Alright alright alright. Tomorrow is Friday. Well not for most of you, but for me it is. Our annual company retreat is this weekend, so we’re headed to the coast for some R&R, team building, and to put some of the money we normally spend on retreat weekend back in to the economy of Port Aransas. Port A was one of the many coastal Texas towns that was devastated by Hurricane Harvey last year. Our trip this year will not only be fun but will also help rejuvenate one of my favorite towns and I’m proud to be a part of that.
What would a trip to the coast be without a playlist to go along with the weekend? This one is full of tunes about the Texas coast, good old fashioned drinking songs, and a couple of different sounding songs you might not expect from me. I think I mentioned once before that I’ve got a hell of a CD collection, but I don’t feel like explaining my extraordinarily wide taste of music. One day I’ll dive into it. Just trust me, it’s weird. Like a faction of people wanting to change the name of the state capital of Texas from Austin to something else kind of weird.
Just like the other playlist post I did, the Amazon Music player is below. Even further down the page you’ll find a list of each song and a little breakdown about it or why I chose it. Enjoy!
Coast – Shane Smith and the Saints || This is pretty self explanatory. It’s a song about heading for the coast… Which is what I’m doing on Thursday…. Get it? Plus Shane Smith and the Saints have constantly been on my playlists lately.
Galveston Bay – Parker McCollum || Spent the weekend in Galveston for the first time a couple of weeks ago and this song has a whole new visual aspect for me. It may not be where we’re headed tomorrow, but it’s still a part of the Texas coast.
The Hard Way – Turnpike Troubadours || Probably my favorite song off the latest Turnpike album. I was pretty bummed when they didn’t play it live, but we could only hear like every 5th word Felker said because of some sound issues so it didn’t matter too much.
Frio Flood – Paul Eason || Eason’s sophomore album “The Mountains of Nuevo Leon” is one of my all time favorites. I first downloaded it when I was spending a summer in New Jersey for an internship and his songwriting was full of strong imagery and relate-able subjects that gave me the little piece of home I was missing in Yankee land. This album is just as good and Frio Flood is a catchy tune.
Sunrise – Ryan Bingham || This track comes off the “Mescalito” album, which may be one of the greatest Texas Country albums ever. My amateur music blogging skill can’t begin to do it justice. Just go listen to it.
Nobody’s Fool – Wade Bowen || I was in a mood for an older Wade Bowen song, but not one that reminded me of any of my Ex’s. This one was memory free and upbeat enough for some beer drinking.
Flash Flood – Randy Rogers Band || Favorite song off this album. I think everyone has probably had that “Flash Flood” moment when they see and ex, or new crush, for the first time and get all the feels. This is that song, but upbeat.
Kissing Tree – The Spencer Lee Band || So about that different music I mentioned earlier… I honestly don’t know what this song is really about. Every time I try to listen to it for lyrical content I get distracted by the catchy tune/beat and find myself bobbing my head without paying attention to a single word. Fun track.
Men & Coyotes – Red Shahan || This tune has a kind of eerie loneliness to it. It opens up kind of slow and quiet but build into the chorus, where Red really gets after it and starts to howl. Or maybe it’s a yodel? I’m not really sure but, either way, it’s badass.
Trinity River – Charley Crockett || My wife and I were lucky to get to see Crockett earlier this year with her sister and brother-in-law. He is every bit as good in person as he is on his album. Stand up bass, trumpets, banjos, suspenders, and bolo tie – this dude lives to jam and it’s evident in this song’s New Orleans sound.
Texas Highway – Cody Bryan Band || The coast is mentioned. A lot of other cool Texas things are mentioned. The band is good, the dude can sing, what more do you want?
Shadow People – Koe Wetzel || There’s something a little dark about this track, but it’s got the Texas Country/Southern Rock crossover sound that Koe is made for. My wife hates his name, so I love when his tunes display on my truck media screen and she has to look at it.
Corpus Christi Bay – Robert Earl Keen || Dare I say the quintessential song about the Texas coast. How could I have a playlist for the coast and exclude this one?
White House Road – Tyler Childers || A song so Americana that Americana ought to think about renaming itself Childerscana for a day. It’s gritty, real, and apologetically American. Not to mention that it contains one of the all time great lines “get me drinking that moonshine, get me higher than the grocery bill”. HIGHER THAN THE GROCERY BILL. Is that even possible for some folks? Looking at you Whole Foods.
Texas Rain – Shotgun Rider || My buddy Reed doesn’t think SGR sounds like a young Gary Alan on some of their songs. This is one of those tracks. It’s a good beer drinking song with a catchy chorus that most Texans can relate to.
Gulf Moon – John Baumann || We got to see John Baumann open for Flatland Cavalry and William Clark Green earlier this year. Dude was great live, so I started listening to more of his stuff and following him on Instagram. Shortly after that, “Gulf Moon” was select for Kenny Chesney’s new album. I read an article about this selection and it was describe as Baumann’s attempt to write a song for his old man describing a night on the coast. Its slower tempo and soft picking make a perfect tune to round out this playlist.
