Biography

Something magical and unforgettable happened not long ago in Belton, Texas, when three women -- a "free-spirited" music therapist, a "rich in spirit" graphic designer and a "high-spirited" actress-- took the stage to sing.

For about an hour, the audience at Mary Hardin Baylor University laughed, wiped away tears, smiled and closed their eyes as the a cappella trio Texas Hot Flash wove heartfelt vocal harmonies to perfection.  It was an evening many of the group’s "newfound fans" will never forget.

Belton Acoustic Concert Series promoter Hershall Seals, who took a chance on the group, remembers it this way:  "They charmed the sox off concert-goers.  Besides bare feet, we now have the remembered pleasures of being entertained by three gracious and attractive women with magnetic personalities.  Their professionalism and terrifically crafted vocal harmonies are a must-hear."

It was 2002 when Brenda Freed (the music therapist), Amy Cartee (the illustrator and graphic designer) and Karené (the thespian) stood on-stage together as an official act for the first time.  Texas Hot Flash quickly took the Texas Hill Country by storm, becoming a household name in bigger cities such as Austin and smaller towns such as Luckenbach, Wimberley, Waco, and Kerrville, home of the world-famous Kerrville Folk Festival. 

Describing themselves as "a cappella and then some," the women use their interchangeable soprano, mezzo-soprano and alto voices to create imaginative and stirring tone paintings in a variety of musical styles.  The group wows audiences with classics written by legends such as The Beatles, Van Morrison, Cole Porter, and Rodgers & Hart.  They also provoke laughter and tears with moving originals such as Handyman, Send that Pizza Back, Patiently, Peace On Earth and Move On.  The act’s shows include voices alone or voices accompanied by any combination of guitar, bass, piano, djembe, spoons, and with harmonica played by harmonica aficionado, Michael D’Eath.  No Texas Hot Flash performance is complete without a good bit of humor, flavorful antics and thought-provoking expressions of politics, life and spirituality.  

"It’s difficult to describe ourselves with words," says Freed, the act’s self-proclaimed musical director. "We’re a close-knit group that sings and writes in just about every style, from folk, blues and gospel to pop and jazz.  We’re mostly a cappella, upbeat, and left of center, combining these styles to possibly create a new sound or genre.  Right now, we describe ourselves as ‘folkapella’ fused with jazz and tasty tidbits of occasional instrumentation."

When looking over the singers’ resumes, one has to wonder how the three "strong-willed, independent-thinking women" ever found each other.

Several years ago, Freed, a solo singer and songwriter, was looking for background vocalists for an a cappella song arranged for several women's voices which she recorded on her third CD, Smilin' Inside.   She planned to perform the song "live" and began the search for singers.  Meanwhile, Cartee, the graphic artist for Freed's CD's, approached her for voice lessons.  Cartee and Freed "hit it off" musically and personally and started performing together.  Freed and Karené met  several years ago through a mutual friend.  Karené asked to be put on Freed’s mailing list.  After the release of Smilin’ Inside, the two jammed at the Texas Renaissance Festival.  Impressed, Freed invited Karené to join her and Cartee.  Freed jokes,  “She never came to a gig until I asked her to sing with me.”    The singers’ personalities and vocal harmonies were a "match made in heaven".  Over time, the trio evolved into what is today known as Texas Hot Flash.

The ladies came up with the group’s name -- Texas Hot Flash -- during the Kerrville Folk Festival.  "One of us joked that it was so hot, we wouldn’t even know if we were having a hot flash," Cartee recalls.  "Suddenly, somebody in the crowd yelled out, ‘Hot Flash!’  Then, the three of us looked at each other and said in unison, ‘That’s it!’”  Texas was added later to distinguish themselves from other things bearing the same name.  The group believes the name says something about the comfort level of where they are in life and the sense of humor surrounding it.  They also say the answer to the question that often comes up when Texas Hot Flash is announced is a simple, plain "No!”

Following their first two-hour concert for the Wimberley (Texas) Concert Association at the Wimberley Chapel in the Hills earlier this year, audience members lavished praise on the ladies with words ranging from "fun, refreshing and original" to "unique, polished and harmonious."

And, in Kerrville, where thousands of folk artists gather annually to network and perform, Texas Hot Flash was very well received -- even appearing at tunesmith Mike Williams’ legendary Camp Cuisine.

"We sang all over the campground," Karené remembers with a smile.  "People loved it, always wanted to hear more, and invited us back.  We found fans.  I know this probably doesn’t count, but that experience inspired us to continue."

Freed remembers bursting into tears following a touching rendition of Don’t Live a Lie by Sharon Bousquet. "We realized we were doing something we’d wanted to do all our lives," Freed says with a touch of emotion.

Another career-building development occurred recently when the Austin area community access TV channel began airing two 30-minute segments of Texas Hot Flash performances.

Humor is definitely a big part of Texas Hot Flash.  The ladies joke at every available opportunity.  Some of it is planned, but a lot of it happens unexpectedly.  Crossing traditions of Victor Borge and I Love Lucy, the three found themselves comically messing up a bit of choreography and doing "the Bump" while dancing to a performance of Sweet Texas Waltz.  "We all just kept on singing and smiling, and the audience actually thought we did it on purpose," Freed adds with her Janis Joplin-like giggle.

Another bit of humor mixed with sentimentality:  Last year, while driving home from the folk festival, they were forced to stop for a dog that was trotting down the middle of the highway.  The dog was in the car the moment they opened the door with an eager look of “Thanks, man.  I didn’t think I was ever going to get a ride.”   The pet-loving songstresses couldn’t help themselves and took her home.  Freed decided to keep the dog, naming her T-Bird (T for short).

Freed, nicknamed "Biscuit", also is the group’s organizer and PR director.  With a drawer full of degrees, she has taught K-12 music in public school, published articles, and invested more than seven years of her life developing the music therapy program for the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.  She gained notoriety in 1990 by pedaling 9,000 miles across the U.S. and Canada to Texas on a bicycle.  She has co-published two independent arts magazines; sold Texas music and art, including her own beadwork and music, through her firm Creative Endeavors; taught piano, voice and guitar privately; and performed original music in Texas, the Midwest, England and Ireland.  She has been soloing with guitar and performing publicly since the age of 12.

Cartee, nicknamed "Kitty", is a cat-loving artist who serves as the group’s graphics and web designer.  Raised in California, she became a born-again Texan in 1976, falling in love with Austin and the surrounding Hill Country.  She worked her way through art school by moonlighting as a restaurant manager and as a bartender at a popular Austin piano bar.  Since 1995, she has been a self-employed graphic artist and keyboardist and backup vocalist for several area bands. 

Karené, nicknamed "Sparkie", is the group’s social director and spiritual guru.  After garnering a bachelor’s degree in theater in 1978, she founded five theaters in the Upper Midwest.  She also starred in, directed and produced a host of various theatrical endeavors.  Karené thought Austin was so nice, she moved there twice.  The first time she lived there, Karené started a family and fought for the now trendy (then dilapidated) South Congress area to stay “artistic”, spurring “building big to saving small.”  She left for awhile, then moved back to “complete the mother-cycle” (Karené laughs, “Who am I kidding?”) and to follow her heart once again, which can be traced back to her early years singing and performing in church.

A tasty accompanying musician, D’Eath (pronounced, Dee-Ath) had a musical upbringing including singing in a boys’ choir and studying classical piano and music.  Growing up in England in the 1960s added a rock-n-roll and jazz flair to his musical tastes.  He also "trained" as an underpaid roadie in England in the 1970s, a skill that now comes in very handy.  He moved to Texas and the Hill Country on his own as a teenager, pursuing a career in high technology.  In the late ‘90s, he returned to performing music, choosing harmonica as his primary instrument.  He met Freed at the Kerrville Folk Festival, and the two were married in 2000.