Rusty Wier was one of the few musical heroes I had as a child that I got to actually befriend as an adult.  Anytime I was around him, it was surreal.  As if I was starring in a Truman Show style movie set amid the backdrop of Texas Music royalty.  Even in the zenith of the early 2000’s Texas Music boom, Rusty stood out.  Part Bad Blake, part Billy Joe Shaver, part Elvis.  The man was the greatest entertainer that has ever set foot on a stage in this realm of music.  Throughout the beat-up van twilight of his career

Houston Marchman is a songwriter who colors a bit outside the lines and is often found showcasing the rougher side of life.  Never afraid to tackle subject matter that meeker writers might shy away from, Marchman has written songs about classic country themes involving murder, drug abuse, alcohol, and jail time.  But, it’s his blistering take down of the Nashville music machine in “Viet-Nashville” that truly earns him a spot among our Texas Treasure series and Drop playlist.  Marchman experienced the music industry in Tennessee first hand in the mid 90s and quickly took the things he learned there into

The parking lot held a broken down 60′s era VW bug that had been parked there for months, a black BMW some rich kid’s dad had gotten him, and a nondescript white ’98 F250.  Nondescript until you walked past the entrance of Joe’s Crab Shack in San Marcos right on the river and were greeted by the protective yet playful bark of a shiny-coated border collie.  It was one of those early autumn evenings right around the time that leaves start changing colors and it turns from hot to cool very quickly as the sun goes down.  The semester was just old

The 90’s weren’t just a great time for Texas country music to make a comeback of sorts. Alternative rock was blazing its own formidable trail on the heels of the Toadies. One such band that was a part of that movement was the San Marcos based Echo’s Orbit Room. At one point, the band was so popular in the 78666 zip code that I recall Blue October opening a show for them at Gordo’s. EOR is one of those great footnotes in rock history. They had it all.  They were a can’t miss band. They had a mix of edge,