Galleywinter

This past week was a banner week for social media in Texas Music.  The sensational confessions of one act were paired with the regular postings of tour dates, crowd shots, after party pics and highway lines.  Fan interaction via social media is one of the largest parts of an artist’s job in the year 2014.  This hyper-connection makes us feel like we know the artists better than we actually do.  It connects us to the music in ways we may not have otherwise experienced.

This connectivity was at the forefront of Galleywinter’s creation all those years ago.  To connect like-minded fans and artists and support a thriving a community of music lovers.  This was pre-Twitter/Facebook etc.  Using old school message board technology, road trips were planned, show reviews posted and people bonded.  It was a great tool then and as technology has improved that tool has only strengthened.

By getting to know so much about the artists we admire, we are able to enjoy the music on deeper levels.  Additionally, we are able to connect with fans across the globe that dig the same thing we do.    A new act like Chris King can build a loyal following just by being a good follow on Twitter.  Jason Isbell is able to add to his hip factor via displaying his wit on Twitter.  On the flip side, we have a couple of my least favorite artists…ArtistData and his compadre Team _______.  If I want to know when you’re touring, I’ll look … Keep Reading

Brian Keane has been building his career over the past few years as a songwriter and sideman.  A couple years ago, he stepped to the forefront and began releasing solo material.  He recently released his second full-length album, Coming Home,  and his racking up the tour dates in support of it.  Brian takes time out of his busy schedule to jump into another round of our Twenty Questions.  He tackles such topics as why playing with Randy Rogers Band was such a good gig, why tractors aren’t sexy and relates anecdotes about west Texas being a speed trap.  Enjoy!

Brian Keane – “Bar Lights” on The Drop

1.  What’s new and exciting in the world of Brian Keane?

A whole lot’s been going on over here!  We just had our first kid on July 11th!  Also my new record, Coming Home,  came out January 21st.  My wife produced both.

2.  Your wife, Rachel Loy, has become one of the most sought after and innovative producers in Texas music.  So, what’s it like being the second most talented musician in your house?

I’m not sure, I’ll ask her.  (laughs)

3.  Name association:

-Wade Bowen — Bud Light

-Adam Hood — Jim Beam

-Jason Eady — Old Milwaukee’s Best

-Josh Grider — Whatever goes best with his awesome cooking!

-Micky Braun — Margaritas

-Randy Rogers — Jagerbombs

-Bart Crow —   Miller Lite

-Hayes Carll — Jameson

-Cody Canada — Bottle o’ Wine

-William … Keep Reading

As he confidently, strode out into the crowd during “Big Night in the City”, Josh Weathers had a knowing smirk and a poised gleam in his eye.  Strolling down the middle row of flimsy tables Billy Bob’s offers as glorified beer coasters, Weathers was in the midst of the show of his life.  It was all a boy from Tarrant County could have ever dreamed of.  A sold-out show at the “world’s largest honky-tonk.”  People were jammed from one end to the other of the place and singing along to all his songs.  No small feat for a musician and band without any radio play or hits.

It took Weathers a decade to get to this point.  Thousands of gigs in dingy dive bars from Amarillo to Austin and everywhere in between.  Ten years of grinding it out had enabled him to become one of the most dynamic live performers Texas Music has ever seen.   His vocal chops are second to none and his stage repertoire that mixes country deftly with soul, r&b and rock is a unique slice of music that comes off quintessentially Texan.

A headlining spot on the LJT Festival mainstage, back to back appearances at Greenfest and a 2013 viral video ride off this clip, gave Weathers a taste of what he’d been working for all those years.  And, when he finally got to taste it, he realized maybe that large scale success wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.  Business was getting … Keep Reading

Whiskey Myers have brought an old sound to a new generation with their spin on classic southern rock.  Cody Cannon’s tales of east Texas life, love and folklore resonate much the same way that those of Van Zandt and Allman did nearly 40 years ago.  Famed producer Dave Cobb (Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson) presided over WM’s latest effort, Early Mornin’ Shakes, which hits the street on Feb 4th.  Cobb takes the strength’s of all the band members and amplifies them to great success.  Longtime fans will find something to dig, and yet the music is still accessible enough for new fans to jump on board.  It’s often hard for a great live band to capture that special energy in a studio setting, yet Whiskey Myers have done just that with Cobb’s help.  

Our compatriot at the Dallas Observer, Kelly Dearmore, did a fantastic feature on Whiskey Myers that goes into much greater detail on the new album, as well as, the band’s origins, rise and future.  In a year that will see many highly anticipated releases, Early Mornin’ Shakes just may be the record with the most riding on it.  Below is a link to the lead single, “Home”, on The Drop and the official video for it.

Whiskey Myers – “Home” on The Drop

… Keep Reading

Steve Fromholz was never the biggest name, but the influence he and his songs  had on the biggest names of his heyday still reverberate in the present.  To that end, while the records he recorded and released on his own never found wide acclaim, artists such as Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker and Lyle Lovett took Fromholz’s creations to worldwide audiences.  Fromholz was purely Texan and had a knack for making every lyric drip with his quintessential Texan-ness.  There was a constant mystical whimsy under the surface of Fromholz’s songs.

Fromholz’s musical career began when he attended North Texas and met Michael Martin Murphey.  Together they knocked around in various musical formations before Fromholz did a hitch in the Navy. After the Navy, Fromholz found some minor success based out of Colorado as part of a duo called Frummox.  The most fruitful moment to come out of this incarnation was Fromholz’s legendary “Texas Trilogy”, where he uses three songs to tell three seemingly unrelated stories of small-town Texas, that in fact have more in common than they or the listeners may ever truly know.

After bouncing around various scenes, tours and bands, Fromholz found his way home to Texas in the early-mid 70′s.  It was here that his unique and entertaining style bent the ears of such rising, local luminaries as Nelson and Walker.

It would be Nelson’s cover of “I’d Have To Be Crazy” that would bring Fromholz his greatest renown.  The modern generation of Texas Music fans grew … Keep Reading