Roger Creager Filled With Conviction And Ray Benson Comes Up Big At 2006 AMA
- Last night my girlfriend and I took a trip to Gruene Hall, Texas’ oldest dance hall, to catch a Roger Creager show. To make a long review short, it was nothing short of adrenaline inducing. He performs with more passion and conviction than anyone I have ever seen play live, and can seamlessly drift between musical styles without skipping a beat. He plays the blues, country, rock (from “John Mellencougar Camp”), and spanish music. I could write a whole review in itself about his concert, but I’d rather save that for the Last of the Breed concert tonight. However, if you ever get a chance to see Creager live, do it. Don’t just settle for listening to his albums, they do not do his live shows justice.
- Heartland has been a great success story with their hit single “I Loved Her First.” But, I won’t go so far as to say that they have “arrived” until their sophomore album comes out and I have a chance to listen to it.
- Miranda Lambert will be hitting the road with Toby Keith on his Big Dog Daddy tour starting on June 21st. The other opening act will be Flynville Train.
- Craig Shelburne has a nice piece on Emmylou Harris and the tribute that was performed in her honor at the Driskill Hotel. Notable artists were Charlie Louvin, Kelly Willis, Bruce Robison, and Elizabeth Cook.
- Ray Benson and Asleep At The Wheel earned a lot of hardware at the 2006 Austin Music Awards. The band won Band of the Year and Best Country Band. Ray Benson also received awards in the Best Austin Musicians category for Best Male Vocalist, Best Record Producer, and Best Songwriter. Band of Heathens walked away with a win in the Best New Band category, while Lucinda Williams and James McMurty were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Patrice Pike also walked away with five awards, but I admittedly know nothing about her (is she even a country artist?)
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March 17, 2007 at 7:40 pm Permalink
Wow, Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel might be one of the hardest working bands in country music! They are such a smooth back up band on the Last of the Breed tour. He is a great guitar player, and was so class up there. After the Colorado Springs show on Tuesday, they drove to Austin for the awards, then back to Tulsa for the LOTB Show there, and then back to Austin for the Back Yard Shows. Whew. Lots of miles on a bus!
March 17, 2007 at 10:43 pm Permalink
Forget a second album, I’d settle for a second hit single. Heartland had “one hit wonder” written all over them from the beginning. They just got lucky with a niche song. However, I haven’t heard their album yet.
March 18, 2007 at 3:04 pm Permalink
Linda – Benson sang back up vocals to a few songs, but most of the time it seemed like he would stand off to the side and stare in awe at the main trio. Indeed a classy artist, and band as well.
Matt – True that. I bought the CD shortly after it came out and was bored with almost every song on it.
March 19, 2007 at 6:59 am Permalink
When I first heard Heartland’s “big” single, I thought the hype for it was a little much, but it was an ok song. I thought Tim McGraw’s “My Little Girl” that kinda dealt with the whole father-daughter relationship was sung with more emotion and was a much better song over all. Also, their rendition of “No Gettin’ Over Me” didn’t bring any improvements to Ronnie Milsap’s version. If they have anything else to bring to the table, I’ll be suprised.
March 20, 2007 at 4:33 pm Permalink
Roger Creager (next to The Randy Rogers Band) is the most energetic performer i’ve seen live. I absolutely love his shows. I cant say enough about him, he is definitely worth checkin’ out if you aren’t already a fan…!
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