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...dandy flair and showmanship, these boss rockers had the whole joint shakin' their thing! One of the most popular classic rock bands around." Jim Shortt SCENE Magazine
FOR BOOKINGS AND OTHER INFORMATION eMAIL LYNN RAGGIO AT shakeitdown@sbcglobal.net OR CALL 832.226.1306 |
Brandi Raggio--This powerful, melodic, and soulful singer hails from Pasadena, Texas. She likes butterflies, and zebras, and moonbeams...and fairytales. She was just a baby when co-shaker Lynn Raggio was enjoying his "rockstar lifestyle", so she missed out on all the fun; however, in the late 90's she did have quite a reputation at the local Karoake Bar in League City, Texas! Brandi and Lynn performed together with the Houston band Messin' With Texas. (Photo at left Brandi @ Katie's August 26, 2007. Photo by Jim Shortt. ) 
They met at Rice University while Lynn was performing with Retrospect. "She was singing back-ups from the dance floor and I could hear her over the band", Lynn said about Brandi's powerful voice. It was during this period that Brandi and Lynn co-wrote "The Maddening Place," arguably their best original. Brandi and Lynn split off from Messin' With Texas and formed Truth In Wine (photo left with Truth In Wine @ The Seabrook Music Festival). Brandi happened upon that name in a book of cultural literacy when they were trying to meet a midnight deadline for an application for South by Southwest. Because of the name, Truth In Wine, people perceived the band as being Christian Rock. Similar to the situation with the name Messin' With Texas, people had the misconception that this was a country band. Although Lynn and Brandi don't have a problem with either of these musical genres, the misperceptions were difficult to overcome. If anything, their style and originals were what singer/songwriter Lucky Boyd described as "Coastal Rock." And voila, SHAKEDOWN. 
Brandi also co-created and co-produced the 1999 Jammy Awards held at the Vintage Bar in Houston, TX. (Photo at left at the Vintage Bar in 1999). A very successful event that awarded top artists in various song writing/performing categories. In addition to her active schedule of gigs, Brandi has squeezed in some time to record at Sugar Hill Studios as the vocalist for songwriter Michelle Montrose. 
Lynn Raggio--Literally "born on the bayou", the Bayou Teche that is, in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. The great, great grandson of a Mississippi riverboat gambler and great nephew to legendary Cajun singer Jimmie C. Neuman, Lynn has been playing professionally since 1965. (Photo at left was taken in southwest Houston sometime in the late '60s) The chronology of Lynn's band history from 1965 until present goes something like this: The Black Widows, Love Society, Harvey's Meat Market, Natchez, Shiloh, Rainbow Canyon, Bamboo, Dean Cook and the Bacon Blitz Band, Blitz, .....
...Pegasus ( photo left with Pegasus at the Avalon Ballroom 1980 ), Gulf Coast Kids, Ad Bangers, The Time Beings, Riverwind, The Craven Moorehead Band, Moving the Earth, Retrospect, Messin' with Texas, Truth in Wine, and now SHAKEDOWN! As a resident in "Buddy Holly Town" for 12 years, Lynn fronted and played lead guitar for The Craven Moorehead Band whose claim to fame was earning the title "The Coors Light Texas Music Band". The band opened for Foghat, Ian Moore, Night Ranger and Web Wilder. 
Lynn was also a member of the Lubbock-based band Riverwind whose cd was produced by Lloyd Maines (papa of Dixie Chick Natalie Maines). Photo at left was taken with Riverwind in the fall of 1990. 
As a member of the Houston-based heavy metal band Blitz, Lynn and the band backed-up acts such as Bugs Henderson, Legs Diamond, John Kay, Steppenwolf, Blues Image, Alabama, David Allen Coe, Oz Knozz, and Buddy Miles (after Buddy left Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsies). A memorable night for Blitz is when they jammed with Judas Priest and UFO at Zeppelin's in Wichita Falls, TX. (there was something about Rob Halford partying in his "tighty whities" afterwards?!). Pictured at left is Lynn in 1977 performing with Blitz at Spencer's Corner in Fort Worth, TX. Photo published in a Fort Worth newspaper. According to Lynn, one of the highlights of his career was his first battle of the bands competition at Johnston Junior High when he was just 16. Billy Gibbons judged the band (Harvey's Meat Market) and the band won 2nd place ( they lost to a blues band....who would of thought?). Billy told Lynn: "Good show..." and also said he liked that the band didn't break between songs. The Meat Market did all covers for Billy and the rest of the judges except for an instrumental written by Lynn titled "Fat," an early indication that there was more originals to come. Lynn also recalls performing with Kevin Perry of Great Southern Music as a duet at Willie Nelson's 2nd Annual Picnic. And of course, the night the Scorpians called him onstage at a concert at the Coliseum because they thought he was someone famous (Pat Travers, maybe?). O.K., enough about Lynn, geez! We've only got one page! 
Rick Gomez joined SD on drums on September 21, 2006. Rick played with Lynn and Brandi previously in The Freedom River Band and Shakin' In Your Dreams. More to follow. Photo by Mary Lou Frazier April 25, 2008.
Cisco started performing with SD in September of 2008. 
Clifton's 
Vintage Bar 1999 
Truth In Wine Vintage Bar Oct 99 
