Joe Ely. In Venus in Blue Jeans, Docia dances around the bookstore to "Cool Rockin' Loretta." I don't blame her a bit--I've done the same thing myself. I've never seen Joe give a bad perfomance. It's almost impossible to put him in a category: he plays roots rock, folk, Tejano (one of his standouts is a Tom Russell song about a fighting rooster, "Gallo del Cielo"), alt country, ballads, the list just goes on and on. If you have the chance, see him in person! Otherwise, a good place to start is his "Live at Antone's" CD.
James McMurtry. In Wedding Bell Blues, the hero falls for the heroine when she dances to James McMurtry's "Red Dress." Absolutely! It's one of the sexiest songs ever. McMurtry's another musician who can't be put into a box. He does straight-ahead rock, but he also does wonderful character songs and he's one of the few male singers I know who can write a believable song from a woman's point of view ("The Lights of Cheyenne" is the one I always think of). A great introduction is his "Live in Aught-Three," which also gives you some idea of his live shows. If you're ever in Austin, TX, you may be able to hear him on Wednesdays at the Continental Club.
The Belleville Outfit. The heroine in one of my WIP's plays violin in a funky jazz/rock/country band that sounds suspiciously like these guys. They're not originally from Texas, but they're now based in Austin. Rob Teter and Marshall Hood are on guitars, Jonathan Konya does drums, and Jeff Brown is on upright bass. The phenomenal Connor Forsythe plays piano, and the incomparable Phoebe Hunt is on violin. Nobody sits still at a Belleville Outfit show--if you don't at least tap your toes, you might want to check your pulse! My favorite CD so far is called "Wanderin'."
The Band of Heathens. Oh my, my, my, my, my. Three lead singers, no waiting! Colin Brooks, Ed Jurdi, and Gordy Quist are the singers in question, all of them with solid solo reputations before they joined with Seth Whitney and John Chipman to become a romance writer's dream band. Based in Austin, they sometimes play shows at the legendary Gruene Hall, but you can see them at lots of other places. Both their live albums, "Live at Momo's" and "Live at Antone's" give you an idea of what their shows are like. And how can you not love a band that has a talking blues version of the Odyssey?
Steve Earle. A legendary musician, born in Texas but no longer living there (he's in New York City now). Earle's "Tom Ames' Prayer" is the source of the hero's name in another of my WIP's. Earle's tumultuous biography is well known, as are his wonderful songs. All his CD's are worth listening to, but my personal favorites are "Train a Comin'" and "Transcendental Blues."
And then there are all the others that make Texas dancehalls such wonderful places. Guy Forsyth, Hayes Carll, Trish Murphy, Robert Earl Keen, Charlie Robison, Ray Wylie Hubbard (whom Cal suggested for his wedding music in Wedding Bell Blues). Groups like Joel Guzman and Sara Fox, the Flatlanders (Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and Butch Hancock) and Reckless Kelly are always fun. Legends like Willie and Kris can still be heard. Occasional "honorary Texans" come through, like Todd Snider and Emmylou Harris.
It's a great place to live if your idea of heaven is a warm night, a cold beer, and a great band playing under the stars!
One of my great joys while I lived in Texas was listening to all the wonderful Texas musicians performing all over the state. Since I'm an Americana fan, I was in heaven! Texas music shows up a lot in my writing. Hey, I still listen to it all the time, why shouldn't my characters?
