I’m Tony, and these are my May picks….

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Anthony Smith –If That Ain’t Country  (Buy, Dang It)
Booted from the contest after Week 2

• AnthonySmith is from Nashville, Tennessee, playing Indie Country Music. His cd “If That Ain’t Country” was first released about ten years ago and is still available through Hoss’s store link to Amazon.com. I’ve chosen the title track of that cd for his entry in the contest.  By the way, AnthonySmith just told me that Gretchen Wilson is re-recording that song on her upcoming cd.  He also said he is coming out with a new cd this summer, and would let us know when it came out, and he’ll be doing a promotional tour starting in June for a new single from that cd….

Asleep At The Whee l — Roly Poly  (Buy, Dang It)

• Anyone who has ever listened to me talk about Texas Music knows that I’ve been a fan of Ray Benson & Asleep At The Wheel since I first saw them at a concert in 1971 at Austin’s Armadillo World Headquarters, where they opened for Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention. When I started getting permission from groups last April to play their music on HossTheBoss.com, Ray Benson was the first person I contacted.  After I e-mailed him my request for permission, and mentioned that story about how long I’d been a fan, he was all for it, and AATW became the first group I could play on “my upcoming DJ show”. (Of course, that show has been “up-coming” for over a year, now, but I think it will finally hit the airwaves (computerwaves?) in May!)  Asleep At The Wheel has been recording and touring for about 38 years now, and have over 22 cds available through Hoss’s store link to Amazon.com.  I’ve chosen a favorite song of mine off their “Live At Arizona Charlies” cd called “Roly Poly” for their entry in this month’s contest…

Bois D’Arcs–Dead & Gone (Buy, Dang It)
Booted from the contest after Week 2

• Bois D’arcs are a 4 man group from Muenster, Texas, playing Texas Country and Southern Rock Music. Their name is pronounced like the line in James McMurtry’s song “Choctaw Bingo”, where he sings about a guy in a hot tub, with two of his female cousins, who is “hard as a Bois D’arc fencepost”.  Their debut self-titled cd is available through Hoss’s  store link to LoneStarMusic.com.  If you’d care to see the Bois D’Arcs performing,  I have a video posted on my MySpace blog of them doing the song”Wasted” from that cd, it’s dated 11-20-08. For their entry this month, I’ve chosen another song from their debut cd, this one entitled “Dead & Gone”…

Cody Gill Band–18 In Mexico (Buy, Dang It)
Booted from the contest after Week 2

• Cody Gill Band is from Stephenville, Texas, playing Texas Country & Southern Rock Music. They Have 2 cds available through Hoss’s  link to LoneStarMusic.com, “Boxcars” & “King Of Your Hometown”, both of which should now be in the computerized rotation on HTB. I’ve chosen the song “18 In Mexico” off the latter cd for their entry in this contest. They’re a 4 man group with Cody Gill on vocals and rhythm guitar, Zack Hooper on lead guitar and backing vocals, Cooder Wade on bass guitar and Jarrod Baker on drums and “almost enough cowbell”(as they say on MySpace)…

Dan May–Water Under The Bridge (Buy, Dang It)

• Dan May is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, playing Folk, Roots & Americana Music. He recently asked to join my friend’s page on MySpace, saying he thought I might like his music. I did! He also sent me 3 of his cds to add to the HTB computer.  Dan has 4 cds available through Hoss’s store link to Amazon.com,  including his latest, “The Long Road Home”,  from which I’ve chosen his song “Water Under The Bridge” as his entry this month…

Hill Country Jane — As it is in Texas (Buy, Dang It)

• Hill Country Jane is a 4 man group from Highlands, Texas, playing Texas Country, Southern Rock and Rock Music. They’re led by Ryan Lochridge on acoustic guitar and vocals, and have one cd available through Hoss’s link to LoneStarMusic.com, called “The Great Charade”,  from which I’ve chosen their song “As It Is In Texas” for their entry this month. This song should be, in my opinion, the new anthem for “The Lone Star State”, listen to the lyrics…

Hugh Fadal Band – Hill Country Hippie (Buy, Dang It)

• Hugh Fadal Band is from, according to their MySpace page, “The other side of Texas Music, and everywhere in between”.  Actually, though, their address, on one of the 2 cds they sent me, is in Seguin, Texas. Hugh is a professional hunting/fishing guide, as well as a singer and song writer who has literally seen “miles & miles of Texas”. The 2 cds they sent me are “Hourglass” from 1999 and “Good Clean Livin’” from 2006, both of which should now be in the HTB computer. Hugh said he would like me to pick the song “Good Thing Gone Bad” off the latter cd for their entry in the contest, but, after listening to both of the cds, (and having a really hard time choosing between about 6 different songs) I chose the song “Hill Country Hippie” off the “Hourglass” cd. (After all, I’m an old hippie from San Antonio). Hugh also told me he would like to bring his band to Corpus Christi this summer. Any suggestions, Hoss?…

Hunter McKithan & The Offenders–Here In Texas (Buy, Dang It)
Booted from the contest after Week 2

• Hunter McKithan & The Offenders (as he now calls his band), are from Galveston, Texas, playing Texas Country, Southern Rock and “Experimental” Music. They’re a 4 man group, led by Hunter McKithan on vocals & rhythm guitar , Russell Johnson on lead guitar, Jason Nelson on bass and harmony vocals, and Smitty McAllister on drums.  Their debut cd “The Shape Of It All” is available through Hoss’s store link to LSM, and I’ve chosen their song “Here In Texas”off that cd as their entry in the contest this month. Hunter also says they’ll be coming out with some live road sessions later this month…

Jay Johnson Band–Josephine (Buy, Dang It)

• Jay Johnson Band is from Dallas, Texas,  playing Southern Rock, Americana, and Blues Music. They’re a 4 man group, with Jay Johnson on vocals, acoustic and electric guitar,  Mark LaFon on lead guitar, Jim Harrington on bass guitar and  Dave Medders on percussion. Critics describe Jay as a  “multi-genre” (which he says he hates, by the way), “multi-award-winning” (which he also hates) performer/singer/songwriter. He won Male Vocalist Of The Year in the 2005 Texas Music Awards, during which he and his band received the most nominations ever, 6.  He was also nominated for Singer/Songwriter Of The Year in the 2007 TMA’s.  The 18 year veteran performer has self-released 3 cds in the last 7 years, including 2004’s “Royal Blue Moon”, available through Hoss’s store link to Amazon.com, from which I’ve chosen the song “Josephine” as his contest entry….

Jimmy Kaiser Band–Hiway 87/Folsom Prison (Buy, Dang It)
Booted from the contest after Week 2

• Jimmy Kaiser Band is from Beaumont, Texas, playing Texas Country & Southern Rock Music. They have a total of 4 cds available, 2 from the Jimmy Kaiser Band, 1 from Jimmy & David Lee Kaiser, and 1 from David Lee Kaiser by himself.  I’ve chosen a song from the band’s “Live At Antone’s” cd, written by Hayes Carll, (who we also have permission to play) called “Hiway 87/Folsom Prison Blues”. In last month’s contest, I’d chosen the song “Best Times” from the Jimmy & David Lee Kaiser cd “Spurlock Road” as their entry, but the fans let me down and didn’t give them nearly enough votes, so I’m trying again this month with a different song from a different cd and I hope the results will also be different. These guys from “the burgeoning Beaumont Music Scene” need your support, so vote for them, dang it! (As Hoss would say)…

Killdares–Seasons (Buy, Dang It)

• Killdares are from Dallas, Texas, playing Texas Celtic Rock Music.  They’re a 4 man, 1 woman group, with Tim Smith on lead vocals and drums, Roberta Rast on fiddle and backup vocals, Brek Lancaster on lead guitar and backup vocals, Matt Willis on highland bagpipes and backup vocals and Jim Dawson on bass guitar. Since first appearing on the music scene in Dallas about ten years ago, the Killdares have gone from performing in local pubs to national touring headliners, releasing 5 independently produced albums along the way, 2 of which are available through Hoss’s link to Amazon, including their  latest “Secrets Of The Day” (2008), from which I’ve chosen the song “Seasons” for their entry in this contest….

Matt Begley & Bitter Whiskey–Corpus By The Sea (Buy, Dang It)

• Matt Begley & Bitter Whiskey are  from Austin, Texas, playing Texas Country, Southern Rock & Rock Music. They’re a 4 man group, led by Matt Begley on vocals and guitar,  Rhoades D’ablo on lead guitar, Nathan Ragsdale on bass guitar, and Charlie Lisk on drums.  They have one cd available through Hoss’s link to LSM called “Bearin’ Down”, from which I’ve chosen the song “Corpus By The Sea” for their entry in this month’s contest. It was a hard choice, though. Since I’m always looking for a new song about my hometown of Corpus Christi, I felt obligated to choose “Corpus By The Sea”, but they have another song on the same cd called “Redneck White Trash Family” that will probably be one of my choices for June’s contest. When I heard Matt rhyme “Wal-Mart’s automotive section” with “gangrene infection” in that song, I knew I would have to choose it for one of my future picks…

Pribek–I Let The Whiskey Kiss Me (Goodnight) (Buy, Dang It)
Booted from the contest after Week 2

• Pribek is from Kimberling City, Missourri, playing Rock, Southern Rock & Blues Music. My son, Josh, turned me onto Jack Pribek’s music a few months ago, so I looked him up on MySpace, sent him a friend request asking for permission to play his music, and he was all for it. He even sent me his cd “Trouble Ain’t Over” to add to the HTB computer. I used his song “Salvation” from that cd for last month’s contest, but he didn’t get nearly the amount of votes I thought his music deserved, so I’ve decided to use a different song of his for this month. I’ve chosen “I Let The Whiskey Kiss Me (Goodnight)”, off the same cd, which is available through Hoss’s store link to Amazon, or from Pribek’s website…

Red Dirt Rangers–Steel Rail Blues (Buy, Dang It)
Booted from the contest after Week 2

• Red Dirt Rangers are from “Everywhere, Oklahoma” as they say on MySpace, playing a mix of Tropical, Soul & “Zouk” Music. For over 20 years now, the 5 man group has been touring the world, “spreading the gospel of the Red Dirt Music Scene”.  While Jason Boland was recovering from throat surgery last year, they appeared in concert with his band The Stragglers, calling themselves, “Crouching Rangers, Hidden Stragglers”, which is also an allusion to the fiddle player and backup vocalist of the Rangers, Randy Crouch. The Red Dirt Rangers have 6 cds available through Hoss’s link to Amazon, including Rangers’ Command (1999), (produced by legendary Texas musician Lloyd Maines), from which I’ve chosen their song “Steel Rail Blues” for their entry in this month’s contest…

Sarah Pierce–Last Real Cowboy (Buy, Dang It)

• Sarah Pierce is from Austin, Texas,  playing Texas Country Music. I ran across her recently on MySpace, listened to the songs she had posted, and liked what I heard. When I sent her a friend request with a note asking permission to play her music, she and her husband/manager/drummer Merel Bregante, both thought it was a good idea. They sent me Sarah’s cd “Cowboy’s Daughter” to add to the HTB lineup and use on my upcoming DJ show, and I’ve chosen her song “Last Real Cowboy” for her entry in this contest.  (By the way, Merel used to be in the pop band The Sunshine Company, and toured with The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, among others)…

Scott Wiggins Band–Whole Time (Buy, Dang It)

• Scott Wiggins Band is from New Braunfels, Texas, just north of San Antonio, (which is where I grew up), playing Texas Country & Southern Rock Music. They’re a 5 man group, led by Scott Wiggins on lead vocals and acoustic guitar, John Diaz on drums,  Ricky “Hoon” Diaz on electric guitar, Ryan Fedako on bass guitar, and Austin Gilliam on lead guitar and background vocals. They have 2 cds to their credit, both available through Hoss’s store link to CDBaby,  2005’s “Only See” and 2008’s “Burn”, from which I’ve chosen the song “Whole Time” for their entry in this month’s contest. “Burn” was produced by Austin resident Adam Odor at the 5am Studios there. (He’s a grammy winner for his work with the Dixie Chicks.)  By the way, The Scott Wiggins Band will be appearing in concert in Corpus Christi at the Brewster Street Ice House on May 14th…

Slow Rollin’ Lows–Crying Clown Blues (Buy, Dang It)

• Slow Rollin’ Lows are from Beaumont, Texas, playing Southern Rock and Texas Country Music (my favorite combination). They’re a 4 man group, led by Calvin “Pug” Johnson on vocals and guitar, Orey Williams on bass guitar and harmonica,  Jeremy Porter on drums, and Neil Jeansonne on lead guitar, who describe their sound as “Country Rock with Pure Texas Attitude”. They have 3 cds available through Hoss’s store link to LSM, “One Of These Days’, “Straight Out Of Texas” and their brand, new release “Erie Street”, all 3 of which should now be in the computerized rotation on HTB.  Last month, I chose their song “Hippies, Drunks & Rednecks” (about the music scene in Beaumont), off of “Erie Street”, for their entry in that contest, but they didn’t get nearly the votes I thought they should have. So, now I’ve chosen another song off that cd, “Crying Clown Blues” for their entry this month. Let’s hope the fans come out and vote for this one!…

Stoney LaRue & The Arsenals–Oklahoma Breakdown (Buy, Dang It)

• Stoney LaRue & The Arsenals are from New Braunfels, Texas, playing Americana, Southern Rock and Texas Country Music.  They’re a 6 man group, led by Stoney LaRue on guitar & lead vocals, Jesse Fritz on bass guitar and harmony vocals, Jeremy Watkins on fiddle and harmony vocals, Steve Littleton on keyboards, Kevin Webb on lead guitar and Jeremy Bryant on drums. Stoney has 2 cds available through Hoss’s store link to Amazon.com, “The Red Dirt Album” and “Live At Billy Bob’s”, which also has a dvd of his concert in it. Both cds should be in the HTB computer lineup by the time you’re reading this.  I’ve chosen his song “Oklahoma Breakdown” off his “Live”cd for his entry in this month’s contest…

Texas Renegade Band–Best Asset (Buy, Dang It)
Booted from the contest after Week 2

• Texas Renegade Band is from San Marcos & Austin, Texas, playing Texas Country, Southern Rock and Americana Music. They’re a 5 man group, led by Andy Bertelsen on lead vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, Tyson Carver on harmony vocals and electric and acoustic guitars and mandolins, Kasey Klepfer on harmonica and “shakeables”,  Eli Carver on bass guitar,  and Luke Ayers on drums, and “shakeables and bangables”.  They broke into the Texas Music scene in 2004 with their debut release “3am”, and followed it up with last year’s “After Everything”cd, and were chosen as the Best Live Band Of The Year for 2008 in the Texas Music Awards.  I’ve chosen a song from “3am” called “Best Asset” for their entry in this month’s contest. (Get it, Best “Ass”et? listen to the lyrics.) By the way, The Texas Renegade Band will be appearing in Corpus Christi on June 11th, with another group I’ve gotten permission to play, The Band Of Heathens, at the Brewster Street Ice House …

Wicked Brew Band–Whiskey, Leather, And Lace (Buy, Dang It)

• Wicked Brew Band is from Belton, Texas, playing Texas Country, Southern Rock & Rockabilly Music, or, as they describe it on MySpace, “Hardcore Country & Red Dirt Rock”. They’re a 5 man group, led by Jared Lightfoot on lead vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica and washboard, Jimmy Durham on backing vocals, lead guitar and mandolin, Cory Cooper on rhythm guitar and backing vocals, Nick Chambers on drums and percussion and “they’re looking for a bass guitar with more backing vocals”.  Strangely enough, Wicked Brew was recommended to me on Amazon as one I’d like, and they were right. Their debut cd “Down South”, which is available through Hoss’s link to Amazon, contains at least 5 songs that I’d like to use in this contest. I’ve already used the title track in last February’s contest, and they made it into the top 5.  This month, I’ve chosen their Celtic-flavored song “Whiskey, Leather & Lace” as their entry. Once you’ve gotten their cd through Hoss’s music store link, check out the songs, “Bury Me In Texas”, “Go Truck Yourself” and “I’m Alright”. They’re all good….

About Me:

I got started in broadcasting during my stint as a Signalman in the U.S. Navy during the Viet Nam era, working part-time as a DJ and newsman for a ship-board Armed Forces Radio & TV station on the USS Truckee out of Norfolk, Virginia.  After being honorably discharged in 1979, I became a mainstream radio DJ and News Director in the Corpus Christi area for over 25 years on 9 different stations, including all 3 of the country-western ones. During that time I received 4 news broadcasting awards, 1 from the Associated Press & 3 from United Press International. I spent the last 5 years of my “career” on KFTX in Corpus Christi, constantly fighting with the program director over having to play their narrow top-ten Nashville music playlist of songs, when I really wanted to play Texas Music. I was finally shown the door after I played a Christmas-time phone request for Robert Earl Keen’s “Merry Christmas From The Family”, which was definitely not on the station’s playlist, (I really hate that word!). Now that I’m on HossTheBoss I can play what I want. I’m working on getting my own show started on the station by early 2009,  so I hope you’re listening….

Check me out on MySpace

My previous Hossey Music Award Picks
November 2008

December 2008

January 2009

February 2009

April 2009