Those of you who drop by from time to time may have wondered where I've been this past month or so. In between working on important desert issues for Mojave Watch, I've also been traveling to places as disparate as Death Valley and New Jersey. In addition, I've been working with my friend, Steve Rushingwind, on laying the groundwork for preparation for Season 3 of Southwest Stories, my travel television series, so we can hit the road this fall to shoot the season and have it on the air by early 2020.
So... what do I mean by "we?" I've asked Steve - the other Steve (Rushingwind) - to join me as co-host. In addition to being just a really fun guy to travel with, Steve is also an incredible Native American musician. He's a three-time NAMMY (Native American Music Awards) winner (among other honors and recognition), a prolific recording artist, GRAMMY voting member, endorsed artist by High Spirits Flutes, Roland, audio-technica, Gator Cases, elCerrito studio, and Henhouse Studios. Both of us have toured internationally as musicians, and both of us write songs, so stay tuned for some creative mayhem to emerge from all our travels.
We began working together in Season 1 of Southwest Stories (originally titled "The Real Desert, with Steve Brown"). We performed together in Indian Canyons in Palm Springs, which was especially meaningful as Steve is part Cahuilla, so this was his ancestral lands. It was beautiful playing down in the canyons, where he later went on to play for the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum's annual Dinner in the Canyons.
Steve played on Season 1's theme song, and went on to co-write and perform the theme song for Season 2. He later joined us on set at Gold Mountain Studios for the final episode of Season 2, "Where the Old West met the New." In between, we performed together at various locations across southern California, most recently for a weekend engagement of Steve Rushingwind and The Native Groove at the legendary Amargosa Opera House in Death Valley Junction.
Now, we're working on producing Season 3 - Southwest Stories with the Two Steves - and this time, we're producing for national distribution to all 350 PBS stations, as well as for our own ROKU channel, and online outlets. It's an exciting challenge, but we have a great crew and a supportive PBS host station. You can join the fun and become a Patron of Southwest Stories with the Two Steves, on our Patreon page, and you can get a lot of benefits in return for your support. We'd appreciate it if you joined as a Buckaroo for only a buck a month!
You can keep up with Southwest Stories and the Two Steves on the show's website, on our Patreon page, on our @southweststoriestv Instagram page, and our Facebook page. I hope you'll join us for this journey, and stay tuned for a tour opportunity to join us on the road!
