Austin has its share of well-known artists, of course. But for every Joe Ely or Bob Schneider there's a hundred unknown musicians playing at small clubs and coffee houses. It's not money they're after; there's really none to be made. Instead, an incurable passion compels them to step outside the daily grind and express themselves through music. They pay out-of-pocket for recording and duplicati...
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When I reviewed The Lonesome Dirge from Rodney Parker & 50 Peso Reward this spring, I wrote that if there's any justice in this universe, the band would finally get some recognition. 2005's Blow the Soot Out was outstanding, and the new record is even better.Happily, the band has gained solid airplay this summer, charting in the top 20 on XM's X Country and this week hitting the top 10 in the T...
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It's been 22 years since Luke Olson made his on-stage debut, and 13 years since he cut his first album. Pretty amazing when you consider the San Antonio singer/songwriter just turned 30. Now the decidedly un-grizzled veteran is releasing his fifth album, Red River Blue, on Sustain Records.This time around Olson relies heavily on covers, by a ratio of three-to-one. Perhaps that's because of his ...
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When people hear I write about music, they often ask if I'm a musician myself. The answer is no. I've never dreamed of being on stage. I've never written a song. And I don't play an instrument well, I don't anymore.I was a serious band geek in my teenage years. I played French horn in concert band and mellophone during marching season. Practically all my friends (including my future wife) wer..
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Austin folk favorites The Hudsons are trying on a new sound this summer. The Nasty Clan, which debuted last month, is Brian Hudson and Hudson Mueller on vocals and guitars plus Kivett Bednar (guitar), James Willis (bass), and Mark Evans (drums).No word yet on whether a full album is in the works. For now, check out the "California" demo and then go see the band Sunday at United States Art Autho...
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I get a sheaf of emails from publicists and marketing firms looking to get their artists noticed. To be honest, I don't read them as often as I used to. But this week I perused an email from Ariel Publicity pointing me to a new band I just can't get enough of.Bred in Britan but based in Austin, mrandmrsmays features the husband-and-wife combo of James Mays (who goes by The Reverend) and Kate Ki...
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This year's annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival featured a track dedicated to Lone Star heritage. "Texas: A Celebration of Music, Food, and Wine" proved invigorating for Roger Wood, the Houston-based professor and co-author of Down in Houston: Bayou City Blues.Wood recaps a string of wonderul cross-cultural concerts in yesterday's Houston Chronicle, adding that even after the finale he wasn't ...
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Muralist David Blanca has released sketches for the planned mural honoring San Antonio music legends.Click the image for a larger view of the sketch with the artist's annotations.
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In the three years we lived in San Antonio, my family and I had the opportunity to work briefly with San Anto Cultural Arts and its inspiring director, Manuel Castillo.San Anto is a nonpofit that celebrates the community's rich heritage by providing the equipment, guidance, and space needed for artistic expression. Situated just west of downtown, San Anto and the neighboring Guadalupe Cultural ...
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Reckless Kelly comes out guns a-blazing on Bulletproof, the band's fifth studio album and first on Yep Roc Records."Ragged as the Road," "You Don't Have to Stay Forever," and "Love in Her Eyes" kick off a series of radio-friendly numbers with the classic Reckless sound fans love. That sound is the sexy swagger in Willy Braun's lead vocals, great guitar riffs from David Abeyta, and solid rhythm ...
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Austin prides itself on being a mecca for musicians. But with its average cost of living the highest among the state's 10 largest cities, the Live Music Capital of the World isn't always a great place to live.The City of Austin has commissioned its new Live Music Task Force to explore ways to make the city a more attractive and affordable home:Currently, Austin public officials are trying to cr...
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If you have HDnet , tune in this Sunday at 7 p.m. CDT for the premiere of "The Outlaw Trail: Where Outlaw Legends & Outlaw Music Meet."Filmed from a live performance at Austin's Paramount Theatre, the 2-hour concert brings together Joe Ely, Rodney Crowell, Ray Benson, and a host of other musicians for a night of music celebrating the Old West and outlaw country.John T. Davis reviewed February...
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The Eli Young Band is making the major label leap to Universal South, where it joins a roster that includes Cross Canadian Ragweed and Shooter Jennings.A new album should be out in September, according to a MySpace announcement, and will include an updated version of "When It Rains" plus 10 new songs. The band last released a studio album, Level, in spring 2005.I haven't seen the Eli Young Band...
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It's been a long four years since we last heard from Eleven Hundred Springs. With the anthemic (and multi-syllabic) "Long Haired Tattooed Hippie Freaks," "Thunderbird Will Do Just Fine," and "Hank Williams Wouldn't Make It Now in Nashville Tennessee," Bandwagon was a cage-rattling blast of defiance from one of Dallas's most prolific bands.But after a run of five albums in six years, the countr...
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The third issue of Texas Music magazine's new e-zine is up today, and it includes a Q&A with new "country artist" Johnny Solinger, whose self-titled debut is out this week. The Texas native is the lead singer of Skid Row, a position he assumed when the band re-formed without Sebastian Bach in 1999.I've listened to the new CD a few times now and had a friend do the same, and I gotta say it jus...
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As John T. Davis wrote yesterday, the collected works of Guy Clark, Joe Ely, John Hiatt, and Lyle Lovett come about as close to a modern American songbook as any other combination of songwriters. Last night, the four long-time friends closed out a brief stand at the Paramount Theatre with a two-and-a-half-hour performance that was part songswap, part standup, and wholly certain to remain a life...
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For writers and musicians, it's notoriously difficult to get a mention on NPR's Fresh Air . And few country artists would ever even dream of having their name uttered by host Terri Gross. He's not likely to land a coveted studio interview just yet, but Hayes Carll got a boost today with a 6-minute review of Trouble in Mind by rock critic Ken Tucker.For the most part, Tucker likes what he he...
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Just a few years ago, Robyn Ludwick needed open mic nights to gain confidence in her songwriting and performing. There were no traces of that early tentativeness in her 2005 debut For So Long , and now Too Much Desire confirms any lingering hesitations disappeared long ago.Ludwick's vocal talents and songwriting prowess shine on Too Much Desire , a 12-song collection of songs about desperate l...
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If you've ever been curious to see the A/V wizardry behind Austin City Limits, tech blogger Robert Scoble goes behind the scenes in this video interview with ACL audio director David Huff.Learn about the secrets to good audio (answers: patience and a good room) and get a glimpse of the technology Huff uses to capture and mix the live tracks.
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Freelance music writer Parry Gettelman and friends offer a touching tribute to the late Chris Gaffney :Psychologists have identified seven stages of grief, but when Chris Gaffney died of liver cancer April 17, I realized there are actually eight; they forgot to count righteous indignation. That's where I'm stuck, because an unnecessarily cruel fate took one of the finest musicians on the plan...
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