What I’m Diggin’-Michael Devers

For the 2nd installment of our What I’m Diggin’ series, Michael Devers tells about the closing of one chapter and the opening of another. Who is Michael Devers you ask? Well, he’s been involved in Texas Music for many years both as a musician (The Groobees), manager (early Randy Rogers Band), and retailer (lonestarmusic.com). His wealth of experience and writing talents lent themselves to a fantastic What I’m Diggin’. Dig in by clicking read more! As corny as it sounds to say “when one door closes, another one opens,” more often than not, it’s true. That’s exactly what I’m digging this month – the beginning and the end.

On the “end” side of the coin, I’m digging what will be my last big deal for LoneStarMusic – the 2010 LoneStarMusic Awards. I’ll be hosting along with El P of RadioFreeTexas (Sunday, March 21st at Gruene Hall). It’s only the second year for the awards so it still feels like it’s my baby.

I’ve worked with LoneStarMusic since 2001, and have handled the day-to-day operations since 2003. Though I’ll still write for the magazine, the awards show is the last thing I get to be the boss of for LoneStarMusic. While some might say I was “holding on with both hands”, you could definitely say I’m digging putting the finishing touches on the awards show and cannot wait to get up on stage with El P and start handing out the hardware. I’ll also have the pleasure of being able to introduce 11 Bones – a “new” Texas band that has played more shows in Europe than they have in the U.S. to this point.

11 Bones reminds me of one of the aspects I have enjoyed most about working with LoneStarMusic: the chance to find new talent and do what I can to push it to the front. The best example of which happened at this year’s Oscars when Ryan Bingham took home the Best Original Song Award (along with his co-writer and producer of his next record, T-Bone Burnett). One of the moments I dug the most during my entire LoneStarMusic tenure was the day we released Dead Horses. It went on to become the core of Mescalito for Lost Highway Records and Ryan has gone on to levels that few coming out of this scene have ever achieved.

Which brings me to the “beginning” side of this coin. There’s a new artist I’m working with that I’m digging, but, even though he’s from Texas (Amarillo, to be exact), he’s a completely different kind of artist. His name is Jefferson Douglas and he’s a cartoonist. We started working together in January and launched his strip, Hoof Dog, on the web back in February. In music, I got behind those artists that made me happy when I listened to their music. With Jefferson, I get a chance to laugh every day at work. I think he has what it takes to be known on a national level. I’m excited that it’s my first project as I walk through a new door for the first time in close to a decade.