Jason Boland, Aaron Watson team up for Texas tour
Monday, March 10, 2008 – Texas country acts Jason Boland & The Stragglers and Aaron Watson will join forces for a series of dates in their home state in April and May as the Fiddles, Steels and 18 Wheels Tour.
Both acts have toured heavily throughout Texas. The idea of Fiddles, Steels and 18 Wheels is to "create an event for fans who champion the traditional sound of country," according to Boland's publicist.
Watson is set to release "Angels & Outlaws" on April 1. Boland will play songs from his upcoming CD, "Comal County Blue," slated for release Labor Day weekend.
"I'm excited to work with Lloyd (Maines) again. There is a both a comfort level with Lloyd and an energy level that he captures," said Boland. "The records we have done in the past really reflect that. It's that same core, along with the new songs that has me really excited."
Tour Dates are:
April 10 El Paso- Take 5
April 11 Odessa- Dos Amigos
April 12 Ft. Worth- Billy Bobs
April 16 Huntsville- Jolly Fox
April 17 Spring- Big Texas
April 18 San Angelo- Graham Central Station
April 19 Victoria- Schroeder Hall
April 20 Killeen- Starlight Station
April 25 Austin-Midnight Rodeo
May 1 Denton- Midnight Rodeo
May 2 Amarillo- Midnight Rodeo
May 3 Lubbock- Midnight Rodeo
May 8 Corpus Christi- Brewster St.
May 9 San Antonio-Cowboys
May 10 Stephenville- City Limits
More news
CD reviews
Comal County Blue
Jason Boland and the Stragglers show greater sophistication than at least one better-known band in assailing a fellow Texan. "You bet they'd sing a different tune if a flood had hit D.C.," Boland asserts in the Hurricane Katrina critique Sons and Daughters of Dixie. Throughout the Stragglers' fifth studio release, the references are oblique, the attitude cool, the musicianship sharp - thanks partly to the production of Lloyd Maines - and the lyrics insightful. »»» |
Angles & Outlaws
Aaron Watson is equal parts, neo-traditional and top 40 country, and the Amarillo, Texas mines some new territory on his seventh studio album. He helped write 11 of the 14 songs and performs covers as diverse as Waylon Jennings' "Tulsa" and John Mayer's "Heart of Life." He gives the former a rollicking spin, and the latter can't be mistaken for anything but a country song when coming out of Watson's pipes.
The rest is strong, yet predictable. »»» |
San Angelo
Amarillo, Texas product Aaron Watson is a cookie-cutter honky-tonk singer with a smooth sound and a hard twang. Despite the catch in his voice - you can almost see the arch in his eyebrow at times - the 13 songs here, 9 written by Watson, lack a real hook.
He throws in a few elements calculated to bring the cowboys a-runnin' - songs by Willie Nelson and Bruce Robison, guitar work by sessions wiz Lloyd Maines and Asleep at the Wheel's Ray Benson - but nothing terribly original, though. »»» |
Editorial: A fine night for Taylor Swift –
Taylor Swift's showing at the Country Music Association awards Wednesday night was no surprise. In some respects, it was invigorating to see someone who was not male and not around umpteen years like some of her male counterparts take home the biggest prize of the night, entertainer of the year. »»»
Concert Review: Radney Foster sparks a revival –
Radney Foster told fans that he came home from the University of the South one weekend early in his college career and told his parents in the wee hours of the morning that he wanted to quit college and head to Nashville to pursue a music career. His parents agreed...fortunately.
Three decades later, that resulted in Foster playing songs on this... »»»
Concert Review: Neko Case overcomes obstacles –
The opening of Neko Case's show was unusual to say the least. "I'm angry right now," said the red head. "We just had a big fight with the promoter. We're going to sing weird, but we're actually very happy to be here."
Making quite clear that she was not a happy camper, Case still channeled her musical energies... »»»
|
|
Country News Digest
 CST
 CST
Elsewhere in the news
Currently at the CST blogs
To say that Lyle Lovett has a great new album in "Natural Forces" is a newsflash akin to announcing that oxygen is now available for mass consumption at no charge. Lovett's musical quality is as automatic as a politician's promise and infinitely more trustworthy, which might lead one to believe that, at a certain level, the Texas singer/songwriter has become slightly jaded by the consistent accolades thrown his way. One would be very mistaken.... »»»
When "Mountain Soul" became a critical success, it wasn't long before fans began requesting a follow-up from Patty Loveless. "They were questioning last year when I was ever going to do another record such as the first 'Mountain Soul,'" Loveless says. "So, Saguaro Records came to me about doing another record with them, and we suggested doing one to coincide with the popularity of what the first one did."... »»»
Rosie Flores played in Screaming Sirens, back when cow-punk wasn't (yet) cool. She also helped turn Los Angeles, that underground roots rock town south of Bakersfield, into a flourishing alternative country music scene in the '80s. Her self-titled debut album was produced by Peter Anderson, who played guitar and produced some guy named Dwight Yoakam, and she even handled lead guitar work for Butch Hancock's band in 1994. She ain't done yet, though, as her new CD demonstrates.... »»»
Play On
Through three releases, the one constant about Carrie Underwood is her big voice. It's an instrument in and of itself no matter whether going for somewhat of a country sound, a pure pop bent or a tougher, rocking edge. She can add the right touch to sad songs such as Temporary Home in part about a young boy who has to shuffle from home to home or the tough sounding Quitter. »»» |
Old Things New
Joe Nichols' life has taken some dramatic turns since the release of his last record, "Real Things." Ironically, the 2007 album's title was a perfect fit for this offering as those turns have led Nichols to record some of the most personal songs of his career. »»» |
Girl of the Century
Rosie Flores is the last person that needs more spunk, but somehow producer Jon Langford found a way to add a few more ounces of bounce to this rockabilly firebrand's stride. Flores might be small in stature, but she sure works up a big, bold sound throughout this excellent release. »»» |
|
