitar in Top 40 dance-hall bands around Southeast Texas for years before putting together a demo tape of songs he hoped to sell. Instead, Mark Hybner of Shiner, who manages David Kersh and Chris Cagle, decide Pekar should record his own songs and formed his own label.
Pekar's "The First Five Years" has been getting praise and airplay since its release in June. Its instant success led Pekar to gigs around the state, opening for the likes of Walker, Charlie Robison and Asleep at the Wheel.
"Music is therapy for me because I have a tough job. I work with emotionally challenged children," said Pekar, who covers 21 schools in 13 districts. "Sometimes that music is a savior."
He writes with an old friend, Skip Brown, who divides his time living in New York, Florida and with Pekar.
"Skipper is a gifted lyricist and very important to this project, but he prefers to stay out of the limelight," he said.
Pekar takes in stride criticism from some insiders that he is a one-hit wonder who sold out for a Texas Music hit with his A&M/Texas love song, that it's too lightweight for a serious artist. Even Brown, his reluctant co-writer on that song, flat-out hates it, Pekar said.
"But even John Lennon said let's do this one for the swimming pool," Pekar said. "I knew from the time it was written that it was going to touch people, and so many tell me they think it was written about them or someone they know.
"But I didn't know it was even going to touch kids. The other night a 9-year-old came up after a show and said I'd changed up a few words in the song."
The project was not about money, but love of music, he said.
"They could have hopped up my vocals but I said no," he said. "It could have been more pleasing to the ear but this way it is more pleasing to my conscience."
The current single is "The Koozie Song," a lighthearted romp about those spongy things that keep a beer cold, but Pekar is itching to release songs with more depth.
He outlines a few — "This House," about a man's life crumbling when his wife leaves him; "Be My Blanket," which shows the depths to which a guy will sink to sell a girl on losing her virginity; and "Hollow Spot," a story of a drinker's life.
Another, "The Way It Used to Be," holds a special meaning for Pekar because the saxophone player was slain by a gunman just a few hours after the song was recorded.
"I couldn't listen to it for many months," Pekar said. "And then the tears came. It's a ghostly picture of what Frank Cortinas was all about."
Pekar, married and the father of a teen-age daughter and son, sees his late-blooming musical success as a comfortable place to be.
"Instead of a young guy doing music, I've done it the other way," he said. "I've done my education, my children are almost raised, and I'm at a time in my life where I can have a dream fulfilled."
The dream includes putting his already-picked songs on his next album, touring more and seeing what happens next, although he's still adjusting to his celebrity status.
"It's wild to walk into a restaurant and be noticed or for people who've known me for years to look at me like I'm a star," Pekar said. "I'm baffled by it, but I'm still the same me, living here in the land of plenty in Shiner."
jgoodspeed@express-news.net
10/12/2001
- John Goodspeed at the San Antonio Express News