Them Duqaines Help Keep Austin’s Honky Tonk Spirit Alive with “Star Spangled Rodeo”
As the famous 6th Street entertainment corridor in downtown Austin marches eastward into the portion of town that once was reserved for the segregated communities of Austin’s minority population, what used to be one of the more rough parts of town is now the bustling epicenter of urban renewal with young entrepreneurs and entertainment seekers revitalizing the spirit of Austin and attempting to find retreat from the encroachment of condominium redevelopment in the increasingly clogged Austin skyline.
One such establishment fostering the spirit of what Austin, TX once was is The White Horse—a honky tonk on Comal Street just a short skip off of 6th. The much-beloved former manager of Austin’s Hole In The Wall Dennis O’Donnell opened the establishment in late 2011, and like striking gold, created the right place at the right time that immediately was a hit with the neighborhood and city, and has since become Austin’s premier hot spot for honky tonk entertainment. Young and old can be seen sharing the dance floor and sheltering Austin’s country music legacy from rabid gentrification on a nightly basis.
Making an establishment like The White Horse work is the bar’s regular roster of bands who on a weekly or monthly rotation show why Austin musicians can still school most in the country. One such example is the veteran lineup of Them Duqaines (pronounced “doo-kanes”)—a veritable bulls-eye if you’re looking for a sonic example of what traditional Texas country is all about today, and what you can expect to hear if you set foot in The White Horse, or one of the other last surviving Austin honky tonks like Dale Watson’s Ginny’s Little Longhorn, or The Broken Spoke.
Traditional Texas country with a little bit of a Bakersfield spark is what Them Duqaines are all about, and on Friday, May 8th, friends and fans of the band convened at The White Horse to celebrate the release of their latest record, Star Spangled Rodeo. Rich with excellent guitar work, great singing, and those little elements of spice that make Texas country unique like accordion, backing chorus singers, and even saxophone, Them Duqaines capture an authentic country spirit that makes you go, “Yes, this is what I’ve been looking for!”
Made up of John Beauchamp on guitar, Frank Martin on bass, Jeremy Slemenda on lead, Curtis Thomas on fiddle, and Tim Petersen on drums, they virtually all take turns singing, and they all seem to be in tune with exactly what a honky tonk crowd wants to hear. It’s traditional country delivered with enthusiasm.
Star Spangled Rodeo is an excellent showcase for the band, giving each member their opportunity to shine and display their skills. There’s some super takeaways from the album, such as the opening song “Wrong Most of the Time” sung by John Beauchamp who seems to have the perfect voice for Texas country, and the dueling Telecasters make for the ideal texture. The last song, the up-tempo and driving “Maybe Next Time” is sung by Tim Petersen who’s not too encumbered behind the drums to belt out a great tune. “Memories Tonight” with a little bit of accordion sets the mood of the song perfectly, and the slower tempo “The Last Time I’m Over You” exemplifies the variety of sounds and moods this band has mastered. They even have a tribute to the aforementioned White Horse on this record, which only seems appropriate.
You get a sense while listening to Them Duqaines that their scope and perspective is local. There’s a lot of soul in that, and that soul is instilled in their msuic. Where some bands get so wrapped up on hitting it big nationally, especially these days, they lose touch with the most important task of any band or artist, which is entertaining their friends and neighbors first. After all, that’s where the spirit of honky tonk music thrives.
But you also get a sense that if Them Duqaines focused a little bit more on what they do best, and identified what presents challenges for them, they could really resonate on a national or international scale even more, whether they set out to intentionally or not. There were a couple of flat songs in this track list to go along with the big hits. The intentions and ideas are there, but things like the singing style on “Runty” and the phase guitar on “Big Texas Blue” could have perhaps been executed a bit better. But the hits are so big on this record, there will be something for every traditionally-leaning country fan to sink their teeth into.
Amidst the Californication of central Texas and the Live Music Capital of the World, Them Duqaines are keeping the spirit of authentic Texas country music alive not just for Austin, TX, but for all the fans of true authentic country across the country and world.
This one is very enjoyable.
1 3/4 of 2 Guns Up.
– – – – – – – – – –
May 10, 2015 @ 7:09 pm
Thanks, Trig for highlighting The White Horse and great bands that play there including Them Duqaines, Leo Rondeau, and Lew Card. Makes me miss living in Austin. Could the White Horse be the new Armadillo Headquarters with a stable of artists/bands ready to make the leap to the next level? This East Austin locale can hold its own against the talent of East Nashville. Thanks for shining a spotlight on these working bands that have payed there dues and deserve a shot on the national stage.
May 11, 2015 @ 12:22 am
Have you heard of Jason Allen? Local Texas guy, would to hear what think of his album “The Twilight Zone”.
May 11, 2015 @ 1:27 am
That’s just fabulous! SCM seems to be THE place to come to for being introduced to great new music …. you’re costing me a fortune Trigger!! But thanks!!
May 11, 2015 @ 5:48 am
Great article about one of my favorite bars in the world, and one of the bands that makes it that way. Thanks.
May 11, 2015 @ 8:51 am
A 1 3/4 Guns Up rating implies that the Derailers (whom I would call the gold standard for ‘Texas country with a little bit of a Bakersfield spark’, and who I infer would have at least three ‘2 Guns Up’ albums under their belts had they not been released ‘BSCM’) are only 14% better than these guys.
This is good, but about half as good as the best of the genre. The rhythm section lets them down way too much.
Definitely enjoyable, and I appreciate the versatility, but maybe they need to nail the honkey-tonk vibe down a little better.
But then the Derailers are really from Oregon. So who the F knows.
May 11, 2015 @ 9:22 am
I enjoyed the album. The review is almost spot on in my opinion. Pretty good but not great. Duquaines do a good job of representing traditional Texas country but I didn’t hear as much of the Bakersfield influences. But then again I am no expert in the Bakersfield scene.
Thanks for the review Trig!
May 12, 2015 @ 5:22 am
I’ll preface everything by saying that I’ve only been to the White Horse once since I currently live in Florida, but I lived and went to school in Austin. From my experience (I spent a few hours at the White Horse), that place is NO honky-tonk. It’s a bar first and foremost that just so happens to have a spot for bands to play in its corner. The Broken Spoke is a honky-tonk (and god how sad it looks with that abomination surrounding it). The White Horse is a place where people who are a few years out of school go when they want to be seen.
That being said, this band to me perfectly exemplifies the White Horse. They don’t really have a good “record sound” it sounds like a cheap recording (I don’t mean monetary (after all, Sturg spend $4k on MMSCM)) and to me they sound more jam band-ish than anything. But I find the use of the saxophone on “Big Deal out of Nothing” a cool touch.
Overall I don’t find this good. But I don’t find it bad either. I find this to work because the White Horse is the popular bar of the hour. If I saw these guys live I would much prefer them to the 80s rock cover bands that every bar in Florida seems to somehow book, but I wouldn’t walk away remembering anything they did. And I definitely would NOT say that they are preserving the “spirit of authentic Texas country music …for all the fans of true authentic country across the country and world”.
Now I’ll go back to listening to my copy of “Hold My Beer vol. 1” on repeat…
May 12, 2015 @ 9:07 am
I really didn’t find the recording quality of this album troubling at all, and this is something I tend to bring up regularly on this site because of all the artists these days making records that purposely sound bad, including Sturgill Simpson. I would take greater issue with “Metamodern Sounds” than I would this. It may not be a perfect recording, but I thought it was slick enough.
As for The White Horse, I totally understand what you’re saying. But I think if you go in there in the late afternoon and early evening, I think you would be surprised how many older individuals you will find in there. I agree there’s a “see and be seen” element to the place, but I think it’s a good thing younger folks are there and supporting these types of bars. Nothing compares to The Broken Spoke and nothing every will. But I felt like The White Horse in this instance was the best way to frame this band.
May 12, 2015 @ 7:00 am
Trig, this is what separates this site apart from all of the others is when you can come onto here after a hard day at work with no expectations and find something as enjoyable as this. Great Job and a great sound! I will definitely be getting this album.