There are 277 miles between Old Celina Park in Celina, TX and Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos, TX. There may as well be 25 years separating them as well. Make it 50 years. Kept separate in distance and time, but tied together with music. This is what went down when we took in Troubadour Fest in Celina on Saturday followed by Cheatham Street’s 50th Anniversary on Sunday.
You will not find a finer single day festival event anywhere than what the folks at Troubadour Fest have created. Music, bbq, experiences, vendors all mingle into the perfect Lone Star concoction of everything that makes this vast land special. The organizers have left no stone unturned or idea kept in the bag. Gather over 40 of the best pitmasters in the region, toss in 7 of the finest musical acts we have to offer and then combine it with a cool user experience.
This year’s event rolled out with Shane Smith and the Saints atop the bill with direct support from Treaty Oak Revival. Two of the biggest bands from Texas at the moment. It was rounded out by the chill, harmony infused jams of Wilder Blue, the legendary red dirt of Jason Boland and the Stragglers and the southern rock gospel of Tanner Usrey. Logan Ryan, a Galleywinter River Jam ‘24 alum, also had a place on the show. Intentionally covering the past, present and future on their musical line-up allowed the crowd to sing along to their favorites while discovering or remembering something new.
When thousands of music fans invade a tiny town like Celina, it can cause some logistical disasters. However, the Troubadour Fest planners seemingly thought of just about everything. Ride Share at the church, check. WiFi provided to get your Uber locked in, check. Golf cart shuttles from the parking lot, check. Cool vendors like Unkle Bekah and Tumbleweed TexStyles, check. Beer from Shiner and Lone Star, check. BBQ from Meat Church, check. Free stuff, check. As festival organizer Chase Colston said from the stage prior to introducing SStS, Troubadour Fest, much like Mile 0 and MusicFest, is an independent music festival. A shrinking number of these are still around and putting on shows of this caliber. When you support an event like this, you aren’t supporting some corporate fat cats who don’t know this music, you’re supporting dudes who are singing along to “All I See Is You” and “Hurricane” with you. They have taken the Galleywinter ethos of for the fans, by the fans to new levels. I can’t wait to see what they come up with for their College Station event in spring 2025.
Down in Hays County, Randy Rogers and the rest of the Cheatham Street Warehouse braintrust curated a day of celebration. Nodding to the past, commemorating the songs, stories and lives impacted by the hallowed old cotton shack by the tracks. The ramshackle building was celebrating its 50th year as a music venue. The venerable stage has launched the careers of worldwide superstars, award winning songwriters and some of the finest musicians you may have never heard of. Its founder, Kent Finlay passed away on Texas Independence Day in 2015. The legacy he left behind is indelible. But, it takes work to keep it at the forefront it deserves.
One of his most accomplished mentees, Randy Rogers, has taken the mantle of keeping the spirit of Kent and the sake of the song alive. Sunday’s event was a trip back in time. Headlined by the Ace in the Hole Band with many members of the crowd hoping for a King George cameo, the event harkened back to the bootstraps mentality that has kept the rickety joint at the forefront of music in Texas for six decades. Billy Bob’s does the numbers. Gruene Hall gets all the glory. Cheatham Street has all the soul. Each important and integral. Each unique.
Cheatham Street’s celebration was beset at the outset by notable cancellations the day of from Parker McCollum and Wade Bowen who were under the weather. That did not deter the good vibes. My eyes have never seen anything at CSW quite like what took place on Sunday. It was by far the biggest crowd I’ve ever seen there. Despite the heat, long lines, and port o potty only bathroom situation, the mood was jovial. I saw people I haven’t seen in 20 years there and it was like time had stopped. I saw people I saw just last week. The vibe was the same.
Music was taking place simultaneously on the historic inside stage and a large outside stage. Acts on the inside stage ranged from Paul Eason, Owen Temple, Adam Carroll, Graycie York, Nyles Robaciewics of Shaker Hymns, David Beck, The Reed Brothers, Hank Weaver and even Kent’s daughter HalleyAnna Finlay. The shows taking place on the inside stage were a hallmark tribute to the halcyon days of Cheatham Street lore. Kent may as well have been in the corner overseeing the yellow legal pad sign in sheet.
The outside stage housed the big names of the day. Pat Green, William Clark Green, Jack Ingram, William Beckmann, Bruce Robison, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Django Walker and Randy Rogerss Band trio style. The mayor showed up with a proclamation. The Texas Music Office designated it Cheatham Street Day across the entire land. Pat Green gave a touching tribute to Walt Wilkins, Jerry Jeff Walker and Kent Finlay. Trains seemed to roll by at just the right moment, just as they have for 50 years. Then the Ace in the Hole Texas Jamm Band closed the night up with triple fiddles and the smoothest covers you’ve ever heard.
Troubadour Fest represents the future of the music scene. Innovative, cool, bands that are on top of the mountain right now. Cheatham’s celebration represented what they do best too. One foot firmly entrenched in the history of this music and one foot pointed toward the future. Always honoring the song. I think Kent would have dug both events. I know I did. And I can’t wait to get back to both. Follow Troubadour Fest on your favorite social network to see what they’re up to next. Follow Cheatham Street too. Stop in. Have a beer. Listen to a song you’ve never heard before. Or one you’ve heard 1,000 times. Better yet, come do both things this summer with us at River Jam 2025.
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