Brian Kalinec

Brian Kalinec plays Kojak's on Thursday, October 8, as part of the Berkalin Showcase. He'll be performing his song "Traveler," and the set sits squarely in the folk and Americana tradition he's built his name on here in Houston.

If you haven't crossed paths with his work before, the descriptions usually point to the same place: the storytelling side of folk. Rootsy magazine put him in the company of Woody Guthrie, John Steinbeck, James Taylor, and Rodney Crowell for the way he tells a story, and Robert Bartosh of Roots Music Report called him one of the most creative songwriters coming out of the Texas scene. He's spent years working within these songwriting contests, too—winning the Songwriter Serenade Competition and the Big Top Chautauqua Song Contest, placing second in the Woody Guthrie Song Contest, and making the finals of the UK Songwriting Contest. He's also picked up nominations for Songwriter of the Year and Musician of the Year at the Texas Music Awards, and a "My Texan" Award back in 2012.

Beyond the contests, he's played the Kerrville Folk Festival and appeared on WFMT's Folkstage. In 2023, he released The Beauty of It All, which climbed to number nine on the Euro Americana Chart in September of that year. He runs Berkalin Records with his wife, Pam, and when he's not playing solo, he tours as part of the duo Kalinec & Kj with Kj Reimensnyder-Wagner.

This particular show is part of the Berkalin Showcase, with "Traveler" as the featured track. It starts at 7 PM at Kojak's, 1912 W 18th St, and entry is free.