And the award goes to...

It is once again that time of year for the Lonestar Music Awards. Since I wasn't picked to be one the descision makers on these nominations.  I decided I would just go ahead and post who I would vote for and give some thoughts on my choice.  Yay for you! The awards are going to take place at the Texas Music Theater in San Marcos on April 28th.  I am hoping to be in attendance but we'll see how it goes.  So here we go. 

 

 

The nominees for the 2013 Lone Star Music Awards are.....

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

The Departed - Adventus *Lauren's Pick*

Jason Eady - AM Country Heaven

John Fullbright - From The Ground Up

Ray Wylie Hubbard - The Grifter's Hymnal

Rob Baird - I Swear It's The Truth

Turnpike Troubadours - Goodbye Normal Street

Uncle Lucius - And You Are Me

 

That was a tough one to choose but I think I dig the bluesy guitar solos on Adventus.  Turnpike was a close second for me in this category.

 

ALBUM OF THE YEAR - COUNTRY 

Aaron Watson - Real Good Time

Corb Lund - Cabin Fever

Eleven Hundred Springs - Midway

Jason Eady - AM Country Heaven *Lauren's Pick*

Josh Abbott Band - Small Town Family Dream

Roger Creager - Surrender 

Wade Bowen - The Given - This should have been nominated in the regular album of the year category...Just saying.

 

It didn't get any better than that release.  I loved the Duet with Patty Loveless. Long live the old fart music!

ALBUM OF THE YEAR - AMERICANA/ROOTS 

American Aquarium - Burn. Flicker. Die.

The Departed - Adventus 

Dirty River Boys - Science Of Flight

Lincoln Durham - The Shovel Vs. The Howling Bones *Lauren's Pick*

Shovels & Rope - O' Be Joyful 

Turnpike Troubadours - Goodbye Normal Street

Uncle Lucius - And You Are Me

 

American Aquarium is really awesome and I can't wait to see them later this month.  I have heard their cd's and they are solid well put together packages.  The gritty rawness of Lincoln Durham's songs  and voice are too good not to win.

 

ALBUM OF THE YEAR - SINGER-SONGWRITER/FOLK 

Chris Knight - Little Victories 

John Fullbright - From The Ground Up

Ray Wylie Hubbard - The Grifter's Hymnal 

Sean McConnell - Midland

The Trishas - High, Wide & Handsome *Lauren's Pick*

Todd Snider - Agnostic Hymns & Stoner Fables

Walt Wilkins - Plenty

 

This was the toughest category for me.  All of these people listed above I think highly of.  The Trisha's album though hasn't gotten old for me. Sorry boys but the girls take this award!

 

SONG OF THE YEAR

The Departed - "Prayer For The Lonely"

Jason Eady - "AM Country Heaven"

John Fullbright - "Gawd Above"

Lincoln Durham - "Clementine" *Lauren's Pick*

Ray Wylie Hubbard - "Mother Blues"

Rob Baird - "Dreams & Gasoline"

Turnpike Troubadours - "Good Lord Lorrie"

 

Man this one was tough too.  Once again I go back to the grit in Lincoln's voice singing this song.

 

LIVE ACT OF THE YEAR

 Cody Johnson Band

The Damn Quails

The Departed 

Dirty River Boys *Lauren's Pick*

Robert Earl Keen

Turnpike Troubadours 

Uncle Lucius

 

I am going with the river boys.  They put on a bad ass show. 

 

BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE - MALE

 Evan Felker - Goodbye Normal Street

Jason Eady - AM Country Heaven 

Kevin Galloway - And You Are Me

Rob Baird - I Swear It's The Truth

Sean McConnell - Midland

Seth James - Adventus*Lauren's Pick*

Wade Bowen - The Given

 

 

I just love Seth's voice...what else can I say.

 

BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE - FEMALE

 Audra Mae - Audra Mae & The Almighty Sound

Cary Ann Hearst - O' Be Joyful

Dana Falconberry - Leelanau

Elizabeth Cook - Gospel Plow

Ruthie Foster - Let It Burn

Shellee Coley - Where It Began

The Trishas - High, Wide & Handsome *Lauren's Pick*

 

The harmonies on that cd and live put them at the top on this category. 

 

EMERGING ARTIST OF THE YEAR

 John Fullbright 

Jordan Minor 

K. Phillips

Rob Baird *Lauren's Pick

Six Market Blvd.

The Trishas 

Tyler & The Tribe

 

I really like his stuff.  Truthfully I like all these guys and gals but I have had Let Me Down Easy by Rob in my head all afternoon.  That made the decision.

 

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR

 Evan Felker 

John Fullbright

Kevin Galloway

Ray Wylie Hubbard

Sean McConnell

Todd Snider

Walt Wilkins *Lauren's Pick*

 

 

Hard to choose but I am such a fan of Walt's. 

 

MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR

Cody Canada - The Departed

Corby Schaub

Gary Clark Jr.

John Fullbright

Jon Grossman - Uncle Lucius

Ryan Engleman - Turnpike Troubadours 

Seth James - The Departed *Lauren's Pick*

 

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

Adam Odor - Adventus*Lauren's Pick*

Jason Isbell - Burn. Flicker. Die

Justin Pollard - Dandelion, Songs We Wish We'd Written II

Kevin Welch - What The Hell Is Going On?

Lloyd Maines - Surrender, Art Of Removing Wallpaper 2012

Ray Wylie Hubbard & George Reiff - Grifter's Hymnal, The Shovel Vs. The Howling Bones

Wes Sharon - From The Ground Up, Goodbye Normal Street

 

ALBUM ARTWORK OF THE YEAR

American Aquarium - Burn. Flicker. Die.

The Departed - Adventus 

The Flatlanders - Odessa Tapes

John Fullbright - From The Ground Up

Lincoln Durham - The Shovel Vs. The Howling Bones *Lauren's Pick*

Paul Thorn - What The Hell Is Going On?

Todd Snider - Agnostic Hymns & Stoner Fables

 

FESTIVAL OF THE YEAR

Big Fest - San Marcos, TX

Greenfest - New Braunfels, TX 

KNBT Americana Jam - New Braunfels, TX 

Larry Joe Taylor Fest - Stephenville, TX 

Lone Star Jam - Austin, TX 

MusicFest - Steamboat Springs, CO

Old Settler's -Driftwood, TX 

 

MUSIC VENUE OF THE YEAR

Billy's Ice - New Braunfels, TX*Lauren's Pick* 

Cain's Ballroom - Tulsa, OK

Cheatham Street Warehouse - San Marcos, TX 

John T. Floore's Country Store - Helotes, TX 

Gruene Hall - New Braunfels, TX 

Luckenbach Dancehall - Luckenbach, TX 

Texas Music Theater - San Marcos, TX 

 

All of these venues have their own special charm but I have to go with Billy's on this category.  Always great up and coming acts there.  Always great quality music!

 

So what do you think? Agree or Disagree?

The Palace, The Stragglers, The Departed

 

Big News in the Hurricane Highway world.  As you can see from the above pics Jason Boland and The Departed boys are coming to town.  To Seguin to be exact, at a new venue The Palace Theater.  I got to meet the owner at Roadside Libby's show in New Braunfels last week.  I am pretty excited for what he has planned for this venue. Also that there will be an air conditioned venue to go to when it's 100 plus degrees at 11 at night! First and foremost some of my favorite bands/friends are going to be opening for those shows in the picture above. 

 

On March 7th opening for Jason is Chad Anderson of Southern Strangers, Andrew Van Winkle of Roadside Libby, Nate Thomas and Jeremy Alvarez of Troubadour Junkies.

 

On March 15th opening for The Departed is Roadside Libby.

 

Exciting stuff for those guys.  To see what else they have coming up you can check out the venues website www.seguinmusic.com.  I am looking forward to see who they have coming next.

 

Support live music wherever you are!

Patton, Hood, And Cheatham



I woke bright and early Sunday morning for the day job and even though I was tired and grumpy at 7 am I couldn't help but smile about the night before.  No I didn't meet a cute boy or have one of those best night ever beer commercial nights. Who has those anyway?  They really should make those ads more realistic...you know a drunk girl in the corner crying over the ex, two stupid dudes puffed up fighting by the bar, antisocial weirdo creeping everyone else out, someone puking in the ladies from too much jaeger, waking up the next day feeling rough as hell, realizing you took the weird guy home and need a plan to get rid of him.  What? Do those things not happen at your bar or when you drink?  anyway.  I woke up aglow from the music I saw the night before.  Courtney Patton and Adam Hood were playing at Cheatham Street in San Marcos.  First off when you walk into Cheatham it is not the most glamorous venue you will ever see.  I am cool with that.  If you are true music nerd like I am, you can feel the history and envision the greatness of those who have once stood in that room.  Stevie Ray Vaughn, Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, and Todd Snider to name a few. On this particular night with Courtney and Adam I knew I was going to see a cool show.  I didn't realize and I should have, that I was going to see a supercharged tell the whole world about it cause it was that cool type of show.  Courtney as I stated in the last women who rock showcase was amazing.  This girl can sing!  As I also said before it's my personal mission to share her greatness to anyone that will listen.  With Adam coming up to some lead guitar magic the opening set ended with this really cool cover of Led Zeppelin's ramble on.  Adam wasted no time getting into the set starting off the night with Hell of fight.  Always the constant show man, he had everyone in the crowd singing along to every song and laughing at his serious dance moves as the shots kicked in. I love his cover of Raspberry Beret! Lucky for those of you who weren't there I found some delightful little videos from that night to post for you.  Also a HUGE thanks to James Fillpot and Alaisha Holt for taking some awesome photos that I can share with the masses.  I really need to figure out my camera situation. 

 

 

 

Ignore the weird creepy kissy couple in  the beginning of the video.  Love Soulshine.  Glad he covered it.

 

Pics from the show.

 

 

Ladies Who Rock Showcase - Courtney Patton

When I first saw Courtney open for The Trisha's at the beginning of the Month I was blown away as soon as she hit the first verse of her song. She opened with It's Not Easy.  In that moment I knew I was witnessing something special.   Seeing her again this past weekend with Adam Hood I was even more impressed. She is one of those great songwriters much like Lori McKenna that can paint you a picture with lyrics.  Her new album that is set to come out soon.   I am convinced that she has been the best kept secret in the songwriting circle.  Her song The Fool was covered by The Trisha's on their High, Wide, and Handsome Cd.  If you weren't in the audience at Cheatham Street Warehouse this past Saturday you missed out on a great show. One which I will tell you all about in my next post.   I am making it my personal mission to tell anyone who will listen to me just how amazing she is.  So if you like what you hear from her, help me spread the word!

 

 

She can cover Led Zeppelin like no one else.  You should have seen her and Adam rock this song!

 

 

 

Check out her reverbnation page to see where she will be next. 

 

 

 

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Artist Q and A With Adam Hood

Hello out there to my dozens of readers.  I have been a little quiet this week.  I only like to write when I have been inspired to.  I don't want to force things.  Nothing good comes from that...in all areas of life that rule applies.  I am looking forward to fun weekend of shows. There are some other shows and people to tell you about coming soon.  This Saturday one of the shows I am really excited about is happening at Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos, TX.  The wonderful Ms. Courtney Patton is opening up for Adam Hood. If you have never seen Adam play you don't know what you are missing.  What I love about Adam's songwriting is that he is country but not in the way that is sold to us by someone who hasn't lived the life.  He tells the story of how it really is, there are no references how big the tires on his mud truck are.  What you get is an appreciation for the small town stories that are real.  The good and the bad.  He has this distinctive voice and guitar licks that are unmistakably him.   When I asked Adam if he would answer my little want to be Barbara Walters questions I was thrilled he said yes.  So here it is people a Q and A with one of my favorites Mr. Adam Hood!  Here are some videos as well of Adam to listen to while reading.  Enjoy

So many of the bands, I see here in Texas are fans of your music.  It comes across in their song writing and music style. You are an influence to them but who and/or what inspires you? When it comes to lyrical content I'm a pretty practical writer.  Most ideas come from plain old conversation. It can be with my wife, another writer, or just being nosy and listening to other people talk. Musical content comes from other music. I try to constantly listen to as much music as is available to me. There's a chord or a melody in every song that spurs a chord or a melody for me. 

You are going to be at Cheatham this Saturday?  What does the next few months hold in store for you?  Any really cool gigs you want to brag about? Seems like I'm pretty busy this spring and its a good thing. Back in November I signed on to play the 4th Sunday of every month in Luckenbach with Jason Eady and Brian Keane. That's a great gig on so many levels. Being in that town is obvious why the gig is great because I've never been to a place that has THAT kind of vibe. Also, Jason and Brian are two of my closest friends in the music scene.  They're the guys I talk to regularly and the ones I send my songs to if I want an honest opinion. It's a fun show. Since josh Abbott released "I'll sing about mine" as a single, I've accepted a good string of shows as his opening act in the southeast! It's wild, but the region  I'm from is relatively new to my music, so some of these places I'm playing with josh are ones I'm doing for the first time. 

What is coming for Adam Hood this year?  IE any new music or cool co writes you are planning. Man, I have all sorts of unrealistic plans for this year. I've been writing a LOT since the new year and its great. I'm writing with Will Hoge in a few weeks and that's a big one for me. I've been a fan for a long time and all his success recently is well deserved. I got a phone call from Jack Ingram last week about writing soon and he's another one that's huge for me. I remember jack coming to play in my hometown in 1994!! He was the first Texas artist I laid eyes on and our paths have run together in strange and funny ways ever since. 

 You have had the opportunity to play in some really cool venues.  If you could choose one, which venue is your favorite? Why? I get that question a fair amount and it really is a tough one to answer. Every place is different and they all have their own charm. I have a good story and a bad story about most of the places I play these days and that's very cool. It means these places are becoming comfortable and that comfort is the only way I can keep from losing it when I travel. But, to answer the question, I'm into the Luckenbach thing right now. I really love it there. 

 If you could tell one crazy from the road story, what would it be?  You can change names of the parties involved if needed. This isn't my BEST story from the road (I'm sure I blacked out while creating my best story) but this one popped in my head the other night... I did a week of shows with JJ Grey and Mofro a few years back. The first show was in Gainesville, FL which is the area where they got started. I was solo in front of a sold out room of Mofro fans who had no idea who I was, but I played all 45 minutes without a slanderous remark from the crowd and walked off the stage. The tour manager met me right off stage and said "dude, they just towed your car while you were playing". I parked next to their bus in a no parking zone. So I spent all the money I made that night getting my Chevy venture out of the lot. 

Out of all the songs you have written, which one do you feel the most proud of and why?  Another tough question that I might not answer the same if asked tomorrow. The Tennessee Will is one of my prize cows these days. I wrote it with pat McLaughlin and, although I've never written a song with pat I don't really love, I think we nailed that one. I think the vibe of that song is the essence of who I am as a musician. To me there's a difference between being southern and being a redneck, hillbilly, or whatever other derogatory term the rest of the world labels us as (and that, sadly, we accept and embrace).  I feel like that song is sort of what being southern should "sound" like... Rather than like some of the current country music sounds. 

The idea of this blog is to talk about and promote artists that aren't household names and are working hard to build a career. I am sure you have seen and heard some great music out on the road.  Have you seen any great bands or musicians out there that the rest of us should give a listen to?                                                     My friend Brent Cobb is an artist to keep an eye out for. He's from GA and his hometown is about a 2 hour drive from mine. I could write his bio for you, but I'll spare you the long-winded answer (this time) and say we wrote Grandpa's Farm (on my newest cd) and wrote a song called "go outside and dance" that Eli young recorded and released online. He's as genuine and clever a writer and person as I've ever met. It's a different level of country music. 

What made you want to become a musician? To really think back, I've just always loved music. I don't know of any specific "burning bush" moment that put me on this path.  When I was a kid I would make guitars and mics out of cardboard until my parents had to buy me a guitar (out of pity for their weirdo son). I've always loved to play and sing and I always run into music that keeps me feeling that way. 

 The last q and a I did was with Forest Wayne Allen.  I like to have each musician ask a question for the next band or artist to answer.  This is his question.  What to you is the difference in confidence and arrogance, and how has either helped or hurt your career?  I think the difference is the focal point. Arrogance seems to have a self-centered focus. Arrogant people seem to be sold on themselves as a whole... Not any goal, platform, accomplishment , etc. Confidence is is different. Most people have to GIVE themselves confidence or absorb it from the encouragement of others. And it usually focuses more on a belief. People develop confidence to get over that hurdle in front of them. I think being unaware of the difference has been a tough thing for me to learn. It isn't my nature to be assertive or competitive and so I've let those little moments pass me by... Returning a phone call that might have created my best song or most memorable show, Introducing myself to someone that could be a vital part of my career, and so on. I tell myself that I neglect those things due to a lack of confidence, but I cringe to think deep down I do it out of the arrogance that makes me think I "don't need" to do those things.  Whew... That's heavy!!

To check out where Adam is playing next here is the link to his official website. 

www.adamhood.com

Copper and Glass - A Little Cali Gem I Stumbled Across Today.

With social media it is possible for anyone to sell themselves as a band, model, superhero, or whatever else they want you to believe.  With my twitter, off and on I have bands that follow me or message me to check out there band cause they sound like the next big thing.  It may sound weird but I have this little intuition about who I will like or who I won't.  Through one of my social media outlets I stumbled across this band out of California.  It could have been boredom, it could have been something else.  Somehow the music gods shined down on me today. I am not sure, but I decided to Google them.  It lead me to their reverbnation page, which has since led me to spotify where I am listening to there cd.  The band is Copper & Glass.  If you like Band of Heathens, Folk Family Revival, Uncle Lucius, and Ryan Adams it is possible you will like this band too.  Since they are from Cali, it will probably be a while before they make it to this state.  Check these guys out and if you like them tell your friends. Word of mouth is still one of the best marketing tools out there.  Here is the link to the website.  If you don't have the Spotify app, download it and listen to their self titled album.  It is good all the way through. I haven't been this excited about a cd since I got Folk Family's Unfolding Cd.
 Copper and Glass Website

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Sing Forest Sing - Artist Q and A with Forest Wayne Allen

A while back I had gotten into a Facebook discussion about country music and what it should sound like.  Country music is about telling the story of the common man.  I maintain that fiddles, mandolins, and steel guitars should be common place in that genre.  Today we have too much over production in what is played to the masses. Someone who felt similar to me in that thought process was my friend Forest Wayne Allen.  Forest plays what I consider to be traditional country music. Forest moved here from out of state and has been playing in San Antonio, New Braunfels, and San Marcos.  Currently working in the oilfield, he has been picking up gigs sporadically when he is in town. I decided I wanted to start  doing Q and A's with different people on the scene as I go.  I am channeling my inner Barbara Walters here on these little question and answer segments.  Forest was kind enough to be my first interview on this little highway of mine.  So ladies and gents here are some tunes from the man himself and below is our little conversation.  Enjoy.

 

 

 

Tell me about what has been happening with you?

 I've been farming in the oil patch lately. I was farming in the credit
card patch before that, so I had to get real. At least for 2 weeks out
of the month.  But I am really enjoying actually being responsible for
something other than changing my oil & strings; and, I'm loving music a
lot more lately.  Stepping away from it for a lil bit has helped me
appreciate every aspect of it so much more.

 Any really cool gigs coming up you want to tell people about? 

Until I get my oilfield schedule in stone, I'll just be playing

last minute stuff.  My friends like Jordan Minor, Tony Taylor, Daniel
Thomas Phipps have been hooking me up with shows when I'm back. I'm
supposed to play Tavern in the Gruene the 14th with my buddy Brett
Hauser, but he might have to be his own valentine if I'm on a rig in
BFE.

Most memorable show you have played?
Dosey Doe in Conroe  It's one of two shows I've done without a single
drop of booze, and it was very memorable.  Literally, I could remember
it.  People really came to listen and it's a super cool venue. Ray
Benson was playing at the other one in The Woodlands, and I was about
flattered when the owner chose to hang out at my gig.  Even I wouldn't
have done that...

 Do you any crazy on the road stories? Or at least any you can share without getting people in trouble? 

For the protection of others, the guilty will remain nameless.  I played a gig in Corpus at

Outta Bounds (shout out) with ____ _____ and ___ ____ and Angie from
Outta Bounds got us a hotel.  When we finally made it to the hotel, I
spent all my effort trying to get two girls to come over.  When I
finally gave up, I noticed the two were missing, but I had a feeling
they were somewhere in the building. I opened the bathroom door and they
were sitting in the bathtub with their legs over the side, just
lauuuuughin'

What inspired you to become a musician?
My mom and dad.  I grew up walking around old smokey bars, listening to
them play bluegrass. Sometimes I'd be an outdoor thing, sometimes they
played for funeral homes and my mom was the piano player at out church
growing up.  I started on the trumpet and got my first guitar my junior
year of high school.  I've been pickin' ever since.

 Of all the songs you have written, what song is your favorite? Why?

Well hell, the're all my favorite!  (I'm pretty sure a

guy named Billy Joe said that).  I have one called "My best days".  It's
just the truest song I have, and I really seam to get into it more than
any other song.

What goals are hoping to reach in 2013?

I just want to get this record out...and get my schedule figured out so

that I can book gigs and get myself and hopefully a country band back on
that road!

Favorite venue? Why?
The first place I ever played in the state of Texas was Tavern in the
Gruene.  That was 4 years before I moved here to stay.  I just love the
room, it's a great acoustic room and some of the crowds are really cool
about listening and hanging out after the show.

When you aren’t playing a show who do you go out to see?

I usually end up going to see my friends in the scene.  Court

Nance, Midnight River Choir, Jordan Minor, Tony Taylor, Jaime Cortinas, guys like that.  I
do love Dwight, Robert Earl, Billy Joe, Rodney Parker & Reckless.

 What do you think sets you or your band apart from other bands?

 I'm the weirdest guy in the business, and I'm not even trying. It

comes so easy to me.

Anything else you would like the people to know about you or your band?

Grab the new record!  It's country.  They'll have it playing

on Radiofreetexas and Superfly's Lonestar Music in San Marcos will
probably be the first ones to carry it.  This is my forth record, but
the first one I really believe in all the way through.  Thanks to Jordan
Minor for producing it with me and Gary Hickenbothem for engineering it.

 

So there you have it.  Go Check out Forest when he is in town.   As soon as I know when the new record will be coming out, I will let you know. 

 

Support live music wherever you are.