June 14, 2008  Doug Moreland, One Year Older At River Road Ice House
This past Saturday was another great summer day in the Texas Hill Country. The Guadalupe River from Canyon Dam all the way down to Gruene was overflowing with toobers and bikinis. This is something we get accustom to this time of year, it is tradition going back many years. People from all over the state visit this area to take in our rivers, and our music. Another summer event we hope becomes a Hill Country tradition is the Doug Moreland Birthday Bash. We’ve been waiting for this event for a couple of weeks now. So Saturday me and the rest of the RRR (Ranch Road Radio) crew loaded up the wagons and headed out to River Road Ice House. The event featured a special guest band the RustLanders, followed by Cody Shaw and the Rhythm Boys, and hosted by (of course) Doug Moreland. The Rustlanders truly were a special guest. They originally had a gig in Austin, but it ended up being cancelled at the last minute. So Doug, being Doug, offered them a spot opening his event. The Rustlanders hail from State College, Pennsylvania if you’re not quite sure were that is besides “up there”, it is home to Penn State University. I doubt if Joe Pa has ever heard of these boys, but I’ll bet the students there have. This is a five piece band, headed up by Jason McIntyre (lead vocals), Jason Tutwieler (lead guitar), Corry Brake (bass), John Rattie (keyboards/vocals), and Chris Rattie (drums/vocals).  They took the stage for about an hour playing there brand of Americana music. There music is country at its core mixed with a heavy dose of blues. I didn’t get to ask, but I’m pretty sure that the local music scene in the Northeast also has an influence on their sound. We were all pleased with a few cover songs they gave us, but I really liked the songs from their self titled CD the Rustlanders. We got hear live versions of “Holding Out, Blind Faith, Route 25, My Rock and Roll, and La Conchita.” It was a nice change from the Texas music we have grown to love down here. The guys have been touring with Ryan Bingham for the past few months “that should tell y’all something.” I really hope they come back real soon I look forward to seeing them in a two to three hour show.  After a short break we heard a great set from a band out of Wichita Falls, Texas. They go by the name of Cody Shaw and the Rhythm Boys. These boys play true good old two stepping country music. The band has a family connection to it, in front Cody Shaw (lead vocals), Ben Shaw (lead guitar), Chris Booth (bass), and Randy Birch (drums). Randy and Chris are cousins to Cody, and if you haven’t guessed already Ben is his father. How great is that to be a 20 something years’ old, and playing country music every night with your dad and cousins. “I tell ya” for a young musician, Cody had great stage presence, and command of the crowd. They played a number of tunes from their first CD “Three Chords and the Truth” along with a couple great old cover songs. I was very impressed with Honky Tonk Hardwood Floor, and Amarillo two songs off that debut CD. If you are into the sounds of yester year like George Strait, early Garth Brooks with a little Bob Wills thrown in there you will love this CD. I can’t wait for my copy to come in, they’re about to release their second album in the coming months. I’m checking their dates to see when they plan on coming back. Despite having just seen two hours of great music we still had at least two more coming from the birthday boy himself, Doug Moreland. What can I say about Doug that hasn’t previously been said? This guy is fast becoming a South Texas legend with his live set, The Doug Moreland Show. This was my first chance to catch him live. Some of the RRR (Ranch Road Radio) gang had seen him perform in the past.  The Doug Moreland band is a great one, Doug (fiddle/guitar/vocals), Eric Lenington (bass), Andrew Silver (drums), and Dan Johnson (slide guitar). They didn’t disappoint us. Playing all of his classic hits “Jalapenos Song, Everybody Knows My Name, Dallas, Heaven Or Austin, Happy Hour” just to name a few, and of course the Beer Song. It was hard not to get caught up in the music along with his great stories. At one point he had a soon to be wed bachelor on stage with him. The poor guy looked like he may of have had one too many, but hey, it was his bachelor party. Well Doug was nice enough to toast the young man with. …………………………………“To all you young lovers, may all your ups and downs, be under the covers”…………. This drew a resounding laugh from the crowd. This is the kind of interaction with the audience that makes “The Doug Moreland Show” worth every bit of the admission price. We did meet a few folks from Houston enjoying their selves on the patio with us. The blonde in the picture with Jeff is Amanda Hanson, her and a few friends stopped by to see the show. She went on to say…..”we gotta come back here”…. hopefully they will make it back soon. Y’all should plan a trip out here as well. If you have never been to the River Road Ice House, one of the best features it has is the outside patio directly above the bar that faces the stage.  Wow, standing up there on a warm Texas night, under the stars, cold beer in hand, with Doug Moreland playing. That’s pretty hard to top. Well, I better get going we got more great shows to see. I’m Out Y’all May 28, 2008 Billy’s Ice Hosts Local Talent This past Wednesday night I took a drive down to Billy’s Ice to have a cold one and see a group I have been waiting to see for a while now. The band performing at the local New Braunfels night spot was Texas Renegade. They have a Texas Music/Ranch Rock style with country roots. Their first CD 3:00 A.M. was released in 2003, but really got some notice with the 2007 release of After Everything. The band is headed up by Andy Bertelsen (guitar/lead vocals), Tyson Carver (mandolin/backup vocals), Eli Carver (bass), Kasey Klepfer (harmonica), and Luke Ayers (drums). I was excited to finally get to see them live, and they did not disappoint. This is a very polished band that has a number of well scripted songs.  Lead singer Andy Bertelsen gives this band its smooth sound. I have listen to their latest CD a number times now, and was very pleased to see that they are even better in person. It’s the kind of album you can take on a long road trip, just pop it in and listen from start to finish. I really enjoy “Julie”, “Angel Of The Moonlight”, “Born To Love You”, “Summer Again”, and “More Than I Deserve” all of which they played. Texas Renegade has the potential to be a major player in the every growing Americana/Ranch Road scene. If you are a true music fan then their CD After Everything must be added to your collection, and they are a real treat to see live. I am really looking forward to watching Texas Renegade grow over the coming years.  I would like to see them produce a LIVE CD sometime in the near future. So if you have some time, check out their web site, and see if they have any tour dates near where you live. Sit back, relax, pop a cold one, and take in some great music by Texas Renegade. Oh, on a lighter note the boys were trying to auction off there van “a slightly used gem with marginal working A/C” I think that’s how Tyson described it. Last I heard it was up to $50.00 dollars. That being said, make sure you support local live music, if you like what you hear purchase their merchandise this is how they earn a living.  “I’m Out Y’all” |
The band consists of Chris Zalez lead guitar/vocals, David Perez accordion/vocals, John Garza stand up bass, and Danny Cochran drums. The band is based out of the DFW (Dallas/Ft. Worth) area, and travels thru out the Texas playing dates. So if you like the sounds of 
That is when the show goers really got into the performance. Each side getting a chance to sing “Hey baby que paso thought I was your only vato”. For the final song of the night the boys played a jazzed up version of “I Can’t Sleep”. Chris Zalez closed out the night with a great guitar solo, and just before they finished David Perez took his turn on accordion. He jumped off the stage, and entered in to the crowd. Playing faster and faster as Chris, John, and Danny kept up with the pace. This had the hall on its feet stomping, and cheering. David’s accordion solo would have made even the likes of Ramon Ayala, and Flaco Jimenez proud. What a way to close out heck I had even worked up a sweet trying to a take it all in.
