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Tag: Charley Crockett

  • Charley Crockett’s $10 Cowboy Tour Lights Up 713 Music Hall

    Charley Crockett’s $10 Cowboy Tour Lights Up 713 Music Hall

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    Charley Crockett
    $10 Cowboy Tour
    713 Music Hall
    September 3, 2024

    Have you ever met a stranger and been completely amazed by their entire demeanor? The kids these days would call it “swag” or “vibes,” which is something magical and intangible about the person’s attitude. That’s exactly how I feel about Charley Crockett. His chiseled jawline and piercing green eyes attract your attention, and then BOOM!… His voice and southern twang grabs a hold of your soul and doesn’t let go.

    Crockett began his set at 713 Music Hall with $10 Cowboy, where he sings “people always ask me, if I’m a rodeo star / doubt if I got 8 seconds / but I can sing you a song!” He definitely fits the casting call for a vintage cowboy film: leather jacket, Stetson on his crown, wranglers and boots. He carries his guitar around the stage like dancing partner, flashing his pearly-white smile with the precision of a heart surgeon.

    The singer-songwriter is a native of San Benito, Texas – the same hometown as Freddy Fender of Texas Tornados fame. He later moved to Dallas and also spent time with family in New Orleans, no doubt absorbing every character and experience he encountered into his repertoire of inspiration.

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    Crockett is a native of San Benito, Texas – the same hometown as Freddy Fender of Texas Tornados fame.

    Photo by Violeta Alvarez

    The amber colored accent lights that flanked him and his band on stage added to the warm feel of the show. This wasn’t a modern country set with pyro, lasers, and songs about your dog dying in your truck down by the river. This was more subdued, classic country music with heavy blues influence. “I used to think I was a folk singer” he told the audience. “But then I realized this ain’t nothing but The Blues!”

    Crockett mostly sings in a low baritone voice, almost like Johnny Cash or Kris Kristofferson. But peppered in between verses and jam sessions with his band The Blue Drifters, he sometimes allows a yelp and a yee-haw ring out, shifting from serious to rowdy in a split second. In that regard, he reminds me more of Waylon Jennings and Hank Williams Jr.

    “Some publication once called me a stylistic man” Crockett told the crowd. “The way I see it, I’m always just myself… and I’m the only person that can do that!” A lady named Juliet, who was enjoying the show next to me, said “He definitely looks like a character from the movie Giant (1956) starring Rock Hudson, James Dean, and Elizabeth Taylor. I quickly added the film to my “must watch” list.

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    Crockett mostly sings in a low baritone voice, like Johnny Cash or Kris Kristofferson, but his stage presence is that of Waylon Jennings or Hank Williams Jr.

    Photo by Violeta Alvarez

    By the time the set list arrived at “The Man From Waco,” Crockett was in total control. There were couples two-stepping around the venue, friend groups drinking beer and singing along to the tracks, and girlfriends holding their boyfriends tight around the waist. I go to a lot of shows, but outside of Rodeo season, this was the most Houston show I’ve seen in a very long time.

    There were 2 large, old school neon letters on the stage behind the band, and they read “CC.” It was so cool to see them glow behind Crockett throughout the performance, and they added to the western theme of the tour. As the evening came to a close, the crowd chanted “Charley! Charley! Charley!”

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    Outside of Rodeo season, this Charley Crockett concert was the most Houston show I’ve seen in a very long time.

    Photo by Violeta Alvarez

    Of course Charley and his band returned for an encore, offering Jamestown Ferry before bringing out opening act Vincent Neil Emerson for an awesome cover of Good Hearted Woman by Waylon and Willie.

    But she never complains of the bad times
    Or the bad things he’s done, Lord /
    She just talks about the good times they’ve had
    And all the good times to come

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    “Next time you see me, I’ll play twice as good!” – Charley Crockett

    Photo by Violeta Alvarez

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    Crocketts encore included a cover of “Good Hearted Woman” by Waylon and Willie.

    Photo by Violeta Alvarez

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    Marco Torres

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  • Houston Concert Watch 8/28:  Charley Crockett, Squeeze and More

    Houston Concert Watch 8/28: Charley Crockett, Squeeze and More

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    Ah, the bliss of youthful ignorance, a totally misplaced sense of confidence and an unswerving conviction that “it will be fine.” This thought crossed my mind when I read about an amusement park ride at Six Flags Mexico that ceased operation for ten minutes during a storm this past weekend, leaving stranded passenger hanging about 250 feet in the air. For the record, the name of the ride is “The Sky Screamer.” I’ll bet!

    I’m pretty sure that none of the kids on the ride worried for an instant about such an incident prior to boarding the ride. When it comes to rides, kids don’t think twice before jumping on the Nausea Whirl in a shopping center parking lot, unconcerned by the fact that the ride was assembled by a bunch of toothless carny tweakers just hours before. But I was one of those kids in the early days of Astroworld. The only thing I ever really worried about was some yahoo next to me in the Barrel of Fun throwing up and, thanks to centrifugal force, having the effluvia hit me in the face. For more cheap thrills, please see below.

    Ticket Alert


    The Rev. Horton Heat, a true Texas treasure, will play at Main Street Crossing on Wednesday, January 8. Tickets are on sale now, so snag them quickly if you are looking for a serious psychobilly fix.

    Iconic metal band Judas Priest will be on tour this fall, performing in support of its latest album, Invincible Shield. Incredible as it seems, lead vocalist Rob Halford (“The Metal God”) can still hit all of the high notes, or at least most of them. The Houston show is on Tuesday, October 22, at the Smart Financial Centre, and good seats are still available.

    Concerts This Week

    It has been said that most rock stars would like to be actors (e.g. Mick Jagger in Freejack) and most actors would like to be rock stars (e.g. Corey Feldman opening for Limp Bizkit on the band’s current tour). Add to the latter category Jared Leto, who will perform with his band Thirty Seconds to Mars on Thursday at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion.

    To be fair, Leto and his crew have been at it for over 20 years, releasing their debut album, produced by industry legend Bob Ezrin (Alice Cooper, Kiss, Pink Floyd), in 2001. Considering that Leto’s mega-bummer film Requiem for a Dream was released just before work on the album began, it makes sense that Leto would have been looking for a rock and roll distraction at that point.

    The early ‘80s music scene will be represented on Thursday at the 713 Music Hall by beloved British band Squeeze (“Tempted,” “Black Coffee in Bed’) and Boy George, formerly of Culture Club (“Do You Really Want to Hurt Me,” “Karma Chameleon”). Both acts were leaders of the new wave movement and seen often in the early days of MTV, so the billing makes sense. Squeeze and Boy George are alternating opening and closing the evening on this tour, so if you have a particular favorite of the two, get there early and don’t miss out.

    America doesn’t usually get mentioned in the first breath when “bands of the ‘70s” are discussed, but that isn’t necessarily fair. Sure, the group’s first single, “Horse with No Name,” was viewed by some as a crass Neil Young rip off. Even Young’s father thought that America was Neil and called to complement his son when he heard the song on the radio.

    Nevertheless, a hit-filled career followed, helped in no small part by the fact that Beatles producer George Martin was behind the board for singles like “Tin Man,” “Sister Golden Hair” and “Lonely People.” America will perform at the Smart Financial Centre on Sunday, with Al Stewart (“Year of the Cat”) opening. Gotta love a guy like Stewart, who name checks Peter Lorre in a pop song.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC81z_tZ-E8
    Charley Crockett could be viewed as a savior of country music. These days, few artists are able to capture the sound and the heart of classic country better than Crockett. For an example, check out the performance of the title track from his latest album, $10 Cowboy. But Crockett is more than a latter-day Ernest Tubb. He’s one hell of a bluesman, making him a favorite of those who dig a rootsy sound. Crockett performs on Tuesday at the 713 Music Hall.

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    Tom Richards

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