Galleywinter

The passing of George Jones got me thinking and reminiscing, which can be a dangerous proposition at times.  The Possum’s music has been described by many pundits as timeless…this pundit included.  But, what makes something…anything timeless?  That’s one of those questions that begs to be answered with the trite reply of “I’m not sure…but I know when I see/hear it.”

That’s never more true than when speaking about music.  Too often I’m confronted with music that is subpar and most definitely not timeless.  Timeless meaning something that either sounds as good today as when you first heard it five, ten, fifteen, even twenty plus years ago.  Or something that upon the notes being immediately released sweetly into your ears you realize that it is something that you’ll still be listening to in twenty years.  Related to that, it also means songs that are covered in dust but could be blown off and returned to the top of the charts if they were re-released today.

For example, if Guns ‘N Roses released Appetite for Destruction today and put out “Sweet Child O’ Mine” as the first single, it would race up the charts and blow everything from Jason Aldean to Justin Beiber and every other auto-tune T-Pain influenced piece of trash that is on pop and country radio off the charts.  It’s classic.  It’s timeless.

How does this fit in with Texas Music?  Well, what I think attracted many of us to this style of music in the first place is … Keep Reading

We as music fans are nothing if not loyal.  Especially in the Texas scene.  Sometimes to a fault.  I remember defending Pat Green in some circles right up to the point of “Let Me” and I seem to recall trying to justify Jack Ingram’s cover of “Lips of an Angel” to some audiences.  Why would I do that?  Because of the loyalty I felt to their previous material.  I’d made such a strong connection with their prior music and it had woven itself into my life’s fabric in such a way that I was determined to see things through.

We are as passionate about few things as we are music.  It’s our life’s soundtrack and surrounds us throughout each day.  What we choose to play says a lot about who we are and what we believe in.  When what we believe in changes itself, it is a hard pill to swallow.… Keep Reading

Each March I am reminded of the proud history of our Texas as the 2nd day of the month rolls around and we celebrate Texas Independence Day.  That prideful streak displayed by those courageous heroes all those years ago is easily translated into the music scene that now inhabits the sacred ground they walked back then.

As a group of people, from the start, we as Texans have always been a tad ornery and love the challenge of being told we can’t do something. It’s the spirit of the land and it just seems to permeate your being subconsciously.  Whether born here or adopted by this great land, a heaping helping of attitude is ingrained in your being.  That doesn’t mean we are rude…it just means we know what we want, what we stand for and what we’re willing to do to get our way.… Keep Reading

I was recently reading Steven Hyden’s fantastic The Winner’s History of Rock n’ Roll series on Grantland when he brought up the phrase credibility gap.  That’s a term I’ve used in this column before and find increasingly accurate to describe what’s going on with modern country music.  It’s the same old story:  drugstore cowboy steps out of central casting, is supplied songs about how country he is out on the backroad in his truck and on his tractor back at the farm, is surrounded by a crackerjack band and put on the road.

It’s canned.

There is nothing organic about the process that permeates modern country music.  The crazy thing is it’s actually been this way for a long, long time.  Waylon famously called it out in the 70′s with the “it’s been the same way for years” line.  There’s a massive disconnect between the audience and the artists on the national stage.  Marketing creates popularity.  The masses crave what’s easy and right in front of them.  If Madison Ave or Nashville can convince them that what’s in front of them is cool, that’s when the big trouble happens.  It’s as if that horrible Buckwild show on MTV comes to life in a song.… Keep Reading

Once upon a time, a Texas Music show was a crowded sea of drunken frat guys and other weekend hellraisers of the male variety obnoxiously chanting the name of the artist on stage.

Females were few and far between. … Keep Reading