Galleywinter - Articles

CD Reviews: Ryan Bingham & The Dead Horses - Junky Star

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 GMT

A man once said, “A good song should distress the comforted and comfort the distressed” and Ryan Bingham & The Dead Horses’ latest album, Junky Star, fits that description perfectly. Everyone has high expectations for these guys, which were not only met, but blown away with a sound that feels like it sits out in-between genres of music. Most of these songs feel like they’ve been written not by a country band or a rock and roll band, but a mix between the two.The entire band went in the studio, recorded “Junky Star” and crafted each song with a sound that fans will both relate to and recognize. There’s not a more versatile group of players that can go from an album such as Roadhouse Sun and follow it up with something of this caliber. It’s extremely well written and produced, but remains gritty, old-school, and stripped-back to the point of genius. The entire album pulls out a range of emotions from a song like “Depression” that makes me want to jump up raise my fist in there air (no fist pumping!) and scream the lyrics back to the speaker, to a save-the-best-for-last “All Choked Up Again” as the last track. The first time I heard that one, I literally pulled over 30 seconds in and said “Holy Shit”. Out loud. With no one else in the truck.

The tone of this album is vastly different than anything previously released. It sets a different course and shows the diversity that Bingham & The Dead Horses are capable of. If Mescalito is the album that you listen to at 3:00am to get you home and Roadhouse Sun is the album that you listen to in the morning to wake up and get the day rocking… Junky Star is the album that you will listen to at the close of a day when the sun hits the ground and you need something that will change your perspective, not just on your day, but on everything.

-Ryan "Tank" Hargrave (reprinted from MusicFest magazine)

CD Reviews: Randy Rogers Band-Burning the Day

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 GMT

Over the course of five studio albums, the Randy Rogers Band have managed to craft and refine an easily identifiable sound. That sound is one that swaggers around the edges of honky-tonk heartaches and good times with enough rock n’ roll attitude to make the RRB’s music standout amongst the soulless drivel packaged by their major label competitors.After employing Radney Foster as producer on the last three albums, Rogers and crew turned to Paul Worley (Dixie Chicks, Lady Antebellum) in an effort to push themselves outside their comfort zone and discover new creative avenues. Worley’s production touches stay out of the way and allow each song in the 11-track group to breathe and stand on their own. The RRB are still a true band in every sense of the word with each member contributing songs and arrangements that are then tested on the road before being laid down in a studio. Burning the Day is no different.

Rogers again proves his ear for matching melody with lyric is peerless in modern country music. The two lead singles, ‘Interstate” and “Too Late For Goodbye” were co-written by Rogers with Sean McConnell. The former is the musical equivalent to driving down an open road with the top down and the one you love seated next to you. The latter is the result of that loved one no longer being beside you.

Rogers has always had a strong affinity for songs that relate to hard lovin’, hard livin’ and hard drinkin’ and the sad results that all three lead to. For this album, he paired with Dean Dillon for “Just Don’t Tell Me the Truth” to deliver a lovelorn classic in an old-school style rarely found these days. Richardson’s songwriting pops up yet again with a bouncy foot-stomper evoking the best work of vintage Charlie Daniels Band titled “Last Last Chance” that is very much in the vein of his “10 Miles Deep” or “ You Don’t Know Me”.

With each album, Randy Rogers Band have made a statement that says they are the torch bearers for what modern country country music should be. Burning the Day is 11 strong songs that prove this the band is an uncompromising force to be reckoned with on a scale larger than the Texas/Red Dirt scene which they have conquered. With this album, this band is poised to rule the country music world.

-Brad Beheler (reprinted from MusicFest magazine)

Announcement: Kelly Danaher Memorial Concert

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 GMT

Kelly Danaher, brother of musicians Bret Danaher (lead guitarist-Pat Green Band) and Ben Danaher was tragically murdered in the Houston area in May. Pat Green and other musicians have sprung to action and have put together a memorial concert in his honor to raise money for his 3 year old daughter's college fund. The event is taking place on Sunday August 29 at Big Texas in Spring.

Off The Cuff: Who Is the Randy Rogers Band?

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 GMT

Contest Give-a-way: 5th Annual Pickin' For Preemies

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 GMT

Please support Justin Frazzell and this wonderful event that is scheduled for Monday Sept 6 at Billy Bob's. We have one pair of tickets to giveaway that can be won by visiting THIS THREAD

Texas Treasures: Dub Miller-American Troubadour

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 GMT

*This is the first in a new series where we will profile artists, albums and bands that helped shape what Texas/Red Dirt music has become and whose contributions may be unknown or overlooked.

Dub Miller is about as Texan as they come. A former student and corps member at Texas A&M, Dub has entertained many a career path around his musicianship. He’s done everything from working on ranches, on farms, around oil rigs, in John Dickson’s production office and even attended law school for a while.Yet, it is his music that is quintessentially Texan. Dub pours each of his life experiences and locations into his songs. He’s a modern poet laureate of Texas culture. His lyrics distill the very essence of Texas without being trite, simple or cliche. The pictures he paints with words are so vivid and detailed that you feel like he’s ripped it straight from your memories. Dub’s first full studio album, American Troubadour is one of the finest pieces of Texas Music ever recorded. The Lloyd Maines produced affair features world-class picking from folks like Jeremy Watkins, Matt Skinner and Adam Odor.

The album kicks off with “These Old Boots”, which relates the tale of a pair of worn boots that have traveled many miles of milestones with the narrator to the point that they personify friendship and comfort. “Livin’ On Lonestar Time” is they type of song that would get ripped today for it’s lines about fishing and drinking beer in the good ol’ Lone Star State, but at the time it was fresh. It is precisely the type of song that has been copied to death over the past decade.

As the record nears the middle, the pace slows a tad and the tone becomes introspective with a cover of the Austin Lounge Lizards “Paint Me on Velvet”, closely followed by one of the strongest songs on the album, “Postcard From Paris”. These two tracks sandwich the uptempo “The Dancer” that describes an old man who is the best dancer at the local VFW no matter what style of dance is called for. “Paris” is where Dub puts all his artistic pieces together. His songwriting and singing voice are in sync as he sings about a guy who is fresh out of a relationship but is so afraid to repeat the heartache that he refuses to dance with a beautiful girl he has met from Paris (the real one in France). He begs her, “You don’t want me, try the real dancers...I’m busy right now searching for answers.”

“Nine Miles North of Mason” is a song about a one-armed marijuana farmer on the fringes of the law and the Texas Hill Country. This song typifies the manner in which Dub falls in the pantheon of great Texas songwriters such as Guy Clark and Robert Earl Keen. This character portrait of a frustrated farmer originally from Levelland that resorts to selling weed to survive is crystal clear and with just enough humor to not make the state of Texas agriculture depressing. The album closes with the Skinner-penned “Paying the Fiddler”, the haunting tale of a World War II vet who upon being discharged from the Army in 1945 took on the life of a mercenary. Only now, he’s up in years and looking back at his life with a tinge of regret and a ton of satisfaction.

From start to finish, this is an album that has no filler and can be played from track 1 to track 12. It is a record that is part of the foundation of the latest incarnation of Texas Music. The songs and band members that created this album and toured behind it went on to strongly influence the sounds of Randy Rogers Band and Stoney LaRue among others. Do yourself a favor if you’ve never listened to this album and pick up a copy very soon from our friends at LoneStarMusic.

Dub Miller-American Troubadour at LSM.com

-Brad

Contest Give-a-way: Randy Rogers Band-Burning the Day Giveaway!

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 GMT

Galleywinter is teaming with Randy Rogers Band to offer you a chance to hear the new album before it is released...with the band!

Click THIS LINK to find out how you can attend an album preview party for Burning the Day with the band!

Brad's Corner: August 2010-Death of a Scene, Birth of a Connection

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 GMT

Recently, Mattson Rainer at 92.1 Radio New Braunfels had Will Hoge in for an excellent interview (Will Hoge 92.1 Interview). The topic of how do you describe Americana music to someone who is unfamiliar came up. Mattson interjected that it’s as hard or harder of a question that having to answer in a very brief context just exactly what rock n’ roll is. Is rock n’ roll Dylan? Is rock n’ roll the Stones? Is it Elvis? Is it Zeppelin? And, so on.Basically, Americana is an umbrella term that encompasses roots rock, singer-songwriter acousticness, old-school flavored country, a touch of bluegrass and Texas/Red Dirt music.

The Texas branch of the tree is in and of itself a quagmire of various styles including swing, Tejano, singer-songwriter, country, rock, and alternative rock among others. It is a stew of the lands that make up the Texas Red Dirt market. The Tejano Brothers have a bit during their set where they take a tour through Texas and showcase how each region has influenced Texas Music overall.

That’s why it is disconcerting when, at times, so many copy the Robert Earl Keen playbook with such poor success just to be a part of the scene. As Randy Rogers once sang, “you put on a show, just to be on the scene.”

There is more to it than that and those that find their own niche are the ones that survive. Granted, that niche may be slightly altering or copying what came before you with your own twist. But, the key is the slight alteration. Carbon copies will fly by the wayside in the long run.

So, what that means, in my opinion, is that we must support bands that do it their own way and not just blindly support the scene at large as we once did.

This idea was something I’d knocked around my head a few times before I rediscovered the brilliance of the Phil Pritchett led P2 Podcasts this past week. I had listened to the first few installments when it was launched before life got in the way and I forgot to make it appointment listening each week.

More accurately, I am often so bombarded by digital and electronic stimulations from my phone to my laptop to tv to all the various social media outlets that I often forget which way is up. I do good to catch up on the nightly sportscast via the loveliness that is dvr.

Going through the vaults of the P2 archives, I found out that one segment of a podcast had even been dedicated to examining a piece I’d written that talked about the evolution of Texas Music.

Basically, I had said, via a Biggie Smalls reference, that too many bands now develop a marketing plan before they develop songs. Sadly, that’s only gotten worse despite the glowing flickers of artistic goodness to be found out there.

The most striking thing I heard was the perfect mantra related to our site and scene at large. Referencing scenes like punk, hair metal or what have you...they stated that it is better to be a fan of the specific things and bands you dig instead of just being a fan of the scene at large...because the scene will inevitably let you down.

All scenes die.

There is a reason that Sunset Strip is not still populated with people in spandex and AquaNet-teased hair.

The good bands will carry on and adapt. Everything must evolve. Tastes will change. Longtime fans become the old guard and the new wave pushes them out of the way until that new wave is the old guard and the cycle continues viciously as the scene changes textures and styles.

Unknowingly, we’ve sort of adopted that mantra in the past couple years here at Galleywinter. While we do support the scene, or what’s left of it, we’ve definitely shifted to showcasing new music and/or bands we believe in instead of just solely flying the flag for Texas Music in a larger context.

And, the good news is it is working. Amid this transition, we have heard from bands that say what we are doing here is making a big difference in what they do. It’s very cool and rewarding that we as a platform fueled by fans can translate our efforts into making a difference for new bands, as well as, established bands.

A lot of this has to do with the newest wave of Texas Music. We are back to very much an underground thing. In an age of dying radio and increasing online opportunities, it is important to have good word of mouth from people that truly dig the music.

That’s how bands grow and that’s how scenes start in the first place. And, that is precisely what we are trying to create here.

The core of Galleywinter and music fandom in general has always been feeling a connection. Whether that connection is between you and the artist onstage or you and the person next to you singing along to the words or you and your own soul as you loudly sing along to your favorite song. You are making connections. That will never change.

The slogan of this place has always been for the fans, by the fans...and that is something else that will never change.

The connections we are making in 2010 are the building blocks to something really cool. Enjoy the ride my friends, enjoy the ride.

Minor Chords:

-Another GreenFest is in the books. This was the most stressful one yet. New venue, big-time competition down the street, pregnant wife, in-laws there, trying to be as social as possible while overseeing the entire thing. It ages me every year. Everything leading up to it had gone so smoothly I should’ve known. All in all it was a good time though. Recovering and already thinking about the next one.

-Check out Drew Kennedy’s video for “Room 27” that we posted on the homepage. It’s a very cool production that’s on a par or better than most big-budget CMT videos. CMT, are you listening?

-I’ve got a cool article I’m still refining and looking for mass publication for. I’ve interviewed a ton of people for it and we all want it to hit the broadest stroke possible. Hopefully, someone is interested in an article about how Nashville and Texas are intertwined.

-The success of Katy Perry’s “California Gurls” proves that the lowest common denominator name-dropping geography song is not only popular in Texas. Ugh.

-Football season is finally upon us. Went to Cowboys training camp during GreenFest and it was like a rock concert. Throngs of people wanting autographs and even some danging bras over the railings as they squealed for Tony Romo and Miles Austin. Will this translate to Super Bowl? I doubt it.

-John Henson begat Joel McHale begat Daniel Tosh. How do the hosts of basic cable clip shows keep getting funnier?

-This month’s recommended film: I’ll join the buzz-train. Inception will make you feel like you’re on an acid trip. Allegedly.

-This month’s recommended album: Paul Thorn-Pimps and Preachers. Not much to say about this record other than it is songwriting excellence. Thorn is one of the most respected songwriters that nobody knows about around this scene, although he is starting to gain some traction. Check out this album.

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

What's Going On: Drew Kennedy-Room 27

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 GMT

Drew Kennedy's video for "Room 27" was released today and it is really cool. Check it out below and revisit the behind the scenes video that shows the making of the project by clicking here

Announcement: GreenFest Artist Spotlight: Josh Grider Trio

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 GMT

Josh Grider has long been a Galleywinter favorite and first played GreenFest at the hallowed Stoney LaRue-headlined acoustic-palooza at River Road Icehouse in 2005. Since that time, he has gone on to deliver several critically acclaimed albums, a huge radio hit ("Crazy Like You") and develop his own, unique brand of music showcased in trio style. We are stoked he his headlining GreenFest this year and hope you'll join us on Saturday night to catch his show and meet with all your friends! He and the other bands may burn the Phoenix down!