contributors
c.g. smith
Contributing Entertainment Writer
C.G. Smith is a guy living in New Orleans, LA, with a lot of opinions and a deep love for music and film. He’s also a musician who's been in love with Rock ‘N Roll since he was very young, often standing on his tip-toes to put Rolling Stones records on his dad’s big JC Penney stereo, or playing tennis racquet guitar in the bay window to John Cougar’s Learn How to Play Guitar, which he eventually did do many years later. Then he wrote all the songs floating around in his head and recorded them. He's our man on the music & entertainment scene, and we have no doubt he'll keep you just as entertained as he does us.
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bud gambrell
Contributing Photographer / Music Writer
Bud Gambrell is a published author and music photographer located in Hazel Green, Alabama, and we are beyond excited to have him on our team.
Bud first discovered his love for live music in 1976 when he was captivated by the atmosphere at a KISS concert. Since then, he has attended many other shows featuring both local and national acts and has been producing content for concert reviews via Sound Check Entertainment, UnRated Magazine, Sonic Perspectives, and AL.com.
Bud’s passion for photography began at a young age when he started out as an amateur shutterbug. Known for his stunning crispy images in and around North Alabama, Bud continues to photograph many notable acts and recently published his first book about the much-loved Side Tracks Music Hall, which was located in Huntsville, Alabama. The book is currently available on Amazon.com.
chris pryor
Contributing Music Writer
Meet Chris, everybody. He’s quite the rockstar and hails from a small town in Louisiana called Sarepta, which is way up in the northern part of the state. In addition to his mad trumpeting skills as a child, he’s also quite the singer and over the years has had the opportunities to share the stage with country music legends Doug Stone, Earl Thomas Conley, and John Michael Montgomery. He even auditioned for American Idol back in 2009 but it wasn’t meant to be. That didn’t deter him, though. He went on to become lead singer of the Lil Whiskey Band and in May 2022 formed his high-energy classic rock/country band Chris Pryor & the Main Event. His unique blend of rock and country music, coupled with his powerful vocals, has earned him a dedicated fan base. It has also earned him a spot in our sandbox as one of our music writers.
david trahan
Contributing Music Writer
chad besse
Contributing Photographer
Chad is no stranger to creative outlets. After kicking around the local music scene in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for the better part of a decade, he decided it was time to switch gears and try something new, so he started making some pretty sweet props for cosplayers, which he also sold at anime and comic conventions and still does today. After joining the 501st Legion and hangin’ around the convention scene for a few years, he decided to pick up photography as a way to help cosplayers document their creations, because he’s a big ole sweetheart. Photography also gave him another outlet to express his creativity, and his specialty morphed into travel and architecture photography. Now, he’s returning to the music scene to document all the action and to take his skill set to the next level with this new medium. He tells us he’s happy to be documenting the journey of so many other creative people as a part of Mixed Alt Mag, and we believe him!
charles "chuck" brooks
Contributing Music Writer
As you can see, Chuck is an ambidextrous badass who plays some bitchin' music and lots and lots of cool instruments. He's a classically trained jazz vibraphonist, percussionist, pianist, clinician, composer, and educator. He's the assistant professor of audio engineering at the University of North Alabama in the Department of Entertainment Industry and holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts from Louisiana State University. His favorite thing in the whole world, besides cheeseburgers and playing music, is his wife, Keeley. They're two peas in a pod when it comes to nerding it up watching movies and streaming series, then picking them apart. Chuck is quite the entertaining performer and plays every instrument heard on his albums, which he also composes, records, mixes, and masters himself. He's a big ole sweetheart when it comes to helping people, and he's got a sense of humor to match. We're stoked to have him drop some musical knowledge on y'all.
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