Back at it again on a beautiful Thursday evening from San Antonio, TX. I’ve got some music and beer, both of which I’m trying for the first time, as well as my laptop and speaker setup on the back patio. It’s been a long week coming off a fun weekend at the Frio and looking ahead to my buddy’s bachelor party next weekend isn’t helping the days go by any faster.
There’s been a bit of a trend develop on Westbound Soul of writing about bands that are on their way up in the musical world, so I decided to stick with that trend and chose Shotgun Rider’s new album as my subject this week. They come as a recommendation from a friend who’s about as tapped into the Texas Country music scene as a person can possibly be.
My setup is a little different today once again. I’ve switched back to a bluetooth speaker, but this time it’s my UE Boom 2, which is a bigger, cylinder shaped, and more badass version of the UE Roll. Like I mentioned, I’m out on the patio enjoying what’s turned out to be a cool evening. So ignore the decrepit fence and neighbors houses right on top of us. This is a rental and the management company sucks.
As is the routine, my listening & writing environment is being influenced by some liquid inspiration. This week I picked up a six pack of Karbach Brewing Co.’s (Houston, TX) summer ale. I almost grabbed this one last week but wasn’t really in the mood for an ale. A friend happened to text me over the weekend about how he was digging this particular brew so it made the cut for today. Tasty Waves is a light, citrusy, brew that’s refreshing and easy to drink. Perfect for the hot summer days upon us and perfect for checking out some new music.
It’s now a few hours after I started on this post, I got distracted by food and a baseball game. Let’s just say there’s been a few tasty waves downed, but I’ve been listening to Shotgun Rider on and off this entire time. Vocally they’ve got a real similar style to Gary Allan, but their music as a whole isn’t nearly as over-produced sounding as Allan. There’s just enough steel guitar to connect them to some of the deep roots of Texas music, but not so much that they play themselves into the sound-preference of an older generation altogether.
Considering that Shotgun Rider is from the panhandle, their songwriting does a great job of capturing that lonely insignificance you tend to come across if you ever spend much time alone under that wide panhandle sky. Like some of the other musicians I’ve covered on here before, these guys have a talent for song writing. Their songs epitomize many of the real life situations and struggles that young people encounter in the panhandle of Texas, as well as around the world.
“A little whiskey, a little misery, wondering how I got here”, is just one example of that down to earth song writing that most of us can relate to. We’ve all had those moments and Shotgun Rider sets them to a tune that makes the words hurt just enough that you want to keep coming back for more.
Favorite 3 Tracks:
Bottom of This Crown
Nothin’ at All
Texas Rain
Make sure to check out their tour dates so you can see them when they’re at a dancehall near you and if you haven’t heard of them before, check them out and pick up their album “Palo Duro” whenever you get the chance.
Questions or comments about Shotgun Rider or Texas music in general? Social media will get you a damn-near immediate response, so contact us on twitter or instagram @westboundsoul or leave a comment below.
