There are many things that need to be done, and they are all simple. The simpler you can make things, the better off you will be.

First and foremost, make good music. Sounds easy but it’s obviously not. There are too many Ragweed, or is it CCRw or CCR sound alikes. Garage bands without Cody’s songwriting abilities and musical sensibilities. If more people would just listen to the b.s. meter in their brain instead of focusing on the starts in their eyes provided by their friends and family they’d realize they are cranking out crap.

Another thing that is good to do is build a loyal, local following. Don’t try to tour outside of your home base until you are the biggest thing in that area. It makes no sense to drive 400 miles to play for the door in a town nobody’s heard of you in if you can’t sell out the largest venue in your town. You don’t have to live in Austin or New Braunfels either. Just because it works for some, doesn’t make it perfect for all. In fact, Rodney Pyeatt once told me that the Waco/Temple area had the best musicians he’d ever come across west of the Mississippi. And, it’s also a bit more appealing for a band to be based out of somewhere other than Austin. At least that way they’re following their own path instead of one paved a decade earlier by someone else.

Focus more on the show than the party. James Brown used to not let his band take booze on stage. I see too many bands caught up in their own hype or the fact that their fraternity came out to the bar to hear them that night. Remember why you are there and deliver.

Stick to a simple merch plan. One t-shirt. One koozie design. Having a Costco size inventory does nothing for you but take up space in the trailer. The perfect example of this is Wade Bowen’s “This Ain’t No Dancehall Band” t-shirt. Still a best seller and immediately identifiable. Doing this allows you to build a brand, not just pay for gas.

Network, not gurm. Go to as many shows as you can that you’re not involved with. Chat up the fans, the merch guy, the road manager, the bar staff etc. And if you get to hang with the guys and gals in the band don’t make an ass of yourself. Bring something real to the conversation other than “I really like your album.” They meet so many folks that they can detect a sales pitch.

Develop a web identity. In this scene that means being visible on Galley and RFT among others. But, take advantage of cheap things like MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Blow those things up and provide potential fans a connection to you. As much as I despise Taylor Swift, at least she realized this early on and flooded MySpace with video diaries and blogs.

Find a gimmick. Not something hokey, but you need something to stand out. You must be true to yourself while doing so. Don’t don corn cob pipes iffin’ you ain’t from the hills of Kentucky. Don’t wear a bandana just because you saw Stoney wear one. Don’t pimp a castro hat because Bleu Edmondson did. Get your own thing. Heck, Sammy Kershaw used to carry a saddle bag for no discernable reason; so your canvas is blank.

As always, my best advice is to be simple and be real. You can’t go wrong.

Got some advice for bands? Stick in the comment section!


MINOR CHORDS:

-Had a dream that I was at the Opry for RRB. When all of a sudden, I run into Rascall flats. Gary The Voice made fun of my clothes, I made fun of his music and Roy Acuff’s ghost gave me a high five. Chinese food.

-I’d like to see the majors take a fraction of Taylor Swift’s promotional machine and apply it to Ashton Shepherd, Jamey Johnson and RRB.

-M.I.A. needs to join forces with Snow to make “Paper Informer Planes” so we can have the must unintelligle rap song of all time. If anyone says they know what she’s saying in “Paper Planes” they are lying.

-Another sign that I’m getting older…just like Pearl Jam on classic rock radio…is CMT playing videos on their vintage block that were popular when I was in high school. Deana Carter anyone? Caught Travis Tritt’s “Put Some Drive In Your Country” on there the other day and found out that it was filmed at Gruene Hall. Pretty cool. If you don’t get this channel…harass your cable/satellite company.

-One favorite hobby I’ve taken up recently is scouring Wikipedia for updates on artists I see on VH1 or CMT Pure that I haven’t thought about in a long time. Did you know that Suzy Bogguss sings jazz now and that Michael Peterson works at a Shoney’s.

-I kid about Michael Peterson, but I was fortunate enough to see him so durnk that he puked on his drummer one night at a gig during the the height of his “Drink, Swear, Steal and Lie” fame.

-Caught VH1’s 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs of All-Time countdown the other night. Should’ve known it would be a toolbag showcase when Bret Michaels appeared on my screen as the host wearing his own t-shirt. As always with these lists, I found quite a lot to disagree with. Where was Pantera?!?! JET!?!?

-Another Steamboat, another year I’m not there. Stupid real world responsibilities that make me cling to LJTs as my only escape!

-Really cool event coming up at Clubhouse Concerts that everyone needs to be aware of! It’s their big fundraiser. Miss Joni’s got a ton of details on the way about it and a slew of cool artists lined up to play. Make sure you support this fine institution that focuses on the music and not how much beer was sold!

-Glad to see so many people scooping up Waylon Payne and his fantastic overlooked album, The Drifter. It has been recommended in this space more than a time or two. Check out the article Jeff Prince did about Waylon a couple years ago in Fort Worth Weekly. It’s one of the most revealing articles I’ve ever read about any artist in any publication.

-Billy Currington and Jake Owen apparently think they are trying to get on a 70’s soul chart with their latest releases.

-Sad to hear about the South Austin Jug Band going their separate ways…but look forward to what James Hyland has up his sleeve.

-Rodney Hayden is the most overlooked guy in Texas. And that’s saying something when Josh Grider and Drew Kennedy are knocking around.

-Speaking of Grider and DK…plans are in the works for a DK/G-Ride Cruise this summer…I’ve already got my reservations in place!

-This month’s recommended film is: Charlie Wilson’s War. I didn’t catch this when it came out, but caught it a while back on HBO. I had always wanted to see it because I’m such a political junkie and had watched several History Channel documentaries on the real Charlie Wilson. Bonus points for Wade Phillips’ daughter portraying a belly dancer.

-This month’s recommended album is: Meet Glen Campbel by Glen Campbell. As I posted in the forums, his take on Jackson Browne’s “These Days” is a less macabre take on the Johnny Cash “Hurt” style legend looking back vibe. For the kids that only know him from his mug shot being on TMZ, pick this up. For those who remember the “Wichita Lineman”, pick this up.

-“Of all the things I’ve lost, I miss my mind the most.”-Mark Twain

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Snapped up by Frank Liddell and Carnival Recordings several years back after Liddell caught their opening set for Miranda Lambert in Dallas, the band has been climbing the long mountain of music fame with energetic live shows and a steadily growing fan base bolstered by a large online presence and skillful songwriting. Jet Black and Jealous is the band’s first national effort for the Universal South label. It opens with a reprise version of their biggest hit, “When It Rains”. The song has been left fairly unchanged from the version found on Level, and should surely capture the ears of people who’ve never heard the band before.

“Always the Love Songs” is a strong tune written by David Lee Murphy of “Party Crowd” fame and George Ducas of “Lipstick Promises” fame. The lyrics in the song talk about picking guitars around a campfire and playing those songs that everyone knows and drunkenly sings along with at midnight on a backroad in Nowhere, TX USA. While the music is reminiscent of “6th Avenue Heartache” from The Wallflowers, a band that EYB sounds more and more like as they grow into their own. Blu Sanders joins Mike Eli to co-write “Radio Waves”. A tune about using the radio to communicate to the girl you’ve made mad, or the girl you’re missing. A clever take on country’s cliché getting the girl back song.

My favorite track on this album is the cover of Keith Gattis’ “Famous”. Gattis is one of those songwriters that always has a knack of conveying the most complex human emotions in the most simple way. EYB’s musical backing and Eli’s emotive vocals backed by some good harmony express the despair of not getting the one you love to love you back despite how great your current circumstance is. You might be the most famous person in the world, and the person you want most will still ignore you. A tragic reality experienced by every one a time or two in their lives, albeit on a much smaller scale than the name-checked Steve McQueen. “Guinevere” is a sweet ballad Eli and Young co-wrote with Nashville songwriting heavyweight Scooter Carusoe, and it holds Eli’s strongest vocal on record to date.

This record has the potential to take EYB to that next level they crave. I’m not sure if country radio will jump behind the album as quickly as some pop stations. Some of these tunes could go right into a rotation behind the Daughtry’s of the world…and there is nothing wrong with that! Mike Wrucke has done a fantastic job of producing an album that accentuates EYB’s positives, while straddling the line between modern country and pop seamlessly. Jet Black and Jealous is an album that achieves what it set out to do.

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It was the boy's first Thanksgiving and I can only imagine how much he would have loved to be a part of the adventure. All in all it was a fine day. I hope yours was too.

We headed home on Friday (as I've already mentioned, this last part of the year has been pretty slow for a lot of reasons, but I've had more Fridays/Saturdays at home than I have in years…it's been strange). Upon arriving back home, which never feels as good as after spending time with your family, we found that the we had been the recipients of a Thanksgiving Miracle. Every channel that we could possibly receive (except for the dirty ones) had been made available to us. All movie channels, music channels, even HD channels and we don't even have an HD television. I guess it's pretty shallow to call that a Thanksgiving Miracle, so I won't, but that Friday evening I felt as though we had definitely been visited by the Cable Fairy.

Kristi and I had recently switched cable providers and with the new company got a high tech digital recorder so we could record our favorite shows. I immediately started perusing all of our channels to find movies and things that we should record. You see, in the back of my mind, and when my wife reminded me that this had happened once before, I knew that this was just the cable company toying with us. They were showing us how good it could be and just hoped that we would love all these channels so much that when they inevitably yanked them out from under us we would beg, plead, and pay whatever they demanded to get them back. Cable Fairy, Thanksgiving Miracle, or marketing ploy, I didn't care. We were getting something a little extra. Like a backstage pass at a show you only bought balcony tickets to, an upgrade to the compact rental car when you only paid for economy, we got bumped to first class and only paid for a coach ticket.

The extra channels really had an effect on me. I became very obsessed with taking as much advantage of the temporary free premium cable as I could. I constantly was on the lookout for shows to record. I stayed up a little later, got up a little earlier. I felt like I was somehow cheating myself, or cheapening the temporary free upgrade if I wasn't watching it whenever I possibly could. The problem with an unannounced hook up like this is that you don't know when it's going to end, and if you're like me you somehow think that nothing cool will ever happen to you, so when it does you automatically assume it never will again and you try to suck the life out of every moment of the cool while it's there. I figured it was just a promo for the weekend but all of a sudden it was Monday and we still had it, Monday became Tuesday and we still had HBOs, Cinemax, Showtime, Palladium, CMT Pure, VH1 Soul, 43 different ESPNs, and about a billion other channels that I had felt some twisted obligation to keep watching. Finally, by Wednesday it all petered out and the free temporary premium cable upgrade was over.

In the end, I was glad to see it go. It was becoming "my precious" for those of you Lord of the Rings nerds like me…and Robert Plant. I'm just glad my son wasn't old enough to remember seeing me that way, constantly scrolling through the guide trying to decide whether I wanted to record Bottle Rocket, or the Darjeeling Limited, or Super Bad, or Almost Famous, constantly checking to see if the upgrade was still there, trying to savor every last drop of it. The sad part is that if I actually paid for that premium cable I would probably watch about as much TV as I do normally, and despite all that I've written until now, is not that much, a little SportsCenter here and a little VH1 classic there. There is just something about the feeling of getting a little extra that gets me every time.

Well, there is no smooth transition to the next subject I wanted to share with you but that's fine, because it's all about being awkward…squirm...fidget...and here we are.

Isabella Chamillionaire Grider is our dog, and she is a fine dog at that. Before JJ she was Kristi's little baby covered in black hair, and she was my mascot. She graced the album art of my, Million Miles to Go CD and was the heart and soul of our little family. Maybe it's just me looking back too fondly but even after she broke her leg, and despite her one floppy ear, she seemed to move around with confidence and grace that other dogs only hope to achieve. If only she were pure bred I have no doubt she could have been a champion show dog. Of course I'm exaggerating, but once we had this baby she fumbles around the house like an awkward teenager, something she did not do pre-baby. She doesn't quite seem to know where to go, or what to do. Admittedly, everything has changed for her. There is a little pinkish human that has taken nearly all the attention from her and she is still figuring out how to cope. I feel sorry for her, and we have really made an effort not to ignore her completely, but as any new parent will tell you, after the baby is born your focus is very one dimensional a few weeks. Nonetheless this awkward teenage phase is strange, and I keep wondering about it. She hasn't lashed out in the least and seems fairly disinterested in JJ, she just lumbers around sighing a lot. I figure as long as we keep going to the park to hunt squirrels, she'll pull through. The other thought that I had was that she really is a teenager in dog years and maybe we've humanized her so much that she's acting like one. Who knows?

That's about it for now. I've been encouraged to blog more and will try to continue to do so. I apologize for any grammatical errors. Don't take it as a reflection on my teachers, just as a reflection on my attentiveness. Come see us play. Send me a message on Myspace, or Facebook. I check the sites often and try to respond to as many as I can.


Josh Grider is one of the most innovative musicians currently touring in Texas and beyond. Check out his groovy Dave Matthews meets Haggard country when he is near you. This blog is reprinted from Josh's MySpace, which I encourage you to visit!

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This year we saw the continuing rejuvenation of Bleu Edmondson, Jason Boland, Cory Morrow and Roger Creager. The ongoing discovery of Ryan Bingham and Hayes Carll. Jason Eady and Josh Grider building the type of slow and consistent traction that will lead to a longlasting career. New artists like Band of Heathens, Modern Day Drifters, Liz & Lincoln, Emory Quinn, and Rodney Parker & 50 Peso Reward started making their own marks. Randy Rogers Band, Eli Young Band, and Jack Ingram continued their push in the national marketplace.

Yet, for all that progress there is one key ingredient that has been on the back of the milk carton for about three years now.

Genuineness.

aka

Authenticity.

aka

Substance.

aka

Realness.

aka

Passion.

These words used to be synonymous with all aspects of this music scene, including this website. But as a friend recently pointed out to me, somewhere along the way we all got lazy. All of us…fans, bands, promoters, clubs, distributors etc. We used to be motivated to take this music to the masses, and now that some of us have made it to the mountaintop, those that are still climbing seem to have a sense of entitlement bigger than Ricky Schroeder on Silver Spoons.

As fans we’ve all become too complacent. It’s just too easy to sit on your hands and hope that people discover your new favorite band. Whereas back in the day, some of us felt so emboldened by the music that was crawling into our ears that we would crawl on our hands and knees to a gig or radio station or event if it meant helping our favorite band out.

How do we apply this dedication to today’s music climate?

If everybody here picked just their one favorite up and coming act, and spent just a little bit of time pimping them, posting songs in bulletins on MySpace, posting show reviews on Galleywinter, calling/e-mailing radio stations, it would make a huge difference. People are too damned complacent anymore. It's too easy to sit your at home and turn on the iPod, and not have to bother being anybody's cheerleader anymore.

We need more cheerleaders.

I remember the days when we supported this music like our life depended on it. As fans, I’d love to see it get back to that. Fans are just 50% of the equation though.

Bands must do their part too.

Recently, I’ve seen too many unproven and misguided bands rolling into venues like they are Zeppelin in ’74. Walky talky carrying roadies for a bar with capacities of 100; covering the same songs bands have been covering for almost ten years now; a bus daddy rented for them; a Pete Townshend level PA yet no album to sell at the merch stand.

Cart before horse much?

Where does this lazy sense of entitlement come from? Riding the coattails of those that came before isn’t cool. Where would guys like Wade Bowen, Jason Boland and Brandon Jenkins be if they had acted like that coming up? The answer is they’d be a joke that never made it out of their hometown.

Bands need to be more assertive and less ignorant.

Get creative.

People like Stephanie Briggs and Texas Renegade are always coming up with unique ways to push their music forward. Other young bands should take lessons.

Be a cheerleader….not a lazy hater.




-Top Ten Albums of the Year:

1. Wade Bowen-If We Ever Make It Home

-Bowen dug deep into himself for the soul bearing effort Lost Hotel. This album picks up where that one left off, yet manages to add some dimensions previously undiscovered. Bowen stretches his voice and songwriting to the limit and succeeds. He also refreshingly casts his ego aside and cuts some tunes not from his pen. The best album of the year from top to bottom. Consistent in message, tone and musicality.

Standout track: “If We Ever Make It Home”; the title track has endless meanings: lost souls, musicians strung out on the road, homeless people, addicts. Yet, after Wade performed it for an Army platoon soon to be departing to Iraq it took on a new meaning. A triumphant and inspirational song that does not overtly beat its chest. Fine work.


2. Randy Rogers Band-Randy Rogers Band

-This album is RRB’s second major label product. Ignorant people still claim to hear strains of selling out and conformity. But, they are tremendously mistaken. This is without a doubt the same band that produced Rollercoaster, albeit a more mature outfit. This time around the band went to a secluded Louisiana mansion to record the album. The new setting for recording combined with Rogers branching out to new co-writers produced some of the best melodies and lyrics of his career. There are several surefire hits on the record…it’s up to Mercury Records to make it happen!

Standout track: “Didn’t Know You Could”; this Micky Braun-Randy Rogers co-write is one of the most hauntingly beautiful songs to ever find a home on a country record. I have compared this song to Queen or U2 doing country, and I feel that is apt.

3. Reckless Kelly-Bulletproof

-I once read a review of Reckless Kelly that said they are brilliant yet boring. I knew what the guy meant, even if I disagreed. What he was getting at is that too many times RK’s songs sound alike. Indistinguishable from one another over the course of listening to the album as a whole. This latest effort breaks out of that mold. It was the most controversial and ambitious album they’ve released.

Standout track: “A Guy Like Me”; the thumping bass intro informs the listener right off the bat that RK is stretching their wings from the status quo. Other tunes on this set get more attention, but this is my favorite.

4. Jason Boland-Comal County Blue

-Jason Boland has been through hell. A divorce, a lost voice, battles with the bottle, you name it. This record documents all of it. It has a simplistic, direct nature that is missing from the bulk of overproduced crap we are inundated with these days.

Standout track: “Comal County Blue”; this title track is a poet’s tour through the Hill Country. Boland has always had a way of saying more with less, and on this track he paints vivid photos in a Shaver-esque way whereas others would be trying to turn it into a Dylan song.


5. Brandon Jenkins-Faster Than a Stone

-Jenkins has always been an underappreciated wordsmith and artist in the Texas/Red Dirt scene. He’s always seemed to have a problem matching his laidback personality with his booming voice and songwriting. This album is a perfect match.

Standout track: “Help Me Jesus”; with strains of Mississippi Delta soul and gospel music sprinkled with the Red Dirt from which he comes, Jenkins produces a powerful redemption via song.

6. Todd Snider-Peace Queer

-Many people call Todd Snider the greatest contemporary songwriter working today, and I would have to agree. At times he can be so odd that it may seem that Hunter S. Thompson has come back from the grave to make music. However, by the end of the journey through a Todd Snider album you are entirely grateful that you bought the ticket and took the ride.

Standout track: “Fortunate Son”; Snider’s take on the CCR classic is a somber rendering that allows the lyrics to strike your heart and head in a different manner than the rocking original does.

7. Hayes Carll-Trouble In Mind

-Hayes Carll has been one of the great hopes of Texas Music since his debut, as Nashville has noticed him from day one. With each album, Carll has proven adept at challenging his artistic being to deliver a stronger effort than those previous. With his latest album, the audience finds some punchier production meeting some of the best songs Carll has written.

Standout track: “I Got a Gig”; a humorous take on Carll’s earliest adventures in the music business down on the Bolivar Peninsula came complete with a humorous online cartoon video. Carll also manages to slyly pull no punches on the posers who haven’t played six nights a week for their supper. Much like Reckless Kelly, there are other songs on this record that got more attention due to perceived controversy, but this is my favorite of the collection.


8. Modern Day Drifters-Highway is Our Home

-Texas/Red Dirt music hasn’t had a whole lot of diversity or flavor in any of the new artists to come along in the past couple years. MDD proved to be a band that wanted to mix things up completely. Not just a duo…but more a complete band in the Fleetwood Mac concept where each member writes, sings and performs. With a slide blues playing lead guitar player from Portland, Oregon whose dad was in a southern rock band mixed with a south Texas rancher’s son and a feisty female lead vocalist who has co-written with some of the biggest names in the scene, this band was primed for big things. This effort is an admirable debut album. It was essentially recorded in a trailer with no budget, produced by the band and rushed to the marketplace to meet demand. It is what it is…but it displays a ton of promise. When the records catch up to the live show, watch out.

Standout track: “Gone”; a moody duet about a break-up with the two lovers in the narrative literally driving from away from one another while they symbolically can’t get the other out of their rear view mirror.


9. Eli Young Band-Jet Black and Jealous

-This album represents EYB’s first big foray into the national scene. It features a rehashing of “When It Rains” as the lead single. But, it is all the new stuff that EYB pulls out on this album that make it stand out. There are several highlights such as Mike Eli’s best vocal on a studio album; some great harmony work, and some terrific songwriting that came from collaborations with some of Nashville’s brightest.

Standout track: “Famous”; Keith Gattis is one of those songwriters that always has a knack of conveying the most complex human emotions in the most simple way. EYB’s musical backing and Eli’s emotive vocals backed by some good harmony express the despair of not getting the one you love to love you back despite how great your current circumstance is. You might be the most famous person in the world, and the person you want most will still ignore you. A tragic reality experienced by every one a time or two in their lives, albeit on a much smaller scale than the name-checked Steve McQueen.

10. Roger Creager-Here It Is

-Admittedly, I had low expectations for this record. I didn’t really know what to expect after such a long layoff from Creager, and my preferences and his style migrated away from one another several years ago. However, this album was a pleasant surprise. This album is exuberant and very finely crafted. The long process to produce Here It Is is evident on each track. Co-produced by the Texas Music dream team of Radney Foster and Lloyd Maines, the album is layered and rootsy.

Standout track: “I Love Being Lonesome”; It kicks the album off with a subdued yet confident bang. The rhythm and melody have strains of Waylon’s “Lonesome, Ornery and Mean”, while the lyrics are straight out of the Haggard playbook. A successful return to the honky tonk for Creager without being as hokey as a couple of the tracks on this collection are.

Honorable mentions: Cory Morrow-Vagrants and Kings; Rodney Hayden-12 Ounce World; Brandon Rhyder-Every Night; Micky and the Motorcars-Naïve; Bart Crow-Desperate Hearts

Please check out all of these albums if you haven’t. They can all be found on MySpace so at least do yourself a favor and sample the standout tracks I mentioned!

Top 7 Shows of the Year

1. Rusty Wier @ LJTs. Simply the most moving musical experience I've ever been a part of. Rusty powered through the weakness beset him by chemo and cancer. He fed off the energy of the crowd and basked in the glow like only he can. I detailed the set here in my LJT review.

2. Adam Hood @ Woody's. With what amounted to a supergroup, Adam and Patrick were joined by Matt Powell on bass, Geoff Queen on lead guitar, and Bonnie Bishop on backing vocals. How freakin' cool is that? The answer is that it was as cool as you imagine it to be.

3. Josh Grider @ LJTs. Another LJTs performance, yes. But, I put it on this list for entirely different reasons. After years of telling everyone I know about Josh, this felt like a coming out party. It was the first time I'd seen that many people get into his stuff at one time. People were singing along and by the end of his set where he'd been joined by Drew Kennedy on backing vocals he sold out of merch. An incredible afternoon.

4. Wade Bowen/Modern Day Drifters @ Wild West-Waco in August. Two bands absolutely tearing it up in their hometown. This was one of the first times I'd seen MDD in a big room and they rose to the challenge. Wade and his boys always turn it up when Wade's in Waco and this night was no different. They played an incredibly long set, had more fun than should be allowed on a stage, and previewed many of the songs from the new record for the first time.

5. Big O' Benefit 2008 @ George's in October. Great people. Great cause. The second time around was more successful than the '05 version. Lots of interesting mash-ups of artists. Lost Immigrants and Brison Bursey stand out as having had killer sets.

6. Ramblin' Revival Tour feat Jason Eady, Owen Temple, and Adam Carroll @ Clubhouse Concerts in August. Three of the most talented singer/songwriters working our scene today. Each of them bring something unique to the table. With Eady it's his incredible voice and powerful songwriting. Owen provides a wise worldview that is uncommon in this scene or country music in general. And, Adam Carroll is the wittiest songwriter this side of Tom T. Hall. Put it all together in a listening room and it's about as good as it gets.

7. For Sake of the Song Festival 2008 @Whitewater in June. RRB had a nice headlining set , but it was Bingham who stole the show. After a long rain-filled day of tubing...watching Bingham tear it up while smoke wafted over the crowd like we were at a European metal festival as the sun set was pretty amazing. A weekend I'll never forget.

Minor Chords:

-Take to the comments section to add your own top 10's!


-I dig the heck out of the CMT Pure channel. I catch all kinds of cool stuff on there. VH1 Classic also rocks too. We switched dish providers when we moved in August and there are many things I don’t like about our new one…but those two channels are at the top of my list of cool things!

-Is anyone else on Beyonce overload? I’ve upgraded to her single lady status so many times over the past few weeks that I think I am now officially bootylicious. Seriously though, Direct TV and Beyonce’s choreographer…we’ve had enough.

-Josh Grider would’ve been in that top 10 if his newest record was full length instead of an EP. He’s still the most original cat kicking in this scene.

-GWE voting is now ongoing…make sure you vote each day.

-The most underrated guy in building this scene to what it is today is Drew Womack. Lots of guys bite his vocal style and arrangements. Plus, he (Sons of the Desert) was in that initial wave with the Great Divide that helped kick down some doors. He's a lot like Walt Wilkins...a true cornerstone that people pay lip service to but don't support often enough.

-Some of the mainstream stuff I dug this year includes: Jamey Johnson, Ashton Shepherd, Lady Antebellum, David Cook, Lil’ Wayne, Coldplay, Sugarland, The Killers, Honeyhoney.

-Sidenote on Jamey Johnson. Jamey Johnson is the man. His new album is really freakin' good – no qualifiers “good for Nashville” or “good for 2008” necessary, either. His work sounds like 1973. Whether you pick up the self-released version from 2007 or the Mercury re-release from August of this year. Check it out. You won't be disappointed. It's just real, good, country music from his pen, sung by a voice that's a cross between Vern Gosdin and David Allan Coe. This album is good enough for me to forgive him for writing songs like "Ladies Love Country Boys" and "I Got My Game On" for Trace Adkins.

-Some of the mainstream stuff I hated this year includes: Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, 75% of what I heard on the radio, nearly everything recommended by Perez Hilton, and all of that emo crap like Red Jump Suit My Mom Didn’t Love Me Enough Out Boy Mascera Station Appartus.

-I remember first hearing Larry the Cable Guy doing a radio bit in 2001 and thinking he was the funniest thing I’d ever heard. Now, I cringe at the thought that I ever found his schtick amusing.

-Still waiting for Saturday Night Live to parody those UPS white board commercials. Too much potential there for them not to do so.

-I’m in the process of trying to develop two non-fiction book ideas I have. I’m sure publishers will be knocking down my door.

-Even though it has been out for several years, it still does the trick just right when called upon. Is there a better song for being in an aggressively foul mood than “Let’s Go” by Trick Daddy? I think not. John Mayer playing it with Trick Daddy at Tootsie’s on his VH1 show was hilarious and groundbreaking all at once.

-Having to wait until January for Friday Night Lights to return via my satellite provider stinks. But, seeing Jack Bauer kick some butt the other night in a two hour movie may tide me over.

-Off the Cuff is rolling along really well…I’d love to have some more contributors, so if you have something to say…holler at me!

-What’s up with the people that still line dance to “Copperhead Road”? I’ve often wondered what Steve Earle would say about it. And, does anyone else get offended when they yell “F&*# the Army!” during the interlude of “I volunteered for the Army on my birthday…” What is that about? This is something I noticed many years ago and had forgotten about until recently seeing it again. Sidenote…what’s up with people who line dance at all? It is only acceptable at weddings…and really only the Electric Slide, even then you are pushing it though!

-And the college football year gets crazier. Bill Snyder back to K-State…what? Joe Pa coaching from the pressbox with a headset that is probably not even on the same channel as the rest of the staff. He’s yelling into white noise. Lee Corso becoming a parody of himself. Brent Musberger calling Beyonce, Beyons. Mike Leach leveraging Tech into more money. The insanity that is the BCS. It never ends.

-Remember the reason for the season!

-Pacman Jones coming back to the Cowboys is like Roth going back to Van Halen…sounds good in theory until you realize it’s not mutually beneficial and both entities are past their prime. I’d like to kick he and Sean Avery out of DFW permanently.

-This month’s recommended film: Role Models. The continuing emergence of the comic genius within Paul Rudd combined with Stiffler returning to form. A funny movie, nothing more, nothing less.

-This month’s recommended album: Todd Snider-Peace Queer. As noted above, Snider is arguably the best songwriter alive and this might be the best album he’s ever produced. And
this little ditty he wrote about the people who hate on Jack Ingram is one of the coolest and most honest things I’ve read in a long time.


-Of all the things I’ve lost, I miss my mind the most.-Mark Twain

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-Brad Beheler, Galleywinter.com
Pat Green. He opened up an entire world to me that I didn’t know existed. He inspired me and countless others to pick up a guitar. He broke down walls and gave everyone a blueprint on how to be successful. And, every time I feel lost musically, he’s the artistic chicken soup for my Texas soul that welcomes me home again.

-Dub Miller
Tom Waits without whom I never would have been able to articulate that the carpet needs a haircut, the telephone’s out of cigarettes, and the piano has been drinking, not me.

-Gregg Geil, AmericanaRoots.com
Robert Earl Keen. We all have specific songs that are timeless in nature and can instantly transform you back to a specific period in your life. That is the power of music for which I am thankful for. Songs like the "Front Porch Song" will always bring me back to that Buick Regal or the yearly guys fishing trip of my youth.

-Drew Kennedy
Guy Clark because he paints like Picasso, but with words...and I like words more than I like paint.

-Todd Purifoy, Texas/Red Dirt Photography
Kris Kristofferson. The music is obvious, but the more I learn about the man, the more I recognize the mark he will leave. As someone who gets involved in many different things, I can't help but admire his life experiences.

-Wade Bowen
Robert Earl Keen. I know it sounds like a cliché answer but here’s why. As I was about to graduate from high school, I was starting to develop a huge passion for music, more than I ever had. Up to that point, I was listening to so much mainstream country because I thought it was the only kind of country out there. So other than Willie and Waylon, I listened to the radio country at the time. Then I was handed a Robert Earl CD and it changed my life forever. After months of digging into his music, I learned about the singer/songwriter way of life and how success can be achieved without having to venture to Nashville. I watched him live and bought all of his albums and my life has not been the same since. I started writing songs better and eventually got the courage to get on stage and here I stand. Although he is already a legend, I don’t think he truly gets the appreciation he deserves. So, thank you REK for real music by a real artist!

-Sunny Sweeney
Loretta Lynn because she just gets it. Simple country music..it's really a beautiful thing. Also, it’s so cool to see her never forget where she came from.

-Mark Sanders
Ryan Adams…his music is thought provoking, uplifting, remorseful, sad and/or happy…depending on how you interpret it…that’s a rare find!

-Josh Grider
Willie Nelson. The Shotgun Willie inspires me each time I listen to it. And, the foresight he had to take his music to another level with things like Red Headed Stranger and Stardust make me push myself harder.

-Doug Moreland
Glenn Moreland, my Dad. He had a fiddle when I needed it, and gifted me with the ability to use it. Thanks Dad.

-Kris Farrow, Micky & The Motorcars
John Coltrane, because he showed me that music is more than notes and ego and melodies- it's power, it's sound, it's chaos- and that music, like life, can sometimes be ugly...but that's all part of the beauty.

-Kristen Kelly, Modern Day Drifters
Patty Griffin. Such an eclectic singer/songwriter. Emotional, elegant, emphatic. She's absolutely amazing and you can't help but be inspired by her. She makes me work harder trying to be half as good as she is! Timeless.

-Mike Eli, Eli Young Band
Jack Ingram and Miranda Lambert. Jack for inspiring so many songwriters like me, as well as, making music that I listen to like it’s a brand new album and everything that happened in 2002 is still relevant. Miranda for being this feisty little thing that went to Nashville and did it her way. And I thank my lucky stars everyday that she hooked EYB up with Frank Liddell.

-Britt Lloyd
The Beatles, because the rock n’ roll gods would still be disappointed in all of us…and we don't want that!

-Kimberly Kelly
George Strait. Simplicity. He reminds you that in the middle of everything that comes out new and innovatively, you don't have to be anything but yourself take it or leave it. There's something to be said about somebody that just does what he does...and somehow finds his way at the top of the pack always...as so many trends come and go.

-Josh Ward
George Jones because he's learned he can live out his miseries in a song, he sings the truth, and country music needs that right now

-Ryan “Tank” Hargrave, Galleywinter.com
Ryan Bingham for being the most honest and raw guy behind a guitar. For giving me hope that this generation won't be excluded from true musicians that will leave their mark, not just on Texas, but on the world. And mostly for teaching me how to be changed by it all.

-Bobby Duncan
Walt Wilkins, because not only is he one of the best songwriters on the planet, he taught me more about how to be a musician in two weeks than I had learned in the previous two years.

-Shayne Hollinger, Mandatory FM
James McMurtry. For speaking his mind regardless of what others might think. Sometimes this world needs the truth that isn't sugar-coated.

-Sarah Blincoe, Triple 8 Management
Bon Jovi. They were my first concert and favorite band as a kid.

-Jon Paul “Hogleg” Long, Galleywinter.com
Walt Wilkins. Walt is everything that represents Texas and Texas Music. When people ask me what is my favorite Walt Wilkins record I say "It's the one I am listening to at that moment." Walt keeps Texas music authentic and gives the music roots. You are never going to listen to Walt's body of work and think to yourself, "I am not real sure where he was going with that." Walt's music is like family, it's like home, it's like going to church where they sell cold beer on a Saturday night. It's a sincerity and security that is a rare find these days. Walt has done so much for the younger generations of Texas Music. He has given so many artists a lift and a direction artistically. He does all of this in a very quite little space he calls his own. I am thankful for Walter Clay Wilkins a Texas Troubadour, family man, brother and friend.

-Clair Devers, Lonestarmusic.com
Wade Bowen. For making one of our favorite records of the year and for being one of the biggest boosters of the Texas Music scene out there…and one of the best customers!

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I am grateful for the bands who give us good music. I am grateful for the bands who drive hard to get to a gig. I am grateful for the member of the band who fixes the van to get them to that gig. To the advance person who booked the hotels and handled logistics for the tour or appearance. To the booker who diligently worked at having that band get that gig. To the venue owner who made it possible. To the venue staff who worked the show. To the advertisers who support the radio stations, maagzines, newspapers and blogs that talk about music. To the magazines who cover features and to the writers and editors who work at that. To the writer who said something about the show in the paper. To the paper for having an entertainment column at all.

To the publicist who got in touch with the paper. To the radio station for playing the CD, and for the on-air dude who gives the band a few minutes to talk or play, or who fills dead air when the band can’t talk or play. To the station owner for putting our music on the airwaves. To the program directors at the radio station for listening to SO MANY CDs with an open mind and for trying to make a good playlist. To the radio promoter for talking about the CD to get it listened to. To the people who come to the show, whether they’re there for the beer or there for the band, or there a little guiltily knowing they have to be up and at ‘em early. To the people who first thought, “maybe we can be our OWN label,” and to the labels as well.

To the manager who puts teams together and tries to keep growing. To the session musicians who don’t get to tour with the band and don’t hear any applause for the songs they helped make. To the producers who work to get into what a song or a sound is about. To the artists who design packaging and merch. To the merch peeps who still seem enthusiastic about the new Koozie design. To the MySpace-runners and the website-fixers, the fan-list-updaters and the band-page-makers. (Not to the comment spammers — seriously, guys, enough with the “thanks for the add” blingees.) To the photographers. To the guys in tractors who come rescue fans if a field floods. To the guy in the tractor in Crystal Beach who lost his house in the hurricane but still managed to smile and say nice things about Stingaree. To the security guards working a festival show, freezing or baking, drenched or thirsty.

To the makers of Shiner beer. To the songwriters who write good things. To the accordion players who have to listen to accordion jokes. To whomever invented the banjo. To the music supervisors who know what music can do to a mood. To the label owners who think this is a business that can work. To the guys who work at the label and walk around with backpacks full of beer. To the reviewers and publishers and bloggers who think that music is worth writing and thinking about and encouraging others to think about. To the sponsors who sometimes write a big enough check to really make a difference.

To the professional organizations that strive to keep professional alliances going, because we all understand that a house divided against itself cannot stand. To the conferences and conference organizers and conference volunteers and conference staffs for getting us all together. To the alliances and associations, organizations and anyone who thinks getting us together to share our ideas is a good thing. To the guilds and unions, to the charities and aid organizations. To the publishers and anyone who handles rights and clearances, and to those who are fair with work. To the lawyers and accountants. To those who hold house concerts and work to bring good artists to new ears. To festival organizers and talent bookers who do the same. To food vendors, particularly anyone who has ever participated in the making of any funnel cake anywhere on this planet. Ditto deep-fried Oreos.

To the benefit organizers who bring artists together to help out and by doing so, help the band out. To the engineers and mixers who work hard to get the sound right. To the sound guys at a show who do the same. To the fans. To the potential fans. To the motels and their staffs. To the guys making pedals and effects, new drums and new guitars. To American Idol, for making so unbearably awful to listen to — even the winners make my eardrums bleed — that great music has that much more importance. To the CMA, ditto. To the guys who sign up for open mics just to play, who say to the next guy on the list, “will you play with me?” and to the next guy on the list for saying, “absolutely.”

To the families who put up with all this.

To the people who call with good ideas and keep networking. To the tirelessness of the great minds I work with and the dedication that gets people up in the morning to get on the phone and on email to see what we can do today. To the enthusiasm that makes us stay up till four, even though we have to be up again by eight, to be one of four people catching an amazing show far too late, far too distant, far too smoky, far too exciting in its shared experience to be missed.

To a million roles I am sure I am forgetting (but it’s time I got to work!).

To any member of any band who says, “thank you, I appreciate you” to any of the above.

To the colleagues I have around the world (Hi Kenzo and Kenjiro!) who work too hard, get paid too little, get up too early and stay up too late and who don’t ever hear the sound of clapping or cheering, I am grateful for what you do. It means something to me. Thank you.


Pigeon O' Brien is an Americana music publicist who works with a slew of artists (Daryl Lee Rush, Lost Immigrants among others) on everything from marketing and radio to website design and public relations.

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