Ray Wylie Hubbard releases "The Grifters Hymnal"

Photo Credit: Todd Wolfson 

    I am not gonna post another long drawn out review about the new Ray Wylie Hubbard album "The Grifters Hymnal". There are 100 other places to see that. What I will say is this, I saw Ray live this past Friday night and was lucky enough to get a copy. Pick up this album! Ray has again done what he does better than anyone. He has created songs that weave a lyrical tapestry that is prettier to your ears than Picasso to your eyes. This thing is LYRICALLSDFORYOUREARS... You can find it on Amazon, Itunes, Lonestarmusic.com, or any other music retailer.

Red Bull Gives You.... Red Dirt???

I happened across an event that will no doubt be epic in its entirety. April 13th Red Bull is coming to Stillwater, OK, the place many consider to be the birthplace of OK Red Dirt music, and bringing some of the most influential current artists and pioneers of the Red Dirt scene. A few of the 40 artists scheduled to perform include, Steve Rice (No Justice), Brandon Jenkins, Mike McClure, Stoney LaRue and many many more. If you are anywhere near Stillwater OK, do not miss this event! Check out the info on it at the link below.


http://www.redbullusa.com/cs/Satellite/en_US/Event/red-bull-gypsy-cafe-021243157715842

Roger Creager, Turning it up... Again



picture from Rogercreager.com



     Having been a solid fixture in the Texas Music scene since the release of his first album over a decade ago, not even a 4 year gap between albums can slow down Roger Creager. His new album "Surrender" has picked up right where fans remember. It is a collection of songs, that differ greatly from tune to tune, but each one is better than the one before.

     Roger co-wrote 9 of the tunes on the new album. His current single "Turn It Up" is an unapologetic admission that he just has to give in to that reckless feeling every now and then. It also ranks as Roger's 6th straight #1 song on the Texas Music Charts. The song "Crazy Again" is the anthem for all us good ol' boys who may have settled down as we got a little older, but still have a little crazy bubbling just below the surface... just don't push us.. Ha! Round that out with a couple of ballads and a Bob Marley cover and what you have is a terrific album, from the first track to the last.

     His passion and energy transfer into every aspect of his life. Creager has climbed Mt Kilimanjaro in Africa, yeah that's right. No joke, I couldn't make that up. His live shows are intoxicating. Once you have seen a Creager show you are hooked, and can not wait to fill your veins with another fix. I have been lucky enough to see Roger live and  was amazed at the energy level from the first song to the last.

     The release of "Surrender" cements Roger's place as one of the top artists in the scene. And it's good to see that there is still a place for a guy like Roger. A guy who hasn't really changed what he does, he simply does what he loves, and does it well. Welcome back Roger. We surrender.

http://www.rogercreager.com/
http://www.facebook.com/rogercreager
twitter @rogercreager

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner....

The winner of the Red Dirt Blue Collar fan photo contest is Lane Breshears from Dekalb, TX. I am thinking about making this a quarterly event. So, keep sending in your pictures of you with Texas/Oklahoma Red Dirt country artists. If you really want to support Texas /Oklahoma Red Dirt music and want to show it by wearing one of the awesome shirts I had made up let me know. If there is enough interest I will look into selling them. Give me some feedback. I do this for you guys, the fans, let me know what you think, who I should feature, or if you just want to talk music.

Email: reddirtbluecollar@gmail.com
twitter: @just_b_2011

The Damn Quails Season is Just Starting....

    All jokes aside, that lead in is a very true statement. Even though they have just one studio release so far, the heart of The Damn Quails are an obviously seasoned, high tenured, duo of singer/songwriters that have put in the time. Front men Gabe Marshall and Bryon White both followed similar paths musically by playing open mics and performing as solo musicians for years through out the state of Oklahoma before coming together to form the Damn Quails.

    As a true fan of music, I personally dislike trying to "pigeon hole" a band's sound (see what I did there). But, if it has to have a label, you can call it Americana. Its obvious that Marshall and White are students and fans of the music they represent as well as talented musicians putting their own special touch on the music as they bring it to life. That is evident in the choice of Mike McClure as producer on their first studio release "Down the Hatch." For those of you that are not familiar with McClure, trust me that will be addressed in a future article.

    "Down the Hatch" is a collection of stories. I have an image in my head of a couple of old men wearing overalls, sitting on the porch in rocking chairs telling these stories with a break every now and then for a soulful harmonica or fiddle exclamation point. This is one of the few albums I have heard in a long time that does not have a bad song on it. My favorite song on the disc has to be "Midnight Swagger" it tells a collection of late night stories that range from couples feeling each other out in a bar over bourbon and "bitch beer"; to a guy coming home late drunk again and his girl fed up with it lets him sleep it off in his car.

     Their current single "Fool's Gold" has blazoned a path up the Texas Music charts along side names like Pat Green, Roger Creager, and Randy Rogers, staples in the Texas/ Oklahoma music scene for years, thus proving that they belong right were they are. Along side big names, at the top of the charts, and I am a firm believer that they will be there for some time. The band wagon is filling up fast kids, you better jump in. Because I promise this much, wherever The Damn Quails take you, it will be well worth the ride.


http://www.thedamnquails.com/
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twitter @thedamnquails