Charlie Robison – Plano Courtyard Theater – June 6, 2013

Walking into Plano’s Courtyard Theater on Thursday night felt a bit like walking into Addison’s WaterTower Theatre or perhaps Dallas’ Kalita Humphreys Theater. Among the well-dressed crowd, there were some older folks milling about, chatting in the modern-designed foyer as an air of formality wafted through the space. There were…

Ten Best Texas Country Songs of 2013 (So Far)

We’ve made no bones about the fact we’re not completely sure what an artist or a song has to be or consist of in order to be lumped under the massive “Texas Country” umbrella, aside from simply having some sort of connection to the Lone Star State — even if…

Home By Hovercraft Takes Dallas’ Dramatic Pop Tradition Somewhere New

Home By Hovercraft aren’t afraid of going for the big finish. Led by husband-and-wife combo Seth (lead vocals, tuba) and Shawn Magill (piano, vocals, xylophone), the band also comprises Abbey Magill (percussion), Max Hartman (drums) and Johnny Sequenzia (mandolin, banjolin, harmonica). They rightfully draw comparisons to The National and even…

The Red Dirt Community Comes to the Aid of the Tornado Victims

On Wednesday night, 16 tornadoes devastated much of Cleburne and Granbury, south of Fort Worth, leaving six people dead and millions of dollars worth of damage to the two normally sleepy towns. As Wednesday night rolled into Thursday morning, it took but only a few text messages between a couple…

Austin’s Sons of Fathers Busk in Front of the Granada: Video

Sons of Fathers from Austin, who performed at the Granada this past Friday night for the Homegrown Fest’s “Pre-Party” with Telegraph Canyon, got into town early enough to do a bit of video-shooting, it seems. The group is shown in the well-made clip singing their harmony-rich tune “Roots and Vine.”…

Rodriquez – Annette Strauss Square Ampitheater – May 3, 2013

Friday night at the AT&T Performing Arts Center’s Annette Strauss Square Amphitheater, two things were pristinely clear: the gorgeous night sky above the blanketed crowd of BYOB-ers, and that the Search for Sugarman is now a full-blown phenomenon of followers who’ve found their guy in Rodriguez. The crowded, but comfortable,…

Jonny Fritz Signed His Record Deal with a Gravy-Dipped Quill

If you’re a fan of Dawes, Deer Tick, Andrew Combs or Shovels and Rope, you may have already heard of Jonny Fritz without realizing it. The Virginia native released an excellent album under the pseudonym Jonny Corndawg in 2011. The Corndawg album, which featured instrumental help from Dawes’ Taylor Goldsmith…

The O’s Blaze Their Own Trail on the New Thunderdog

On a typically desolate Monday night in Deep Ellum, John Pedigo of the The O’s opens his trunk to reveal dozens of cardboard boxes filled with his group’s new CD, Thunderdog. It’s a big moment, not just for The O’s but for Punch Five Records — the label he and…

Country Divas Ashley Monroe and Kacey Musgraves Have a Need for Weed

Kellychristinephoto.comWhere the weed at?This week the Golden, Texas native Kacey Musgraves finally releases her eagerly-awaited debut album, Same Trailer, Different Park. Indeed, it’s fitting that she’s from a town named Golden, as the new album is but the most recent example of some serious Solid Country Gold that’s come from…

The Texas Music Revolution Felt Pretty Revolutionary, Actually.

On Saturday, as the rain poured outside of the historic Southfork Ranch in Parker, just east of Plano, nothing could dampen the beautiful and electric vibes inside the complex’s conference center where the annual Texas Music Revolution (hosted by KHYI 95.3 The Range) was taking place. The 17th edition of…