Right after the in-store I shook his hand, left and sat in my truck for a few minutes trying to collect my thoughts. Not many words would surface, in fact the only words I could write down were:

I closed my eyes to block out all the visuals… to let his music hit me like it’s meant to… what I felt, hit me like a freight train blowing down the rails

that about sums it up..no other words will do. He was raised an Iowa farm boy that’s not too far from what we see here in Texas. Maybe that’s why I like his writing so much. It’s different enough to be new, but close enough to be real.

His songs give me hope for America. For life. For people. For me.

Check him out of you haven’t… it might be what you need to be refreshed.

“There Is Hope For You” by William Elliot Whitmore

Download audio file (hope.mp3)

“Midnight” by William Elliot Whitmore

Download audio file (midnight.mp3)

I’m so excited about this year I can hardly stand it!

That show was a marker in time that most people reference like a wedding date or birth of a child. There were people at that show from out of state that moved cross-country, to Texas, because of what happened there. Some people found a new love for music they thought was dead and gone… and some made a career change to become musicians, right there in that room. Story after story has filled my ears about that night and they are all incredible.

In 6 years I’ve never told anyone what I’ve taken away from that show, but tonight as I listened to the bootleg audio, I thought it was time to reveal a little about my story. That night I learned how music can hit you square in the face and not allow you to lie to yourself. It peels back the layers until it’s just you, the song and the truth. No wiggle room and no putting on false faces.

If Bleu Edmondson would have been to afraid to cover one of his heroes, Bruce Springsteen, I don’t know where I’d be. Bleu covered Highway Patrolman off the Nebraska album and it spoke right to my soul. In a single moments time I had set myself on a journey I’m still on today with music… with my life… with my family.

If you have family… Trust me, you want to hear this song. – Bleu Edmondson

This song has become one of my favorite songs on the planet and while I love Bruce’s true original, it’s Bleu’s version that I go to most often. So for me, that night was about discovering what music can do when it connects to you in a very real way… a way that no written words can, or should, ever be able to convey.

So, enjoy the song.

“Highway Patrolman” performed by Bleu Edmondson

Download audio file (hp.mp3)

P.S. – I’m not posting the lyrics like I usually do because I think you just need to listen to it.

Ice: I’d go in there saying that there’s no way you’re gonna make me do this. I don’t do slow songs.

CK: We made choices that were good for my company. And what’s good for my company was good was the artist.

Ice: I came out of his office with a million bucks and he had his slow song.

For Vanilla Ice, success was measured in money. I mean One Million Dollars… that’s a lot of money. Like a WHOLE LOT of money. Enough that we’d probably all consider selling out a little bit for that kind of money.

Turns out, he later tried to commit suicide with 30 million in the bank because he could never get back to making music the way he wanted.

Money puts a roof on your head, but it’s never success.

Everyone is drunk and Doc is playing a piano in the corner… the guy that played Lowell from Wings staggers up to him and slurs…

Billy Clanton: Is that “Old Dog Tray?” It sounds to me like “Old Dog Tray.”
You know, Stephen Foster.
“Oh, Susannah,” “Camptown Races.”
Stephen stinking Foster!

Doc: Ah, yes. Well, this happens to be a nocturne.

Billy Clanton: A which?

Doc: You know, Frederic Fucking Chopin.

Brilliant.

I was in this bar a few years back when this guy drunkenly interrupts the show by yelling out that he wants some old country, “…play some old country… play Trace’s Every Light in the House is On!!!”

Dang. Old country indeed. The song he interrupted… “The Fightin’ Side of Me”.

You know, Merle Fucking Haggard.

It takes buckets of blood and sweat and fucking work to get there. That’s It. To get good… to get competent. And then once you become competent, then maybe you have it in you to become an artist. Maybe you don’t. Before you get to a place that you can make art, you have to master these basics.

Joel Bukiewicz, creator of “Cut Brooklyn“, is a knife maker and through and through an artist. He’s had to power through hard times to create a line of knives, personally handmade out of Brooklyn, that are insanely popular because of the quality, the design and the heart he puts into each one. Just listening to his story, you get the feeling that this guy knows what it means to create or die. We should all strive for this level of commitment.

If you want to hear more of his story you can check out the short that Made By Hand put together on him.

Regular, “you have a new/old album and I want it” type of stuff
I use iTunes. I can buy it from my phone or laptop, it gets auto-downloaded to my other devices, no DRM, 1-click buying and they have iTunes Match that puts all my music in the cloud… to be available anytime, anywhere. If I really love the album (or know I will) I’ll buy it on vinyl or, as a fallback, the CD. I don’t do Spotify, but I will turn on Pandora around the house.

New album in-depth listening/reviewing
I don’t write traditional reviews any more. But if I know you (relatively speaking) and you ask me to have a listen to your album, It’s vinyl or CD only. Something physical. Something I can take time to put it on and listen.

What is my perfect world?
Digital Music & Vinyl. That’s it.

Digital music would have an option for liner notes which would be mailed and not a pdf. Another cool thought is to sell a cardboard CD style case with a download code (3 options iTunes, amazon, LSM) and liner notes. I buy the case, download right to my phone and still get the physical high from opening something new and reading lyrics and stuff.

What about CD’s? Local Music Stores? Don’t you want to support local?
Let it be known that I LOVE local music stores. I go frequently and usually buy something every trip in the Vinyl section or I drift over to the CD’s. These stores are the lifeblood of local music, but could be dying. I’m a little disappointed that a few of the stores have some minimum wage employee that mainly knows the top 10 of whatever you’re looking for. If these stores want to survive, they need to hire a curator. Someone that knows what’s in the store and has a opinion.

Lone Star Music’s digital site is currently pretty great. They have digital version of most the albums in Texas Music and give the highest return to the artists. I’m not sure how this fits in to everything but I think it’s a good thing. My problem is that digital is all about convenience and anything other than iTunes is starting to feel a little inconvenient. Apple spent big money on building hardware that supports music and software that makes our lives easier. This isn’t evil… it’s smart, it works, and it puts more music in the hands of the listener. I wanted to mention LSM here because supporting them is good, but I’d rather just order a album via mail from them than buy digitally. Scary times for our friends at LSM if everyone goes digital. But I don’t think that’s the sole future… especially for local music. And thank the good lord they seem to be investing in the physical product quite well with instore performances, a great inventory and solid mail order service.

If you have any questions I’d love to field them… or suggestions would be awesome.

for reference
Download audio file (everygirl.mp3)

Every Review

Well it was released in the morning late October San Antone
Aw it’s every review I’ve ever known

Well it was released in the morning late October San Antone
Aw it’s every review I’ve ever known
It’s not your average country, it sounds more like the stones
Oh it’s every review I’ve ever known

It grabbed me from the first note, there’s not a track I hate
They say they don’t want a label, but they’ll be superstars at this rate
It’ll sound good at a party or if you listen to it while you’re alone
Oh it’s every review I’ve ever known

The singers voice is a amazing, and the guitar it is absurb
Oh it’s every review I’ve ever heard
The drums and bass are a rhythm that echo every word
Aw it’s every review I’ve ever heard

It sounds so much like the live show that I really can’t complain
No doubt they’ll win an award so break out the champagne
Couldn’t get a quote from the band, you know they’re as flighty as a bird
Aw it’s every review I’ve ever heard

My 150 words are almost up and I’m starting to get sad
Aw it’s every review I’ve ever read
I’ll just keep saying it’s great because nothing on it is bad
Oh it’s every review I’ve ever read

Make sure you take a listen in your house or in the car
This new album will speak right to you no mater who you are
And I give it 4 stars because I don’t want to make anybody mad
Aw it’s every review I’ve ever read

Well it was released in the morning late October San Antone

p.s. yes I know it’s not great. yes I know I make fun of every review including mine. yes I offended myself when I wrote this.

Once “Between Here & The Stars” started playing, I couldn’t seem to turn it off. Being more on the folk/bluegrass side of Texas Music it was refreshing, welcomed and was just what I needed. Definitely thinking fate had something to do with it at this point.

The song, “Stillhouse”, cued up and it instantly grabbed me. Written on the highway between Austin and Grandbury, the inspiration for this tale of a family’s hard life came from Stillhouse Hollow Lake exit outside of Temple.

I set out to write the saddest song I could. ~ Larry Hooper

I’d say he nailed it, but argue that only calling it “sad” doesn’t paint the whole picture. While the events in the song are sad, the way it’s told leaves you with a great sense of compassion. It reminds me of the feeling I get when I think of the destruction of the Texas drought and fires. You can feel that when he sings the line:

Then daddy started drinking when the land began to crack
By the time we got the rain he couldn’t turn back

If you’re looking for something new, take this as fate stepping in.

“Stillhouse” by Larry Hooper

Download audio file (stillhouse.mp3)

The stillhouse is burning and i cant find dad
it’d need some help getting started with the rain we’ve had…

Well momma got the sickness in the spring of 21
She didn’t wanna let it kill her so she used a shotgun
Now its just been me and dad and little sister casey too
And if I lose both of them well I don’t know what I’ll do

So I’m singing precious memories
And amazing grace
Swing low sweet chariot
And carry me away
Won’t you listen to me Jesus I don’t wanna be alone
But its getting real quiet
In this old home

Well it rained really hard for most of last week
It drained off the land and it flooded the creek
I hear little sister casey hollerin’ my name
Shes been talking about swimming every since we got the rain
Now I ain’t a good swimmer but i did my best
But now the memory of casey’s all we got left

So I’m singing precious memories
And amazing grace
Swing low sweet chariot
And carry me away
Won’t you listen to me Jesus I don’t wanna be alone
But its getting real quiet
In this old home

Then daddy started drinking when the land began to crack
By the time we got the rain he couldn’t turn back
First came the drought and then come the flood
And come Sunday morning we’ll be washed in the blood

So I’m singing precious memories
And amazing grace
Swing low sweet chariot
And carry me away
Won’t you listen to me Jesus I don’t wanna be alone
But its getting real quiet
In this old home

The stillhouse is burning and I cant find dad
It’d need some help getting started with the rain we’ve had
A neighbor said he saw the flames from 2 farms down
I still cant find my daddy now the still burned to the ground.

As reported by William Michael Smith of the Houston Press:

According to Carll’s longtime manager, Mike Crowley, label head Luke Lewis called to let Carll and Crowley know that it was time for the label to exercise its option to keep Carll and asked the pair if Carll wanted to stay with the label or go. Carll opted to leave.

And, according to Crowley, Ryan Bingham, who had so much success with the movie Crazy Heart, is also not renewing with Lost Highway.

Lost Highway has always been a label of trust for me. I knew I could go to their site and whoever is on that label will not only be good, but fit in with the rest of their roster. I’ve always said that was what they offered from music (non-business) standpoint was more important than anything else they were doing.

The thing that is amazing is the reason Crowley sites.

…but it’s gotten to the point where there’s no place left for them to throw money toward selling records. And the bottom line for most artists is that no one is selling many records.

Obviously he doesn’t speak for Bingham and if I had to guess there is more to it than record sales for Ryan. But if this is the major reason that Hayes is parting ways it’s pretty telling for the rest of these guys on the local scene. I can’t help but think there are bigger reasons than just the record sales thing, but maybe I’m just sad to see these guys leave a great label (from my point of view).

Feels like I’m a broken record here, but music sales is changing. Texas Music is no different than the rest of the music business world, and this move by Hayes should be a signal flare to everyone.