West Texas area music calendar - August-September

Odessa/Midland
8/26 - Eli Young Band - Dos Amigos
8/27 - Jamey Johnson - Dos Amigos
9/3 - Charlie Shafter - Lone Star Bar
9/10 - Turnpike Troubadours - Permian Basin Fair
9/15 - Granger Smith - Rockin' Rodeo
9/17 - Reckless Kelly - Permian Basin Fair
9/17 - Dierks Bentley - Rockhounds Baseball Park
9/22 - Styx - Chapparral Center
9/23-24 - Lone Star Music Fest - Midland, feat. Cody Canada & the Departed, Wade Bowen, Kevin Fowler, Chris Knight, No Justice, & more
9/29 - Kyle Park - Rockin' Rodeo
9/30 - Stoney Larue - Dos Amigos
10/15 - Josh Abbott - Dos Amigos
10/16 - Darius Rucker - Dos Amigos
10/27 - Bush, Chevelle, Filter - Dos Amigos

Alpine/Marfa/Big Bend
8/25 - Deke Dickerson & the Ecco-fonics - Railroad Blues
9/2 - JP & the Gilberts - Railroad Blues
9/4 - Joe King Carrasco & the Crowns - Railroad Blues
9/9 - James McMurtry - Padre's
9/15 - Explosions in the Sky, Twin Sister - Vizcaino Park in Marfa (FREE)
9/22-25 - Trans-Pecos Festival of Music & Love - El Cosmico; feat. Patty Griffin, Barbara Lynn, Erika Wennerstrom, Adam Bork, Amy Cook, Ben Kweller, Tift Merritt, the Black Angels
10/8 - Del Castillo - Railroad Blues
11/11-12 - 1st Annual Jimmy LaFave Songwriter Rendezvous - Lajitas Golf Resort & Spa; feat. Jimmy LaFave, Sam Baker, Slaid Cleaves, Kevin Welch, Malcolm Holcomb, Gretchen Peters, John Fulbright, Ray Bonneville, Will Kimbrough

Lubbock
8/25 - Jason Boland - Blue Light
8/27 - Reckless Kelly - Wild West
8/31 - Thrift Store Cowboys - Blue Light
9/16 - Rodney Parker & 50 Peso Reward - Blue Light
9/22 - John Evans Band - Blue Light
9/23 - Ray Wylie Hubbard - Blue Light
9/25 - Dirty River Boys - Blue Light

San Angelo
9/15 - Two Tons of Steel - The House of Fifi Dubois
9/22 - Turnpike Troubadours - Blaine's
9/24 - Los Lonely Boys - San Angelo Coliseum

Abilene
9/21 - Mindy Smith - Moody Coliseum
9/23 - Guy Clark - Paramount Theatre

Richard Buckner - Our Blood

Today marks the release of Richard Buckner's Our Blood, his first release in 5 years. Buckner has received a great deal of praise throughout his career, and the hiatus has no doubt been tough for his loyal fanbase.

Richard Buckner - "Traitor"

The beauty of having a new release from Buckner is that we have the chance to hear from him in interviews. As an artist who rarely, if ever, talks while performing, it is fortunate that he has been quite generous with the interviews he has done leading up to this record. You can find a number of them out there, although this one from Magnet Magazine is one of the better ones I have seen. In it, you can find a brief summation of the reasons behind his 5 year gap between albums.

To put in perspective how long ago Meadow was released, the vinyl resurgence among indie labels was not yet very far along and it was available only on CD and mp3. Therefore, Our Blood is, to my knowledge, his first full-length album available on vinyl. It was worth the wait.

Rodney Parker - Live in the Living Room

(photo credit Adam Neese)

Denton-based Rodney Parker & 50 Peso Reward have been gaining steam for some time now, touring the Texas circuit for a number of years, and as of late, taking over the airwaves as well. Parker's single "The Apology" is the latest to find its way into the Texas Music Chart, and follows on the heels of "Guitars," which has seen a tremendous amount of airplay in the past year.

Reports indicate that the follow-up to Parker's 2010 EP The Apology, Part 1, will see a release just before the end of this year, and Part 2 will reportedly be a full-length record. In the meantime, however, Parker is releasing a stripped down live record, Live in the Living Room. Spanning 13 tracks, this album was recorded...you guessed it...in the band's living room. Using no amplification, they played and recorded these songs in front of a small audience and, showcasing their strong musicianship as a touring band, the band chose to release the record as is, with no overdubs or alterations.

This record should provide an interesting contrast to the band's typically supercharged electric show and hopefully will tide fans over until the next installment of The Apology later this year. 50 Peso die-hards will also be pleased to find that material for this album stretches all the way back to the band's 2005 debut, Blow the Soot Out, and follows with select tracks from subsequent releases. In addition, the album features two unreleased songs, "Skin and Bones" and "Where the Bright Lights Glow Me." Parker & the Pesos continue to prove themselves as one of the top emerging bands in the regional Americana scene, and this release should do nothing but help their profile as they continue the drive toward greater notoriety.

Rodney Parker & 50 Peso Reward - "Skin and Bones"


Track Listing for Live in the Living Room (Release date 8/2):

1. Firefight
2. Highway Blues
3. Guitars
4. Ghost
5. Where the Bright Lights Glow Me
6. Bring Me My Gun
7. The Ship
8. Atlantic City
9. The Apology
10. I'm Never Getting Married
11. Tell Me What It Is
12. Skin and Bones
13. 10 lb. Test

Pre-Order the record at Lonestarmusic.com or iTunes (or basically any other major retailer, for that matter).

Sad Accordions/Monahans Split 12" giveaway

Austin based Mt. Inadale Records recently offered up its second release as a label, this time with releases from Austin bands Monahans and the Sad Accordions. The 12" vinyl split features two songs from each band. For Monahans, the release follows last year's 2010 Recordings, with the outstanding "Bridge Commander" and the instrumental "Stationed." For the Sad Accordions, this release follows on the heels of the band's 2011 digital EP the colors and the kill. The band's contributions to this release are the previously unreleased "Denial Takes the Train" and "Sweet Cocaine." The bands complement each other very well, and while their respective "sounds" differ to a reasonable extent, they blend together nicely on this record.

This release is an excellent listen throughout, and features the added bonus of a digital download of all four songs, which I appreciate, because my record player always skips when I try to use it in the car.


GIVEAWAY
Mt. Inadale has been kind enough to provide me with a promo copy to give away through the blog. Follow the instructions below and, after the deadline, I will randomly select one winner to receive a free copy of this release.

Here is how you enter:
1. First, check to see if you live in the U.S. I apologize for the inconvenience, but due to postal fees, I can only mail within the United States.
2. Next, send me an email at windfarmblog (at) gmail.com. (of course, replace the "at" with @)
3. In that email, include your state of residence
4. Also in that email, tell me who is the famous country/folk songwriter that is from the town of Monahans, TX
5. I will close the contest at 11:59 PM on Monday, July 25th, so make sure to get your email in by then.

Of course, none of your personal information (not even your name), will ever be posted on the blog.

Preview: The Lusitania, Kentucky Knife Fight in Midland, 7/19

It remains rare that Midland/Odessa gets a quality indie-rock show through town. No offense to the metal or punk fans, as I do appreciate them supporting their own form of independent music, but it's just not my thing.

Thankfully, our all-ages venue in the area, The Pine Box (510 S. Big Spring St., Midland, TX), is fairly open to most any music style. This Tuesday, July 19th, brings an outstanding show through town, featuring El Paso band The Lusitania, along with St. Louis based Kentucky Knife Fight.

If you have followed this blog much in the past, you know I have long been a champion of The Lusitania's work. Their latest release, last year's Rain & Rivers, was an outstanding effort, and since its release, the band has spent a good deal of time out on the road supporting fellow El Pasoan Jim Ward, of At the Drive-In, Sparta, & Sleepercar notoriety. In fact, after a short run of their own through the Midwest, they will connect again with Ward for a few more weeks of shows.

Kentucky Knife Fight brings a style of music that combines a diverse array of musical styles. Their Facebook describes the sound as combining "bluegrass, blues, and punk," which actually all present themselves fairly clearly upon a few listens. I might have had difficulty singling out those three influences on my own, so it was nice that they did the work for me. Either way, definitely worth checking out.

It's a Tuesday night in Midland, folks, what else do you have to do?

UPDATE: Here is the facebook page for the event. Tons of bands playing. So many that I am too lazy to look them all up.

The Lusitania - "Your Style" (kinda sorta NSFW, just sayin')


If your geography is conducive to such a thing, you can also catch these two bands, plus Estelline, at the Blue Light in Lubbock on Wed., 7/20.

Ha Ha Tonka - Mile Marker Session

One of the best albums of the year thus far has come from the still relatively unknown Bloodshot Records band Ha Ha Tonka, with their record Death of a Decade. The band will be headlining at the Denver Underground Music Showcase next weekend, which in my opinion is one of the better festivals around for discovering new talent without the oppressive crowds or horrible parking.

Of course, the UMS appearance doesn't do me a ton of good this year because I now live 12 hours from Denver. What is helpful is the fact that the Denver Post blog Hey Reverb recently posted a Mile Marker session with Ha Ha Tonka that includes live versions of three of the band's best songs for free download.

Go here to download the tracks. And if you like what you hear, check out the full album Death of a Decade, as I think you will be pleased at the strength of the album as a whole. And if you are in Denver, by all means, check this band out live next weekend.


Ha Ha Tonka - "Usual Suspects"

Texas Forever

Tomorrow night closes the book on one of the great network TV series of recent times. Friday Night Lights was fortunate to see 5 seasons, and tomorrow will be the series finale, and I think the expectations for this episode are fairly high. Many who have never watched the show may still think it is just a show about football, and while that is partially true, the football games have come to hold decreased significance as the seasons have progressed. Rather, it has been a show about small town life (including, of course, the dominance of football in said small town) with strong characters and largely realistic story lines. While it isn't possible to close out every story line, nor would that be what anyone wants, I think we're all hoping for some degree of closure.

I'll be pulling for old No. 33.

3 Albums with West Texas Roots That You Should Be Listening To

Amanda Shires - Carrying Lightning

Amanda Shires' music career up to this point exemplifies the concept of "paying your dues." That is, she has worked tirelessly to establish herself as not only an outstanding musician, but also as one of the more promising songwriters on the Americana touring circuit. Simply put, her time to receive wider notoriety is now. Shires' musical background is widely available online, so I'll skip the recap, as her current album is really the element of interest here. Texas Music magazine recently referred to Carrying Lightning as the Car Wheels on a Gravel Road of Shires' career, a Lucinda Williams reference that carries some serious weight. The album has received additional praise from the likes of SPIN, The Wall Street Journal, and Texas Monthly, because, well, it is that good. Lightning finds Shires defining her voice as a songwriter and provides us with a first look at the great potential her musical career holds.

"Ghostbird" (feat. Neal Casal)



Explosions in the Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care

Explosions in the Sky is a band comprised of 3/4 West Texans, although in actuality the band itself hails from Austin. Nonetheless, the influence of the West Texas landscape in EITS' music is hard to ignore. Take Care, Take Care, Take Care finds the band in top form for their sixth studio release, and as an overall composition, is among the band's best work to-date. The single "Trembling Hands" finds the band introducing vocal loops into a song, a rarity in EITS' work, although they appear not as lyrics but as an additional layer of instrumentation. Another rarity for the band is playing shows in West Texas, yet the band is crossing that boundary as well, with a show booked in Marfa for September.

"Trembling Hands"



Estelline - Estelline

Among Lubbock's newest up-and-comers, Estelline have been establishing their name in the local scene for a few years now. This spring found the band releasing their first album, a self-titled effort that suggests that the legacy of great original music in Lubbock continues to grow. At 15 songs, the band lays everything out on the table, and by-and-large, they deliver with a very strong record. Among the strongest are "William Jones" and "Jaylynn," which perhaps best showcase the talent of the band and suggest the emergence of a sound that is their own. Future work will no doubt be the ultimate test of the band, but for a first album, Estelline has an excellent start.

"Jaylynn" (acoustic on the Todd Klein show, AM 580)