At 75, Billy Joe Shaver is no longer the young country outlaw he once was. But he’s still around and kicking, and on his latest album, Long in the Tooth, he bares his (figurative) teeth on songs about several things he’s not too happy about.
Tag: “Texas music”
Review: Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison in concert
By Paul T. Mueller–Titles are easy to throw around, and sometimes they’re just so much music-biz hype. Not so in the case of Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis. Partners both on and off the stage, they have been called “The First Couple of Texas Country Music” and “Americana royalty,” among other things. At McGonigel’s Mucky Duck in Houston on June…
Review: I’ll Be Here In The Morning: The Songwriting Legacy of Townes Van Zandt
By Terry Roland I’ll Be Here In The Morning: The Songwriting Legacy of Townes Van Zandt by Brian T. Atkinson Published by Texas A&M University Press. The question comes to mind when first picking up Brian Atkinson’s new book, I’ll Be Here In The Morning: The Songwriting Legacy of Townes Van Zandt: Do we need another book or really any…
Review: Jonathan Jeter and the Revelators
By Joe Ross Texas-based Jonathan Jeter and the Revelators’ 5-song EP Late for My Own Funeral shows that they can rock hard. The catchy opener “19 Doin’ 20” is a bit frenetic, while “Come On” and “Barfly” provide some nice contrasting grooves at a slower pace. The album’s short on credits, but I assume drummer Chris Evans is propelling the…
Philip Gibbs: Petroleum Age
Philip Gibbs is a topical singer-songwriter, although his topics come from past and present. He clearly loves his Texas heritage, as evidenced by songs like “Stephen F. Austin’s Blues” and “Sam Houston’s Blues.” But the highlight of his new album is the title song, “The Petroleum Age,” a jaunty protest song about the era of oil dependency. It’s written in…
Keep Austin Weird
Sun209 is based in Nashville, so we’re taking Austin’s claim of being the “”Live Music Capital of the World” with a grain of salt. That said, the line-up at the Keep Austin Weird Festival was truly impressive, particularly the bands that hit the stage in the late afternoon and early evening. There’s some of the Band in Deadman and Motown/Stax…
Texans come out in force at Tin Pan South
Some of Texas’ best-known songwriters assembled at the Hard Rock Cafe last night as part of the Tin Pan South songwriters festival. Gary Nicholson, Leroy Parnell, Bruce “Hey Baby” Channel and Michael Martin Murphey shared the stage. They’re clearly old friends and build off each other’s performances. Murphy was the biggest name, underscoring that by playing his two biggest singles…