Concert Review: SXSW – Palo Duro & Shiner Records Showcase

The portion of the Palo Duro & Shiner Records Showcase at Waterloo Ice House that I was able to see last night ended up being quite gratifying. I had to leave at 11 which means I missed Two Tons of Steel and the guys I really wanted to see, Trent Summar and the New Row Mob. However, I did get to see Miles From Nowhere, Darryl Lee Rush, and Eleven Hundred Springs.

My girlfriend and I arrived shortly after eight and had to weave our way through musicians to reach the door. Trent Summar was the easiest to recognize from his trademark red pants, I also spotted one of the McKay Brothers from earlier in the day. When we got inside I quickly realized that the atmosphere that provided intimacy earlier in the day was going to remain cramped for the rest of the night. We stood in the back of the room, almost rubbing shoulders with the surrounding people, making it easy to eavesdrop. There were some interesting conversations, along with some that were complete BS, but I won’t call anyone out here.

Miles From Nowhere finished setting up around 8:30 and began their high energy set. These guys are actually signed to Shiner Records, a sub-label of Palo Duro Records (somebody correct me if I’m wrong). The lead singer talked with a heavy Texas twang, and was quite humorous. The band leaned towards rock and had a ton of energy. I only recall two of the songs they performed, “Mona Sue,” a tune the lead singer informed us was about his wife. He was writing a love song for her, then they began to go through a breakup so he wanted to turn it into a breakup song. In the song he kills his wife and buries her in the backyard: “Well no one’s seen her since / I put her in the backyard by the fence / sometimes late at night / when that moon is shinin’ bright / I go out and I talk too / Mona Sue.” In real life they stayed together and she was at the show last night. The only qualm I had with the band was their rendition of “Folsom Prison Blues.” I enjoyed how they made the song their own and didn’t try to copy Cash, but at the same time it was more screaming than singing.

After their set my girlfriend and I finally found a table to sit down. Darryl Lee Rush was up next, a definite treat. His band consisted of his acoustic guitar, a bass guitar, an electric guitar, the drums, and an elderly looking man with about thirty different harmonicas – harmonica heaven. Rush performed with a buttload of energy and told vivid stories about how his songs came to be. The stories helped create staying power for the songs. I remember “White Trash Paradise,” “Town Too Tough To Die,” “Lorraine,” I Believe In The Sun,” and something about Uncle Freddie’s tractor. The harmonica player played the lights out of the building. Simply amazing.

My favorite performance of the night came from Eleven Hundred Springs. The band consisted of steel guitar, a metallic blue fiddle, the drums, a bass guitar, and an electric guitar painted up with yellow roses and the word “Thanks” when flipped over. I don’t recall any of their originals (maybe they should tell stories about their songs), but they performed two superb covers of “Rock Island Line” and “Why You Been Gone So Long.” Throughout the night an older red-headed woman at the end of my table was drifting in and out of sleep, I don’t know if she had too much to drink, but she looked plain wore out. Halfway through “Rock Island Line” her head was off the table, she had a big smile on her face and was putting her hands together. You could tell she was enjoying herself, along with everyone else in the room. These guys are flat out good traditional country music.