Best artists from from the Red Dirt scene

[Brady]

There's a lot of stuff coming out of Texas these days, some of it good, some of it bad. We try to bring the good stuff to a broader audience by covering it on The 9513, but I wanted to find out who y'alls favorite artists are from Texas or if you haven't really paid much attention to what's going on down here.

[Chris N]

I'm not totally up to speed on Texas music, but I sure like the Ginn Sisters.

http://www.theginnsisters.com/

[Kelly]

I love a bunch, I also agree with Chris that sadly more and more fluff and slick "moms taxi" stuff is coming out too...

Give me Reckless Kelly, amazing show in Gruene last weekend, and they have been solid for years now....

[Matt B]

I haven't followed it as much as I had in years past but I really like Jackson Taylor.

Miles From Nowhere isn't that bad of a band either (Sort of like Cross Canadian Ragweed actually).

Wade Bowen has been a favorite since "Try Not To Listen."

[Brody]

@ Chris: I've liked what I've heard of The Ginn Sisters, too.

@ Matt: All excellent mentions. I especially like what I've heard from the new Wade Bowen album.

[Kelly]

Jackson Taylor has rushed up my list since seeing him live. Ryan Bingham is one I cant wait to see at the AMA Conference (along with Ragweed)

[Matt B]

Brody,

My favorite Wade Bowen song is "Man Out of Myself" I think it's a great story song. Can't wait to hear the new record.

[Jim Malec]

Mike McClure.

I'm always shocked that when people talk about Red Dirt, they often forget his name. This guy is one of the founding fathers.

[Matt B]

Jim,

I didn't forget him. I have his records and loved all the Great Divide Stuff he did. I didn't like their record w/o him as much though.

[Brody]

I saw Mike McClure open for Kevin Fowler once. He played for more than two hours, and I won't dispute his talents, but he's way too rock for my tastes.

[Drew]

I don't completely keep up to date with the Texas country scene, but my favorite would have to be The Randy Rogers Band. Some of Reckless Kelly, Wade Bowen, Cross Canadian Ragweed, and Kevin Fowler music is enjoyable too. I've only heard a few songs from Maren Morris that were on her website, as I couldn't find files to download anywhere, but I was very impressed by her work, so I'm thinking of buying her CD. Does anybody else know much about her and would they recommend her album(s)?

[Funk]

I assume you guys call Reckless Kelly "Red Dirt." Do you consider them a Texas band? Their roots run pretty deep in Idaho. This kinda thing makes breaking things down into classifications a little useless, doesn't it?

[Brady]

Sure, Reckless Kelly is a Red Dirt band. Despite their roots running back to Idaho, the band is based out of Austin and they're supported by the Texas music scene. There are a lot of bands not originally from Texas that the scene has adopted, from Drew Kennedy to Adam Hood to Reckless Kelly. The classification doesn't necessarily break down because the band is from out of state. Ben's article about the Red Dirt infrastructure explained things pretty well in that it's not really a musical classification, but rather one of the local scene that the bands are supported by.

[Kelly]

Mike McClure busts out a couple of mean covers also. "Into the Mystic" and "Rockin' in the Free World" are absolute barn-burners, but Brody is right, his solo stuff is more rock then even RK or Ragweed, especially live...and i love it!

[Hollerin Ben]

The Red Dirt article can be found here if anyone wants to check it out. or whatever.

http://www.the9513.com/red-dirt-the-pow ... structure/

[Matt B]

I assume you guys call Reckless Kelly "Red Dirt." Do you consider them a Texas band? Their roots run pretty deep in Idaho. This kinda thing makes breaking things down into classifications a little useless, doesn't it?

Idaho is quite full of "red dirt."

[Funk]

Ok, read the piece on Red Dirt. Thanks for the link Ben, I missed it the first time. From the piece, sounds a lot like Seattle grunge. Todd Snider wrote a funny song about it. Maybe Red Dirt is his next target.

[Trailer]

I'm a big fan of Reckless Kelly and a lesser fan of Randy Rogers Band (I loved Rollercoaster, but haven't really dug the rest of their output). Also, I've been very impressed with Bleu Edmondson's "Lost Boy." I wasn't expecting a lot going in, but that 's a strong record.

[Kelly]

I'm a big fan of Reckless Kelly and a lesser fan of Randy Rogers Band (I loved Rollercoaster, but haven't really dug the rest of their output). Also, I've been very impressed with Bleu Edmondson's "Lost Boy." I wasn't expecting a lot going in, but that 's a strong record.

I really dug Edmondson's "Lost Boy" also. I picked it up last year on the same day I bought "Mescalito" by Ryan Bingham. Needless to say, it was a good week for my CD player.

[galleybrad]

Since this is what we focus on, I've seen and heard just about everything. To me and most people I know...the Texas/Red Dirt scene is imperatively about the live show. The albums are important, but if someone puts out an okay album but brings it live, we are more apt to get behind them b/c of the heart and grit they've put into it. And, many times, the albums just don't have the budget to sound tremendous...at least at first. Prime example being Modern Day Drifters...one of the hottest bands in Texas/Red Dirt...but their album isn't going to be a classic b/c they recorded it in a trailer on a shoestring budget. The success of that album has propelled them to a level where they can expand the next album. This has been done time and again going back to Pat Green's Dancehall Dreamer album, RRB's Live at Cheatham/LIUTB records, Drew Kennedy's Hillbilly Pilgrim etc.

That having been said...here are the acts I see as top of the crop:

-Randy Rogers Band-tightest band onstage and off. Genuinely enjoying what they do, and putting out one of the best live shows available...Randy's songwriting keeps getting better...and are the same guys I went to college with back in the late 90's.
-Wade Bowen-tremendous voice, good songwriting, pro band...putting it all together with this next album.
-Ryan Bingham-real. gritty. The furthest thing from a record company mold you'll ever find and that's a good thing in this day and age.
-Drew Kennedy-booming voice, interesting songwriting, melody explosions, most entertaining person with just an acoustic guitar and mic.
-Reckless Kelly-road dogs...keep putting out great albums...and their latest may just be their best.
-Adam Hood-more soul than should be allowed in one person.
-Josh Grider-very innovative...has been a bit ahead of his time going back to turning Pink Floyd's "The Wall" and The Police's "Message In a Bottle" into bluegrass type jams. "Crazy Like You" should be a #1 hit.
-Hayes Carll-Todd Snider's quirkiness with a commercial glean.
-Jason Eady-the real deal. His vocals pierce through anything and his songwriting is amazing. Sick, sick harmonies live with the full band.

One's to watch: Rodney Parker & 50 Peso Reward, Modern Day Drifters, Bo Cox, Band of Heathens and Johnny Cooper.