Event

Kalinec and KJ in Concert

Texan Brian Kalinec and Pennsylvanian Kj Reimensnyder-Wagner met by chance during one of Brian's shows in East Texas in 2013 when Kj happened to be in nearby Shreveport, Louisiana where she was conducting a seminar in educational songwriting. Later that year, when she came down to Texas on a trip, they had a chance to play a few songs together. Their combined sound--songs, voices, and musicianship--convinced them that they should perform shows as a duo.

Brian, who originally hails from Beaumont, Texas, and now resides in Houston, has been playing professionally since high school. His writing has drawn favorable comparisons to that of Woody Guthrie, John Steinbeck, Rodney Crowell, and Jim Croce. He has been recognized in the US and Europe for both his songwriting and musicianship, and has performed at venerable festivals and venues including the Kerrville Folk Festival, the Bugle Boy, Gruene Hall, and Uncle Calvin's Coffeehouse in Texas, the Rose Garden Coffeehouse in Massachusetts, and tours regularly in the UK. He and his wife Pam own Berkalin Records, with a roster that features many well-respected singer-songwriters.

Kj has performed across the US and the UK as a solo artist and along with other artists including Steve Weisberg, Ted Vigil, and Dougie MacLean at noted venues and festivals including the Wheeler Opera House in Aspen Colorado, and in Scotland at the Killin Music Festival and the legendary Taybank's Real Music Bar in Dunkeld. Kj is also a recognized educator, trainer and multi-instrumentalist, providing keynotes, workshops, assemblies and residencies and has mentored hundreds of teachers and students through story, song, and songwriting. Kj has been awarded several distinguished honors for educational songwriting from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, National Agriculture in the Classroom (NAITC) and The Visionary Award from Danville's Child Development Center.