Generally speaking, whiskey-swilling, dark-alley-dealing Southern rock doesn’t fit the typical musical storyteller definition. Unless one is discussing the Drive-By Truckers, that is. Sprouting from the scorched, sweat-soaked soil that spawned their long-departed heroes, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Truckers’ Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley and the rest of the crew have never fallen…
We’ve got quite a backlog of CDs we’ve never gotten around to, so we’re going to try to chip away at the pile with this regular feature. The plan: to take a few at a time and play each CD for as long as I can stand it.Amy Cook (Austin,…
Shiner Rising Star CompetitionSeptember 16, 2010The Kessler TheatreThe lineup for last night’s wild card round for this year’s Shiner Rising Star competition provided a slight case of déjà vu. As has been the case in the competition’s previous years, a couple of bands that just missed winning the first time…
Many have discussed the so-called demise of alt-country, and, sure, as a general entity, it isn’t exactly cutting-edge fresh. Fact is, though, alt-country—hard to define as it is—is still being offered in exemplary ways by a growing number of artists. It’s far from deceased. Ronnie Fauss’ latest work serves as…
We’ve got quite a backlog of CDs we’ve never gotten around to, so we’re going to try to chip away at the pile with this regular feature. The plan: to take a few at a time and play each CD for as long as I can stand it.Sheryl Crow (Kennett,…
Well, this week, we weren’t able to occupy our usual spot at the judges table for last night’s eighth and final week of the first round for the Shiner Rising Star contest. This was an unfortunate absence, too, as this week’s event took place at the Southern Junction in Rockwall,…
In a region filled to the PBR-soaked brim with alt-country talent, there’s much to be said for an artist that manages to stand out above the crowd. Take, for a killer example, East Dallas’ Ronnie Fauss. He’s been on a serious roll lately, and has displayed a deft and delicate…
Once upon a recent time, musicians weren’t able to offer up their art for the sake of commercialization—not, at least, without suffering the burn of the scarlet “sell-out” label. Now, though, with bands seeking new avenues in which to keep their artful hopes alive, the practical decision to craft a…
In yet another, suburban location outside of Dallas proper–this time at Plano’s Last Chance Saloon–independent country music, in its myriad forms, reigned supreme. A couple of hundred folks (if not a tad more) crammed themselves into the Last Chance Saloon for Week Seven of the Shiner Rising Star competition last…
Artists—or musicians, to be more specific—have never been ones to worry themselves too much over the rules and preferred guidelines of corporate America. Sure, the thought of being able to pay one’s bills by practicing the craft that brings the artist joy is a reasonable and enviable goal. But in…
Ask any of the truckers who have run into him along the highways, or any of the musicians who join him in the honky-tonks of Austin and you’ll likely receive confirmation of why Dale Watson has been granted the nickname of “The Real Deal.” Whereas many neo-traditional country acts in…
Tonight, City Tavern hosts yet another night of music that reminds anyone who may need a refresher that, yes, good live music can be found in Downtown–even if none of the acts on the bill are from the eastern side of the Metroplex.While Telegraph Canyon’s Chris Johnson has rightfully vaulted…
Shiner Rising Star Competition: Week SixLa GrangeAugust 26, 2010For night six of the still ongoing first round of this year’s Shiner Rising Star competition, hosted by KHYI-95.3 FM The Range, things reverted back to the local flavor that had been largely missing over the previous couple of weeks. Two of…
Shiner Rising Star Contest: Round 1, Week 5Main Street Liquid Co., RichardsonAug 19, 2010For week five of the preliminary round of the Shiner Rising Star competition, three more bands took over the small in size, but big in character Main Street Liquid Company in Richardson. Last week, bands from outside…
Shing Rising Star Competition: Week 4August 12, 2010City TavernAnother Thursday night in the Metroplex meant another evening of the Shiner Rising Star contest last night. Whereas the majority of the competing bands in the previous weeks have been North Texas products, last night featured a couple of acts that trekked…
These are the questions of our time: Should Pete Rose be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame? Who, in fact, did let the dogs out? Was the Gilded Age really gilded—or even a real age, for that matter? What’s the true definition of folk music? A.A. Bondy might not…
If week two of the first round for this year’s Shiner Rising Star contest–hosted by KHYI 95.3 and Shiner Bock Beer–was solid, last night’s, week three performances were a ten foot-thick slab of concrete and steel. In short: It was an outstanding display. Feel free to add to the list…
For those who have wondered what this region’s country scene has in the pipeline, waiting just beyond the Eleven Hundred Springs, Boys Named Sue and King Bucks of the world, the Shiner Rising Star competition is a great resource. With last night’s second part of the preliminary round, three bands…
Shiner Bock beer has become a bit of a cliché in the realm of Texas country. For a while, it seemed as though all Pat Green had to do was to simply throw the name of the Lone Star legend into a verse and the song would rocket to regional…
Reality television has been the catalyst for the so-called resurgence of many over-the-hill, past-their-prime acts in recent years. Over the last year or so, legendary Massachusetts band Aerosmith decided to channel the spirit of the Sunday night VH1 lineup and make a little noise for themselves—Vanilla Ice and Flava Flav…
Perhaps you read Darryl Smyers’ Q&A with Peter Case and are still wondering just what about the songwriter that could inspire so many other notables, including Hayes Carll, Victoria Williams and Chuck Prophet, to put together a tribute album, A Case for Case, just a few years ago. Well, you…
We’ve got quite a backlog of CDs we’ve never gotten around to, so we’re going to try to chip away at the pile with this regular feature. The plan: to take a few at a time and play each CD for as long as I can stand it. Paper Tongues…
