{Rewind} June 2004

May I officially welcome you to summertime in Texas. The sun is shining (sometimes), the heat seems relentless, but for Texas music fans it is heaven. Whether you spend the day on the lake and head to the local small-town bar for a show that night, or decided to road trip it to New Braunfels for a float down the river, Texans can never use the excuse that there is nothing to do. More often than not, we are torn between two (and sometimes three, or four) options – and all I can say to that is God Bless Texas! I know that I didn’t spend too many weekends at home this month, and gathering from the posts on the board, neither did many of you…

The Shows… The first weekend in June brought many Galleywinter folks together at Billy Bob’s Texas where two of the most popular rising stars in the scene joined forces and provided a great time for us all. The Randy Rogers Band, along with Wade Bowen and West 84 tore up the stage, while the rest of us proceeded to get just plain tore up. According to Brad,

“Wade and the boys opened the show and were on fire from the first note. Kevin aka “Frenchy” is just an absolute monster on that guitar…paired with Matt (Miller) it doesn’t get much better. Randy and the guys hit the stage ready to please. That band is so tight right now there could be a bees nest unleashed onstage and they wouldn’t notice. All the new tunes are phenomenal…the new album is gonna be the best thing to come out of the scene in years.”

The music definitely touched a few people, and inspired a beer baptism or two along the way – all in good fun though, all in good fun…

A couple of weeks later Billy Bob’s was once again inundated with the Galleywinter crew as they rocked out with the Bleu Edmondson Band and the opening act, the Kyle Hunt Band. I don’t think a single person left that show with their hearing intact – I can only imagine how long it took for their ears to stop ringing after those guys left the stage. Jocelyn summed it up by saying

“The show last night was hella fun! It was my first time to see Kyle Hunt and they were great! Bleu and the boys did a great job like always. It was my first time to see them at Billy Bob’s and I was not disappointed.”

For those of us that saw this crew the next day at Smirnoff, it was more than obvious that they enjoyed themselves immensely, although I’m sure they didn’t quite view their bar tabs in the same light…

And now, if it were not already obvious, a perfect segue to the Smirnoff show on June 19th. This is the yearly highlight for those in the DFW area when it comes to a day filled with Pat Green, Cory Morrow, tailgating and much, much more. Other bands that played include The Lost Trailers, Wade Bowen and West 84, Randy Rogers, and the North Mississippi Allstars. A great lineup, and an even better time! Nikkiarch had this to say:

“Pat was in rare form tonight!! Laughed and joked with the audience, called out a few people not having fun or having too much fun. It was a great great show!”

I didn’t run across a single person that did not have a smile on their face at the end of the night, they only bad part about it is that they have to wait a year to have this experience again – guess they are in for a few road trips…

The last weekend of the month also found many people out at shows. A few people spent the day on Lake Conroe (actually inside the lake house thanks to the rain that just won’t stop), and then headed out to see the Jody Booth Band at Borski’s, a little bar in the small town of Willis. It was a laid back weekend, and all enjoyed. Amandakm22 loved it, she said

“I had a lot of fun once AGAIN!!! Jody, Jason & Rob ROCKED! I too loooooovvveee the new song, ALOT! I can’t wait until the next show! I am looking forward to it!”

And wrapping up the month was the Waylon Jennings Red River Tribute CD Release party that took place at Saengerhalle. An extension of the tribute held last October, this too was a party to go in the record books. The majority of the people that recorded songs for the album came out and played once again including Randy Rogers, Bleu Edmondson, Wade Bowen, Stoney LaRue, Mike McClure, Micky and the Motorcars, and Cross Canadian Ragweed. HayJay had a blast and had this to say about the show:

“I have to say my favorite parts were Mike & Stoney…. and the Ray Wylie Hubbard songs. That man rocks! Definitely one of the best shows I’ve seen this year!”

But, even if you missed the show, you can still take part of it home – the CD is now available, and according to those that have heard it, it is a must-have in the CD collection of any Texas music fan…

The music… Many followers of Micky and the Motorcars have been anxiously awaiting their new CD, “Ain’t In It For The Money” – and the wait is no longer. This CD was released on July 1st. From what I’ve heard, this sophomore album is quite a bit different from their first CD, but the changes are all improvements – a little bit of a different sound, but still with the MMC feel. I’ll be checking this one out shortly…

You also may have noticed a bunch of Fowler Fanatics walking around with glowing smiles on their faces. Kevin’s new single, “Ain’t Drinkin’ Anymore” is flooding airwaves across Texas, and the new album, “Loose, Loud, and Crazy” will be available on August 3rd. I know there are already a lot of pre-orders placed for this CD, and many, many more will be heading to the stores to grab it as soon as it’s out!

And last but not least – I cannot say enough about the Waylon Jennings Red River Tribute CD. I ran out and got this the other day, and it is well worth every penny spent. All of the bands we love joined together to make a project successful – and they achieved their goal and then some. If I only bought 3 CD’s a year (who am I kidding?!?!), this would definitely be one of them…

The artists… Willie Nelson fans are getting a treat this summer as he has paired up with Bob Dylan for a tour of minor league ballparks across the country. He still isn’t playing Trigger, his guitar, due to surgery on his hand, but I don’t think anyone is complaining – a Willie show is still a Willie show, and that pretty much explains itself…

Three members of the Red Dirt Rangers, Ben, Coop, and Brad, were in a helicopter crash on Saturday, June 26th. They survived, but the pilots did not. Please keep all families in your thoughts and prayers as the guys have a long road to recovery ahead of them. There is more information regarding benefits and the recovery funds in the Red Dirt Forum.

And last but not least, Texas Music lost a dear member on July 4th. Jalapeno, better known as Holly, Doug Moreland’s amazing dog, and best friend passed on. We will all miss her antics and her talents, but remember the laughter and the smiles. God Bless you Holly! Click Here for a video to remember Holly in action (thanks Willey for donating that)

On the horizon… There is a big show coming up at Billy Bob’s Texas on July 23rd that a lot of the Galley crew is heading out to. The Lost Trailers are opening for Honeybrowne, and both bands will rock out to your heart’s content. There are people traveling in from all over Texas, and from Georgia as well to make this show – so if you’re looking for a good road trip, I have no doubt that this will be a fabulous time…

And an even bigger road trip is Roger Creager’s annual trip to Playa del Carmen, Mexico. It’s all the beach, alcohol and music you can imagine – and you get to soak it all up for days with tons of other fans. This is the third year this trip has been put together, and the stories that come out of it are entertaining to say the least. The dates for the trip this year are August 5-9 – I’m assuming we’ll get reviews about a week after they get back – it usually takes it’s toll on even the biggest “rockstars” of them all…

The Jody Booth Band is also planning a float trip for the weekend of August 6-8 in New Braunfels, TX. The details are still coming together, and you can get the latest updates in the Jody Booth forum. Good times with good friends and great music are ensured…

And last but not least – for those of you that like to plan a month in advance – it’s about that time for the Margarita and Salsa Festival in Waco, TX. This year the entertainment includes Wade Bowen and West 84, Cross Canadian Ragweed, and Pat Green. The event will be held at the H.O.T. Fairgrounds on August 28th, and tickets go on sale on August 1st. This is a hometown gig for both Wade and Pat, and they lay it all out. A definite must see as the summer comes to a close…

That’ll do it for this edition of Rewind… See ya where the music is playin’!!