Every year at this time, one of Houston’s most venerable music places, the Mucky Duck, hosts a fundraiser for the US Marine Corp’ Toys for Tots Program. It’s an evening of music by various artists, the admission for which is an unwrapped toy for a child between the ages of 1 and 12.

The Duck’s subdued, Irish pub-like interior is extra-cozy when done-up for Christmas, and a great way to kick-off the season. Music begins at 6pm. Order a shepherd’s pie, fish & chips, and a fine wine or stout draft and enjoy performances by local/Texas musicians at this great casual venue.

Kimberly M’Carver
Purist Country Songwriting, Brilliant Voice … Houston songwriter Kimberly M’Carver has a voice that will very gently knock you out. It’s sort of a cross between Emmylou Harris and vintage Dolly Parton, with all the nuance of the former and the sweetness of the latter.

John Egan
Egan’s guitar style includes, in effect, playing bass, lead, and percussion, all at the same time.

He says, “the rarefied air where Lightnin’ Hopkins met Townes Van Zandt serves as an inspiration and an ideal.”

Tony Kamel
Kamel and several talented contributors crafted an album that fully conveys the down-home vibe its title suggests, as well as the laid-back nature of life on Texas’ Gulf Coast. The sum of these parts is a sonic travelogue of sorts that takes listeners from Texas-imprinted country-folk, old-time and bluegrass styles to Louisiana’s singular stew of Cajun, jazz, funk and other special ingredients; a stunning solo debut.

For more than 50 years, Texas singer-songwriter Shake Russell, has been entertaining audiences throughout the region and all over the United States with his unique Americana style of folk rock.  Weaving sophisticated harmonies through his songs and drawing from various genres, Shake created a style of folk-rock that is uniquely his own.

A prolific songwriter, Shake has written or co written hundreds of melodies. Shakes songs and albums have frequented the Billboard charts, with many including “You’ve Got a Lover” (Ricky Skaggs) “Deep in the West” (Waylon Jennings/Jessi Colter), “Put Yourself in My Shoes”, “One More Payment”, “Our Kind of Love”, “You Don’t Need Me Now”, (Clint Black), “You Wouldn’t Know Me” (Miranda Lambert), “The Dare of an Angel” (Jerry Jeff Walker), “The Girl Just Loves to Dance” (Gary P Nunn), “Temper Temper”, (BW Stevenson), Miranda Lambert’s recording of “You Wouldn’t Know Me” went “Platinum” on  her 2018 release of “The Weight of these Wings”.
Shake is a two-time recipient of BMI MILLIONAIRE AWARD and a four-time recipient of BMI Writers Award.

Watching Jed Craddock on stage is an experience that feels timeless and authentic. A San Antonio native, the singer-songwriter best defines his music as Soul Pop, although he consistently bends genres to incorporate his favorite elements from almost every kind of music.

Craddock’s vocal style and song writing approach delivers powerful narratives that take listeners on a journey back to the roots of our shared human experience. Active in the Texas music scene since 2010, Craddock is no stranger to the grit required to thrive as an independent musician and producer.

His unique blend of soul, R&B, electronic, rock, and hip-hop elements deliver an experience that captivates audiences and inspires, while his voice shifts between a tender timbre to gritty belting.

While known to many as the lead vocalist, bass player, and principle songwriter on Spirit’s fifth album, 1972’s ‘Feedback’, Staehely went on to enjoy a lengthy career in bands like the Staehely Brothers, and The Nick Gravenites / John Cipollina Band, while also writing songs for the likes of Keith Moon, Bobbie Gentry, Patti Dahlstrom, Nick Gravenites, John Cipollina, Marty Balin, Peter Cox and Hodges, James & Smith and more.

A segue into a successful career as a Houston, TX entertainment attorney hasn’t deterred Staehely from continuing to write and perform music regularly, which he does to this day.