Band of Heathens - Somebody Tell The Truth

The Band of Heathens via last.fm

Band of Heathens

Band of Heathens on Lone StarMusic

The Band of Heathens are an Americana band from Austin, Texas.

The three principal songwriters - Colin Brooks, Ed Jurdi and Gordy Quist - shared the bill at Momo's, an Austin club. Originally, each singer/songwriter performed his own set. However, they eventually started sharing the stage, and collaborating together with bassist Seth Whitney.


The Wednesday night series was billed as "The Good Time Supper Club". A misprint in a local paper billed the act as "The Heathens." In 2007, drummer John Chipman joined the band.

Also notable is a version of "Ain't No More Cane", a traditional prison work song of the American south. The Austin based Band of Heathens included their distinctive arrangement of the old song on their "Live at Momo's" album.

In November 2008 the Americana Music Association announced the Top 100 Albums of the Americana Charts for 2008 and The Band of Heathens came in at No. 8, thus referencing the Band Of Heathens Album as the 8th most played record on the Americana Airplay Charts for 2008.

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The Thirteenth Floor Elevators - You're Gonna Miss Me

The 13th Floor Elevators were an American rock band from Austin, Texas formed by guitarist and vocalist Roky Erickson, electric jug player Tommy Hall, and guitarist Stacy Sutherland, which existed from 1965 to 1969. During their career, the band released four LPs and seven 45s for the International Artists record label.

The 13th Floor Elevators found some commercial and artistic success in 1966-67, before dissolving amid legal troubles and drug use in late 1968. As one of the first psychedelic bands, their contemporary influence has been acknowledged by 1960s musicians such as Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Peter Albin of Big Brother and the Holding Company, and Chris Gerniottis of Zakary Thaks. Their debut 45 "You're Gonna Miss Me", a national Billboard #55 hit in 1966, was featured on the 1972 compilation Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965-1968, which is considered vital in the history of garage rock and the development of punk rock. 

Phil Pritchett - High Tide in the Heartland

Phil Pritchett

p2tunes

Phil Pritchett (born 1971) is a rock and roll musician from Texas. Currently residing in Ft. Worth, Texas. Members of his band have varied over the years. The current incarnation of the Full Band includes J.W. "Blu" Marshall on bass and Stu Wiley on drums.

Phil's performance to his eighth grade class of The Beatles Love Me Do first inspired him to enter into music. Phil got his real musical start at age 13 starting a Van Halen-style cover band and started playing local parties. His original high school band the Suburbans was an acclaimed Texas rock trio before breaking up in 1990.

Phil graduated from Higland Park High School in 1990, and entered Southwestern University studying History. At Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, Pritchett formed the eclectic acoustic duo Romantic Embargo with friend James Dewitt. They played regularly in Austin and surrounding cities and made two recordings, a live tape "Cut Me Some Slacks" and a CD "Central Chilling Station No.5." Pritchett went out on his own in 1996 and spent 5 years living in Austin, Texas and playing his original music to fans all over Texas and the South and building a large regional fan base. He started Spitune Records in 1995 and began recording and releasing his music independently. After a brief stint in Nashville, he moved back to Texas and has been touring consistently since 2002, often playing 150 shows a year or more.

Pritchett is known for his insightful songs, artistic albums and his live performances. His high-energy shows around Texas and the surrounding areas are known for the performances of songs such as "Song of the Doorman", "High Tide in the Heartland", "Luke Skywalker and Indiana Jones", "Colorado On Trial," "Tougher Than the Rest" and the all-time fan-favorites: "Maria," "Snuff Machine" (written by ex-Suburbans' memberWes Cunningham), "Antarctica U.S.A." (written by Dewitt now of the Residudes), and "Drink When I Think" and "Rolling" (both co-written with Chip Evans).

In 2006, Pritchett opened Trinidad World Recording in the Fort Worth Stockyards to self-produce his album High Tide in the Heartland. After the release of High Tide, he was asked to produce records for other acts at Trinidad. His producing credits include projects by Texas High Life, Johns Guns, Ty Wick, Magee Payne, Kurt South, J.D. Clark, Kyle Redd, Clay Thrash, Kevin Smith, Slow Rollin' Lows, Zach Huckabee, Mike Mathis, Notorious Gringos, Change of Standard and several of his own albums.

Phil has played with many of the fan favorites in Texas including Jack Ingram, Roger Creager, Honeybrowne and others.

In 2007, Phil began selling his albums in MP3 format for $4 each at p2tunes.

In 2009, Pritchett launched the P2 Podcast from his website. The weekly, hourlong show delves into life as a musician, road stories, and discuss current challenges in the changing music business. He is frequently joined by guests, usually people he knows from his time in the industry including Pat Green, Pete Coatney (from Jack Ingram's band), Zach Huckabee, Buddy Huffman (Macon Greyson), Owen Temple, Wes Cunningham and many others.

Rosie Flores - I'm Goin' Down/You Tear Me Up

Rosie Flores (born September 10, 1950 in San Antonio, Texas) is a rockabilly and country music artist of Mexican American heritage. Her music blends rockabilly, honky tonk, jazz, and Western swing along with traditional influences from her Tex-Mex heritage. She currently resides in Austin, Texas, where August 31 was declared Rosie Flores Day by the Austin City Council in 2006. In 1995, she joined Wanda Jackson on a coast-to-coast North American tour. She has appeared on Austin City Limits and Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

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Roky Erickson - Two-Headed Dog (Red Temple Prayer)

Roky Erickson via last.fm

Legendary rock n roll pioneer Roger Kynard "Roky" Erickson hails from Austin, Texas. He is, in the words of music writer Richie Unterberger, one of "the unknown heroes of rock and roll." As singer, songwriter, and guitar player for the legendary Austin, TX band The 13th Floor Elevators, the first rock and roll band to describe their music as "psychedelic", Roky had a profound impact on the San Francisco scene when the group traveled there in 1966.

While bands such as The Grateful Dead and The Jefferson Airplane had the their roots in traditional acoustic folk music, the Elevators unique brand of heavy, hard-rocking electric blues pointed to a new direction for the music of the hippie generation. The Elevators only had one chart hit, the Roky-penned You're Gonna Miss Me, but their influence was far reaching. R.E.M., ZZ Top, Poi Dog Pondering, The Judybats, T-Bone Burnett, Julian Cope, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Cramps, The Minutemen, Television, The Cynics, The Lyres, Teisco Del Rey, The Fuzztones and Radio Birdman have all either recorded or played live versions of Roky's songs.

In addition to these performers, Roky is an acknowledged influence on such diverse musicians as Robert Plant, Janis Joplin, Patti Smith, Henry Rollins, Mike Watt, Sonic Youth, The Butthole Surfers, Jon Spencer, The Damned, Red Krayola, Pere Ubu, and current indie hit-makers The White Stripes. His songs have appeared on the soundtracks to the movies High Fidelity, Drugstore Cowboy, Boys Don't Cry, Hamlet (2000), and Return of the Living Dead. While he may not be a household name, Roky has enjoyed the support of a small but fiercely loyal cult following throughout his career.

Unfortunately, Roky's struggles with drug abuse and mental illness took a serious toll. His 1969 arrest in Texas for possession of a single marijuana cigarette led to his being committed for three years to Rusk State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, where he was reportedly subjected to Thorazine, electroshock therapy, and other experimental treatments. Most agree he was never the same after his release. Roky has had prolific periods of creativity in the intervening years, but unscrupulous managers and record label executives often took advantage of his condition, leaving Roky to live in poverty while others profit from his music.

Happily, today we find Roky in the process of being his own miracle and making an astounding recovery from nearly a two-decade long period of almost total tragedy. His youngest brother, singer/songwriter and former Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Principal Tubaist Sumner Erickson, was appointed Roky's legal guardian in June, 2001. Sumner has established The Roger Kynard Erickson Trust to address Roky's living expenses, medical bills, and other financial needs. From June, 2001 until July, 2002, Roky lived with his brother in Pittsburgh, where he finally began to receive the treatment and care he needs.

Roky is now back in Austin, where his health continues to improve dramatically. In March, 2005, Roky made his first public performance in 10 years performing 3 songs at the Roky Erickson Psychedelic Ice Cream Social at Threadgills in Austin. He was backed by the Explosives. In September, he is scheduled to play the Austin City Limits Festival (again with the Explosives) which will mark his first full concert appearance in almost two decades! Celebrate as the miracle continues! More information is available at the trust's official web site: http://www.rokyerickson.net

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Dallas Wayne - I'm Your Biggest Fan

Image via Wikipedia

I'm Your Biggest Fan:


I'VE GOT EVERY RECORD YOU EVER MADE
EVEN THOSE OLD 45'S
YOU NEVER THOUGHT WOULD SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY
A LIVE TAPE FROM CHICAGO STOLEN FROM THE SOUNDMAN
I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN


THE SHIRT YOU WORE IN TOLEDO I FOUND ON EBAY
IT COST A LOT MORE THAN MOST FOLKS WOULD PAY
MY MOM CALLED ME CRAZY BUT SHE DON'T UNDERSTAND
WHAT IT MEANS TO BE YOUR BIGGEST FAN


I GOT THE AUTOGRAPHED PICTURE THAT YOU SENT TO ME
WHEN YOU WROTE 'WITH LOVE' WELL I JUST COULDN'T BELIEVE
BUT THEN I READ SOMEWHERE THAT YOU DIVORCED THAT AWFUL MAN
DID I FORGET TO MENTION, I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN


I STOOD IN LINE IN PHILLY 3 HOURS IN THE RAIN
OUT IN FRONT OF THE MAIN POINT 'TILL YOU FINALLY CAME
THEN YOU WALKED BY ME LIKE YOU DIDN'T GIVE A DAMN
IS THAT ANYWAY TO TREAT YOUR BIGGEST FAN


YOU NEVER ANSWER MY LETTERS YOU WON'T RETURN MY CALLS
WHY I'M BEGINNIN' TO THINK I DON'T KNOW YOU AT ALL
AND I FOUND THE FLOWERS I BROUGHT YOU IN A BACKSTAGE TRASHCAN
YOU KNOW, YOU'RE MAKIN' IT HARD TO BE YOUR BIGGEST FAN


WELL I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT YOU DON'T REALLY CARE
AFTER EVERYTHING WE'VE BEEN THROUGH, AFTER ALL THAT WE SHARED
BUT, SOMEHOW I FEEL BETTER WITH THIS GUN IN MY HAND
NUMBER ONE WITH A BULLET…I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN



Dallas Wayne is an Austin, Texas-based singer and songwriter, as well as on-air radio personality for SIRIUS Satellite Radio. A native of Springfield, Missouri, Dallas began performing professionally in 1975, and by the age of 18 he had toured throughout the entire U.S. and Canada. After moving to Nashville, he further developed his vocal style singing demos for many of the top publishing houses in the music industry.


While touring Europe in 1991, Dallas forged a deal with Texicalli Records in Finland and was signed to record an album. One album soon became six, and Dallas decided to move to Scandinavia in 1996, where he became a staff writer for Warner/Chappell Music.


After four years living and touring in Europe, Dallas returned to the U.S. and settled in northern California where he signed a record deal with HighTone Records. In addition to recording two albums of his own on the HighTone label, Dallas was a part of the honky-tonk supergroup, the TwangBangers.


Dallas moved to Austin, Texas in early 2003 where he has enjoyed a vibrant country music scene. In 2005 Dallas released the CD I'm Your Biggest Fan on the Koch Records Nashville label.
In addition to his radio career, songwriting and performing around Austin, Dallas continues to tour the U.S. and Europe. Dallas' latest album I’ll Take the Fifth was released on Smith Entertainment records on March 3, 2009.


http://www.myspace.com/dallaswaynecountry

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Band of Heathens - Hallelujah

The Band of Heathens via last.fm

The Band of Heathens are an Americana band from Austin, Texas.

The three principal songwriters - Colin Brooks, Ed Jurdi and Gordy Quist shared the bill at Momo's, an Austin club. Originally, each singer/songwriter performed his own set, however they eventually started sharing the stage, and collaborating together with bassist Seth Whitney. The Wednesday night series was billed as "The Good Time Supper Club". A misprint in a local paper billed the act as "The Heathens." In 2007, drummer John Chipman joined the band. Also notable is a version of "Aint No More Cane",a traditional prison work song of the American south. The Austin, Texas-based Band of Heathens included their distinctive arrangement of the old song on their "Live at Momo's" album. 

Band of Heathens Website  

Band of Heathens MySpace Page

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James McMurtry - Levelland

Image via Wikipedia

James L. McMurtry, along with his Austin-based band, James McMurtry & The Heartless Bastards, is a self-described “rock & roots” guitarist and singer-songwriter, drawing on elements of alt-country, folk and old-fashioned texas rock.

The son of novelist Larry McMurtry, James was born in Fort Worth, Texas in 1962, and grew up in Virginia. James McMurtry’s seventh studio album, Childish Things, was released on Compadre Records in the fall of 2005. As writer L.E.Brady notes, “The album includes McMurtry’s statement on American decline - We Can’t Make It Here - his most unabashedly political number yet.”

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Los #3 Dinners - Chingadera

The lowdown on Los #3 Dinners


Los #3 Dinners are a mainstay of San Antonio’s diverse music scene. The story begins in 1979 with the band's first incarnation, Los #2 Dinners. After years of pounding the SA club scene, The Dinners called it quits in order to pursue personal interests in the early 1990s. Shortly after, band leader “Lenny” Eric Friedland, guitarist Frank Karpienski, bassist Bart Nichols, and blues musician/childhood friend Joe Shortt formed the short-lived blues band "The Pralines." As word of the Pralines spread around town, a renewed interest in the old #2 Dinners material emerged. In 1995, The Prailines changed their name to Los #3 Dinners after the addition of drummer Jake Perales. Thus, Los #3 Dinners was born!


The sound of Los Number #3 Dinners is a high-energy mix of guitar-driven garage rock, South Texas soul, surf-instrumental, and the blues. This ain’t no Austin band...todo S.A. vato to the max. These guys are busy playing the soundtrack to your weekend.

Townes Van Zandt - Marie

Townes Van Zandt via last.fm

This video is from a 1993 performance in San Antonio. Poet , musician, and madman Townes Van Zandt sings of the hopeless and the homeless. Walk the streets of Austin or any American city, and live Van Zandt's harrowing vision.

"I stood in line and left my name
took about six hours or so
Well, the man just grinned like it was all a game
said they'd let me know
I put in my time till the Pocono line
shut down two years ago
I was staying at the mission till I met Marie
now I can't stay there no more


Fella 'cross town said he's lookin' for a man
to move some old cars around
maybe me and Marie could find a burned-out
van and do a little settlin' down
Aw, but I'm just dreamin', I ain't got no ride
and the junkyard's a pretty good ways
that job's about a half week old besides
it'd be gone now anyway


Unemployment said I got no more checks
and they showed me to the hall
my brother died in Georgia some time ago
I got no one left to call
Summer wasn't bad below the bridge
a little short on food that's all
Now I gotta get Marie some kind of coat
we're headed down into fall


I used to play the mouth harp pretty good
hustled up a little dough
but I got drunk and I woke up rolled
a couple of months ago
they got my harp and they got my dollar
them low life so and so's
harps cost money and I ain't got it
it's my own fault I suppose


The Pocono's down but the Chesapeak's runnin'
two freights everyday
if it was just me I'd be headed south
but Marie can't catch no train
She's got some pain and she thinks it's a baby,
says we gotta wait and see
in my heart I know it's a little boy
hope he don't end up like me


Well, the man's still grinnin' says he lost my file
I gotta stand in line again
I want to kill him but I just say no
I had enough of that line my friend
I head back to the bridge, its getting kinda cold
I'm feelin' too low down to lie
I guess I'll just tell Marie the truth
hope she don't break down and cry


Marie she didn't wake up this morning
she didn't even try
she just rolled over and went to heaven
my little boy safe inside
I laid them in the sun where somebody'd find them
caught a Chesapeak on the fly
Marie will know I'm headed south
so's to meet me by and by


Marie will know I'm headed south
so to meet me by and by."