Texas Music Scene

Contents
FEATURES
Publisher
Grammys,
Ribs and
Texas
Hold 'Em…
8
Border Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
"And the Grammy Goes to..." . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Nutrition Corner: Not All Bugs are Bad . . . . . . .
Sarah and Shauna Dodds of Backstage Design Studio
2014 Festival Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2014 Grand Poker Tournament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Shinyribs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Kevin Russell dishes with Jon Grossman
Favorite Venues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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18
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W
e tend to cover a wide variety of subjects in this
magazine, all connected to this genuine music
lifestyle. It’s a way of life, bound by a like-minded
community, sharing a common thread: enjoying things that are a
little more grounded and real.
Hats off to Reckless Kelly, and Shauna and Sarah Dodds of
Backstage Design Studio, on their Grammy award-winning
collaboration, Long Night Moon. The album's artwork design was
recently awarded the recognition of a lifetime, a Grammy for Best
Recording Packaging.
DEPARTMENTS
Artists Helping Others . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
MY Other Gig: Hal Ketchum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
29
MY Vinyl: Midnight River Choir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Music Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Music Charts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
MY Rig: Justin Nelson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The MusicFest Magazine is distributed throughout the Southwest
USA and directly mailed to all 50 states, several countries
and read by hundreds of thousands. DON’T MISS AN ISSUE!
Go to dicksonproductions.com or themusicfest.com for your FREE
subscription. Advertise to over 200,000 (hard copy) and over 300,000
(online) dedicated readers. Email us at [email protected].
On The Cover: Grammy winners, Shauna and Sarah Dodds
of Backstage Design Studio, photography by Chad Wadsworth.
The MusicFest Magazine is:
Publisher/Editor in Chief: . . John Dickson
Managing Editor: . . Eleanor Sawyer
Assistant Editor: . . Lauren Danser Ellerbee
Project Coordinator: . . Sarah Hearne
Art Director: . . Ron Crose/Pranamedia
Graphic Designer: . . Lisa Herbert
Advertising: . . Sarah Hearne
Contributing Writers: Mike Ethan Messick,
Kelly Dearmore,
Jon Grossman, Jessie Scott,
Wendy Jo Peterson,
Lauren Danser Ellerbee
Photo Editor: . . Jacy Meador
Photography: . . Todd Purifoy, Carl Dunn,
Chad Wadsworth, Jessica Crouch,
Richard Clark
TheMusicFest.com: . . Pranamedia
VIEW THIS ISSUE ONLINE!
theMusicFest.com
SUBSCRIBE! For mail subscription
inquiries, write to [email protected]
As you endeavor on your musical
odyssey, do not just stop at reading this
publication. We urge you to go online
and research your favorite artists and
venues. Educate yourselves by reading
these other respected and informative
publications: Texas Music Magazine, Best
in Texas, Lone Star Music Magazine, and
Country Line Magazine. No matter who
you are, or where you are, as readers of
this publication and devoted followers
of the music it supports, we all have
something in common: an unfailing
enthusiasm in our hearts for the crafting of well-made music, and a quest for
adventure that this authentic music scene
has shaped and produced.
The MusicFest Magazine is published biannually by Dickson Productions, Inc. 6425 S. IH 35, Suite 150 PMB#293, Austin, Texas 78744.
Copyright 2014 by Dickson Productions. All Rights Reserved. Printed in the USA. This magazine or its trademarks may not be reproduced
in whole or in part in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information
storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented without written permission from the Publisher. For subscription inquiries
write to [email protected]. Website www.themusicfest.com. The Publisher assumes no responsibility for views expressed herein by
contributors or claims made by advertisers. The Publisher assumes no responsibility for care and return of unsolicited materials.
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So, a well-deserved CONGRATULATIONS to both the RK guys and
"the Dodds sisters,” the latter of whom grace the cover of this
issue. We couldn’t think of a better way to recognize their recent
accolade for their incredible design and creativity. Just earning
a Grammy nomination is quite an accomplishment (which they
also earned in 2012 for Reckless Kelly's Good Luck & True Love
release), but bringing the prestigious award back to Texas this
time comes with some real bragging rights.
How’d it happen, you may ask? Well, in my opinion, take two very
talented, creative ladies and throw in the renowned Braun wit
and cleverness, and there you have it. Just goes to show, if you
surround yourself with good people, anything is possible. Read
more in the interview by Mike Ethan Messick.
While we’re bragging on them, Dickson Productions has been
fortunate enough to enjoy some great designs created by
Backstage Design Studio, and we certainly appreciate Sarah
and Shauna hanging out this year at MusicFest. Of course, the
design (and light!) aren't the only reasons to buy the album; it
features some of Reckless Kelly’s finest musical arrangements
and lyrics to date.
Music sensation Shinyribs also created a heck of a buzz as firsttimers at the MusicFest this past January. In addition to the full
band version, the Dung Beetle Saloon audience so enjoyed
Shinyribs’ captivating acoustic gig that they created a social
media storm at the festival. Check out Jon Grossman's interview
with Kevin Russell, who provides some interesting insight. (Stay
tuned: we’ll have more on other new, sensational bands who’ve
made their mark as well.)
Texas Hold 'Em Poker also fits well into this scene, especially when
the annual tourney at MusicFest lends a helping hand to several
charities. Many thanks to the firefighters, including Texas Fire Chief
of the Year Clay Huckaby, and of course to the musicians who've
helped to make this evening such a success for so many great
causes through the years. See the related story in these pages.
All being said, Dickson Productions is so very fortunate to be
surrounded by such good people, music, and all of the folks who
make it possible. Enjoy the festival season, its people, and the
music this scene is so famous for.
Cheers,
John Dickson

The MusicFest
Contributing Writers, Extended Family
Get Real For The MusicFest Magazine
Jessie Scott
is the director of Hill
Country Live, with venues in New York, Brooklyn,
and Washington, D.C. She is also heard on the
radio weekdays from 10 am to 3 pm at KDRP,
Austin/Dripping Springs—Americana Radio for
the Texas Hill Country. She is a partner at Music
Fog and a founding member of the Americana Music Association
where she still sits on the Board of Directors. While at XM Radio, her
channel, X Country, became the most listened to Americana music
station in the world.
is a native of
Kentucky who splits his time between traveling
the country and sleeping on a south Austin, TX
couch. His hobbies include sleeping, eating leftovers, playing word games and slowly memorizing the capitals of every state. He can be found
loitering at far-flung dance halls and beer joints year-round. He's
thrilled to be writing for The MusicFest Magazine, as it affords the
chance to put his obsessive logging and chronicling to good use.
Mike Ethan Messick is
is a native New Orleanian and LSU graduate,
but she settled in Austin, Texas as soon as
she could. Her lack of musical talent fuels her
enthusiastic appreciation for what others do so
well, and she feels very fortunate to be able to
express her passion through writing. Lauren enjoys traveling and
learning, as well as sharing time, food, and music with the ones
she loves.
a songwriter, a singer, an occasional recording
artist, an inveterate day-jobber and in recent
years also a freelance journalist in the service
of nearly every major music publication in his
home state of Texas (including Lone Star Music,
Texas Music Magazine, and the Texas Music Scene blog). Hailing from
Baytown, educated at Texas A&M, and gigging somewhere around
the state on just about any given week, Messick lives just south of
South Austin with his wife Codey and their growing family.
Wendy Jo Peterson, MS, RD
is a dietitian/nutritionist who specializes in
sports nutrition with a particular interest in
fueling the athlete in every musician. You can
find her tweeting about “good-eats” and healthy
living or catch her on the road working with
musicians to modify their 12 oz. nutrition plans!
Jon Grossman
Lauren Danser Ellerbee
Articles in this magazine are the opinions and experiences of other people. The
MusicFest Magazine cannot be held responsible for the reliability of events,
press releases or news printed or the actions and occurrences during any
events, press releases, or news printed. We do not confirm submissions from
promoters, public relations representatives, or outside news sources, but simply
provide postings as a community service to our readers. All collaboration or
verification of such postings is the responsibility of the reader prior to relying
on such information for any action that may be taken on their behalf or on the
behalf of others. We suggest you confirm the locations and lineups of promotions before attending any event listed.
Happy Birthday to an Austin Original:
Cactus Cafe & Bar Celebrates 35 Years!
T
he Cactus Cafe & Bar is one of Austin’s great acoustic music traditions. The
Cactus is an intimate live music performance venue, and since the cafe
opened in February 1979, the Cactus has acquired a national reputation,
showcasing the top local, regional, national and international acoustic music acts on
the circuit today. Billboard magazine listed the Cactus as one of 15 “solidly respected,
savvy clubs” nationwide “from which careers can be cut, that work with proven names
and new faces.”
Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl Keen, Lucinda Williams, Shawn Colvin, Nanci
Griffith and Ani DiFranco are among the singer-songwriters who frequently graced the Cactus stage early in their careers. Over the last 25
years, many well-known artists have performed at the Cactus Cafe,
many to return time and time again to the Cactus stage. Among them:
Alison Krauss, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Butch Hancock, Townes Van Zandt,
Loudon Wainwright III, Bill Monroe, Richard Thompson, Darden Smith,
Guy Clark, the Dixie Chicks, John Hiatt, Iris Dement, Ralph Stanley,
Suzanne Vega, Gillian Welch, Patty Griffin and the list goes on…
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It's All Good
Photo by Todd Purifoy.
Artists Helping Others
I
n the music world, you will find many hard-working artists who enjoy using their God-given
talents and public image to help those in need. These humble individuals respectfully give their
time and energy to charities that are near and dear to their hearts. Here are a few fun-filled events
geared toward helping others. There are also many other charitable events that are either hosted by or
involve artists in the Texas music scene and beyond. Please support their efforts to help others.
Granger Smith Boot Walk
May 4th - 8th, 2014
Austin and Killeen, TX
www.bootwalk.com
Benefiting the Boot Campaign
6th Annual Reckless Kelly
Celebrity Softball Jam
May 11th, 2014
Dell Diamond, Round Rock, TX
www.rkcsj.org
Benefiting the Reckless Kelly Charitable Youth Foundation
18th Annual KNBT 92.1 FM
Americana Music Jam
BigSkiT
rip.com
6th Annual Randy Rogers
Band For The Sake of the Shot
Golf Tournament
Summer/Fall 2014
Weatherford, TX
www.rrbgolf.com
Benefiting youth in Texas
Kevin Fowler FFA
4-H Fundraiser
Fall 2014
www.elwebman.com/ronnysmith/
Benefiting the Ronny Smith Memorial Buyers Group
The MusicFest
May 18th, 2014
Gruene Hall, New Braunfels, TX
January 5th - 10th, 2015
Steamboat Springs, CO
www.knbt.fm – www.gruenehall.com
Benefiting The Braunfels Foundation Trust
www.themusicfest.com
Benefiting the Center for Texas Music History,
Shriners Hospital for Children-Galveston, 4-H, FFA and more!
16th Annual Bowen Classic
June 1st - 2nd, 2014
Waco, TX
www.wadebowen.com/classic
Benefiting The Bowen Family Foundation
Dung Beetle Saloon
@ The MusicFest
January 5th - 10th, 2015
Steamboat Springs, CO
www.themusicfest.com
Benefiting the French Simpson Memorial Library
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Nutrition Corner:
Not All Bugs
are Bad
B y We n d y J o Pete rs o n
Y
ou might be surprised to find out
we actually have allies in eating.
Microscopic bacteria, also known as
probiotics, join forces with our bodies to
help aid in digestion, absorption, immunity
support, and mental health. We once dined
almost exclusively on meals that boasted
these bacteria; however, with the invention
of packaged foods we have stepped away
from the art of fermenting foods. The process
of fermenting foods is perhaps something
your grandparents (possibly even your
parents) still do today. How many folks have
family members who make homemade
pickles? Pickled okra? Beer? Wine? Cider?
Sourdough bread? All of these boast the little
microbes that are now being hailed for their
healthy attributes.
Probiotics have received ample attention
over the past decade, particularly sources of
fermented dairy – yogurts, kefirs, sour cream,
etc. But even if you don’t like dairy you can
still gain the benefits of these bugs. There
are ample benefits to eating fermented
foods. Probiotics have been shown to
help shorten the duration of colds, boost
immunity, increase absorption of nutrients,
help with digestive disorders, and if you’re
feeling a little blue, you may want to reach
for these bugs to help boost your mood, too!
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MusicFestmagazine • 2014
The idea of tossing back a couple billion of
these bugs daily may be hard to swallow,
but don’t dismay – it’s easier than you
think. Just a serving each day of any of the
following foods will give you more than a
billion of these beneficial bugs and some
positive changes:
Kefir
(yogurt-like drink)
Yogurt
Kimchi
(stinky fermented cabbage popular in Korea)
Sauerkraut
(German-style fermented cabbage)
Kombucha
(popular fermented drink, slight vinegar taste)
Chocolate
Wine
Beer
Miso soup
(popular Japanese broth-based soup)
Sourdough bread
Pickled Okra, Cucumbers, and Peppers
If you’d like to try your hand at art of
fermenting as our ancestors once did, be
sure to pick up these books: The Complete
Idiot’s Guide to Fermenting Foods and Wild
Fermentation. You’ll quickly learn why not
all bugs are bad!
These unique
recipes will
help you take
in a couple
billion bugs:
Fermented Bloody Mary
This spicy tomato juice will give your
system a boost after a night of fun!
1 ounce vodka
8 ounces tomato juice
Dash of hot sauce
(yep, it is fermented)
Worcestershire sauce
(yep, it’s fermented, too)
Splash of pickled okra juice
Served with a cucumber spear, stalk
of celery, and pickled okra
Best when shaken, not stirred!
Tart Cherry & Ginger
Kombucha-tini
Enjoy the heat of ginger and the
recovery benefits of tart cherries in
this spicy martini!
1 ounce vodka
3 ounces Ginger Kombucha
1.5 ounces tart cherry juice
Twist of lime
Gently stir and serve!
Texas Music Scene
Border Radio
Now, Fine Lines Often Separate
Chart-Success and Box-Office Dollars
by Kelly Dearmore
F
or almost two decades, the socalled “Texas Music Scene” has
been as much of an industry as it
has been a community of like-minded artists,
fans, merchants and radio personnel. Such
isn’t a negative distinction, as the commercial aspects of any type of insurgent, artistic
scene (see: 1990’s Seattle Grunge or the
Outlaw Movement of the 1970’s and 1980’s)
require a great deal of greenbacks and marketing muscle to keep the movement…well,
moving. As with any other industry, a company (or an artist, in this case) can choose
from a myriad of avenues that might lead to
their goals for success.
Over the years, several Red Dirt and Texas
Country artists have found their path to
well-deserved notoriety. The initial titans of
the Red Dirt industrial revolution – Robert
Earl Keen, Pat Green, Cory Morrow, Roger
Creager, Charlie Robison, and Jack Ingram,
among only a few others – have built their
lucrative brands by not only pulling in plenty
of people to their concerts for many years,
but also from the massive support received
from regional radio stations that continue to
frequently spin their tunes.
and propelled the three aforementioned artists into a higher realm of concert drawing
capability than ever before.
Other things that come with a commercial
enterprise’s surprising success are saturation
and exploitation. More radio stations, especially in smaller markets than Dallas, for example, began to play more Texas Country than
the larger stations could, due to less corporate
playlist control. Added to these playlists were
slightly younger studs such as Wade Bowen,
Jason Boland and Reckless Kelly. By 2006,
Gary and
Micky Bra
on air at
MusicFes un
t.
Photo by Ri
chard Clar
Over the past few years, successful
touring or a respected reputation
hasn’t necessarily equaled copious
radio spins, and time on the airwaves
hasn’t proven to be the most prominent
force driving fans to shows any longer.
Photo by Todd Purifoy.
It’s fair to say that from 1996 until 2010, an
artist who was successful in packing bars and
theaters also saw substantial airplay on radio
stations throughout the Red River region. In
the late 1990’s, Dallas’ top-rated KPLX 99.5
FM (“The Wolf”) began mixing three “Texas
Country” songs into their rotation alongside
the top hits of the day from Tim McGraw,
Faith Hill and Shania Twain. Keen’s “The Road
Goes on Forever,” Robison’s “Barlight,” and
Green’s “Songs About Texas,” allowed 99.5 FM
to call themselves a “Texas Country Station,”
the likes of the Randy Rogers Band and Cross
Canadian Ragweed were seen at the top of
festival bills and bringing thousands of fans
to the Billy Bob’s and Midnight Rodeo’s of the
state. Their songs were prevalent on playlists,
as well. With the ascension of so many acts,
younger artists filled the voids. As the first
decade of the new millennium came to a
close, names like Josh Abbott, Casey Donahew
and Kyle Park would become both common
on the radio and big-room marquees.
Continued page 26
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k.
Photos by Chad Wadsworth.
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MusicFestmagazine • 2014
the
"And the Grammy goes to..."
BAckstage
Design STUDIO
Sarah & Shauna Dodds DRAW HIGHEST
ACCOLADES FOR BEST RECORDING PACKAGE
by Mike Ethan Messick
A
warded for accomplishments mostly sown in 2013,
and preceded by years and sometimes decades of
experimentation, collaboration, and general buttbusting, international stars, such as electro-rock pioneers
Daft Punk and pop sensations Macklemore & Ryan Lewis,
snagged quite a few Grammys this time around. Rock legends
including Paul McCartney, Black Sabbath, and Led Zeppelin
all got their due. So did Texas upstarts like the newly minted
country music sweetheart Kacey Musgraves and R&B guitarslinger Gary Clark, Jr. Joining them all was Sarah and Shauna
Dodds of Backstage Design Studio. The two tall, striking
brunettes in full L.A. glam mode grabbed the Gramophone
statue for Best Recording Package – for Reckless Kelly’s album
Long Night Moon – to bring home to the Lone Star State.
miraculous that a
quintessential business
from Austin, Texas was
out in L.A. duking it out
with infinite-budget
heavyweights like Jay Z,
Metallica, and David Bowie.
Not to overgeneralize, but the Grammy Awards – perhaps
even more so than their counterparts at the Oscars and
Emmys – tend to award commercial success as much as
(maybe more than) the subjective, harder-to-define qualities
of artistic success and innovation. Which makes it remarkable, to the point of nigh miraculous, that a quintessential
business from Austin, Texas was out in L.A. duking it out with
infinite-budget heavyweights like Jay Z, Metallica, and David
Bowie. If that list doesn’t make it clear, let’s reiterate: their
competitors were not limited by genre or scale and potentially included every single album that went to print in 2013.
Also impressive? Sarah and Shauna Dodds beat them all, and
it wasn’t even their first nomination (Reckless Kelly’s previous
album, the 2011 project Good Luck & True Love, also earned a
deserving nod).
Reckless Kelly has been a muse of sorts to the Dodds in recent
years, sort of the DeNiro to their Scorsese (or maybe viceversa … it’s not a perfect analogy), which gives them room
to improvise and innovate. The Grammy-winning Long Night
Moon package was built around a textured, painterly rendition of a night sky brought to life by a small black-light flashlight tucked in the folds of the liner notes; shining it across
the surfaces revealed serene, intricate images. Their previous
Grammy-nominated collaboration on Good Luck & True Love
tapped in to vintage carnivals and penny arcades, complete
with a black and white filmstrip starring bandleader brothers
Willy and Cody Braun. And their first album with Reckless,
2010’s Somewhere In Time, was arguably the coolest of the
bunch (lack of huge industry nominations notwithstanding),
with its battered-Western-paperback aesthetic. These projects are simultaneously the crown jewels of the Dodds’ career
so far and the tip of the iceberg; they resemble each other
only in quality of craftsmanship, each one distinct in what it
evokes and how it succeeds.
Backstage Design Studio is a small operation with a ton going
on. In some ways that’s a refracted reflection of their childhood. Art was an early obsession but, through a practical
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13
Grammy
Award-Winning
Recording Package:
Reckless Kelly's
Long Night Moon
lens, an unlikely profession. Both girls had college-material
smarts and were blessed with the stature and athleticism to
pay their way through college with basketball scholarships.
And as with many college-aged Texans over the last couple of
decades, they became smitten by the raucous, down-to-earth
charms of the independent country-rock bands and singersongwriters barnstorming any town with a sizeable population hovering around the drinking age. Visuals mattered,
merchandise mattered, packaging mattered. The Dodds realized this, and before long they mattered to dozens of artists,
as much as a savvy booking agent or an adept sound guy that
doesn’t need to set foot on stage to be a star.
Household names have the luxury of downplaying their
Grammy success, but to behind-the-scenes strivers like the
Dodds, it’s worth shouting from the hilltop, or at least from
the virtual hilltops of Facebook and Twitter and their own
website. Even more so than their associates behind the mics
and guitars and keyboards, the art directors of the world can
parlay awards recognition into bigger projects and bigger
paydays. Among the chorus of musicians rooting for the
Dodds on Grammy night – aside from Reckless Kelly, of course
– were past and future clients Wade Bowen, Aaron Watson,
the Randy Rogers Band, Bart Crow, Emily Bell, Whiskey Myers
and other acts up and down the Texas/Red Dirt totem pole.
Even Willie Nelson’s in the mix (for his album-length collaboration with Asleep At The Wheel), and the notoriety from their
first Grammy nod pulled Kris Kristofferson into their radar (for
his 2013 release Feeling Mortal); now that there’s a Grammy
on the mantle of their funky South Austin office, there’s no
telling who’ll be calling them up next. To sum it up, the Dodds
are great with images … To expand upon their career, let’s see
how they are with words.
Q: What was the first major project that
you did?
Sarah: I know the first real, full album that we did was the
Randy Rogers Band’s Rollercoaster record.
Q: That was a big breakthrough album for
the whole Texas music scene. How did that
come to pass?
Sarah: I was doing the com-des [communications design]
graphic design program at Texas State, and it was my fifth
and final year and I’d just moved into an apartment where
my next door neighbor happened to be Brady Black, and it
was right when Brady had joined the Randy Rogers Band
as the fiddle player. We shared a patio, and he’d say, “Yeah, I
just joined this band, the Randy Rogers Band … I don’t know
how it’s gonna work out.” He left me this voicemail, said we’re
going to put out a record called Rollercoaster, maybe you
could come up with something awesome? So I sat down and
worked it up all weekend, printed up a [sample] print and
folded it into a jewel case, and stuck it on his doorstep so
C o n t i n u e d p a g e 19
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MusicFestmagazine • 2014
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I
What a ¼ mile of Cedar Strips looks
like at The Porch in San Marcos, TX.
By Hal Ketchum
like working wood: with sharpened tools, it rarely argues.
There’s something tangible about standing back and looking
at a good day’s work. I got out of high school in 1971, not
college bound. I went to work for Tommy Gannon, the best house
builder in the county. I carried lumber for two years before I drove a
nail; my interest came from learning the trade, and my craft has led
me to a level of fine woodworking.
I think any musician will tell
you that physical work provokes
the next song. My favorite wood
to work with is truly whatever
is in front of me. All woods
have different properties and
personalities. Some woods argue;
some are forgiving.
Steve Talley, Hal Ketchum, Ken Burrows
My last project was the building of a bar top for The Porch in San
Marcos, TX. My friend, Steve Talley, called me and asked me to
participate. We did a lamination of 1/2” x 2” cedar strips around
an 18’ oval. We estimate a quarter mile of cedar strips, all glued,
screwed and tattooed. My favorite day was laying the finish...those
cedar strips jumped and danced, and we were happy. The wood was
grateful for yet another life.
I think any musician will tell you that physical work provokes the
next song. My favorite wood to work with is truly whatever is in front
of me. All woods have different properties and personalities. Some
woods argue; some are forgiving. Alder carves well and gives back
what you expend. And since my favorite wood is the one I’m working
with at the time, right now that would be reclaimed Eastern Cedar.
I’ve been restoring a gristmill built in 1888; it has become our living
quarters. I just completed a kitchen with 2” cedar countertops, a
cedar slab coffee table, and also two end tables. My next project will
be an eastern cedar bed. I find joy in reclaiming fine lumber; it’s very
gratifying...kind of like hearing an old song in a brand new light.
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15
Festivals
WHAT TIME IS IT?
IT'S MUSIC
Festival TIME!
W
hat better way to enjoy this time
of year than to do it "festival style"
with your favorite bands, beer, and
buds! Festivals are forms of celebration and
entertainment that date back centuries.
More than just a means of merriment,
they offer a “sense of belonging” for all
who attend; everyone leaves with lasting
memories and new friends. Whether
you’re a connoisseur of wine, lover of
parades, expert turkey-caller, golf pro,
washer-tourney champion, or strawberry
guru, there’s a summer festival just for you.
Cheers to a celebratory season of music,
friendship, laughter, and life!
April'14
Old Settler’s
Music Festival
April 10th - 13th, 2014
Driftwood, TX
Shovels & Rope, Bob Schneider, North
Mississippi Allstars, Dr. Ralph Stanley & The
Clinch Mountain Boys, The Devil Makes
Three, Robert Randolph & The Family
Band, Tim O’Brien & Darrell Scott, John
Fullbright, The Gibson Brothers, Shinyribs,
Peter Rowan’s Twang an’ Groove, Elephant
Revival, Donna the Buffalo, Lake Street Dive,
Gaelic Storm, Della Mae, Wood & Wire, The
Deadly Gentlemen, St. Paul & the Broken
Bones, Humming House, Lily & Madeleine,
Red Wine, Parker Millsap, Front Country,
Katy Kirby
www.oldsettlersmusicfest.org
7th Annual
Thomas Michael Riley
Music Festival
April 11th - 13th, 2014
Luckenbach, TX
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MusicFestmagazine • 2014
the
Hal Ketchum, Max Stalling, The Tejas
Brothers, Tommy Alverson, Davin James,
Chris Wall, Tom McElvain, Jamie Richards,
Jake Martin, Keene Country
www.thomasmichaelriley.com
Larry Joe Taylor’s 26th
Annual Music Festival
April 21st - 26th, 2014
Stephenville, TX
Kevin Fowler, Eli Young Band, Kyle Park, Cody
Johnson, Joe Ely, Randy Rogers Band, Wade
Bowen, Sean McConnell, Josh Abbott Band,
William Clark Green, Jason Boland & the
Stragglers, Reckless Kelly, Ray Wylie Hubbard
www.larryjoetaylor.com
May'14
Lone Star Jam
May 3rd - 4th, 2014
Austin, TX
Stoney LaRue, Wade Bowen, Jack Ingram,
Roger Creager, Will Hoge, Cody Canada and
the Departed, Bart Crow, Josh Grider, Sam
Riggs & The Night People, Casey Donahew
Band, Reckless Kelly, Cory Morrow, Kyle Park,
Charlie Robison, Sean McConnell, American
Aquarium, The Damn Quails
www.lonestarjam.com
5th Annual Crude Fest
May 8th - 10th, 2014
Midland/Odessa, TX
Josh Abbott Band, Casey Donahew Band,
Aaron Watson, Roger Creager, Cory Morrow,
Bart Crow, Mark McKinney, William Clark
Green, Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights,
The Damn Quails, Johnny Cooper, Larry Joe
Taylor, Ali Dee
www.thecrudefest.com
Canadian River
Music Festival
May 10th, 2014
Canadian, TX
Folk Family Revival, Shannon Whitworth,
Rosie Flores, K Phillips and the Concho Pearls,
Adam Hood, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Pat Green
www.canadianrivermusicfestival.com
Reckless Kelly’s
Celebrity Softball Jam
May 11th, 2014
Round Rock, TX
www.rkcsj.org
Pasadena
Strawberry Festival
May 16th - 18th, 2014
Pasadena, TX
www.strawberryfest.org
Homer’s Backyard Ball
May 17th, 2014
Amarillo, TX
www.homersbackyardball.com
KNBT 92.1
Americana
Music Jam
May 18th, 2014
New Braunfels, TX
www.gruenehall.com
Kerrville Folk Festival
May 22nd - June 8th, 2014
Kerrville, TX
www.kerrville-music.com
Fredericksburg
Crawfish Festival
May 23rd - 25th, 2014
Fredericksburg, TX
www.fbgjaycees.com/crawfish-festival
June'14
61st Annual Luling
Watermelon Thump
June 26th - 29th, 2014
Luling, TX
Kevin Fowler, American Aquarium, Wade
Bowen, Earl Thomas Conley, Bri Bagwell,
Vince Vance & the Valiants, Jimmy Butler,
Texas Unlimited Band
www.watermelonthump.com
July'14
Woody Guthrie
Folk Festival
July 9th - 13th, 2014
Okemah, OK
www.woodyguthrie.com
Viva Big Bend
July 24th - 27th, 2014
Marfa and Alpine, TX
West Fest
August 29th - September 1st, 2014
West, TX
www.westfest.com
Buda Fire Fest
August 30th, 2014
Austin, TX
www.firefesttexas.com
SEPT'14
Texas GatorFest
September 12th - 14th, 2014
Anahuac, TX
www.texasgatorfest.com
15th Annual
Americana Music
Festival & Conference
70th Annual
Peanut Festival
October 7th, 9th - 11th, 2014
Floresville, TX
www.floresvillepeanutfestival.org
28th Annual Gruene
Music & Wine Festival
October 9th - 12th, 2014
Gruene, TX
Benefits the United Way of Comal County
www.gruenemusicandwinefest.org
The Conroe Cajun
Catfish Festival
October 10th - 12th, 2014
Conroe, TX
www.conroecajuncatfishfestival.com
42nd Annual
Cuero Turkeyfest
September 17th - 21st, 2014
Nashville, TN
October 10th - 12th, 2014
Cuero, TX
www.americanamusic.org
www.turkeyfest.org
Larry Joe Taylor’s
Rhymes and Vines
Music Festival
Yorktown Western
Days - Ziegfest
September 18th - 20th, 2014
Stephenville, TX
October 17th - 19th, 2014
Yorktown, TX
www.yorktowntx.com/western-days.htm
www.larryjoetaylor.com
August'14
October'14 PLUS'15
Keep on the lookout for
these upcoming events!
Braun Brothers
Reunion
October 1st - 5th, 2014
Winnie, TX
August 7th - 9th, 2014
Challis, ID
www.texasricefestival.org
www.vivabigbend.com
www.braunbrothersreunion.com
Kerrville Wine
& Music Festival
August 29th - 31st, 2014
Kerrville, TX
Texas Rice Festival
The MusicFest
January 5th - 10th, 2015
Steamboat, CO
www.themusicfest.com
Austin City Limits
Music Festival
October 3rd - 5th & 10th - 12th, 2014
Austin, TX
www.aclfestival.com
Rio Frio Fest
Spring Break 2015
Concan, TX
www.riofriofest.com
www.kerrville-music.com
www.
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17
It's All Good
2014 Grand Texas Hold 'Em
Poker Tournament
All In for Charity and Fun
By Lauren Danser Ellerbee
Photos by Jessica Crouch.
"That’s the great thing about
MusicFest: it doesn’t matter
where you’re from or what you
do, but the love of Texas Country/
Red Dirt/Americana music
unites all of us together."
T
he ever-popular Grand Texas Hold ‘Em Poker Tournament,
held on the first day of the MusicFest 2014 this year, delivered what it promised: entertainment, nail-biting competition, and big money for charity.
Buda, Texas Fire Chief and event organizer, Clay Huckaby, says he realized an opportunity to do good, as well as have fun, was presenting
itself when year after year, impromptu but regular poker matches kept
popping up. He approached John Dickson, MusicFest Producer, about
the idea of an organized yearly poker tournament for charity, and “the
rest, they say, is history,” according to Huckaby.
Now in its fourth year, the tournament’s participants have raised more
than $16,000 for various charities. Huckaby says, “We’ve sold out the
poker tournament every year and have raised a minimum of $4,000
each year.” There’s an 80-player limit, at $50 each. Often times, players
and sponsors donate additional money, too. “100% of the proceeds
go to charity. Over the years the main recipient has been the Shriners
Burn Hospital in Galveston. Since we’ve started to raise more money
in previous years, we have started to branch out to other charities,”
including the Reckless Kelly Charitable Youth Foundation and various
local 4-H and FFA organizations.
Huckaby also says they’ve been fortunate to have so much support
and participation from MusicFest artists. “Cody [Braun] has been a big
supporter of our poker tourney and has played in the event each year.
Several other artists include Stoney LaRue, Brady Black of Randy Rogers
Band, Charlie Robison, amongst others.”
The 2014 Grand Texas Hold ‘Em did not disappoint. Once everyone was
registered and accounted for, the real fun began. “This year the top
three winners went head to head for over two hours. They just couldn’t
lose. We finally made a deal between the remaining two players: whoever won the next poker hand we would declare the MusicFest Poker
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MusicFestmagazine • 2014
the
Photo by Todd Purifoy.
Tourney Champion. We finally ended at 2:00 am,” with Kyle Smith of San
Antonio, TX being the stated winner.
Smith says, “I really didn’t know what time it was until the final end. I was
shocked that I won…I rarely play poker. This was actually my first tournament I’ve ever entered.” He goes on to say, “It was a great experience
and I met some really amazing people from all over the country. That’s
the great thing about MusicFest: it doesn’t matter where you’re from or
what you do, but the love of Texas Country/Red Dirt/Americana music
unites all of us together.”
Second place winner, Kevin Hurt of Lincoln, NE, agrees, saying, “When
we were down to the final table, there were Red Dirt and poker fans
from Texas to Canada. It was just really exciting for everyone.” Hurt is a
relative newcomer to MusicFest, having only been able to go the last
two after his regular attendee brother had been urging him on for several years. “It is a great event and I wish I had started attending earlier.”
Cody Braun has been a big
supporter of our poker tourney
and has played in the event each
year. Several other artists include
Stoney LaRue, Brady Black of
Randy Rogers Band, Charlie
Robison, amongst others.
Of course, this successful event wouldn’t be possible without those who
volunteer their time to make it happen. Huckaby says, “Every year I have
a large group of firefighters and friends who attend MusicFest with me.
The last four years we have all donated our time to set up and run the
poker tournament, check-in participants, sell re-buys, and overall make
sure the participants have a good time...We also want to thank Shiner
Beers as the annual MusicFest Charity Poker Tourney sponsor. Shannon
Ford and her staff at the Steamboat Grand have also gone above and
beyond to accommodate our needs.”
In addition to Clay Huckaby and his wife Angie, Dickson Productions
would like to thank the firefighters of the Buda Fire Department, notably David and Sharon Weigand; Darren Kindall and the Kansas City, MO
Fire Department; Kael Katsman and the Olathe, KS Fire Department;
and friends Ray and Christy Ramos and Audrey Alcanter.
C o n t i n u e d f r o m p a g e 14
BAckstage Design
Brady could see it when he got home.
Shauna: I’d just graduated with a degree in graphic design
and nobody was hiring graphic designers, so I’m tending bar
in my hometown. It’s a bar that has live music on weekends,
meaning Texas country music usually. Gary P. Nunn was coming in pretty frequently, Aaron Watson was there like once
every two months, I think Eli Young Band played in the first
week or two I worked there but they were already getting too
big for that bar. I started building up contacts there, and I was
doing all of my husband – well, boyfriend back then – James’
band’s design stuff. They were Front Porch Texas, and eventually Matt Deaton & Front Porch Texas.
Sarah: And with Shauna, and the other sisters too, we’d
always talked about how we were going to own a business
someday. We didn’t know what it was going to be, but we
were going to own one! And this started working, we started
working, we were saying, “Let’s just do this.” Aaron Watson
became sort of a star client early on; we started doing his
albums. And we made the big move to Austin in 2005.
Q: So the Randy Rogers Band album ends
up being huge, and Aaron Watson starts
catching on, too … were the artists beating down your door already at this point?
Shauna: Well, for three or four years, we’d be at every show
we could make it to.
Sarah: Yeah, and we were never really good at the
“schmoozing” thing, but we could make friends. And we’d hit
some walls … You offer to do a t-shirt design for $50, but the
printer will do it for free, and sometimes the musician doesn’t
have any money anyway. We’re still highly appreciative of
anyone that comes to us. For years, we’ve hung up the phone
and celebrated every time there’s a new client.
Q: What were some of the other projects
that came to you in your earliest days?
Shauna: One of our friends, Mark Sanders, put an album
out. And then there was Britt Lloyd, and the Cody Gill Band,
and then we met up with Cory Morrow and that turned out
to be a pretty big deal where we did a couple of albums for
him. Vagrants & Kings was a great one, really cool to work on.
Q: How many artists would you estimate
that you’ve worked with by now, and about
what percent of that would be “Texas
country/Americana” acts? Shauna: Overall, I think it’s somewhere around 150 artists
and bands. Probably 90% are country/Americana/roots-rock,
but we have had a handful of other stuff. We even did a
reggae record packaging design this year, and a design for
a Hawaiian pop artist. Also, we recently went through our
The “actual” beginning
to acquiring a Grammy
records to see how many actual record packaging designs
we’ve done … We’re at something like 125. But, most interestingly, if you put them in chronological order, Reckless Kelly’s
Long Night Moon was our 100th cover. Yeah.
Q: Was this an extension of some childhood interest? Did you always want to be
artists? Because a lot of kids do, but eventually let it go.
Shauna: Oh, absolutely, from the time we could wrap
our hands around a crayon. The bucket of crayons thing we
joked about at the Grammys, that was a real thing … No new
crayons, necessarily, but a whole bucket of old ones. Just this
old red ice cream pail full of colors. And building a playhouse
out of old scrap wood with our dad, then we’d hang out in
there and make “grass salad” and mud pies. We were always
creative, but we went to a really small school …
Sarah: My graduating class was 12 kids.
Shauna: And just 17 in mine. And a guidance counselor
who’d tell us all there’s no future in art. She’d say you need to
go into advertising, or you’d be good in psychology. So I went
to Schreiner University in Kerrville, and straight to the psychology department, but I’m no psychologist. I switched to
English after a semester. I finally got to a point where I could
C o n t i n u e d p a g e 24
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19
by Jon Grossman
D
espite the indelible imprint Kevin Russell has made on Texas music history, his signature
sound might well be his belly laugh. Russell laughs like he sings, with his whole heart and
an unabashed joy. That jollity fills the second Shinyribs long player, Gulf Coast Museum,
one of the year’s best. With his former band and hometown heroes The Gourds on an indefinite
hiatus, and Shinyribs full speed a-headin’ to bigger gigs and better albums, Kevin and I sat down
at Strange Brew on a gray Austin morning to talk about his first Steamboat, the upcoming
album, the one-of-a-kind characters who make up his band, and some of the wisdom acquired
from three decades — a lifetime — of making music.
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MusicFestmagazine • 2014
This year was your first at MusicFest.
Did it live up to expectations?
I had expectations, but I had no idea what to expect. My one goal
was to end up in Reckless Kelly’s room at four in the morning – I
achieved that more than one night! (Laughs) Everyone I came
across seemed to really support each other and like each other.
I didn’t expect anybody to even know me, but the vibe all week
was tremendously open and welcoming. I dug it.
You guys really killed it, turned on tons of new fans.
Did the crowd’s enthusiasm surprise you?
I was pleasantly surprised, yes. I think the Shinyribs show is so
entertaining that it doesn’t matter who the audience is. It could
be 20 metal heads in San Anton’, and as long as they give it a
chance, they’ll dig the music and enjoy themselves.
I heard last year’s show at Rio Frio Fest was killer.
When you’re onstage, gyrating and dancing, at times
on all fours, do you ever actually feel people’s minds
exploding in front of you?
It’s great. (Laughs) Maybe a little like what Andy Kaufman
must have felt. It’s settled into a nice progression – at first it’s
a spectacle, people are drawn in; they’re thinking, ‘Is this guy
serious?’ But by then the music has taken ahold of them, and
they’re wondering what kind of music is this; and before they’ve
answered that question they’re focused on the show. It’s not so
easily classified, but it’s very accessible.
I spoke to Cody Canada, another artist who achieved
success with one group then moved on to another
chapter, about starting over. After nearly three
decades of building up one band, how does it feel
beginning again?
I’ve got such a great thing going creatively with the ‘ribs, it’s
actually more exciting to do it again. This has been an allconsuming project for four or five years, taking any gig I could
get at first, slowly building it up, and it’s just now starting to
pay off.
Cody’s recently opened up his Cross Canadian Ragweed
catalog for The Departed to play. Any thoughts on
doing so with some Gourds material for Shinyribs?
I’ll occasionally play a Gourds song, but it’s usually one I liked
that never quite worked for them. The culture of our live shows
was not really conducive to the contemplative, subtler songs. I
feel like I know when to pull those tunes out, which rooms are
right for them.
The new LP is Okra Candy. How is it shaping up
compared to Gulf Coast Museum (its predecessor)?
They have their similarities. Stylistically it’s all over the map, but
it leans a little more toward the soul side of things, less ukulele,
more horn-based, danceable.
Photos by Todd Purifoy.
The Gourds had a similar energy, but not so accessible, a little
dense, maybe a little too weird for the Texas crowd. The ‘ribs are
musically maybe more consistent, catchy, all about the hooks,
easier to digest.
Speaking of hooks, and digesting, “Sweet Potato”
is one of Gulf Coast Museum's standout tracks. Any
insight on the lyrics?
(Laughs) Well, it’s semi-specific. Food as a metaphor,
I guess. Exploring the sensuality of eating, we’ll say.
Sounds like the Tijuana Trainwreck horns have been a
good influence!
Absolutely. Mark Wilson on sax and Tiger Anaya on trumpet,
fantastic players and consummate professionals. I can’t keep up
with them sometimes (laughs), but it’s fun to try.
Any guest singers?
I’m hoping so. I love having other singers, especially females. Got
to play with Jamie and Kelley from the Trishas at the Dung Beetle
Saloon this year; that was great.
Kelley told me she’d love that gig, just singing backup, dancing.
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21
"Playing to the cameras. Striving for
some image. You can find success that
way, but it’s not that interesting. You’re
not contributing to the culture, to the
continuum. You’re oblivious to what
came before you."
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Captivating the Dung Beetle Saloon at the MusicFest
My vision for Shinyribs is the whole Vegas act eventually, girls and
horns, a whole production. Eventually! (Laughs)
Besides your musical success, you’re a family man with
a wife and three kids. Any advice for someone seeking to
The band seems full of characters already. Winfield (Cheek, juggle both?
Be very kind to your woman (laughs), because she’s a single mama
keyboards) seems particularly peculiar.
when you’re not around. When it comes to time with your family,
He is! (Laughs) That is the only guy on earth who was both a waiter at
Studio 54, and a member of Roy Acuff’s band at the Grand Ole Opry.
That says it all right there. The black sheep of a blue blood, southern
family, Juilliard-trained. He’s lived many lives already.
Keith (Lankford, drums) and I can read each other’s minds, most of the
time. (Laughs) He’s sympathetic to the songs, a great listener. He can
handle criticism, knows it’s not a personal attack. Jeff (Brown, bass)
had a group, the No-Show Ponies, who I produced years ago. He has
an infectious enthusiasm.
That seems to be a common trait in the band.
It is. There’s no tug of war here, everybody’s riding in the same direction.
It’s harder with multiple writers. As the other writer in the room,
any opinion you have can be misconstrued as biased. It creates this
mistrust. An unhealthy competition.
There’s also something to be said for the benevolent dictator/Jeff
Tweedy model for a band. Democracy can work, but you have to
understand its pitfalls, to know our tendencies as people. If you can
make it work, swallowed pride and all, it can be incredible. But most
groups don’t last long that way, if at all.
Did you see any new music at Steamboat that caught your ear?
I did. The Midnight River Choir had fantastic harmonies, I was very
surprised. Got to see Turnpike Troubadours, they were great. I’ve
known Evan (Felker) for a while now and I’m real happy for the success
they’ve had.
John Fullbright’s a newer artist I like a lot. And Parker Millsap, he’s
terrific, got it all; he oughta blow up big.
quality is more important than quantity (and it’s more often in your
control). Put your phone away; really be there when you’re there. I’m
a stay-at-home dad when I’m not on the road, and I love it, taking
everybody to school, cooking. It’s a great life.
It sounds like your happiness is your success. Have you ever
wanted more fame, more recognition than you’ve received?
You can’t want them to like you. For years I wanted so desperately to
be a rock star, to be seen as a great songwriter. It’s this animal thing; I
think audiences can read that.
A lot of performers nowadays are separated somehow, they’re not
truly engaged. It’s a technical feat, and technically it’s good, but it’s
boring.
American Idol syndrome?
Playing to the cameras. Striving for some image. You can find success
that way, but it’s not that interesting. You’re not contributing to the
culture, to the continuum. You’re oblivious to what came before you.
There have always been tastemakers, this cabal of people who decide
what you’re supposed to like, and they cling to it, like ants on a stick
in a bucket of water. I could never understand it.
I just started trusting my own whim. What moves me is what’s good. I
don’t care if anyone else likes it; if I like it, that’s all that matters, right?
Motivate yourself from a place that has to do with the art, yourself, your
soul and share that. ‘This is where I’m at, check it out, isn’t that cool?’
Because music is joy, it’s pure joy and that’s what you should get out of it.
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C o n t i n u e d f r o m p a g e 19
BAckstage Design
take an elective art class, and two weeks later my professor
asked me, “What are you doing in English? You need to be in
graphic design.” She even helped me convince my parents.
Sarah: And that actually helped me, too. I saw the projects
Shauna was bringing home and instantly thought, “Oh, that’s
what I want to do, too!” They had a great program where I
was at Southwest Texas, now known as Texas State of course.
Q: With this many projects under your
belts, the biggest honors to date – two
Grammy nominations, one of them a win –
have been with Reckless Kelly. What is it
about them that spurs your creativity?
Shauna: They’re up for pushing the envelope, no doubt,
but also that they’re like family. If we come up with an idea
that seems insane, we know they’re not going to think it’s
crazy. The second they tell us what the name of the album is
going to be, we know what it should look like. Deep down I
think they know too, but then we get to bring it to life.
Q: Where did you pick up with them,
specifically?
Sarah: I believe it was [lead guitarist] David Abeyta who
contacted us, after we’d done the Willie Nelson project. We’d
been friends forever but here was the chance to work together.
Q: Could you give us an example of an artist who’s really hands-on with their album
design, versus another who’s willing to
just hand it over?
Sarah: Hands on? Aaron Watson, all the way. He knows
exactly what he wants. He’ll draw the whole layout, send it
over, we might show him something else, but really he wants
the professional version of what he drew up in the first place.
He comes by it honestly; he grew up in an artistic household.
His mom is a fine painter. Hands off? That’d be Reckless Kelly.
They believe in it, they understand it, but they’ll let us spread
our wings.
Shauna: We’ll meet about it, talk about it, then get started.
There’ll be a little back and forth, occasional feedback, but we
get to split off and get it done.
Sarah: Sometimes it’s little things. We’re talking about
Long Night Moon, getting started on it, and Willy Braun just
says to us: “I want it to glow in the dark.”
Q: Between the two of you sisters, what’s
the dynamic? Are there some specific personality contrasts that make you a good
match as business partners?
Shauna: Sarah’s the free spirit, and I’m the one who keeps
her reeled in.
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Sarah: Exactly. [Laughs] Shauna’s the one who’s uptight …
Shauna: Reasonable. [Laughs] And Sarah’s unreasonable.
Q: A lot of people might mistakenly think
that if you make art for a living it’s easy.
Or at least always fun. In reality, what’s
the hard part?
Shauna: It’s really difficult to be creative on cue. Imagine
trying to write a song about something specific, and you
need to finish it in an hour, and someone needs to like it. It
doesn’t work every day.
Sarah: Or you can’t understand someone else’s concept,
and they can’t understand yours, and Shauna and I can
understand each other but that’s about as far as it gets.
Q: On the upside, what’s the fun part?
Sarah: Simple … I get to design for a living. If I didn’t get
to do it as a day job, I’d still do it at night. If I’m not creating
something, I’m probably bored.
Shauna: And making a client happy. We’re blessed to do
something that you can actually see. Not everyone gets to.
Sarah: If I go to Wal-Mart and see somebody in an Aaron
Watson shirt, I get a little giggle. Or we go to a show, and
there’s dozens of them. We helped make that.
Publisher’s Note: A well-deserved nod to Willy Braun
for his creative concept and direction that played a major role
in this stellar recognition.
Texas Music Scene
The MusicFest Big Tent
C o n t i n u e d f r o m p a g e 11
Border Radio
But over the past few years, successful touring or a respected reputation hasn’t necessarily equaled copious radio spins, and
time on the airwaves hasn’t proven to be
the most prominent force driving fans to
shows any longer. For that matter, talent
buyers and venue owners often disregard
placement on regional radio charts when
deciding which bands they will book for
their prime slots. Tony Avezzano, the owner
Photo by Carl Dunn.
doesn’t mean you’re a dynamic live performer. I need to book bands that will make
people leave Hat Tricks being blown away
by what they saw on our stage.”
Hypothetically, if Red Dirt/Texas Country is
an individual company with multiple divisions inside of it, only a handful of elite acts
have positive returns in both the Touring
Department and Radio Chart Department.
Randy Rogers Band, Turnpike Troubadours
and Roger Creager, all serious draws when
touring, finished with songs near the top
"Radio creates awareness of the artist,”
she says. “But activation of the artist’s
brand requires multiple impressions
from radio, TV, social networking,
alternate online outlets and touring."
of Coach Joe’s Hat Tricks in Lewisville, Texas,
has featured The Departed, Brandon Jenkins
and Shooter Jennings in recent months,
along with a number of lesser-known but
talented artists such as Mike Ryan. Whether
or not a performer has songs on the radio
isn’t of much concern to him when booking
for a live experience.
“I want to hear someone live,” says Avezzano.
“If you have three Top Five radio hits, that
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MusicFestmagazine • 2014
the
of the Texas Music Chart for all of 2013. But
residing in the Top 50 most-played songs of
last year also included tunes by Josh Ward,
John Slaughter, Mario Flores and Jason
Cassidy. Make no mistake – each of these
artists is young and promising, but they’ve
not generated passionate frenzy in terms of
being known as a must-see live act, let alone
as artists which pack-out the bars they play
in – not yet, at least.
Indeed, a flooded market will usually offer
unpredictable results. Supply and demand,
quality or quantity: now, more than ever,
such factors weigh heavily when a fan is
choosing who to see perform.
Veteran radio promoter Tami Millspaugh,
who works feverishly to get her clients’
songs as many spins as possible, acknowledges that radio success and box-office
victories are likely separate tools in an artist’s workshop.
“Radio creates awareness of the artist,” she
says. “But activation of the artist’s brand
requires multiple impressions from radio,
TV, social networking, alternate online outlets and touring.”
For something as complex and challenging
as building a fan-base and getting people
out to shows can be, Avezzano, as well as
others, go about their business in a tremendously organic manner. Market surveys, radio-spins or magazine ads can only
accomplish so much in these cases. When
faced with many factors, a venue’s talent
buyer often keeps things simple when it’s
time to decide.
“I book with my eyes and ears, not by an artist’s number of radio spins," says Avezzano.
Texas Music Scene
Favorite Venues,
Fantastic Shows
Gruene Hall
New Braunfels, TX
gruenehall.com
4/25 … Ray Wylie Hubbard
5/03 … Sean McConnell
5/08 … Walt Wilkins and the Mystiqueros
5/09 … Delbert McClinton
5/18 … 18th Annual KNBT 92.1FM
Americana Music Jam
5/29 … Bill Hearne Trio
Billy Bob’s Texas
Ft. Worth Stockyards
billybobstexas.com
4/11… Cody Johnson
4/12… Wade Bowen
4/17… Folk Family Revival
4/24… William Clark Green
4/26… Kyle Park
5/01… Josh Grider (CD Release)
5/08… Crooks
5/29… Jason Eady and Adam Hood
7/04… Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic
Sam’s Burger Joint
San Antonio, TX
samsburgerjoint.com
6/13… Rodney Crowell
Granada Theater
Dallas, TX
granadatheater.com
4/11 … Reckless Kelly and William Clark Green
4/25 … The Dirty River Boys
The Blue Door
Oklahoma City, OK
bluedoorokc.com
5/02 … Slaid Cleaves
5/03 … Terri Hendrix with Lloyd Maines
Nutty Brown Café
Austin, TX
nuttybrown.com
4/16… Cody Johnson Band
4/23… Brandon Rhyder
4/30… Jason Boland and The Stragglers
5/07… Micky and The Motorcars
Wormy Dog Saloon
Oklahoma City, OK
wormydog.com
Schroeder Dance Hall
Goliad, TX
schroederdancehall.com
4/19 … Jason Boland and The Stragglers
Floore’s Country Store
Helotes, TX
liveatfloores.com
4/19 … Robert Earl Keen
5/10 … Wade Bowen (Paul Thorn opener)
5/16 … Turnpike Troubadours
7/04 … Justin Moore
Whitewater Amphitheater
New Braunfels, TX
whitewaterrocks.com
River Road Icehouse
New Braunfels, TX
riverroadicehouse.com
6/06 … Justin van Sant Band
Firehouse Saloon
Houston, TX
firehousesaloon.com
4/19 … Curtis Grimes
5/09 … JB & The Moonshine Band
5/11 … John Slaughter
5/24 … Micky & The Motorcars
McGonigel’s Mucky Duck
Houston, TX
mcgonigels.com
4/04 … Shake Russell and Michael Hearne
4/18 … Max Stalling
4/19 … Guy Forsyth
4/25 … Bonnie Bishop
4/26 … Slaid Cleaves
5/03 … Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis
5/16 … John Evans
5/17 … John Fulbright
5/31 … Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock
6/13 … Ray Wylie Hubbard
6/20 … Songwriters Showcase with
Shake Russell, Terri Hendrix,
Michael Hearne, and Lloyd Maines
8/09 … Bruce Robison
Antone’s
Austin, TX
antonesnightclub.com
Stubb’s Bar-B-Q
Austin, TX
stubbsaustin.com
5/01… Drive-By Truckers
Dosey Doe: The Big Barn
The Woodlands, TX
doseydoescoffeeshop.com
4/18 … The Dirty River Boys
5/27 … Jason Eady/Real Life Real Music
6/06 … Bellamy Brothers
8/02 … Pure Prairie League
8/07 … Chris Hillman (The Byrds)
with Herb Pedersen
9/12 … Larry Gatlin Duo
Dosey Doe: Music Café
House Pasture Cattle Company
Concan, TX
housepasture.com
5/24 … Gary P. Nunn
6/21 … Josh Abbott Band
7/04 … Cody Johnson
7/05 … Randy Rogers
7/19 … Kevin Fowler
8/02 … Bellamy Brothers
8/08 … The Spazmatics
The Saxon Pub
Austin, TX
thesaxonpub.com
Cheatham Street
San Marcos, TX
cheathamstreet.com
Luckenbach
Fredericksburg, TX
luckenbachtexas.com
4/27 … Jason Eady, Jamie Wilson and Friends
5/04 … Walt Wilkins, Josh Grider,
and Drew Kennedy
5/10 … Walt Wilkins and The Mystiqueros
5/17 … Mike and the Moonpies
5/31 … Thom Shepherd and Coley McCabe
6/01 … Walt Wilkins, Josh Grider,
and Drew Kennedy
6/07 … Susan Gibson, the Banjo and the Band
6/22 … Jason Eady, Jamie Wilson and Friends
7/05 … Thom Shepherd and Coley McCabe
7/06 … Walt Wilkins, Josh Grider,
and Drew Kennedy
Railroad Blues
Alpine, TX
railroadblues.com
4/03… Cody Canada and The Departed
5/24… Mike and the Moonpies
The Rattle Inn
Austin, TX
therattleinn.com
Tumbleweed
Stillwater, OK
tumbleweedok.com
4/04 … Stoney LaRue
4/11 … Wade Bowen
Conroe, TX
doseydoescoffeeshop.com
4/25 … The Mystiqueros with
Special Guest Bart De Win
4/26 … Kyle Hutton Band
5/17 … Joe Ely
5/18 … Paul Thorn Band
7/12 … Gary P. Nunn Band
7/19 … Shake Russell and Michael Hearne
Brewster Street Ice House
Cain’s Ballroom
Courville’s
Tulsa, OK
cainsballroom.com
4/05… Uncle Lucius
5/23… Jason Boland and The Stragglers
Grady’s 66 Pub
Yukon, OK
gradys66.com
Corpus Christi, TX
brewsterstreet.net
4/03 … Wade Bowen with Shane Smith
& The Saints
The Marc
San Marcos, TX
themarcsm.com
Beaumont, TX
courvillesconcerts.com
4/17 … Shinyribs
For more links and venues go to
www.themusicfest.com
www.
bigskitrip. c o m
27
Visit www.Itunes.com/lIVeatbIllybobstexas for all live at billy bob’s texas titles
28
MusicFestmagazine • 2014
the
MY RiG
Justin Nelson
of Midnight River Choir:
Tools of the Trade
By Justin Nelson
H
ey folks, Justin Nelson here
from a groovy little band
called Midnight River Choir. It’s
an honor to be a member of the MusicFest
family, as we journeyed up the mountain for
the fifth time to join the festival again this
year. Now I get to shed my vanity and tell you
a little bit about my guitar rig and where my
influences come from.
Pickups are Lindy Fralin Blues Special overwound pickups from Virginia. The neck is a
Strat-style with rosewood fretboard, locking
tuners, bass frets, and the fattest strings I can
find. There are great players that play softly
and focus on nuances in volume, and there
are others that play harder and let the strings
do the talking. If soft and easy playing is your
style, you probably won’t like my guitar.
I guess one could call me a “Fender Guy”
even though I don’t really play any gear from
Fender. I like combining things to fit my taste;
for example, a Tele’ body with a Strat’ neck is
my favorite combo. If it feels comfy, it doesn’t
matter what the name on it says!
Besides a few piano lessons during my elementary years, I really didn’t have any musical experience until middle school, when I
signed up for percussion in the school band.
This was a great time for me, but three years
later, I found someone who was a much
better drummer than I was. So I sought out
a new instrument when I was 14. Music has
always been a part of my family, especially on
my dad’s side. I grew up listening to him play
bass, lap steel, and 12-string at church and
other places, until my curiosity got the best
of me. Soon I began fumbling around with
Dad’s gear, plugging different guitars into different amps trying to see what kind of crazy
tones I could manifest.
I guess one could call me a “Fender Guy”
even though I don’t really play any gear from
Fender. I like combining things to fit my taste;
for example, a Tele’ body with a Strat’ neck is
my favorite combo. If it feels comfy, it doesn’t
matter what the name on it says!
Ok, now for the rundown. My guitar is a
spalted maple Telecaster body with a mahogany back. It’s heavier than a Les Paul, but
the sustain from the mahogany is worth it.
I try to keep it pretty straightforward as far
as effects pedals go. Most of my pedals come
from Sam Hanke at Old School FX out of
Victoria, TX. This guy has a knack for building
pedals that are virtually indestructible and
don’t degrade the natural tones of the amp.
Of the pedals on my board, the one engaged
the most is the Old School FX pedal called the
Fat Penguin. It picks up the string noise for
a cleaner, more responsive tone, at approximately the same volume.
All of these pedals are run in line from guitar
to input, instead of in an FX loop, because of
the amp that it’s running to. I have had the
pleasure of owning a Ceriatone Overtone
Special for the past four years. This amp is
my favorite one I’ve ever played because
of its tone and reliability. Built as a clone of
a Dumble Overdrive Special, the harmonics
within the overdriven tones make this amp
sing – so much so, in fact, that I haven’t had to
replace the tubes once during the four years
it’s been on the road and banging around in
the trailer. So if anyone is looking to buy a
boutique amp clone, check out Nik at ceriatone.com for an amp list that would make any
guitar player shudder. In a good way.
www.
bigskitrip. c o m
29
Music
Vinyl Top 10 Vinyls
Midnight River Choir's
"I’m stoked that the fine folks at The Musicfest Magazine have asked us to share our musical addiction with you. It’s quite an eclectic list. I can’t pass a
flea market, thrift shop, or record store without stopping to check for hidden or pushed away vinyls. It’s such a rush to find something new to listen to.
As you read through our 'top tens' you’ll see some familiar names, but if you haven’t heard of any of the artists, check them out. Hopefully it’ll make you
feel good too." – Eric Middleton
Justin Nelson
Eric Middleton
Bob Driver
Mitchell Pyeatt
1. Boston
- Boston
2. Greatest Hits Vol 1
- James Taylor
3. Texas Flood
- Stevie Ray Vaughan
and Double Trouble
4. Physical Graffiti
- Led Zeppelin
5. Hotel California
- The Eagles
6. Dark Side of the Moon
- Pink Floyd
7. Songlines
- The Derek Trucks Band
8. Continuum
- John Mayer
9. Under The Table and
Dreaming
- Dave Matthews Band
10. Deep Into It
- Larry Carlton
1. Theatre of the Unheard
- Darrell Scott
2. Retrospective
- Leon Russell
3. Shakedown Street
- Grateful Dead
4. Jackson Browne
- Jackson Browne
5. Nashville Skyline
- Bob Dylan
6. Revelator
- Tedeschi Trucks Band
7. The Meters
- The Meters
8. Countryman
- Willie Nelson
9. Mighty High
- Gov’t Mule
10. Willy and the Poor Boys
- Creedence
Clearwater Revival
1. So Far
- Crosby, Stills, Nash,
& Young
2. Dark Side of the Moon
- Pink Floyd
3. Tres Hombres
- ZZ Top
4. Toys in the Attic
- Aerosmith
5. LA Woman
- The Doors
6. Electric Ladyland
- The Jimi Hendrix
Experience
7. Electric Mud
- Muddy Waters
8. Master of Reality
- Black Sabbath
9. Photographs & Memories
- Jim Croce
10. Moving Waves
- Focus
1. Star Turtle
- Harry Connick, Jr.
2. Lonelyland
- Bob Schneider
3. Dark Side of The Moon
- Pink Floyd
4. Revelator
- Tedeschi Trucks Band
5. A Piece of Your Soul
- Storyville
6. Do the Twist
- Ray Charles
7. So Long, So Wrong
- Alison Krauss
8. Houston, We Have a
Drinking Problem
- Bad Astronaut
9. A Show of Hands
- Victor Wooten
10. III Sides to Every Story
- Extreme
30
MusicFestmagazine • 2014
the
32
MusicFestmagazine • 2014
the
Music Reviews by Jessie Scott
Long Night Moon
Reckless Kelly
Fresh Air
Midnight River Choir
Daylight & Dark
Jason Eady
Some Old, Some New,
Maybe a Cover or Two
Cody Canada
Reckless Kelly is ‘to the manor
born.’ Knowing that the seeds
were planted for their music career
as they were growing up, for
brothers Willy and Cody Braun and
David Abeyta, who co-produced
this new album with the Brauns,
every new year, and every new
release furthers the destiny. They
chug down the road, a well-oiled
machine, playing music for the
sheer passion of it. It is a joy to
savor the goodies on their new
album, Long Night Moon. Before we
dig into the music, a special note
about the exceptional creativity of
Reckless Kelly is in order. You know
they put a lot of thought into
everything they do, producing
world class stuff. Long Night Moon,
with its lunar motif, won the
2014 Grammy for Best Recording
Package. What’s contained within
is sure to delight, too, as familiar
themes are further explored. Just
as on Good Luck & True Love, there
is music of the quest for love,
the rockin’, the road weary, and
the introspective. “Didn’t Mean
To Break Your Heart,” “The Last
Goodbye,” and “Every Step Of The
Way” bring that undeniably solid
RK musicality. And best of all is
that whenever Reckless Kelly puts
out a record, the payoff comes
when they deliver in concert. It
is a consuming thing to attend
a show. You can’t help but get
caught up in the bright lights
and bold music. Reckless Kelly
embodies everything that makes
this genre so special. Rolling down
the highway, delivering amazing
shows, making it their own way as
the years unfold.
The first time I laid eyes on the
Midnight River Choir was at
The MusicFest in 2011. Living in
Austin, I had been hearing about
them as they were establishing
quite the buzz at Cheatham
Street Warehouse. I knew they
were happening. I just didn’t
know how much I would like
their music until they appeared in
front of the Music Fog cameras at
the Sheraton Grand Hotel during
MusicFest at Steamboat Springs.
Whoa baby, the crew and I were
all instant fans of their snakey
Texas jam. Last year during SXSW,
I heard things were underway for
the next album. I had also heard
a bit of divine inspiration was in
the works, as Monty Byrom of the
band Big House (and beyond),
was going to produce the album.
Seriously, there are some things
that are brilliant concepts and
sound great on paper, but in this
case it exceeds expectations.
Byrom and MRC working
together is one perfect pairing.
Huzzah, the long awaited release
of Fresh Air, the follow up to
Welcome To Delirium, is upon us
at last. The well-crafted, tuneful
contributions here build on their
already solid repertoire. This is
music which is at once physical
and cerebral; it gives you space
to stretch out in songs like “Miles
Fly" and “Funny Thing.” There are
solid lyrics and solid grooves and
crazy good chops throughout.
If I had to choose one album to
bring to a desert island right now,
it would be Fresh Air. Take it with
you on the road. It will make you
feel good.
While country radio is consumed
with pop and rock production, there
is a new era of Neo Traditionalists
quietly being born. I can't count
how many times over the last few
years that I have noticed people
yearning for real deal Country
Music, whether on Facebook, in
newspaper articles, or online on
bulletin boards. If only the new
Jason Eady album, Daylight & Dark,
could be heard by the folks who
are asking, “Whatever happened
to COUNTRY MUSIC?!” First off,
Eady has everything it takes to be
a major star; personality, looks,
voice, and chops. Do remember
that the march of time has brought
real country sounds back into the
limelight through the decades.
Who knows, maybe we will see
another resurgence take place.
Jason’s new album, Daylight & Dark,
picks up on the thread started by
AM Country Heaven, and marks a
return to producer Kevin Welch
who helmed both albums. He
tasked Jason with being believable,
authentic, of owning the music.
Eady digs deep into the country
forms, producing disarmingly
simple, emotional, and pure music.
Check out “Lonesome Down and
Out,” “OK Whiskey,” and “One, Two,
Many.” Are you sensing a theme
here? Daylight & Dark was recorded
at George Bradfute’s Tone Chaparral
studio just outside of Nashville,
with Fats Kaplin on pedal steel and
fiddle, guitarist Richard Bennett,
drummer John Gardner, and bassist
Steve Mack. A treat indeed! At the
very end of the album dig into a trio
collaboration, featuring Hayes Carll
and Evan Felker.
Knowing someone through the
collection of his art provides
insight into his spirit, phases,
and life path. I think being
able to bring it year after year
is what separates the artist
from the star, but in this case,
there is plenty of charismatic
power to call upon, too. If
anything, it seems like Cody
Canada has been reluctant
to put himself center stage,
preferring to collaborate and
share the spotlight with his
band mates and his team. I am
happy to see him out front in
a new way with the release of
his solo, acoustic album Some
Old, Some New, Maybe A Cover
Or Two, which was recorded live
this past summer at Third Coast
Music in Port Aransas, Texas.
On it, he weaves revealing
stories, singing some of the
music he had been working on
since Cross Canadian Ragweed
ended. Since you asked, yes,
on this album he even drifts
back, creating solo versions
of some Ragweed classics. It
is good to see him reclaim his
birthright here. “250,000 Things”
is touching, ever-poignant. “17,”
“Constantly,” “Brooklyn Kid,” and
“Dead Man” satisfy. Then there
are some sweet covers, like “If
You’re Ever In Oklahoma.” This
is an intimate glimpse into the
mind of Cody Canada, and in
a very real way, it transitions
him for what’s to come, with
The Departed or under his own
name. Listen for the intros to
the songs. They are worth the
price of admission on their own.
www.
bigskitrip. c o m
33
The Charts
For the week of March 3, 2014
Through its website and physical store in Gruene, TX, Lone Star Music
has played an integral role in supporting YOUR music scene for more
than a decade. Visit lonestarmusic.com or call 1-800-TXMUSIC
Brought to you by Lone Star Music:
The Great Americana Record Store
Americana Music Association Charts
1. Rosanne Cash - The River & The Thread
2. Hard Working Americans
- Hard Working Americans
Lake Street Dive - Bad Self Portraits
Parker Millsap - Parker Millsap
Billie Joe Armstrong & Norah Jones - Foreverly
Jason Eady - Daylight & Dark
Carolina Story - Chapter One
Blackie And The Rodeo Kings - South
Jamestown Revival - Utah
Various Artists: A Tribute To Jackson Browne
- Looking Into You
11. Amos Lee - Mountains Of Sorrow, Rivers Of Song
12. St. Paul & The Broken Bones - Half The City
13. Brandy Clark - 12 Stories
14. Robert Ellis - The Lights From The Chemical Plant
15. Will Kimbrough - Sideshow Love
16. Ray Benson - A Little Piece
17. Hurray For The Riff Raff - Small Town Heroes
18. Will Hoge - Never Give In
19. Blue Highway - The Game
20. Devil Makes Three - I'm A Stranger Here
21. Haden Triplets - Haden Triplets
22. Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings
- Give The People What They Want
23. Girls Guns & Glory - Good Luck
24. Suzy Bogguss - Lucky
25. Whiskey Gentry - Holly Grove
26. Whiskey Myers - Early Morning Shakes
27. Laura Cantrell - No Way There From Here
28. Irene Kelley - Pennsylvania Coal
29. Lucinda Williams - Lucinda Williams
30. Rod Picott - Hang Your Hopes On A Crooked Nail
31. Lydia Loveless - Somewhere Else
32. Clay Mcclinton - Bitin' At The Bit
33. Fred Eaglesmith - Tambourine
34. Blue Rodeo - In Our Nature
35. Sarah Jarosz - Build Me Up From Bones
36. Nickel Creek - A Dotted Line
37. Mandy Barnett - I Can't Stop Loving You
38. Deep Dark Woods - Jubilee
39. Los Lonely Boys - Revelation
40. Reagan Boggs - Quicksand
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
The Americana Airplay chart represents
the reported play of terrestrial radio
stations, nationally syndicated radio shows,
satellite radio and internet stations who
have agreed to submit weekly spin counts.
34
the
MusicFestmagazine • 2014
Lone Star Music Charts
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
Whiskey Myers - Early Morning Shakes
Jason Eady - Daylight & Dark
Cody Johnson Band - Cowboy Like Me
Curtis Grimes - Our Side Of The Fence
Brian Keane - Coming Home
Kevin Fowler - How Country Are Ya?
Jeremy Steding - My Own American Dream
Eli Young Band - 10,000 Towns
Cody Canada
- Some Old, Some New, Maybe A Cover Or Two
Walt Wilkins & The Mystiqueros
- Wildcat Pie & The Great Walapateya
Hard Working Americans - Hard Working
Americans
Mark McKinney - Standing My Ground
Sam Riggs & The Night People - Outrun The Sun
Reckless Kelly - Long Night Moon
Whiskey Myers - Early Morning Shakes (Vinyl)
Charlie Robison - High Life
Jason Eady - AM Country Heaven
William Clark Green - Rose Queen
Randy Rogers Band - Trouble
Turnpike Troubadours - Diamonds & Gasoline
Wade Bowen - The Given
Jeff Whitehead - Bloodhound Heart
Cody Johnson Band - A Different Day
Uncle Lucius - And You Are Me
Guy Clark - My Favorite Picture Of You
William Clark Green - Rose Queen (Vinyl)
Thieving Birds - Gold Coast
Cody Johnson - Six Strings One Dream
American Aquarium - Small Town Hymns (Vinyl)
Sarah Jarosz - Build Me Up From Bones
Robert Ellis - Lights From The Chemical Plant
Scott H. Biram - Nothin’ But Blood
Kacey Musgraves - Same Trailer Different Park
Lucinda Williams - Lucinda Williams
Jason Isbell - Southeastern
Slaid Cleaves - Still Fighting The War
Jason Boland & The Stragglers - Dark & Dirty Mile
Hayes Carll - Flowers and Liquor
Turnpike Troubadours - Goodbye Normal Street
Whiskey Myers - Road of Life
Lone Star Top 40 is for all albums
sold online & in-store for the
week prior to March 3, 2014.
Texas Music Charts
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Curtis Grimes - The Cowboy Kind
Aaron Watson - July in Cheyenne
Josh Ward - Hard Whiskey
Casey Donahew Band - Small Town Love
Kevin Fowler - Love Song
JB and the Moonshine Band w/Angaleena Presley
- Black and White
7. Zane Williams - Little Too Late
8. Brian Keane - Bar Lights
9. Cody Johnson - Dance Her Home
10. William Clark Green - Rose Queen
11. Granger Smith - Miles and Mud Tires
12. The Statesboro Revue - Huck Finn
13. Mark McKinney - Lonely Bones
14. Sam Riggs - Angola’s Lament
15. Cameran Nelson - 35 Runs Both Ways
16. Whiskey Myers - Home
17. Phil Hamilton - Hold On Tight
18. Randy Rogers Band - Speak Of The Devil
19. Reckless Kelly - Every Step of the Way
20. Deryl Dodd - Loveletters
21. Uncle Lucius - Somewhere Else
22. Green River Ordinance - Flying
23. Jason Eady - OK Whiskey
24. John Slaughter - Ghost Town
25. Wade Bowen w/Brandy Clark
- Love in the First Degree
26. Michael Coleman w/Jody Booth
- Radio Don’t Sound Like Me
27. Rob Baird - Same Damn Thing
28. Kylie Rae Harris - Waited
29. Mike and the Moonpies - The Hard Way
30. Ray Johnston Band - Crush
31. Josh Grider - White Van
32. Dolly Shine - Should’ve Known
33. Clayton Gardner - Table for Two
34. Brandon Rhyder - Leave
35. Clay Thrash - My Heart
36. Rodney Parker & 50 Peso Reward
- Things You Make Me Do
37. Mike McClure Band - Silver and Blue
38. Aubrey Lynn England - Sad Little Girl
39. Charlie Robison - Brand New Me
40. Dirty River Boys - Desert Wind
Each weekly chart lists the Top 40
in order of spin count. The chart
is based on the total airplay or
spins at each reporting station.