Deborah Crooks, Kwame Copeland, & Julio A. Gonzalez on Swoop’s World Late Night

Deborah Crooks & Kwame Copeland

On Wednesday June 20, 2012 at 8pm/PST (11pm/EST) we welcome several awesome guests. At 8pm/PST we are happy to have our friends, musicians Deborah Crooks and Kwame Copeland return on the show. Join us as we get to know what they’ve been up to and enjoy their wonderful music. After our interview with Deborah and Kwame, we welcome the hilariously funny comedian Julio A Gonzalez to Swoop’s World. Listen in as we get to know Julio, what makes him laugh, and what life is like on the comedy circuit. We will, of course, have our Brewskis beer tasting segment, and TBones Timeout, followed by our take on all topics, as well as any interesting news of the day. Swoop’s World Late Night is on from 8pm/PST – 11pm/PST tune in at Swoopsworld.com.

Julio A. Gonzalez

Deborah Crooks

Deborah Crooks is a vibrant artist carrying on the San Francisco tradition of powerful female singer/songwriters with literate lyrics and progressive musical attitudes; well respected within the music scene and increasingly so outside of it.

The California-born and bred singer/songwriter grew up at the nexus of two tectonic plates; close to a city known for its history of social, musical and political upheaval. But the lid really came off of Crooks’ creative self during her studies at Colorado’s The Naropa Institute, whose ecumenical Buddhist-based educational philosophy of the school inspired Crooks to take up Buddhist practice, begin studying yoga and to see her creative side as a spiritual outlet. Around the same time Crooks experienced the Telluride Folk Festival, and was inspired to walk in the footsteps of such literate artists as Michelle Shocked, Lucinda Williams and Shawn Colvin.

A frequent performer, Deborah regularly collaborates in the studio and onstage. She recorded a 5-song CD with Alex Walsh, ‘The Crooks/Walsh Blues, (2009)’ the same month she toured the Northwest as part “Indie Abundance™ Music, Money & Mindfulness” with two other artists. She’s co-hosted the local chapter of Songsalive! participates in the ongoing Bay Area Song Collective and co-writes with many other artists. Notably side collaborations have included co-writing with Pop Tuna’s B.Z. Lewis, resulting in the tracks “You Are Home” (chosen for both the Java with Jahvalin Indie Artist CD 2005 and the Indie Music for Life), “The More I Know” (2005) and “All This Love,” (2006); and with Stefan Gustafsson (Luminous Family Trust).

In 2010, she co-founded The Great Idea Tour with fellow songwriter and yogini Jean Mazzei, performing at music venues and LuluLemon stores across the nation to promote music and mindfulness, and was a featured speaker at SXSW Music about ‘people, purpose, passion and performance.” She’s also appeared at MacWorld 2010 in SF, where she spoke about songwriting and the creative process of record production.

Increasingly widening her worldview, her work is fueled by periodic returns to India to further her yoga and vocal studies, and write. She returned to the subcontinent in November 2011 where she spent a couple of months honing new songs for her next recording project. In April she returns to the studio!

Kwame Copeland

Kwame Copeland grew up in Laramie, Wyoming. His folks were refugees from Southern California who, after a stint in the West African country of Ghana, migrated to Wyoming to raise kids and some hell in the peace and quiet of a college town in a conservative mountain state. His father is a folk guitar player who frequented cafes ‘round LA in the mid-sixties. Kwame and his two brothers grew up listening to their father play and sing, so it was almost a given that they would end up afflicted with the same sorts of habits. After a run-of-the mill crazed adolescence, topped by a sterling high-school career of blatant under-achievement, He left Laramie smoldering in his wake, and set out for San Francisco with the Decline, a pack of similarly inclined musicians.

Kwame has played some sort of instrument for as long as he can remember. He took up the guitar at the age of 12, and has been writing songs and singing since shortly after that. He was way into Dylan in high school, and always had an affinity for Americana, as well as 60’s and 70’s rock. His songwriting influences are mainly folk and real country artists like Townes Van Zandt, and Steve Earle. In the last decade Kwame has been studying bass guitar and drums, and noticed that his songs have become more spare and rhythmic.

In 2010 Kwame finished recording his 1st solo record, called “Simple Things.”

Julio A Gonzalez

Julio was a comedian before he even knew it. He was always the funny guy where ever he went. Always trying to make people laugh no matter where he was, be it the back yard party or the grocery store. He was a regular at the comedy clubs not as a comedian but as a fan of comedy. At a company party he sat at a table of all women and had them laughing the entire time. They told him he should be a comedian and he thought: Hey, now there’s an idea!

Still considered new to the comedy world, Julio has built a following with his stage presence, jokes and funny face. Julio’s comedy is based on his experiences from people reminding him he’s fat, to relationships and just having fun with life. He has created a fan base in Los Angeles County, Orange County, Ventura County, Texas, Arizona and Minnesota. His goal is to make everyone laugh. And become famouser!

After our interviews with Deborah Crooks, Kwame Copeland, and Julio A Gonzalez, we’ll be up to all of our usual fun including “Brewskis” Beer Tasting sponsored by DrinksWinesSpirits.com, sports talk, rants and more.

This week we’ll be tasting Overlook IPA by Pennsylvania Brewing Company Located in Pittsburgh, PA.

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