SXSW 2011

Saw an amazing amount of good music last week in Austin (list of bands on my facebook). I won't be writing about the shows this year due to time constraints, but I can tell you that this picture below, taken at Auditorium Shores (thanks DP), explains basically everything you could ever want or need to know about SXSW. You should be able to click to enlarge it to take in the full greatness.

West Texas area music calendar

Odessa/Midland
3/18 - The Band Perry - Dos Amigos
3/25 - Josh Abbott - Dos Amigos
3/26 - Jody Nix - Stardust Club
4/8 - Stoney Larue - Dos Amigos
5/12-14 - Crude Fest - Midland - Jason Boland, Turnpike Troubadours, Josh Abbott, Chris Knight, Reckless Kelly

Alpine/Marfa/Big Bend
3/11 - Matt Skinner - Lost Horse Saloon
3/12 - Alex & Bonnie Whitmore - La Kiva
3/12 - Matt Skinner - Gage Hotel
3/15 - Fergus & Geronimo - Padre's
4/11 - British Sea Power, A Classic Education - Padre's
4/17 - Yacht & Straight Gaze - Padre's
4/24 - Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, & Old Crow Medicine Show - Railroad Revival at El Cosmico
5/11 - Butch Hancock - Padre's
6/2- Fest Out West - Lajitas, featuring Reckless Kelly, Cody Canada & the Departed, Butch Hancock, Hayes Carll, The Trishas, Randy Rogers & Wade Bowen, Micky & the Motorcars, & John Evans

Snyder
3/11 - Shawn Fussell - Belle Opry House
3/18 - Zach Edwards - Belle Opry House
3/25 - Jody Nix - WTC Coliseum Annex Barn

San Angelo
3/10 - Butch Hancock - Blaine's Pub
4/29 - Ray Wylie Hubbard - Angelo Food & Wine Festival

Lubbock
4/2 - Rodney Parker & 50 Peso Reward - Blue Light
4/8 - Turnpike Troubadours - Blue Light
4/12 - The Felice Brothers - Blue Light
3/10 - Scott H. Biram - Jake's
6/28 - Okkervil River - Jake's

Railroad Revival Tour in Marfa - 4/24

Continuing with the theme of Marfa having the best music offerings per capita in the state, or perhaps the country, a number of the biggest bands in the country will be stopping by next month...by train.

Yes, the Railroad Revival tour will be making a stop at El Cosmico in Marfa on April 24th, Easter Sunday, in case you were wondering, with a show featuring Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, and Old Crow Medicine Show. The Marfa show will be the 4th of six stops on the tour, preceded by Oakland, San Pedro, and Chandler, and followed by Austin and New Orleans. Tickets are on sale today, March 9th.

I can only wish them the best of luck, as I once took the same train line from California to Texas, and what might have been a 24-hour drive by car turned into a 58 hour trip by train. Yes, you read that right - fifty-eight. That was from the Bay Area to San Antonio. Long story short, passenger trains on this line must yield to freight trains, who own the tracks, and so at various times we had to take a side rail and wait for a freight train to come through. At certain points, I recall sitting on a train going nowhere for upwards of 2 hours at a time in the middle of the New Mexico desert. I can only hope that the logistics of this situation have been accounted for.

Perhaps they are buying supremacy on the tracks, as tickets for the show will run you between $55 and $203. Sure, it's a real privilege I suppose to see these bands in such a small place, but folks, that's pricey. Let's remember that when Bon Iver played Marfa, tickets were $2.

Then again, if you hadn't heard, Mumford is about the biggest band in the country following their Grammy bump. If you haven't checked out their record Sigh No More, you probably should. It's brilliant. Maybe we should consider $55 a deal.

(UPDATE 3/10: Marfa sold out already. Guessing the Marfa show is going to be a lot of Austin people who couldn't get tickets there.)

Butch Hancock West Texas shows

West Texas music ambassador Butch Hancock will be playing two area shows this week. Having just had the chance to see him play with the Flatlanders earlier this year, I can assure you that seeing Butch live is an essential for any and all west Texas music fans. Hancock is of a songwriting pedigree that many songwriters aspire to, and while he has avoided the spotlight for the most part over his career, his craft has not dulled over time. Rather, he remains a productive and relevant songwriter, and perhaps most importantly, maintains a consistent presence in West Texas.

See him in Alpine and San Angelo this week:

Railroad Blues, Alpine: Wednesday, March 9th - 8 PM, $10
Blaine's Pub, San Angelo: Thursday, March 10th - 9:30 PM


And while we're on the subject, here's Butch's cover of Townes' "Dollar Bill Blues."

2011 Ramble Creek Day Party - 03/18/11

Perhaps my favorite day show from last year, the amazing folks at Ramble Creek Recording Studio will once again be providing a fantastic lineup for their 2011 day party. This year's show includes the talents of a diverse group of bands, including west Texas' own Thrift Store Cowboys and One Wolf. Last year's party was the model of a perfect SXSW day show -- great atmosphere, great music, and great people. See the schedule below and see you there!

The Ashes (Austin, TX) - 12:15pm
One Wolf (Athens, GA/Lubbock, TX) - 12:55
The Georgian Company (Austin, TX) - 1:25pm
Collin Herring (Austin, TX) - 2:05pm
Thrift Store Cowboys (Lubbock, TX) - 2:40pm
Graham Weber (Austin, TX) - 3:25pm
Seryn (Denton, TX) - 4:00pm
Brian Martin (Hot Springs, AR) - 4:55pm
Monahans (Austin, TX) 5:30pm
Telegraph Canyon (Ft Worth, TX) - 6:15pm

Find all the information you need about the show at the Facebook Event Page.

Show poster by Greg Vanderpool.