This is the fourth consecutive year that Bryan has been a winner in the competition. Here’s the roundup:

* Small Town Kids (2005)
* Made by Hand (2006)
* September 14, 1966 (2006)
* You Again (2006, alternate)
* One Candle (2007)

Note that all the aforementioned songs (except Made by Hand) are available on our CD The Incredible Adventures of Back Porch Buddha. Just sayin’.

The New Songs Showcase is managed by the fabulously talented and relentlessly cheerful Kelly and Donna of Still on the Hill. Many thanks to them for a job well done.

Bryan and Dennis on Stage 3 performing “One Candle” in 2007.

It was a heckuva lot of fun.

The first set was just Bryan and Dennis, the Buddha regulars. And it was a weird set list — full of cover tunes and old, odd or underserved selections from the Buddha repertoire. Fun stuff.

Then we were joined by bassman Dan Russell and drummer Rob Farmer for the rest of the evening. We rolled out the Abbey Road medley again, and these guys really brought it to life. In fact, their hard work resulted in a call for an encore — so when Bryan and Dennis threw down with a Jackson 5 tribute, Dan and Rob were there to accept the charges. Killa crew, I say.

Most of the show is available for download below. Enjoy!

(ps: If anybody has any photos from this show, please e-mail them to us. Thanks!)

The multi-headed Buddha is back.

This incarnation features the infamous Rob Farmer on drums and bassist-philosopher Dan Russell.

Catch us all at the Artichoke this Saturday, May 31. Dennis and Bryan will start the show with a duet set, and they’ll unleash the beast when Dan and Rob join the second set.

Listen to a little bit here … (4.1 mb mp3)

Again:

Back Porch Buddha
with guests Dan Russell and Rob Farmer
Saturday night, May 31
Artichoke Sandwich Bar
811 N. Broadway, Wichita KS

The Buddha boys made another video — this time it’s Neighbors, from The Incredible Adventures of Back Porch Buddha. It was fun to shoot … very low-tech, and I think the neighbors were appropriately troubled. Thanks to Nikki and Juli for the kickass front-porch cinematography.

And it’s pretty damn dandy, if I may say so myself. 18 songs, just as performed in concert. 10 of those songs are previously unreleased (well, to be fair, 3 of those were “released” on Songwriter Circle CDs that were sold to raise money for the Guitars For Kids initiative. But they weren’t released in our actual catalog. ‘Nuff said.)

Only three songs from the concert were omitted from the CD: Put Down Your Gun, by Peter Case; Lucky Day, by Terry Quiett; and an awesome version of the Abbey Road Suite, by Lennon/McCartney. We didn’t put them on the CD because we didn’t want to mess with the licensing concerns. BUT CD buyers will find super-secret access inside the packaging. Nudge, nudge.

Many thanks to our kickass rhythm section of mad bassist John Probst and King Drum himself, Steve Hatfield. They made us sound 10 feet tall and bulletproof.

Want to know more? Check it out for yourself.

Thanks to everyone who pre-ordered their copy of the recording of this concert. We just don’t know how long it will take to make the CD, but we promise to move as quickly as our feeble old legs will carry us.

Meanwhile, please make it a point to take in the Cabaret Old Town production of “Route 66″ just to return some of the love.

Here’s the whole crew onstage during the Beatles medley …

Mark your calendars: Bryan and Dennis are hosting a special afternoon concert on Sunday, June 3.

Here’s what’s special about it:

• Special guests — Instead of a plain ol’ duet show, we’ll be a full-sized band. The amazing Steve Hatfield will join us on drums along with bassman John Probst. These guys are a remarkable rhythm section, and they’re extraordinarily handsome. We’ll also be joined on one number by guest vocalists Barney Byard and Shalen Scheltgen, who just sing like li’l angels.
• Special venue — Cabaret Old Town is a great-sounding room and a darned classy venue. Full bar and some food and seats with tables and little umbrellas in your drinks. (Actually, I made up the part about umbrellas, but you get the idea. It ain’t your typical smoky bar.)
• Special time — It’s on Sunday afternoon at 4pm, which means you’ll be done in plenty of time for an evening at home. It is, after all, a school night. Sort of.
• Special specialness — We’ll record a live CD that night. Lots of great new original material, and lots of old favorites.

Steve “Hatdaddy” Hatfield says, “Since playing on their CD ‘Thundar, the Boy Giant,’ I have been itching to get to work in a live setting with Bryan and Dennis. Well, that itch is now officially scratched and it feels great! I’m having a blast and I get to have my partner in musical crime, John Probst, along for the ride. Viva La Buddha!!!”

We’ve been working toward this show for quite a while, and we’re really happy with the way it’s shaping up. Please join us for what promises to be the Back Porch Buddha Deluxe Edition Original Folk-Rock 2007 Spectacular.

Here it is again:

Back Porch Buddha in Concert
Sunday, June 3, 2007
4:00 pm / $7 ticket
Cabaret Old Town, Wichita KS
Live CD recording concert