Talent From Far and Wide Featured on the Latest Episode of The Hook

We can either sit back and complain about all the ills that are plaguing the music industry from top to bottom, or we can get to work trying to do something about it. The Hook chooses the latter, trying to elevate the conversation about what a good song actually is, and lower the barrier of entry for artists to be able to get up on a stage, and perform for an attentive audience, both in the room, and for the masses online.

Episode 14 of The Hook taped on Sunday, September 6th didn’t just highlight one featured performer, but three of them who were all helping to represent the Texas Women Songwriters Festival set to happen September 18-20 in Lockhart, TX. Both Lily Dabbs and Sid Grimes are on the festival’s lineup, and had signed up to perform on The Hook before, but were not picked via the random draw. So they were both invited back to help represent the fest.

Austin-based songwriter Beth Lee appeared on the very first episode of The Hook in Austin back in May. She also showed up to help promote the festival.

Lily Dabbs might be one of the most buzzed-about names in Austin, TX songwriting circles at the moment. In, fact, on Episode 11 of The Hook, Denis O’Donnell, who owns Sagebrush in Austin where The Hook is taped, was on the stage touting her songwriting. Dabbs proved why she was worthy of all the props with her ode to Western cosplay with the working title of “Cowboy Costume.”

Sid Grimes also had a very Western theme to her performance with an impassioned song called “Outlaw,” showing off her strong voice and confident stage presence. Grimes also happens to be best friends with Beth Lee, who showed off her punk and power pop influences in the song “No Time For Losing” that co-host Silas Lowe somewhat comically, and somewhat accurately described as an “F U bop.”

As continues to be proven, the impact and reach of The Hook goes well beyond Austin, or Texas. Songwriter and performer Cela Harper from the Dallas area made the trek down to perform on The Hook, and luckily got picked. She proved with her song “Confessions” that she could be the next rising star in Texas. Mike McLeod Dean had her beat though, traveling from Lafayette, Louisiana to perform, and had one of the strongest songs of the day with “Soaking Wet Hair.”

Nick Teale hails from even farther away, namely Louisville, Kentucky. Unlike Cela Harper and Mike Dean, he did not come to Austin specifically for The Hook. But he did recently move to the city after spending years in the Louisville music scene. He’s now looking to immerse himself in Austin. That is one of the things The Hook was built for: to give new arrivals to the Live Music Capital of the World their first opportunities on stage. Teale made the most of it with his killer country song “I Love Her Too Much To Cry.”

Other performers included the return of Blaise Weir, who really impressed with his song “Better Days.” Sterling Cabiness also made his second appearance on The Hook, and made use of the piano, and an excellent, emotional vocal delivery on his song “Let You Go.” Tyler Richards has now become one of the most featured artists on The Hook, and once again made a big impression with his song “Walk Away.”

Brian Wolff was a new face on The Hook, even if he’s been a long-time member of the Austin music scene. His song about his favorite diner back east called “Skylark Serenade” was a great example of evoking setting and character though lyrical vignettes, and was one of the highlights of the episode. Parker Bradley has been patiently signing up for The Hook numerous times, and has not been picked. But last Sunday was his lucky day, and he made the most of it with his song “Wings.”

Two Gold Patch winners also performed, with Tom Pritchett helping to lead off the show with his very touching and emotional song “You Were Here,” and Jake Busby closing the show out, cashing in his Gold Patch for the first time with his impassioned song “Queen of the Sea.”

The next taping of The Hook happens on Sunday, September 13th 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.

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The Hook is not just for songwriters. Fans of songwriting are also encouraged to stop by. 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.

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