A Hill Country Songwriting Renaissance: Allbright, Naylor, Weaver

Cameron Allbright is having a moment.  For many regional music fans, his is a name that is new to them.  For those that have been around the San Marcos/New Braunfels scene for a couple of years, none of what is coming Allbright’s way comes as a surprise.  Music is in Allbright’s blood.

He comes from a family of music lovers, performers and supporters.  It seems to come natural to most folks that live in the Hill Country.  But, some take it a step further.  That is the Allbright family.  With his father Clay’s support and his uncle Richie’s experience, Cameron knew full well what he wanted to do with his life and how he wanted to do it.

Cameron Allbright

The New Braunfels native scooted a few minutes up the road while still in his late teens and began joining in on Kent Finlay’s famed songwriter circle at Cheatham Street Warehouse.  Finlay had passed on before Cameron became an active member of the circle, but the legend, lessons and aura have never wavered from the little shack in the middle of San Marcos.  You better have the goods when you put your name on the list.  You better have the songs to back it up.  And you better be willing to go all in and put your full heart and seriousness into the artistic songwriter endeavour.  

Putting your name on that list is akin to signing a Texas Music Declaration of Independence.  People like George Strait, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Todd Snider, Hal Ketchum, Walt Wilkins, Randy Rogers and William Clark Green among many others have signed on the line.  Tossing your name into that realm is a William B. Travis like line in the sand that says, I’m all in.

Cameron Allbright found kindred spirits at Cheatham Street.  Fellow wave-making upstarts Hank Weaver and Ashton Naylor were on a similar timeline and journey.  Each represents the best of the new generation of Texas songwriters.  The trio has begun touring more and more outside of their Hays County hamlet and finding new ears turned onto their sounds.  

Perhaps, most substantially is the fact that all three competed in the recent LJT Songwriter contest and turned heads each round, with Allbright snagging the top prize and a coveted performance slot at the festival.  To celebrate that victory, Allbright snagged his two buddies Naylor and Weaver, backed themselves with a band and proceeded to rock Gruene Hall as they opened for Midnight River Choir this past weekend. 

Hank Weaver

Their camaraderie and teamwork is a testament to those who have come before them.  It echoes all the bootstrap ethos that founded this music scene on both sides of the Red River.  Sharing bandmates, booking contacts, vehicles, gear, good times and mistakes.  Each of them put their name on the line for the sake of the song and have lived up to what that means.  

Ashton Naylor

There have been times this music scene has sagged only to be boosted by the arrival of fresh talent at the right time.  We’re seeing that on a major scale with the likes of Wyatt Flores and in the songwriting havens with this trio of San Marcos writers.  The music is in good hands. 

It will be interesting to see where these guys and those they inspire and conspire with take this music. They're young and just scratching the surface of their potential. Their recorded output isn't where it will be when it peaks. But, their songs are already pointing them toward musical truth.

Fittingly, they encored at Gruene Hall by joining Midnight River Choir on the Finlay classic “They Call It the Hill Country”.  I’d call it progress indeed.  You can see Allbright, Naylor and Weaver hitting the note at our Galleywinter River Jam event during the Sunday July 13 acoustic portion at Lone Star Floathouse. We’ll all smile when we see how things used to be and how they’re going to be.