Each December I get in a reflective mood as I look back at the previous year in music. Specifically examining our scene but jogging memories of everything from Porter Wagoner to Hannah Montana. 2007 was a tremendous year. For the first time since around 2004, we had multiple risk takers release ear-bending and attention-grabbing albums. We had a wealth of memorable live shows. We had an array of outstanding moments. We had a little bit of everything. So, to commemorate the year that was, I’ve compiled a few lists of all that has impacted ME. And, here’s to hoping that 2008 is as progressive and fruitful as 2007.

TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2007

1. Ryan Bingham—Mescalito
-I first saw Bingham many years ago at River Road Icehouse. It was after a Dub Miller show, and we were all hanging out in Doug Moreland’s infamous “Texas Music Compound”. A world-class guitar pull was transpiring between Dub, Doug, Bleu Edmondson, Magee Payne and others. There was this quiet baby-faced kid dressed like a goat-roper and taking it all in. Doug noticed him and said something to the effect of “Bingham, get your ass over here and play us a train song.” That was my introduction to Ryan Bingham. And, yes, he did play us one helluva train song. He went on to play several other songs that caught my ear. He had a world-weary charisma about him even then, and I could tell that there was something special about him. However, this was the era of Pat Green and to borrow a joke from Seth Allen of Josh Grider Band fame, most songs sounded a lot like this:

"I could write a soooooong about Texas/ I could write a soooooong about you/ I could write a sooooong about a fence post if I wanted to"

Bingham had too much substance to stick back then. I kept up with him through the various updates I’d get from friends of his like Doug or Drew Kennedy…or the sporadic gig. Then, I heard about the fateful decision to hike out to LA after Steamboat a couple years ago. Next, I heard some of the music he was working on out there (Dead Horses), and realized it was good, and that it would coincide with the pendulum of our scene swinging back to the yearning for authenticity.

So, enough with the background…following up on Dead Horses, Bingham has produced Mescalito with backing from a boutique label, tons of hip buzz, and he’s still sitting in the corner with that sly smile watching it all unfold in front of him. This album picks up where Dead Horses left off, polishing some of gems on the rough, un-mixed project and turning them into classics on Mescalito. Combine that with a couple other tunes and you’ve got a modern day masterpiece. The songs on this album are heart and soul, possibly a little too folksy for some tastes, but nobody can deny the emotion and lived-in overtones that permeate this record. One listen and you feel like you’ve known Ryan Bingham for decades. He’s an old soul in a young, modern troubadour’s body. There’s a reason he’s the toast of the music industry and Texas scene right now, and it has nothing to do with following a formula, co-writing nine songs with his buddy, or having a wannabe rock musician produce his record. Soul, songwriting and perseverance are all on display throughout Mescalito.


2. Drew Kennedy—Dollar Theatre Movie


-I’ll disclose up front that Drew Kennedy is one of my closest friends from the music industry. We confide, gripe and celebrate music-related issues together. From the moment I first saw Drew play, I knew that he had a distinct world-view, a distinct voice, a distinct style, a sharp intellect and a keen sense of humor. Dollar Theatre Movie is the perfect mix of all Drew’s talents. Like Bingham, Drew passed up the opportunity to work with a name producer and went with the guy he felt “got” his songs the best. The result is magnificent, as each track is as unique as the twang and turns of phrase provided by the lyrics. In a year of adventuresome and independently minded albums, this might be the most diverse project of them all. Shades of Ben Folds, Foo Fighters, and Goo Goo Dolls mingle with hints of Waylon, Haggard and Bruce Robison. I got an advance copy of this record a couple months before it came out, so I’ve had it close to a year now. Amazingly, it’s still in my top rotation of things I listen to. “Can’t Slow Down” is my favorite song of the year.

3. Jason Eady & The Wayward Apostles—Wild Eyed Serenade

-Imagine my surprise recently when Bob Lefsetz, an internationally recognized music blogger who normally focuses on rock/pop, sent out a blast recommending his readers to check out Jason Eady’s “Back To Jackson,” one of the many standout tracks from Eady’s sophomore effort. Wild Eyed Serenade is a self-produced testament of Americana fire and brimstone featuring his world-class band The Wayward Apostles. Eady’s been around the world with the Navy, been to hell and back with women, hit every roadside dive in Texas, placed his back on the back pew of a couple churches in his day…and it all shows up in the lyrics and emotion of his voice on this record.

4. Bleu Edmondson—Lost Boy

-Over the past few years, Bleu Edmondson was an artist that had gone from the next big thing to a forgotten commodity. His band had gone through numerous makeovers, he couldn’t focus on a sound, and he generally seemed comprehensively lost. He finally hooked up with the right people and regained his chemistry, and his first post-Lloyd Maines studio effort turned out to be a refreshing blast accomplished through rock music and honest lyrics, aptly titled Lost Boy. Several elements of this album conjure up comparisons to the glory days of Bruce and the heartland rock of Tom Petty. Yet, far from imitating giants, Edmondson’s Lost Boy worships these timeless American music heroes with a distinct and decidedly triumphant flair.

5. Josh Grider—Million Miles To Go

-Much like Drew, Josh has been a friend of mine for a number of years. I tell you that up front about both those guys to let you know that I don’t just recommend their music for that reason. I tell you it’s good because it is. Grider went through a big transition in 2007. After a couple of years supporting his self-titled effort with the most inventive band in Texas music, he had to go back to the proverbial drawing board with lead guitarist Kris Farrow joining Micky and the Motorcars and bassist/cellist Seth Allen fulfilling a lifelong dream to join the Marines. Like Brandon Rhyder had done several years back, Josh found himself on stages with just his voice and guitar. This new mode of performing had forced him to become a better singer, player and writer. Walt Wilkins took Josh under his wing and presided over the production duties for Million Miles To Go. The tracks lack some of the intensity of Grider’s live shows and previous tunes, but they are chock full of touching realism. These are songs from the trenches of Texas music. Songs including the title track and “Stumbling On the Edge of Greatness” are a correct condemnation of the way things have been in this scene the past few years. This is a must-have album.

6. Adam Hood—Different Groove

-Bingham finishes off the year as the it-artist, and Adam had the first six months with that title. After years of nonstop touring and the relentless testimonials of select Galleywinter regulars including Bama, Stu, and I, the rest of the state began to catch on. Adam had the famed Pete Anderson behind the board to produce this album, and as good as it is, I think it proves one thing: Adam Hood is better live. I don’t know that his brilliance will ever be fully captured in a recording studio. I like this album, but find myself listening to bootlegs more than any of his studio stuff. All that said, “Shelly” is my second favorite track of the year.

7. The Gougers—Long Day For the Weather Vane

-Gather ‘round the mic, join us at the Ryman for The Gougers presented by Galleywinter Lightcrust Dough. The Gougers are a throwback act. A male and female take turns on lead vocals, the sound is a folksy turn on country music past…yet, the lyrics are all modern and extremely clever. This group is as authentic as it gets, and this record is as fresh and welcome as the summer sun after months of winter.

8. Walt Wilkins & the Mystiqueros-Diamonds in the Sun
-Hell froze over for The Eagles in ’94 and again this year. But, while their latest effort seems commercially driven and plastic, Walt and the Mystiqueros evoke the sweetest emotions and memories of the Eagles/Poco/Flying Burrito Brothers heyday. Breezy, warm harmonies mingle with delicate and intricate guitar solos set to the meter of Wilkins’ precious lyrics.

9. Matt Powell—New Kind of Something
-After several years of playing sideman, the multi-talented MP roars back to center stage under the solo spotlight with a dashing effort that just may be the best of his impressive catalog.

10. Max Stalling—Topaz City
-One of the most underrated yet consistent singer/songwriters in Texas produced his most solid work to date. Stalling has always had an ear for melody and a unique sense for lyrics, and this effort showcases his strongest sensibilities.


TOP SHOWS OF 2007

-Charlie Robison/Drew Kennedy @ Gruene Hall on 12/31/06

-For me, 2007 started with an amazing concert experience. I hit legendary Gruene Hall and witnessed the best Charlie Robison show I’ve ever seen. Charlie was engaging and enthused as he rocked through his fan favorites and did one helluva an “Auld Lang Syne” medley at midnight. Drew Kennedy opened the show solo acoustic and turned so many heads, I was having to take booking offers down on napkins from drunken middle-aged women who wanted him to play their backyard bbq’s. Line of the night came from a solo Drew, who onstage uttered “Sorry, I’m up here alone folks…my band got arrested last night in Lubbock and they’re still in jail.” Since 99.9% of the room had no idea who Drew was, they bought the bit hook, line and sinker. The last minutes of 2006 were spent playing along and making up exaggerated stories of what had happened to the imaginary band. This show had elements of what makes our brand of music special. A historic venue, two great artists having a good time onstage and off amongst their biggest fans, and a hotel after party complete with a standard guitar pull/songswap. I shared it all with my closest friends. I don’t know that I’ll ever have another New Year’s Eve where all my friends were in one place and able to chip in on the overcrowded, drunken cab ride to the hotel.

-Josh Grider’s Riverside Reunion @ Scruffy Murphy’s on 3/17/07
-Throughout the late 90’s and early 2000’s Grider had a college band called Riverside. They had a small, but very loyal and rowdy following. Their songs ranged from funk jams to honky tonk and everything in between. Their shows were legendary as they performed all over Texas anywhere and for anyone that would have them, from roadside dives to weddings. When Grider struck out on his own the group disbanded, although he still performs Riverside songs to this day. However, the idea for a St. Paddy Day’s one-off performance in their old stomping grounds reunited the band. The set was lively and lasted for well over 4 hours. I was selling merch that night and watched the whole show from beside the sound booth. The room had an aura of enchantment as the band morphed from a loose canon of musical recklessness into a tight train of perfection. The years of not playing together melted away as they tore through recognizable songs. Beer was sloshed on the heads of bystanding headbangers and spread by toetapping friends. All in all, one of the coolest shows I’ve ever seen in such a small venue.

-Greenfest 2007 @ Antone’s in Austin on 3/31/07
-These events are always such a working, stressful burden on Tank and I that I don’t always get to fully enjoy the music as much as everyone else. What I’ll remember most about this year’s GF is that it was the crest of the Adam Hood arriving movement. I remember looking around during his time onstage and seeing everyone in the room in total and complete awe. So many people that night were converted from suspiciously standoffish of the latest hot thing to true believers in the power of good music. Other things that stand out are Wade absolutely bringing his A game, along with Drew Kennedy and Peter Dawson’s classic “Roof Is On Fire” cover reaching marathon lengths and becoming a trio piece with Josh Grider.

-Randy Rogers Band/Ray Wylie Hubbard @ Indian Springs Park on 4/6/07
-There isn’t a more scenic venue than right on the banks of the Brazos River in the shadows of the historic suspension bridge in Waco. The only problem would be when it’s 36 degrees, drizzly and the show is to be held outdoors…which is what we encountered on this evening. Despite the cold weather, people were out throwing footballs around the park and essentially tailgating like it was a Buffett concert hours before the show and throughout sound check. Ray Wylie Hubbard blistered through one of the best sets of music I caught all year. He won over the crowd and even managed to halt the drunken frat daddy chant “Randy (expletive) Rogers” long enough to evoke screams of “Snake Farm!” The pairing of RRB and RWH was a tremendously complementary fit. By the time Randy and the guys took the stage the night had a crescent moon beaming down on the hazy river and the smell of smoke wafted through the air. The guys play so many shows a year that it is hard to get excited about each of them, however, they seemed to sense how well the stage had been set and decided they needed to deliver in a major way. Songs were dusted off from the LIUTB album, extended jams were put in place…and it all led to Randy telling me afterwards “that was one of the best shows we’ve done in a while.” I had to agree with him; it was the best RRB set I saw all year.


-Los Lonely Boys @ Larry Joe Taylor’s 19th Annual Texas Music Fest on 4/20/07
-When the lineup was originally announced for this version of LJTs, I was excited to see some fresh names on the list of performers. Los Lonely Boys intrigued me the most. I had the cd with “Heaven” on it, but had always heard from my musician friends that these guys were like a funkier, bluesier version of ZZ Top live, and those assessments were correct. These three brothers were the best bar band I’ve ever seen, and that’s a compliment. Their time slot was not that great as they were hitting the stage in nearly 100 degree heat in the middle of the drunken festival afternoon. Yet, they came out and rocked the house. The whole festival seemed to be bouncing right along with their choreographed routines, sweet harmonies and burning musicianship. All the other musicians at the festival stood in awe and respect during the set. Probably the coolest part watching the LLB guys checking out all the rest of the artists throughout the evening and genuinely enjoying themselves. I ate a couple tables over from them back in catering and heard one of them remark that this was probably the coolest festival they’d ever played. At one point during their stage show, one of the Garza brothers remarked “This is THE Texas Music Festival isn’t it?” Yes, Brother Garza it is and was, and y’all were the highlight this year.

-Peter Dawson/Drew Kennedy @ Love & War-Grapevine on 5/25/07
-Normally, anything in Grapevine would not be connected in any way with a memorable concert. Too much commercialization, concrete and conformity. Yet, on Memorial Day weekend this past year at the Grapevine location of Love & War in Texas, Peter Dawson and Drew Kennedy provided one of the coolest shows of the year – cool because of the nature of it. These guys are best friends offstage and that sort of bond shows up onstage. They don’t get to see each other much anymore, let alone share a stage. Peter had his parents and a number of ecstatic fans in the audience that night. They were yelling requests and singing along loudly. It was storming terribly outside, and Drew had to get all the way to Acuna, Mexico a few short hours after the gig, but the immense pride he had on his face as people remembered how good Peter Dawson is was one of the most genuine emotions I’ve ever seen on a stage. What made this night more than anything was Peter showing off his new songs and his peerless voice. God gave Peter Dawson one of the best voices for singing country music that has ever graced these ears, and it was on full and exquisite display this evening. Perhaps at no point was his voice and show better than when he threw out all the rule books and said “Screw it, I’m playing what I want tonight, whether it’s considered ‘cool’ or not.” He torridly tore through covers of Hank Jr, Conway Twitty, George Jones, and Guy Clark. I’ll always remember this night for that. I don’t think anyone else in the audience realized it, but we were in the presence of greatness that night. Greatness that may never be on display in that forum again. I was lucky enough to be there that night, and I wish more people could’ve experienced what I did.

-Other things that stick out are the 4th Annual Galleywinter Summer Bash on 7/7/07 at Ace’s Bar; Wade Bowen’s charity concert at Hog Creek Icehouse on 9/16/07; The Fall Acoustic Show at Cheatham Street on 10/7/07; and Echo’s Orbit Room at Treff’s on 10/12/07.



MINOR CHORDS:

-I'm admittedly biased, but Randy Rogers Band's version of "Please Come Home For Christmas" has been my favorite yuletide season tune since KVET let them record it.

-It has been a long year, but a good year for music. Britney Spears continued her fall from hotness; Kanye put out another good rap album; Kid Rock brought back arena rock and fought with Tommy Lee; Dave Grohl delivered another solid Foo Fighters album; Amy Winehouse went from amusing to tragic; after spelling her way through 2006, Fergie delivered some good pop songs; “Umbrella” is one of the best pop songs ever, and if you don’t agree you’ll have to argue with me, Blam-o and Bruce Springsteen.

-I found it ironic and in poor taste when San Diego Charger team management opted to have a huge fireworks show prior to their game with the Colts the other night. The residual smoke from the display was eerily reminiscent of the wildfires that endangered so many in the San Diego area this fall. Common sense doesn’t have much room at the Charger front office these days; they did hire Norv Turner to be head coach. I’ll always be a die-hard Cowboys fan, but I was lucky (unlucky at the time) enough to play against Ladainian Tomlinson in high school. I distinctly remember playing outside linebacker against him and having him run over and around me, as well as through the stands for several scores. If you watch closely during one of his Nike commercials, you can see me go flying by trying to tackle him. It’s fitting that my moment of national television glory features me getting run over by a future hall of famer.

-Kellie Pickler’s trickeration continues. The fact that she has a successful career is indicative of many of the problems with music these days. There are good looking barflys in towns across America that pair decent karaoke singing with a decent rack. Her naïve, shrill hillbilly act comes off as fake to me. That’s possibly the music biz cynic in me, but the crying at the CMA’s shut the door on her for me. I wonder if the co-writers of her song are out there enjoying the royalties from putting her sad life to song. I wonder how much she truly had to do with the writing of the song. I’m guessing about as much as Britney Spears did on “Gimme More” by coming up with the “…it’s Britney, bitch” intro.

-Friday Night Lights is still the most consistently well-acted show on television. The only thing I’ve hated about this season is the murder subplot. That twist just seems too far-fetched for a show steeped in such realism. As a bonus, it doesn’t hurt that the female leads are very nice to look at.

-The depression of two straight losses to A&M was only eclipsed by the crappiness of the weather over Thanksgiving weekend.

-I wish the RRB had gotten the opportunity to get up and rock out in their ZZ Top “Sharp Dressed Men” suits at the CMA’s instead of just having to uncomfortably smile on the red carpet.

-Continue to pray for Rusty Wier and please donate to his cause if you can.

-Through my associations with high school athletics in this state in various roles, I’ve come across many of the smartest football minds ever assembled. From radio announcers, to overzealous parents, to bad sportsmanship I’ve seen it all this year…and I’m hoping next season goes better. But, I’m thinking the only way it will is if we let the loud, vocal minority run things…they know it all anyway, right?

-The plans for Greenfest 2008 will soon be unleashed, and one of these years we're going to run out of ways to top ourselves...but 2008 isn't going to be that year. We've got our most complete and impressive line-up to date ready to blow the roof off Rolling Oaks in San Antonio in March.

-No movie or album recommendations this month. Instead, donate that money you were going to spend on that last jaeger bomb or cover charge to a charity. You’ll feel better.

-Of all the things I’ve lost, I miss my mind the most.-Mark Twain