These are all the songs I’ve chosen for this month’s contest. I know thousands of independent musicians who are deserving of having their songs in this dang deal. So narrowing my picks down to just 10 is always the hardest part of my month. Oh well. Such is life.

Vote Now!

Audrey Auld Mezera – Butterfly Effect (Buy, Dang It)
Dropped from the Contest after Week 4

Audrey came to my attention thanks Nancy Apple, one of the stars of the December 2008 contest. Nancy sure does hang around in great company. Audrey lives in Tennessee, but one listen to her music and you know she’s way too smart for the typical Nashville stuff. “Music with the dirt left on,” seems to be her slogan of choice, and it’s true that she’s not afraid to be rough and rebellious in her songs. But, as this song shows, she can also be a little like a romantic painter with her music, capturing high ideals and portraying them beautifully. I’ve taken the liberty of copying Audrey’s list of “influences” as posted on her MySpace page: Australia, Truth, Nature, Buddhism, Life, Love, Death… Artistically? Brahms, Beethoven, Mozart, Strauss, Julie London, Peggy Lee, Patsy Cline, Sarah Vaughan, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Ayn Rand, Dalai Lama, Bob Dylan, Grandmaster Flash, Elektro, 60’s girl groups, early RnB, Platters, Bauhaus, Psychedelic Furs, Louvin Brothers, Hank Williams, Lucinda Williams, Nick Cave, Kasey and Bill Chambers, Brenda Lee, Harlan Howard, Gillian Welch, The Stranglers, Gene Vincent, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buck Owens and Don Rich, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, Owen Bradley, Pete Anderson and Dwight Yoakam, John Prine, Emmy Lou Harris & Gram Parsons, Bob Wills, Billy Joe Shaver, Mez Mezera, Ernest Tubb, Lefty Frizzell, Fred Eaglesmith, Carter Family, Steve Earle, Townes Van Zandt, Dolly Parton, Tony Backhouse, Patty Griffin, Cormac McCarthy, Terry McArthur, Jon Dee Graham…to be continued…

Now there’s an intelligent, inspirational mix.

Chris Sengler – Chew Life, Spit Song (Buy, Dang It)
Dropped from the contest after Week 2

Chris is yet another guy from the HossTheBoss.com hometown of Corpus Christi who can churn out a great country song. Just look at the title. Isn’t it perfect?

Drew Tichnell – Within My Soul (Buy, Dang It)
Dropped from the Contest after Week 4

Wow. Drew Tichnell is impressive. This song is off her new, independently produced, CD and, browsing the internet, I see I’m not the only one for whom it conjures up the sounds of classic singers like Susan Tedechi, Tracy Chapman, and Sheryl Crowe. This young woman lives in Austin now but grew up in East Texas knowing that music was going to be her life. She’s definitely got that right. It’s just a matter of time before all of America catches on to the Drew Tichnell train! I get goosebumps thinking  someone this good would take the dang time to send me her song! What an honor!

Geoff Union – Chances (Buy, Dang It)
Finished 2nd in the Contest — Moves on to Finals

Geoff Union lives in Austin and has played all over the country with a bluegrass group called the Two High String Band for several years, and he finally decided recently to do put together a CD of his own stuff (This CD is mostly “country” as opposed to “bluegrass,” but who really cares about genres.)  After tappin’ my toes to every song on the CD at least three times, I finally decided that this song is my favorite of the bunch. (Only because I, and so many HossTheBoss.com listeners have definitely LIVED it. ) Tough decision, though. I told Geoff that he can expect HossTheBoss.com to get plenty of mileage from every song on the CD in the coming months. Now we just gotta get Geoff and his bluegrass friends to send us some Two High String Band music for the February contest.

Jerry Audley – I Just Want to Hold You (Buy, Dang It)
Dropped from the contest after Week 1

I’ve been a fan of Jerry Audley’s for several years ever since he and his wife Sabra — who manages Jerry’s business affairs — looked me up and said they were sick of the Corporate Nashville scene and were ready to give Texas independence a try. Since then this little mom-n-pop outfit has become a huge name on the Texas music scene, and they’ve done it without compromising Jerry’s ideas for his music or his career. Jerry and Sabra are now talking about finding ways to help other talented musicians make a living without selling out, and  we three keep talking about teaming up on book about all that some day. I do intend to make progress on some long-standing  writing projects in 2009. Maybe that will be one of them. In the meantime, this is a hell of a country song Jerry has here. Ya’ll go vote for it, dang it. Then head to MySpace and tell him Hoss sent ya’.

Lance Strode – John Barleycorn (Buy, Dang It)
Finished 3rd in the Contest — Moves on to the Finals

Lance is another great independent singer/songwriter that the Queen of Memphis Twang sent my way after her smashing success in the December version of this contest. I’ll admit that I don’t know a lot about ole’ Lance just yet. But I really am glad that he sent me his stuff. I got 5 Mp3s in all from him one day, and they’re all clever as heck. This one cracked me up the most, though.

Mooncrickets – Penny Candy (Buy, Dang It)
Dropped from the contest after Week 2

At a Thanksgiving party with Mrs. Hoss’s family, Mrs. Hoss’s cousin Roddy (a redneck, music lovin’ cop from Round Rock, Texas) put the Mooncricket’s CD on the barn’s sound system, and when all those rednecks started movin, I KNEW I had to put these guys on the show. The Mooncrickets are an amazingly funkalisious Indie band from Los Angeles led by singer Clifton Beach. They came to Redneck Roddy’s attention because his boss’s son Tony Hampton plays the drums in the band. Roddy’s probably pissed at me because he’s more than likely going to be a guest DJ on the show next month, and he was planning to make them one of his picks. All’s not lost, Roddy. These people have more than enough awesome songs for you to choose from next time!

Smokey Wilson – Cheap (Buy, Dang It)
Dropped from the contest after Week 1

Smokey Wilson lives with a bunch of cattle on a pasture just outside of Cuero, Texas and probably his biggest claim to Texas Music fame is the huge “Party in the Pasture” that he does every summer. He just opens his place up to anyone who likes music and invites just about everyone who PLAYS music to come party for the weekend. I’ve never been to one of Smokey’s PIPs, but, dang it I’m headin’ there in 2009, for sure. At anyrate, besides being a hell of a party host, Smokey has also been known to do some Smokin’ hot Texas Country and Blues, too. He just finished up a new CD, and this is the song that he’s pushin from it. I think it’s pretty damn funny. Votin’ for it is free, you cheap bastards!

South Texas Destroyers -  God Song (Buy, Dang It)
Dropped from the contest after Week 1

I entered these guys from San Antonio in last month’s contest, and they didn’t make it past the first round. I’m pretty sure the problem was my choice of song. I picked a weird, bluesy little deal, and, while I think it’s an awesome song, it’s not necessarily their specialty. This song, however, should do the trick. Besides, it’s got a little devine help behind it.Ya’ll need to watch for The Destroyers. They’re about to start pushing through to the top.

Willie Hrath – Back and Forth (Buy, Dang It)
Dropped from the contest after Week 1

Willie Hrath is a cool guy practicing Texas-style independence from Los Angeles. This song is off his latest CD that speaks for itself. Ya’ll need to buy it! This dude is as solid as they come in the music biz.

See My Previous Picks
November 2008

December 2008