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Home , Cody Canada, Conor Oberst, Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett, Randy Rogers Band, Rodney Crowell

Walking Shoes Sore-footed country artist Granger Smith ad- mits his 100-mile Boot Walk — from Austin to Fort Hood May 4-8 — took a toll. “Wednesday was the worst,” he told Music, “but my May ‘14 pain doesn’t compare to anything our soldiers extra go through. People pull up in their cars, and we never know what to expect. This year a combat vet pulled up and talked to us about his friend, who died in Iraq just two months news calendar releases q&a ago.” This marks the fourth year Smith — part- click here to read click here to read click here to read click here to read nering with the Boot Campaign — has hosted the five-day trek, aimed at providing financial From left, Doyle Bramhall II, Robert Randolph and perform during the finale. (Scott Newton) assistance to military families using proceeds

Double Trouble, famed UT football coach Dar- by Lickona and Royal by former UT football rell Royal and show creator Bill Arhos. During coach Mack Brown. Surrounded by family, the induction, the show’s longtime executive Royal’s wife, Edith Royal, accepted on the producer, Terry Lickona, called Nelson the coach’s behalf, stressing how much the music heart of and Arhos its spirit, meant to Royal, who rarely missed a taping. both helping to make the show a musical insti- tution. With an introduction by actor and Texas native Matthew McConaughey, Nelson kicked off the night with a rousing rendition of “Whis- key River” and was soon joined onstage by extra Lyle Lovett and Emmylou Har- ris. During their PUBLISHER/ STEWART RAMSER editor-in-chief 11-song set, the three per- EDITOR TOM BUCKLEY formed “On the Road Again,” “I Contributors ALLEGRA BOUTCH From left, , Willie Nelson and Lyle Lovett ALLIE EISSLER returned to a familiar set. (Scott Newton) Saw the Light” ANNE HERMAN and Townes MICHAEL MARCHIO Studio 6A Revisited Van Zandt’s MIKE MESSICK The firstAustin City Limits Hall of Fame induc- “Pancho and JULIE SEAFORD tion ceremony brought the show back to its Lefty.” Before WILLIAM MICHAEL SMITH original venue for one night: KLRU’s Studio 6A a short break, www.txmusic.com on the University of Texas campus. Before Aus- Nelson, Royal from the walk. Still, this year the walk took tin City Limits moved to its current home at the and Arhos were mailing address po box 50273 on special significance after the recent Fort Moody Theater, the walls of Studio 6A absorbed honored with austin, tx 78763 Hood shooting, which Smith says didn’t deter nearly four decades of Austin music history. awards depict- SUBSCRIPTIONS: 1-877-35-TEXAS the walkers. “It just made them more eager Held on Saturday, April 26, the invitation-only ing the Austin OFFICE: 512-638-8900 to do it,“ he says. “I can’t describe the feel- event was filled with special performances and skyline. Nelson E-MAIL: [email protected] ing of walking through those gates, and sol- Copyright © 2014 by Texas Music, L.L.C. standing ovations for performers and honor- was inducted A ll rights reser v ed . diers telling me how much what I do matters Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited. ees. The Hall of Fame’s first class of inductees Buddy Guy honored Stevie Ray by McCon- to them. Some said ‘I’ll never forget this’ and included Willie Nelson, Stevie Ray Vaughan & Vaughan. (Scott Newton) aughey, Arhos ‘We really needed this.’” news calendar releases q&a click here to read click here to read click here to read click here to read

Country Girl of their marriage and whether she’s preg- , whose new , Plati- nant has been “hurtful.” “None of it is true,” num, comes out June 3, admits she’s puzzled she declares. “All by the trouble other female country acts have of a sudden this getting airplay. “I don’t know what’s going page turned, and on,” she tells Billboard. “I don’t know where like over- the connection is off as far as airplay. This is night we couldn’t just one of those waves where females are go to a restaurant. struggling a little bit, but we’ll come back There’s people out- around and be a force to be reckoned with.” side waiting, flash- That’s not to say the 30-year-old songbird ing cameras in our isn’t proud of being country with a capital “C.” face, and I’m going, “ is on top right now,” she notes. ‘What just hap- “I might be a little prejudiced toward country, pened?’ Nobody and happy about it, but we’re popular music. told me about this. It makes me proud we’re getting the spotlight, I thought this was because we deserve it.” Due to her popularity only in the maga- and that of husband , the duo zines I bought are now country’s superstar couple — a posi- at the airport, tion that sometimes makes Lambert upset. and now we’re in The constant tabloid coverage on the state them!” news calendar releases q&a click here to read click here to read click here to read click here to read

Hippie Love Punk Seth James last year, Canada has seized the finish out its third season on the Texas Plus announced during the 49th annual ACM and opportunity to take the lead of the now four- syndicated network. The new episodes have Awards for a move to Texas next year in the Departed be- piece band. With Canada’s songwriting and even more of a focus on the music, getting honor of the show’s 50th anniversary. “I’m gan work on a vocals at the forefront again, long-time Rag- back to the basics of what it takes to make so proud of what Texas is to country music,” new full-length weed fans have something to look forward it as a Texas singer-. The final says Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. “It’s al- album this month to. “It’s a hippie love punk record,” Canada seven episodes of the season include a va- most like Friday night football in Texas. It’s a at the historic quips. “Hey ... that could be a good title.” riety of Texas music, including country, pop, tradition.” Blake Shelton — better known to Arlyn Studios Americana and alternative. Returning trou- Texans as Miranda Lambert’s better half — in Austin, plan- Dose of Reality badours include Zane Williams, Josh Grider, and Luke Bryan will return as ACM hosts. ning on a release Cody Johnson, Curtis Grimes, date this fall. The Michaelis and Kylie Rae Har- follow-up to their ris, while the final episodes also 2012 album of showcase both new talent, in- original material, cluding Andrew Ripp and Jack- Adventus, the opierce, and troubadours living new record finds the dream, such as Ray Wylie former Cross Hubbard, , Jack Canadian Ragweed frontman Cody Canada Ingram, , Roger returning to his musical roots after several Creager and more. Co-creator years spent pursuing other creative paths. The reality television series Troubadour, TX of the series Stacy Dean Camp- Since the amicable exit of vocalist/guitarist returned April 26 with all-new episodes to bell narrates the docu-reality series, and appears each week in a seg- ment where he offers advice to the participants. Texas-Sized Celebration

Eighteen minutes — that’s how long it took country music fans to snap up all 70,000 tickets for next year’s 50th anniver- sary of the Academy of Coun- try Music Awards. The awards show is set for April 19, 2015, at AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, in Arlington. The show and its surrounding activities typically take place in Las Vegas, but plans were news calendar releases q&a click here to read click here to read click here to read click here to read calendar

MAY

22–6/8 new releases Quiet Valley Ranch Homemade Tamales: Kerrville April 15 Room 8 www.kerrville-music.com Live at Floores April 15 Rodney Crowell New West 23–25 Fredericksburg Crawfish Festival April 15 Ray Bonneville Easy Gone Red House Marketplatz April 27 Philip Gibbs Box Canyon Self Fredericksburg April 29 Old 97s Most Messed Up ATO www.fbgcrawfish.com April 29 The Footnotes Comin’ Home Rodeo Cold National Polka Festival Various venues April 29 Asylum Street Spankers The Last Laugh Yellow Dog Ennis May 3 Leslie Krafka on•ward Smallz www.nationalpolkafestival.com May 6 Josh Grider Luck & Desire Amp 24–27 May 6 Elias Haslanger Live at the Gallery Cherrywood Llano’s Blue Bell and Bluegrass Festival May 13 Everything I Should Have Said Devil’s River Historic Courthouse Square Llano May 13 Carrie Elkin & Danny Schmidt For Keeps Red House www.llanochamber.org May 13 Jonny Burke EP Dreamcar May 13 Levi Weaver Your Ghost Keeps Finding Me Rock Ridge JUNE May 13 Collin Herring Some Knives Self Aaron Behrens (Ghostland Observatory) plays with the 7–8 May 13 Having A Party: Live Cleopatra Midnight Stroll. Texas Folklife Festival HemisFair Park May 27 Mark Jones & Twenty Paces Breaking Even Self NEON DESERT MUSIC FESTIVAL San Antonio May 27 & Bruce Robison Our Year Premium May 24-25 • El Paso www.texasfolklifefestival.org May 27 The Ghost Wolves Man, Woman, Beast Plowboy www.neondesertmusicfestival.com 12–15 May 27 Nick Verzosa & Love In Principle Tiyaga Over the past three years, more than 30,000 fans have attended the ROT Biker Rally The Noble Union Travis County Expo Center Neon Desert Music Festival, and, for the first time, the popular outdoor June 3 Mingo Fishtrap On Time Blue Corn event will take place over two days when it takes over Cleveland Square Austin Park in Downtown El Paso on Memorial Day weekend. “It just gets better www.rotrally.com June 3 Miranda Lambert Platinum Sony every year,” organizer Zach Paul says. “We’re going to fill downtown with amazing music, artists, vendors, visitors and locals for an incredible 14 June 3 Rosie and the Ramblers Whatever You Need Self weekend-long event.” Zedd, a 2014 Grammy-winning electronic music Texas Blueberry Festival June 3 Shy Blakeman Live at Billy Bob’s Smith producer and DJ, will join Grammy nominee Wiz Khalifa, MGMT and Calle Downtown Nacogdoches 13 as the headliners. The diverse lineup also includes another Grammy www.tbf.nacogdoches.org June 17 Willie Nelson Band of Brothers Legacy nominee, Capital Cities, and Latin Grammy nominee Hello Seahorse!, It Will Come to Pass: The Meta- along with Panteón Rococó, The Bloody Beetroots, A$AP Ferg, GTA, 26–29 June 17 Willie Nelson physical Worlds and Poetic Omni Crystal Fighters, Classixx and more. More than 20 artists are expected Luling Watermelon Thump Introspections of Willie Nelson to perform, including groups playing hip-hop, electronic, Latin, indie and Downtown Luling rock. Tickets cost $75 and can be purchased on the website. www.watermelonthump.com June 24 Matt Harlan Raven Hotel Berkalin Aug. 5 Nicholas Altobelli Mesocyclone Dalton news calendar releases q&a click here to read click here to read click here to read click here to read

Gus Samuelson Trudy Lynn Collin Herring Leslie Krafka American Soul Royal Oaks Blues Café Some Knives |on•ward| Self-Released Connor Ray Self Smallz

Gus Samuelson A swaggering, It’s been five With less har- has been a DFW thundering shout- years since Collin monica and radio personal- er who backs Herring released mandolin, Leslie ity for years, a up from no one, an album, and Krafka’s second music biz pro- native his fifth studio album, |on•ward|, fessional for de- Trudy Lynn con- effort, produced could encourage cades and (from tinues to work the by of comparisons to the sound of club scene and Centro-matic, is Jewel, though it) a gifted gui- record. Her latest shrouded in shad- it’s not likely tar picker since finds the Queen ow. “Psychopaths to leave a last- birth. He’s been of the Blues in a like me don’t shiv- ing impression. nurturing his musical chops all the while, retro frame of mind, and she dials her deliv- er,” the Fort Worth native bellows on tense While her voice is serviceable and her sense sometimes fronting the country/R&B band ery back just a notch for somewhat minimal- opener “Psychopaths,” as he sings of obses- of narrative sleek, her lyrics suffer at times Swampadelic, sometimes co-writing or sit- ist versions of tunes that reach back over sion, disconnection and stubbornly loving from obvious or contrived rhymes, such ting in with higher-profile regional artists. half a century and put her voice in surround- the wrong woman atop jangly electric gui- as “scen’ry/green’ry” (from the otherwise But he’s made what may be his most enduring ings that feel natural compared to some of tar and pounding drums. Eerie pedal steel, standout track “South Texas Fall”). Her ren- work yet with American Soul, setting aside her previous , which featured bigger, played by Herring’s father, haunts “Kicked dition of the /Hayes Carll the full-tilt band and the well-known friends brassy productions. Working with Houston Around,” the tale of a long-term relationship co-write “Drunken Poet’s Dream,” which to put the focus on his songwriting, his voice journeymen Rock Romano, Steve Crase and grown passive and stagnant, while Pence’s she recasts by singing as the voice of the and his guitar. Despite the gamble of pulling Jonn del Toro Richardson, Lynn is perfect- dynamic drums are the standout on the muse, treads dangerously close to sounding so much focus to himself, the result doesn’t ly at home on jumpers like “Red Light” as spare, slow-burning, electro-tinged “Differ- like an outtake from a ses- bear a trace of vanity: Samuelson wears well as quieter pieces like “Street Walkin’ ent Ways,” a murky ode to the grey areas sion, but it also shows that with better ma- humility and intimacy well, singing original Daddy” and “Feel It.” The opening cover of that keep individuals from connecting with terial Krafka has potential. “Whiskey High” songs ranging from hard country (“Shade of Jay McShann’s “(I’m Gonna) Play the Honky others. Equal parts country, folk and punk seems destined to be the audience sing- Black & The Blues”) to nimble blues (“In The Tonks” sets the whole album up nicely, and rock, Herring’s plaintive vocals recall the along from this set, deceptively simple and Water”) to sweet, lounge-friendly acoustic when Lynn closes with “Whip It To Jelly,” the best of both R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe and alt- unchallenging yet with a sense of humor. If pop (“I Don’t Want To Wait”) with the easy double-entendre sex quotient feels exactly folk king , with earnest, poetic anything, she’s trying too hard on some of grace of a talented guest who’s just happy to right. Featuring lost nuggets by forgotten lyrics to match. Some Knives exposes the her songs, like “Beauty,” by singing counter share the warmth of your living room for an early female writers like Clara Smith, Eloise darkest corners of doubts and fears, show- to the melody and sounding neither polished hour. The gospel-tinged good vibes of “Love Bennett and Viviane Greene, the album feels ing how the past and future are ever inter- enough nor gritty enough for that technique Is A Strong Word” and “I Know Where To Go” like a priceless collector’s item discovered twined despite our best attempts to sweep to be effective. Under the wing of co-pro- fairly radiate out of the speakers, serving as accidentally at a garage sale. past hurts away. Or as Herring puts it on ducers Terri Hendrix and , she particularly high points in a fine collection of — WILLIAM MICHAEL SMITH the slyly titled “Woke Up the Same”: “Last may develop into a fine performer, but ulti- songs from a man whose “side gig” is clearly words are strange, oh how they linger / Oh, mately this album is the musical equivalent more than a hobby and no less than a passion. how you’ve changed.” — ALLIE EISSLER of a bowl of frozen custard — smooth, sweet — MIKE MESSICK and forgettable. — MARIE BRADEN news calendar releases q&a click here to read click here to read click here to read click here to read q&a Armando Sanchez the population of Mexican nationals flattens or low to be able to withstand the lulls, identify decreases, and so do Latin music sales. I think great music makers at any level who may digital sales account for only 10 to 15 percent of have a distribution need I can fill, do right by overall sales in the Regional Mexican category, the artist, and consider any new avenues for according to Billboard, so the physical CD is selling music. real important in that niche. You distribute a good number of popular Latin You’re an aficionado of the Houston conjunto/ music acts. Is there a different strategy with Tejano scene, which seems to have shrunk. those acts versus your rock and country What happened to that market? clients? It’s struggled to retain the under-30 The main difference is that my Latin music demographic. As Tejano fans from peak business is still chain-driven for the most years of the ‘90s have aged, their kids aren’t part. We’re able to place a few titles each

necessarily listening to Tejano music. And Sanchez (right) with wife Eva and Los Lobos’ Dave Hidalgo. month into Walmart stores. With my general if they are, they’re probably cherry-picking market catalog, I focus on indie retail via my songs online, not buying the full album. largest indie distribution account, Alliance Although there’s plenty of young talent in start a business. It’s like deciding to propose Entertainment — my best channel to reach Tejano music, they don’t have the opportunity to your girlfriend or having kids; you can indie stores nationally. to develop given the limited representation of always come up with valid reasons to wait. At Tejano music on terrestrial radio. some point you just have to do it or it’ll never You’re working with Max Baca and Los I work with lots of Tejano artists happen. I’m looking at where my role will be Texmaniacs on a new release. and also singer- on the general in this business in the coming years, and the Max approached me with a project that’s market side, and oddly there are parallels recording arm allows me to be more involved more mainstream than his previous three A graduate of Texas A&M, Armando Sanchez to their business models. They can’t rely in the creative process. It’s rewarding to be Texmaniacs records, which are more conjunto- of Clear Lake has spent most of his adult life on mainstream radio support, so they need able to say, “This record doesn’t get made based. Max wanted to make a record that in the music business, part of it at Sony as to tour as much as possible to promote the without me.” I’ve often been handed master could reach more music fans, but he’s long sales director for Latin music distribution. new album. And they’re putting out their and artwork files and thought, “I’d have done been a sought-after bajo player, so he’s been But after a couple of decades working with a own records. That said, a few Tejano clubs in this or that differently.” So here’s my chance. pulled into that musical current for a long major label and distributors, Sanchez struck Houston and around Texas can still pull full time. Right now, he’s to the bajo what Flaco out on his own a few years back with South houses on the right night with the right band. With the massive changes in the structure Jimenez is to the accordion: an ambassador Central Music, a distribution company dealing I’m talking 1,000+ for a big group like La Mafia. of the music business, what’s the current of the instrument. primarily in records for the Latin market. So the market is still there, but certainly not model for distributors? I perceived that Max had outgrown the Recently Sanchez has also formed a new label as big as in its ‘90s heyday. The emphasis has shifted from physical box the business had placed him in and needed and is investing in select local acts. distribution to digital — and now streaming — at least a bigger box. That’s what we’ve tried You’ve recently started your own label. services, so for larger distributors it’s mostly to do with this record. Max recruited Steve Is the Latin market growing overall? What was your motivation, thought process, scaling back operations to the level of demand Berlin of Los Lobos to produce and had his It’s hard to tell because of shifts in rationale? for physical goods and continuing to add Texmaniacs for the session work. He also technology, immigration and assimilation. G e t ti n g i nvo l ve d a s a n i nve s to r i n M i ke Sti n s o n ’s catalog, especially for digital distribution and brought in some high-profile guest talents like Without continuous immigration from , last project [Hell and Half of Georgia] really got streaming, where costs are minimal because Augie Meyers, , Rick Trevino, David the market shrinks because the younger me interested in possibly starting a recording they already own the recordings. My company Hidalgo, Alejandro Escovedo and Kevin Fowler. demographic assimilates so rapidly. I’ve company. I’d thought about it long before that, is much smaller, so I’ve always been focused So what came out on the other end was a kind always thought politics plays a bigger role but the math never worked. It still doesn’t. But on artists who are their own label. What do of gumbo that’s Texas music — a fun, very in the Latin market than any other factor. If physical distribution is shrinking, not growing, they need, and what role can I fill? My model accessible record. immigration laws are more strictly enforced, and there’s probably never the perfect time to hasn’t changed since day one: keep overhead — WILLIAM MICHAEL SMITH