October 17, 2026

Terry Klein, Judy Blank Crown New Episode of The Hook

There have been some really great episodes of The Hook. But Episode 18 feels like an extra special one. It had some excellent songs, two amazing special guests, a guy from Nigeria, another all the way from Florida, the appearance of an accordion, and even a high-five on stage. And everyone was stunned when Terry Klein performed his song “Does The Fish Feel The Knife,” and probably won’t stop talking about it for a good long while.

Judy Blank is signed to Rounder Records and originally from the Netherlands. But she now calls Austin home where she fits in perfectly as one of those performers who doesn’t really fit anywhere else. Though much of her music is probably best described as indie rock or indie pop, she’s a songwriter first, has been seen on stages around Austin collaborating with bluegrass bands and playing songwriting rounds. And just when we thought we’d seen it all from her, she just released an EP remaking some of her songs completely in Spanish called Star Viva.

After Judy Blank performed her song “Tangled Up In You,” towering Texas songwriter Terry Klein took the stage and left everyone gobsmacked with “Does The Fish Feel The Knife.” It’s one of those songs that once you hear it, you’re a changed person afterwords. It contains so much wisdom, and is so cutting and stimulating of involved thoughts. And just as incredible as the song itself, Terry Klein’s performance was stellar too where he bent notes on the acoustic guitar like making ripples in the universe.

Kory Quinn from the Houston area was one of the few performers who’d yet to officially cash in on his Gold Patch, which allows a performer to circumvent the random signup process and play whenever they want. If Quinn could have earned a second Gold Patch, he would have done so with his song “The Mirror” that made him tear up, and he wasn’t alone.

But Quinn wasn’t the performer who traveled the farthest to perform on The Hook. Connor Churchill from Tallahassee, Florida stopped in on tour, and got up on stage to perform a song with an excellent hook called “Whisper In These Walls.” And though he calls Austin home now, Ike Rivers is originally from Nigeria. He found a positive reception for his song “Something New.”

Both papa and son Salerno got up on stage once again, with father Anthony Salerno performing the song “Where The World Stands Still,” which was like a kid’s song for adults. Gold Patch winner Anthony Salerno impressed once again with his new song ‘Bleeding Heart.” Sterling Cabiness was another returning performer, drawing for his song “Hummingbird,” and J.D. Combs, a.k.a Shamanic Strings closed the show out with with a bone-chilling tale called “Drown The Boy.”

Other new faces on the episode included Richard Pfeifer who performed a song called “Nameless City.” Phlip Coggins appeared on the stage, getting strong compliments for his “drip” (as the kids call it), and stimulating some great conversation through his Silver Patch-winning song “Burning Bridges.” And Pat Buchta made his first appearance on The Hook, though it probably won’t be his last. As the CEO of ATX Musicians—which does tons of great advocacy work for musicians in Austin—we hope he returns soon to sit on the panel or perform another song.

Some great discussion around songs was also had, thanks in large part to special guests Judy Blank and Terry Klein. It’s hard to not have your hope in the future of music rejuvenated during an episode of The Hook, and Episode 18 felt especially rejuvinating.

The Hook is off for the next two weeks due to Sagebrush being booked for other events. It will return Sunday, November 1st for the “Halloween Hangover” from 3:00 – 5:00 pm at Sagebrush in Austin. If you want to sign up for a chance to perform, make sure to arrive by 2:30.

– – – – – – – –

The Hook is not just for songwriters. Fans of songwriting are also encouraged to attend. For more information, visit savingcountrymusic.com/thehook. Please subscribe to The Hook’s YouTube Channel, and follow The Hook on Instagram and Facebook.

You can now also stream the audio of The Hook via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, PocketCasts, as well as Deezer and other major podcast networks.

The Hook is sponsored by Big Hat Premium Cocktails and Mocktails, Ear Trumpet Labs, Keystone Artist Connect, and Sagebrush.

– – – – – – – – – – –