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."

The Flatlanders - Cactus Theater show preview

The Flatlanders continue to write the narrative to an incredibly successful music career, and perhaps among their most honorable qualities is the fact that they still return to Lubbock for shows year after year. The trio of Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and Butch Hancock has remained a quite successful force in both their individual and collective careers, maintaining steady touring and continued artistic output. I've had the pleasure of seeing them a few times in the past decade, and the live shows are always worth it, with the in-between-song banter being as good as the music itself.

The show is Saturday night, Jan. 29th, at the Cactus Theater in Lubbock. Show time is 7:30 PM. At last check, tickets were very limited, with only single floor and scattered balcony seats available, but check with the Cactus for details.

Image credit: Steve Gullick

Jimmie Dale Gilmore & Butch Hancock - NYE in Marfa

Padre's in Marfa has West Texas' best New Years Eve show this year, as far as I can tell. Padre's is a relatively new venue in the region, but that hasn't stopped it from becoming a great stopover for some of the best musical talent in the country. This NYE show is no exception, bringing native West Texans, and 2/3 of the Flatlanders, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock (Yes, Butch finally has a Web site) to the Padre's stage. Opening the show is the fantastic Colin Gilmore, a long-time favorite of mine and an excellent performer and songwriter in his own right.

While the show itself is a bit of an early one, with a 7 p.m. start time, the musical lineup is so strong that I'd go see these performers at 7 a.m. if I had to. Check out Padre's Web site for more details. Advanced tickets available.