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Big Spring Native BZ Lewis receives huge th recognition at the 18 IMAs By NATALIE PERMENTER
Big Spring native, BZ Lewis, is a very successful musician and composer that recently received huge recognition from the 18th Independent Music Awards (IMAs). He is a six time Emmy Award winner, a voting member of the Grammys, a BMI member, writer, and publisher who has publishing deals with Media Creature Music and BOK music in L.A. According to his April 9, 2020 press release, BZ was among the year’s most exceptional music projects that were nominated. BZ was recognized both for his album “Infinite Point” in the Dance/ Electronica category and for Best Dance/Electronic Producer, Best Pop Producer, and is among the 400 artists nominated in the 18th IMAs by fans and industry, in the more than 100 Album, Song, EP, Music Producer, Music Video and Design categories. Last year the IMAs were held in mid-June, but due to the COVID-19 crises, this year’s awards were suddenly announced on April 28th. “I didn’t win in my official categories, but the album I produced with Monica Pasqual won for Best Adult Contemporary Album, so that’s a huge honor for me,” BZ Lewis said. “A similar thing happened last year - several albums I mixed were nominated and won. My clients flew me out to New York for the Awards show, where there was a conference and a ‘Black Tie’ awards show at the Symphony Space in New York. It’s thrilling to be nominated, but ultimately it’s validating, especially since the music I do is quite niche. I write all instrumental music that is a combination of EDM and hard rock guitar. Since I was nominated in two categories (plus one for Monica’s Album for Best Pop Producer), it makes me
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feel like I must be doing something right.” According to BZ, his Big Spring roots go pretty deep. His parents are Susan Zack and Bob Lewis. He was born and raised in Big Spring. “I lived in Big Spring until I graduated BSHS in ‘86, and then on and off for a bit after High School/College before moving out to California,” BZ said. “I have so many fond memories and friendships that I treasure. As a child, I constantly explored the canyons around Scenic Mountain. I have
many fond memories of riding my bike (which is something I still do), going to arcades, Burger Chef (which is now Red Mesa) and riding in the rolling hills all over town. I worked at a music store in high school and the Cinema Theatre. Looking back, I had an amazing education in high school. I studied to be a mechanical engineer for a bit in college, and most of the math/physics were simply a review of my high school experience.” BZ’s music career started with piano, but was inspired when he started playing the guitar and also through helping his dad in the production of his radio program. “I started playing piano sometime around first grade,” BZ said. “I studied with Martha Poss until the 4th grade and then I gave up my musical career for a few years. Then my older brother, Kevin Lewis, started taking guitar lessons and he showed me a few chords. Later that day I was able to play along with parts of Van Halen’s first album, and months later I could play along with a few Rush records. I was absolutely hooked! I couldn’t
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put it down. In fact, I have a BA in Classical Guitar from UT at Austin and my appreciation for the instrument continues to this day. It’s rare for me not to play guitar on any given day. Also my mom played piano and I grew up in my father’s studio, eventually making reel-to-reel copies of his show (The Sound of Texas with Tumbleweed Smith) to send out to radio stations all across Texas. It’s only natural with the newfound love for guitar and being raised in a studio environment that I would eventually gravitate towards music as a lifetime pursuit. I worked a few odd jobs while I was getting the studio up and going, but eventually I found a path.” BZ went to California in 1993 to work on a film that launched his career, and in 1996, he started recording bands out of his home. The following year he moved his studio to it’s current location, where he has been the main engineer for 23 years. His work has been quite a challenge since COVID-19 hit the United States. “I own Studio 132 (studio132.com), a recording studio in Oakland, California,” said BZ. “I’ve more or less written the book on ‘how to survive owning a recording studio’. In fact, I wrote book with that same title, which can be purchased at (Lulu.com). He continued, “I’m also a composer, and most of my living is from royalties from TV performances of my music. The Pandemic has brought everything to an absolute stand-still. Very little is in production right now for TV. Yikes! Since there’s no way to effectively stay six feet apart from someone while recording, no one can physically be in the studio with me at the moment either. But there is an on-line component to my business called The MixPack (TheMixPack.com). The premise here is that since everyone is recording at home, artists still need a professional mix. With The MixPack, an artist can upload their home recorded tracks, I mix/produce the songs, and then the radio-ready mixes can be downloaded. Everything happens online without any face-to-face interaction. I’ve had this company for more than a decade, but it’s really coming
into play during COVID-19.” When BZ is not in the studio, he can be found hanging out with his wife and two kids and riding his Mountain bike throughout the hills of Oakland, CA. “I met my wife at a show,” BZ said. “Yep - she’s a groupie. Actually, I was playing a show with Monica Pasqual about 20 years ago, and I wanted her to set me up with someone. Monica got in touch with a friend of hers from their book group to come to the show. The instant I saw Margaret, I knew she was the one. She needed a little more convincing, but eventually we got married in 2002. Our oldest kid Max was born the next year, and then Aiden came along in 2005. Max, who is a Senior in High School, has been involved with local live theaters around the area and works at a book store. Aiden, a Sophomore in High School, is a violinist at Oakland School For The Arts. It’s an amazing school, and I’m constantly wondering where I would be if there was a school like that for me when I was growing up. I could have been somebody. When I’m not doing music, I like to ride my mountain bike. I live a mile away from some of the best Redwood forest bike trails I’ve ever seen.” BZ was asked what role that he feels music will play in the healing process post COVID-19, as people once again come together at events. “From what I’ve seen, music has already been a part of the healing process of the pandemic,” he replied. “Every day and night, there are artists everywhere playing a Facebook/Instagram live event, where anyone can watch for free (or for a small donation if you can). Until there’s a vaccine, I don’t really see live music being a thing, or at least not as well attended as it was before. But as soon as we can all go out safely, I think there will be a huge demand for live performances of anything where theres a shared sense of community. Get ready to dust off those big PA systems!” Living Magazine
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Courtesy image Pictured above is jail art that can be found in the Old Courthouse Jail. The artist did a rendition of ‘The Settling of Big Spring at the Big Spring.’ This is one of the many pieces that can be found in the old jail.
By JOEL MILLER I am Joel Miller, senior Chaplain of Emergency Services Chaplain Corps, located in the Law Enforcement Center on W. Hwy 80. I am privileged to see the beautiful art on envelopes the inmates mail to their loved ones. Upon seeing some of the art work, I started looking each day to see the endeavors the inmates put into drawings. I decided to hold an art contest last year. Approximately 25 percent of the inmates responded to my contest. I received many different drawings of different subjects, each expressing the thoughts of the artist. I awarded the first, second, and third-place entries money in their commissary account. This year, I conducted another contest. The inmates are allowed pencils and colored pencils, purchased from the commissary. The results were the same as last year. Each entry expressed the aptitude of the artist. Some were very simple and others, as seen in the pictures, were elaborate. Several years ago, I wrote an article in “Living Magazine” about an inmate in the old jail. He painted scenes from the book and movie 'The Passion of Christ'. The past sheriff, Dale Walker, had given this inmate the book to copy from. The art is still on the old jail walls. He also painted his impression of the settling of Big Spring. Unfortunately,
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Courtesy images Pictured above are jail art pieces that can be found in the old jail. Chaplain Joel Miller shared the art work that has been rarely seen by those outside the jail.
t: a s U Visit downtownbigspring.com Or Call For Information
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Courtesy images Pictured directly above is the First Place Winner from this year’s jail art contest, which was put together for Chaplain Joel Miller. Pictured above right is the Third Place winner in this year’s competition. Pictured at right, the Second Place winner is featured, from this year’s contest. Chaplain Joel Miller wanted to provide an opportunity for the talent that exists to shine through, despite the bad choices that have been made, the talent is there and deserves recognition. Pictured below: An art entry that was submitted to the contest conducted by Chaplain Miller. he was sent to State Prison to finish his time and did not get to finish another pencil drawing he had mapped out. All of this is to show you, the reader, some of the talent that is in our lockup. The talent is there, it is just wasted. them productive citizens. This is by no means the only I have also intalent in the jail. There are inmates that are good mecluded a drawn chanics, auto painters, construction workers, and many picture on an more talents. Just give them a chance. Hire a person for envelope I took his ability, not dismissing them because of a black mark today, before it on their record. was mailed to As a side note, the Chaplains Corps is always looking a loved one. for new chaplains to service our community. If interested, I encourage you readers to try to find employment for please contact me at the jail. these inmates, hoping their talent will be used to make
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You can try fresh approaches for putting more excitement into your artwork by exploring other media that maybe are new to you. Or, like most artists, try using those supplies you obtained but never did that are packed away in a drawer or closet. What if instead of waiting for the “big idea” you begin a painting by dropping large, beautiful splashes of color onto your paper or canvas and
By KAY SMITH seeing where it takes you? What if you paint with a leaf, a sponge or a string (my favorite tool is now a wooden chopstick) instead of the traditional brush? What if you start painting not on a blank page, but over the top of an abstract background? Fresh perspectives can pop up in this way once you are ready to try something different. You may come up with your own boundary-breaking ideas to help you go to the next level. Using nature’s patterns and motifs are fun to inspire enticing designs and endless others opportunities to unleash your creativity. You can then be moved beyond a literal translation of your subject to one that is derived just from you. We all have our own style that is as individualized as our fingerprints. This most likely will evolve and develop as you experiment with various ideas. To enjoy the act of painting, or the pro-
cess, is the goal and reward. So raid your kitchen utensil drawer or pantry, the local hardware store, a thrift market, toy store, etc., for new and untried items. Even the trash is not off limits! Experiment with various focal points. Thinking beyond the subject matter to zero in on what you want to say. It is all about making the process as well as the finished results ever exciting and new. Texture making techniques are fun and funky. No ideas? Look up that online to see what others are doing as there are all sorts of ways to create texture using salt, sand, leaf imprints, blobs of paint dropped from high above your paper or canvas. I have used gauze, tape, plastic wrap, stamps, stencils and more. Take chances and try new ideas. The worst that could happen is you might have to flip your support over and try again. See Kay’s work at https://kaysmith.artspan.com or at 2106 Scurry in Big Spring, TX.
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The new school year will bring several new moves income a head coach and I made that a point for everyone side of athletic programs around Howard County. Some to know. I was complacent with my role as an assistant. of those moves include Big Spring choosing Audrey When the opportunity came up I was hesitant and I was Dunn as their new Head Girl’s Track & Field Coach, Forunsure. It was something within myself that I had to san moving on to Seth Johnson as the new Head Girl’s come to grips with because I knew the type of kids that Basketball Coach, and the Buffs also selecting Janet Shelton as the new Head Cross Country Coach. Big Spring had been looking for ANNOUNCING INCREASED SALARIES a new coach to fill the track & field LVN up to $4072.01 per month DOE position over the first few weeks of RN’s up to $5755 per month DOE summer break after the departure of PNA’s starting at $2312.85 per month Coach David Jeffery. At first, Dunn did not think she was going to take PART TIME POSITIONS NOW AVAILABLE the position. She thought about the For more information on jobs and salaries: decision long and hard before she CALL Paula at (432) 268-7674 or began to warm up to the idea after Submit a resume to a few weeks and finally decided to jennifer.patton@hhsc.state.tx.us commit to the job. for initial screening; application process will be initiated at a later time. Dunn had told all of her colleagues Or visit us at: at Big Spring High School in the past Big Spring State Hospital that she had no desire to be a head 1901 N. Hwy. 87 Big Spring, TX 79720 coach and she liked her role as an GMS/Medical Clinic assistant. The Ferris High School Laboratory Tech 1/GMS Runner graduate has been an assistant Flexible Daytime Working Hours coach for volleyball, basketball and In GMS Laboratory track for years. After speaking the Salary Range: $2,075.83 - $3,047.58 decision over with basketball coach According to Experience Krystle Jim and volleyball coach Kaitlyn Braswell, her assistants with track Contact our Job Center & field, the Lady Steers finally had a 432-268-7341 or 432-268-7298 new Track & Field Head Coach. Or “I was ecstatic,” Dunn said. “In the Complete an application online at past, I had absolutely I desire to behttps://accesshr.hhsc.state.tx.us
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we have and the caliber of athletes that we have. We tell our girls that we want them to push themselves day-in and day-out to get them out of their comfort zone and never settle. So, I had to take my own advice and here I am.” Dunn did not coach during her first year at Big Spring and instead was a consistent fan in the stands for some of her students that would invite her to their games. Being so close to the game and so close to the players sparked something within Dunn that first year at Big Spring and she became an assistant coach the following school year. Before long, Dunn was the top assistant coach for the Lady Steers in multiple sports and was making a major impact on the student-athletes who came through her program. Dunn is not a very intense coach but she still wants the best out of her players. With a different coaching style than her track & field predecessor, Dunn is expecting some changes within her program but also feels that Jeffery laid a solid foundation and left her with a strong template to follow. “Going forward I think I will have an opportunity to make my own mark along with the assistants that I have,” Dunn said. “I think they will do a good job helping mold me into the head coach that I will become.” Across town, a good example of a previous coach helping mold the system is apparent when it comes to the Lady Buffs basketball team.
Courtesy photo
Seth Johnson, new head coach for the Forsan Basketball team is pictured above with former Buffalo Kobe Richardson. Seth Johnson has been an assistant coach on Vedder’s staff for the past few years and has learned a lot working alongside him. In addition to the girl’s basketball team,
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Courtesy photo
Pictured above is Janet Shelton, who will be taking over the Forsan Cross Country coaching position, with her husband Jeff, who is also a coach. Johnson is the head coach of the tennis team and an assistant on the football coaching staff. Now that he is the head coach for the basketball team as well, Johnson undoubtedly has an extremely busy schedule to look forward to this next school year. However, Johnson is fully prepared and ready to take on this next challenge. After coaching alongside Vedder, Johnson knows that his coaching style is different and there are a few things that he could see changing under his leadership. “I think my coaching style is a lot different than Coach Vedder’s but it won’t be a wholesale change,” Johnson said. “I’ll keep some things that he did that were really good but I’m also excited about putting some stuff in that I think could benefit our team. One of those things would be a bigger emphasis on the defensive side of the ball.” Johnson also believes that his experience with the team, and knowing how each player works best on the court, will help him tremendously when they hit the hardwood later this year. 14 Living Magazine
“I know the girls and they know me and so I think we’re going to be able to get back into it and hit the ground running.” The third new coach will be Janet Shelton taking over the Forsan Cross Country job. This will be her fifth year coaching at the high school level. She has spent the majority of her coaching career as an assistant coach to her husband, Jeff, and has spent one year as a Head Girl’s Track & Field Coach while at Rankin ISD. Shelton will be looking to lead the Buffs’ to a State tournament berth and is excited to step into her new role at Forsan High School. Each one of these new head coaches will bring a new style and their own ways of doing things. After years of leading the Forsan girl’s basketball team, Lloyd Vedder has now moved onto a new path coaching and teaching in Oklahoma. His ways of doing things are imprinted on the program but Johnson, just like the two other new local coaches, will be ready to lead his team to new heights. Taking on a high school program as the head coach can be an intimidating job and is one that takes many extra hours of work and dedication. Because of that, fans of the Big Spring Steers and the Forsan Buffaloes should rest easy with the selections that their Athletic Director has made. Each one of these new coaches is ready for the challenge ahead and are ready to put their mark on their respective athletic teams.
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August House Call Catching up on your child’s health During the COVID-19 pandemic, it was important to disease, the benefits outweigh any possible side effects stay home. For you and your family, this may have meant for most kids. skipping doctor’s visits. Now 2. They protect others. Some diseases, like chickenpox that restrictions are slowly and measles, are highly contagious. But getting your kids being lifted, it may be time to vaccinated greatly reduces their risk of catching these catch up on missed visits and diseases—and passing them on to others. That’s espeunderstanding the imporcially good news for vulnerable people, including newtance of taking your children borns that haven’t had all their shots yet. to their pediatrician for their 3. They save time and money today and tomorrow. Vacwellness checkups and imcinated kids avoid diseases that could make them miss munizations. school. They’re also protected from illnesses that could Visiting your pediatrician’s lead to long-term disability, lost work time and wages, office is both safe and neces- and high medical costs. sary to make sure your child For more about vaccinations, visit cdc.gov/vaccines/ is staying as healthy as posschedules. For more information on child wellness checksible. Just because your child ups and immunizations, or to schedule an appointment, Srikanth Podaralla, MD is not displaying symptoms please call Shannon Clinic Pediatrics at 325-658-1511. Shannon Clinic of being ill doesn’t mean it is Pediatrics smart to hold off on their pediatric visits. When is an ounce of prevention worth more than a pound of cure? When it has the potential to save your child’s life. Knowing when to get your children vaccinated and bringing them in for their visits is essential. Vaccines are like an ounce of prevention. They don’t take long to give. And insurance usually covers them. But they could keep your child from getting certain diseases—and help keep others safe from those diseases too. Here’s how: 1. Vaccines protect against lifethreatening illnesses. Thanks to vaccinations, some diseases that used to injure or kill kids, like polio and smallpox, have been completely or nearly eliminated in the U.S. But other serious illnesses (such as meningitis, measles and whooping cough) are still It’s easy to read the news on the go with our newly renovated around. Vaccinating your kids protects website. Simply go to www.bigspringherald.com to see the them—safely. daily news updates and featured stories. With the recent Doctors and scientists review vaccines to ensure their safety. Very few upgrade to our website, it’s even easier to browse on your children have serious side effects. And mobile device, too! because most childhood vaccines are 90% to 99% effective in preventing
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