Sam’s Town Point Hosts Top Talent for “The Dance”

South By Southwest (SXSW) happening in Austin this week is the biggest annual music gathering in the United States each year. It’s also the biggest annual headache for many of Austin’s residents, including the musicians who call A-town home as the city is taken over by hordes of industry, Doritos activations, and general douchebags.
That was decidedly not how “The Dance” took shape at South Austin’s premier dive bar, Sam’s Town Point, which is nestled in between houses in a little neighborhood with no HOA. Similar to Austin’s other beloved dives like The White Horse and the Broken Spoke, Sam’s Town Point is delightfully decrepit, with deteriorating drop ceiling tiles, terrible lighting, a floor that shakes anytime someone walks by, but one of the best atmospheres and most authentic experiences you can find in town.
Under the curation of songwriter Ramsay Midwood, no matter who is playing at Sam’s Town Point, you know they’ll be good. In this instance, it was producer Jonathan Tyler who was the primary culprit pulling together the lineup and logistics for what is hopefully the inaugural version of “The Dance.” With a lineup that included Silverada, Reckless Kelly, Shinyribs, Rattlesnake Milk, and the legendary Willis Alan Ramsey, it truly was some of the best of Austin music.
“Most of us can walk home from this gig,” Willy Braun of Reckless Kelly said at one point, later dubbing the event “South by South Austin.” Tuesday is the day before the bulk of the music industry shows up to Austin, and indeed attendees were made up of many Austin folks playing hooky from work and a bunch of other musicians not on the lineup, including Austin’s Ellis Bullard, Rob Leines, and Sean Rodriguez from The Wilder Blue just to name a few.
Reckless Kelly also dropped the nugget that they might have an upcoming album produced by Jonathan Tyler in the works. So much for retirement. Up-and-coming singer and keys player Paige Plaisance who played in the afternoon also said she’d been working with Jonathan Tyler on a new project.
Silverada (formerly Mike and the Moonpies) remains arguably the greatest live band in all of country music, and proved it once again on the main stage in the yard outside of Sam’s Town Point. “This is some real South Austin shit we’re doing right here,” Mike Harmeier said.
A couple of months ago, Silverada changed their name from Mike and the Moonpies. It signaled a new chapter in a band that has been far too under-the-radar for far too long. Some have fear about what this might mean for the band moving forward. But ultimately it’s not the name that matters. It’s the music. And Mike Harmeier and the rest of Silverada know how to tap into something through music that escapes most everyone else. It’s not just songwriting. It’s not just energy. It’s something undefinable, yet inescapable. Whatever it is, Silverada has it.
As part of their blistering set, they featured multiple new songs from their self-titled album out June 28th, including a more atmospheric-sounding one they’ve been playing recently about “drifting away on a radio wave” that casually drops the line, “Americana is a myth.”

Speaking of excellent live bands, Kaitlin Butts is out there murdering at the moment, both figuratively and literally. Her set lists have a higher body count than a Quentin Tarantino flick. Don’t let the smile fool you, she’s a modern murder ballad queen who will shoot a man and cut a bitch post haste. She’s got a bunch of new bullets in the gun loaded up for 2024 if her set during The Dance is any indication. She may not be from Austin or Texas (Tulsa, OK), but she left a big impression on the South Austin crowd.

It almost seems like sacrilege to listen to Austin’s Rattlesnake Milk while the sun is still up. But this band is so smooth, they can make it feel like it’s the stroke after midnight in the broad afternoon, and you’re cruising down the highway under a starlit sky hurdling toward oblivion. There is nothing else like Rattlesnake Milk, in Austin or anywhere else. They are truly a unique specimen of American music, and one of the most underrated and unspoiled bands in the entire world.

The Droptines from Uvalde County, Texas are quickly becoming one of the most buzzed about bands out there thanks to their new self-titled album (read review). They are true alt-country from Texas, meaning Americana with guts. They also happen to be killer live as they displayed during The Dance.

Along with the bigger names, there was plenty to discover with three stages and a frenetic pace to the event. As a few remarked, the talent assembled would have been enough to justify a three day festival. Mason Lively played inside of Sam’s Town Point beside the venue’s iconic sign. He features a soulful voice with the right songs to compliment it.

An often overlooked Austin band is the multi-faceted Sour Bridges, who really took it to the next level with the addition of fiddle player Camille Schiess. They just released a new album called Down and Out that’s worth checking out. They call their music “browngrass” from combining country, bluegrass, blues, and Celtic influences into a gritter version of roots music.

The event was sponsored in part by the Austin-based Big Hat Spirits whose name is inspired by the song “Man with the Big Hat” recorded by Jerry Jeff Walker with Willie Nelson, and written by Steve Fromholz. You don’t get more Texan than that.
The Dance at Sam’s Town Point was an excellent SXSW alternative, while still taking advantage of the robust talent pool in town for the annual gathering. Hopefully it happens again next year and becomes a South Austin tradition.
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All photos by Kyle “Trigger” Coroneos. For more photos and media, follow Saving Country Music on Instagram. Apologies to performers who were not mentioned or pictured. There was too much good stuff happening simultaneously to capture it all.

March 13, 2024 @ 7:27 pm
Hop & i would like to know – where be da picture of Rob Leines?
March 13, 2024 @ 7:51 pm
I said he was there, I didn’t say there would be a picture of him. But since I’m here to serve, I just added one near the bottom.
March 13, 2024 @ 7:55 pm
: D Stop. You’re spoiling us.
Knew you would. And, Thank you.
You did good.
Hop, we owe Trig one.
March 15, 2024 @ 8:37 am
I think Daniel Lee should get much more attention than he gets.. So I’m starting a campaign to make country/rock singer Daniel Lee a superstar
https://youtu.be/bR6cJTc7ke0?so=wPZLj8gbdw6HVO1F
Management: “Jazzy” 4JazzyManagement@gmail.com
March 14, 2024 @ 4:32 am
I’m still waiting to see Rattlesnake Milk live. That looks like it would have been a great time. And that guy does look like a young Townes, haha.
Trig, are you going to get into the cancellations/boycott at SXSW? I heard the amount of artists are up to 80, but I can’t find more than a few names online. I’m not for or against people dropping out of the fest. More of a curiosity than anything else. If you know of a site summarizing the bands, can you post it?
March 14, 2024 @ 7:02 am
I’d be very interested to hear about Willis Alan Ramsey’s set, if you were there or heard anything about it. He’s the be-all and end-all in my book.
March 14, 2024 @ 7:21 am
Hey Matt,
Perhaps I took it a little too much for granted that living in Texas, I’ve seen him many times now.
I would strongly encourage anyone to see him that has the opportunity. He plays solo, plays a lot of blues, and still plays all the songs from his album. He also plays a handful of new songs that he still insists will come out on a new album some day.
This probably wasn’t the best forum to see him in. It’s really best to see him in a listening room. That is where I have seen him a couple of times before, where everyone is quiet and respectful. The reason he played this event is because he’s been playing at Sam’s Town Point inside a lot lately. That’s really the best place to catch him. He really is a lost treasure, and one of those guys you get super lucky living in Austin these days to be able to see on a regular basis.
March 14, 2024 @ 12:32 pm
Thanks for that. I had long loved Jimmy Buffett’s version of “The Ballad of Spider John” before I finlly got off my ass and found Ramsey’s album. As great as it is, as great is the disappointment to find he only has that one album.
How cool it is to be able to say you’ve seen him so many times… 🙂
Also, great news about a potential new album from Reckless Kelly, particularly if it means a continuation of playing live. I’ve never seen them but have them on the list.
March 14, 2024 @ 12:21 pm
I’m all in on Kaitlin. Looking forward to a new LP
March 14, 2024 @ 12:28 pm
That looks like a real cool show. I was fortunate (may not be the right word. lol) to go to a show there once when i was in TX. I saw the Miles Miller CD release. Never before have I had the luxury of seeing a show while sitting in two big comfy lounge chairs right up front to the side. And never have I been to a show where a dog comes up while the band is playing and takes a leak on it in front of a crowd.
Cool place though, real unique location.