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.

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Brent Allen – I Can’t Ask You To Stay (Buy, Dang It)
Dropped after week 2

I’m just getting to know Brent, but I like like his style of good ole’ country from Austin, Texas. Brent came to my attention through his bass player Travis Martin who used to play in a band from Brownwood called Texas Hit & Run. They were one of the first bands I ever played on HossTheBoss.com back in 2006, so Travis will always be a special part of our weird little station. Looks like he’s hooked up with a real winner. Brent does some very poingiant, entertaining stuff, and I think you need to buy his brand new CD (of which this song is the first single release), There’s a Lot of Folks Like Me. True enough Brent, dang it! I don’t know if this song is the best one to reflect the usual February “Valentines” spirit, but I know a lot of people can identify with it this month.

Country Boy Rolling Stone – Valentine Partner (Buy, Dang It)
Dropped after week 1

A very cool little CD with a weird title by a guy with a weird name (Hitchhiking from Memphis to Mars by Country Boy Rolling Stone) arrived in my mail box the other day, and, when I did a little research, I felt very proud to have received this thing unsolicited. Country Boy Rolling Stone is the long-time nickname of Bill Crowder, the leader of the 1960s psychodelic band Sugar Cube Blues. Having come of age in the 80s, I had not heard of Sugar Cube Blues, but a quick search of the internet shows that they had a pretty decent cult following in the days when indie music was REALLY tough.  Country Boy Rolling Stone hadn’t recorded anything in decades when he finally decided to put this CD together and send it out to outfits like mine. I am honored to have been on his list, and his inclusion of this cool little love song with a cool twist makes it perfect for my February picks.

David Martinez – Visions (Buy, Dang It)
Dropped after week 1

David is one of our Corpus Christi, Texas All Stars, and his new CD is something for his little ole’ hometown to be proud of. This song is off that CD, which he recorded in Los Angeles (during breaks from his day job as a Corpus Christi middle school teacher) his friend Leroy (yeah, he has a last name, but no one ever uses it), a helaciously talented independent record producer who also happens to be the new guitar player in the band Smash Mouth.

Grupo Vida – Linda Preciousa (Buy, Dang It)
Dropped after week 1

These guys from San Antonio are award-winning veterans of the Texas Tejano music scene. A couple of years ago, they did a mostly English CD and started booking gigs under the name “Electric Cowboys.” That made them the first band that I know of to have two different names. This little love diddy done by their Spanish half, is perfect for Valentines.

Herman Lammers Meyers – Puttin Tears on a Tune (Buy, Dang It)

Herman Lammers Meyers has made a career of doing good ole’ country music in his homeland of Germany, and he has a good number of fans in Texas and America. This is his latest single. (And, when you’re not listening to HossTheBoss.com, check out Hermann’s website for details on his own internet radio show. Pretty interesting stuff.)

Michael Macri – I Can’t Drink Alone (Buy, Dang It)
Dropped after week 1

Michael is an independent musician from Melbourne Austrailia, and the CD he sent me with this song has a Hoss kind of mix. He does a little of everything: blues, country, rock, jazz. And it’s all very high quality, entertaining stuff. I had a hard time deciding which song off that CD to choose for this contest, so, if this one isn’t your style, well, buy the dang CD and I’m sure you’ll find at least one or two songs you can really get into.

Sam Watson – Save Me (Buy, Dang It)

Sam Watson of Midland, Texas put up a big fight in her first go around in the contest in November with her song Naked. (She finished a very strong second place to our eventual 2008 winner Bretheren Sol.)  So, when she sent me a bunch of her new stuff that she just finished recording, I couldn’t wait to put her back in this month’s contest. This song, like nearly everything else I’ve heard from Sam, captures Texas music’s trademark rebelliousness and combines it with a strong dose of spirtuality. And that makes it the perfect Texas song. Sam’s spiritual energy is a blessing to the world. Ya’ll make sure to soak it all up. This girl rocks!

Sara Hickman – Are We Ever Gonna Have Sex Again (Buy, Dang It)

Sara is a great singer from Austin, Texas, and I may be doing her a disservice by choosing, of all of her beautifully crafted songs, this tongue-in-cheek piece. But I think it’s a funny one to play in honor of Valentines. I’m sure that, for many people, this song is more realistic than ironic.

The Wyatts – I’m Not Your Savior (Buy, Dang It)
Dropped after week 2

Roscoe Wyatt is the leader of this band and he’s from, guess where, Arizona. Wow! It looks like that dang state is gonna take over this little ole contest. Bretheren Sol of the Phoenix area was our 2008 champion, and Gary Bonnett of Tucson was the big winner in January. Now it’s the Wyatt’s turn. And these guys already have a history of winning contests in which I am involved. I first became aquainted with the Wyatts in 2005 when one of their songs made its way as a darkhorse pick to the top of the weekly “most requested” charts on Corpus Christi’s, now-defunct, Texas Radio KBSO.  This is yet another ironicly appropriate Valentine’s song. I think a lot of people in my audience will definitely identify.

Tornado Magnet – Austin City Lights (Buy, Dang It)
Dropped after week 1

These guys from California are a hybrid of a lot of musicians who have played with some of the coolest bands of the  West Coast (or, as the call it “South West”) alternative country scene: Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash, the Hideaways, and others. This song is off their brand new CD, and I love the fact that a bunch of guys from California are doing a song about Austin.

See My Previous Picks
November 2008

December 2008

January 2009