What happens at Mile 0 Fest in Key West doesn’t stay in Key West. It resonates throughout the Texas/ Red Dirt world, into Americana, and throughout independent country for the rest of the year.
On Thursday, January 23rd in Key West, Florida, Cross Canadian Ragweed officially reunited on stage and played their first songs for people in 15 years. The performance was completely unannounced.
During a Cross Canadian Ragweed tribute to cap off Thursday night’s festivities at the Coffee Butler Amphitheater in Key West, all four members of Cross Canadian Ragweed took the stage publicly for the first time in 15 years.
I get it. You saw Cross Canadian Ragweed’s cryptic post on their website and social media that appears to be their logo wrapped in red cloth, or something. And now you feel like you have ants in your pants.
The Texas Country Music Awards were held on Sunday, November 12th at the legendary Billy Bob’s Texas in the Fort Worth Stockyards, with traditional country artists Jake Worthington, Summer Dean, and Dale Watson winning awards.
RC Edwards stumbled upon Lance Roark in 2020 during the Turnpike hiatus/pandemic when he was looking for a lead guitar player. Roark fit the bill, but has subsequently slid even deeper into the Turnpike universe while finding a way to showcase his own music at the same time.
Mile 0 Fest has established itself as one of the premier destination events in all of country and roots music, especially if you’re into the Texas/Red Dirt side of things. Now after six years, Mile 0 Fest has its own traditions, it’s own nucleus of loyal patrons and regular performers, and a heap of fond memories.
They love to say that in Texas, the women are more beautiful, and the beer is colder. I’m not sure that can be scientifically proven. But there is something that is most certainly palpable—though in many ways indefinable—that does make the musical moments down in Texas feel significantly more meaningful.
Country music is country music, and the best definition of what country music is, is that you know it when you hear it. It’s self-evident. But the genre has birthed many subgenres, many stylistic movements over the years, and at times has seen a splintering and Balkanization.
Well if it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it. And with the extended Rolodex of influences and acolytes Ray Wylie Hubbard has assembled, why not release a sequel? That’s what Ray Wylie will do on March 18th, 2022 with another list of excellent collaborators.
Combining the two Texas passions of barbecue and country music, the inaugural Troubadour Festival in Celina, TX went down on Saturday, November 6th. Randy Travis showed up and became the guest of honor at the festival.
Thursday evening (10-28), Old 97’s frontman Rhett Miller helped organize the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s “Breathe Easy” CF Concert Series featuring a host of cool artists from the country, alt-country and roots world raising money to help find therapeutics and a cure for the disease.
“This is the best festival I’ve ever been a part of,” Cody Jinks said as he took the stage Sunday night (9-19) in Pryor, Oklahoma. Not faint praise from Cody, who’s played some big fests over the years, including his own personally curated one. And the praise was deserved.
It could have been a disaster, or it could have not happened at all. When Mile 0 Fest rescheduled their 2021 festival from late January to late April, a lot of dominoes had to fall their way for them to pull it off. It was a risk. But they pulled it off with flying colors.
2020 is in the books and it’s time to look forward to the bright promise of 2021, and specifically the album releases in the country and roots world we have to be excited about. This includes the most anticipated releases, a complete release radar, as well as the always-fun rumor mill.
A tribute record to the revolutionary Red Dirt rock country outfit Cross Canadian Ragweed and its frontman Cody Canada is on the way, and it includes a litany of cool artists from Texas and Red Dirt who all paid tribute to the band last winter at the long-running Music Fest in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
The concept of the business is pretty straightforward. It’s Uncle Bekah’s flair for the dramatic and funny that has made what she’s doing wholly unique, with lots of brand loyalty among her customers. It’s not a novel idea to screen print a trucker hat, but Uncle Bekah gives everyone the license to get completely inappropriate and be accepted.
You can’t blame Texas/Red Dirt fans for being a little jumpy these days. After the announcement from the Turnpike Troubadours earlier this year about their indefinite hiatus, some fans are worried what other bands 2019 might claim before the end of the year. But according to Cody Canada, everything is cool.
If you’re going to be in Tulsa this New Years, let me just say on behalf of all the country and roots fans that won’t be, we hate you and your ugly stupid face. It’s completely unfair that you’ll get the opportunity to take in some of the best lineups of performers this side of the big festivals.
In the immortal words of Tom Petty, it’s Christmas … again. That’s means we have a bunch of seasonal releases from a slew of your favorite country and roots artists to round up just in case Christmas music is your thing. Here’s a run down of all the best releases, as well as a playlist to listen to the best selections.
For the benefit of the Bowen Family Foundation, the Bowen MusicFest has raised over $3.25 million for charity just since 2009, and the event raised $500,000 in 2018 alone. Expanding every year since 1998 into one of the premier events in Texas and Red Dirt music, Bowen MusicFest has assembled an impressive lineup.
It will never be the easiest festival to get to for anyone. It’s certainly not the cheapest when it comes to ticket prices, accommodations, or incidentals. But what’s for certain after the second year of Mile 0 Fest in Key West, Florida, is that this is Texas and Red Dirt’s premier musical event each year.
The Turnpike Troubadours are not done yet. This was the news coming out of Mile 0 Fest last weekend in Key West, Florida, where the Oklahoma-based Red Dirt country band was scheduled to play, but cancelled the appearance last minute along with multiple other shows.
How people feel about the Turnpike Troubadours at the moment depends a lot on who you speak to, and if they’ve been personally caught up in some of the recent cancellations. But when it comes to their fellow artists in the Texas/Red Dirt scene assembled at this week at Mile 0 Fest, it’s love, concern, and respect.