Music news with an emphasis on Texas...concert listings...deep and shallow thoughts and your comments on most all of it or you can play along on Twitter...click any of the easy link buttons above to share the blog's content with your techno saavy friends!
It's been a while since I've done an odds and ends post. Stuff that I can't do a full post on or whatever that I still think might interest you in some small way need to have some mention here.
The new movie featuring Tim McGraw drew stars to its red carpet premiere in Green Hills last night (11/12). The Blind Side is a new film starring Sandra Bullock as real-life mom Leigh Anne Tuohy, and McGraw as her husband Sean Tuohy.
Releasing nationwide next Friday, the movie tells the story of the Tuohy family taking in football player Michael Oher when he was a teenager. He now plays for the Baltimore Ravens.
Walking the carpet with McGraw and Faith Hill were Martina McBride, Lady Antebellum, Barbara Mandrell, Rodney Atkins, Clint Black, Kix Brooks, Julianne Hough, and Randy Travis. ** Robert K. Oermann, the music reviewer for Music Row Magazine, really shot down Ragweeds latest.
CROSS CANADIAN RAGWEED/Kick In The Head Writer: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Universal South (ERG) —Murky and muddy sounding. Almost unlistenable.
I'd been mulling over what kind of blog post to write about the CMA Awards from the other night. Most often I'll just do a list of the winners. Since Taylor Swift won everything and 16.8 million viewers watched it, I figured you knew all that by now.
I thought perhaps a place where you could read and see things not posted by other sites would be fun.
Like the official photo pages. You can see rehearsal, red carpet, performance and behind the scene pictures of most of the stars.
How about some of the best lines of the night: Seen and heard onstage and backstage at the 43rd Annual CMA Awards:
* I'm tickled to be nominated in the only category you don't have to go on a diet to be part of. —Mac McAnally receiving Musician of the Year.
* Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be Kanye. —hosts Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood.
* The Oscars are completely lame compared to this. —Patricia Heaton.
* Most importantly, to Country radio, you took a chance on a pop singer from Charleston, SC and God bless you for that. —Darius Rucker accepting New Artist.
* Thank you for what you've done for us, thank you for what you've done for country music. We're honored to be in your category. —Jennifer Nettles to Brooks & Dunn as Sugarland accepted Duo.
* Every single person in that category let me open up for you this year. Thank you so much. —Taylor Swift to fellow Entertainer nominees. And her thanking everyone in the audience for not running up onstage during this speech. Referencing Kanye "Dufus" West.
* Next year we're not going to take any opening acts out. We're through with that. —Brad Paisley, backstage.
* Ah, never thought y’all’d let me come to stuff like this. -Jamey Johnson, accepting the Song of the Year award for “In Color,”
* I love a challenge and now the challenge is to find that next challenge. —Taylor Swift, backstage.
* We can't stand up on this stage and not thank our veterans for what they do. —Lady A's Hillary Scott.
Then there was Wynonna's oddly out of no where comment about Taylor winning "too much too soon. Time is God’s way of keeping everything from happening at once. It’s just too much of a good thing too soon."
Most over the top Madonna/Pink wanna be moment of the awards belonged to former female vocalist of the year winner Carrie Underwood. Really? What was she thinking when she did this awful over produced mess?
You can ACTUALLY sing, Carrie. Please stick with that. Barroom/brothel scenes are sooo beneath you.
The 43rd Annual CMA Awards has become the top story in international coverage. Here's what some are saying:
* The Wall Street Journal: "When youre a rapper and a guy named Little Jimmy Dickens feels free to mock you in public, you know you have some image issues."
* Entertainment Weekly: "Reba McEntire sings her terrific hit 'Consider Me Gone' as though it was a ferocious rebuke to all the country-radio and cable-video channels that resist featuring women over 50."
* San Francisco Chronicle: "Some entertainers peak early in life and stay there and remain a part of our lives for a lifetime. I think that person's Taylor Swift as much as it is Tiger Woods in Golf or LeBron James in the NBA."
* LA Times: "Lady A's win signaled the country establishment's readiness this year to look to country's future more than its proven quantities."
The LA Times also posted a list of what they thought were the Best & Worst moments of the night.
A personal favorite of mine was when George Strait appeared in the Barbara Mandrell tribute. Like George Jones coming in at the end of Barbara's hit "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool"...King George made his brief appearance at the end of Martina McBride's cover. And he sounded like he MEANT it when he sang the words. I loved that!
Of course if you want a list of winners, you can click here.
Click the box for the official site for KILT's 10th Annual 10 Man Jam! The official afterparty again this year at the legendary Firehouse Saloon! _____________________________________________________________________________________
I have highlighted shows that you may want to buy tickets early for or I think will be sell outs red.
Sometimes the dates change or are cancelled and I don't get the info right away. ALWAYS check with the venue before you drive to see a band. And if you find a mistake email me with the subject "Concerts".
No, I don't list all venues in the area. Some venues have no website, some are sooooo out of date there's no reason to look and some don't book enough Texas/Red Dirt music to be on my radar.
Over 2000 Texas music fans click THIS link every month.
Tonight the band performs at The Highline Ballroom. I thought it might be fun to see pictures from their sound check there this afternoon.
I stole these from Jason's Twitter account.
Texas bands who get to play great places like NYC and spread the word always make me so proud.
Check the concert listings here on the blog for details on Jason's acoustic tour with Roger Creager and Cory Morrow. The guys are coming through Houston later this year.
Going out during the week to see live music in the Houston area is a hit or miss kinda thing. It's there.It's just too many people are missing it instead of hitting it. ANd it seems that there's some hitting and missing at the venues that feature it too.
Every so often Davin James will have a great guest on his Wednesday night show at Puffabelly's.
The Firehouse has recently started having acoustic music again on Thursday. Walt Wilkins has been hosting it. But I don't see anything on the schedule after next week.
And sure, The Mucky Duck has music most every night of the week. The performers are top notch but you have to make reservations usually and you can't dance there. The weeknight acoustic series at Dosey Doe in the Woodlands is pretty much the same deal. And I've seen those tickets be as much as $75!
If you want to dance on a Thursday, Blanco's is your best bet. Yes, I have a soft spot for Blanco's because Karin has been like a 2nd Mom to me since I got to Houston. Thursdays, which used to be their big night for touring bands, now is filled with local bands. Good ones, yes. But ones we can see at 15 other places around the area.
Which brings me to a new/old spot in Richmond TX called the Lonestar Saloon (see map below). A fire about a year ago shut down the place but the owners has rebuilt it and made it better.
The divider that cut the place in two is gone. It's not a big open area with a balcony. The stage, which was once the size of a postage stamp, is able to hold a 4 pr 5 piece VERY comfortably.
Shuffleboard and pool, a little sitting area outside, decent parking and waitresses who come to your table to take your drink order. I love that!!
They have recently teamed up with Kyle Hutton - who does the acoustic shows with a big name special guest at the aforementioned Dosey Doe - and Texas music promoter grande dame Corbin Moch to bring the Masked Songwriter Series there for the next 4 weeks.
The 1st one I was invited to attend last week. No one but Kyle and Corbin knew who the artist was. NO ONE!
For $35 you get a great plate of BBQ, amazing seats (actually they are all good as the place hold about 200 comfortably on the first level) and a 60 minute set from an artist you won't see this up close and personal ever. You just don't know who it is until Kay;e introduces him.
Wednesday it was Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel. I have no idea who the next 4 will be. But they promise me they will be of the same star caliber.
I'll be honest with you, Kyle was more of a prop on stage at this one that he is at others. Ray didn't need any prompting to tell great stories about Willie and the early days of the Wheel.
The Lone Star Saloon also will have full bands on the weekends. The Josh Ward Band is there Nov 21. The locals are flocking back to their favorite watering hole. And those of us who live in Houston and want to see something they can't find anywhere else right now will have to drive the short drive down 59 to Richmond.
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The new movie featuring Tim McGraw drew stars to its red carpet premiere in Green Hills last night (11/12). The Blind Side is a new film starring Sandra Bullock as real-life mom Leigh Anne Tuohy, and McGraw as her husband Sean Tuohy. 
