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Tag: West Texas Exiles

  • Houston Concert Watch 9/24: Jimmie Vaughan, Whiskey Myers and More

    We music geeks are, by and large, completists. Record companies know this, which is why, even in an era when physical media is becoming a thing of the past, they keep releasing “deluxe,” “expanded” or “complete” editions of classic rock albums.

    The formula is generally this.  Remix the album in question, add a disc or two of alternate versions of songs and maybe a few tunes that didn’t make the cut when the album was initially released, and find some live recordings (sometimes an entire concert) from the era. Throw in reproductions of ephemera (backstage passes, decals, maybe a poster) and perhaps a modest coffee table book, and you’ve got something that can be sold for a premium price. And that’s how you generate some cash flow from material that has already been bought and paid for.

    Do I sound skeptical or, at the very least, cynical? Of course I do. I’m a music writer. Or maybe my attitude has to do with having bought bootlegs that promise “revelatory” alternate takes and mixes which, in point of fact, offer little more than slight variations on what was actually released. But, having said that, there are some box set behemoths that are slated for release within the next few months that are, in fact, worthy of consideration.

    Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here 50th Anniversary Deluxe Box Set (2 CD / 4 LP / 1 Blu-Ray)
    Jethro Tull – Still Living in the Past (5 CD / 1 Blu-Ray)
    Bruce Springsteen – Nebraska ’82 (4 CD / 1 Blu-Ray)
    Little Feat – The Last Record Album (4 CD)
    The Who – Who Are You? Super Deluxe Edition (7 CD / 1 Blu-Ray)
    Jimi Hendrix – Axis Bold as Love (4 CD)
    The Beatles – Anthology 2025 (8 CD)

    Ticket Alert
    Christmas music comes in all forms, so if your jam is of the singer-songwriter variety, you can load up the sleigh and head to the Heights Theater for Jack Ingram’s “Acoustic Holiday Tour.” Tickets for the Houston (Fine, Woodlands) native son’s show on Saturday, December 13, are on sale now.

    Cardi B has a new album (Am I the Drama?) coming out, and she is taking the unusual step of appearing at Walmarts across the country to pimp it during the record’s rollout. The Houston Walmart stop took place yesterday, but don’t despair if you missed it, since Ms. B will be perform at Toyota Center on Wednesday, March 3. Presales are in progress, with the general sale set for Thursday. Hmm. Makes you wonder. Is a ZZ Top promotional tour at Buc-ee’s across Texas in the offing?

    In the tradition of Prince, who for a time went by the moniker “The Artist Formerly Known as Prince,” Kanye West, who legally changed his name to “Ye,” and Sean Combs, who has been known as “Puffy,” “Puff Daddy,” “P. Diddy” and just “Diddy,” Machine Gun Kelly has decided that he will henceforth be known as MGK. OK. The musical chameleon will play the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on Saturday, May 23, with Wiz Khalifa and Beauty School Dropout opening.  Tickets are on sale now.

    Concerts This Week
    Granted, there aren’t many original Temps or Tops remaining, but you can’t argue with the catalogs that both acts assembled during the ‘60s and ‘70s. The Temptations: “My Girl,” “Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me),” “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone.” The Four Tops: “Baby I Need Your Loving,” “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch),” “It’s The Same Old Song,” “Reach Out I’ll Be There.” If that list doesn’t get your head to bobbing, well, I don’t know what to tell you. Get your groove on tonight at the Smart Financial Centre.
    Chance the Rapper is not your typical rap artist. Gospel and jazz influences pop up in his work, and his lyrics have dealt with subjects not usually addressed in rap, such as Christian theology. Chance will perform on Friday at the Bayou Music Center, and you can find out more by taking a look at this Houston Press interview.
    There are two shows of note this week at the Mucky Duck. On Friday, blues / Americana artist Seth Walker will be in town to showcase tunes from his most recent album Why the Worry. Then on Saturday, the West Texas Exiles will celebrate the release of their new record 8000 Days with early and late shows. For more on the Exiles, check out this week’s Houston Press interview with the band.. Tickets for all performances are in short supply, so getting while the getting is good would be the recommendation.
    Charlie Wilson earned his bona fides as the lead singer of the Gap Band for the entirety of the group’s existence, 1967-2010. Wilson has also distinguished himself as a solo artist and a producer. On Friday, Wilson will bring “Uncle Charlie’s R&B Cookout” to the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, presenting a bill that also includes venerable old-school artists Babyface and K-Ci (of Jodeci fame). Now, since this event is billed as a “cookout” and is designed to engender a “cookout” atmosphere, there will, I image, be a code of behavior that should be followed. This video might help those who have not yet been schooled. And this one, re: potato salad.
    Whiskey Myers and its “What We Were Born to Do” tour rolls into the Pavilion on Saturday. This band, the pride of Palestine, TX, has a country twang but still rocks hard when the need arises. Dexter and the Moonrocks, purveyors of what they call “western space grunge,” and Landon Smith will open.
    Jimmie Vaughan was, at one time, a wild-ass teenaged guitarist lighting it up with the Chessmen in the mid-‘60s and making a name for himself as one of the best players in Texas. After a few years, though, Vaughan looked to the past, refining his style and wholly embracing the blues. He formed the Fabulous Thunderbirds with Kim Wilson and recorded classic albums like What’s the Word? (1980) before departing the band to explore less commercial but more authentic musical pastures. Vaughan and his Tilt-a-Whirl band will play the Heights Theater on Sunday, conducting a master class in the blues, with Houston’s own rising star Mathias Lattin opening.

    Tom Richards

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  • The West Texas Exiles Step onto Main Street with 8000 Days

    During the 19th century, Horace Greeley wrote, “Go west, young man!” and encouraged those seeking a better life to head past the Mississippi River toward the riches that were promised in frontier America.

    In the case of the West Texas Exiles, it was actually a case of heading east to find their fortune. Toward Austin, specifically, which has historically been the musical land of opportunity in the Lone Star state. While the band members may have made their initial journeys separately, they quickly found each other, and, as Hunter Thompson once said, referencing Herman Melville, “Genius [stood] hand in hand, and a shock of recognition ran the whole circle round.”

    That was a few years ago. Today, the West Texas Exiles – Marco Gutierrez (lead vocals, guitar), Colin Gilmore (guitar, mandolin, vocals), Daniel Davis (keyboards, guitar, vocals), Eric Harrison (bass, vocals) and Trinidad Leal (drums) – are on tour celebrating the release of their first full-length album with two shows on Saturday, September 27, at the Mucky Duck.
    On a bright fall morning, the Exiles are all gathered around a laptop, speaking via Zoom from Nashville and the AmericanaFest. The band prefers to do interviews with all members present, and, while somewhat unusual, it’s probably a good idea in this case, as it quickly becomes obvious that the Exiles have a strong connection and, collectively, a wicked sense of humor. The identifier on the Zoom screen says, “West Texa Sexiles.”

    Despite the fact that most artists don’t like labels, your intrepid scribe began the discussion by asking what the term “Americana” means to them.

    “It’s used so much that we now just call it ‘Genericana,’” Gutierrez says. “It means so much that it means nothing.”

    “It’s like everything that’s not ‘country-country.’ If it’s somewhat in the country world but not bro-country or straight-up indie [or] pop. But indie rock leans Americana. Everything that’s not country or pop, that’s Americana,” Harrison says.

    While the Exiles identify as West Texans, at some point they all felt a need to move from their homes. “Austin had a lot of opportunities,” Gilmore explains, “that, for me, Lubbock didn’t quite have. Even though so much good stuff came from Lubbock, there was something going on in Austin.”

    “I love El Paso,” Gutierrez adds, “that’s where I’m from. But you have to drive eight hours to tour anywhere, and that’s a difficult thing. There’s Albuquerque and there’s Tucson, but I think where big things were happening musically was in central Texas. That is part of the reason that we all had to exile ourselves from our hometowns, if we wanted to do this thing for real.” Leal says, “There was a lot of synchronicity, kindred journeys that met at one time and just happened with this band. That’s the cool story about it.”

    “We just act like morons. We’re all past our twenties, you’d think we would start acting like adults, but we’ve shown that we’re never going to stop acting like morons.”

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    The Exiles new album (produced by Harrison and Michael Ingber) is called 8000 Days, and the accompanying video provides a familiar travelogue through Texas, with images of small towns, highways and souvenir shops seen along the way, as the band makes its way from one gig to the next. What does the band do to make touring tolerable?

    Rising from his reclining position on the couch, Davis answers, “Act like complete idiots and make each other laugh.” Then Leal jumps in. “Usually in a band, everybody’s doing their own thing, listening to their own music or whatever, but, for me, our energy is really great travelling.” Back to Gutierrez. “I think the answer to that is that we don’t intentionally do anything. We just act like morons. We’re all past our twenties, you’d think we would start acting like adults, but we’ve shown that we’re never going to stop acting like morons.”

    Putting hijinks on the road aside for a moment, when the band does get serious, what does the creative process look like? What was the mindset when recording began for 8000 Days? “We grabbed some songs that we felt good about, that mixed well together, and showed the breadth of what we’re doing, having three singer-songwriters,” Harrison says. “We wanted to make a cohesive-ish record that hit a bunch of different angles.”
    Speaking of which, how are decisions made as to whose songs are recorded and performed, and in what sorts of ratios, since that can be a big deal for many bands? Gilmore steps up to take this one. “When we play live shows, we look at the setting and [ask], ‘What songs are going to work for the occasion?’ We do try to incorporate a little bit of everybody, but we’re pretty good about putting the ego aside, instead of ‘Oh, it’s my turn.’” Harrison adds, “There’s very little ego with these guys [in terms of] ‘Who’s getting the next song?’ We just kind of feel it [and ask], ‘What’s the best next song right now?’”

    There is an appealing and genuine “Kum-By-Yah” vibe surrounding the Exiles. All of the members seem to have an unwavering commitment to their joint venture. “I have a very small side hustle, but the band comes first. First, second and third,” Gutierrez says. “I do sit in and play with some other bands, but all I do is talk about the West Texas Exiles to all their fans,” Davis adds. Harrison is next. “There’s only one chance you get to be in a band like this, so you’ve got to make room for it.” Then Leal speaks up. “They know, any gig, I’m in. Unless I’m dead!”

    The West Texas Exiles will perform at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 27, at McGonigel’s Mucky Duck, 2425 Norfolk. For more information, call 713-528-5999 or visit mcgonigels.com. $37 and up.

    For more on the West Texas Exiles, visit westtexasexiles.com.

    Tom Richards

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  • Houston Concert Watch 9/17: Charley Crockett, Lil Wayne and More

    According to Keith Richards’ son Marlon, the Rolling Stones may have an album of new material ready to go by the end of the year. As reported by Record Collector Magazine, the younger Richards indicates that the Stones have been working in the studio with producer Andrew Watt, who helmed their 2024 album Hackney Diamonds, a record that represented the band’s first collection of new material in almost two decades.

    It is heartening to hear that the Stones still have some creative coal left in the furnace. Regardless of what the final product may sound like, the fact that these old guys are still making new music is more than impressive.  The Stones who are still standing are raging against the dying light and exhibiting an admirable unwillingness to go gently into that good night.

    Not that there is any indication that the Stones are about to individually or collectively keel over.  I’m speaking metaphorically here.  As we saw last year at NRG Stadium, they can still get the job done and even throw in a few surprises in the process. So I can’t wait to see what the lads come up with this time around.

    And Marlon would seem to be an unimpeachable source, as he was part of the Stones Touring Party since he was an infant, later acting as his father’s majordomo and keeping some of the leeches away from Richards the senior. Nothing like being told to “fuck off” by an eight-year-old.

    Ticket Alert
    If you missed out on getting tickets for the West Texas Exiles at the Mucky Duck on Saturday, September 27, there is good news. A second (late) show has been added on the same night, but tickets are going fast.

    Singer / songwriter / multi-instrumentalist Ben Kweller will perform at the Heights Theater on Tuesday, November 11, touring in support of his latest release, Cover the Mirrors. Tickets are on sale now.

    It’s never too early to start planning for New Year’s Eve, I suppose, so if you don’t already have plans, a show for your consideration is Treaty Oak Revival at Toyota Center on Wednesday, December 31. Treaty Oak, “the rock band with a country accent,” has come a long way since getting its start as a cover band in Odessa around 2018. Tickets go on sale this Friday.

    Mariah the Scientist (so named because she was actually studying to be a pediatric anesthesiologist before deciding on a career in music) will perform at the Bayou Music Center on Saturday, April 4. Presales are in progress, with the general ticket sale on Friday.

    Concerts This Week
    Man, what a week for shows in Houston. We will begin with Samantha Fish at the Heights Theater tonight. Fish is on tour in support of her latest album, Paper Doll, which exhibits her continued growth as a performer and songwriter. For more information, see the Houston Press interview with this blazing guitar player.
    It may seem like a long time until we get to St. Patrick’s Day, but guess what? It’s only six months away! To celebrate (and why not?) Houston’s Celtic rockers the Blaggards will play a “Half Way to St. Paddy’s Day” show at Under the Volcano tonight. As an added inducement, the Volcano is offering half-price Guinness and Irish stew. ‘Cause Knowledge is Power: According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a blaggard is “a person, usually a man, who is not honest or fair and has no moral principles.”
    There are a couple of big shows at Toyota Center this week, the first being a concert from singer-songwriter Benson Boone on Thursday. Boone made some serious noise on Tik Tok in 2021, racking up 1.7 million views before signing a fat record deal. On Saturday, Toyota Center will welcome chanteuse Laufey (pronounced LAY-vay), who cites Frederic Chopin, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Chet Baker as some of her primary musical influences. Not too shabby.
    Groundbreaking rapper Lil Wayne will perform at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on Thursday. How much of a badass is Lil Wayne? His hometown of New Orleans declared in 2024 that “Lil Wayne Day” will be celebrated each year on February 6 and 7.
    Country mega-star Lainey Wilson is also at the Pavilion this week, performing on Saturday. Wilson was raised in Baskin, LA, where she grew up on a musical diet of Buck Owens and Glen Campbell, demonstrating that her parents brought her up right. On Sunday at the Pavilion, it’s an intriguing double bill featuring Leon Bridges and Charley Crockett, two artists who are both traditionalists in their respective genres (R&B and country) and both spent time forging their careers in Texas.
    Jim Lauderdale is well-known as a songwriter, having penned tunes recorded by George Strait, Elvis Costello, the Chicks, Vince Gill and Patty Loveless. But let’s not forget that he is a most engaging performer in his own right. Catch his act on Tuesday at the Mucky Duck.

    Tom Richards

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