BIG NEWS and a GiVeAwAy!!!

I've got some big news.

The Arrogant Texan is growing up! My blog is about a year old now, and I never imagined I would have stuck it out this long, but I have. So I've decided to purchase a real domain name and move to a format that is just all-around better for blogging.

From now on, The Arrogant Texan will be found at:
www.thearroganttexanblog.com

All my old posts are still there, just with a slightly different name and a new url. I'll be keeping this website up just long enough to get the news across, then it will be coming down.

Hop on over and check it out. Don't forget to click "follow" on the right side of the new page to keep up with me in my new home. Also, I recently decided to join Facebook as well, so like me there and always follow my circus on Twitter.

Oh, did you see the word giveaway in the title of this blog? If you're wondering what that's all about, you better head on over to the new site.

See ya there!!

Throwback - Roger Miller

Thank you JNJ for another fantastic Throwback posts about one of my favorites.

Here's to one of the Good Guys. Born in Fort Worth, raised in Oklahoma, Roger Miller was just a good ole boy. Although he passed in 1992, he brought so much joy to so many people. A man of many talents, he wrote many songs for other people and also had his own TV show. He wrote a Broadway play called "Big River," which was his adaptation of Huckleberry Finn1 He was full of humor in his music, and his scat singing made everyone smile.

Read up on Roger and enjoy this music. Another Texas-born talent!

TC Fambro & The Copperheads - EP

I have been waiting on this EP for a good little while now. I first saw TC Fambro and the Copperheads back at the end of June when I took myself on my little Texas study abroad trip. You can read all about it here, but basically, I wasn't expecting the band playing on a flat bed trailer in the middle of the country at some bachelor pad house to a bunch of college kids and townies to become one of my favorite bands.

Since then, I have tried to see TC and the Copperheads every time they've been in Lubbock. I know they have been played quite a bit on the radio in Fort Worth thanks to Shayne Hollinger (who knows good music) but I'm hoping Lubbock will pick up on them soon. I'm doing all I can to spread the word.

This EP finally came out a few days ago and I've been waiting to review it since these five songs landed in my email box a few weeks back.

It starts off with "Waiting for My Time to Come," which might be a favorite right off the bat. It's got a desperate love song theme of not having the girl he wants, but with a hopeful and upbeat tone. Like he knows he'll get the girl, but he's gotta let her kiss all the frogs first. His voice is so unique and the band sounds great on this track.

"Bad Medicine" is one of those bluesy, broken-hearted drinking ballads that kicks you in the gut, especially if you've been there before. Even if you haven't been there, you still feel it and kind of just want to drink whiskey alone in the dark anyway. "She slipped away, I just let her go; I'm done with the pain, let the bourbon flow." It's the classic country theme of broken hearts mended with smoke and booze and to me that'll never get old.

The beat picks up again in the middle with "Runnin' On Fumes." Probably my least favorite on the EP right now (those sometimes grow to be my favorite), even though it is the most upbeat sounding. The lyrics are good and relateable and really like the music on this track.

"The Bitter End" is an incredible old school country sounding Waltz that you can't not love. I think TC's writing is best on this track. The weather references throughout the track paint a picture for the classic country theme of a relationship gone wrong. Just a great song all around.

Finally, "From the Fires Below," is definitely my favorite on this EP. I'm always obsessed with bad girl songs (Dirty River Boys "She," . "It's the devil's daughter, straight from Hell's fire, breaker of hearts and queen of desire, can't escape her, she follows me wherever I go, from the fires below." This is the kind of sexy song that got guys like Gary Allen where they are. It's fun to listen to and sing along with and just a jam.

Show TC Fabro and the Copperheads some love and go buy this EP! It's less than five bucks but worth a whole lot more.

Throwback - Bob Wills

 Here's another throwback from JNJ!

Waylon sang, "Once you're down in Texas, Bob Wills is still the King." And no other words ring quite as true. Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys were the Kings of Swing music. I'm not going to go into the whole story, as it is an amazing story, but do yourself a favor and read up on this Texas original.

Phil Pritchett - March 28, 2013

Do you ever have so much admiration for a band that you think surely everyone else feels the same way and when they play in your town, the bar will surely be packed because they deserve it? And then you get there and there are a solid 17 people in the whole place, including the band and the staff? Well that is what happened last Thursday night at Blue Light. I just KNEW it would be packed full of people to see Phil Pritchett but I was wrong. At one point we counted and there were less than 20 humans in the place. I know it must suck to play to a crowd like that, but let me tell you, it didn't get him down.

I took a cue from a friend who said this was a fun band to watch and I should catch the show because it is one of his favorites. I had honestly not planned on going because I'd never seen him before or really listened to his music much, but I had heard his name a lot by people who's musical opinions I always trust, so I went for it. Honestly, the only song I really knew was "Willin'," which he sings with Cody Canada on one of his records.

My friend was right, Phil Pritchett was so much fun to watch. He just has a cool vibe and good energy. I would love to see him with a full crowd because I can't imagine the energy that would be emitted from that. If you listen to his live albums you can still feel the vibes. By the way - you can download a TON of music *for free* on his website, which claims him to be "the world's most fiercely independent artist." You can't beat that.

So go download some tunes and find out when he's playing close to you and do it to it!

Women Week Throwback - Tammy Wynette

My friend, JNJ, is on board for Women Week with Throwback Thursday.

Today's throwback, staying with The Arrogant Texan's female theme this week, is The First Lady of Country Music... Tammy Wynette. Tammy had many hits, but when you hear "Stand By Your Man," there's no doubt who it is, and arguably one of the most famous songs ever. 

Tammy was born in Mississippi in 1942, and we lost her much too early in 1998, but she left us with so many great songs. But more importantly, she opened the door for so many of today's female performers. And maybe the most impressive thing she did was she accomplished so much and still had time to survive a six-year marraige to George Jones, which produced amazing duets! 

Enjoy the videos below, and always remember Tammy!

Stand By Your Man:

Good Girl is Gonna Go Bad:

We're Gonna Hold On, with George Jones:

Women Week - Holly Williams "Drinkin"

I'm continuing the theme this week of women to celebrate Kacey Musgraves Same Trailer Different Park that came out yesterday.

I heard this song on the radio for the first time about three weeks ago. i had never heard of Holly Williams before, but by the time the song was over, I had already texted a few people announcing that I was obsessed with this song and to go listen to it immediately. Well, in the next few days, I heard the song several more times, her name was popping up all over Twitter and I even caught the video on CMT. Like I said, I had no clue who this chick was, I just liked the song.

Come to find out, Holly Williams is country music royalty. The granddaughter of Hank and daughter of Bocephus, her third album "The Highway" was released in February and fits right in the mix with all of these incredible female artists blowing up the scene in 2013.

This is the song, "Drinkin'," that first caught my attention, but I assure you, the rest of the album is just as good.

Kacey Musgraves - Same Trailer Different Park

It's here, it's HERE!!!

I have been waiting on this record for years. I remember being a Kacey Musgraves fan all the way back to when she was on Nashville Star way back in 2007. She only placed seventh, but she was my favorite because she was from Texas. Then several years later her voiced showed up on Josh Abbott's, "Oh, Tonight." About a year and a half ago at a JAB concert here in Lubbock (for KA Kalf Fry, I think), she came out on stage to sing that song with him and she stayed on to sing a song she wrote called "Mama's Broken Heart," which is now Miranda Lambert's current single. I have been stalking Kacey on YouTube for a long time so I knew it and I sang along and nobody I knew had a clue who she was. (Cool story bro.)

I can't wait to see where this album takes her. I think she is going to shake things up in mainstream country music. A lot of her songs are about small town life. But like, the REAL small town life. You know, ex-husband's in the pen and dead-end waitress jobs and trailer parks. Not one mention of dirt roads, beer drinkin or tractors. She doesn't even have to name drop on this album, but if she did, it wouldn't be Joe Diffie, it would be John Prine (who most "country" fans will have to Google anyway). Her songwriting is so fresh and creative and 100% what country music needs right now, in my humble opinion.

This record is about the lyrics. The band isn't overplayed and her vocals aren't going to blow you away. It makes it so much easier to focus on the writing, which is the real star here. And honestly, some of her songs that I would consider her best didn't even make the record. Go look her up on YouTube and see what I mean. (I helped you out already with a few links up above.)

Right now the newness of Same Trailer Different Park hasn't worn off but I guarantee it's in the running for my favorite album of 2013, and it's only March. "Blowing Smoke" is my favorite right now because I can relate to it the most. "Stupid" is as catchy as any Nashville radio hit but with more substance. Then there's "Follow You Arrow," and if you don't like that song, then you're the exact person who needs to hear it - same goes for "Silver Lining." Of course by now every one has heard and loves "Merry Go 'Round." "Dandelion" is Kacey's clever songwriting at it's finest, and "My House" is like the more upbeat version of Miranda's "Airstream Song," which I doodle the lyrics of on my notes every day along with my airstream day dream.

Go buy this record. I won't even tell you to preview it first because you need to just buy it and listen to it.

(I love hearing the crowd's reaction on this video.)

Oh, and did I mention she's adorable??

Women Week - Ashley Monroe "Like a Rose"

I've decided to do something different this week in honor of the much, much, MUCH anticipated Kacey Musgraves release of Same Trailer Different Park tomorrow. I'm going to focus on only female artists this week. I'll review her CD later after I've had plenty of time to listen to it, but I have lots on my agenda to cover this week so let's get started!

Ashley Monroe - Like A Rose came out a few weeks ago and I downloaded it as soon as possible and I can easily say I'm a fan. It is very classic country. I am not a fan of most Nashville female singers with the exception of a few and she is now in that select group for me. Monroe is a Pistol Annie so I was already exposed to her voice and her writing, but this album takes on it's own sound. Her lyrics are real and honest. Vince Gill, who produced the record said "she writes songs like Guy Clark and sings like Dolly Parton."

There's traditional country topics but still feel modern. "Weed Instead of Roses" is a ballsy one but it's done in such a fun way that even the biggest prude will tap a toe to it. "Used" and "The Morning After" both sound like something Lee Ann Womack would have recorded at any point in her career. There's lots of personal anecdotes hidden on this album. The first song on the album and the title track, "Like A Rose," is sort of an auto-biography song and lays down the groundwork for the rest of the songs. "Monroe Suede" shows more personality as does the humorous Blake Shelton duet, "You Ain't Dolly [And You Ain't Porter]."

While it may not have huge commercial radio success, this record will make you laugh and cry and give you your real country music fix all in one. I couldn't really pick out singles because it is a record that you can listen to start to finish and start over again. Check it out.

Throwback - Don Williams

Sorry posts have been few and far between... I've been in Houston all week at the Livestock Show and Rodeo. I've seen music that's been good, bad and ugly so hopefully next week I can catch up. Thanks to my friend JNJ for saving me with another Throwback! (Also, this is my first post to do from my phone so sorry if there are any glitches I didn't catch.)

Don Williams, the "Gentle Giant", is a true country icon.  A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Don has been writing and singing songs for 50 years.  His smooth, gentle voice is like no other.  He has had a string of top ten hits.  In fact, out of 46 singles released, only 4 didn't make it into the top ten.  Born in Floydada, better known as being the home of The Arrogant Texan, his family moved to Portland, Texas.  He started performing at the early age of 3, and has been pleasing crowds ever since.

I was fortunate to get to see Don perform in Ft. Worth about 8 years ago.  But that's not the whole story. My daughter Jera, 16 at the time, wanted me to take her and her best friend Jenny to Ft. Worth to see Don play for her birthday.  The concert was amazing!   For a artist to appeal to such a wide age group, from my dad to my daughter, speaks volumes to the timeless words he has written and the soothing voice he uses to tell the stories.  

Enjoy!

Some Broken Hearts Never Mend:

Tulsa Time:

You are my best friend:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWGDeBFLsf8

Throwback Thursday - Delbert McClinton

Here's another Throwback from my good friend, JNJ!

Little background here. As I was watching Seth James singing "Cigarettes, Anger and Wine" at the Blue Light a couple of weeks ago, I remembered an interview I saw where he said, "That song was kinda like a Leon Russell/Delbert McClinton thing. If I sit down to write a song, I think, 'Are they gonna like it?'"

Delbert with Jana and Joe after one of his shows.

Another time I was in Ft. Worth at a Josh Weathers show, and between songs he was talking about his music direction and his personal direction, and he said he had the opportunity to visit with his hero, Delbert McClinton, the night before. He said after talking with Delbert, both his music and personal direction were now in focus.

These two great singer/songwriters know what should be evident to all. Delbert McClinton has influenced many people, but has never garnered the respect and admiration that he deserves. The cool thing is, he doesn't care... he just likes to write songs, sing and make people happy. I was fortunate the night after I saw Josh Weathers in Ft. Worth to go to Billy Bob's and see Delbert live. Amazing show! Now I have to give my sister Jana and her boyfriend Joe proper credit. I knew who Delbert was, and enjoyed his music, but Joe turned me on to all of Delbert. No telling how many times he has seen him live, and if he's close, they won't miss him.

The Grammy Award winning singer was born in Lubbock and then his family moved to Ft. Worth when he was 11. Starting in 1962 as a harmonica player, his music really hit the stage in the '70s, and he's been entertaining crowds ever since. A member of the Texas Songwriters Hall of Fame, a lot of his songs were covered by big artists, such as his song "Two More Bottles of Wine," sang by Emmylou Harris which reached #1 in 1978.

Do yourself a favor and read up on and listen to Delbert. A true Texas Treasure!

 Givin It Up For Your Love:

When Rita Leaves (JNJ's fave):

I'm With You (Jana's fav):

-JNJ

Quaker City Night Hawks - Honcho

I have been meaning to review the new Quaker City Night Hawks CD ALL WEEK but I have been putting it off like a mofo. I saw them for the first time last weekend when they opened for Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights. It was a hell of a show. I normally don't stand up on the church pew for opening bands, but about two songs in, I couldn't sit still and I was up there shaking my hips and stomping my feet. I left with a CD of their new record, Honcho, that they had only released the night before. I have had a hard time listening to anything else.

I hadn't even heard of this band before I heard they were coming to Blue Light, but this week, upon the release of their new record, I have been seeing their name everywhere.

I'm stealing these words directly from their website because I can't find a better way to describe them...

QUAKER CITY NIGHT HAWKS BRAND OF HARD ROCK N’ ROLL IS BRED FROM TEXAS BOOGIE, MEMPHIS SOUL AND HEAVY BLUES. THEIR MUSIC IS SOUTHERN ROCK RIGHT OUT OF ’75, PLAYED WITH THE FERVOR OF A SERMON CRACKLING OUT OF THE RADIO IN A ’68 LINCOLN. THEY’RE THE WHISKEY BOTTLE YOU FINISHED SATURDAY NIGHT AND THE PRAYER YOU SAID THE NEXT MORNING. LIKE A COUNTRY GUNSHOT ON A HUMID NIGHT AND YOUR FIRST ILLICIT BEER, QUAKER CITY NIGHT HAWKS ARE THE SPIRIT OF ROCK N’ ROLL. COME SHAKE YOUR HIPS!

That's exactly right. All week I was listening to this album and trying to decide what to say in my review when I finally got around to writing it. Well, I guess I should have acted sooner because Hogleg from Galleywinter took the words right out of my mouth... so again, I'm stealing his review, but it's OK because he told me I could so I am. (Damn my job is easy today.)

My recommended tracks are  as follows:
“Fox in the Hen House” because it immediately puts you in the groove for the full Hawks experience. It has all the ingredients of a kick ass tune.
“Cast the Line” has a very Creedence, Lodi feel to it. Makes me want to run or skip (whatever feels right) through a field of Sunflowers with a cape on.
“Rattlesnake Boogie” has that Ray Wylie strut to it. I believe Ray would approve.
I have to like “Greasy Night” because I understand the concept of greasy all encompassingly.
“Yellow Rose” makes me want to sway back and forth with my West Texas lady friend.
I’m no writer here. I’m no album reviewer. I’m just a dude who likes to shake a leg and smoke one if you got it. Get this record. It’s rock and roll.

Hogleg nailed it... QCNK is gritty, greasy, groovy rock. Something about "Train Rolled Home" has me reaching for the volume knob about five times before it's over... it can't get loud enough. "Lavanderia" is just plain fun and almost makes me want to do laundry (not really because nothing NOTHING makes me want to do laundry, but if I had to, this song should be playing). And the CD doesn't do them justice. See them live and see if you can sit still. I promise I'd never lead you astray.

Now turn this up and JAM it.

Throwback Thursday - Loretta Lynn

Here's another Throwback from my good friend, JNJ!

Known simply as the Queen of Country Music, Loretta Lynn has done a lot in her life. From humble beginnings to having four children before the age of 21 (which was the same age she started learning guitar and writing songs), she has changed the way women are represented in country music. And we are enriched because of that. The awards she has received are too numerous to count. She has written over 160 songs, had 10 #1 albums, 16 #1 hits, but more importantly gave women a voice in the '60s and '70s when they didn't have much of one. And she hasn't quit, as the video below with Jack White has brought her a whole new fan base. 

Here's to the Queen!

The classic, "Coal Miner's Daughter"


With the Legend, Conway Twitty.


Lastly, with the amazing Jack White (one of Hallie's favorite videos of all-time).

Playlist - I Never Liked St. Valentine

Welcome to the most cliche blog post of my life. I hate Valentine's Day. I think it's a stupid holiday that florists and card companies made up. Nothing says "thoughtful" like receiving the exact same box of chocolates or bouquet of roses that every other girl on the planet also received. I sound like the most single girl in the world, but I'm actually not! I just think this holiday is stupid. And if I see another throwback Thursday picture on Instagram of somebody's wedding day or the roses surrounded by baby's breath (I know enough about floral design to know that that is cheap and hideous) I am going to puke.

Now here's some very anti-Valentine's music for all the single ladies and gents and other people like me who are in a relationship but still hate Valentine's Day. (Please tell me I'm not the only one with a cold black heart.)



Get drunk and be somebody tonight.

Kolton Moore and the Clever Few - Dear Mom,

Like many new artists, I first heard of Kolton Moore several months ago when he was on the Texas Red Dirt Roads show with Justin Frazell. I was driving back from my 10-day "study abroad" trip across Texas. I was incredibly hungover and exhausted and sick of every song on my iPod. Thankfully, this voice stuck out through everything else coming through my speakers. It was something new. I ended up listening to the entire show just to figure out who the heck this guy was and it helped me get home in one piece. The next week I did the usual - listen on Spotify, buy the EP, rip songs off YouTube - thing until his latest album, Dear Mom, came out a couple weeks ago.

I usually go through spells where there's no new music so I'll listen to old playlists, then you have weeks like these past few where there's so much new music available to me that I feel overwhelmed. Normally that would be the case, but this album has completely stolen the show. My favorite kind of music is the kind I can listen to at work, driving, studying or on a run at the gym. It's hard to find music that I can listen to all day long, but this does it for me.

Although at times Moore's voice sounds like Sean McConnell (which is never a bad thing), he's still completely original. This first full-length record goes from haunting and lonely ("Hatch That Let the Devil In," "Ain't So Well,") to upbeat ("No Rest") to slow and bluesy ("God Man Blues"). There's not a bad track.

Check the band out on Reverbnation.
Buy the album here.

This is the song that originally got my attention:



I wish there was a better version of this, but it's one of my favorites from Dear Mom,.

News!

I'm excited to say I am the newest contributor to the best source for Lubbock music news... New Slang. Check them out at newslangtakeover.wordpress.com

Here is the link to my first post: http://newslangtakeover.wordpress.com/2013/02/08/passing-through-josh-grider/

Josh Grider, Zane Williams and Matt Caldwell - Troubadour, TX Tour

On Wednesday some of the guys from the show Troubadour, TX were in town at the Blue Light for part of their tour. Zane Williams, Josh Grider and Matt Caldwell were doing an acoustic song swap. Of course I had to go... I mean TV cameras were going to be there.

The crowd was small - which disappointed me because I know Lubbock could have been represented much better than that, but you win some you lose some. Small crowds don't bother me because I get the mindset of "more for me" but I just hate it for the artist. If you weren't there, you missed out. It was a good time. The guys just took turns playing songs and they always told funny little stories in between. They made sure to talk to everybody before and after the show and they played any requests. Carter and I made Zane play our favorite "Pablo and Maria." That is such a great song (which I posted about before here). This was my first time seeing all three of them live and they played lots of stuff I'd never heard. They all have a that classic country sound that just makes you want to dance, and there was plenty of that going on.

Here's my favorite one Matt played.


This is the title track to Zane's next album, Overnight Success, which is ironic considering it's his 8th album.


And you have to listen to his Texas version of the 99 bottles song... so awesome.


And finally, this one from Josh Grider is old, but it's my favorite song of his and the first one I ever heard. Also I can't pass up a "Live from the Backroom" video because I spent a whole summer in that very seat Josh is sitting in when I was 18. True story.


By the way, I interviewed Josh on Tuesday about the show and other things over on New Slang (which I am now a contributor for!). Check it out here. 

Throwback - Ray Charles

Here's another throwback courtesy of my friend JNJ!

 There is not a week that goes by that I don't listen to Ray Charles. His 1959 album was called The Genius of Ray Charles, but every album he ever had could be called the same. Everyone knows who Ray Charles was and the amazing songs he sang, but his influence on country music is sometimes overlooked. In 1962, with control of his music direction and on top of the charts in both R&B and Pop, he went against the grain and recorded Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Vol. 1 & 2. With these albums he moved country music to the forefront of the culture and crossed country music over to the masses.

As Frank Sinatra said, "Ray Charles is the only true genius in show business."

Enjoy these songs from these albums. They are amazing!

"You Don't Know Me"



"I Can't Stop Loving You"



"Your Cheating Heart"

BIG NEWS - Return of Heartworn Highways

I can't even describe how excited I am about this. Just watching the trailer and hearing Townes introduce himself gave me chills.



A while back my best friend, Carter, told me about this documentary Heartworn Highways and we both wanted to see it so bad. I made it my mission to find it online somewhere but they ran about $90 a pop. I found what I thought was a DVD of it on a website for $35 and snatched it up for Carter's birthday in October, only to find out when I got it that it was just the soundtrack. The soundtrack was still worth the $35 anyway and we blasted it at every party for weeks (I know, we're cool).

Then today I read that the entire documentary is now available online. I know what I'll be doing this weekend. It'll be worth every penny of that $14.99 on Amazon.

I've also heard that they (whoever "they" is) are making a modern-day version of Heartworn Highways that will probably have some familiar faces... can't wait to see if that's true.

Throwback Thursday - Tom T. Hall

Here's another throwback courtesy of my friend JNJ!

They call him "The Storyteller." And that he is. Tom T. Hall has been writing and singing songs since the early '60s. Not only did he have a slew of top 10 and #1 hits, he had so many songs thathe wrote made famous by other artists, such as "Harper Velley PTA" by Jeannie C. Riley, "Little Bitty" by Alan Jackson, and many others. Born in Kentucky in 1936, he is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and a noted author.

It was hard to pick just one or two videos, so I had to choose four. And all of them will give you a picture into what is truly important in life, or a least what makes it a lot more fun! And if you want to know what happened at Stubbs in Lubbock one night when Tom T. and Joe Ely got to playing pool, listen to a song called "The Great East Broadway Onion Championship of 1978." Click here to read the story about this song.

Listen, Love, Enjoy!
-JNJ

"Faster Horses (The Cowboy and the Poet)"

"I Like Beer"



"I Love"


"Old Dogs, Children, and Watermelon Wine"

 

Crooks - "Bar Stool"

This past weekend was a great one for live music for me. I saw one of my favorites, the Dirty River Boys on Friday night and Charlie Shafter Saturday. I have seen both of them more times than I can remember, but for the first time I saw a little band called Crooks, which opened for DRB.

When I heard they were playing I did the usual Spotify stalking beforehand to get a taste of what to expect. I liked what I heard but nothing too groundbreaking. But this is another one of those bands that you just have to see to believe. They started playing while I was still in line (Blue Light was PACKED Friday night) and when I got inside I could barely wiggle my way to the bar, much less see the stage. But I could hear them and I knew I HAD to get to where I could see asap. So my friend Emily and I grabbed a drink and headed to my favorite short girl spot... the church pew on the wall right by the stage.

PACKED.

Obviously I'm a sucker for some long-haired hippie freaks, so if I wasn't already in love with this band by just hearing them, as soon as I saw them I knew I was a fan. I could never put my finger on exactly what kind of music it was, because every song sounded different. And there was a different combination of instruments for every song. The guy on the stage closest to me went from playing guitar to mandolin to banjo to alternating between a trumpet and different kinds of shaker things and back to guitar.

They were just so much fun. I highly suggest seeing their live show if you like country, honkytonk, outlaw, or Texas music or just a good time.

crookscountry.com
Twitter @CrooksCountry
Facebook | CrooksCountry

Chris King - 1983

This is country music. It hits on all the classic country themes without dumbing it down or name-dropping or being about trucks. It's country because it's country, not because it has to prove it's credentials. Oh and there's a Jamie Wilson duet... gold.

I had never heard of Chris King until the past few weeks all social media was abuzz about this 1983 album. I got my hands on it last week and haven't been able to shake it since.This one is to 2013 what Jason Eady's AM Country Heaven and K Phillips' American Girls were to 2012. It may be too early to tell, but I'd bet money this one will be in the running for my 2013 favorites list.


Read some other reviews here and (sort of) here and here.  
Buy it. Listen to it. Love it.

Show him some love:
http://christopherck.com/ | https://twitter.com/ArtificialChris | http://www.facebook.com/chriskingmusica

I had to do some major stalking to find any videos of him singing something from this album and finally came across this acoustic version of "Native Son."

Throwback Thursday - Ray Price

I haven't done a throwback in a few weeks, but in light of the Blake Shelton/Ray Price social media war (never thought that could be a "thing") I had to. Nothing reminds me of my Nana and Grandad's house more than Ray Price. Even though she's still mad at him for stealing (ok borrowing to go hunting and never returning) the whistle she used to call her kids home for supper, she's still the biggest Ray Price fan I know.

To catch you up, here's what Blake said (from Saving Country Music):

And Mr. Price's rebuttal:

Maybe I'm a freak, but I definitely still listen to my Grandad's music. Just a few weekends ago I cleaned house to the soundtrack of my childhood in Nana's kitchen. The very vinyl record Ray Price signed himself for my Nana years ago. 

As much as I want to like Blake Shelton, jackass comments like this make it really hard. All I can do is thank The Lord for the good music we still have here in Texas and have an appreciation for the stuff that made country music what it is. 

There's not a prettier voice to be heard.

Whiskey Shivers and Shakey Graves - Live and Breathing Tour

I finally made my return to my favorite place on earth, the Blue Light, on Saturday just in time to catch the final night of the Live and Breathing Tour. I had never heard of Shakey Graves or Whiskey Shivers, who both played before Rodney Parker and 50 Peso Reward.

I got to see Whiskey Shivers do sound check and it was just a tease. I couldn't wait to hear more. I think the photo I put on Instagram said they made me want to wear a prairie dress and drink moonshine. I couldn't sit still. I instantly pinned their sound as the love-child of Dirty River Boys and Old Crow Medicine Show. Their website (which I am obsessed with, by the way because I'm a design nerd) hit the nail on the head.

"A freewheelin', trashgrassin', folk tornado, the Whiskey Shivers take traditional instrumentation, soak it in gasoline and send it into outer space. Breakneck speeds, killer grooves and impeccable musicianship: it's enough to make Bill Monroe himself do a double-take as he spins in his grave."

 Trashgrass... love it.

I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone or something because I had never seen so many hipsters in Lubbock in my life. I guess they just came out of the woodwork for this show because the floor was packed with true blue fans. The energy of this band was out of this world too. I think my favorite moment was when they finished playing and the crowd demanded another song, so they came out into the middle of the people and played one last song. I had never seen anyone do that at Blue Light before and luckily I was standing up high enough that I could see what was going on.

I don't know how I've missed out on WS for so long, but I hope they are back in Lubbock soon. They've got a new fan in me.

This video creeps me the hell out but it is so creative I had to share it.



This one really captures their live energy. So much fun to watch!

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Shakey Graves played just before Whiskey Shivers. He's one of those people that can play about 30 instruments at once and sound like a full band... you know, like the Dr. Suess guy...  

Anyway, I'd never heard of Shakey Graves either so I just assumed it was a whole band, not one guy. He was very Lincoln Durham/Ryan Bingham sounding with some Charlie Shafter thrown in. I can't even stomp my feet and clap my hands at the same time without looking like I need to ride the little yellow bus to school, so I was incredibly impressed with his ability to play a suitcase drum backwards with both feet while playing guitar and singing. In front of people.(He also had a huge following of hipsters crowding the stage.)

Check it out:

 

 

Ray Wylie Hubbard on the Late Show

If I could eat dinner with any person in the world right now, it would be Ray Wylie Hubbard. I would love to sit and pick his brain and I have a feeling I would walk away with a whole new outlook on life.

The Texas legend/Wylie Llama/Forgotten Outlaw was on the Late Show with David Letterman last night and his performance was incredible. Of course. Hell, it was enough to make me come out of a nearly month-long blog hibernation due slightly to Christmas break laziness and majorly to my pouting spell that ensued after seeing the 10,437 million posts the last few days on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by Music Fest attendees in Steamboat making me 50 shades of jealous. I'm back! Thank you, RWH for the inspiration.


"The days that I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations, I have really good days."
(The second I heard that I knew I never wanted to forget it so I jumped up and scribbled it on my bedroom mirror with a marker. My daily affirmation now comes in the form of a Wylie Llama quote.)