September, 2007...

The Sklarman went and did three shows with Switzerland's Honky-Tonk Pickers. Check out the pics at www.honkytonkpickers.com . All three dates were packed with great country music fans, and the band was hot, hot, hot! Special thanks to all the guys in the band for making me so welcome and allowing me to perform with them.  It was also a hoot to see our old friend, Britta T at the country festival in Walterswil. She did a couple of great numbers with the band and brought the house down, as usual.

The Legends of Canadian Country Show was equally wonderful, with appearances by many of the people who built the country music industry in Canada. The crowd were royally entertained for over three hours with music and comedy performed the way it was in the days of the package shows people used to see in local arenas all over Canada and the US. We are looking forward to participating again next year in Winnipeg.

Next up...Norsk Hostfest in Minot in October and some dates with the Western Senators to celebrate Oktoberfest in communities all over Saskatchewan. Check the upcoming dates page for details...

August, 2007...

Well, another Stampede is in the books, and the Kimberley weekend was stellar. We are taking some time off this month...Aaron and Lindsey are touring the Maritimes and eastern states. We have completed the project with Walter Ostanek, due for release in September.

We went down to Minot to make preparations for the Hostfest. It's going to be a hoot. We are also preparing for the Legends of Canadian Country Music Concert in Regina on September 9th. Two shows, 1:30 and 7:30. Advance tickets are twenty bucks and are available from the German Club...that's where the show is going to be. It will include performances by Ray St. Germain, Joyce Smith, Jimmy Arthur Ordge, Freddie Pelletier, Calvin Vollrath, and of course, the Tex Pistols. Also performing will be the legendary Smilin' Johnnie and Eleanore Dahl and there will be a special guest appearance by Tex Emery.

That's it for now. See ya in September.

May, 2007...
The recording project with our friend, Walter Ostanek is nearing completion, and the Pistols are back at it on the performance circuit. We just did a one-nighter on Saturday, the 19th and it was a blast, to say the least. We are currently preparing for a big summer, with the Dauphin Countryfest on July 1 and then off to the Stampede on July 7th, with Black Tie and Blue Jeans on the 8th, three days at Calgary's Cash Casino, and then to Kimberley, BC on July 13.

In the meantime, we have the SUNTEP graduation and the Cathedral Village Festival on May 25th...that's right, the grad from five to eight and the festival from ten to midnight. Then it's Mosaic Festival time and we will be at the Aborginal Peoples' pavilion on May 31st, June 1st and 2nd.

The casino gigs at Casinos Moose Jaw (Mae Wilson Theatre) and Regina, and Club Regent in Winnipeg were all just great. It was nice to see our friend, Marny Duncan-Cary (and the lovely and talented Dave Chobot) warming up for the Oak Ridge Boys at Club Regent the night before we did our show.

That's it for now. See you at the annual Relay for Life in Wascana Park on June15th. We're on at 8:30...also, don't forget National Aboriginal Day. We will be at Louis Riel Park at 5 p.m. - that's June 21st.

April, 2007...

We had a record crowd at our annual Brighter Futures For Children Concert here in Regina on the 29th of March. Thanks to the other entertainers, Jack Semple, Stepchyle, Marny Duncan-Cary and her very talented young daughter, Sheila Deck, and Bob Evans. Also a big thank-you to Jamie Lewis of CKRM, who did a fabulous job as our official host. And we can't forget Doug and Gloria Archer of Knight Archer Insurance, who took over the responsibility of organizing the event three years ago. Without them, this surely wouldn't be the success that it has become.

The Buck U project is now officially launched, after being completed for over a year. Some things just take time, and the inserts surely did, but they look great! The new band photo is cool...thanks Bruce Vasselin from Designer Photographic Technologies in Regina...truly a genious!

Also want to mention our good friend, Lionel Wendling of Normandy, France, with whom the Sklarman has performed on many occasions. Lionel just released a killer western swing album, simply entitled "Western Swing" and it is well worth ordering. E-mail him at lonestar-music@tiscali.fr

That's it for now...enjoy the spring and let's get ready for a great summer...

February, 2007...

We spent a couple of days in the studio, working on a new project, and will be returning for three more days on the long February weekend. The Sklars are back from holidays in Cuba, and it was great! Some incredible musicians over there, and the nicest beaches we have seen since the ones we saw in Spain.

Some interesting stuff coming up for the summer...no details to release yet, but it is shaping up to be a dandy. We will be returning to the Dauphin Country Jamboree, and of course to the Stampede, and also the big festival in Kimberley, BC. More details later in the spring.

We are mourning the passing of our good friend Jack Crossman, and our friend and colleague, Doyle Holly. Both were very close friends and both were totally dedicated to country music, and will be missed by everyone who knew them.

Be sure to catch the seventh annual Brighter Futures for Children concert at Casino Regina on March 29th. All the performers donate their time and talent in aid of Regina's SCEP and Early Learning Centres. Get your tickets from Knight Archer Insurance, the SCEP or Early Learning Centres or the Casino Regina box office. See ya there!
 

Euro Tour Ends...
Click Here to See Pictures from Eurotour2006

The 2006 Tex Pistols tour of Europe is now in the books, and what a great tour it was! Special thanks to all of the folks who organized the shows the Pistols played, and also to the fans who packed the halls and festival grounds, rain or shine.

The sun came out for the last five days of the tour and the show in Munzbach was a fitting way to wrap up EuroTour '06.

Kees De Haan did a great job of organizing the itinerary, lining up ground transportation, accommodations for days off, and just making sure that the whole tour came off without a hitch.

The Pistols have a total of about nine gigs of pics and video, which will be uploaded to this site as soon as time permits.

Planning is already beginning for EuroTour '07, and over the next few weeks, the Pistols will send out promised e-mails to the couple of hundred fans and friends who requested pics taken on the tour.

Now, it's on to Casinos Moose Jaw and Regina with the legendary Ferlin Husky and Leona Williams...what a Labour Day weekend it will be...and then there's Wayne's World tailgate party on Sunday the 3rd...and the shuffle beat goes on...
 

Euro Update...August, 2006

The Tex Pistols are halfway through the 06 tour, and it has been memorable, to say the least.

It  has rained everywhere, but the crowds have been great, and nobody lets a little rain spoil a good party.

The festivals at Fideris in the Swiss Alps, Floralia in Holland (the Tex Pistols' second appearance there), and Silkeborg in Denmark were all huge successes. New pics to be added, both stills and movies as soon as the band gets back home...

Today, the TPs head back to Gouda in Holland for a couple of days, then to Munich and the famous Oklahoma and Rattlesnake Saloons...then off to the festival in Munzbach Austria.

Special thanks to all the radio people who have interviewed the band and picked up music to spin on their radio shows, and to their many friends and fans who have travelled from as far away as the Canary Islands to take in Tex Pistols shows.

By the way, Wayne is still looking for number 19!
 

Another Great Calgary Stampede!

Calgary, AB - Stampede 2006 was another barn burner, and the Tex Pistols want to thank the thousands of people who attended events where we performed. The St. Louis was packed every day for lunch, the Cash Casino was a hoot, as usual...Jeff Knight's party at the Cadillac Ranch was the biggest ever, and we set a new record at Black Tie and Blue Jeans...175 thousand dollars for Dreams Take Flight!

Congratulations to Lucille, Earl, John and all the volunteers who made the Black Tie and Blue Jeans show such a smash. Special thanks to Hot Rod Harriet of Country 105 in Calgary, who did a stellar job of hosting the event. Plans are now underway for Black Tie 2007. The event sells out every year before the end of January, and there is a long waiting list for tickets, so get yours early.

Special thanks to Morris, Myna and all the staff at the St. Louis. See ya in '07!

Release of "Buck U" set for August 5th

Regina, SK -  When Buck Owens died on March 26th of this year, we were really disappointed at the lack of attention his passing generated. After all, Buck had totally changed the face of country music in the sixties and seventies and we felt that he deserved at least as much attention as the late Johnny Cash...who we also admired and respected.

So we went into the studio and started cutting tracks...tunes that we had either done or wanted to do for a long time. When we hit seventeen, we figured maybe that would be enough for a great West Coast Country album. Since then, we have come up with at least another twenty or so tunes that we wish we could have included...guess that'll be volume two.

Anyway, the name of the new project is "Buck U - Class of '60" - a collection which includes tunes by Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, Wynn Stewart and some artists who could have qualified as West Coasters. We're proud of the project, which features most of the same players we assembled for the "AAIIEE!!" project two years ago.

We will be releasing the project in Europe on August 5th at the Fideris Festival in Switzerland. A North American release date will come later on, sometime in the fall. So all of you West Coast Country freaks, get ready for this one. We're graduates of the University of Buck Owens - Buck U - and proud of it!

When in Calgary, be sure to visit  the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame, located on the Calgary Stampede grounds.