By Paul T. Mueller – For a band that made only one studio album – 30 years ago – Arc Angels has quite a devoted fan base. That loyalty was clear at Houston’s Heights Theater on November 16, when the band drew an enthusiastic near-capacity crowd for its third Houston show of 2022. Arc Angels – named for the Austin…
Outlaw Country West cruise: A wide net of rocking, raucous music
By Paul T. Mueller – Despite its name, the inaugural Outlaw Country West music cruise wasn’t just about country music. Producers Sixthman and Renegade Circus cast a wider net, including a couple of Southern California punk bands as well as several purveyors of West Coast country and rock. The floating festival departed Los Angeles on November 3 aboard the Norwegian…
Despite illness, Rodney Crowell shines in hometown show at Heights Theater
By Paul T. Mueller – Sometimes seeing what a performer is overcoming to deliver a performance is as impressive as the performance itself. Early in his Oct. 18 show at Houston’s Heights Theater, singer-songwriter Rodney Crowell announced that he was battling “the mother of all colds.” But despite a voice that often sounded hoarse and strained, and taking an occasional…
Jerry Lee Lewis, Keith Whitley and Joe Galante enter the Country Music Hall of Fame
By Ken Paulson – It would be difficult to imagine a more unlikely group of inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame than the class of 2022, honored Sunday night in the hall’s annual Medallion ceremony. One had his career disappear after marrying a 13-year-old girl, who also happened to be a relative. Another’s life was cut short by…