Shelby Stone's journey began in the Fort Worth Stockyards, where she quickly stood out with fearless songwriting and a hard-edged rock and roll spirit. Draped in black leather and armed with a voice that cuts straight through, she built a loyal following across Texas clubs and festivals, proving herself as one of the scene's most magnetic rising artists.
Her breakout singles "Each Other" and "How Much More" turned heads at radio, with the latter reaching #1 for two consecutive weeks on 95.9 The Ranch. Follow-ups like "Easy Tiger" and "This Time Around" showcased her range, leading to a banner 2025 that's seen her perform at Cain's Ballroom, Gruene Hall, Mile o Fest, Steamboat, Braun Brothers Reunion, and on a nationwide tour with American Aquarium.
On August 7th, Shelby released her debut album, SILVERYEAR - a record that swings from razor-edged rock anthems to moments of striking vulnerability. Produced by Dalton Domino, PH Naffah, and Jeff Lusby-Breault, it's an album of survival, reinvention, and the conviction of someone who has lived every word. Already embraced by her fans, SILVERYEAR will hit streaming worldwide on April 3, 2026, marking Shelby as one of the most exciting new names in Texas music.
There’s something about Josh Weathers—a kind of magic that lives somewhere between the Fort Worth Stockyards and Muscle Shoals. A natural soul that grabs your gut and doesn’t let go. A country soul that knows country music should make you feel the songs. He’s not just singing them—he’s feeling them into existence. All it takes is seeing Josh Weathers live to understand that.
Josh Weathers arrived with a voice—a once-in-a-generation, God-given kind of voice. The kind that stops you mid-conversation, mid-sip, mid-breath. He first made waves around Texas with a band that blurred lines between country, soul, funk, gospel, and rock ‘n’ roll. And no matter the arrangement, Josh Weathers was the fire at the center.
His live shows became the stuff of legends—and they’ve remained that way. Sweaty, joyous, full-throttle explosions of emotion. He can take you from a tear-soaked ballad to a full-blown dance party in the span of a single set. As at home on a honky-tonk barstool as he is on the front pew, he creates a vibe and makes it his home for the entirety of his time in the spotlight. In every iteration of his career, country music was always at the core. His rendition of “I Will Always Love You” went viral for good reason—he inhabited it.
But Weathers is more than a voice and a good show. He’s a man of conviction. He stepped away from the touring grind at the peak of his momentum—not to chase stardom, but to chase purpose. Alongside his wife, he launched a mission to combat human trafficking and provide refuge for children in India and El Salvador. That detour into something bigger than music gave him even more depth to bring back when he eventually returned to the stage.
When he came back, it wasn’t with a gimmick. It was with fire and faith, soul and grit.
The songs? They hit harder.
The message? Clearer.
The purpose? Deeper.
Josh Weathers is what happens when heart meets talent and refuses to play by the rules. He’s a country boy and a rodeo cowboy. He’s also a soul singer in a land of pickers, a gospel shouter in a world of whisperers, a rock ‘n’ roll preacher in the church of country music. Josh Weathers can do it all—and does it better than just about anyone else.
A recently signed deal with famed Nashville publishing house Sea Gayle Music has the music of Josh Weathers poised for a breakout. This is because he doesn’t chase trends—he chases truth. And when he sings, it feels like redemption.
Evolution. It's what keeps the best bands afloat — song after song, show after show, record after record.
Mike Harmeier was still in his early 20s when he formed Mike and the Moonpies. From the start, they were the definition of a workingman's country band, cutting their teeth with five-hour sets on Austin's dancehall circuit before spreading their music to the rest of America. By the early 2020s, they'd become global ambassadors of homegrown Texas music, flying their flag everywhere from Abbey Road Studios (where they recorded 2019's Cheap Silver & Solid Country Gold with help from the London Symphony Orchestra) to the Grand Ole Opry.
The growth was remarkable, but all that momentum left Harmeier and his four bandmates — drummer Taylor Englert, guitarist Catlin Rutherford, bassist Omar Oyoque, and steel guitarist Zachary Moulton — looking for something new. After all, their music had decidedly changed. Why shouldn't their name do the same?
Silverada marks a new chapter in the band's history. It's not just the title of the boldest release of the group's critically-acclaimed career; it's also the name of the reinvigorated band itself.
"Back in the day, all we wanted to do was play the Broken Spoke," says Harmeier, nodding to the hometown honky-tonk in Austin, TX, where Silverada began sowing the seeds for a sound that mixed timeless twang with modern-day dynamics. "We had different aspirations back then. We were still figuring out what kind of band we were gonna be, and that took a lot of time and a lot of records."
A lot of records, indeed. Silverada marks the group's ninth release, and it balances the strengths they've accumulated along the way — sharp, detailed songwriting that bounces between autobiographical sketches and character studies; gorgeous swells of pedal steel that drift through the songs like weather; a rhythm section capable of country shuffles, hard-charging rock & roll tempos, and everything in between — with a willingness to break old rules and open new doors. "Radio Wave" is a roots-rock anthem for the highway and the heartland, peppered with Springsteen-worthy hooks and War On Drugs-inspired atmospherics. "Eagle Rare" launches the band into outer space during its explosive middle section, which the band improvised in the recording studio. "Stay By My Side" showcases Silverada's road-warrior credentials — the band recorded the track live during a tour across the American Southeast, capturing it in a single take at Capricorn Sound Studios in Macon, Georgia — while "Wallflower" blends the organic with the otherworldly, finding room for harmonized guitar solos, driving disco beats, and 808 percussion.
"Going into the studio, everybody in the band felt inspired to do something bigger than what they'd done before," Harmeier explains. "We all knew we were at a precipice, and we wanted to jump. I brought in some songs that were metaphorical and not always straightforward, and that showed the guys that I wanted to take this music somewhere new… so they threw their own rulebooks out the window, too."
Harmeier wrote the bulk of Silverada in his backyard studio, surrounded by dozens of books he'd picked up at a local Goodwill. "We'd been on tour for so long, playing the same set for almost two years, and I wanted to write something that was a departure," he remembers. Jeff Tweedy's books on songwriting were a big help, but Harmeier pushed himself to get weird, too, finding inspiration in everything from astronomy texts to sci-fi novels. "I would read some, work a little bit, read some more, and work a little more," he says of the creative process. "I spent a full month in that studio, going there every night, making word ladders and highlighting lines and learning to free write."
Recorded at Yellow Dog Studios with longtime producer/collaborator Adam Odor, Silverada propels the band forward without losing sight of their roots. "Stubborn Son" — a loving, unsparing sketch of the family patriarch who set Harmeier's creativity in motion — unfolds like a close cousin to Steak Night at the Prairie Rose's title track, laced with fiddle solos from longtime George Strait collaborator Gene Elders. "Doing It Right" channels the same throwback, slow-dance ambiance that informed 2019's "You Look Good in Neon." "Load Out," which chronicles the grind of blue-collar jobs both on and off the road, could've found a home on 2021's One To Grow On.
There's a smart sense of history here — a celebration not only of where the band is headed, where they've been, too. Even so, Silverada doesn't spend much time looking in the rearview mirror. Instead, it keeps its gaze focused on the road ahead. This is a snapshot of a band in motion, chasing down the next horizon, writing the soundtrack to some new discovery. It's the sound of alchemy, of some new metal being forged. And like silver itself, Silverada shines brightly.
"We spent the first part of our career figuring out who we are and what we're good at," says Harmeier. "Now we want to evolve not only the sound of the band, but the dynamic of the live show, too. We're all lifers here. We're in this for the long haul. Silverada is us setting the stage for the next leg of the journey."
Cross Canadian Ragweed is an alternative country band of the Red Dirt scene, formed in Yukon, Oklahoma, in 1994. The band consists of frontman/guitarist Cody Canada, drummer Randy Ragsdale, rhythm guitarist Grady Cross, and bassist Jeremy Plato. The band's name comes from a combination of all four original members' names: Grady Cross, Cody Canada, and Randy Ragsdale. They are known for their high-energy live performances and heartfelt songwriting, drawing comparisons to artists like Lynyrd Skynyrd and Steve Earle. Their music reflects themes of small-town life, heartache, and rebellion, striking a chord with fans who appreciate their raw, unfiltered storytelling.
Make no mistake! Ellis Bullard makes Good-time, Honky Tonk music!
“It’s a weird road we’re on right now––I guess it always has been,” Jamie Lin Wilson says. She’s sitting on her porch in D’Hanis, a tiny town on the Seco Creek in South Texas, not far from San Antonio. She laughs a little, then adds, “But nobody’s life is the same. There is no blueprint.”
Thank goodness for all the lonely paths Jamie’s had to find that no one else has taken. With a voice that slides in and out of notes with easy grace, a sly sense of humor, and lyrics that highlight the details most of us miss, Jamie creates stark vignettes: intimate conversations between friends who might be lovers and lovers who can’t be friends; kids hopping from stone to stone in a graveyard; the way rolling clouds can signal a new season. She lives and works in that sweet spot where folk and country meet––Guy Clark territory.
“It’s unfair that the poets and songwriters are the ones who have the songs about their lives, when maybe that’s not what’s poetic,” Jamie says. “Maybe the moments are the ones happening in everyday farmers’ lives, or to a widow, or a son.” It’s her comfort in and commitment to two distinct worlds––that of the dream-chasing artists and the dirt-under-their-nails realists––that makes Jamie and her songs not just inviting, but cathartically important.
Jamie’s anticipated new record Jumping Over Rocks marks her second full-length solo album, but she’s not the new kid. She cut her teeth fronting and co-fronting beloved bands including the Gougers and the Trishas, winning over listeners and peers across the country. Now, her place as an acclaimed singer-songwriter on her own seems fated, imbued with a singular blend of freshness and road-earned wisdom. “I consider ‘Jumping Over Rocks’ to be a definitive record on myself and my style,” Jamie says. “I hope it’s something people connect with, that it’s familiar to them but also new. I hope that people find it interesting.”
No one covers the spectrum of age and experience quite like Jamie: moving portraits of men, women, and children coping, striving, wondering, and celebrating. Interesting? Undoubtedly. Universal but specific and personal, too. “I studied people around me more for this record than I have in the past,” she says. “I wrote songs from my perspective, from the outside looking in.”
Jamie didn’t pick up a guitar until she was 19. Casual remarks she dropped to her mom and cousin led to a gifting of an acoustic that Christmas. She started attending open mics in College Station, and was immediately welcomed into what was primarily a boys’ club of aspiring pickers and writers that included future fellow Gouger Shayne Walker. “By the end of the summer, I was playing gigs in a band, the Gougers,” she says. “I learned how to play guitar on stage.”
Jamie never looked back. She fell in love and married her college sweetheart, Roy. Together, the two raise their children and make their “weird road” work beautifully. “I’ve been taking kids on the road for eight years, touring constantly, just taking breaks to have babies,” Jamie says.
Jamie recorded Jumping Over Rocks during four days at Arlyn Studios in Austin. A fierce cast of musicians joined her, including Charlie Sexton on guitar, and together, Jamie and the players cut every track live. “You’re hearing my voice with the band––their playing, reacting to my emotions, and my voice reacting to the things they’re playing, all in real time,” Jamie says. “I think that adds to the feeling of these songs.”
The result is a rich collection of story songs delivered over rootsy strings, moody keys, crying steel, and sparse percussion, carried by Jamie’s songbird soprano that can convey tears or laughter with equal panache, sometimes in the same bar. The record kicks off with “Faithful and True,” a vocal showcase that mixes the sorrow of admitting shortcomings with a plea for forgiveness. Written with Jack Ingram, the song sounds like a classic from golden-era Nashville. “In our minds, it was about a relationship and obvious temptation,” Jamie says. “I started playing it at shows, and someone came up after one and said, ‘That song sounds like a prayer.’ I said, ‘Man, I think that’s what it is!’ That’s how I’ve thought of it ever since.”
Gently rolling “The Being Gone” questions the cost and payoff of decisions made, while “Oklahoma Stars,” which Jamie wrote with Turnpike Troubadours’ Evan Felker, pays tribute to those long nights that run together, unremarkably, but in hindsight come together to build a relationship, land, or life. Dreamy “Everybody’s Moving Slow” conjures up images of hazy summers as Jamie delivers a crooning performance worthy of the Rat Pack.
Opening with plaintive strings, “If I Told You” mulls over a painful thought: what if the other person doesn’t really want to know how you feel about them? Smiling through defeat, “Eyes for You” explores the vulnerability love brings. “In a Wink” kicks off with a poignant question: “Did you enjoy the clouds as much as Maggie did this morning? / I don’t know that anybody could,” before cataloguing the gorgeous moments we rush through instead of savor.
"Instant Coffee Blues," originally written by Guy Clark and featuring Ingram as a duet partner, is the sole cover on the record. It's followed by Jamie's own song, "Run," which explores an area Clark mastered, with a stirring debate over how long is too long for a woman to stay.
The album gets its title from standout track “Death and Life,” an epic it took Jamie four years to write. A widow mourning her husband and not quite ready to let go; a son who copes with his father’s death by getting to work with his hands, hammers, nails, and 2x4s: the two true tales became intertwined thematically as Jamie mulled them over. “I realized the song is how people who are still here deal with death,” she says. “It’s life after death, but not heavenly life. It’s how the living deal with death.”
When asked how she hopes listeners react to Jumping Over Rocks, Jamie brings up a hero: John Prine. “On his new album, there is a song that always gets me––‘Summer’s End,’” she says. “Every time I listen to it, I start crying, and I think, ‘I don’t know why I’m crying!’” She laughs her big laugh, which comes often and easily. “I hope something I create can get to somebody in that way. That’s what gets us through––finding common ground with someone else, whether it’s in songs or friendship. It makes you feel better about your own life.”
There’s something about Josh Weathers—a kind of magic that lives somewhere between the Fort Worth Stockyards and Muscle Shoals. A natural soul that grabs your gut and doesn’t let go. A country soul that knows country music should make you feel the songs. He’s not just singing them—he’s feeling them into existence. All it takes is seeing Josh Weathers live to understand that.
Josh Weathers arrived with a voice—a once-in-a-generation, God-given kind of voice. The kind that stops you mid-conversation, mid-sip, mid-breath. He first made waves around Texas with a band that blurred lines between country, soul, funk, gospel, and rock ‘n’ roll. And no matter the arrangement, Josh Weathers was the fire at the center.
His live shows became the stuff of legends—and they’ve remained that way. Sweaty, joyous, full-throttle explosions of emotion. He can take you from a tear-soaked ballad to a full-blown dance party in the span of a single set. As at home on a honky-tonk barstool as he is on the front pew, he creates a vibe and makes it his home for the entirety of his time in the spotlight. In every iteration of his career, country music was always at the core. His rendition of “I Will Always Love You” went viral for good reason—he inhabited it.
But Weathers is more than a voice and a good show. He’s a man of conviction. He stepped away from the touring grind at the peak of his momentum—not to chase stardom, but to chase purpose. Alongside his wife, he launched a mission to combat human trafficking and provide refuge for children in India and El Salvador. That detour into something bigger than music gave him even more depth to bring back when he eventually returned to the stage.
When he came back, it wasn’t with a gimmick. It was with fire and faith, soul and grit.
The songs? They hit harder.
The message? Clearer.
The purpose? Deeper.
Josh Weathers is what happens when heart meets talent and refuses to play by the rules. He’s a country boy and a rodeo cowboy. He’s also a soul singer in a land of pickers, a gospel shouter in a world of whisperers, a rock ‘n’ roll preacher in the church of country music. Josh Weathers can do it all—and does it better than just about anyone else.
A recently signed deal with famed Nashville publishing house Sea Gayle Music has the music of Josh Weathers poised for a breakout. This is because he doesn’t chase trends—he chases truth. And when he sings, it feels like redemption.
Throw away any preconceived notions you might have about country singers — especially ones from Texas — because Stoney LaRue smashes them all. Over a nearly 20-year career, the Lone Star-born and Oklahoma-raised LaRue has transformed himself into an unlikely Renaissance man. He is a deft songwriter, informed traveler and self-aware philosopher, a troubadour who converses just as easily about Indian yogis and gurus as he does about Texas barbecue and dance halls. LaRue highlights all facets of his complex persona on the inspiring new album Onward.
The title itself is reflective of his outlook on life — if LaRue has a mantra these days, it’s “keep moving forward.” His first album since 2015’s Us Time, Onward captures the husky-voiced singer looking not only ahead, but inward. This is a man unflinchingly shining a light into some dark, uncomfortable corners of his psyche and bettering himself in the process.
“You want to test your bones and see where they break,” he says, dropping one of the many bon mots that pepper his conversation. “This record is wading through all the mud and storms to hopefully come out on the other side with a wisdom that you didn’t have before. It’s a brighter way to look at things.”
Before there can be redemption, though, there must be a conflict, and LaRue dives into that head-first in the album opener “Fallin’ and Flyin’.” One of 10 songs co-written by Onward’s producer Gary Nicholson, the track was famously performed by Jeff Bridges in the 2009 country music drama Crazy Heart. In LaRue’s hands, it’s a humble admission, part of his journey toward self-improvement. “I never meant to hurt no one/I just had to have my way/if there’s such a thing as too much fun/this must be the price you pay,” he sings.
Likewise, he lays bare his soul in “You Oughta Know Me by Now,” a song that Nicholson and his co-writer Shawn Camp wrote especially for LaRue. While it’s framed around a man’s shortcomings and bad habits, it also conveys a precious honesty, like much of the vulnerable Onward does. “Gary told me, ‘You’re getting a chance with this album to show people who you truly are,'” LaRue says. “It might be too blatant for some people, but if you’re that blatantly honest, that’s a direct path to someone’s spirit, you know?”
Forging connections with his fans is paramount for LaRue, who plays more than 200 live shows a year. His base is a fiercely loyal one, and not just within the Red Dirt region. He regularly tours throughout the entire country and has fans in some unexpected places. Chalk up his mass appeal to the way he sells his songs both onstage and on record — to listen to LaRue sing the nostalgic, Bob Seger-esque “Drowning in Moonlight” on Onward is to hear someone with whom you share an experience.
“I thought that song would be something that’s very relatable. You want to think about your first kiss overlooking the city with the top down,” he says. “There’s something so sexy and romantic about that song. It’s dark, but it’s light at the same time.”
LaRue further explores that idea on “Meet Me in the Middle,” a gritty duet about compromise with the legendary Tanya Tucker. “It’s about the idea of reciprocity in a relationship, of yin and yang. You want to think that everything’s supposed to be equal and find the balance, but it never turns out that way, does it? It’s always a shift of power,” he says.
While the bulk of Onward exists in that musical sweet spot of rock and twang for which LaRue has become known, a pair of songs evokes a more Dixieland vibe. “Evil Angel,” featuring the magnificent McCrary Sisters on gospel vocals, is a jaunty barroom piano sing-along, and “Worry Be Gone” — a Nicholson song written with Guy Clark and Lee Roy Parnell — is a New Orleans ode to saying to hell with it all and sparking one up. “We got trouble with the air, we got trouble with the water/ and people ain’t treating one another like they oughta/give me just one more puff of that worry be gone,” LaRue sings.
“It’s all going on around us — from politics to religion — and we think about those things so much that we don’t want to be a part of it,” says LaRue. “As my grandpa used to say, ‘Don’t sweat the petty stuff and don’t pet the sweaty stuff.'”
LaRue pays tribute to his grandparents on Onward by cutting their favorite song: Merle Haggard’s “Let’s Chase Each Other Around the Room.” “They used to dance and drink homemade wine and put on the record,” he recalls. “Of course, us boys would be in there on the piano and the guitars and whatever we could find to make noise with. We’d be just smiling at them, having a blast in their late ages whenever they still could.”
It’s a faithful version of the Haggard and Freddy Powers tune, but one that LaRue still manages to push to the fringe by increasing the tempo and swagger.
Even on the requisite declaration of Texan pride, “Hill Country Boogaloo,” he taps into nontraditional country funk and forgoes lyrical tropes in favor of fresh allusions.
“Everybody throws in Shiner Bock or a ‘Texas wind’ in songs about Texas, but they’re not being specific. There’s too many generalities,” he says. “It’s an homage really. I figured that I’ve been so serious my whole life, let’s take the paint off, see what it looks like bare board and have fun.”
For LaRue, who has sold more than one million albums and singles in his career, fun means being on the road and playing live, tapping into a vast catalogue that includes influential LPs like 2005’s The Red Dirt Album and his exhilarating 2007 live document Live at Billy Bob’s Texas. Now, he’s excited about taking Onward to fans around the country and reminding them that not only is he still here, he isn’t going anywhere.
“You have to be willing to live it. That’s the only way to make it, and the way that I’ve made it,” says LaRue of his remarkable longevity. “But I’m not haphazard in what I’m writing or singing anymore. I’m more focused and looking ahead to what I want to achieve.”
In other words, Stoney LaRue is looking Onward.
Join your favorite artist on the water for an intimate musical experience. A truly unique listening room with an ocean breeze. This is a Package Perk event including food and drink. Departing from 205 Elizabeth St.
Django Walker is a person who truly has music in his blood. As a child, he was born and raised in Austin, TX and is the son of Texas singer-songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker. He spent his earliest days soaking up Texas legends such as Willie Nelson, Townes Van Zandt, and Guy Clark, all of whom Jerry Jeff played with and befriended.
Django made a name for himself penning songs for Pat Green (Texas on my Mind,) Jimmy Buffett (Something ‘Bout a Boat,) Josh Abbott, Kevin Fowler, among many others. He has had great success with his winning song “College Life” as well as “Texas Longhorn” which plays at every home game at DKR Longhorn Stadium.
Today Django still carries that torch representing music in the Lone Star State and touring all over the country…and it burns big and bright.
Make no mistake! Ellis Bullard makes Good-time, Honky Tonk music!
Shelby Stone's journey began in the Fort Worth Stockyards, where she quickly stood out with fearless songwriting and a hard-edged rock and roll spirit. Draped in black leather and armed with a voice that cuts straight through, she built a loyal following across Texas clubs and festivals, proving herself as one of the scene's most magnetic rising artists.
Her breakout singles "Each Other" and "How Much More" turned heads at radio, with the latter reaching #1 for two consecutive weeks on 95.9 The Ranch. Follow-ups like "Easy Tiger" and "This Time Around" showcased her range, leading to a banner 2025 that's seen her perform at Cain's Ballroom, Gruene Hall, Mile o Fest, Steamboat, Braun Brothers Reunion, and on a nationwide tour with American Aquarium.
On August 7th, Shelby released her debut album, SILVERYEAR - a record that swings from razor-edged rock anthems to moments of striking vulnerability. Produced by Dalton Domino, PH Naffah, and Jeff Lusby-Breault, it's an album of survival, reinvention, and the conviction of someone who has lived every word. Already embraced by her fans, SILVERYEAR will hit streaming worldwide on April 3, 2026, marking Shelby as one of the most exciting new names in Texas music.
Walt Wilkins - Songwriter, singer, traveler, troubadour - the calling I answered, the life I chose, the way I make my way.
I chose to go full time on this road 25 years ago. Its been a spiritual quest, an amazing trip, at turns heartbreaking & transcendent. In that time I've made 9 solo records, 4 records with The Mighty Mystiqueros, 1 with my wife Tina, and there's a new live record with my friend Kevin Welch. I've had 100 or more songs recorded by other artists, traveled a fair part of the world, and had some very, very large times. I have these anchors: Wednesdays with my brothers The Mystiqueros at The Saxon Pub in Austin, the 1st Sunday of every month at Luckenbach, The Red River Songwriters Festival on the last weekend of January in the mountains of northern New Mexico, and Waltstock & Barrel, a Texas wine, beer & music festival near Fredericksburg on the 1st weekend of April. I move around a lot.
I get to work with some inspiring artists on their records, most often with the coolest cat on the field, Ron Flynt, at his Jumping Dog Studio in Austin. I play all over Texas & as much as the US as we can get to, and even in Europe, where our 2nd home is The Netherlands. I know a wide, beautiful variety of mighty poets, pickers, philosophers, artists, and wild spirits. I am a most fortunate man. Mostly, I drive, play & sleep & dream. Its a rich experience, a wild ride, and the way I make my way. I hope to meet you if I haven't. If I have, I hope to see you again soon on this path. Cheers.
Featuring Adam Hood & Ben Chapman
Doors Open at Noon
Our new album, Back to the Valley is available now!There’s a sound the Shenandoah River makes as it rumbles over old stones in the shallows. It sings songs the way they used to be – plain and honest. No frills, buckle that belt before you head to the hills and hollers. It’s there under a Virginia moon that you’ll find the Low Water Bridge Band.
Forged by firelight picking, the band’s romping, stomping, country-grass Americana ain’t for the faint of heart. Since their founding in 2020, they’ve gone from barnstorming the Shenandoah Valley to festival stages along the East Coast. Venues from the Carolinas to Kentucky and, yes, Nashville, Tennessee ring with their sound and are asking for more.
They’re led by guitarist and lead singer Logan Moore’s searing melodies. The precision thump of brothers Alex and Riley Kerns’ bass and drums and their pitch-perfect vocal harmonies fill out the sound. Justin Carver’s pedal steel and banjo swirl through songs like smoke from the campfire. And it’s all brought together with the crunch and crackle of James “Chainsaw” Montgomery’s electric guitar riffs.
From the first time you see them, your boots will be worn from kicking up dust. By the time a second chorus comes around you’ll be hooting and hollering their memorable originals alongside their die-hard fans. You’ll join a crowd who travels far and wide, bringing the party to your town. If you’re a fan of good music done right, be sure to keep a lookout for this fast-rising outfit from Clarke County, Virginia. Chances are, they’ll be blowing through your way one of these days soon.
West Virginia-born and Houston-raised, Jesse Lynn Madera is celebrated for crafting musical tales with profound and relatable lyrics while effortlessly blending diverse genres. American Songwriter praised her saying, “Madera’s lyrical and piano-driven songs are passionate and alluring, with a dramatic, ethereal, and almost otherworldly tone. Evoking comparisons to the shapeshifting brilliance of Kate Bush and the confessional pop sensibilities of Tori Amos.”
“I love so many genres,” says Madera. “When I sit down at the piano to write, it’s a mixed bag. To me, music is music, and I go with how I’m feeling in that moment. The simple truth of human emotion and experience creates an endless palette. I listen to all kinds of different music and my influences are equally diverse. Inspiration is everywhere!”
Music industry tastemakers are taking notice of Madera’s distinctive talent. She was recognized by Music Connection Magazine as one of their Hot 100 Best Unsigned Artists. Last year she emerged as a top 12 finalist (out of 6,000 entries) in the Americana category of the Unsigned Only competition due to her compelling performance of "Unchained." Madera’s dedicated fan base is a testament to her captivating live performances, which include sold-out shows at renowned venues like New York’s Bitter End and Nashville’s The Bluebird (where she shared the stage with Dan Navarro, Pete Mroz & Jim Photoglo).
She has had a significant festival presence appearing at Mile 0, 30A, Annapolis Songwriters, and Mile of Music. Madera was selected as a headliner for WMOT’s Finally Friday live concert series in Nashville, further solidifying her musical prowess. A dynamic performer, she has provided show support for acclaimed artists like The Zombies, Navarro, Maddie Poppe, and Mary Fahl.
Madera’s childhood years were rooted in music. She lived near her grandparents, self-taught musicians whose 'stage' was either the back porch or the living room, and began playing her grandmother’s upright piano around the time she started walking. Due to a series of job transfers offered to her mother, her family embarked upon numerous cross-country moves over a seven-year period that began when she was just four years old. In part, she credits these moves as helping her develop a rich interior world that led to songwriting at an early age. “Music kept me company. It became my passion and best friend.”
By the time she was 11 years old, her family moved to Houston where she would remain until she graduated from the famed High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Following graduation, she studied classical theater for a year in a conservatory program led by renowned director Gerald Freedman at North Carolina School of the Arts before enrolling in New York University’s acclaimed Tisch School of the Arts to study acting. Before graduating in 2004, she was accepted into an experimental theater program in Amsterdam. After graduation, the budding songstress remained in New York and turned her full attention to music. Holding down a number of jobs so she could hone her craft, she was eventually booking venues like The Bitter End, Living Room, Rockwood Music Hall, Cutting Room, Highline Ballroom and was in the cast of a musical that was reviewed by The New York Times.
Meeting her future husband, actor Hemky Madera (Weeds, Queen of the South, Alcapoco), in 2010 was the catalyst for her move to Los Angeles. While Madera focused on raising her two sons, George and Jack, she continued to write, and in 2020, released her debut record, Fortunes. The album was widely acclaimed and had a strong impact on fans and critics alike. From the captivating string arrangements by one-man orchestra Stevie Blacke (Olivia Rodrigo, Pink, Rihanna, Chris Stapleton), to Madera’s compelling lyrical storytelling (labeled “Cohen-esque” by one writer), Fortunes, cemented her place in the music industry as an up-and-coming artist to watch.
In her latest milestone, her single “No Place to Shine” reached #1 for four consecutive weeks on the EU HotDisc country chart. Madera’s most recent album, Speed of Sound, was produced by the esteemed Dan Navarro (Lowen & Navarro), seven-time Grammy winner Jim Scott, and Grammy-winner Ryan Hadlock (Lumineers, Zach Bryan), showcasing a promising new chapter in her evolving artistry.
Join your favorite artist on the water for an intimate musical experience. A truly unique listening room with an ocean breeze. This is a Package Perk event including food and drink. Departing from 205 Elizabeth St.
New Album Out Festival Week! "Carry You With Me".
For a handful of summers about 30 years ago, tourists who wandered into a large dancehall in Stanley, Idaho, witnessed a family tradition finding new life. Young and old sat shoulder-to-shoulder, taking a break from the town’s mountain hikes and river campgrounds to take in Muzzie Braun and the Boys––a local family band who’d made it to the Grand Ole Opry, effortlessly spouted cowboy poetry and Western swing at gatherings around the country, and featured Muzzie’s four young sons––precocious boys with rock-and-roll futures.
“There were kids running around, people dancing,” says Micky Braun, the youngest brother who first climbed on stage to join the family when he was about five years-old. “Gary and I’d get up and play a couple of songs, then we’d get off and the older brothers would stay up and play a couple more. It’s pretty funny, looking back on it.” He laughs a little, then adds, still smiling, “That’s how we got started playing.”
The Braun brothers never stopped. Big brothers Cody and Willy started Reckless Kelly, and Micky and Gary left Idaho for Austin and started Micky and the Motorcars, a road-dogging favorite whose nonstop tour for the last 17 years has defined not just the lives of the brothers, but also shaped Austin’s roots-rock resurgence that has played out over the last two decades. With their anticipated new album Long Time Comin’, the Motorcars cement their place as elder statesmen of that alt-country scene who have managed to master that ever-elusive blend of artistic familiarity and surprise.
“I hope people take the time to hear the album as a whole, and I hope they like it,” Gary says from his home in Austin. “I think this one is a little bit better.” He pauses and laughs as he drawls, “So I hope they like it a little more.”
For the Motorcars, the question is never really whether to tour but where to play next. Gary––who handles guitar, mandolin, harmonica, harmonies, and occasionally lead vocals––and Micky, lead vocalist and acoustic guitarist, are joined in the Motorcars by Andy Carrell on bass, Bobby Paugh on drums and percussion, and new bandmate Pablo Trujillo on guitar. The combination of familiar and fresh players has reinvigorated the Motorcars’ live show, which buzzes through a low-key rock-and-roll rapture built on grooves and the Brauns’ signature harmonies.
A mix of new and old also shaped the Long Time Comin’ recording process. Produced by Keith Gattis, the 11-song album relied in part on Gattis’ go-to Nashville studio players––a first for the Motorcars. “It still sounds like Micky and the Motorcars, but it was fun working with different guys who we’d never worked with before,” Micky says. “They’ve been Keith’s band for 15 years. He can say, ‘Give me a shuffle with a boom-chuck,’ and they know what he’s talking about.”
The band isn’t the only change on Long Time Comin’. Gary, who has always contributed a song or two to Motorcar records, wrote or co-wrote six of the album’s tracks and sings every tune he penned. “I don’t think I decided to really write more––I think I just got better at it and worked a little harder at it the past couple of years,” Gary says. “In the past, I just let Micky do it because he was good at it. It was easy for me not to do it.”
Micky loves the shift. “It’s almost a split album between the two of us on lead vocal––very different from our normal,” he says. “I think our fans will enjoy it. They always love the songs Gary sings live. They always want him to sing more.”
The album kicks off with the ambling “Road to You.” Written by Micky and Courtney Patton, the rollicking singalong is classic Motorcars and an ideal welcome mat for the collection. Sauntering “Rodeo Girl” swings and punches up the pace, before “Alone Again Tonight”––a Gary track written with Gattis––watches loneliness with empathetic ache.
Several tracks take note of the universal search for comfort––even when it’s not the stuff of fairytales or even particularly dignified. Over crunchy guitars, “Stranger Tonight” captures an evening’s quest for no-strings companionship. “It was an idea I had just watching people at bars––that lonely girl I saw time and time again but with a different set of glasses, over and over,” Gary says. “It seems like everybody can relate to that––out looking for something new that doesn’t have to be love.”
Sweet and sad, “Break My Heart,” another track penned by Gary with Jeff Crosby, looks back after the end of a relationship. “You’re not mad anymore but you’re thankful of the good times,” Gary says. “It’s also about finding yourself again. It’s a moving-on song.” Quiet and sparse, the Gary-penned “Run into You” details a longing to cross paths with an ex-lover who’s moved on with heartbreaking clarity.
Anchored by crying B-3 organ, “Hold This Town Together” explores the struggle to enjoy what once was easy after the loss of someone who’ll never come back. After years of trying, Micky wrote the song for Mark, a friend and the Motorcars’ first bassist, who passed away. “Hold This Town,” written by Micky and Jeff Crosby, muses over the hometown faces and places that never change. “There are the same people at the same bars, the same people working at the grocery stores,” Micky says, then adds with a laugh, “It’s kind of a depressing party song.” Another Jeff Crosby-Micky collaboration, “Thank My Mother’s God” pays beautiful tribute to moms and their devotion to their black sheep, running wild.
Two album standouts stand tall: “Lions of Kandahar,” written by Gary alone, and the title track, which Micky penned with master songwriter Bruce Robison. Over instrumentation that evokes the tense hum of Middle Eastern military activity, “Lions of Kandahar” follows a deployment from a first-person perspective. The result is jarring, compelling, and deeply human––a breathtaking piece of songwriting that took five years to complete. Winsome “Long Time Comin’” is an ode to the satisfaction of patience and perseverance rewarded in different forms––a stunning tapestry that also reflects the road to the album itself.
Guitars and songs at the ready, Micky and Gary hope most of all that their sprawling cross-continental fanbase connect with Long Time Comin’, a collection four years in the making. “If you can put your heart on your sleeve and say it, it’s the best medicine for people,” Micky says, reflecting on the album. “They can lock into it and enjoy the ride.”
Josh Grider & Drew Kennedy
Texas Female Artist of the Decade and nine-time Female Vocalist of the Year, Bri Bagwell is a force to be reckoned with on the Texas Country scene and beyond. With fifteen #1 singles on Texas Country Radio, a string of acclaimed albums, and an impressive touring schedule, she’s earned her place as one of the most respected artists in today’s country landscape. People Magazine raves, “Bagwell increasingly finds her name being mentioned amongst country music truth-tellers such as Ashley McBryde and Morgan Wade.” She hosts the hit podcast Only Vans, serves as the unofficial ambassador of her adopted hometown of New Braunfels, TX, is a powerhouse songwriter, and continues to be one of Texas music’s most electric live performers—playing more than 100 shows each year.
Bagwell’s latest work showcases an artist in full command of her creative voice. She is currently releasing a series of singles leading up to a new EP which she recorded in Nashville with critically acclaimed producer Rachel Loy. Her single, “Border Girl,” is a high-energy, deeply personal anthem celebrating her cultural pride and borderland roots. The track weaves together rock, country, and Spanish influences into a vibrant tribute to where New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico converge. Her latest #1, “Hit The Highway,” is a fiery, road-tested track that captures the freedom of a life lived on tour.
Her 2022 full-length release Corazón y Cabeza (Heart and Head) showcases the duality that defines her: sharp songwriting that hits both the heart and the head, wrapped in an undeniably country sound. The album spawned three Texas chart-toppers—“Trenches,” “Free Man,” and “Hello Highway”—with the emotionally charged “Trenches” earning Music Video of the Year at the Texas Regional Radio Music Awards. Her 2024 #1 single, “The Rescue,” is a fan-favorite tribute to her dog, Whiskey, which inspired over 200 fan submissions for its heartfelt music video and raised funds for local animal shelters.
Born and raised in Las Cruces, New Mexico, Bagwell's musical journey began early—writing poems in her childhood bedroom and learning piano before joining her twin brothers’ band at just 14. After high school, she moved to Austin to attend the University of Texas and majored in marketing. It was there she picked up a guitar for the first time—“because it was easier to carry than a piano,” she jokes—and quickly found herself immersed in the city’s rich musical fabric. Following graduation, she briefly worked in marketing before her passion for performance pulled her fully into a music career.
Since releasing her debut album Banned from Santa Fe in 2011, Bri has built a loyal and ever-expanding fanbase drawn to her honest lyrics, hard-hitting hooks, and undeniable stage presence. As a songwriter she was signed to Sony ATV Music Publishing in Nashville from 2012-2015. She’s performed on syndicated TV events such as NBC’s Lone Star New Year’s Eve, and with legends and contemporaries alike, including Willie Nelson, Miranda Lambert, Dwight Yoakam, Robert Earl Keen, Kacey Musgraves, Reckless Kelly, and more.
A multi-faceted artist, Bri Bagwell is the creator of her hit podcast ONLY VANS, where she shares a behind-the-scenes look at life on the road. It is consistently in the Top 10 podcasts globally and features guests like Dale Brisby, Jaret Reddick (Bowling For Soup), Willy Braun (Reckless Kelly), and hit comedian Steve Treviño.
Now based in New Braunfels, TX, Bri continues to blaze her own path, balancing a fiery spirit and fearless authenticity with an unwavering connection to her roots. As new music and tour dates roll out for 2026, Bri continues to be a powerful force on the Texas Country scene and beyond.
There’s something about Josh Weathers—a kind of magic that lives somewhere between the Fort Worth Stockyards and Muscle Shoals. A natural soul that grabs your gut and doesn’t let go. A country soul that knows country music should make you feel the songs. He’s not just singing them—he’s feeling them into existence. All it takes is seeing Josh Weathers live to understand that.
Josh Weathers arrived with a voice—a once-in-a-generation, God-given kind of voice. The kind that stops you mid-conversation, mid-sip, mid-breath. He first made waves around Texas with a band that blurred lines between country, soul, funk, gospel, and rock ‘n’ roll. And no matter the arrangement, Josh Weathers was the fire at the center.
His live shows became the stuff of legends—and they’ve remained that way. Sweaty, joyous, full-throttle explosions of emotion. He can take you from a tear-soaked ballad to a full-blown dance party in the span of a single set. As at home on a honky-tonk barstool as he is on the front pew, he creates a vibe and makes it his home for the entirety of his time in the spotlight. In every iteration of his career, country music was always at the core. His rendition of “I Will Always Love You” went viral for good reason—he inhabited it.
But Weathers is more than a voice and a good show. He’s a man of conviction. He stepped away from the touring grind at the peak of his momentum—not to chase stardom, but to chase purpose. Alongside his wife, he launched a mission to combat human trafficking and provide refuge for children in India and El Salvador. That detour into something bigger than music gave him even more depth to bring back when he eventually returned to the stage.
When he came back, it wasn’t with a gimmick. It was with fire and faith, soul and grit.
The songs? They hit harder.
The message? Clearer.
The purpose? Deeper.
Josh Weathers is what happens when heart meets talent and refuses to play by the rules. He’s a country boy and a rodeo cowboy. He’s also a soul singer in a land of pickers, a gospel shouter in a world of whisperers, a rock ‘n’ roll preacher in the church of country music. Josh Weathers can do it all—and does it better than just about anyone else.
A recently signed deal with famed Nashville publishing house Sea Gayle Music has the music of Josh Weathers poised for a breakout. This is because he doesn’t chase trends—he chases truth. And when he sings, it feels like redemption.
It wasn’t long ago that Kashus Culpepper was packing venues across the Southeast without ever having released a single, the Alexander City native drawing crowds with his viral soul-flecked slow-burner “After Me?”
Now, with a freshly inked major label deal and a handful of official releases under his belt, the rising country crooner has quickly secured his place among the who’s who of the genre. However, stardom was never the goal for the Navy veteran-turned-musical sensation.
“I thought the world was ending,” Culpepper said.
He was deployed in Rota, Spain when the COVID-19 pandemic took hold of the globe in 2020, and he turned to music to pass those unprecedented times.
“We couldn’t work. We couldn’t leave the base, so my buddy found a guitar for me,” he said.
It was an instrument he had always wanted to pick up but had never taken the time to do so. Then he found himself with nothing but time.
“I learned my first song, and then I was like, ‘Oh, I guess I can do this,’” Culpepper said.
He said the Ben E. King classic “Stand By Me” was likely the first song he learned; but pretty soon, a cover tune or two turned into hundreds as the budding musician began to share the new hobby with his fellow soldiers at the frequent barrack-held bonfires.
“I kept getting requests for different songs,” he said. “I think by the end of that deployment, I probably knew well over 200 songs just because of requests.”
Then, cover songs quickly became originals, with Culpepper eventually weaving a striking catalog of enchantingly vulnerable work, a songbook he toured in dive bars around the Gulf Coast following his deployment and one he has begun to share sparingly with the world now.
The achingly beautiful “Who Hurt You,” the enrapturing “After Me?,” and his most recent single, the smoldering “Out Of My Mind” – with their fervent lyrics and impassioned sounds, Culpepper’s songs embody something truly singular, something the artist has attributed to a number of things. All of which can be traced back to his very beginnings.
Culpepper first found his voice in church, glimpses of which can be caught in his music. Much of his work sparks with the same passion and intensity that’s often flung from the pulpit, and even his recent music video for “Who Hurt You” unfolds in a church pew. It’s an environment that informed him at a young age and a place he pulls from now.
“I grew up in a church where everybody just sang with this straight-up passion and heart,” he said. “I had a deacon in my church – Deacon McGee – he would always do all the hymns, and honestly, he had one of the best voices I’ve ever heard. He’d be sweating while he was singing, just throwing down towels, and he would just really feel it. From a young age, I felt that. I think that’s something I always go back to, that feeling that I got when I heard him sing.”
It was church that informed his delivery, but it was the soul music he also grew up listening to that schooled his pen.
“They just said what they meant … Like old Temptations, like ‘Ain’t Too Proud To Beg,’ that’s just so vulnerable. They didn’t care if anybody saw them down and out; they just said what they needed to say, and they meant it.”
He added, “That’s what I try to do with my songs, because everything I write, most of the time, I’ve been through it.”
While stardom was never the goal when he picked up that guitar during deployment, Culpepper’s music has certainly placed him center-stage where he can share his uniquely Southern music with audiences.
“I never thought that music could be my career,” Culpepper admitted. “Even when I got into the dive bars and I was making enough money to live, I was like, ‘Oh, I ain’t gonna do this forever. I’m gonna have to get a real job, or something, eventually.’”
“Eventually,” though, hasn’t come just yet. The star is currently traveling the country on his Howlin’ Under The Harvest Moon headline tour and is gearing up to release more music soon.
Evolution. It's what keeps the best bands afloat — song after song, show after show, record after record.
Mike Harmeier was still in his early 20s when he formed Mike and the Moonpies. From the start, they were the definition of a workingman's country band, cutting their teeth with five-hour sets on Austin's dancehall circuit before spreading their music to the rest of America. By the early 2020s, they'd become global ambassadors of homegrown Texas music, flying their flag everywhere from Abbey Road Studios (where they recorded 2019's Cheap Silver & Solid Country Gold with help from the London Symphony Orchestra) to the Grand Ole Opry.
The growth was remarkable, but all that momentum left Harmeier and his four bandmates — drummer Taylor Englert, guitarist Catlin Rutherford, bassist Omar Oyoque, and steel guitarist Zachary Moulton — looking for something new. After all, their music had decidedly changed. Why shouldn't their name do the same?
Silverada marks a new chapter in the band's history. It's not just the title of the boldest release of the group's critically-acclaimed career; it's also the name of the reinvigorated band itself.
"Back in the day, all we wanted to do was play the Broken Spoke," says Harmeier, nodding to the hometown honky-tonk in Austin, TX, where Silverada began sowing the seeds for a sound that mixed timeless twang with modern-day dynamics. "We had different aspirations back then. We were still figuring out what kind of band we were gonna be, and that took a lot of time and a lot of records."
A lot of records, indeed. Silverada marks the group's ninth release, and it balances the strengths they've accumulated along the way — sharp, detailed songwriting that bounces between autobiographical sketches and character studies; gorgeous swells of pedal steel that drift through the songs like weather; a rhythm section capable of country shuffles, hard-charging rock & roll tempos, and everything in between — with a willingness to break old rules and open new doors. "Radio Wave" is a roots-rock anthem for the highway and the heartland, peppered with Springsteen-worthy hooks and War On Drugs-inspired atmospherics. "Eagle Rare" launches the band into outer space during its explosive middle section, which the band improvised in the recording studio. "Stay By My Side" showcases Silverada's road-warrior credentials — the band recorded the track live during a tour across the American Southeast, capturing it in a single take at Capricorn Sound Studios in Macon, Georgia — while "Wallflower" blends the organic with the otherworldly, finding room for harmonized guitar solos, driving disco beats, and 808 percussion.
"Going into the studio, everybody in the band felt inspired to do something bigger than what they'd done before," Harmeier explains. "We all knew we were at a precipice, and we wanted to jump. I brought in some songs that were metaphorical and not always straightforward, and that showed the guys that I wanted to take this music somewhere new… so they threw their own rulebooks out the window, too."
Harmeier wrote the bulk of Silverada in his backyard studio, surrounded by dozens of books he'd picked up at a local Goodwill. "We'd been on tour for so long, playing the same set for almost two years, and I wanted to write something that was a departure," he remembers. Jeff Tweedy's books on songwriting were a big help, but Harmeier pushed himself to get weird, too, finding inspiration in everything from astronomy texts to sci-fi novels. "I would read some, work a little bit, read some more, and work a little more," he says of the creative process. "I spent a full month in that studio, going there every night, making word ladders and highlighting lines and learning to free write."
Recorded at Yellow Dog Studios with longtime producer/collaborator Adam Odor, Silverada propels the band forward without losing sight of their roots. "Stubborn Son" — a loving, unsparing sketch of the family patriarch who set Harmeier's creativity in motion — unfolds like a close cousin to Steak Night at the Prairie Rose's title track, laced with fiddle solos from longtime George Strait collaborator Gene Elders. "Doing It Right" channels the same throwback, slow-dance ambiance that informed 2019's "You Look Good in Neon." "Load Out," which chronicles the grind of blue-collar jobs both on and off the road, could've found a home on 2021's One To Grow On.
There's a smart sense of history here — a celebration not only of where the band is headed, where they've been, too. Even so, Silverada doesn't spend much time looking in the rearview mirror. Instead, it keeps its gaze focused on the road ahead. This is a snapshot of a band in motion, chasing down the next horizon, writing the soundtrack to some new discovery. It's the sound of alchemy, of some new metal being forged. And like silver itself, Silverada shines brightly.
"We spent the first part of our career figuring out who we are and what we're good at," says Harmeier. "Now we want to evolve not only the sound of the band, but the dynamic of the live show, too. We're all lifers here. We're in this for the long haul. Silverada is us setting the stage for the next leg of the journey."
Phoenix-based duo The Kruse Brothers, Chandler and Miles Kruse, are transforming country music with their blend of diverse influences and musical styles. Originally rooted in classical music, the brothers bring a unique sound to the genre, infusing it with elements of blues and rock. They craft a vibrant and dynamic sound that balances technical precision with heartfelt emotion. The Kruse Brothers’ innovative approach and rich musical backgrounds make them a standout act in the country music scene, merging tradition with fresh, exciting elements.
Suzanne Santo has never been afraid to blur the lines. A tireless creator, she's built her sound in the grey area between Americana, Southern-gothic soul, and forward-thinking rock & roll. It's a sound that nods to her past — a childhood spent in the Rust Belt; a decade logged as a member of the L.A.-based duo HoneyHoney; the acclaimed solo album, Ruby Red, that launched a new phase of her career in 2017; and the world tour that took her from Greece to Glastonbury as a member of Hozier's band — while still exploring new territory. With Yard Sale, Santo boldly moves forward, staking her claim once again as an Americana innovator. It's an album inspired by the past, written by an artist who's only interested in the here-and-now. And for Suzanne Santo, the here-and-now sounds pretty good.
Yard Sale, her second release as a solo artist, finds Santo in transition. She began writing the album while touring the globe with Hozier — a gig that utilized her strengths not only as a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, but as a road warrior, too. "We never stopped," she says of the year-long trek, which often found her pulling double-duty as Hozier's opening act and bandmate. "Looking back, I can recognize how much of a game-changer it was. It raised my musicianship to a new level. It truly reshaped my career."
Songs like "Fall For That" were written between band rehearsals, with Santo holing herself up in a farmhouse on the rural Irish coast. Others were finished during bus rides, backstage writing sessions, and hotel stays. Grateful for the experience but eager to return to her solo career, she finished her run with Hozier, joining the band for one final gig — a milestone performance at Glastonbury, with 60,000 fans watching — before flying home to Los Angeles. Within three days, she was back in the studio, working with producer John Spiker on the most compelling album of her career.
Santo didn't remain in Los Angeles for very long. Things had changed since she released 2017's Ruby Red, an album produced by Butch Walker and hailed by Rolling Stone for its "expansion of her Americana roots." She'd split up with her longtime partner. Her old band, HoneyHoney, was on hiatus. Feeling lonely in her own home, Santo infused songs like "Common Sense" and "Idiot" with achingly gorgeous melodies and woozy melancholia. She then got the hell out, moving to Austin — a city whose fingerprints are all over Yard Sale, thanks to appearances by hometown heroes like Shakey Graves and Gary Clark Jr. — and falling in love all over again. Throughout it all, Santo continued writing songs, filling Yard Sale with the ups and downs of a life largely spent on the run.
"I moved so much, both emotionally and physically, while making this record," she says. "I dropped my band, joined a world tour, came back home, went through a heartbreak, moved across the country, and fell in love with someone else. I just kept marching forward. Throughout that experience, there was this emotional unpacking of sorts. A shedding of baggage. I've gotten good at knowing what I need to keep holding onto and what I don't."
If yard sales represent a homeowner's purging of old possessions in order to clear up some much-needed room, then Yard Sale marks the moment where Suzanne Santo makes peace with her past and embraces a better, bolder present. Musically, she's at the top of her game, writing her own string arrangements and singing each song an agile, acrobatic voice. On "Since I've Had Your Love," she bridges the gap between indie-rock and neo-soul, punctuating the song's middle stretch with a cinematic violin solo. She mixes gospel influences with a deconstructed R&B beat on "Over and Over Again," recounts some hard-learned lessons with the folk-rock anthem "Mercy," and drapes "Bad Beast" with layers of spacey, atmospheric electric guitar. Shakey Graves contributes to "Afraid of Heights," a rainy-day ballad driven forward by a metronomic drum pattern, and Gary Clark Jr. punctuates the guitar-driven "Fall For That" with fiery fretwork.
"This is like one of those yard sales where there's something for everybody," Santo says. "You want a crockpot or a racquetball paddle? A duvet cover? I've got it." On a more serious note, she adds, "But I've also gotten into the emotional concept of what a yard sale really is, too. This record is about the things I've left behind and the things I've holding onto. I was broken up with while writing the record. I fell in love again while writing the record. And I learned to fearlessly follow my gut, in all places of my life, while making this record."
You can't blame Suzanne Santo from looking back once in awhile. Raised in Parma, OH, she was scouted as a model and actress at 14 years old, spent her summer vacations working in locations like Tokyo, and later moved to New York City, where she attended the Professional Children's School alongside classmates like Jack Antonoff and Scarlett Johansson. Moving to Los Angeles in her late teens, she formed HoneyHoney and released three albums with the duo, working with top-shelf Americana labels like Lost Highway and Rounder Records along the way. Working with Butch Walker on 2017's Ruby Red resulted in an offer to join Walker's touring band, followed one year later by a similar request from Hozier.
"It's a rollercoaster, and I've been strapped in pretty good," she says. "I've been riding it out."
ALABAMA AS SHIT.
For nearly two decades, American Aquarium have pushed toward that rare form of rock-and-roll that’s revelatory in every sense. “For us the sweet spot is when you’ve got a rock band that makes you scream along to every word, and it’s not until you’re coming down at three a.m. that you realize those words are saying something real about your life,” says frontman BJ Barham. “That’s what made us fall in love with music in the first place, and that’s the goal in everything we do.” On their new album The Fear of Standing Still, the North Carolina-bred band embody that dynamic with more intensity than ever before, endlessly matching their gritty breed of country-rock with Barham’s bravest and most incisive songwriting to date. As he reflects on matters both personal and sociocultural—e.g., the complexity of Southern identity, the intersection of generational trauma and the dismantling of reproductive rights—American Aquarium instill every moment of The Fear of Standing Still with equal parts unbridled spirit and illuminating empathy.
Recorded live at the legendary Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, The Fear of Standing Still marks American Aquarium’s second outing with producer Shooter Jennings—a three-time Grammy winner who also helmed production on 2020’s critically lauded Lamentations, as well as albums from the likes of Brandi Carlile and Tanya Tucker. In a departure from the stripped-down subtlety of 2022’s Chicamacomico (a largely acoustic rumination on grief), the band’s tenth studio LP piles on plenty of explosive riffs and hard-charging rhythms, bringing a visceral energy to the most nuanced and poetic of lyrics. “In our live show the band’s like a freight train that never lets up, and for this record I really wanted to showcase how big and anthemic we can be,” notes Barham, whose bandmates include guitarist Shane Boeker, pedal-steel guitarist Neil Jones, keyboardist Rhett Huffman, drummer Ryan Van Fleet, and bassist Alden Hedges.
Mixed by four-time Grammy winner Trina Shoemaker (Queens of the Stone Age, Emmylou Harris), The Fear of Standing Still shares its title with one of the first songs Barham wrote for the album—a soul-baring look at how raising a family has radically altered his priorities and perspective. In the process of creating what he refers to as “a record about growing up and growing older,” Barham also found his songwriting closely informed by his ten years of sobriety, as well as his ever-deepening connection with American Aquarium’s community of fans. “Whenever someone tells me that one of our songs helped them in some way, it encourages me to be more and more open—almost like peeling a layer off an onion,” he says. “This album is a writer 18 years into his career, peeling away the next layer and seeing just how human we can make this thing.”
Expanding on the raw vitality of previous albums like 2012’s Jason Isbell-produced Burn.Flicker.Die, The Fear of Standing Still kicks offs with “Crier”: a gloriously ferocious track that swiftly obliterates worn-out ideals of masculine behavior. “It’s a song about breaking down what many of us learned from our fathers growing up—this idea that boys don’t cry, or that crying is a form of weakness,” says Barham, who co-wrote “Crier” with singer/songwriter Stephen Wilson Jr. “I wanted to send the message that it’s not natural to bottle everything up inside, because all of us are meant to feel.” Fueled by a savage and soaring vocal performance from Barham, the result is a perfect encapsulation of American Aquarium’s multilayered artistry. “I don’t think anyone’s going to get through that first listen of ‘Crier’ and think, ‘Wow, what a great song about disrupting the cycle of toxic masculinity!’” Barham points out. “It seems more likely that it’ll make them want to dance and jump around, and then when they put the headphones on and listen a little closer to the lyrics, that’s when they’ll start to understand what we’re talking about.”
A resolutely outspoken artist who’s emerged as one of the most progressive voices in country music, Barham infuses an element of trenchant social commentary into a number of tracks on The Fear of Standing Still. On “Southern Roots,” for instance, Georgia-born singer/songwriter Katie Pruitt joins American Aquarium for a spellbinding meditation on pushing against the boundaries of traditional Southern identity. “People can complain all they want about how backwards the South is, but the only way we’ll see any change is to take it upon ourselves,” says Barham. “For me, that means raising my daughter so that she’ll never witness the closed-mindedness and blatant disrespect for certain people that I often saw at her age. Because if you really love something the way I love the South, then you want to see it grow.” Co-written by Barham and Pruitt, “Southern Roots” starts off as a beautifully understated folk song graced with heavenly harmonies, then builds to a reverb-drenched frenzy at the bridge—a shift that sharply intensifies the track’s galvanizing power.
Another song anchored in Barham’s ardent belief in breaking generational patterns, “Babies Having Babies” arrives as a finespun piece of storytelling that doubles as an emphatic pro-choice anthem. “It’s a mix of fiction and personal experience, and felt like an important story to tell at a time when a woman’s right to choose is being taken away,” says Barham. After opening on a nostalgic tale of a whirlwind summer romance, “Babies Having Babies” slowly takes on a powerful urgency as the narrative turns to questions of consequence and self-preservation (from the second verse: “We packed up a bag and drove to the city/Shouldered through the pickets and the hand-painted signs/They called her names while they called themselves Christians/That sort of hate’s got no place in any faith of mine”). “I grew up in a small and very conservative town where abortion was not an option, so I saw a lot of people trapped in that generational cycle of getting pregnant at a young age and ending up stuck in the same town forever instead of following whatever dreams they might have had,” says Barham. “I wanted to write about what could have happened if one of those girls had refused to give up her aspirations, and made that choice to live another way.”
While American Aquarium bring a lived-in intimacy to all of The Fear of Standing Still, songs like “Cherokee Purples” encompass a particularly tender emotionality. A wistful reminiscence of all the charmed and wild summers of Barham’s youth, the track unfolds in so many gorgeously detailed images (kudzu vines and fireflies, menthol cigarettes and Big League Chew), each rendered with a loving specificity that lingers in the listener’s heart. “‘Cherokee Purples’ came from me making a tomato sandwich in my kitchen, and immediately getting taken back to all the summer days when we’d get dropped off at my grandmother’s so my parents could go to work,” says Barham. “It’s crazy how something as simple as a tomato sandwich with Duke’s Mayonnaise can take me to a whole other world, but to me it’s almost like a talisman of where I’m from and how I was raised.” Meanwhile, on “The Curse of Growing Old,” American Aquarium look to the other end of the life spectrum, conjuring a life-affirming mood despite the song’s excruciating honesty. “I wrote that after talking with my grandmother at her 92nd birthday party and learning what it was like for her to grow older and watch so many people in her life pass away,” says Barham. “It’s true that getting older is a gift, but it’s a gift we pay for with an incredible amount of loss.”
For Barham, the sharing of hard truths is indelibly tied to his sense of devotion to American Aquarium’s audience—and to his belief in rock-and-roll as a singularly unifying force. “All I really want to do is put words to the emotions that most people have a difficult time expressing on their own,” he reveals. “No matter what that emotion is, when you put it into a song and then get to those moments when a whole bunch of people are singing that song all together, it makes you see that you’re part of something bigger than you ever realized. That’s when you can really affect people’s lives, and to me this record is another stepping stone to making that a reality.”
Stephen Wilson Jr.'s journey from the hollers of southern Indiana to Nashville, Tenn. has been a winding road that's taken many detours: He's been an Indiana State Golden Gloves boxing championship finalist, a scientist, and a lead guitarist and songwriter in an indie rock band. In 2016, he ditched his laboratory 9-to-5 and signed a publishing deal with BMG Nashville where his alchemic songcraft immediately made waves, leading to cuts from Caitlyn Smith, Old Dominion, Tim McGraw, Sixpence None the Richer, Leigh Nash and more. 2023 proved to be Wilson Jr.'s breakthrough year, signing with Big Loud Records and releasing his debut double album søn of dad: a triumphant, genre-spanning set of 22 songs dedicated to his late father and given to the world on the five-year anniversary of his passing. The album was named the No. 1 album of 2023 by Holler who called it “a record for the ages,” and earned a spot as one of the best albums of the year from Whiskey Riff, Wide Open Country and Rolling Stone. In 2024, he made his network television debut on NBC's Late Night with Seth Meyers, followed by performances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert's #LateShowMeMusic series and Later…with Jools Holland. Ahead of the one-year anniversary of søn of dad, Wilson Jr. was also profiled in an extensive feature for CBS Saturday Morning. So far in 2025, Wilson Jr. released a deluxe edition of his debut album that features a moving interpretation of “Stand By Me” that has been streamed tens of millions of times. He is fresh off the heels of an entirely sold-out 2025 U.S. run of his søn of dad tour and is supporting HARDY on his Jim Bob Tour on select dates from May through September, including the final show at Madison Square Garden. This summer he made his Newport Folk Festival and Red Rocks debuts and throughout the year will perform at Cavendish Beach Music Festival, Boots and Hearts, Whiskey Moon and more.
Get hooked on giving at the Mile 0 Fest Charity Fishing Derby benefitting Key West Wildlife Center, Red Dirt Relief Fund and Key West Civic Association! Experience Key West from the water during a 4-hour deep sea fishing charter with some of Key West’s most seasoned captains. Book your individual spot or reserve a boat for your group of six. After you reel em’ in, feast on a “Hook & Cook” lunch (of your fish!) with live music from Mile 0 Fest artists poolside at Dante’s Key West where we’ll announce the winners and award prizes. It’s an experience you don’t want to miss—all while raising money for some worthy causes!
Thursday, Jan 29th 8:00am - 2:00pm
Check In: 7:00am (required)
Derby Start: 8:00am - 12:30pm
Lunch & Prizes at Dante's: 1:00pm
Meet us at the Mac's Place located at 1605 N Roosevelt Boulevard, Key West, FL
After heading back into shore, meet us for our Hook & Cook lunch and awards ceremony at Dante's Key West Pool Bar located at 955 Caroline Street, Key West, FL
$250 Per Person OR
$1,500 per boat (up to 6 people)
Please Note: Each Fishing Boat can take up to 6 people. Guests reserving per person seats will be meeting new friends/going out with other guests. If you are booking individually and want other friends to join, please call the Box Office to confirm your booking.
This year's derby is sponsored by Hooey Habitat and benefits Key West Wildlife Center, Red Dirt Relief Fund, and the Key West Civic Association.
Key West Wildlife Center’s mission is to ensure the future of Key West’s diverse native wildlife by providing timely rescues and qualify rehabilitation with the hope of release back to the wild.
Red Dirt Relief Fund provides a safety net of critical assistance to Oklahoma music creators by providing emergency financial assistance for unavoidable emergencies and connecting music workers to health insurance, wellness and professional services.
Key West Civic Association is dedicated to preserving the diversity, culture and livelihood of Key West and its citizens by raising funds that support charities doing important work in the community including animal welfare and wildlife protection, support for workers in the service and entertainment industries, and after school programs and education for local students.
“I knew I would meet my demons in prison and that one of us would die. I just didn’t know which one of us would walk out of there alive.”
For most of us, these would be very sobering thoughts, the kind of thoughts that would scare a person straight and ready them for battle. But for JD Graham, well, his passion for long-lived self-destruction outweighed any fear he might have had right before the cell bars slammed shut. His 25-year long drug addiction was an ironclad “shelter” he could take with him anywhere…or so he thought. Those demons that he would, in fact, meet wore many different faces and he came to recognize each one as soon as it reared its ugly head. It didn’t take long for Graham to realize during that waged war that there was another force fighting alongside him, and that he was going to slay them all. “My faith is what got me sober and keeps me sober. I was raised in a Christian church and I was always a
believer, I just never surrendered. I was disciplined in the dark, not the light. Now, I have reprogrammed my brain on how I see life. I have healthy boundaries and an accurate moral inventory I take each day. That’s what God and prison did for me.”
Graham grew up in Yukon, Oklahoma where he spent the first 30 years of his life developing his skills in hostility and perfected duplicity. An anxiety disorder at the age of 11 introduced him to the wonderful world of drugs when he was prescribed valium, and by age 15 he was raiding every medicine cabinet he could find. By 18 he was a bona fide seller skilled in the art of harvesting multiple doctor prescriptions, and in the scientific breakdown of exactly how much drugs his body could take each day. By young adulthood Graham was deep into his addiction as well as his angst, which he showcased through reckless living and slinging guitar in several death metal bands. In 2010 he morphed into a more southern rock sound with his band Sour Diesel Train Wreck and released an album in 2012 to some national success and shared stages with Reckless Kelly, Stoney Larue, Cody Canada and The Departed, Jason Boland, Turnpike Troubadours, Shooter Jennings and Molly Hatchet. In true coming of age fashion, Graham met some new people and started going to shows and open mics. His introduction to bands/artists like Cross Canadian Ragweed, Brandon Jenkins and Jason Isbell started to calm the waters a bit by the sheer impact of the truth in their writing. Their willingness to lyrically “bare the soul” hit Graham deep, and that influence mixed with a lifetime of much needed confession cast its spell, and his inner songwriter was born. In 2007 Graham relocated to Arizona, and 10 years later a catastrophic car accident dealt him a 5-year prison sentence and a last chance to salvage his soul. Still the loyal addict, he pursued the score for drugs in the pen purchasing $500 in pills on his second day there, pills that were never delivered. Instead, Graham was delivered when some church folks visited him in his cell to ask about his music. He resolutely acknowledged that God was most definitely at work in his life, and at that point he made a decision to stop drugs forever. With only his refection staring back at him in a dark cell and his mind uncluttered for the first time in 25 years, Graham’s long burdened conscience began to speak, and by the time those confessions all had their say he had written 160 songs. His first ever sober writings, Graham made history at the Arizona State Prison when he was allowed to record his first album “Razor Wire Sunrise.” The title-track was the first song he wrote in prison inspired by the view from his cell each morning and all the decisions that got him there. By the time Graham walked out a free man 5 years later, he had left behind a deep impact on the community there in the form of a very successful music program he started that is still being taught today. With an actual curriculum and over $20,000 in donations, the program sparked a year and a half waiting list for classes.
“I saw all this prison programming and cognitive behavior programs, but it wasn’t working to change people’s lives. When I started teaching music, I saw many of those guys find a sense of purpose. I saw music get guys off drugs and change their entire approach to their daily lives. Guys who walked around with their
heads down not talking to anyone were now walking around with a smile and expressing themselves through music. Music is power. It forces you to get in touch with yourself because it’s so damn honest. I made life-long friends with a few chords on a guitar.”
In 2023, JD Graham officially entered his name into the songwriting annals with the release of his new album “Pound Of Rust” on June 23rd. Recorded at the Skinny Elephant in East Nashville and produced by Neilson Hubbard (Glen Phillips, Mary Gauthier, Kim Richey, Ben Glover, Amy Speace)
and acclaimed songwriter Ryan Culwell, this spacious group of songs are the uninhibited testimony of a man with nothing left to lose. No bells and whistles, just Graham and his guitar, the album’s atmosphere is as raw as its telling captured in a live performance setting. The title-track is the hard taskmaster to which all the other songs fall into line. It’s a beast of a story that stares you down until you come to terms with your own accountability. The songs that follow are echoes of a well-worn soul who fought to have the right to see possibilities and experience reverence. Song after song the listener is seized and silenced as the weight of Graham’s sincerity welcomes you into this hallowed chamber. JD is what you call a songwriter’s songwriter, a man who keeps a crowd hanging on his every word. “Pound Of Rust” is an actual lifetime in the making, and it encapsulates the full culmination of the man who stands before you today. JD continues to put his faith and trust in God and live life on life’s terms. He continues his path fueled by faith, redemption and sobriety, writing poignant songs about his journey both past and present.
His 2023 release “A Pound of Rust” propelled him to the national touring circuit, performing in intimate listening rooms, songwriter festivals and beyond, with appearances at Mile 0 Festival & Born and Raised Festival. In July 2024 Graham released his follow up album “Sergeant of Sorrow” and continues to tour heavily in the USA and beyond.
“My brother asked me what the goal was with my music and I told him connection, whether that was talking to someone struggling on a barstool after a show or telling my story through a song to a crowd of people and reaching a stranger’s heart. Human connection is all I want; I think it’s why we are all here"
Our new album, Back to the Valley is available now!There’s a sound the Shenandoah River makes as it rumbles over old stones in the shallows. It sings songs the way they used to be – plain and honest. No frills, buckle that belt before you head to the hills and hollers. It’s there under a Virginia moon that you’ll find the Low Water Bridge Band.
Forged by firelight picking, the band’s romping, stomping, country-grass Americana ain’t for the faint of heart. Since their founding in 2020, they’ve gone from barnstorming the Shenandoah Valley to festival stages along the East Coast. Venues from the Carolinas to Kentucky and, yes, Nashville, Tennessee ring with their sound and are asking for more.
They’re led by guitarist and lead singer Logan Moore’s searing melodies. The precision thump of brothers Alex and Riley Kerns’ bass and drums and their pitch-perfect vocal harmonies fill out the sound. Justin Carver’s pedal steel and banjo swirl through songs like smoke from the campfire. And it’s all brought together with the crunch and crackle of James “Chainsaw” Montgomery’s electric guitar riffs.
From the first time you see them, your boots will be worn from kicking up dust. By the time a second chorus comes around you’ll be hooting and hollering their memorable originals alongside their die-hard fans. You’ll join a crowd who travels far and wide, bringing the party to your town. If you’re a fan of good music done right, be sure to keep a lookout for this fast-rising outfit from Clarke County, Virginia. Chances are, they’ll be blowing through your way one of these days soon.
West Virginia-born and Houston-raised, Jesse Lynn Madera is celebrated for crafting musical tales with profound and relatable lyrics while effortlessly blending diverse genres. American Songwriter praised her saying, “Madera’s lyrical and piano-driven songs are passionate and alluring, with a dramatic, ethereal, and almost otherworldly tone. Evoking comparisons to the shapeshifting brilliance of Kate Bush and the confessional pop sensibilities of Tori Amos.”
“I love so many genres,” says Madera. “When I sit down at the piano to write, it’s a mixed bag. To me, music is music, and I go with how I’m feeling in that moment. The simple truth of human emotion and experience creates an endless palette. I listen to all kinds of different music and my influences are equally diverse. Inspiration is everywhere!”
Music industry tastemakers are taking notice of Madera’s distinctive talent. She was recognized by Music Connection Magazine as one of their Hot 100 Best Unsigned Artists. Last year she emerged as a top 12 finalist (out of 6,000 entries) in the Americana category of the Unsigned Only competition due to her compelling performance of "Unchained." Madera’s dedicated fan base is a testament to her captivating live performances, which include sold-out shows at renowned venues like New York’s Bitter End and Nashville’s The Bluebird (where she shared the stage with Dan Navarro, Pete Mroz & Jim Photoglo).
She has had a significant festival presence appearing at Mile 0, 30A, Annapolis Songwriters, and Mile of Music. Madera was selected as a headliner for WMOT’s Finally Friday live concert series in Nashville, further solidifying her musical prowess. A dynamic performer, she has provided show support for acclaimed artists like The Zombies, Navarro, Maddie Poppe, and Mary Fahl.
Madera’s childhood years were rooted in music. She lived near her grandparents, self-taught musicians whose 'stage' was either the back porch or the living room, and began playing her grandmother’s upright piano around the time she started walking. Due to a series of job transfers offered to her mother, her family embarked upon numerous cross-country moves over a seven-year period that began when she was just four years old. In part, she credits these moves as helping her develop a rich interior world that led to songwriting at an early age. “Music kept me company. It became my passion and best friend.”
By the time she was 11 years old, her family moved to Houston where she would remain until she graduated from the famed High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Following graduation, she studied classical theater for a year in a conservatory program led by renowned director Gerald Freedman at North Carolina School of the Arts before enrolling in New York University’s acclaimed Tisch School of the Arts to study acting. Before graduating in 2004, she was accepted into an experimental theater program in Amsterdam. After graduation, the budding songstress remained in New York and turned her full attention to music. Holding down a number of jobs so she could hone her craft, she was eventually booking venues like The Bitter End, Living Room, Rockwood Music Hall, Cutting Room, Highline Ballroom and was in the cast of a musical that was reviewed by The New York Times.
Meeting her future husband, actor Hemky Madera (Weeds, Queen of the South, Alcapoco), in 2010 was the catalyst for her move to Los Angeles. While Madera focused on raising her two sons, George and Jack, she continued to write, and in 2020, released her debut record, Fortunes. The album was widely acclaimed and had a strong impact on fans and critics alike. From the captivating string arrangements by one-man orchestra Stevie Blacke (Olivia Rodrigo, Pink, Rihanna, Chris Stapleton), to Madera’s compelling lyrical storytelling (labeled “Cohen-esque” by one writer), Fortunes, cemented her place in the music industry as an up-and-coming artist to watch.
In her latest milestone, her single “No Place to Shine” reached #1 for four consecutive weeks on the EU HotDisc country chart. Madera’s most recent album, Speed of Sound, was produced by the esteemed Dan Navarro (Lowen & Navarro), seven-time Grammy winner Jim Scott, and Grammy-winner Ryan Hadlock (Lumineers, Zach Bryan), showcasing a promising new chapter in her evolving artistry.
Fishing Derby Party! - Music for everyone!
Suzanne Santo has never been afraid to blur the lines. A tireless creator, she's built her sound in the grey area between Americana, Southern-gothic soul, and forward-thinking rock & roll. It's a sound that nods to her past — a childhood spent in the Rust Belt; a decade logged as a member of the L.A.-based duo HoneyHoney; the acclaimed solo album, Ruby Red, that launched a new phase of her career in 2017; and the world tour that took her from Greece to Glastonbury as a member of Hozier's band — while still exploring new territory. With Yard Sale, Santo boldly moves forward, staking her claim once again as an Americana innovator. It's an album inspired by the past, written by an artist who's only interested in the here-and-now. And for Suzanne Santo, the here-and-now sounds pretty good.
Yard Sale, her second release as a solo artist, finds Santo in transition. She began writing the album while touring the globe with Hozier — a gig that utilized her strengths not only as a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, but as a road warrior, too. "We never stopped," she says of the year-long trek, which often found her pulling double-duty as Hozier's opening act and bandmate. "Looking back, I can recognize how much of a game-changer it was. It raised my musicianship to a new level. It truly reshaped my career."
Songs like "Fall For That" were written between band rehearsals, with Santo holing herself up in a farmhouse on the rural Irish coast. Others were finished during bus rides, backstage writing sessions, and hotel stays. Grateful for the experience but eager to return to her solo career, she finished her run with Hozier, joining the band for one final gig — a milestone performance at Glastonbury, with 60,000 fans watching — before flying home to Los Angeles. Within three days, she was back in the studio, working with producer John Spiker on the most compelling album of her career.
Santo didn't remain in Los Angeles for very long. Things had changed since she released 2017's Ruby Red, an album produced by Butch Walker and hailed by Rolling Stone for its "expansion of her Americana roots." She'd split up with her longtime partner. Her old band, HoneyHoney, was on hiatus. Feeling lonely in her own home, Santo infused songs like "Common Sense" and "Idiot" with achingly gorgeous melodies and woozy melancholia. She then got the hell out, moving to Austin — a city whose fingerprints are all over Yard Sale, thanks to appearances by hometown heroes like Shakey Graves and Gary Clark Jr. — and falling in love all over again. Throughout it all, Santo continued writing songs, filling Yard Sale with the ups and downs of a life largely spent on the run.
"I moved so much, both emotionally and physically, while making this record," she says. "I dropped my band, joined a world tour, came back home, went through a heartbreak, moved across the country, and fell in love with someone else. I just kept marching forward. Throughout that experience, there was this emotional unpacking of sorts. A shedding of baggage. I've gotten good at knowing what I need to keep holding onto and what I don't."
If yard sales represent a homeowner's purging of old possessions in order to clear up some much-needed room, then Yard Sale marks the moment where Suzanne Santo makes peace with her past and embraces a better, bolder present. Musically, she's at the top of her game, writing her own string arrangements and singing each song an agile, acrobatic voice. On "Since I've Had Your Love," she bridges the gap between indie-rock and neo-soul, punctuating the song's middle stretch with a cinematic violin solo. She mixes gospel influences with a deconstructed R&B beat on "Over and Over Again," recounts some hard-learned lessons with the folk-rock anthem "Mercy," and drapes "Bad Beast" with layers of spacey, atmospheric electric guitar. Shakey Graves contributes to "Afraid of Heights," a rainy-day ballad driven forward by a metronomic drum pattern, and Gary Clark Jr. punctuates the guitar-driven "Fall For That" with fiery fretwork.
"This is like one of those yard sales where there's something for everybody," Santo says. "You want a crockpot or a racquetball paddle? A duvet cover? I've got it." On a more serious note, she adds, "But I've also gotten into the emotional concept of what a yard sale really is, too. This record is about the things I've left behind and the things I've holding onto. I was broken up with while writing the record. I fell in love again while writing the record. And I learned to fearlessly follow my gut, in all places of my life, while making this record."
You can't blame Suzanne Santo from looking back once in awhile. Raised in Parma, OH, she was scouted as a model and actress at 14 years old, spent her summer vacations working in locations like Tokyo, and later moved to New York City, where she attended the Professional Children's School alongside classmates like Jack Antonoff and Scarlett Johansson. Moving to Los Angeles in her late teens, she formed HoneyHoney and released three albums with the duo, working with top-shelf Americana labels like Lost Highway and Rounder Records along the way. Working with Butch Walker on 2017's Ruby Red resulted in an offer to join Walker's touring band, followed one year later by a similar request from Hozier.
"It's a rollercoaster, and I've been strapped in pretty good," she says. "I've been riding it out."
Doors Open at Noon
Phoenix-based duo The Kruse Brothers, Chandler and Miles Kruse, are transforming country music with their blend of diverse influences and musical styles. Originally rooted in classical music, the brothers bring a unique sound to the genre, infusing it with elements of blues and rock. They craft a vibrant and dynamic sound that balances technical precision with heartfelt emotion. The Kruse Brothers’ innovative approach and rich musical backgrounds make them a standout act in the country music scene, merging tradition with fresh, exciting elements.
New Album Out Festival Week! "Carry You With Me".
Join your favorite artist on the water for an intimate musical experience. A truly unique listening room with an ocean breeze. This is a Package Perk event including food and drink. Departing from 205 Elizabeth St.
With a decades-long commitment to his craft as a songwriter, Jason Eady has built a career on bringing his unique perspective to a variety of genres. Uninhibited by ties to one particular sound, Eady’s catalog showcases an affinity for telling authentic, forthright stories with his music, a quality that continues to bring new listeners to this veteran musician’s audience year after year.
Born in his most recent album’s namesake state, Mississippi finds Eady inspired, motivated but not bound by the success of his past; instead, Mississippi is yet another manifestation of what Eady does best – channeling truth into songs and a refusal to be boxed in by his previous work. His newest album, however, is not a seismic shift that rebukes the past; rather, Mississippi brings to the forefront hints of deep South-style blues that has always had a place in his sound.
“There was a groove based sound that I grew up with in Mississippi that has always
been a part of what I do, but with this record I wanted to bring that to the forefront. I think this record is the opposite side of the same coin I’ve always had, I just flipped it over.”
Mississippi’s critical praise situates it as yet another beloved album born out of Eady’s
nineteen year career. With nine full-length albums, Eady explores genre and form with mastery, complementing the Texas sound he’s perhaps best known for with forays where listeners can find him accompanied by bluegrass pickers or pedal steel. This versatility has earned Eady praise from contemporaries and critics alike, with NPR acknowledging Eady’s grassroots, nononsense approach to his craft by dubbing him “one of the most promising alt-country underdogs.”
This intentionality and fluidity is indicative of an artist at the top of his craft, bolstered by
critical success like 2021’s To the Passage of Time and 2018’s I Travel On but not reliant upon it; if Eady stands for anything, it’s the wholehearted pursuit of remaining loyal to himself without resting on his laurels, pushing himself as an artist and a storyteller.
“I have always had a ton of respect for artists who have experimented with and presented
different styles and genres while still maintaining a style of their own. I love that arc over a
career and how it keeps it interesting for the listener. I love that feeling of “what is he going to do next?”. Hopefully that same sense of excitement and anticipation stays alive in my music as well.”
MAGGIE ANTONE'S VOICE HAS ALWAYS WON PEOPLE OVER. SINGING ALONG TO THE RADIO FROM HER CARSEAT, IT FIRST WON HER PARENTS OVER—ENOUGH SO THAT THEY SUPPORTED HER THROUGH VOICE LESSONS, MUSICAL THEATER, AND NATIONAL ANTHEM GIGS AROUND HER HOMETOWN OF RICHMOND. LATER, WITH HER RECORDING OF TYLER CHILDERS'S "LADY MAY," ANTONE'S VOICE WOULD WIN THE INTERNET OVER, TOO, GAINING SO MUCH PRAISE THAT SHE WOULD GO ON TO RELEASE AN ENTIRE COLLECTION OF COVERS, INTERPRETATIONS, THE FOLLOWING YEAR. BUT LATELY, THE FANS AT ANTONE’S PACKED-OUT GIGS ARE SINGING EVERY WORD TO HER SONGS: AFTER ALL, EVEN IF HER VOICE IS WHAT DRAWS YOU IN, IT'S THE VULNERABILITY OF HER SONGWRITING THAT WILL KEEP YOU COMING BACK.
ANTONE’S NEW ALBUM RHINESTONED OFFERS TEN SONGS WORTH OF COMPELLING EVIDENCE THAT THIS VIRGINIA NATIVE JUST MIGHT BE COUNTRY’S NEXT BIG THING. OUT NOW ON HER OWN LABEL, LOVE BIG, VIA THIRTY TIGERS, THE ALBUM ONLY BUILDS ON THE RUNAWAY SUCCESS OF HER DEBUT ORIGINAL SINGLE “SUBURBAN OUTLAW”—A SONG HOLLER PRAISED FOR "LYRICS THAT LAND LIKE ZIPPY TEEN MOVIE ONE-LINERS."
RAUCOUS, WITTY, AND IRRESISTIBLE, ALBUM OPENER "JOHNNY MOONSHINE" SHOWS OFF ANTONE’S FLARE FOR STORYTELLING ONE CROON-WORTHY DOUBLE ENTENDRE AT A TIME. ON THE TIMELESS "MESS WITH TEXAS," ANTONE LEANS INTO HER HONKY-TONK SENSIBILITIES, PLAYFULLY RECOUNTING THE EXES SHE COLLECTED ACROSS VARIOUS LOCALES BEFORE LANDING ON THE REAL THING IN THE LONE STAR STATE. AND STANDOUT TRACK "HIGH STANDARDS" CONTRASTS EVOCATIVE HARMONIES WITH BITING WORDPLAY, DELIVERING A BLUNT TELL-OFF TO A PRESUMPTUOUS STONER ON A LATE NIGHT GONE HAZY. THE CLEVER LYRICS AND CATCHY MELODIES MAKE FITTING VESSELS FOR ANTONE'S LARGER-THAN-LIFE CHARISMA AND NATURAL STAGE PRESENCE—QUALITIES SHE'S SHOWN OFF ON THE ROAD DURING GIGS WITH KAT HASTY, THE RED CLAY STRAYS AND 49 WINCHESTER AS WELL AS ON STAGES AT BONNAROO, BOURBON & BEYOND, AND FOXFIRE.
BUT FOR ALL THE HARD-PARTYING LYRICS AND SELF-DEPRECATING JOKES, ANTONE'S BIGGEST STRENGTH ON RHINESTONED MAY BE HER WILLINGNESS TO SHOW WEAKNESS. "I DON'T WRITE LOVE SONGS," SHE SINGS ON "EVERYONE BUT YOU," "'CAUSE I DON'T WANNA SING 'EM WHEN THE LOVE IS GONE." THE SLOW TEMPO OF "I DON'T WANNA HEAR ABOUT IT," A HEARTBREAKER THAT MOURNS A BREAKUP EVEN WHILE WISHING THE PERSON WELL, LAYS BARE ANTONE’S EMOTIONAL VOCALS. AND ANTONE IS PERHAPS HER MOST RAW ON THE CLOSING TRACK, "MEANT TO MEET," A SONG ABOUT THE VICES AND SHORTCOMINGS THAT CAN WRECK A RELATIONSHIP—EVEN ONE THAT FEELS FATED.
"WITH SITUATIONSHIPS AND SUCH NOWADAYS, IT FEELS LIKE NO ONE IS LOOKING FOR THE REAL THING ANYMORE," SHE SAYS. "THIS ALBUM, AND THAT SONG SPECIFICALLY, IS FOR THE PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T GET THE ‘I'M SORRY’ TEXT. I WANT IT TO BE CLOSURE FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED IT."
IN SOME WAYS, OPENING UP LIKE THIS COMES NATURALLY TO ANTONE; SHE'S BEEN WRITING SONGS SINCE SHE WAS 16. BUT SHE'S QUICK TO CREDIT HER COLLABORATORS IN THE STUDIO AND THE WRITING ROOM FOR THE WAY THEY'VE EMBRACED AND EMBOLDENED HER. WHILE SEVERAL SONGS WERE SOLO WRITING ENDEAVORS ("SUBURBAN OUTLAW," "ONE TOO MANY," “ME & JOSE CUERVO”), ANTONE LEANED INTO CO-WRITES: TRENT DABBS (INGRID MICHAELSON, KACEY MUSGRAVES), AARON RAITIERE (LADY GAGA, ASHLEY MCBRYDE), JILLIAN JACQUELINE (KEITH URBAN, LITTLE BIG TOWN), AND OTHERS ALL CONTRIBUTED.
WORKING WITH LONGTIME WRITING ROLE MODEL NATALIE HEMBY (THE HIGHWOMEN, MIRANDA LAMBERT) ON “JOHNNY MOONSHINE” WAS A PARTICULAR HIGH POINT: "NATALIE IS MY HERO," ANTONE SAYS. "SHE'S THE FIRST SONGWRITER THAT I EVER TRULY LOVED." AND FREQUENT WRITING PARTNER CARRIE K. (NOAH KAHAN, JESSIE MURPH, SUKI WATERHOUSE) HELPED BRING RHINESTONED TO LIFE ALONGSIDE ANTONE AS HER CO-PRODUCER. "WORKING WITH CARRIE,” ANTONE SAYS, “I FELT LIKE ALL MY THOUGHTS WERE SEEN.”
WHAT EMERGED IS A WORK THAT OFFERS ANTONE'S RASPY DRAWL SPACE TO SHINE AND HER BIG HEART ROOM TO HEAL. "SOMETIMES YOU DON'T HAVE THAT FULL LOVE STORY WHERE YOU MEET SOMEONE, YOU FALL IN LOVE, YOU DATE FOR A LONG TIME, YOU BREAK UP, AND THEN YOU'RE UPSET; SOMETIMES WE JUST HAVE THESE SHORT-LIVED LITTLE THINGS," SHE SAYS. "THIS ALBUM IS ABOUT A MILLION OF THOSE TEENY TINY LITTLE THINGS, ALL WRAPPED UP INTO ONE STORY. NO MATTER HOW BIG OR SMALL IT IS, WHEN YOU’VE GONE THROUGH SOMETHING AND YOU HURT, IT MATTERS."
ALABAMA AS SHIT.
Second chances are rare in rock 'n' roll. Most bands only get one shot at the brass ring, and once the opportunity passes by, it's gone forever. Maybe that's why Uncle Lucius sounds like a band reborn on Like It's The Last One Left, a cathartic comeback album that reunites the platinum-selling group — and pumps new blood into its roster — after a five-year hiatus. Written and recorded in the band's hometown of Austin, Texas, Like It's The Last One Left isn't just a return to form; it's an expansion, bolstering Uncle Lucius' mix of amped-up Americana and greasy roots-rock with string arrangements, adventurous production, and the sharpest songwriting of the group's career.
"There are no limitations this time around," says frontman Kevin Galloway. "We're exploring different areas of American roots music, and we're doing it our own way. There's a new perspective that comes with stepping away from something for awhile, then coming back to it. You can see it with new eyes."
Uncle Lucius originally stepped away from the spotlight in March 2018, capping off a whirlwind decade that saw the band releasing four critically-acclaimed albums, wearing out five vans, and performing everywhere from New Braunfels to Norway. The guys were some of Austin's most celebrated exports, supported by a cult following that rallied around signature songs like "Keep the Wolves Away" and "The Light." Great bands don't just build a catalog of songs, though; they build legacies that endure long after the band itself goes away. During the years that followed Uncle Lucius' so-called farewell tour, the band's audience increased rapidly, bringing new generations of fans into the fold. "Keep the Wolves Away" even showed up in an episode of Yellowstone and went viral, earning gold and platinum certifications along the way. As Uncle Lucius' legacy grew, so did the desire to get back together.
"After 'Wolves' went gold, we got together at a fancy steakhouse in Austin to celebrate and tell old stories," Galloway remembers. "We started to ask ourselves, 'Should we reconsider this?' The iron was hot, and we knew we had more music to offer."
Months later, the bandmates found themselves back at EAR, the beloved Austin-area studio where they'd previously recorded their breakthrough album, Pick Your Head Up, during the late 2000s. Things looked a little different, of course. For starters, Hal Jon Vorpahl — the band's co-founder and original bass player — was now serving a new role as Uncle Lucius' producer and behind-the-scenes songwriter. ("He's like the silent seventh member of the band now," Galloway explains.) Also occupying new roles were the group's most recent additions, bassist Drew Scherger and guitar hero Doug Strahan, who joined longtime members Mike Carpenter (guitar) Josh Greco (drums), Galloway (vocals), and Jon Grossman (keys). The expanded band tracked Like It's The Last One Left's 10 songs to analog tape, with everyone playing together in real time, emphasizing the raw energy and pure electricity of a live performance. During the months that followed, they layered the recordings with orchestral strings and background harmonies, adding new dimension to the material. "We've always taken pride in being a great live band, but now we're learned to become a seven-headed beast, too," Galloway says. "We have two guitar players who work together and share leads. We have a producer who writes amazing songs. We all had the freedom to add to these songs and interpret them, and we really created something new together. This is a band album."
It's also Uncle Lucius' finest record to date. Beginning with "Keep Singing Along" — an atmospheric blast of funky-tonk, anchored by a seize-the-day message that suits the band's 2020s resurgence -- Like It's The Last One Left offers everything from larger-than-life anthems (the stomping "Civilized Anxiety," the heartland rocker "Trace My Soul") to laidback, loping Tex-Mex ("I'm Happy"). "Tuscaloosa Rain" channels Dusty Springfield and Burt Bacharach, complete with swooning orchestration from the Tosca String Quartet and stacked harmonies from the vocal duo US (Sir Woman, Wild Child). US also appears on "Holly Roller," a track that's equal parts roadhouse rock song and gospel-worthy freakout, while fellow Austinite Cody Braun (Reckless Kelly) plays fiddle on "All the Angelenos," a humorous jab at the carpetbaggers who've relocated to Austin in the hopes of capitalizing on the city's boom town status. Things come to a close with "Heart Over Mind," another track that balances Uncle Lucius' adventurous Americana with gorgeous melodies, symphonic strings, and the croon of Galloway's voice.
Rooted in lyrics about resolve and resilience, Like It's The Last One Left blurs the boundaries between genre and generation. It's a battle cry from a band that's rededicated itself to fighting the good fight, trading the breakneck pace of the group's past for something a little more swaggering, stabilizing, and singular. "Remember to breathe," Galloway sings during the album's final moments, delivering those lines like a veteran road warrior who's seen his share of exhaustion. That's good advice. After spending a decade in the trenches, Uncle Lucius has caught its breath, seized the moment, and enjoyed a much-deserved victory lap. Like It's The Last One Left is the soundtrack to the next leg of the journey.
Texas Female Artist of the Decade and nine-time Female Vocalist of the Year, Bri Bagwell is a force to be reckoned with on the Texas Country scene and beyond. With fifteen #1 singles on Texas Country Radio, a string of acclaimed albums, and an impressive touring schedule, she’s earned her place as one of the most respected artists in today’s country landscape. People Magazine raves, “Bagwell increasingly finds her name being mentioned amongst country music truth-tellers such as Ashley McBryde and Morgan Wade.” She hosts the hit podcast Only Vans, serves as the unofficial ambassador of her adopted hometown of New Braunfels, TX, is a powerhouse songwriter, and continues to be one of Texas music’s most electric live performers—playing more than 100 shows each year.
Bagwell’s latest work showcases an artist in full command of her creative voice. She is currently releasing a series of singles leading up to a new EP which she recorded in Nashville with critically acclaimed producer Rachel Loy. Her single, “Border Girl,” is a high-energy, deeply personal anthem celebrating her cultural pride and borderland roots. The track weaves together rock, country, and Spanish influences into a vibrant tribute to where New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico converge. Her latest #1, “Hit The Highway,” is a fiery, road-tested track that captures the freedom of a life lived on tour.
Her 2022 full-length release Corazón y Cabeza (Heart and Head) showcases the duality that defines her: sharp songwriting that hits both the heart and the head, wrapped in an undeniably country sound. The album spawned three Texas chart-toppers—“Trenches,” “Free Man,” and “Hello Highway”—with the emotionally charged “Trenches” earning Music Video of the Year at the Texas Regional Radio Music Awards. Her 2024 #1 single, “The Rescue,” is a fan-favorite tribute to her dog, Whiskey, which inspired over 200 fan submissions for its heartfelt music video and raised funds for local animal shelters.
Born and raised in Las Cruces, New Mexico, Bagwell's musical journey began early—writing poems in her childhood bedroom and learning piano before joining her twin brothers’ band at just 14. After high school, she moved to Austin to attend the University of Texas and majored in marketing. It was there she picked up a guitar for the first time—“because it was easier to carry than a piano,” she jokes—and quickly found herself immersed in the city’s rich musical fabric. Following graduation, she briefly worked in marketing before her passion for performance pulled her fully into a music career.
Since releasing her debut album Banned from Santa Fe in 2011, Bri has built a loyal and ever-expanding fanbase drawn to her honest lyrics, hard-hitting hooks, and undeniable stage presence. As a songwriter she was signed to Sony ATV Music Publishing in Nashville from 2012-2015. She’s performed on syndicated TV events such as NBC’s Lone Star New Year’s Eve, and with legends and contemporaries alike, including Willie Nelson, Miranda Lambert, Dwight Yoakam, Robert Earl Keen, Kacey Musgraves, Reckless Kelly, and more.
A multi-faceted artist, Bri Bagwell is the creator of her hit podcast ONLY VANS, where she shares a behind-the-scenes look at life on the road. It is consistently in the Top 10 podcasts globally and features guests like Dale Brisby, Jaret Reddick (Bowling For Soup), Willy Braun (Reckless Kelly), and hit comedian Steve Treviño.
Now based in New Braunfels, TX, Bri continues to blaze her own path, balancing a fiery spirit and fearless authenticity with an unwavering connection to her roots. As new music and tour dates roll out for 2026, Bri continues to be a powerful force on the Texas Country scene and beyond.
At 16, Ben Chapman received pivotal advice from fellow LaFayette, Ga., native and songwriter Channing Wilson: to pursue music seriously, he needed to move to Nashville, but not until he turned 21. This ignited a lasting ambition in Chapman.
For several years, Chapman made frequent trips between his hometown and Nashville, attending songwriting sessions and building connections. He honored Wilson's advice precisely, making the official move on New Year's Day 2019, shortly after his 21st birthday. Leading up to this, he relentlessly honed his self-taught guitar skills by playing in countless venues—from "shithole bars and VFWs to Mexican restaurants—basically anywhere that would have me." Through these experiences, he refined his craft and learned what truly resonated with an audience.
One particularly memorable gig was at a Chattanooga biker bar, which Chapman likens to the club in Road House. He recalls, "There was always something crazy going on, but when the music started, everybody would just stop and get down." This atmosphere directly inspired "Downbeat," the title track of his new album. The song features an ominous guitar line that transitions into a groovy, infectious sound, as Chapman emphasizes music's profound ability to soothe, both personally and socially: "When the downbeat comes, everything’s alright.”
His latest album, Downbeat, released on December 13, showcases Chapman at his most confident, embracing what he calls "this southern-funk jam-band country thing." While he initially moved to Nashville to write songs—composing for artists like Flatland Cavalry, Shelby Lynne, Muscadine Bloodline, and the Steel Woods—Chapman is now intently focused on his own artistry. During the creation of Downbeat, he delved into The Band's discography, finding inspiration in their storytelling. “They’re so rootsy and so real, and you believe every word they’re singing, and I wanted to make something like that,” Chapman explains. “The Band reminded me that I have a voice, so I better use it and say what I want to.”
Chapman often finds that songs take time to complete, sometimes months, but several of Downbeat's 10 tracks came together surprisingly fast. For instance, he and his housemate, songwriter Jon Decious, penned “Star of Monterey” casually on their porch. “Finish What You Started” was another porch-side collaboration with Decious and singer-songwriter Meg McRee, Chapman’s long-term wife. Even the album's closing track, a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here with You” from Nashville Skyline, featuring McRee, developed quickly in the studio.
“She’s definitely my favorite co-writer,” Chapman says of McRee, adding with a chuckle, “and I think I’m hers.” McRee co-wrote four songs on Downbeat, including the sweet, simple love song “Don’t You Dare,” another spontaneous porch co-write, and “America’s Sweetheart,” a poignant narrative of dreams shattered by heartbreak and time. Chapman brought the idea for "America's Sweetheart" to McRee and songwriter Sean McConnell after a West Coast tour, reflecting on the plight of homeless individuals he encountered in Los Angeles. “I had been out in Los Angeles and was seeing all of the homeless people and couldn’t help but realize how sad it was, people just walking over them like they weren’t even people,” Chapman explains. “Who all in that bunch came out there to chase a dream?”
Chapman initially considered going to Texas to record Downbeat, but plans shifted after a mutual friend introduced him to Anderson East, another enthusiast of funky music. A few writing sessions quickly led to East inviting Chapman to record at his newly built Nashville studio. Chapman, a longtime fan of East’s, eagerly accepted the opportunity.
“Working with Anderson was a breath of fresh air—he knew the style I was chasing, and he took it to another level,” says Chapman, who is already planning another album with East. “He’s the first producer I've worked with that took each song and made it better.”
Now a Nashville resident for nearly six years, Chapman still makes the drive back to Georgia every couple of months to visit family. However, he's equally at home among the Nashville creatives who, like him, are cultivating fan bases outside the mainstream country music scene. Since 2022, he's bridged his two homes through Peach Jam, a recurring event that has featured fellow Georgians Brent Cobb and Channing Wilson, alongside artists such as Hayes Carll, Lainey Wilson, and Lukas Nelson. “It’s all about the music, and everyone there knows it,” Chapman states. “There’s no ego or assholes—and that’s how I try to live my life, too.”
Continuing to expand Peach Jam is one of Chapman’s goals for the upcoming year, but he’s also intensely focused on his first headline tour, which will take him to venues he’s long dreamed of playing. “I’m growing as an artist and a human and have a clear creative vision,” Chapman affirms. “I'm ready for people to hear this version of myself—my true self.”
In James McMurtry’s new effort, The Horses and the Hounds, the acclaimed songwriter backs personal narratives with effortless elegance (“Canola Fields”) and endless energy (“If It Don’t Bleed”). This first collection in seven years, due August 20 on New West Records, spotlights a seasoned tunesmith in peak form as he turns toward reflection (“Vaquero”) and revelation ( closer “Blackberry Winter”). Familiar foundations guide the journey. “There’s a definite Los Angeles vibe to this record,” McMurtry says. “The ghost of Warren Zevon seems to be stomping around among the guitar tracks. Don’t know how he got in there. He never signed on for work for hire.”
The Horses and the Hounds is a reunion of sorts. McMurtry recorded the new album with legendary producer Ross Hogarth (Ozzy Osbourne, John Fogerty, Van Halen, Keb’ Mo’) at Jackson Browne’s Groovemaster’s in Santa Monica, California, a world class studio that has housed such legends as Bob Dylan (2012’s Tempest) and David Crosby (2016’s Lighthouse) as well as Browne himself for I’m Alive (1993) and New Found Glory, Coming Home (2006). McMurtry and Hogarth first worked together 30 years ago, when Hogarth was a recording engineer in the employ of John Mellencamp at Mellencamp’s own Belmont Studios near Bloomington, Indiana. Hogarth recorded McMurtry’s first two albums, Too Long in the Wasteland and Candyland, for Columbia Records and later mixed McMurtry’s first self-produced album, Saint Mary of the Woods, for Sugar Hill Records. Another veteran of those three releases, guitarist David Grissom (Joe Ely, John Mellencamp, Dixie Chicks), returns with some of his finest work.
Accordingly, the new collection marks another upward trajectory: The Horses and the Hounds will be McMurtry’s debut album on genre-defining Americana record label New West Records (Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell, Lucinda Williams, John Hiatt, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Buddy Miller, dozens more).
“I first became aware of James McMurtry’s formidable songwriting prowess while working at Bug Music Publishing in the ’90s,” says New West president John Allen. “He’s a true talent. All of us at New West are excited at the prospect of championing the next phase of James’ already successful and respected career.” McMurtry perfectly fits a label housing “artists who perform real music for real people.” After all, No Depression says of the literate songwriter’s most recent collection, Complicated Game: “Lyrically, the album is wise and adventurous, with McMurtry — who’s not prone to autobiographical tales — credibly inhabiting characters from all walks of life.” “[McMurtry] fuses wry, literate observations about the world with the snarl of barroom rock,” National Public Radio says. “The result is at times sardonic, subversive and funny, but often vulnerable and always poignant.”
His lauded storytelling — check out songs such as “Operation Never Mind” and “Ft. Walton Wake-Up Call” on The Horse and the Hounds— consistently has turned heads for decades now. “James writes like he’s lived a lifetime,” said John Mellencamp back in 1989, when Too Long in the Wasteland hit the Billboard 200. “James McMurtry is one of my very few favorite songwriters on Earth and these days he’s working at the top of his game,” says Americana all-star Jason Isbell. “He has that rare gift of being able to make a listener laugh out loud at one line and choke up at the next. I don’t think anybody writes better lyrics.” McMurtry’s albums Just Us Kids (2008) and Childish Things (2005) back the claim, each scoring endless critical praise. The former earned McMurtry his highest Billboard 200 chart position in two decades (since eclipsed by Complicated Game) and notched Americana Music Award nominations. Childish Things spent six full weeks topping the Americana Music Radio chart in 2005 and 2006, and won the Americana Music Association’s Album of the Year, with “We Can’t Make It Here” named the organization’s Song of the Year.
Other accolades include a 1996 Grammy nomination for Long Form Music Video for Where’d You Hide the Body and an American Indie Award for Best Americana Album for It Had to Happen (1997).
McMurtry tours year-round and consistently throws down unparalleled powerhouse performances, reflected in the release of two live discs: the universally lauded Live in Aught-Three on Compadre Records, and 2009’s Live in Europe, which captured the McMurtry band’s first European tour and extraordinary live set. Along with seasoned band members Ronnie Johnson, Daren Hess, and Tim Holt, Live in Europe features special guests Ian McLagan (Faces) and Jon Dee Graham (True Believers, Skunks). (Video of the performance is available on the included DVD.)
For a handful of summers about 30 years ago, tourists who wandered into a large dancehall in Stanley, Idaho, witnessed a family tradition finding new life. Young and old sat shoulder-to-shoulder, taking a break from the town’s mountain hikes and river campgrounds to take in Muzzie Braun and the Boys––a local family band who’d made it to the Grand Ole Opry, effortlessly spouted cowboy poetry and Western swing at gatherings around the country, and featured Muzzie’s four young sons––precocious boys with rock-and-roll futures.
“There were kids running around, people dancing,” says Micky Braun, the youngest brother who first climbed on stage to join the family when he was about five years-old. “Gary and I’d get up and play a couple of songs, then we’d get off and the older brothers would stay up and play a couple more. It’s pretty funny, looking back on it.” He laughs a little, then adds, still smiling, “That’s how we got started playing.”
The Braun brothers never stopped. Big brothers Cody and Willy started Reckless Kelly, and Micky and Gary left Idaho for Austin and started Micky and the Motorcars, a road-dogging favorite whose nonstop tour for the last 17 years has defined not just the lives of the brothers, but also shaped Austin’s roots-rock resurgence that has played out over the last two decades. With their anticipated new album Long Time Comin’, the Motorcars cement their place as elder statesmen of that alt-country scene who have managed to master that ever-elusive blend of artistic familiarity and surprise.
“I hope people take the time to hear the album as a whole, and I hope they like it,” Gary says from his home in Austin. “I think this one is a little bit better.” He pauses and laughs as he drawls, “So I hope they like it a little more.”
For the Motorcars, the question is never really whether to tour but where to play next. Gary––who handles guitar, mandolin, harmonica, harmonies, and occasionally lead vocals––and Micky, lead vocalist and acoustic guitarist, are joined in the Motorcars by Andy Carrell on bass, Bobby Paugh on drums and percussion, and new bandmate Pablo Trujillo on guitar. The combination of familiar and fresh players has reinvigorated the Motorcars’ live show, which buzzes through a low-key rock-and-roll rapture built on grooves and the Brauns’ signature harmonies.
A mix of new and old also shaped the Long Time Comin’ recording process. Produced by Keith Gattis, the 11-song album relied in part on Gattis’ go-to Nashville studio players––a first for the Motorcars. “It still sounds like Micky and the Motorcars, but it was fun working with different guys who we’d never worked with before,” Micky says. “They’ve been Keith’s band for 15 years. He can say, ‘Give me a shuffle with a boom-chuck,’ and they know what he’s talking about.”
The band isn’t the only change on Long Time Comin’. Gary, who has always contributed a song or two to Motorcar records, wrote or co-wrote six of the album’s tracks and sings every tune he penned. “I don’t think I decided to really write more––I think I just got better at it and worked a little harder at it the past couple of years,” Gary says. “In the past, I just let Micky do it because he was good at it. It was easy for me not to do it.”
Micky loves the shift. “It’s almost a split album between the two of us on lead vocal––very different from our normal,” he says. “I think our fans will enjoy it. They always love the songs Gary sings live. They always want him to sing more.”
The album kicks off with the ambling “Road to You.” Written by Micky and Courtney Patton, the rollicking singalong is classic Motorcars and an ideal welcome mat for the collection. Sauntering “Rodeo Girl” swings and punches up the pace, before “Alone Again Tonight”––a Gary track written with Gattis––watches loneliness with empathetic ache.
Several tracks take note of the universal search for comfort––even when it’s not the stuff of fairytales or even particularly dignified. Over crunchy guitars, “Stranger Tonight” captures an evening’s quest for no-strings companionship. “It was an idea I had just watching people at bars––that lonely girl I saw time and time again but with a different set of glasses, over and over,” Gary says. “It seems like everybody can relate to that––out looking for something new that doesn’t have to be love.”
Sweet and sad, “Break My Heart,” another track penned by Gary with Jeff Crosby, looks back after the end of a relationship. “You’re not mad anymore but you’re thankful of the good times,” Gary says. “It’s also about finding yourself again. It’s a moving-on song.” Quiet and sparse, the Gary-penned “Run into You” details a longing to cross paths with an ex-lover who’s moved on with heartbreaking clarity.
Anchored by crying B-3 organ, “Hold This Town Together” explores the struggle to enjoy what once was easy after the loss of someone who’ll never come back. After years of trying, Micky wrote the song for Mark, a friend and the Motorcars’ first bassist, who passed away. “Hold This Town,” written by Micky and Jeff Crosby, muses over the hometown faces and places that never change. “There are the same people at the same bars, the same people working at the grocery stores,” Micky says, then adds with a laugh, “It’s kind of a depressing party song.” Another Jeff Crosby-Micky collaboration, “Thank My Mother’s God” pays beautiful tribute to moms and their devotion to their black sheep, running wild.
Two album standouts stand tall: “Lions of Kandahar,” written by Gary alone, and the title track, which Micky penned with master songwriter Bruce Robison. Over instrumentation that evokes the tense hum of Middle Eastern military activity, “Lions of Kandahar” follows a deployment from a first-person perspective. The result is jarring, compelling, and deeply human––a breathtaking piece of songwriting that took five years to complete. Winsome “Long Time Comin’” is an ode to the satisfaction of patience and perseverance rewarded in different forms––a stunning tapestry that also reflects the road to the album itself.
Guitars and songs at the ready, Micky and Gary hope most of all that their sprawling cross-continental fanbase connect with Long Time Comin’, a collection four years in the making. “If you can put your heart on your sleeve and say it, it’s the best medicine for people,” Micky says, reflecting on the album. “They can lock into it and enjoy the ride.”
A country singer and songwriter from the Lone Star State, Mike Ryan mixes contemporary country melodies with big rock & roll guitars and sweeping pedal steel licks, reinforced by his soulful and passionate vocals. Ryan’s brand of musical storytelling, steeped in songs about true love, broken hearts, and the details of ordinary lives in the Southwest, first gained a wide hearing on his 2012 album Night Comes Falling. His work gained strength and a bit more polish on 2014’s Bad Reputation, and after a string of singles and EPs, he reached for a deeper sound and a more personal tone on his third LP, 2022’s Longcut.
Mike Ryan was born in 1988 and was raised in a musical family — his grandfather spent more than two decades leading the Texas National Guard Band, and Mike’s dad played bass in a bluegrass group while also performing in local musical theater. While Ryan graduated from the University of North Texas with a degree in criminal justice, his passion for music proved stronger in the long run, and he began performing around Texas and the Southwest. Ryan cut an EP, The First One, in 2010, and in 2012 he teamed up with Smith Music Group to release his full-length debut, Night Comes Falling. By this time, Ryan and his band — Ryan Summers on guitar, Jerry Reynolds on fiddle, Casey Moreland on bass, and Jon “Fish” Hunt on drums — were maturing into a strong live act, playing up to 200 dates a year, and Ryan landed a publishing contract with Sea Gayle Music.
Ryan’s first two releases earned him radio airplay in his home state, and 2014’s Bad Reputation followed suit. The tune “Girls I Date” receiving significant radio exposure in Texas, and “Dancing All Around It,” “Wasting No More Whiskey,” and “Bad Reputation” fared even better, all three topping out at Number One of the Texas charts; Texas Regional Radio named Ryan the New Male Vocalist of the Year for the year 2015. Ryan’s own Rock & Soul label issued a seven-song EP, Blink and You’ll Miss It, in 2017, which featured a guest appearance from Brad Paisley, who played guitar on the song “The Rewrite.” Paisley also co-wrote a song with Ryan, “Last Time for Everything,” which appeared on Paisley’s 2017 album Love and War. Blink and You’ll Miss It was another success on Texas radio, as well as racking up impressive numbers of streaming services, and Ryan dropped fresh singles in 2019 (“Dear Country Music”) and 2020 (“Ghost Town”). More singles followed in 2021 (“Can Down” and “Jacket On”) and 2022 (“Die Runnin'”), and served as previews of Ryan’s next studio album, Longcut, which appeared in October 2022. The next month, he achieved one of his greatest career ambitions by making his first appearance on the Grand Ol’ Opry.
It wasn’t long ago that Kashus Culpepper was packing venues across the Southeast without ever having released a single, the Alexander City native drawing crowds with his viral soul-flecked slow-burner “After Me?”
Now, with a freshly inked major label deal and a handful of official releases under his belt, the rising country crooner has quickly secured his place among the who’s who of the genre. However, stardom was never the goal for the Navy veteran-turned-musical sensation.
“I thought the world was ending,” Culpepper said.
He was deployed in Rota, Spain when the COVID-19 pandemic took hold of the globe in 2020, and he turned to music to pass those unprecedented times.
“We couldn’t work. We couldn’t leave the base, so my buddy found a guitar for me,” he said.
It was an instrument he had always wanted to pick up but had never taken the time to do so. Then he found himself with nothing but time.
“I learned my first song, and then I was like, ‘Oh, I guess I can do this,’” Culpepper said.
He said the Ben E. King classic “Stand By Me” was likely the first song he learned; but pretty soon, a cover tune or two turned into hundreds as the budding musician began to share the new hobby with his fellow soldiers at the frequent barrack-held bonfires.
“I kept getting requests for different songs,” he said. “I think by the end of that deployment, I probably knew well over 200 songs just because of requests.”
Then, cover songs quickly became originals, with Culpepper eventually weaving a striking catalog of enchantingly vulnerable work, a songbook he toured in dive bars around the Gulf Coast following his deployment and one he has begun to share sparingly with the world now.
The achingly beautiful “Who Hurt You,” the enrapturing “After Me?,” and his most recent single, the smoldering “Out Of My Mind” – with their fervent lyrics and impassioned sounds, Culpepper’s songs embody something truly singular, something the artist has attributed to a number of things. All of which can be traced back to his very beginnings.
Culpepper first found his voice in church, glimpses of which can be caught in his music. Much of his work sparks with the same passion and intensity that’s often flung from the pulpit, and even his recent music video for “Who Hurt You” unfolds in a church pew. It’s an environment that informed him at a young age and a place he pulls from now.
“I grew up in a church where everybody just sang with this straight-up passion and heart,” he said. “I had a deacon in my church – Deacon McGee – he would always do all the hymns, and honestly, he had one of the best voices I’ve ever heard. He’d be sweating while he was singing, just throwing down towels, and he would just really feel it. From a young age, I felt that. I think that’s something I always go back to, that feeling that I got when I heard him sing.”
It was church that informed his delivery, but it was the soul music he also grew up listening to that schooled his pen.
“They just said what they meant … Like old Temptations, like ‘Ain’t Too Proud To Beg,’ that’s just so vulnerable. They didn’t care if anybody saw them down and out; they just said what they needed to say, and they meant it.”
He added, “That’s what I try to do with my songs, because everything I write, most of the time, I’ve been through it.”
While stardom was never the goal when he picked up that guitar during deployment, Culpepper’s music has certainly placed him center-stage where he can share his uniquely Southern music with audiences.
“I never thought that music could be my career,” Culpepper admitted. “Even when I got into the dive bars and I was making enough money to live, I was like, ‘Oh, I ain’t gonna do this forever. I’m gonna have to get a real job, or something, eventually.’”
“Eventually,” though, hasn’t come just yet. The star is currently traveling the country on his Howlin’ Under The Harvest Moon headline tour and is gearing up to release more music soon.
A fun party on the ocean with your favorite artist playing live music you can dance to. A memorable Sunset Music Sail like no other. This is a Package Perk event including food and drink. Departing from 245 Front St.
Sharp storytelling. Gripping and gorgeous five-part harmonies. Arrangements that can swing between fun, engaging, and lively one moment and stirring, booming, and chill-inducing the next. These are the essential elements that make up the sound of The Wilder Blue, the Texas five-piece who put their own spin on rock-influenced country with their eponymous sophomore album.
Built around the keen storytelling voice of primary frontman Zane Williams, Paul Eason’s salient lead guitar, the imaginative tandem of drummer Lyndon Hughes and bassist Sean Rodriguez, and the striking, compelling mind of multi-instrumentalist Andy Rogers, The Wilder Blue are only beginning to scratch the surface of their potential.
Williams and Eason began toying with the idea of a new band in 2019 by seeking out a nimble set of collaborators. Knowing that they wanted to emphasize a rich vocal blend that could be replicated live, they soon enlisted Hughes and Rogers. When Rodriguez joined, it solidified the outfit as a cohesive unit.
“Having studio time paid for by our fan subscribers gave us the chance to relax and spread out a little,” explains Williams about the recording process for The Wilder Blue. Recording over the course of a few three-day sessions every few months allowed the band to experiment in the studio while avoiding harsh deadlines or the demand of cramming an album’s worth of material into a week’s worth of time. Often recorded to tape, a vibrant tapestry of sonic swirls emerged.
“What’s fun about tape is that it forces you to commit to a take,” adds Williams. “You don’t just record five million parts and go comb through them later.”
“The five of us were able to sit together this time around,” adds Rogers. “Since I was playing bass and other things last time around, I was having to think about a million different things. But for this, we all kind of felt like we were in our zone.”
In addition to implementing a lone studio for a cohesive sound, the months between studio sessions was an added luxury. This allowed songs and ideas to marinate and work themselves out over the course of band practices, soundchecks, and shows.
Standout single, “Feelin’ the Miles” is a prime example of a song shifting from one idea to another. What started out as a James Taylor-esque acoustic guitar stroll slowly but surely began to rise from the ashes of its former self.
“My original concept for that song was much more in the vein of ‘Okie Soldier’ or ’Birds of Youth,’” says Williams. “We all liked the song, but we didn’t need another like it so basically one day, I just came up with a totally different groove for it.”
What emerged was a loping bassline and savvy banjo that evoke the pastel glow of the 1980s where Miami Vice and Smoky & The Bandit intertwine for a heartworn highway midnight drive where all the miles, exit signs, and gas station coffee meld into one daunting long haul down a phantom road.
“‘Feelin’ the Miles’ was one of the first songs that felt like we were all able to filter everyone’s collectiveness into the final version,” says Rogers.
Much like in “Feelin’ the Miles”, a looming arc of redemption, growth, and inner harmony can be glimpsed throughout the album with the likes of the poignant “Wave Dancer,” the contemplative “The Kingsnake & The Rattler,” and the compelling “Shadows & Moonlight.”
“Part of life is figuring out and finding your way,” says Eason, who wrote and sings lead vocals on “Build Your Wings,” a cornerstone song of the album. “A few years ago, I got divorced and I had been speaking with my uncle about it. He actually said that line to me–’Sometimes you build your wings on the way down’--and I thought it was just perfect.”
Even while “Build Your Wings” finds Eason and company seeking out inner peace on the contemplative anthem, a kaleidoscope and cascade of spirited sonic punches and vibrant and vivid harmonies takes charge on this freefalling standout.
downs,” adds Williams. “I don’t want to write a song just about the ups. It’s hard for me to write just about the ups. And if you just write about the downs without some sort of redemption, it’s easy to get pretty dark and depressing.”
Throughout, Williams and company are able to add a sense of courage even when surrounded by turmoil and strife.
Songs like the rollicking “The Conversation” find the Wilder Blue leaning in on the soaring country twang of the Eagles and incorporating a vocal run interlude that calls back to ‘60s The Beatles and timeless bluegrass. On songs like “Wave Dancer” and album opener “Picket Fences”, all five musicians breathe life into tried and true five-part harmonies that are as mesmerizing as they come.
In addition to the powerful harmonies and sprawling sonic palette, Williams’ knack for five-minute vignettes is yet another pillar on which Wilder Blue can count. The Wilder Blue as an album wouldn’t be complete without taking advantage of the strong and able storytelling arcs of Williams.
“With all the tools that we have in our toolkit, I think there’s still a lot of ground to be covered,” says Williams. “We haven’t even delved into all of our tools just yet, but we definitely got to go further down the road with digging into the box for this record.”
“Crossing Lines” album out now!
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New Album "Roadrunner!" out now! ????
Few relationships in life are more complicated than those among band members. Music history is filled with stories of the rise and fall of creative personalities, but the Randy Rogers Band is a unique brotherhood fueled by a shared passion for making great music and a strong commitment to each other. That bond forms the foundation for the new music on their latest album Hellbent, a high-octane collection of songs buoyed by the same fearless spirit and sense of camaraderie that has made them one of country’s most compelling bands.
In a business where bands come and go and membership is often a revolving door, the Randy Rogers Band has been together for more than 17 years. “Just like any other relationship, you have to pick your battles and have respect for each other,” Rogers says. “None of us know how to do anything else. This is our livelihood. It’s how we take care of our families. Years ago when we were really struggling and wondering how we were going to make it, there were some deep and emotional conversations that we all had with each other about if this is really what we all wanted and the decision was made a long time ago. The answer was yes then and the answer is still yes now. It’s something we all believe in. This is our life’s work.”
The culmination of their musical journey thus far can be heard on Hellbent.
“Creatively we all bring something different to the table and you can hear it in the records,” Rogers says. “You can hear people’s personalities in the records.”
It’s that blend of unique personalities that have fueled the Randy Rogers Band’s success for nearly two decades.
“Our bass player, Johnny Chops, has this way of writing. It’s a little old school, a little Waylon-esque if you will. His lyrics aren’t necessarily anything like mine. They are a little bit more vague and more interpretive,” Rogers says, bragging on his bandmate. “What Brady Black adds to our makeup is his sensibility on stage, his appearance, his energy, his unique way that he plays the fiddle. He’s a crowd pleaser.”
“Les Lawless, our drummer, has played on hundreds of albums with many different artists. He’s kind of the human metronome. He’s a solid drummer. I can’t recall a mistake he’s ever made on stage. He’s just a rock. Geoffrey Hill [guitar, vocals] is a very talented musician. He’s a great singer, a great harmony singer. Most of our sound as a band is because of Geoffrey and his unique vocals and the way he blends his vocals with my vocals.”
Of course, the lineup wouldn’t be complete without longtime member Todd Stewart. “There isn’t an instrument that Todd can’t play and he sings well,” Rogers enthuses. “Onstage he’s playing guitar on one song, mandolin on the next one, fiddle on the next one and a piano on the next one and a B3 on the next one. He’s a key part of our band because he fills up all those spots musically that no one else can do like him. It’s fascinating to watch him switch between every song.”
That dynamic musical chemistry has taken the Randy Rogers Band beyond the competitive music scene in their native Texas to build a national fan base with sold out shows across the country. The band has become skilled at capturing that live energy and passion on their albums and Hellbent is a perfect example. “We’ve been through this process long enough to know that we wanted this record to be perfect and complete so we kept writing and went back in and we recorded again,” Rogers reveals.
“It is important, especially in today’s day and age, not to put out content just for the sake of content. People see through that and it’s a big mistake young artists make just to put a video or a new song out just to have something to talk about. There is a lost art to making an entire album, being a cohesive unit and have it be something that you can stand up and play. We have to record songs we can play live. Ninety nine percent of the income we share is because we’re playing a show, so those songs can’t be throwaway songs.”
The first single, “Crazy People,” is a relatable tune that paints a picture of strict parents that weren’t always so straight-laced. “I did not write that song, however, I did live that song, and that’s why I cut it,” Rogers says with a chuckle.
“When I heard it, I could imagine that my parents weren’t always fanatically religious. As a young kid, I definitely wasn’t comfortable around neon signs or around restaurants where they were serving alcohol. I just thought that was something very, very bad and that’s what was instilled in my head. It was very, very much a sin, so I was a little freaked out when I was a kid. It’s nothing against my parents. Both me and my brother turned out just fine, but I just think there was this sense of over protection and security and a lot of that was based around the church. So the first thing I did when I turned 16 was tried everything.”
Another highlight on the album is “You, Me and a Bottle,” penned by Rogers. ‘I love love songs, and that song is a carefree kind of love song about kind of getting lost with your significant other,” Rogers says.
“The troubles of the world and stresses of the week fade when you are with that one special person. That all disappears. That’s kind of the feel-good song on the album I think and the prettiest love song on the record.”
On the other end of the emotional spectrum, “Anchors Away” is about a man who can’t commit and keeps running from love. “‘Anchors Away’ is a very sad song,” Rogers admits. “The chorus says, ‘Anchors away, works like a charm, first sign of danger, I pull the alarm,’ and the lyrics that really get to me are, ‘I don’t want to leave, I don’t know how to stay.’ That lyric to me really paints the picture of somebody who doesn’t know how to love and doesn’t know how to love someone back. Out of all the lyrics on the album, that lyric might be the most poignant lyric because a lot of times people sabotage themselves and relationships they are in because they don’t know any better because they’ve seen their parents do it or they are just in a cycle repeating the same mistakes. I think that’s a lot of people.”
“Wine in a Coffee Cup” paints an interesting portrait of a high-powered career woman. “Women have roles in the workplace that are very different than they were maybe 50 years ago,” Rogers says. “There are a lot of CEOs, CFOs, a lot of presidents and vice presidents. Huge companies are run by women. It’s an interesting fact that nobody is perfect and my idea of that song was a CEO of a company walking in every day and everybody thinks she has everything together and her life is perfect, but in all actuality she is like everybody else. She’s struggling with something. It could be her relationship, home life or family, but even the most successful people have flaws, so that was my take on it. It’s a nod to women and the fact that they are, in this day in age, hopefully treated as equals in the workplace but here’s this girl that’s running the company and she’s coming in buzzed every day. That song isn’t about someone I know personally. It’s about the culture and the environment we live in now. I guarantee that that song is happening somewhere.”
“Hell Bent on a Heartache” is a song Rogers first heard and fell in love with on Guy Clark’s album My Favorite Picture of You. “I love that album start to finish and that song was my favorite song. Chris Stapleton and his wife, Morgane, wrote that with Guy Clark and I had no clue,” he says. “We were in the studio the week Tom Petty died and on that track especially there is this kind of Heartbreaker kind of feel to that song. It’s produced in a way that Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers would have done it. The influence definitely shines through on this album, especially on that track.”
In recording Hellbent, the Randy Rogers Band worked with producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, The Oak Ridge Boys, Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell) and recorded at the legendary RCA Studio A. “A large part of the country really enjoys the records that he’s made over the last 10 years and obviously I was paying attention to that,” Rogers says.
“I was noticing the albums I was listening to, and they were produced by him, so I called him up and asked if we could meet for lunch. I’d never worked with him before, so it was a very exciting going into RCA and meeting him and the team. We’re very thankful for that opportunity and getting to record in Studio A. So many people whether it be Dolly Parton or George Strait have recorded in that room, so it was a bit of hallowed ground. It was a little overwhelming as well. There’s pictures all over the walls there of people who recorded. It’s amazing.”
Recording Hellbent is just the latest chapter in the Randy Rogers Band’s thriving career. In addition to being a gifted vocalist, insightful songwriter and talented musician, the band’s founding member is also well known in music industry circles for his business savvy. He graduated from college with a degree in PR and is one of those rare musicians who has great executive skills too.
Rogers is co-owner of several Texas venues including Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos, Texas where George Strait began building a fan base in his early career. Rogers is also a partner in Big Blind Management with Robin Schoepf and steers the careers of Red Shahan and Parker McCollum.
Rogers seems to have a unique talent for seeing around corners. It’s what drove him to take his band outside of Texas and develop fans on both coasts, even when the initial investment was risky. “I’m left brain and right brain,” the Cleburne, Texas native says. “I’m a very organized person and I can also see six months from now. I’m always thinking a step ahead and it wears my wife out because I’m talking about booking my life months from now. My brain is always spinning and thinking about what is coming next instead of really sitting in a moment. That’s a good thing and sometimes it’s a bad thing that I can never really turn my brain off.”
Rogers is also a big fan of collaboration and has partnered with friend Wade Bowen on the infectious Hold My Beer projects and joined forces with Lone Star legend Robert Earl Keen as the Stryker Brothers. He recently joined Lyle Lovett, Willie Nelson and Jerry Jeff Walker to sing on Michael Martin Murphey’s Austinology album.
Though Rogers is prone to eagerly explore other musical avenues, the core of his creative adventure continues to be the Randy Rogers Band. For Rogers, Hellbent was the perfect name for the album, and not just because it comes from one of his favorite songs.
“The album is named Hellbent and isn’t necessarily for ‘Hell Bent On a Heartache.’ We’re in it for the long haul. We’re lifers,” he says with a grin.
“This is obviously our way of life. This isn’t some Johnny-come-lately group of guys. We’re like an oak tree. We’re not going anywhere. We’re not hinged on whether our next single will be a No.1. We’re not hinged on an album topping the charts. We have a great and loyal fan base and we do things right. When we play our shows, people expect to have a great night and to go home satisfied. As long as we keep doing that, no change in the industry, no record deal or anything like that can make or break this band.”
Hailing from Coweta, Oklahoma, Emily Hollingshed has enchanted audiences with her soulful voice since childhood. Raised in a musical family, she began performing at local events like Coweta’s Fall Festival and in church, showcasing her natural talent early on.
At 16, Emily started playing acoustic sets across Oklahoma and beyond, quickly gaining recognition. Her second-place finish in a Battle of the Bands at Tumbleweeds in Stillwater earned her a spot at the Calf Fry Festival, sharing stages with artists like Dylan Wheeler and Treaty Oak Revival.
In 2024, Emily’s career soared with performances at Ft. Gibson’s Bicentennial Festival, Wagoner Summer Fest, and the Rogers County Fair. She organized “Homegrown” in Coweta to spotlight local talent and recorded her debut album of original songs at Tulsa’s iconic Church Studio, capturing the raw energy of her live shows. A standout performance at Cain’s Ballroom closed the year on a high note.
In 2025, Emily solidified her rising status with major milestones. She opened for Tanner Usrey at Tumbleweeds, joined the Boys from Oklahoma events for Cross Canadian Ragweed’s comeback, and headlined her first show at The Vanguard in Tulsa. She performed at the Caney Live Festival with Jason Boland, the BOK Center street party for the Zach Top/Dierks Bentley tour, and festivals like Country Drive Live, Tontitown Grape, and the prestigious Born and Raised Festival alongside Wade Bowen, Tanner Usrey, Jamey Johnson, Blackberry Smoke, Cody Jinks, Casey Donahew, Braxton Keith, Hudson Westbrook, Gavin Adcock, Randy Rogers Band, and Parker McCollum. She also supported Parker Ryan at the East Texas State Fair. Emily’s single “Drunk Call,” recorded in 2025, was warmly received, boasting strong streaming numbers and boosting her music and social media following significantly. Emily has also secured a spot at the renowned Mile 0 Fest in Key West in January 2026, marking a defining moment in her career.
Emily Hollingshed is a proud ambassador of Oklahoma’s music scene, known for her authentic songwriting, heartfelt performances, and deep roots.
Graycie York is a Texas-born singer-songwriter blending the grit of classic country with the soul of a hippie heart. With turquoise on her fingers and a story in her songs, Graycie channels the honesty of Patsy Cline, the fire of Chris Stapleton, the flair of Kacey Musgraves, and the soul of Adele—all wrapped in a sound that’s unmistakably her own.
Rooted in country but raised on a love for all kinds of music, she’s a little wild west, a little flower child, and walking her own line. From opening for Cody Johnson to sharing the stage with Cross Canadian Ragweed, Graycie’s making her mark with raw lyrics, powerhouse vocals, and the kind of charm you can’t fake.
If you're into honest songs & big feelings you're in the right place. Saddle up.
Join your favorite artist on the water for an intimate musical experience. A truly unique listening room with an ocean breeze. This is a Package Perk event including food and drink. Departing from 205 Elizabeth St.
Solo artist. Frontman. Behind-the-scenes songwriter. For more than a decade, Adam Hood has left his mark both onstage and in the writing room, carving out a southern sound that mixes equal parts country, soul and American roots music.
It's a sound that began shape in Opelika, Alabama. Raised by working-class parents, Hood started playing hometown shows as a 16 year-old, landing a weekly residency at a local restaurant. He'd perform there every Friday and Saturday night, filling his set list with songs by John Hiatt, Hank Williams Jr, and Vince Gill. As the years progressed, the gigs continued — not only in his home state, but across the entire country. Eventually even landing himself a three-year nationwide tour opening for Leon Russell.
These days, though, Hood is no longer just putting his own stamp on the songs of chart-topping country stars. Instead, many of those acts -- including Little Big Town, Miranda Lambert, Anderson East, Josh Abbott Band, Lee Ann Womack & Brent Cobb -- are playing his songs.
In 2016, Hood signed a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Nashville and GRAMMY Award-winning producer Dave Cobb’s Low Country Sound. All while remaining adamantly focused on his own career, playing around 100 shows annually promoting third solo release, Welcome to the Big World, and now his newest release, Somewhere in Between.
A showcase for both his frontman abilities and songwriting chops, Somewhere in Between shines a light on Hood's strength as a live performer. He recorded most of the album live at Nashville's Sound Emporium Studios over two quick days. Teaming up with friend and producer Oran Thornton (Miranda Lambert's Revolution, Angaleena Presley's Wrangled) their goal was to create something that reflected the raw, real sound of his concerts, where overdubs and unlimited takes are never an option. The result is a record that reflects Hood's working-class roots, mixing the upbeat thrill of his roadhouse roots-rock songs with the contemplative, stripped-down sway of his country ballads.
Joining him in the studio were guitarist Pat McLaughlin, bassist Lex Price, and drummer Jerry Roe. All of whom captured their parts in just a handful of live takes while Hood simultaneously tracked his vocals. Stripped free of studio trickery and lushly layered arrangements, Somewhere in Between is an honest, story-driven record. One that’s both relatable and deeply autobiographical, with Hood writing or co-writing ten of the record’s eleven tracks, alongside friends like McLaughlin, Brent Cobb -- who also appears on the electrified "She Don't Love Me" -- Josh Abbott, Jason Eady, and plenty of others.
Somewhere in Between is an album that finally finds Hood telling his own story. A dedicated family man, he wrote "Locomotive" — a heartland anthem, full of Telecaster twang and sunny swagger — after watching his young daughter develop her motor skills while playing with a set of blocks. Balancing his life as a relentless road-warrior, Hood penned highway ballad "Downturn" about a life filled with wanderlust and long drives from gig to gig.
As a blue-collar songwriter, Hood shines a light on everyday experiences — from family and friends to the thrill of Friday nights. Partly because he’s stuck to his roots. The native Alabaman still lives in the Yellowhammer State and celebrates America's rural pockets with songs like "Keeping Me Here" and "Real Small Town," two songs filled with images of main streets, open landscapes, hard times, and good people.
"It's southern music," he says, grouping Somewhere in Between’s wide range of music under an appropriate banner. "That's what it represents: the soulful side of southern music, the country side of southern music, the genuineness of southern culture, and the way I grew up. One of the t-shirts I sell at every show simply says ‘Southern Songs,’ and It's a good summary of what I do. It's what I've always done."
Django Walker is a person who truly has music in his blood. As a child, he was born and raised in Austin, TX and is the son of Texas singer-songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker. He spent his earliest days soaking up Texas legends such as Willie Nelson, Townes Van Zandt, and Guy Clark, all of whom Jerry Jeff played with and befriended.
Django made a name for himself penning songs for Pat Green (Texas on my Mind,) Jimmy Buffett (Something ‘Bout a Boat,) Josh Abbott, Kevin Fowler, among many others. He has had great success with his winning song “College Life” as well as “Texas Longhorn” which plays at every home game at DKR Longhorn Stadium.
Today Django still carries that torch representing music in the Lone Star State and touring all over the country…and it burns big and bright.
Meet Max & Heather Stalling, a dynamic duo of singer-songwriters from Dallas, Texas, who bring a distinctive fusion of vocals, lyrics and fiddle playing to the core of Texas and Americana music.
Max left behind a career as an R&D scientist at Frito Lay to pursue his goals as a singer-songwriter, trading in his lab coat and master’s degree from Texas A&M University for a guitar and the stage. Max has cultivated his sizable and devoted fan base over the course of his more than 20 years of touring, gigging, and hard work; playing pretty much every venue you’ve ever heard of and many you haven’t. A mainstay of the Texas/Red Dirt scene, Max has six studio albums, three live projects, and a history of chart-topping success in Americana radio. His star on the South Texas Music Walk of Fame in Corpus Christi stands as a testament to his enduring impact.
Heather is an award-winning violinist and fiddler. As a child she traveled with her parents while she performed in fiddle contests throughout Texas and surrounding states winning trophies and admirers along the way. At age 18 she was hired into "The Texas Gold Minors" in Branson, Missouri performing 7 days a week for several years. Upon returning to Texas, she was in high demand as a fiddler and played with acts such as Bob Schneider, Cory Morrow, Johnny Lee, The Old 97s and Mark David Manders. Ultimately she formed her own band, blacktopGYPSY, penning the songs, playing fiddle and guitar and singing harmony. “BTG” released two full-length studio albums, toured relentlessly and made fans everywhere they went.
Max and Heather are thrilled to embark on this joint musical journey, sharing their love of music and each other with audiences old and new. Don't miss the chance to witness their chemistry as they take their show on the road.
Check out their first single release: “Circle” on all streaming services and platforms!
“The Rangers always have epitomized and expanded on the Oklahoma red dirt sound – the elusive stew of country, folk, and whatever else is laying around…”
— Thomas Conner, Tulsa World
Sharp storytelling. Gripping and gorgeous five-part harmonies. Arrangements that can swing between fun, engaging, and lively one moment and stirring, booming, and chill-inducing the next. These are the essential elements that make up the sound of The Wilder Blue, the Texas five-piece who put their own spin on rock-influenced country with their eponymous sophomore album.
Built around the keen storytelling voice of primary frontman Zane Williams, Paul Eason’s salient lead guitar, the imaginative tandem of drummer Lyndon Hughes and bassist Sean Rodriguez, and the striking, compelling mind of multi-instrumentalist Andy Rogers, The Wilder Blue are only beginning to scratch the surface of their potential.
Williams and Eason began toying with the idea of a new band in 2019 by seeking out a nimble set of collaborators. Knowing that they wanted to emphasize a rich vocal blend that could be replicated live, they soon enlisted Hughes and Rogers. When Rodriguez joined, it solidified the outfit as a cohesive unit.
“Having studio time paid for by our fan subscribers gave us the chance to relax and spread out a little,” explains Williams about the recording process for The Wilder Blue. Recording over the course of a few three-day sessions every few months allowed the band to experiment in the studio while avoiding harsh deadlines or the demand of cramming an album’s worth of material into a week’s worth of time. Often recorded to tape, a vibrant tapestry of sonic swirls emerged.
“What’s fun about tape is that it forces you to commit to a take,” adds Williams. “You don’t just record five million parts and go comb through them later.”
“The five of us were able to sit together this time around,” adds Rogers. “Since I was playing bass and other things last time around, I was having to think about a million different things. But for this, we all kind of felt like we were in our zone.”
In addition to implementing a lone studio for a cohesive sound, the months between studio sessions was an added luxury. This allowed songs and ideas to marinate and work themselves out over the course of band practices, soundchecks, and shows.
Standout single, “Feelin’ the Miles” is a prime example of a song shifting from one idea to another. What started out as a James Taylor-esque acoustic guitar stroll slowly but surely began to rise from the ashes of its former self.
“My original concept for that song was much more in the vein of ‘Okie Soldier’ or ’Birds of Youth,’” says Williams. “We all liked the song, but we didn’t need another like it so basically one day, I just came up with a totally different groove for it.”
What emerged was a loping bassline and savvy banjo that evoke the pastel glow of the 1980s where Miami Vice and Smoky & The Bandit intertwine for a heartworn highway midnight drive where all the miles, exit signs, and gas station coffee meld into one daunting long haul down a phantom road.
“‘Feelin’ the Miles’ was one of the first songs that felt like we were all able to filter everyone’s collectiveness into the final version,” says Rogers.
Much like in “Feelin’ the Miles”, a looming arc of redemption, growth, and inner harmony can be glimpsed throughout the album with the likes of the poignant “Wave Dancer,” the contemplative “The Kingsnake & The Rattler,” and the compelling “Shadows & Moonlight.”
“Part of life is figuring out and finding your way,” says Eason, who wrote and sings lead vocals on “Build Your Wings,” a cornerstone song of the album. “A few years ago, I got divorced and I had been speaking with my uncle about it. He actually said that line to me–’Sometimes you build your wings on the way down’--and I thought it was just perfect.”
Even while “Build Your Wings” finds Eason and company seeking out inner peace on the contemplative anthem, a kaleidoscope and cascade of spirited sonic punches and vibrant and vivid harmonies takes charge on this freefalling standout.
downs,” adds Williams. “I don’t want to write a song just about the ups. It’s hard for me to write just about the ups. And if you just write about the downs without some sort of redemption, it’s easy to get pretty dark and depressing.”
Throughout, Williams and company are able to add a sense of courage even when surrounded by turmoil and strife.
Songs like the rollicking “The Conversation” find the Wilder Blue leaning in on the soaring country twang of the Eagles and incorporating a vocal run interlude that calls back to ‘60s The Beatles and timeless bluegrass. On songs like “Wave Dancer” and album opener “Picket Fences”, all five musicians breathe life into tried and true five-part harmonies that are as mesmerizing as they come.
In addition to the powerful harmonies and sprawling sonic palette, Williams’ knack for five-minute vignettes is yet another pillar on which Wilder Blue can count. The Wilder Blue as an album wouldn’t be complete without taking advantage of the strong and able storytelling arcs of Williams.
“With all the tools that we have in our toolkit, I think there’s still a lot of ground to be covered,” says Williams. “We haven’t even delved into all of our tools just yet, but we definitely got to go further down the road with digging into the box for this record.”
TRUE RED DIRT ROCK
The Smokin' Oaks are a 4-piece band from Yukon, Oklahoma who started in early 2023. Starting at a young age, relatives of Grady Cross (Cross Canadian Ragweed) Slaid Cross (Lead Guitar) and Colton Blake (Vocals & rhythm guitar) joined together with Noah Morris (Drums & Percussion), and Conner Pattison (Bass guitar), and have been dreaming big and working hard to build the foundation of something great. The band shares influences such as Cross Canadian Ragweed, Austin Meade, and Southall. The rock group has released four singles, the most popular being “Call Me Demented”. They range from the heavy, grunge lyrics of “Please Accept Me”, to the lighthearted, twangy groove of “Weed”. With plenty more on the way, The Smokin’ Oaks have shared the stage with acts such as Stoney Larue, Gannon Femin and CCREV, and Sterling Elza, and have put together a headbangin’ show for anyone to enjoy.
Second chances are rare in rock 'n' roll. Most bands only get one shot at the brass ring, and once the opportunity passes by, it's gone forever. Maybe that's why Uncle Lucius sounds like a band reborn on Like It's The Last One Left, a cathartic comeback album that reunites the platinum-selling group — and pumps new blood into its roster — after a five-year hiatus. Written and recorded in the band's hometown of Austin, Texas, Like It's The Last One Left isn't just a return to form; it's an expansion, bolstering Uncle Lucius' mix of amped-up Americana and greasy roots-rock with string arrangements, adventurous production, and the sharpest songwriting of the group's career.
"There are no limitations this time around," says frontman Kevin Galloway. "We're exploring different areas of American roots music, and we're doing it our own way. There's a new perspective that comes with stepping away from something for awhile, then coming back to it. You can see it with new eyes."
Uncle Lucius originally stepped away from the spotlight in March 2018, capping off a whirlwind decade that saw the band releasing four critically-acclaimed albums, wearing out five vans, and performing everywhere from New Braunfels to Norway. The guys were some of Austin's most celebrated exports, supported by a cult following that rallied around signature songs like "Keep the Wolves Away" and "The Light." Great bands don't just build a catalog of songs, though; they build legacies that endure long after the band itself goes away. During the years that followed Uncle Lucius' so-called farewell tour, the band's audience increased rapidly, bringing new generations of fans into the fold. "Keep the Wolves Away" even showed up in an episode of Yellowstone and went viral, earning gold and platinum certifications along the way. As Uncle Lucius' legacy grew, so did the desire to get back together.
"After 'Wolves' went gold, we got together at a fancy steakhouse in Austin to celebrate and tell old stories," Galloway remembers. "We started to ask ourselves, 'Should we reconsider this?' The iron was hot, and we knew we had more music to offer."
Months later, the bandmates found themselves back at EAR, the beloved Austin-area studio where they'd previously recorded their breakthrough album, Pick Your Head Up, during the late 2000s. Things looked a little different, of course. For starters, Hal Jon Vorpahl — the band's co-founder and original bass player — was now serving a new role as Uncle Lucius' producer and behind-the-scenes songwriter. ("He's like the silent seventh member of the band now," Galloway explains.) Also occupying new roles were the group's most recent additions, bassist Drew Scherger and guitar hero Doug Strahan, who joined longtime members Mike Carpenter (guitar) Josh Greco (drums), Galloway (vocals), and Jon Grossman (keys). The expanded band tracked Like It's The Last One Left's 10 songs to analog tape, with everyone playing together in real time, emphasizing the raw energy and pure electricity of a live performance. During the months that followed, they layered the recordings with orchestral strings and background harmonies, adding new dimension to the material. "We've always taken pride in being a great live band, but now we're learned to become a seven-headed beast, too," Galloway says. "We have two guitar players who work together and share leads. We have a producer who writes amazing songs. We all had the freedom to add to these songs and interpret them, and we really created something new together. This is a band album."
It's also Uncle Lucius' finest record to date. Beginning with "Keep Singing Along" — an atmospheric blast of funky-tonk, anchored by a seize-the-day message that suits the band's 2020s resurgence -- Like It's The Last One Left offers everything from larger-than-life anthems (the stomping "Civilized Anxiety," the heartland rocker "Trace My Soul") to laidback, loping Tex-Mex ("I'm Happy"). "Tuscaloosa Rain" channels Dusty Springfield and Burt Bacharach, complete with swooning orchestration from the Tosca String Quartet and stacked harmonies from the vocal duo US (Sir Woman, Wild Child). US also appears on "Holly Roller," a track that's equal parts roadhouse rock song and gospel-worthy freakout, while fellow Austinite Cody Braun (Reckless Kelly) plays fiddle on "All the Angelenos," a humorous jab at the carpetbaggers who've relocated to Austin in the hopes of capitalizing on the city's boom town status. Things come to a close with "Heart Over Mind," another track that balances Uncle Lucius' adventurous Americana with gorgeous melodies, symphonic strings, and the croon of Galloway's voice.
Rooted in lyrics about resolve and resilience, Like It's The Last One Left blurs the boundaries between genre and generation. It's a battle cry from a band that's rededicated itself to fighting the good fight, trading the breakneck pace of the group's past for something a little more swaggering, stabilizing, and singular. "Remember to breathe," Galloway sings during the album's final moments, delivering those lines like a veteran road warrior who's seen his share of exhaustion. That's good advice. After spending a decade in the trenches, Uncle Lucius has caught its breath, seized the moment, and enjoyed a much-deserved victory lap. Like It's The Last One Left is the soundtrack to the next leg of the journey.
In James McMurtry’s new effort, The Horses and the Hounds, the acclaimed songwriter backs personal narratives with effortless elegance (“Canola Fields”) and endless energy (“If It Don’t Bleed”). This first collection in seven years, due August 20 on New West Records, spotlights a seasoned tunesmith in peak form as he turns toward reflection (“Vaquero”) and revelation ( closer “Blackberry Winter”). Familiar foundations guide the journey. “There’s a definite Los Angeles vibe to this record,” McMurtry says. “The ghost of Warren Zevon seems to be stomping around among the guitar tracks. Don’t know how he got in there. He never signed on for work for hire.”
The Horses and the Hounds is a reunion of sorts. McMurtry recorded the new album with legendary producer Ross Hogarth (Ozzy Osbourne, John Fogerty, Van Halen, Keb’ Mo’) at Jackson Browne’s Groovemaster’s in Santa Monica, California, a world class studio that has housed such legends as Bob Dylan (2012’s Tempest) and David Crosby (2016’s Lighthouse) as well as Browne himself for I’m Alive (1993) and New Found Glory, Coming Home (2006). McMurtry and Hogarth first worked together 30 years ago, when Hogarth was a recording engineer in the employ of John Mellencamp at Mellencamp’s own Belmont Studios near Bloomington, Indiana. Hogarth recorded McMurtry’s first two albums, Too Long in the Wasteland and Candyland, for Columbia Records and later mixed McMurtry’s first self-produced album, Saint Mary of the Woods, for Sugar Hill Records. Another veteran of those three releases, guitarist David Grissom (Joe Ely, John Mellencamp, Dixie Chicks), returns with some of his finest work.
Accordingly, the new collection marks another upward trajectory: The Horses and the Hounds will be McMurtry’s debut album on genre-defining Americana record label New West Records (Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell, Lucinda Williams, John Hiatt, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Buddy Miller, dozens more).
“I first became aware of James McMurtry’s formidable songwriting prowess while working at Bug Music Publishing in the ’90s,” says New West president John Allen. “He’s a true talent. All of us at New West are excited at the prospect of championing the next phase of James’ already successful and respected career.” McMurtry perfectly fits a label housing “artists who perform real music for real people.” After all, No Depression says of the literate songwriter’s most recent collection, Complicated Game: “Lyrically, the album is wise and adventurous, with McMurtry — who’s not prone to autobiographical tales — credibly inhabiting characters from all walks of life.” “[McMurtry] fuses wry, literate observations about the world with the snarl of barroom rock,” National Public Radio says. “The result is at times sardonic, subversive and funny, but often vulnerable and always poignant.”
His lauded storytelling — check out songs such as “Operation Never Mind” and “Ft. Walton Wake-Up Call” on The Horse and the Hounds— consistently has turned heads for decades now. “James writes like he’s lived a lifetime,” said John Mellencamp back in 1989, when Too Long in the Wasteland hit the Billboard 200. “James McMurtry is one of my very few favorite songwriters on Earth and these days he’s working at the top of his game,” says Americana all-star Jason Isbell. “He has that rare gift of being able to make a listener laugh out loud at one line and choke up at the next. I don’t think anybody writes better lyrics.” McMurtry’s albums Just Us Kids (2008) and Childish Things (2005) back the claim, each scoring endless critical praise. The former earned McMurtry his highest Billboard 200 chart position in two decades (since eclipsed by Complicated Game) and notched Americana Music Award nominations. Childish Things spent six full weeks topping the Americana Music Radio chart in 2005 and 2006, and won the Americana Music Association’s Album of the Year, with “We Can’t Make It Here” named the organization’s Song of the Year.
Other accolades include a 1996 Grammy nomination for Long Form Music Video for Where’d You Hide the Body and an American Indie Award for Best Americana Album for It Had to Happen (1997).
McMurtry tours year-round and consistently throws down unparalleled powerhouse performances, reflected in the release of two live discs: the universally lauded Live in Aught-Three on Compadre Records, and 2009’s Live in Europe, which captured the McMurtry band’s first European tour and extraordinary live set. Along with seasoned band members Ronnie Johnson, Daren Hess, and Tim Holt, Live in Europe features special guests Ian McLagan (Faces) and Jon Dee Graham (True Believers, Skunks). (Video of the performance is available on the included DVD.)
Too loud for folk music and too textured for Red Dirt, this is the sound of a genuine band rooted in groove, grit, and its own singular spirit, led by a songwriter whose unique past — a Pentecostal upbringing, years logged as a preacher-in-training, and an eventual crisis of faith — has instilled both a storyteller's delivery and an unique perspective about life, love, and listlessness in the modern world.
Jason Scott & the High Heat are: Jason Scott (lead vocals, guitar), Gabriel Mor (guitars), Ryan Magnani (bass), Bobby Wade (drums), Garrison Brown (guitars, keys), Taylor Johnson (guitars, keys, aux)
“We had one rule when we started recording this record: If we don’t have it, we can’t use it.” It’s a simple concept – the premise that makes up Drew Kennedy’s ninth studio album, Marathon – but the result is a vivid and immersive ode to a corner of the world that the singer-songwriter has fallen in love with over the years. Kennedy and his collaborator, Davis Naish, packed up a select set of instruments and headed to a small adobe house in the tiny Far West Texas town after which the album is named – as he mentions in the opening track, a town born of Buffalo Soldiers and Seminole Scouts and the third transcontinental railroad, with seven high school seniors; the entire town has less than 400 residents – where they spent a week recording his latest 11-song collection.
One of the first facts worth mentioning about Marathon is this: these aren’t demos, and they don’t sound like it. Marathon is a full journey of a record steeped in creativity. “I wanted to make my ‘Guy Clark’ record, and I wanted it to rely very heavily on my skills and my limitations,” Kennedy says.
“I truly loved the way we made this record,” he continues. “We weren’t in a studio, so we didn’t have access to a lot of the things you’d usually have access to while making a record. If we needed something to do the work that a snare drum would do, we banged around on stuff until we found a sound we liked. The ‘snare drum’ on ‘Watch It Shine’ is me slamming a door. We used my guitar case, a chairback, a shaker we made out of a Pringles can, some jasmine rice, and gaff tape for percussion. I did a lot of whistling on this record, and we layered plenty of vocals and different guitar voicings within the tracks to help build the sonic landscape.”
Track one, “Marathon,” is more like track zero – setting the scene for the movie that follows: down highway 90 to Marathon, Texas; then a brief history of the town, and some time spent wondering what the future holds for the lonesome desert enclave. Next, a story of someone picking up the pieces in the wake of a failed relationship – of the wanderlust that helps him recover – and then the story of his meeting someone new. The last song, “So Far To Go,” serves as the closing credits to this windswept tale. Kennedy points out that it falls outside of the album’s storyline, but that it felt incredibly important for him to commit to tape.
As long as stars are in the sky, and sand is on the beaches
Long as words are gonna rhyme, and teachers want to teach us
Long as baseballs have seams, and sleeping has dreams you’ll be fine
“This one is personal. Hear that at the end? That’s me breaking down into tears,” he notes. “I’m not sure exactly why that happened just yet, but it did, and afterwards I felt so much... lighter. That’s the only way I can describe it. This is what I want my kids to remember. This is what I want people that hear this record to think about. What matters? What is real? What is it all about? As far as I can tell, it’s this. This is the closing credit song, and it might be my favorite song that I’ve ever written.”
That single verse is also a solid glimpse into Kennedy’s life, small pieces of his own story sewn into the lines. A south central Pennsylvania native, he didn’t start playing music until college, where he played baseball. He and his wife, an art teacher, moved to the Texas Hill Country a few decades ago, where they are now raising their two boys.
By all accounts, Kennedy is a man, and a songwriter, full of heart – which is probably one of the reasons he’s forged such a longstanding friendship with Walt Wilkins, a storied songwriter in the state and beyond, known as much for his poetic turns of phrase as the wisdom in them just the same. The only song on the record that Kennedy didn’t have a hand in writing is “Watch It Shine,” a track Wilkins wrote with Owen Temple. “The first time I heard Walt play this song, I was standing in the balcony at Dosey Doe in The Woodlands, Texas, during the start of one of our Traveling Red River Songwriters tours,” he says. The collective, now celebrating a decade as founding members of a festival in Red River, New Mexico, is made up of Kennedy, Wilkins, Kelley Mickwee, Josh Grider, and Susan Gibson. The group participates in a yearly tour across Texas, and each draws a number out of a hat to select the order of the show, and get up one by one until they’re all performing together on stage.
“Walt drew number one, and he played this song to kick off the show. When he got to ‘they say there’s iron in these mountains, and in bone and skin and mud, they say that iron only comes from stars, so stars are in my blood’ my knees nearly gave out. On Marathon, this song represents the journey – to go out there in the hopes that some semblance of recognizable self can be reclaimed in the great unknown.”
Along with the writing he does with his fellow Red River Songwriters – Kennedy also has a side-project with Josh Grider, with whom he wrote “Boots On My Feet” and “West Texas Cloud Appreciation Society”; set midway through Marathon’s journey, the latter is a self-explanatory love letter to the sky’s scenery out in the middle of nowhere. Kennedy has spent most of the last ten years immersed in collaboration, working tirelessly to make a name for himself among the publishing houses of Nashville’s Music Row and writing with some of country music’s most revered songwriters. “Peace & Quiet” was written with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Jeff Hanna and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Matraca Berg.
“The first CD I ever bought with my own money in 1993 was Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Will The Circle Be Unbroken — and I’m not sure I still fully understand how that kind of full-circle journey happened,” he says. “I might not understand it, but I do have a handful of songs to prove it, and this is my favorite of the ones I’ve written with those two magical people.”
“The Hat” holds one of Marathon’s few supporting cast members: a tale woven around the brim of an Open Road Stetson, a gift from an acquaintance in hopes it might inspire new adventures. “Hi-Ho Silver” was influenced by the sheer beauty of an awe-inducing landscape and the kind of questions it provokes.
“Hope” offers the turning point in the album’s journey; any good heartbreak story has to find redemption, after all. “Lucky” follows close behind, with a chance at new love.
“Sunset Special” was inspired by an Amtrak line that runs through Marathon, originating in New Orleans and running all the way to Los Angeles – it seems fitting that a train would run through a place that sometimes feels suspended in time.
“Davis and I wrote this song after pulling into Marathon for the first time together as the Amtrak train was coming by. I told him the name of that particular train and he said, ‘Sunset Special is a great title,’ and so we wrote the song. Then we did what all good songwriters do to celebrate the arrival of a new song— we went to grab a drink to commemorate it. A few beers in I said, ‘Wait... It’s called The Sunset Limited.’ but it was too late– the song wasn’t interested in letting us change it for accuracy. Trust me, we tried.”
The premise of “Boots on Our Feet” is simple: “What do we get out of the journey? The journey itself, of course: all of the things we see, and taste, and feel, and smell,” Kennedy says. “The love we find and the things we experience. The hopes we carry and the memories we make. And, for me, anyway, the songs that are out there waiting for some songwriter to show up and take them along for the rest of the ride.”
Between everywhere I’ve ever been
And everywhere I’ll ever be
What you get is what you see
Living ‘tween the hat on my head
And the boots on my feet
The Texas-by-way-of-New-Mexico artist is hitting his stride at just the right moment. Pandemic be damned there is music to be made. After a year of waiting for the world to return to some kind of normal, Grider is firing an all cylinders despite the circumstances. With a new record in the can, putting on the producer hat for a new up and coming artist, and gigs starting fill up the calendar again 2021 is looking to be a banner year for Grider.
“A poet of optimism and maturity” (Lonestar Music magazine), Grider has fully embraced his status as a musical Swiss Army Knife, expanding his reach deeper into collaboration — as evidenced by projects with longtime friend Drew Kennedy (Topo Chico Cowboys, Vol. 1 and 2) and his wife. (Josh and Kristi Grider Live at Gruene Records). His songwriting prowess is in high demand as he traverses Music Row writing rooms to return to the creative well and deliver “just what country music fans need right now” (Taste of Country). Look no further than 2020’s “Country’s Comin’ Back” and “American Anthem” as proof.
From solo sets on storied stages like the Kerrville Folk Festival to honky tonk dance halls across the Southwest to “rock yachts” and even house concerts, Josh Grider is taking his sound further and to more people than ever before. And as an experienced craftsman approaching two decades in the industry, Grider is also jumping into the world of production, helping to musically mentor / co-write / and produce new country artist Gunnar Latham’s debut project (also due out 2021). No longer the new kid on the block, and not yet the grizzled veteran, Josh is just moving in time with the rhythm of a career that has come a great distance, and still has miles to go.
Raised on classic country and the blues, Julianna Rankin finds herself influenced by a spectrum of artists ranging from Keith Whitley, Bobbie Gentry and Waylon Jennings to Bonnie Raitt, Carole King and James Taylor. Her journey into the industry began in 2018, when she took a headfirst dive towards discovering her artistry while attending Texas A&M University. Since then, Julianna has made her home in New Braunfels, TX, to which she credits a strong circle of talented musicians and local collaboration for recent successes. In the past year, the young singer-songwriter has found herself opening for artists such as Robert Earl Keen, Stoney LaRue, Randall King, Django Walker, Adam Hood, Jason Eady, William Beckmann, Midnight River Choir and more. With her strong vocals and soul-penetrating lyrics, Julianna demands attention from the growing audiences that are lucky enough to catch her sets.
THERE’S A PECULIAR KIND OF HUSH BEFORE THE ROAR RETURNS — AND FOR PAUL MCDONALD, THE QUIET HAS LASTED FAR TOO LONG. ONCE THE GOLDEN BOY OF THE SOUTHERN CIRCUIT, THIS RAKISH TROUBADOUR WITH A RASP LIKE POLISHED GRAVEL CAUGHT FIRE IN THE PUBLIC EYE DURING AMERICAN IDOL’S 2011 RUN, FLASHING A CROOKED GRIN AND A WARDROBE BORN OF VELVET THRIFT. BUT THE BRIGHT LIGHTS BLURRED, THE CAMERAS TURNED, AND THE MAN BEHIND THE VOICE SLIPPED INTO THE SHADOWS — WHERE HE DID WHAT REAL ARTISTS DO: HE LIVED, HE LOST, AND HE WROTE.
BORN IN ALABAMA AND BAPTIZED IN THE DIVE BARS OF THE SOUTHEAST, MCDONALD FIRST MADE NOISE WITH THE GRAND MAGNOLIAS, A ROOTS-ROCK OUTFIT WITH GASOLINE IN ITS VEINS. POST-IDOL, HE CHASED SOMETHING SHINIER IN LOS ANGELES, PAIRED UP WITH HOLLYWOOD ACTRESS (YES, THAT NIKKI REED), AND DABBLED IN THE SORT OF SUN-DRENCHED POP ALCHEMY THAT NEVER QUITE FIT THE SOUL OF A MAN RAISED ON PETTY, PARSONS, AND PAIN. AFTER THE SPOTLIGHT SOURED, HE RETREATED TO NASHVILLE, THAT HOLY CITY OF REINVENTION, WHERE HE WENT UNDERGROUND FOR A WHILE — EMERGING TO JUMP ON A STAGE HERE AND THERE BEFORE STITCHING HIMSELF BACK TOGETHER WITH WORN BOOTS, HARD SONGS, AND A NEW BAND CALLED THE MOURNING DOVES.
NOW, IN 2025, THE GIANT HAS STIRRED. HIS NEW SINGLE, “DARK SIDE,” CRACKLES WITH THE URGENCY OF A MAN WHO’S SEEN HELL AND HUMS LIKE A RESURRECTION HYMN. BUT IT’S JUST ONE FLAME IN THE FIRE. THE FULL ALBUM — SO LONG TO THE DARK SIDE, ARRIVING THIS JULY — IS A GOSPEL-TINGED RECKONING WRAPPED IN COSMIC AMERICANA, LIT WITH SONGS THAT SOUND LIKE THEY WERE SCRIBBLED ON THE EDGE OF A BREAKDOWN AND SUNG BACK FROM THE BRINK. “UNWIND” GLOWS LIKE A FRONT-PORCH BENEDICTION ON LETTING GO OF THE GRIND AND GRABBING HOLD OF GRACE, WHILE “WHAT’S THE POINT?” DIVES HEADLONG INTO EXISTENTIAL FREEFALL, LANDING WITH THE ONLY ANSWER THAT MATTERS: LOVE. THE RECORD DOESN’T FLINCH FROM DARKNESS — BUT IT REFUSES TO LIVE THERE.
HE’S NOT CHASING TRENDS; PAUL MCDONALD IS CONJURING SOMETHING OLDER AND TRUER, BENDING AMERICANA INTO A SOUND THAT SWAYS LIKE GOSPEL AND HITS LIKE A TRAIN. HIS ONE BIG LOVE FESTIVAL HAS QUIETLY BECOME A NASHVILLE INSTITUTION, AND HIS LIVE SHOWS — EQUAL PARTS REVIVAL AND ROCK SÉANCE — PROVE THE MAN’S HEART BEATS LOUDER THAN EVER.
PAUL MCDONALD ISN’T A COMEBACK STORY. HE’S A CONTINUATION. A SLEEPING GIANT WHO’S FINALLY AWAKE — AND SINGING LOUDER THAN EVER.
Join your favorite artist on the water for an intimate musical experience. A truly unique listening room with an ocean breeze. This is a Package Perk event including food and drink. Departing from 205 Elizabeth St.
The Band Of Heathens Good ol’ rock and roll from Austin, TX
Austin-based band The Droptines live wildly between the lines of Americana and rock and roll - what they dub alternative Americana. Newly signed to Big Loud Texas, the band make their label introduction with the release of "Take Too Much". The tune is driven by a vocal growl reminiscent of the The Droptines most pointed influences like rock heroes Springsteen and Tom Petty. Working with lauded producers and Big Loud Texas co-founder and president of A&R Jon Randall, the gritty band is prepping new music entrenched in the a southern vernacular - writing and performing the songs they want to hear most. Defined by a 'beatnik-like itinerary of a lost soul's activity" (Saving Country Music), The Droptines are currently on the road with Whiskey Myers ahead of billings at Lollapalooza, slots opening for Dwight Yoakum and a headlining run hitting iconic venues throughout the U.S. like West Hollywood's Troubadour.
For nearly two decades, American Aquarium have pushed toward that rare form of rock-and-roll that’s revelatory in every sense. “For us the sweet spot is when you’ve got a rock band that makes you scream along to every word, and it’s not until you’re coming down at three a.m. that you realize those words are saying something real about your life,” says frontman BJ Barham. “That’s what made us fall in love with music in the first place, and that’s the goal in everything we do.” On their new album The Fear of Standing Still, the North Carolina-bred band embody that dynamic with more intensity than ever before, endlessly matching their gritty breed of country-rock with Barham’s bravest and most incisive songwriting to date. As he reflects on matters both personal and sociocultural—e.g., the complexity of Southern identity, the intersection of generational trauma and the dismantling of reproductive rights—American Aquarium instill every moment of The Fear of Standing Still with equal parts unbridled spirit and illuminating empathy.
Recorded live at the legendary Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, The Fear of Standing Still marks American Aquarium’s second outing with producer Shooter Jennings—a three-time Grammy winner who also helmed production on 2020’s critically lauded Lamentations, as well as albums from the likes of Brandi Carlile and Tanya Tucker. In a departure from the stripped-down subtlety of 2022’s Chicamacomico (a largely acoustic rumination on grief), the band’s tenth studio LP piles on plenty of explosive riffs and hard-charging rhythms, bringing a visceral energy to the most nuanced and poetic of lyrics. “In our live show the band’s like a freight train that never lets up, and for this record I really wanted to showcase how big and anthemic we can be,” notes Barham, whose bandmates include guitarist Shane Boeker, pedal-steel guitarist Neil Jones, keyboardist Rhett Huffman, drummer Ryan Van Fleet, and bassist Alden Hedges.
Mixed by four-time Grammy winner Trina Shoemaker (Queens of the Stone Age, Emmylou Harris), The Fear of Standing Still shares its title with one of the first songs Barham wrote for the album—a soul-baring look at how raising a family has radically altered his priorities and perspective. In the process of creating what he refers to as “a record about growing up and growing older,” Barham also found his songwriting closely informed by his ten years of sobriety, as well as his ever-deepening connection with American Aquarium’s community of fans. “Whenever someone tells me that one of our songs helped them in some way, it encourages me to be more and more open—almost like peeling a layer off an onion,” he says. “This album is a writer 18 years into his career, peeling away the next layer and seeing just how human we can make this thing.”
Expanding on the raw vitality of previous albums like 2012’s Jason Isbell-produced Burn.Flicker.Die, The Fear of Standing Still kicks offs with “Crier”: a gloriously ferocious track that swiftly obliterates worn-out ideals of masculine behavior. “It’s a song about breaking down what many of us learned from our fathers growing up—this idea that boys don’t cry, or that crying is a form of weakness,” says Barham, who co-wrote “Crier” with singer/songwriter Stephen Wilson Jr. “I wanted to send the message that it’s not natural to bottle everything up inside, because all of us are meant to feel.” Fueled by a savage and soaring vocal performance from Barham, the result is a perfect encapsulation of American Aquarium’s multilayered artistry. “I don’t think anyone’s going to get through that first listen of ‘Crier’ and think, ‘Wow, what a great song about disrupting the cycle of toxic masculinity!’” Barham points out. “It seems more likely that it’ll make them want to dance and jump around, and then when they put the headphones on and listen a little closer to the lyrics, that’s when they’ll start to understand what we’re talking about.”
A resolutely outspoken artist who’s emerged as one of the most progressive voices in country music, Barham infuses an element of trenchant social commentary into a number of tracks on The Fear of Standing Still. On “Southern Roots,” for instance, Georgia-born singer/songwriter Katie Pruitt joins American Aquarium for a spellbinding meditation on pushing against the boundaries of traditional Southern identity. “People can complain all they want about how backwards the South is, but the only way we’ll see any change is to take it upon ourselves,” says Barham. “For me, that means raising my daughter so that she’ll never witness the closed-mindedness and blatant disrespect for certain people that I often saw at her age. Because if you really love something the way I love the South, then you want to see it grow.” Co-written by Barham and Pruitt, “Southern Roots” starts off as a beautifully understated folk song graced with heavenly harmonies, then builds to a reverb-drenched frenzy at the bridge—a shift that sharply intensifies the track’s galvanizing power.
Another song anchored in Barham’s ardent belief in breaking generational patterns, “Babies Having Babies” arrives as a finespun piece of storytelling that doubles as an emphatic pro-choice anthem. “It’s a mix of fiction and personal experience, and felt like an important story to tell at a time when a woman’s right to choose is being taken away,” says Barham. After opening on a nostalgic tale of a whirlwind summer romance, “Babies Having Babies” slowly takes on a powerful urgency as the narrative turns to questions of consequence and self-preservation (from the second verse: “We packed up a bag and drove to the city/Shouldered through the pickets and the hand-painted signs/They called her names while they called themselves Christians/That sort of hate’s got no place in any faith of mine”). “I grew up in a small and very conservative town where abortion was not an option, so I saw a lot of people trapped in that generational cycle of getting pregnant at a young age and ending up stuck in the same town forever instead of following whatever dreams they might have had,” says Barham. “I wanted to write about what could have happened if one of those girls had refused to give up her aspirations, and made that choice to live another way.”
While American Aquarium bring a lived-in intimacy to all of The Fear of Standing Still, songs like “Cherokee Purples” encompass a particularly tender emotionality. A wistful reminiscence of all the charmed and wild summers of Barham’s youth, the track unfolds in so many gorgeously detailed images (kudzu vines and fireflies, menthol cigarettes and Big League Chew), each rendered with a loving specificity that lingers in the listener’s heart. “‘Cherokee Purples’ came from me making a tomato sandwich in my kitchen, and immediately getting taken back to all the summer days when we’d get dropped off at my grandmother’s so my parents could go to work,” says Barham. “It’s crazy how something as simple as a tomato sandwich with Duke’s Mayonnaise can take me to a whole other world, but to me it’s almost like a talisman of where I’m from and how I was raised.” Meanwhile, on “The Curse of Growing Old,” American Aquarium look to the other end of the life spectrum, conjuring a life-affirming mood despite the song’s excruciating honesty. “I wrote that after talking with my grandmother at her 92nd birthday party and learning what it was like for her to grow older and watch so many people in her life pass away,” says Barham. “It’s true that getting older is a gift, but it’s a gift we pay for with an incredible amount of loss.”
For Barham, the sharing of hard truths is indelibly tied to his sense of devotion to American Aquarium’s audience—and to his belief in rock-and-roll as a singularly unifying force. “All I really want to do is put words to the emotions that most people have a difficult time expressing on their own,” he reveals. “No matter what that emotion is, when you put it into a song and then get to those moments when a whole bunch of people are singing that song all together, it makes you see that you’re part of something bigger than you ever realized. That’s when you can really affect people’s lives, and to me this record is another stepping stone to making that a reality.”
With a decades-long commitment to his craft as a songwriter, Jason Eady has built a career on bringing his unique perspective to a variety of genres. Uninhibited by ties to one particular sound, Eady’s catalog showcases an affinity for telling authentic, forthright stories with his music, a quality that continues to bring new listeners to this veteran musician’s audience year after year.
Born in his most recent album’s namesake state, Mississippi finds Eady inspired, motivated but not bound by the success of his past; instead, Mississippi is yet another manifestation of what Eady does best – channeling truth into songs and a refusal to be boxed in by his previous work. His newest album, however, is not a seismic shift that rebukes the past; rather, Mississippi brings to the forefront hints of deep South-style blues that has always had a place in his sound.
“There was a groove based sound that I grew up with in Mississippi that has always
been a part of what I do, but with this record I wanted to bring that to the forefront. I think this record is the opposite side of the same coin I’ve always had, I just flipped it over.”
Mississippi’s critical praise situates it as yet another beloved album born out of Eady’s
nineteen year career. With nine full-length albums, Eady explores genre and form with mastery, complementing the Texas sound he’s perhaps best known for with forays where listeners can find him accompanied by bluegrass pickers or pedal steel. This versatility has earned Eady praise from contemporaries and critics alike, with NPR acknowledging Eady’s grassroots, nononsense approach to his craft by dubbing him “one of the most promising alt-country underdogs.”
This intentionality and fluidity is indicative of an artist at the top of his craft, bolstered by
critical success like 2021’s To the Passage of Time and 2018’s I Travel On but not reliant upon it; if Eady stands for anything, it’s the wholehearted pursuit of remaining loyal to himself without resting on his laurels, pushing himself as an artist and a storyteller.
“I have always had a ton of respect for artists who have experimented with and presented
different styles and genres while still maintaining a style of their own. I love that arc over a
career and how it keeps it interesting for the listener. I love that feeling of “what is he going to do next?”. Hopefully that same sense of excitement and anticipation stays alive in my music as well.”
Leon Majcen is a musician whose story is one of resilience and determination. He grew up on the Gulf Coast of Florida, the son of Bosnian war refugees who had fled their homeland in search of a better life for their children. From a young age, Leon was drawn to the power of storytelling through music, particularly the work of artists like Townes Van Zandt, John Prine, Bob Dylan, and Guy Clark.
Leon began playing in local bars while still in high school, honing his craft and building a loyal following. After graduating, he decided to pursue his passion for music in New York City, while attending college at New York University and playing shows around town. After a while, Leon came to the realization that the hustle and bustle of the city wasn't where his heart was at.
He returned home to Florida and took a job at a commercial fishing dock, filleting and packing fish while he planned his next move. And that move was to Nashville, where Leon hoped to make his mark as a singer-songwriter. Since arriving in Nashville, Leon has continued to develop his unique blend of Americana, folk, and country music, drawing on his experiences and his love of the outdoors to craft songs that are both poignant and powerful. With his heartfelt lyrics, soulful voice, and deft guitar work, Leon has built a strong following in Music City and beyond.
He released his self-titled album on May 31st. Loaded up with a guitar and a couple fly rods, Leon travels around the country sharing his songs and stories, looking for the next great fishing spot along the way.
Throw away any preconceived notions you might have about country singers — especially ones from Texas — because Stoney LaRue smashes them all. Over a nearly 20-year career, the Lone Star-born and Oklahoma-raised LaRue has transformed himself into an unlikely Renaissance man. He is a deft songwriter, informed traveler and self-aware philosopher, a troubadour who converses just as easily about Indian yogis and gurus as he does about Texas barbecue and dance halls. LaRue highlights all facets of his complex persona on the inspiring new album Onward.
The title itself is reflective of his outlook on life — if LaRue has a mantra these days, it’s “keep moving forward.” His first album since 2015’s Us Time, Onward captures the husky-voiced singer looking not only ahead, but inward. This is a man unflinchingly shining a light into some dark, uncomfortable corners of his psyche and bettering himself in the process.
“You want to test your bones and see where they break,” he says, dropping one of the many bon mots that pepper his conversation. “This record is wading through all the mud and storms to hopefully come out on the other side with a wisdom that you didn’t have before. It’s a brighter way to look at things.”
Before there can be redemption, though, there must be a conflict, and LaRue dives into that head-first in the album opener “Fallin’ and Flyin’.” One of 10 songs co-written by Onward’s producer Gary Nicholson, the track was famously performed by Jeff Bridges in the 2009 country music drama Crazy Heart. In LaRue’s hands, it’s a humble admission, part of his journey toward self-improvement. “I never meant to hurt no one/I just had to have my way/if there’s such a thing as too much fun/this must be the price you pay,” he sings.
Likewise, he lays bare his soul in “You Oughta Know Me by Now,” a song that Nicholson and his co-writer Shawn Camp wrote especially for LaRue. While it’s framed around a man’s shortcomings and bad habits, it also conveys a precious honesty, like much of the vulnerable Onward does. “Gary told me, ‘You’re getting a chance with this album to show people who you truly are,'” LaRue says. “It might be too blatant for some people, but if you’re that blatantly honest, that’s a direct path to someone’s spirit, you know?”
Forging connections with his fans is paramount for LaRue, who plays more than 200 live shows a year. His base is a fiercely loyal one, and not just within the Red Dirt region. He regularly tours throughout the entire country and has fans in some unexpected places. Chalk up his mass appeal to the way he sells his songs both onstage and on record — to listen to LaRue sing the nostalgic, Bob Seger-esque “Drowning in Moonlight” on Onward is to hear someone with whom you share an experience.
“I thought that song would be something that’s very relatable. You want to think about your first kiss overlooking the city with the top down,” he says. “There’s something so sexy and romantic about that song. It’s dark, but it’s light at the same time.”
LaRue further explores that idea on “Meet Me in the Middle,” a gritty duet about compromise with the legendary Tanya Tucker. “It’s about the idea of reciprocity in a relationship, of yin and yang. You want to think that everything’s supposed to be equal and find the balance, but it never turns out that way, does it? It’s always a shift of power,” he says.
While the bulk of Onward exists in that musical sweet spot of rock and twang for which LaRue has become known, a pair of songs evokes a more Dixieland vibe. “Evil Angel,” featuring the magnificent McCrary Sisters on gospel vocals, is a jaunty barroom piano sing-along, and “Worry Be Gone” — a Nicholson song written with Guy Clark and Lee Roy Parnell — is a New Orleans ode to saying to hell with it all and sparking one up. “We got trouble with the air, we got trouble with the water/ and people ain’t treating one another like they oughta/give me just one more puff of that worry be gone,” LaRue sings.
“It’s all going on around us — from politics to religion — and we think about those things so much that we don’t want to be a part of it,” says LaRue. “As my grandpa used to say, ‘Don’t sweat the petty stuff and don’t pet the sweaty stuff.'”
LaRue pays tribute to his grandparents on Onward by cutting their favorite song: Merle Haggard’s “Let’s Chase Each Other Around the Room.” “They used to dance and drink homemade wine and put on the record,” he recalls. “Of course, us boys would be in there on the piano and the guitars and whatever we could find to make noise with. We’d be just smiling at them, having a blast in their late ages whenever they still could.”
It’s a faithful version of the Haggard and Freddy Powers tune, but one that LaRue still manages to push to the fringe by increasing the tempo and swagger.
Even on the requisite declaration of Texan pride, “Hill Country Boogaloo,” he taps into nontraditional country funk and forgoes lyrical tropes in favor of fresh allusions.
“Everybody throws in Shiner Bock or a ‘Texas wind’ in songs about Texas, but they’re not being specific. There’s too many generalities,” he says. “It’s an homage really. I figured that I’ve been so serious my whole life, let’s take the paint off, see what it looks like bare board and have fun.”
For LaRue, who has sold more than one million albums and singles in his career, fun means being on the road and playing live, tapping into a vast catalogue that includes influential LPs like 2005’s The Red Dirt Album and his exhilarating 2007 live document Live at Billy Bob’s Texas. Now, he’s excited about taking Onward to fans around the country and reminding them that not only is he still here, he isn’t going anywhere.
“You have to be willing to live it. That’s the only way to make it, and the way that I’ve made it,” says LaRue of his remarkable longevity. “But I’m not haphazard in what I’m writing or singing anymore. I’m more focused and looking ahead to what I want to achieve.”
In other words, Stoney LaRue is looking Onward.
Shelby Stone's journey began in the Fort Worth Stockyards, where she quickly stood out with fearless songwriting and a hard-edged rock and roll spirit. Draped in black leather and armed with a voice that cuts straight through, she built a loyal following across Texas clubs and festivals, proving herself as one of the scene's most magnetic rising artists.
Her breakout singles "Each Other" and "How Much More" turned heads at radio, with the latter reaching #1 for two consecutive weeks on 95.9 The Ranch. Follow-ups like "Easy Tiger" and "This Time Around" showcased her range, leading to a banner 2025 that's seen her perform at Cain's Ballroom, Gruene Hall, Mile o Fest, Steamboat, Braun Brothers Reunion, and on a nationwide tour with American Aquarium.
On August 7th, Shelby released her debut album, SILVERYEAR - a record that swings from razor-edged rock anthems to moments of striking vulnerability. Produced by Dalton Domino, PH Naffah, and Jeff Lusby-Breault, it's an album of survival, reinvention, and the conviction of someone who has lived every word. Already embraced by her fans, SILVERYEAR will hit streaming worldwide on April 3, 2026, marking Shelby as one of the most exciting new names in Texas music.
After over two decades of making music, one thing has never changed for Casey Donahew – it has always been and always will be about the song.
The Lone Star native, whose hometown of Fort Worth, TX has designated October 22nd “Casey Donahew Day” and has adopted his song “Stockyards” as the official song, has carved out a sizable niche for himself simply just by doing what he does best and doing it with authenticity. That unwavering trait is what his fans respond to and come back for time and time again. He’s at it again with his latest album, NEVER NOT LOVE YOU, a 17-track project packed chock full of musical tales about cowboys, love, heartbreak, and the eccentricities of life that he fine-tunes into so well and paints oh so vividly in the songs he writes.
For Casey, lyrics have always been king, whether he was singing about colorful, zany characters that might live down the street or come to Thanksgiving dinner each year, or the gut-wrenching devastation of something as serious as addiction. Fans flock to his shows to revel in the zany, wacky tales of pot-selling grannies and shotgun-toting girls whose bras don’t fit, along with the more somber stories of heartbreak, failure and redemption that Donahew weaves so well. Drawing from real life and its roller coaster highs and lows has provided him with plenty of rich material over the last 22 years, and like a rare vintage his craft has only gotten stronger and better with age. He has proven himself a consistent hit maker who has dominated on both the charts and the live music scene as well, with 27 singles that have topped the Texas charts, and clearly has his finger firmly on the pulse of what his fans love. This latest album is no exception.
Donahew penned nearly ¾ of NEVER NOT LOVE YOU solo, which is the way he prefers to write, and finds that his process hasn’t changed much throughout the last 12 records and counting. “I don’t write in themes or think about that when I go to make an album, I just write what I feel, and I do it at my own pace and I don’t like to rush things,” the plainspoken artist explains. “If I write a song and get it to the place where I feel like it’s finished, then I record it. And I still listen to some outside songs but I like to write alone because then no one influences how I say something, or what I’m trying to say in my head. I just try to put out good songs, whether it’s cowboy songs or love songs or heartbreakers or rock songs or sad songs or happy ones…I just try to do good songs.”
With 27 career chart-toppers in his home state, he clearly has a bead on what a good song is in the eyes of his listeners. And for Casey, the old adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” definitely comes into play. He never strays too far from the songs his legion of fans love, although he did stretch a bit on this album and color outside the lines a little on several of the new tunes. On this latest project he shines on sweetly sentimental love ballads like “Hideaway,” where he races to seek solace in the one he loves away from the madness of the outside world, “When She Kissed Me,” about that breathtaking moment on the highwire of love when you’re just about to let go and fall, and “Whiskey Talking,” the romantic duet with newcomer Kylie Frey, his first bonafide duet.
“I think this is my first real duet,” admits Donahew. “I’ve had girls sing on songs before, but this is the first duet. Kylie has crazy vocals and she can really sing, and she’s been coming to our Boots On The Beach festival for a few years, so we developed a relationship and we reached out and she was on board. I thought it was such a great song and loved the lyrics, and we held it for a couple of years and I think it’s one of those songs on the record that’s pretty special.”
Donahew’s Boots On The Beach event has become a must-attend for fans of real Texas music, and has grown each year since its inception seven years ago. The Cabo San Lucas festival is the brainchild of Donahew and his powerhouse wife Melinda, and has featured top-tier talent from Josh Abbott, Wade Bowen, Randy Rogers, and Pat Green, to Rhett Akins, Chase Rice, Koe Wetzel, Ella Langley, and more. The festival features three separate weeks of non-stop music and fun, and of course is the inspiration for plenty of great songs being written as well, including “Running Out Of Time,” – an apt tune featuring Casey and Texas buddies Wade Bowen, Randy Rogers, and Pat Green about those glory days and the rolling gypsy artist life and the thousands of miles logged across the country playing for crowds that has already topped the Texas chart.
The beachside festival has also inspired plenty of heartbreak tunes as well, which Donahew finds that he really relishes writing and singing, maybe a little too much sometimes. “It seems like my forte would be cowboy songs and also heartbreak and despair songs, which are probably my more popular songs, I probably feel more comfortable writing those…I don’t know why, maybe I’m a tortured soul,” he muses.
That soul is evident on tracks like “Another Beach” with its quiet resolution of goodbye written in the sand as the waves come crashing in and his world comes crashing down, the cleverly written “Other Side Of A Love Song,” and the title track, “Never Not Love You,” with its resignation of devotion until the end and beyond, even if it turns out all wrong. In true Donahew style, he lights it up on barn-burning tracks like the stomper “Chasing A Dream” with its throwback 90s country cowboy vibe, and even wades into some uncharted territory for him on the Nirvana/Pearl Jam vibe of the rocker “Messed Up Alone.”
And it wouldn’t be a Casey Donahew album without some redneck good-time fun in the vein of the fan-favorite “Double Wide Dream” on “Luckiest Guy.” “That’s me all the way,” says Donahew about penning the fun-filled track. “I feel like I have to write one of those songs every so often. I like to write a white trash, redneck anthem…you know my people! Everyone loves those, and I think it’s fun to write these songs and try to be clever and come up with new twists and turns and to just write them better is always my goal when I get in the groove of writing the anthem-type song. There are only so many ways to say these things, so to create a new story, a new idea based in the trailer community is always a challenge,” he adds, laughing.
He also tips his hat to his avid cowboy fanbase on the story song “Tommy Barrett,” which has already struck a chord with his fans and is in the same vein as “Josie Escalido” from his ALL NIGHT PARTY album. The track is evidence of Donahew’s undeniable knack for telling a compelling, three-minute story, and he feels there aren’t enough of them written in today’s cross-genre, pop-country world.
“That song is probably the most asked-about and requested since I put a teaser out about the album,” admits Donahew. “It’s a cowboy story, and I’ve written several, but it’s kind of like a “Red Headed Stranger” type song, and in my mind when I write those songs it kind of plays out like a movie. It’s one of those ones that everyone that hears it, I get requests from cowboys and the cowboy community all the time…people love those songs and miss them, and there aren’t enough cowboys writing those songs. So it’s good to put them out and take people back to the glory days when these songs were the norm. There aren’t as many people living that life now, and there’s no room on the radio for songs like this, and in today’s universe it’s not a radio hit, but if somebody put this out in1975, it’s probably a No.1 and they probably would’ve made the movie.”
The movie and TV industry has actually taken notice of Donahew’s talent plenty of times over the past few years. He’s had several songs in the popular “Yellowstone” TV drama, and one in the Taylor Sheridan drama “Tulsa King” as well, along with a cut in the 2022 B.J. Novak/Ashton Kutcher film “Vengeance.” The projects are just another outlet for the hardworking singer/songwriter, who continues touring around the country to sellout crowds as well. He finds at 20 plus-years in, the things that continue to carry him through and sustain him are the same things that brought him to the dance in the first place – hard work and dedication to his craft.
“I think I’ve evolved a little bit over time with my writing,” he admits. “I put more thought into it, which may be a detriment sometimes…I’ve had discussions with other artists about that. Sometimes I think I’m trying to be too clever, and I have to remind myself it’s OK to be dumb sometimes and put out something fun -- don’t overthink it. There’s some stuff I did on this record that’s a little outside of my normal, and I just wrote a couple of songs that I thought were a different vibe, and maybe that’s just influenced by life or what I’m listening to, but I think you just get better at it. You do anything for 20 years, hopefully you get better at it… you should, or I don’t know what you’re doing with your free time,” says Donahew, laughing.
songwriter • okie
New Album "Roadrunner!" out now! ????
“Crossing Lines” album out now!
“It ain’t black or white, babe; it’s all the greys between,” Shane Smith sings in “The Greys Between,” the first single from Norther. On the surface, it’s a cinematic love song about a relationship’s twists and turns, punctuated by slide guitar, Appalachian fiddle, and sharp storytelling. Take a deeper listen to Shane Smith and the Saints’ fourth studio album, though, and those words also sound like the motto of a band that’s spent the past decade blurring the lines between genres.
Norther is anything but monochromatic. Written and recorded during breaks in the band’s touring schedule, the album captures Shane Smith and the Saints at their most colorful, offering up a hard-hitting version of American roots music that’s influenced by country, folk, and roadhouse rock & roll. It’s a sound that’s been shaped by the road, where the Saints spent the past decade on tour, building a cult audience with each gig. Those years of raw, redemptive performances are now paying off — not only with headlining concerts at bucket-list venues like Red Rocks Amphitheater (which the group sold out in 36 hours) and the Ryman Auditorium, but also with an appearance on the hit TV show Yellowstone, where the Saints premiered Norther‘s final track, “Fire in the Ocean,” with an onscreen performance.
“If you spend 10 years playing dive bars and small clubs almost every single night, and you go to the merch booth after every show and hang out with the fans until the staff literally kicks you out, you get to turn those fans into friends,” says Smith, who grew up in Terrell, Texas, before launching his band in Austin. “That’s how we built this thing. We’ve done as many as 240 shows in a single year. We’ve worked so hard to get there, and that hard work has created a beautiful, meaningful audience.”
Beautiful, indeed. Named after the northern winds that blow across Texas during the winter, Norther begins with the haunting “Book of Joe.” Bennett Brown’s fiddle gives the song plenty of orchestral atmosphere, Dustin Schaefer’s electric guitar adds anthemic punch, and Zach Stover’s percussion — which builds toward a pummeling finish, locking in with Chase Satterwhite’s bass along the way — rolls like thunder. At the center of that sound is Smith’s voice: a husky baritone that’s been textured by countless gigs in smoky bars and loud dance halls. It’s a gorgeously raw instrument, caught halfway between tender and tough, and it’s there — somewhere in the middle — that the Saints shine their brightest.
“IT AIN’T BLACK OR WHITE, BABE; IT’S ALL THE GREYS BETWEEN,”
“When you’re in a band like ours, everyone gets their turn to play their music in the van,” Smith explains. “Bennett grew up listening to Appalachian and Celtic-inspired folk and bluegrass music, and you can hear that in the way he plays fiddle. Dustin grew up loving classic rock. When I met my wife, she introduced me to music like Arcade Fire, Alberta Cross, and First Aid Kit — bands that I’d categorize as cinematic folk or cinematic indie-rock — and that had a massive impact on my writing, too. Everybody in this band has their own influences, and we’ve spent years together, letting our sound evolve into something really unique.”
That sound began evolving onstage. Thanks to early albums like 2013’s Coast and 2015’s Geronimo, Shane Smith and the Saints became a popular act in Austin, regularly cutting their teeth with marathon gigs at venues like The Stage On Sixth. “We’d do four-hour sets, sometimes back-to-back, meaning we’d be onstage for eight hours,” Smith remembers. “It taught us to grow tighter as a band, experiment with our sound, and find our identity.”
Released in 2019, Hail Mary introduced the band’s current lineup, as well as a heavier sound that separated the Saints from other Texas acts. It wasn’t rock & roll. It wasn’t country, either. It was everything that connected those genres, glued together by the camaraderie of a road-tested band that built its audience the old-school way: by hitting the stage and winning over the crowd, song after song, night after night.
Norther builds upon that singular sound while also highlighting the bandmates’ road-warrior chops. “We’d be on the road doing shows, and there would be a 48-hour gap where we’d fly into Dallas and try to record everything we possibly could, then fly right back to wherever the bus was,” says Smith, who tapped producer Beau Bedford to helm the album. “It was like that for the entirety of the recording process.” The result is an album that’s filled with all the electricity and eclecticism of the Saints’ live show. For the band’s country-loving fans, there’s “1000 Wild Horses,” which barrels forward at a rootsy gallop. For rock fans, there’s “Fire in the Sky,” which makes room for fiery fretwork and a massive chorus. For those looking to slow dance, there’s “All the Way,” a threadbare piano ballad captured live in the studio, imperfections and all. “Norther has little bit of everything,” Smith says proudly. “It’s not a one-sided album. It’s got every single element of what makes up our sound right now.”
For an independent band like Shane Smith and the Saints, the work is never done. “It’s like you can’t help but feel like you’ve paid your dues to get to a certain spot, but once you get there, you realize you’re just starting to touch the surface of the bigger picture,” Smith admits. “At the end of the day, it still feels like we’re getting discovered. But maybe that’s what it’s all about.” Norther is the soundtrack to that discovery. It’s the sound of a band pushing its limits, broadening its reach, and expanding its audience.
A fun party on the ocean with your favorite artist playing live music you can dance to. A memorable Sunset Music Sail like no other. This is a Package Perk event including food and drink. Departing from 245 Front St.
Johnny Mullenax, a 27-year-old Tulsa native, grew up in a musical family. He started playing the guitar at age 5, when his mom Janey, who played in a 50’s rock-and-roll cover band, put him on stage to play the Star-Spangled Banner at a 4th of July show. In his teens, he followed his family to the Walnut Valley Festival and Flat-Picking Championship in Winfield, Kansas. In typical Johnny fashion, he showed up with just a guitar and ended up sleeping in a standup base case.
While attending an arts magnet high school in Tulsa, Johnny met other kids from musical families, who he still regularly plays with. They started a jazz band that played a local BBQ joint every Friday night. At 18, he used a friend’s ID to get into a club where he was part of a live hip hop band backing rappers. According to Johnny, “Life is too short to play one style of music, and if you have an opportunity to cut your teeth on something else, then you should give it a shot.”
Claiming wide-ranging influences from AC/DC and The Ramones to John Coltrane and Parliament, Johnny’s style is reminiscent of Billy Strings—a sound he calls a funky country bluegrass good time for working folks.
Before COVID, Johnny went out on the road with fellow Okie TJ McFarland (Tennessee Jet) and started connecting to a network of other touring musicians. He always wanted to start his own project, and after playing as a sideman for five years with several bands, he finally took that leap.
Johnny started a Sunday Bluegrass Brunch residency at Tulsa’s famed Mercury Lounge in January 2021, and it has become a beacon for musicians and fans alike. It’s an amalgam of bluegrass standards, jam band vibes, and a showcase of musicianship from Mullenax’s regular sidemen: flatpicking champion, Thomas Trapp; Jason Boland & The Stragglers drummer, Jake Lynn; and hired gun on upright bass, Paul Wilkes. He’s regularly joined by former and current members of Jason Boland & The Stragglers, Roger Ray on dobro and Andrew Bair on keys. A host of fiddle, pedal steel, clarinet, washboard and even spoons players sit in weekly, and during the second set he brings up musician friends in the audience to step in or sing a tune of their own . Fans flock to “Team Drink”—a toast Johnny repeats during the show with the reminder, “We’re all on the same team.” Another highlight of Brunch is when Johnny and Thomas go “hole to hole,” an improvised guitar face-off that’s more collaborative than competitive. And that’s really what Johnny’s music is all about.
“My whole musical career, I have wanted to study music. Everyone I play with has also studied a lot of music. That’s the draw for everyone who plays in the band--we’re bringing the heat every single time.” said Mullenax.
Just know this. If you come to a show, everyone who wants to get down is welcome and included. And you better be ready to party.
Born and raised in the Bama clay, these boys are as southern as they come. Taught how to bend a string and break a heart by Skynyrd and Hank, brothers James and Frank Ford along with their hometown friends Andrew Davis and Ben Crain formed the southern rock band known as Them Dirty Roses. Piling into an RV with their belongings, their instruments, and all the whiskey they could carry (in the cooler), they made their way from Gadsden, AL to Nashville, TN. All living all under one roof, Them Dirty Roses are a living example of the quintessential rock and roll American Dream. Their live show calls for a shot of whiskey and a 2 for 1 special -- BUT what that really means is you better be ready to throw back 12 for 6 and shake it with Them Dirty Roses.
Vocals + Guitar / James Ford
Guitar / Andrew Davis
Bass / Ben Crain
Drums / Frank Ford
Cody Canada, Jeremy Plato and Eric Hansen.
“I’m a singer not a preacher, but these songs are my sermon,”
says Paul Cauthen. “We’re ripping each other apart out there, and
forgiveness and mercy are what’s going to get us through. I want
to use my voice the best I can to spread that message while I’m
here on this Earth.”
Somewhere between an EP and an album, Cauthen’s new seven-
track collection, ‘Have Mercy,’ is a stunning showcase of the pure
power of truth and love. Building off the success of ‘My Gospel,’
the Texas troubadour’s breakout debut, ‘Have Mercy’ pushes
Cauthen’s songwriting to new heights as he searches for common
ground and peace of mind in an increasingly polarized world.
Fueled by nearly two straight years of personal and artistic growth
on the road, the songs reflect a newfound maturity and creative
self-assurance. Cauthen’s rich, velvety baritone is still very much
the centerpiece here, but it’s the craftsmanship that dazzles more
than anything. ‘Have Mercy’ is the work of an artist who’s turned
his life over to the music, body and soul, and the rewards for his
devotion are undeniably on display throughout the record.
“I wanted to make an honest leap from ‘My Gospel’ to ‘Have
Mercy,’” Cauthen explains. “I wanted to elevate everything: the
songwriting, the sound, the live show, the look and the feel of it
all. I’ve given up everything for the music and I’ve grown stronger
because of it.”
While he’d already earned a reputation as a fierce and fiery
frontman from his days in the critically acclaimed band Sons of
Fathers, it wasn’t until the 2016 release of ‘My Gospel’ that
Cauthen truly tapped into the full depth of his prodigious talents.
Rolling Stone called the album “a triple-barreled blast of Texas
country, soul and holy-roller rockabilly delivered by a big-voiced
crooner,” while Vice Noisey dubbed it “a somber reminder of how
lucky we are to be alive,” and Texas Monthly raved that Cauthen
“sound[s] like the Highwaymen all rolled into one: he’s got Willie’s
phrasing, Johnny’s haggard quiver, Kristofferson’s knack for
storytelling, and Waylon’s baritone.” The album landed on a slew
of Best Of lists at the year’s end and earned Cauthen dates with
Elle King, Margo Price, Billy Joe Shaver, and Cody Jinks along
with festival appearances from Austin City Limits and Pickathon to
Stagecoach and Tumbleweed.
It was during those relentless months of touring that Cauthen first
began to explore the songs that make up ‘Have Mercy.’
“A lot of these songs are tunes we’ve been playing live and fans
have been asking about for a while,” says Cauthen. “They’re
showstoppers when we play them out on the road, and I believe
the whole purpose of putting out a record is so that people can
have a little bit of that concert experience back at home.”
To that end, Cauthen and producer Beau Bedford recorded the
album as live as possible at Modern Electric in Dallas, capturing
all the raucous passion of the stage without sacrificing any of the
nuance and sophistication the songwriting demanded. Fortified by
contributions from The Texas Gentlemen, a 21st century Wrecking
Crew of all-star musicians that’s backed everyone from Leon
Bridges to Kris Kristofferson, the album is a plea for kindness and
grace, both internally and externally. As easy as it is to hear these
songs as an appeal for compassion from his fellow man, there are
moments when it’s clear that Cauthen is singing as much to
himself as anyone else, a reminder that love and forgiveness
aren’t just for our brothers and sisters, but also for the faces
staring back at us in the mirror.
“I’ve done a lot of reflection lately,” Cauthen says. “I’ve brought
meditation into my life, and I’ve slowed my roll a bit. I’ve started to
pull back on the reigns when it comes to living hard out there on
the road. I love my band and I’m thankful to be where I’m at as a
writer, and I think these songs really reflect that.”
The collection opens with the ominous chain gang percussion of
“Everybody Walking This Land,” a righteous tune that thunders
with the authority of God handing down the Ten Commandments.
In a booming, half-spoken/half-sung drawl, Cauthen rattles off a
list of all the things that divide us, insisting that they mean nothing
compared to the humanity that we share. “Lord we pray we make
it through the day,” he sings, “all you mothers, you brothers, you
sisters, you fathers, believers, pretenders, bonafide sinners,
everybody walking this land.”
“That song just means everything to me,” Cauthen explains.
“Beau and I wrote it like two maniacs drinking coffee and pulling
out our hair around a Steinway piano, laughing about doing the
Lord’s work.”
Despite the album’s sometimes-heavy themes, that underlying
sense of levity and brotherhood is the lifeblood of the collection.
Cauthen never loses sight of the sheer joy he derives from
playing music, and through all the ups and downs, he recognizes
that good times are hollow if you can’t share them with the ones
you love. On the funky “Resignation,” he learns to appreciate the
present by letting go of his struggles and joining his pals for a
drink at the bar, while the playful Jerry Reed-meets-Elvis Presley
shuffle of “My Cadillac” finds bliss in the simplicity of joyriding with
friends, and the epic, horn-and-string laden “In Love With A Fool”
pays tribute to the partners who keep the home fires burning while
their lovers are out chasing dreams on the road.
Cauthen writes with a unique blend of Biblical and modern
vernacular, a style he likely picked up from his preacher
grandfather. “Have Mercy” lands like a secular hymn for a country
still coming to terms with the deep wounds of its bloody past and
divided present, while ‘Lil Son’ lifts straight from generations of
family teachings.
“That song is a message from my granddad,” Cauthen explains.
“The lyrics come from riding around with him in his jeep when I
was a kid, just listening to his instructions and learning from his
morality.”
As Cauthen says, he’s ultimately a singer not a preacher, and the
songs on ‘Have Mercy’ cut across cultures and creeds, speaking
to truths that are bigger than any particular faith. The music is
timeless, the themes universal. Whether you believe in the next
life or not, our days are numbered, and Paul Cauthen’s here to
remind us that a little love goes a long way.
“When I’m gone,” he concludes, “I hope that someday somebody
picks up one of my records and says, ‘This guy was a hard
worker. He honored the songs, he honored the music, and most
of all, he honored his listeners.’ That’s the legacy I want to leave
behind.”
Oklahoma singer songwriter and host of VIIDR - Seventh Day Rebellion
from New Braunfels, Texas
“I knew I would meet my demons in prison and that one of us would die. I just didn’t know which one of us would walk out of there alive.”
For most of us, these would be very sobering thoughts, the kind of thoughts that would scare a person straight and ready them for battle. But for JD Graham, well, his passion for long-lived self-destruction outweighed any fear he might have had right before the cell bars slammed shut. His 25-year long drug addiction was an ironclad “shelter” he could take with him anywhere…or so he thought. Those demons that he would, in fact, meet wore many different faces and he came to recognize each one as soon as it reared its ugly head. It didn’t take long for Graham to realize during that waged war that there was another force fighting alongside him, and that he was going to slay them all. “My faith is what got me sober and keeps me sober. I was raised in a Christian church and I was always a
believer, I just never surrendered. I was disciplined in the dark, not the light. Now, I have reprogrammed my brain on how I see life. I have healthy boundaries and an accurate moral inventory I take each day. That’s what God and prison did for me.”
Graham grew up in Yukon, Oklahoma where he spent the first 30 years of his life developing his skills in hostility and perfected duplicity. An anxiety disorder at the age of 11 introduced him to the wonderful world of drugs when he was prescribed valium, and by age 15 he was raiding every medicine cabinet he could find. By 18 he was a bona fide seller skilled in the art of harvesting multiple doctor prescriptions, and in the scientific breakdown of exactly how much drugs his body could take each day. By young adulthood Graham was deep into his addiction as well as his angst, which he showcased through reckless living and slinging guitar in several death metal bands. In 2010 he morphed into a more southern rock sound with his band Sour Diesel Train Wreck and released an album in 2012 to some national success and shared stages with Reckless Kelly, Stoney Larue, Cody Canada and The Departed, Jason Boland, Turnpike Troubadours, Shooter Jennings and Molly Hatchet. In true coming of age fashion, Graham met some new people and started going to shows and open mics. His introduction to bands/artists like Cross Canadian Ragweed, Brandon Jenkins and Jason Isbell started to calm the waters a bit by the sheer impact of the truth in their writing. Their willingness to lyrically “bare the soul” hit Graham deep, and that influence mixed with a lifetime of much needed confession cast its spell, and his inner songwriter was born. In 2007 Graham relocated to Arizona, and 10 years later a catastrophic car accident dealt him a 5-year prison sentence and a last chance to salvage his soul. Still the loyal addict, he pursued the score for drugs in the pen purchasing $500 in pills on his second day there, pills that were never delivered. Instead, Graham was delivered when some church folks visited him in his cell to ask about his music. He resolutely acknowledged that God was most definitely at work in his life, and at that point he made a decision to stop drugs forever. With only his refection staring back at him in a dark cell and his mind uncluttered for the first time in 25 years, Graham’s long burdened conscience began to speak, and by the time those confessions all had their say he had written 160 songs. His first ever sober writings, Graham made history at the Arizona State Prison when he was allowed to record his first album “Razor Wire Sunrise.” The title-track was the first song he wrote in prison inspired by the view from his cell each morning and all the decisions that got him there. By the time Graham walked out a free man 5 years later, he had left behind a deep impact on the community there in the form of a very successful music program he started that is still being taught today. With an actual curriculum and over $20,000 in donations, the program sparked a year and a half waiting list for classes.
“I saw all this prison programming and cognitive behavior programs, but it wasn’t working to change people’s lives. When I started teaching music, I saw many of those guys find a sense of purpose. I saw music get guys off drugs and change their entire approach to their daily lives. Guys who walked around with their
heads down not talking to anyone were now walking around with a smile and expressing themselves through music. Music is power. It forces you to get in touch with yourself because it’s so damn honest. I made life-long friends with a few chords on a guitar.”
In 2023, JD Graham officially entered his name into the songwriting annals with the release of his new album “Pound Of Rust” on June 23rd. Recorded at the Skinny Elephant in East Nashville and produced by Neilson Hubbard (Glen Phillips, Mary Gauthier, Kim Richey, Ben Glover, Amy Speace)
and acclaimed songwriter Ryan Culwell, this spacious group of songs are the uninhibited testimony of a man with nothing left to lose. No bells and whistles, just Graham and his guitar, the album’s atmosphere is as raw as its telling captured in a live performance setting. The title-track is the hard taskmaster to which all the other songs fall into line. It’s a beast of a story that stares you down until you come to terms with your own accountability. The songs that follow are echoes of a well-worn soul who fought to have the right to see possibilities and experience reverence. Song after song the listener is seized and silenced as the weight of Graham’s sincerity welcomes you into this hallowed chamber. JD is what you call a songwriter’s songwriter, a man who keeps a crowd hanging on his every word. “Pound Of Rust” is an actual lifetime in the making, and it encapsulates the full culmination of the man who stands before you today. JD continues to put his faith and trust in God and live life on life’s terms. He continues his path fueled by faith, redemption and sobriety, writing poignant songs about his journey both past and present.
His 2023 release “A Pound of Rust” propelled him to the national touring circuit, performing in intimate listening rooms, songwriter festivals and beyond, with appearances at Mile 0 Festival & Born and Raised Festival. In July 2024 Graham released his follow up album “Sergeant of Sorrow” and continues to tour heavily in the USA and beyond.
“My brother asked me what the goal was with my music and I told him connection, whether that was talking to someone struggling on a barstool after a show or telling my story through a song to a crowd of people and reaching a stranger’s heart. Human connection is all I want; I think it’s why we are all here"
Johnny Mullenax, a 27-year-old Tulsa native, grew up in a musical family. He started playing the guitar at age 5, when his mom Janey, who played in a 50’s rock-and-roll cover band, put him on stage to play the Star-Spangled Banner at a 4th of July show. In his teens, he followed his family to the Walnut Valley Festival and Flat-Picking Championship in Winfield, Kansas. In typical Johnny fashion, he showed up with just a guitar and ended up sleeping in a standup base case.
While attending an arts magnet high school in Tulsa, Johnny met other kids from musical families, who he still regularly plays with. They started a jazz band that played a local BBQ joint every Friday night. At 18, he used a friend’s ID to get into a club where he was part of a live hip hop band backing rappers. According to Johnny, “Life is too short to play one style of music, and if you have an opportunity to cut your teeth on something else, then you should give it a shot.”
Claiming wide-ranging influences from AC/DC and The Ramones to John Coltrane and Parliament, Johnny’s style is reminiscent of Billy Strings—a sound he calls a funky country bluegrass good time for working folks.
Before COVID, Johnny went out on the road with fellow Okie TJ McFarland (Tennessee Jet) and started connecting to a network of other touring musicians. He always wanted to start his own project, and after playing as a sideman for five years with several bands, he finally took that leap.
Johnny started a Sunday Bluegrass Brunch residency at Tulsa’s famed Mercury Lounge in January 2021, and it has become a beacon for musicians and fans alike. It’s an amalgam of bluegrass standards, jam band vibes, and a showcase of musicianship from Mullenax’s regular sidemen: flatpicking champion, Thomas Trapp; Jason Boland & The Stragglers drummer, Jake Lynn; and hired gun on upright bass, Paul Wilkes. He’s regularly joined by former and current members of Jason Boland & The Stragglers, Roger Ray on dobro and Andrew Bair on keys. A host of fiddle, pedal steel, clarinet, washboard and even spoons players sit in weekly, and during the second set he brings up musician friends in the audience to step in or sing a tune of their own . Fans flock to “Team Drink”—a toast Johnny repeats during the show with the reminder, “We’re all on the same team.” Another highlight of Brunch is when Johnny and Thomas go “hole to hole,” an improvised guitar face-off that’s more collaborative than competitive. And that’s really what Johnny’s music is all about.
“My whole musical career, I have wanted to study music. Everyone I play with has also studied a lot of music. That’s the draw for everyone who plays in the band--we’re bringing the heat every single time.” said Mullenax.
Just know this. If you come to a show, everyone who wants to get down is welcome and included. And you better be ready to party.
Leon Majcen is a musician whose story is one of resilience and determination. He grew up on the Gulf Coast of Florida, the son of Bosnian war refugees who had fled their homeland in search of a better life for their children. From a young age, Leon was drawn to the power of storytelling through music, particularly the work of artists like Townes Van Zandt, John Prine, Bob Dylan, and Guy Clark.
Leon began playing in local bars while still in high school, honing his craft and building a loyal following. After graduating, he decided to pursue his passion for music in New York City, while attending college at New York University and playing shows around town. After a while, Leon came to the realization that the hustle and bustle of the city wasn't where his heart was at.
He returned home to Florida and took a job at a commercial fishing dock, filleting and packing fish while he planned his next move. And that move was to Nashville, where Leon hoped to make his mark as a singer-songwriter. Since arriving in Nashville, Leon has continued to develop his unique blend of Americana, folk, and country music, drawing on his experiences and his love of the outdoors to craft songs that are both poignant and powerful. With his heartfelt lyrics, soulful voice, and deft guitar work, Leon has built a strong following in Music City and beyond.
He released his self-titled album on May 31st. Loaded up with a guitar and a couple fly rods, Leon travels around the country sharing his songs and stories, looking for the next great fishing spot along the way.
Hailing from Coweta, Oklahoma, Emily Hollingshed has enchanted audiences with her soulful voice since childhood. Raised in a musical family, she began performing at local events like Coweta’s Fall Festival and in church, showcasing her natural talent early on.
At 16, Emily started playing acoustic sets across Oklahoma and beyond, quickly gaining recognition. Her second-place finish in a Battle of the Bands at Tumbleweeds in Stillwater earned her a spot at the Calf Fry Festival, sharing stages with artists like Dylan Wheeler and Treaty Oak Revival.
In 2024, Emily’s career soared with performances at Ft. Gibson’s Bicentennial Festival, Wagoner Summer Fest, and the Rogers County Fair. She organized “Homegrown” in Coweta to spotlight local talent and recorded her debut album of original songs at Tulsa’s iconic Church Studio, capturing the raw energy of her live shows. A standout performance at Cain’s Ballroom closed the year on a high note.
In 2025, Emily solidified her rising status with major milestones. She opened for Tanner Usrey at Tumbleweeds, joined the Boys from Oklahoma events for Cross Canadian Ragweed’s comeback, and headlined her first show at The Vanguard in Tulsa. She performed at the Caney Live Festival with Jason Boland, the BOK Center street party for the Zach Top/Dierks Bentley tour, and festivals like Country Drive Live, Tontitown Grape, and the prestigious Born and Raised Festival alongside Wade Bowen, Tanner Usrey, Jamey Johnson, Blackberry Smoke, Cody Jinks, Casey Donahew, Braxton Keith, Hudson Westbrook, Gavin Adcock, Randy Rogers Band, and Parker McCollum. She also supported Parker Ryan at the East Texas State Fair. Emily’s single “Drunk Call,” recorded in 2025, was warmly received, boasting strong streaming numbers and boosting her music and social media following significantly. Emily has also secured a spot at the renowned Mile 0 Fest in Key West in January 2026, marking a defining moment in her career.
Emily Hollingshed is a proud ambassador of Oklahoma’s music scene, known for her authentic songwriting, heartfelt performances, and deep roots.
“The Rangers always have epitomized and expanded on the Oklahoma red dirt sound – the elusive stew of country, folk, and whatever else is laying around…”
— Thomas Conner, Tulsa World
Doors Open at Noon
King Margo is a magnetic alt-country/Americana act based in Nashville, TN. The heart of the group is duo Lucciana Costa and Rachel Coats. King Margo has been on the scene for years as a reputable source for musicianship and sharp songwriting craft. Their album “Waters Rise” is filled with what Saving Country Music proclaims as “interesting and curious textures throughout, unique and unexpected approaches to songs, and inspired songwriting graced by soaring performances.” The girls can often be found on the road supporting Gabe Lee, Susan Werner and Jason Eady, among others. King Margo is a road-tested band through and through, and they are known for putting on high-energy shows complimented by thoughtful songwriting.
They have played The Grand Ole Opry, Cayamo, WinterFest, Mile of Music, Pickathon and countless other venues and festivals. They released their 2022 album Waters Rise to critical acclaim, and their song “Dishes Ain’t Done” remained on Spotify’s Indigo playlist for multiple weeks. They have been placed on several editorial playlists on Spotify, Apple and Tidal, and in 2024 two of their songs were placed in two upcoming films. They are constantly writing, releasing new singles, and performing on the road. King Margo has proven to be a band that can stand the test of time in an ever-changing industry.
Lance Roark brings an unmistakable energy to the stage, weaving together hard-hitting rhythms, a voice that captivates, and lyrics that cut to the heart of everyday life’s beauty, joy, and heartache. Staying true to his deep bluegrass and country roots, Roark boldly ventures into the realm of electrifying country rock, creating a unique fusion that resonates with fans across genres. His sound? A perfect storm of twang, grit, and soul.
In 2023, Lance made waves with his debut EP, Better Man, a powerful collection featuring collaborations with RC Edwards and Hank Early of Turnpike Troubadours. The EP not only introduced his distinctive style but also set the stage for a whirlwind year of sold-out shows across the United States. From there, he hit the road with the likes of Koe Wetzel, Turnpike Troubadours, Tanner Usrey, William Beckmann, and Jason Boland & the Stragglers. His songwriting talents caught even more attention with a co-write on Turnpike Troubadours’ hit single, "Chipping Mill."
2025 has been nothing short of explosive for Roark. He’s graced the stage at the Dancing Turtle Arts Festival and is sharing bills with the Turnpike Troubadours and The Castellows on tour. And if that wasn’t enough, Lance is gearing up to release his debut album Bad Reputation.
Off the back of his 2024 EP Tenkiller, Lance is ready to follow up with an 11-track LP that marks a defining chapter in his musical journey.
THERE’S A PECULIAR KIND OF HUSH BEFORE THE ROAR RETURNS — AND FOR PAUL MCDONALD, THE QUIET HAS LASTED FAR TOO LONG. ONCE THE GOLDEN BOY OF THE SOUTHERN CIRCUIT, THIS RAKISH TROUBADOUR WITH A RASP LIKE POLISHED GRAVEL CAUGHT FIRE IN THE PUBLIC EYE DURING AMERICAN IDOL’S 2011 RUN, FLASHING A CROOKED GRIN AND A WARDROBE BORN OF VELVET THRIFT. BUT THE BRIGHT LIGHTS BLURRED, THE CAMERAS TURNED, AND THE MAN BEHIND THE VOICE SLIPPED INTO THE SHADOWS — WHERE HE DID WHAT REAL ARTISTS DO: HE LIVED, HE LOST, AND HE WROTE.
BORN IN ALABAMA AND BAPTIZED IN THE DIVE BARS OF THE SOUTHEAST, MCDONALD FIRST MADE NOISE WITH THE GRAND MAGNOLIAS, A ROOTS-ROCK OUTFIT WITH GASOLINE IN ITS VEINS. POST-IDOL, HE CHASED SOMETHING SHINIER IN LOS ANGELES, PAIRED UP WITH HOLLYWOOD ACTRESS (YES, THAT NIKKI REED), AND DABBLED IN THE SORT OF SUN-DRENCHED POP ALCHEMY THAT NEVER QUITE FIT THE SOUL OF A MAN RAISED ON PETTY, PARSONS, AND PAIN. AFTER THE SPOTLIGHT SOURED, HE RETREATED TO NASHVILLE, THAT HOLY CITY OF REINVENTION, WHERE HE WENT UNDERGROUND FOR A WHILE — EMERGING TO JUMP ON A STAGE HERE AND THERE BEFORE STITCHING HIMSELF BACK TOGETHER WITH WORN BOOTS, HARD SONGS, AND A NEW BAND CALLED THE MOURNING DOVES.
NOW, IN 2025, THE GIANT HAS STIRRED. HIS NEW SINGLE, “DARK SIDE,” CRACKLES WITH THE URGENCY OF A MAN WHO’S SEEN HELL AND HUMS LIKE A RESURRECTION HYMN. BUT IT’S JUST ONE FLAME IN THE FIRE. THE FULL ALBUM — SO LONG TO THE DARK SIDE, ARRIVING THIS JULY — IS A GOSPEL-TINGED RECKONING WRAPPED IN COSMIC AMERICANA, LIT WITH SONGS THAT SOUND LIKE THEY WERE SCRIBBLED ON THE EDGE OF A BREAKDOWN AND SUNG BACK FROM THE BRINK. “UNWIND” GLOWS LIKE A FRONT-PORCH BENEDICTION ON LETTING GO OF THE GRIND AND GRABBING HOLD OF GRACE, WHILE “WHAT’S THE POINT?” DIVES HEADLONG INTO EXISTENTIAL FREEFALL, LANDING WITH THE ONLY ANSWER THAT MATTERS: LOVE. THE RECORD DOESN’T FLINCH FROM DARKNESS — BUT IT REFUSES TO LIVE THERE.
HE’S NOT CHASING TRENDS; PAUL MCDONALD IS CONJURING SOMETHING OLDER AND TRUER, BENDING AMERICANA INTO A SOUND THAT SWAYS LIKE GOSPEL AND HITS LIKE A TRAIN. HIS ONE BIG LOVE FESTIVAL HAS QUIETLY BECOME A NASHVILLE INSTITUTION, AND HIS LIVE SHOWS — EQUAL PARTS REVIVAL AND ROCK SÉANCE — PROVE THE MAN’S HEART BEATS LOUDER THAN EVER.
PAUL MCDONALD ISN’T A COMEBACK STORY. HE’S A CONTINUATION. A SLEEPING GIANT WHO’S FINALLY AWAKE — AND SINGING LOUDER THAN EVER.
Austin-based band The Droptines live wildly between the lines of Americana and rock and roll - what they dub alternative Americana. Newly signed to Big Loud Texas, the band make their label introduction with the release of "Take Too Much". The tune is driven by a vocal growl reminiscent of the The Droptines most pointed influences like rock heroes Springsteen and Tom Petty. Working with lauded producers and Big Loud Texas co-founder and president of A&R Jon Randall, the gritty band is prepping new music entrenched in the a southern vernacular - writing and performing the songs they want to hear most. Defined by a 'beatnik-like itinerary of a lost soul's activity" (Saving Country Music), The Droptines are currently on the road with Whiskey Myers ahead of billings at Lollapalooza, slots opening for Dwight Yoakum and a headlining run hitting iconic venues throughout the U.S. like West Hollywood's Troubadour.
Join your favorite artist on the water for an intimate musical experience. A truly unique listening room with an ocean breeze. This is a Package Perk event including food and drink. Departing from 205 Elizabeth St.
MAGGIE ANTONE'S VOICE HAS ALWAYS WON PEOPLE OVER. SINGING ALONG TO THE RADIO FROM HER CARSEAT, IT FIRST WON HER PARENTS OVER—ENOUGH SO THAT THEY SUPPORTED HER THROUGH VOICE LESSONS, MUSICAL THEATER, AND NATIONAL ANTHEM GIGS AROUND HER HOMETOWN OF RICHMOND. LATER, WITH HER RECORDING OF TYLER CHILDERS'S "LADY MAY," ANTONE'S VOICE WOULD WIN THE INTERNET OVER, TOO, GAINING SO MUCH PRAISE THAT SHE WOULD GO ON TO RELEASE AN ENTIRE COLLECTION OF COVERS, INTERPRETATIONS, THE FOLLOWING YEAR. BUT LATELY, THE FANS AT ANTONE’S PACKED-OUT GIGS ARE SINGING EVERY WORD TO HER SONGS: AFTER ALL, EVEN IF HER VOICE IS WHAT DRAWS YOU IN, IT'S THE VULNERABILITY OF HER SONGWRITING THAT WILL KEEP YOU COMING BACK.
ANTONE’S NEW ALBUM RHINESTONED OFFERS TEN SONGS WORTH OF COMPELLING EVIDENCE THAT THIS VIRGINIA NATIVE JUST MIGHT BE COUNTRY’S NEXT BIG THING. OUT NOW ON HER OWN LABEL, LOVE BIG, VIA THIRTY TIGERS, THE ALBUM ONLY BUILDS ON THE RUNAWAY SUCCESS OF HER DEBUT ORIGINAL SINGLE “SUBURBAN OUTLAW”—A SONG HOLLER PRAISED FOR "LYRICS THAT LAND LIKE ZIPPY TEEN MOVIE ONE-LINERS."
RAUCOUS, WITTY, AND IRRESISTIBLE, ALBUM OPENER "JOHNNY MOONSHINE" SHOWS OFF ANTONE’S FLARE FOR STORYTELLING ONE CROON-WORTHY DOUBLE ENTENDRE AT A TIME. ON THE TIMELESS "MESS WITH TEXAS," ANTONE LEANS INTO HER HONKY-TONK SENSIBILITIES, PLAYFULLY RECOUNTING THE EXES SHE COLLECTED ACROSS VARIOUS LOCALES BEFORE LANDING ON THE REAL THING IN THE LONE STAR STATE. AND STANDOUT TRACK "HIGH STANDARDS" CONTRASTS EVOCATIVE HARMONIES WITH BITING WORDPLAY, DELIVERING A BLUNT TELL-OFF TO A PRESUMPTUOUS STONER ON A LATE NIGHT GONE HAZY. THE CLEVER LYRICS AND CATCHY MELODIES MAKE FITTING VESSELS FOR ANTONE'S LARGER-THAN-LIFE CHARISMA AND NATURAL STAGE PRESENCE—QUALITIES SHE'S SHOWN OFF ON THE ROAD DURING GIGS WITH KAT HASTY, THE RED CLAY STRAYS AND 49 WINCHESTER AS WELL AS ON STAGES AT BONNAROO, BOURBON & BEYOND, AND FOXFIRE.
BUT FOR ALL THE HARD-PARTYING LYRICS AND SELF-DEPRECATING JOKES, ANTONE'S BIGGEST STRENGTH ON RHINESTONED MAY BE HER WILLINGNESS TO SHOW WEAKNESS. "I DON'T WRITE LOVE SONGS," SHE SINGS ON "EVERYONE BUT YOU," "'CAUSE I DON'T WANNA SING 'EM WHEN THE LOVE IS GONE." THE SLOW TEMPO OF "I DON'T WANNA HEAR ABOUT IT," A HEARTBREAKER THAT MOURNS A BREAKUP EVEN WHILE WISHING THE PERSON WELL, LAYS BARE ANTONE’S EMOTIONAL VOCALS. AND ANTONE IS PERHAPS HER MOST RAW ON THE CLOSING TRACK, "MEANT TO MEET," A SONG ABOUT THE VICES AND SHORTCOMINGS THAT CAN WRECK A RELATIONSHIP—EVEN ONE THAT FEELS FATED.
"WITH SITUATIONSHIPS AND SUCH NOWADAYS, IT FEELS LIKE NO ONE IS LOOKING FOR THE REAL THING ANYMORE," SHE SAYS. "THIS ALBUM, AND THAT SONG SPECIFICALLY, IS FOR THE PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T GET THE ‘I'M SORRY’ TEXT. I WANT IT TO BE CLOSURE FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED IT."
IN SOME WAYS, OPENING UP LIKE THIS COMES NATURALLY TO ANTONE; SHE'S BEEN WRITING SONGS SINCE SHE WAS 16. BUT SHE'S QUICK TO CREDIT HER COLLABORATORS IN THE STUDIO AND THE WRITING ROOM FOR THE WAY THEY'VE EMBRACED AND EMBOLDENED HER. WHILE SEVERAL SONGS WERE SOLO WRITING ENDEAVORS ("SUBURBAN OUTLAW," "ONE TOO MANY," “ME & JOSE CUERVO”), ANTONE LEANED INTO CO-WRITES: TRENT DABBS (INGRID MICHAELSON, KACEY MUSGRAVES), AARON RAITIERE (LADY GAGA, ASHLEY MCBRYDE), JILLIAN JACQUELINE (KEITH URBAN, LITTLE BIG TOWN), AND OTHERS ALL CONTRIBUTED.
WORKING WITH LONGTIME WRITING ROLE MODEL NATALIE HEMBY (THE HIGHWOMEN, MIRANDA LAMBERT) ON “JOHNNY MOONSHINE” WAS A PARTICULAR HIGH POINT: "NATALIE IS MY HERO," ANTONE SAYS. "SHE'S THE FIRST SONGWRITER THAT I EVER TRULY LOVED." AND FREQUENT WRITING PARTNER CARRIE K. (NOAH KAHAN, JESSIE MURPH, SUKI WATERHOUSE) HELPED BRING RHINESTONED TO LIFE ALONGSIDE ANTONE AS HER CO-PRODUCER. "WORKING WITH CARRIE,” ANTONE SAYS, “I FELT LIKE ALL MY THOUGHTS WERE SEEN.”
WHAT EMERGED IS A WORK THAT OFFERS ANTONE'S RASPY DRAWL SPACE TO SHINE AND HER BIG HEART ROOM TO HEAL. "SOMETIMES YOU DON'T HAVE THAT FULL LOVE STORY WHERE YOU MEET SOMEONE, YOU FALL IN LOVE, YOU DATE FOR A LONG TIME, YOU BREAK UP, AND THEN YOU'RE UPSET; SOMETIMES WE JUST HAVE THESE SHORT-LIVED LITTLE THINGS," SHE SAYS. "THIS ALBUM IS ABOUT A MILLION OF THOSE TEENY TINY LITTLE THINGS, ALL WRAPPED UP INTO ONE STORY. NO MATTER HOW BIG OR SMALL IT IS, WHEN YOU’VE GONE THROUGH SOMETHING AND YOU HURT, IT MATTERS."
Josh Grider & Drew Kennedy
With a decades-long commitment to his craft as a songwriter, Jason Eady has built a career on bringing his unique perspective to a variety of genres. Uninhibited by ties to one particular sound, Eady’s catalog showcases an affinity for telling authentic, forthright stories with his music, a quality that continues to bring new listeners to this veteran musician’s audience year after year.
Born in his most recent album’s namesake state, Mississippi finds Eady inspired, motivated but not bound by the success of his past; instead, Mississippi is yet another manifestation of what Eady does best – channeling truth into songs and a refusal to be boxed in by his previous work. His newest album, however, is not a seismic shift that rebukes the past; rather, Mississippi brings to the forefront hints of deep South-style blues that has always had a place in his sound.
“There was a groove based sound that I grew up with in Mississippi that has always
been a part of what I do, but with this record I wanted to bring that to the forefront. I think this record is the opposite side of the same coin I’ve always had, I just flipped it over.”
Mississippi’s critical praise situates it as yet another beloved album born out of Eady’s
nineteen year career. With nine full-length albums, Eady explores genre and form with mastery, complementing the Texas sound he’s perhaps best known for with forays where listeners can find him accompanied by bluegrass pickers or pedal steel. This versatility has earned Eady praise from contemporaries and critics alike, with NPR acknowledging Eady’s grassroots, nononsense approach to his craft by dubbing him “one of the most promising alt-country underdogs.”
This intentionality and fluidity is indicative of an artist at the top of his craft, bolstered by
critical success like 2021’s To the Passage of Time and 2018’s I Travel On but not reliant upon it; if Eady stands for anything, it’s the wholehearted pursuit of remaining loyal to himself without resting on his laurels, pushing himself as an artist and a storyteller.
“I have always had a ton of respect for artists who have experimented with and presented
different styles and genres while still maintaining a style of their own. I love that arc over a
career and how it keeps it interesting for the listener. I love that feeling of “what is he going to do next?”. Hopefully that same sense of excitement and anticipation stays alive in my music as well.”
John Fullbright — “The Liar”
By Becky Carman
“If you can’t say it, you don’t have to,” sings John Fullbright on “Bearden 1645,” the opening track to his record “The Liar.”
The song details Fullbright finding refuge in playing the piano, starting as a child and still today. For fans, it may feel like a bit of a rebuttal to “Happy,” the opener from 2014’s “Songs,” one of several in his repertoire that speak explicitly about mining one’s angst in order to make music. In that way, “Bearden 1645” is also a firm nod to the fourth wall: Fullbright knows you’re thinking about his songwriting. He is, too…but not quite the way he was before.
The public at-large hasn’t heard much from him since the critically lauded “Songs,” a chasm of eight years that seemed unthinkable for an artist with so much hype surrounding his early career. Why did it take so long?
“Honestly, I don’t know, and that’s been the scariest question to think about and the hardest one to answer,” Fullbright said.
Maybe it was a tacit rejection of mounting industry pressure, mixed with a little fear. Or maybe it was the adjustment to a massive upheaval of his way of life. Whether we bore witness or not, it’s been a critical period of change for Fullbright, now in his 30s. Since his last release, he moved out of rural Oklahoma—the aforementioned Bearden has a population of about 130 people—to Tulsa. Once there, he worked to build a place for himself in the context of an established and vibrant musical coterie, performing often as both a bandleader and, more curiously, a sideman: storied loner John Fullbright lugging a piano from this small stage to that one with an uncharacteristic looseness.
“It’s been a process of learning how to be in a community of musicians and less focusing on the lone, depressed songwriter…just playing something that has a beat and is really fun,” Fullbright said. “That’s not to say there are no songs on this record where I depart from that, because there are, but there’s also a band with an opinion. And that part is new to me.”
“The Liar” was recorded at Steve and Charlene Ripley’s farm-to-studio compound in northeastern Oklahoma. After Steve’s passing, Charlene flirted with the idea of selling the studio property, so Fullbright mobilized quickly to ensure he was able to record there before it changed hands. He threw together a band made up of, as Fullbright calls them, “the usual suspects.” Anyone fleetingly familiar with Oklahoma music will recognize the roster, which includes Jesse Aycock, Aaron Boehler, Paul Wilkes, Stephen Lee, and Paddy Ryan, all of whom are in more bands than seems possible. Along with a few more friends stopping in to lay down takes, they finished the songs and tracked the album with engineer Jason Weinheimer in a whirlwind four days.
“It was such a collaborative thing with some really cool voices,” Fullbright said, expressing surprise at the ease of the process. “It’s just like playing music in Tulsa. Everybody kind of does whatever they do, and it works.”
The grab-and-go momentum landed Fullbright in the studio with some old songs (“Unlocked Doors” also appeared on 2009’s “Live at the Blue Door”), some new, and some unfinished, making his newfound trust in musical collaboration essential to the arrangements and reflected fully on the final album. “The Liar,” as a result, utilizes emotional and instrumental dynamics in ways Fullbright hasn’t allowed himself to explore fully before. There’s a noticeable slack here, an indulgent instrumental break there, and the general feeling that the tight-lipped John Fullbright who agonized over the writing process and then hesitated to talk about the meanings behind his songs in the past has eased up.
“What rules didn’t I have?” Fullbright says about his former songwriting self. “Even like, how many syllables were in a line, I had arbitrary rules for. So much of that has gone out the door, and I’m so much happier. It’s really just the idea that you don’t have to do this by yourself. It’s so much more fun to collaborate.”
“Paranoid Heart” starts out as a plaintive little folk song and explodes into a memorable, Petty-esque rocker bolstered by drummer Paddy Ryan and Jesse Aycock’s just-unhinged-enough slide guitar solo. The cutesy, resolute instrumentation “Social Skills” pairs deeply funny lyrics with a staccato distress in Fullbright’s vocals that raises a confusion only masterful writers can employ: you can’t tell if you’re supposed to laugh.
Fullbright highlights the high-low of “Safe to Say” as a favorite album moment, where what starts as a bluesy love song stretches its crescendo over a full five minutes, ending with everyone in the studio singing as a choir over an increasingly desperate confession of love.
And then there’s the title track. In “The Liar,” we find Fullbright talking to God, again. It’s the soft landing of his lifelong struggle with the concept of God, of accepting tenets of Christianity without believing in its central figure.
“I don’t pray, and I don’t hang my philosophical hat on the idea of God,” Fullbright said. “But I was raised with it and had to get away from it.”
He explored this notably in 2012’s “Gawd Above,” where the vengeful title character exacts terror and salvation in equal measure. “Give ‘em wine and song, fire and lust / When it all goes wrong, I’m the man to trust,” Fullbright sang.
In “The Liar,” the power dynamic has shifted. “God, grant me whiskey,” Fullbright sings, “and I promise I’ll be good.” It’s all done with a wink and a nod, less like a prayer and more like a request of Billy Joel’s “Piano Man.”
The sentiment is real, but the words are false. He’s still telling essential truths, which was always his gift, but this time they’re a little more slant. Maybe lying to tell the truth was always the songwriting target. Maybe throwing out some of the rules is what got him there. So is Fullbright, as a songwriter, a liar in his own estimation?
“What I love about songwriting is you’re the hero in your own story, most of the time, and I think that’s very human,” he said. “But short answer: yes.”
Raised on classic country and the blues, Julianna Rankin finds herself influenced by a spectrum of artists ranging from Keith Whitley, Bobbie Gentry and Waylon Jennings to Bonnie Raitt, Carole King and James Taylor. Her journey into the industry began in 2018, when she took a headfirst dive towards discovering her artistry while attending Texas A&M University. Since then, Julianna has made her home in New Braunfels, TX, to which she credits a strong circle of talented musicians and local collaboration for recent successes. In the past year, the young singer-songwriter has found herself opening for artists such as Robert Earl Keen, Stoney LaRue, Randall King, Django Walker, Adam Hood, Jason Eady, William Beckmann, Midnight River Choir and more. With her strong vocals and soul-penetrating lyrics, Julianna demands attention from the growing audiences that are lucky enough to catch her sets.
TRUE RED DIRT ROCK
The Smokin' Oaks are a 4-piece band from Yukon, Oklahoma who started in early 2023. Starting at a young age, relatives of Grady Cross (Cross Canadian Ragweed) Slaid Cross (Lead Guitar) and Colton Blake (Vocals & rhythm guitar) joined together with Noah Morris (Drums & Percussion), and Conner Pattison (Bass guitar), and have been dreaming big and working hard to build the foundation of something great. The band shares influences such as Cross Canadian Ragweed, Austin Meade, and Southall. The rock group has released four singles, the most popular being “Call Me Demented”. They range from the heavy, grunge lyrics of “Please Accept Me”, to the lighthearted, twangy groove of “Weed”. With plenty more on the way, The Smokin’ Oaks have shared the stage with acts such as Stoney Larue, Gannon Femin and CCREV, and Sterling Elza, and have put together a headbangin’ show for anyone to enjoy.
Born and raised in the Bama clay, these boys are as southern as they come. Taught how to bend a string and break a heart by Skynyrd and Hank, brothers James and Frank Ford along with their hometown friends Andrew Davis and Ben Crain formed the southern rock band known as Them Dirty Roses. Piling into an RV with their belongings, their instruments, and all the whiskey they could carry (in the cooler), they made their way from Gadsden, AL to Nashville, TN. All living all under one roof, Them Dirty Roses are a living example of the quintessential rock and roll American Dream. Their live show calls for a shot of whiskey and a 2 for 1 special -- BUT what that really means is you better be ready to throw back 12 for 6 and shake it with Them Dirty Roses.
Vocals + Guitar / James Ford
Guitar / Andrew Davis
Bass / Ben Crain
Drums / Frank Ford
Gold VIP and Platinum Pass Holders Only. This is a VIP Invite Only event.
There’s always been something different about Bleu Edmondson. He didn’t just arrive on the Texas Music scene, he soared across the sky like a lightning bolt. Full of energy and danger. Grit in his voice, fire in his pen and stories too real to ignore. Where others chased radio hits, Bleu chased truth. His songs were never polished for mainstream success, they were carved from real life, raw and unfiltered. Bleu’s music walks the line between Springsteen’s working-class anthems and Keen’s storytelling roots, blending heartland rock with Texas soul. His albums aren’t just records, they’re chapters from a weathered journal. Tales of love and heartbreak, addiction and redemption, rebellion and reckoning. His voice, worn and whiskey soaked, carries the weight of every mile, mistake and memory. On stage, Bleu doesn’t perform, he testifies. Every lyric delivered with grit and conviction. Every show a catharsis. He’s the guy who lived it all and lived to sing about it like it still haunts him at times. After stepping away from the spotlight to reset and rediscover, Bleu Edmondson is back, with purpose. His latest EP, produced by Wade Bowen, signals both a return and a rebirth. There’s a new clarity in the songwriting, a sharpened sense of self and a matured sound that still cuts with the same intensity. It’s the voice of a man who’s been through some hard life and came out with something to say, as well as a renewed hunger to say it loud. Bleu Edmondson is here to tell the stories that matter, sing them like they still sting and remind us all that the best music doesn’t just entertain…it sticks to your soul and stays with you long after the last chord fades.
Too loud for folk music and too textured for Red Dirt, this is the sound of a genuine band rooted in groove, grit, and its own singular spirit, led by a songwriter whose unique past — a Pentecostal upbringing, years logged as a preacher-in-training, and an eventual crisis of faith — has instilled both a storyteller's delivery and an unique perspective about life, love, and listlessness in the modern world.
Jason Scott & the High Heat are: Jason Scott (lead vocals, guitar), Gabriel Mor (guitars), Ryan Magnani (bass), Bobby Wade (drums), Garrison Brown (guitars, keys), Taylor Johnson (guitars, keys, aux)
The Band Of Heathens Good ol’ rock and roll from Austin, TX
After over two decades of making music, one thing has never changed for Casey Donahew – it has always been and always will be about the song.
The Lone Star native, whose hometown of Fort Worth, TX has designated October 22nd “Casey Donahew Day” and has adopted his song “Stockyards” as the official song, has carved out a sizable niche for himself simply just by doing what he does best and doing it with authenticity. That unwavering trait is what his fans respond to and come back for time and time again. He’s at it again with his latest album, NEVER NOT LOVE YOU, a 17-track project packed chock full of musical tales about cowboys, love, heartbreak, and the eccentricities of life that he fine-tunes into so well and paints oh so vividly in the songs he writes.
For Casey, lyrics have always been king, whether he was singing about colorful, zany characters that might live down the street or come to Thanksgiving dinner each year, or the gut-wrenching devastation of something as serious as addiction. Fans flock to his shows to revel in the zany, wacky tales of pot-selling grannies and shotgun-toting girls whose bras don’t fit, along with the more somber stories of heartbreak, failure and redemption that Donahew weaves so well. Drawing from real life and its roller coaster highs and lows has provided him with plenty of rich material over the last 22 years, and like a rare vintage his craft has only gotten stronger and better with age. He has proven himself a consistent hit maker who has dominated on both the charts and the live music scene as well, with 27 singles that have topped the Texas charts, and clearly has his finger firmly on the pulse of what his fans love. This latest album is no exception.
Donahew penned nearly ¾ of NEVER NOT LOVE YOU solo, which is the way he prefers to write, and finds that his process hasn’t changed much throughout the last 12 records and counting. “I don’t write in themes or think about that when I go to make an album, I just write what I feel, and I do it at my own pace and I don’t like to rush things,” the plainspoken artist explains. “If I write a song and get it to the place where I feel like it’s finished, then I record it. And I still listen to some outside songs but I like to write alone because then no one influences how I say something, or what I’m trying to say in my head. I just try to put out good songs, whether it’s cowboy songs or love songs or heartbreakers or rock songs or sad songs or happy ones…I just try to do good songs.”
With 27 career chart-toppers in his home state, he clearly has a bead on what a good song is in the eyes of his listeners. And for Casey, the old adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” definitely comes into play. He never strays too far from the songs his legion of fans love, although he did stretch a bit on this album and color outside the lines a little on several of the new tunes. On this latest project he shines on sweetly sentimental love ballads like “Hideaway,” where he races to seek solace in the one he loves away from the madness of the outside world, “When She Kissed Me,” about that breathtaking moment on the highwire of love when you’re just about to let go and fall, and “Whiskey Talking,” the romantic duet with newcomer Kylie Frey, his first bonafide duet.
“I think this is my first real duet,” admits Donahew. “I’ve had girls sing on songs before, but this is the first duet. Kylie has crazy vocals and she can really sing, and she’s been coming to our Boots On The Beach festival for a few years, so we developed a relationship and we reached out and she was on board. I thought it was such a great song and loved the lyrics, and we held it for a couple of years and I think it’s one of those songs on the record that’s pretty special.”
Donahew’s Boots On The Beach event has become a must-attend for fans of real Texas music, and has grown each year since its inception seven years ago. The Cabo San Lucas festival is the brainchild of Donahew and his powerhouse wife Melinda, and has featured top-tier talent from Josh Abbott, Wade Bowen, Randy Rogers, and Pat Green, to Rhett Akins, Chase Rice, Koe Wetzel, Ella Langley, and more. The festival features three separate weeks of non-stop music and fun, and of course is the inspiration for plenty of great songs being written as well, including “Running Out Of Time,” – an apt tune featuring Casey and Texas buddies Wade Bowen, Randy Rogers, and Pat Green about those glory days and the rolling gypsy artist life and the thousands of miles logged across the country playing for crowds that has already topped the Texas chart.
The beachside festival has also inspired plenty of heartbreak tunes as well, which Donahew finds that he really relishes writing and singing, maybe a little too much sometimes. “It seems like my forte would be cowboy songs and also heartbreak and despair songs, which are probably my more popular songs, I probably feel more comfortable writing those…I don’t know why, maybe I’m a tortured soul,” he muses.
That soul is evident on tracks like “Another Beach” with its quiet resolution of goodbye written in the sand as the waves come crashing in and his world comes crashing down, the cleverly written “Other Side Of A Love Song,” and the title track, “Never Not Love You,” with its resignation of devotion until the end and beyond, even if it turns out all wrong. In true Donahew style, he lights it up on barn-burning tracks like the stomper “Chasing A Dream” with its throwback 90s country cowboy vibe, and even wades into some uncharted territory for him on the Nirvana/Pearl Jam vibe of the rocker “Messed Up Alone.”
And it wouldn’t be a Casey Donahew album without some redneck good-time fun in the vein of the fan-favorite “Double Wide Dream” on “Luckiest Guy.” “That’s me all the way,” says Donahew about penning the fun-filled track. “I feel like I have to write one of those songs every so often. I like to write a white trash, redneck anthem…you know my people! Everyone loves those, and I think it’s fun to write these songs and try to be clever and come up with new twists and turns and to just write them better is always my goal when I get in the groove of writing the anthem-type song. There are only so many ways to say these things, so to create a new story, a new idea based in the trailer community is always a challenge,” he adds, laughing.
He also tips his hat to his avid cowboy fanbase on the story song “Tommy Barrett,” which has already struck a chord with his fans and is in the same vein as “Josie Escalido” from his ALL NIGHT PARTY album. The track is evidence of Donahew’s undeniable knack for telling a compelling, three-minute story, and he feels there aren’t enough of them written in today’s cross-genre, pop-country world.
“That song is probably the most asked-about and requested since I put a teaser out about the album,” admits Donahew. “It’s a cowboy story, and I’ve written several, but it’s kind of like a “Red Headed Stranger” type song, and in my mind when I write those songs it kind of plays out like a movie. It’s one of those ones that everyone that hears it, I get requests from cowboys and the cowboy community all the time…people love those songs and miss them, and there aren’t enough cowboys writing those songs. So it’s good to put them out and take people back to the glory days when these songs were the norm. There aren’t as many people living that life now, and there’s no room on the radio for songs like this, and in today’s universe it’s not a radio hit, but if somebody put this out in1975, it’s probably a No.1 and they probably would’ve made the movie.”
The movie and TV industry has actually taken notice of Donahew’s talent plenty of times over the past few years. He’s had several songs in the popular “Yellowstone” TV drama, and one in the Taylor Sheridan drama “Tulsa King” as well, along with a cut in the 2022 B.J. Novak/Ashton Kutcher film “Vengeance.” The projects are just another outlet for the hardworking singer/songwriter, who continues touring around the country to sellout crowds as well. He finds at 20 plus-years in, the things that continue to carry him through and sustain him are the same things that brought him to the dance in the first place – hard work and dedication to his craft.
“I think I’ve evolved a little bit over time with my writing,” he admits. “I put more thought into it, which may be a detriment sometimes…I’ve had discussions with other artists about that. Sometimes I think I’m trying to be too clever, and I have to remind myself it’s OK to be dumb sometimes and put out something fun -- don’t overthink it. There’s some stuff I did on this record that’s a little outside of my normal, and I just wrote a couple of songs that I thought were a different vibe, and maybe that’s just influenced by life or what I’m listening to, but I think you just get better at it. You do anything for 20 years, hopefully you get better at it… you should, or I don’t know what you’re doing with your free time,” says Donahew, laughing.
“It ain’t black or white, babe; it’s all the greys between,” Shane Smith sings in “The Greys Between,” the first single from Norther. On the surface, it’s a cinematic love song about a relationship’s twists and turns, punctuated by slide guitar, Appalachian fiddle, and sharp storytelling. Take a deeper listen to Shane Smith and the Saints’ fourth studio album, though, and those words also sound like the motto of a band that’s spent the past decade blurring the lines between genres.
Norther is anything but monochromatic. Written and recorded during breaks in the band’s touring schedule, the album captures Shane Smith and the Saints at their most colorful, offering up a hard-hitting version of American roots music that’s influenced by country, folk, and roadhouse rock & roll. It’s a sound that’s been shaped by the road, where the Saints spent the past decade on tour, building a cult audience with each gig. Those years of raw, redemptive performances are now paying off — not only with headlining concerts at bucket-list venues like Red Rocks Amphitheater (which the group sold out in 36 hours) and the Ryman Auditorium, but also with an appearance on the hit TV show Yellowstone, where the Saints premiered Norther‘s final track, “Fire in the Ocean,” with an onscreen performance.
“If you spend 10 years playing dive bars and small clubs almost every single night, and you go to the merch booth after every show and hang out with the fans until the staff literally kicks you out, you get to turn those fans into friends,” says Smith, who grew up in Terrell, Texas, before launching his band in Austin. “That’s how we built this thing. We’ve done as many as 240 shows in a single year. We’ve worked so hard to get there, and that hard work has created a beautiful, meaningful audience.”
Beautiful, indeed. Named after the northern winds that blow across Texas during the winter, Norther begins with the haunting “Book of Joe.” Bennett Brown’s fiddle gives the song plenty of orchestral atmosphere, Dustin Schaefer’s electric guitar adds anthemic punch, and Zach Stover’s percussion — which builds toward a pummeling finish, locking in with Chase Satterwhite’s bass along the way — rolls like thunder. At the center of that sound is Smith’s voice: a husky baritone that’s been textured by countless gigs in smoky bars and loud dance halls. It’s a gorgeously raw instrument, caught halfway between tender and tough, and it’s there — somewhere in the middle — that the Saints shine their brightest.
“IT AIN’T BLACK OR WHITE, BABE; IT’S ALL THE GREYS BETWEEN,”
“When you’re in a band like ours, everyone gets their turn to play their music in the van,” Smith explains. “Bennett grew up listening to Appalachian and Celtic-inspired folk and bluegrass music, and you can hear that in the way he plays fiddle. Dustin grew up loving classic rock. When I met my wife, she introduced me to music like Arcade Fire, Alberta Cross, and First Aid Kit — bands that I’d categorize as cinematic folk or cinematic indie-rock — and that had a massive impact on my writing, too. Everybody in this band has their own influences, and we’ve spent years together, letting our sound evolve into something really unique.”
That sound began evolving onstage. Thanks to early albums like 2013’s Coast and 2015’s Geronimo, Shane Smith and the Saints became a popular act in Austin, regularly cutting their teeth with marathon gigs at venues like The Stage On Sixth. “We’d do four-hour sets, sometimes back-to-back, meaning we’d be onstage for eight hours,” Smith remembers. “It taught us to grow tighter as a band, experiment with our sound, and find our identity.”
Released in 2019, Hail Mary introduced the band’s current lineup, as well as a heavier sound that separated the Saints from other Texas acts. It wasn’t rock & roll. It wasn’t country, either. It was everything that connected those genres, glued together by the camaraderie of a road-tested band that built its audience the old-school way: by hitting the stage and winning over the crowd, song after song, night after night.
Norther builds upon that singular sound while also highlighting the bandmates’ road-warrior chops. “We’d be on the road doing shows, and there would be a 48-hour gap where we’d fly into Dallas and try to record everything we possibly could, then fly right back to wherever the bus was,” says Smith, who tapped producer Beau Bedford to helm the album. “It was like that for the entirety of the recording process.” The result is an album that’s filled with all the electricity and eclecticism of the Saints’ live show. For the band’s country-loving fans, there’s “1000 Wild Horses,” which barrels forward at a rootsy gallop. For rock fans, there’s “Fire in the Sky,” which makes room for fiery fretwork and a massive chorus. For those looking to slow dance, there’s “All the Way,” a threadbare piano ballad captured live in the studio, imperfections and all. “Norther has little bit of everything,” Smith says proudly. “It’s not a one-sided album. It’s got every single element of what makes up our sound right now.”
For an independent band like Shane Smith and the Saints, the work is never done. “It’s like you can’t help but feel like you’ve paid your dues to get to a certain spot, but once you get there, you realize you’re just starting to touch the surface of the bigger picture,” Smith admits. “At the end of the day, it still feels like we’re getting discovered. But maybe that’s what it’s all about.” Norther is the soundtrack to that discovery. It’s the sound of a band pushing its limits, broadening its reach, and expanding its audience.
Meet Max & Heather Stalling, a dynamic duo of singer-songwriters from Dallas, Texas, who bring a distinctive fusion of vocals, lyrics and fiddle playing to the core of Texas and Americana music.
Max left behind a career as an R&D scientist at Frito Lay to pursue his goals as a singer-songwriter, trading in his lab coat and master’s degree from Texas A&M University for a guitar and the stage. Max has cultivated his sizable and devoted fan base over the course of his more than 20 years of touring, gigging, and hard work; playing pretty much every venue you’ve ever heard of and many you haven’t. A mainstay of the Texas/Red Dirt scene, Max has six studio albums, three live projects, and a history of chart-topping success in Americana radio. His star on the South Texas Music Walk of Fame in Corpus Christi stands as a testament to his enduring impact.
Heather is an award-winning violinist and fiddler. As a child she traveled with her parents while she performed in fiddle contests throughout Texas and surrounding states winning trophies and admirers along the way. At age 18 she was hired into "The Texas Gold Minors" in Branson, Missouri performing 7 days a week for several years. Upon returning to Texas, she was in high demand as a fiddler and played with acts such as Bob Schneider, Cory Morrow, Johnny Lee, The Old 97s and Mark David Manders. Ultimately she formed her own band, blacktopGYPSY, penning the songs, playing fiddle and guitar and singing harmony. “BTG” released two full-length studio albums, toured relentlessly and made fans everywhere they went.
Max and Heather are thrilled to embark on this joint musical journey, sharing their love of music and each other with audiences old and new. Don't miss the chance to witness their chemistry as they take their show on the road.
Check out their first single release: “Circle” on all streaming services and platforms!