Hoss’s August 2009 Hossey Award Picks
QQThese 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 a few is always the hardest part of my month. Oh well. Such is life.
Brandon Kinney – I Need A Beer (Buy, Dang It)
This guy is hilarious. Every dang song on his CD Smells Like Texas is perfect for just about any redneck family reunion. Ya’ll jerks didn’t vote very often for his song “Smoker” (a tribute to Brandon’s apparently very sexy barbeque grill) in last month’s contest. So I put him in again this time, hoping you bastards will have learned your lesson. (I’m just joking, DWW! Geez! I couldn’t care less who your dang parents are. See the comments on last month’s contest if you don’t know what the heck I’m talking about.)
Bruce Robison – The Hammer (Buy, Dang It)
HossTheBoss.com doesn’t play the music royalties game, so we go through a significant amount of trouble to get specific permission to play all the songs you hear on our station. That means that a lot of the legends of Texas music have not yet made it on our station (though we do have permissions from many big names like Asleep at the Wheel, Ray Wylie Hubbard, and Cross Canadian Ragweed). So we get excited whenever someone like Bruce Robison gives us permission to play his music! Bruce is our latest big name to sign on! And this is a very cool song off his new CD “The New World.”
Chris Sengler – Angels and Devils (Buy, Dang It)
Chris Sengler is my long-time buddy from right here in Corpus Christi. This guy has written some cool songs, and a lot of people are finding them via MySpace. It’s just a matter of time before before Chris breaks out. Ya’ll make sure to stop by and say hello to him on MySpace.
Curtice/Markley – All of the Above (Buy, Dang It)
Booted from the Contest After Week 1
Craig Curtice and Eric Markely are a Trenton Michigan duo who, not that long ago were long-lost cousins. One day Eric was screwing around on MySpace and looked Craig up, and they ended up getting together to do some cool music. This is the first song they recorded together, and they’ve gotten enough good response on the internet to start working on more. Pretty soon, I’m sure, they’ll have a full CD out. In the meantime, give these guys some encouragement on MySpace.
Dave Hahn – I Don’t Mind (Buy, Dang It)
Booted from the contest after Week 1
Dave Hahn lives in Utah and spends a lot of time playing music in ski resort towns all throughout the Rockies. He says that some newspaper reviewers accuse him of playing “country” music, but they are people who probably don’t listen to much country. He describes his style as “Americana.” I says he’s just cool.
David Castro – Night Time Eyes (Buy, Dang It)
David Castro and his friends are a cool bunch of guys from Oklahoma who are starting to get some good gigs all across their home state. Now they’re getting geared up to take their show on the road in a major way with a nationwide tour. Check out their myspace page to see how you can help them with that.
Herman Lammers Meyers – Houston or Hell (Buy, Dang It)
Herman is my German buddy who is definitely keeping good ole country music alive and well on his end of the globe. He also spends a lot of time in Texas and I’m sure that’s where he got the idea for this song. This isn’t his latest “release,” but it’s a dang good song. Ya’ll need to support ole’ Herman Lammers Meyers.
Justin Grant – Drink More Beer (Buy, Dang It)
Justin’s biography is hard to come by on the internet, so I gotta admit that I don’t know much about this guy. But I’m really glad he sent me this song. It’s hilarious. Definitely a Hoss kind of song. That’s all that matters anyway, right?
Matt Steel – I like her but, she don’t like me (Buy, Dang It)
With a song like this, I think it’s kind of funny to read on Matt’s website that he grew up singing in his church choir. Hahahahahahaha! He sure has come a long way. But, I really like his style. This guy is getting rave reviews from radio people all across Texas and the world. Ya’ll keep your eye on Matt Steel.
Metonia – Brakewalls (Buy, Dang It)
Booted from the contest after Week 1
This band from Manchester, UK formed in 2004, as their MySpace page says, “on the back of collective frustration and in need of a fresh approach.” Enough said. I’m glad these guys seem to developing a loyal following.
Paul McCormick – The Letter (Buy, Dang It)
Paul is my friend from Scotland who has been writing songs as a passion for many years and finally put together a CD in 2008. The album is called “Pablo’s Vineyard” and includes many refreshingly well- crafted lyrics. This song is the best of the bunch, I say.
Ratcliff Bailey – Waiting for Jesus (Buy, Dang It)
Tim Ratcliff and Ken Bailey have been apparently trying for years to get their songs playing on HossTheBoss.com. But I swear I’ve never received the music before recently! They finally went through the trouble of recording a very funny/cool blues song about the pain of being rejected by The Hoss, and that caught my attention. I’m sorry for bringing such suffering to these guy’s lives! In all seriousness, I’m very glad to have finally heard the guy’s CD “Duece.” It’s filled with some refreshingly honest and smart music. The guys were surprised when I picked this song in particular to play on the contest, but that’s just how I roll.
Ridley Bent – Apache Hairlifter (Buy, Dang It)
This Canadian knows how to tell a story in his songs! Wow! This song is the very last one on his CD “Boots and Buckles,” and it’s easily the most powerful of a very well crafted set of songs.
Steve Carlson – Stop (Buy, Dang It)
Steve Carlson is a Los Angeles singer/songwriter who has probably the most organized fan base I’ve seen from any independent musician. His fans have been keeping my email inbox filled for weeks with requests from all over the world for me to put a song from Steve in this contest. So how could I refuse. Especially when Steve’s music is so solid. This song is off one of his early CDs, so his fans are already familiar with it. He’s got a new CD coming soon, and you can hear his songs on a variety of television shows on the ABC and WB networks.
Three Day Threshold – Road to Riches, Road to Ruins (Buy, Dang It)
This band from Boston gets about as intense as I’ve heard any rockabilly band get. This song is off a CD called “Against the Grain,” and it’s a hell of work out just listening to it.
See My Previous Picks
I’m so glad you chose “Not Life Threatening” by Lenny Solomon. It’s a beautiful and touching song.
Steve Carlson is brilliant singer/songwriter, and we eagerly await his new album, which he is at present recording. He apparently has changed style yet again, something that we as fans are used to and avoids him being stuck in any particular genre
Got to say I am loving Apache Hairlifter and road to riches and road to ruins
Steve Carlson is fabulous; I’ve had the fortune to see him perform many times. And with his inclusion in this contest, I’ve found the station and have discovered a lot of great new music. It’s a win-win for me!
I’m sorry to hear that people are having trouble with the overwhelming response of the Steve fans. Having met the man I can say he’s earned each and every vote. He has a heart for the fans and in many cases gives more support than he receives.
That being said I have voted for his music and some of the other artists. I feel incredibly fortunate to have found such a hidden gem. There are many other talented artists here and I look forward to hearing more from them. My favs are Ridley Bent and Three Day Threshold so far.
I for one will be keeping up with this lovely treasure trove even after this months contest. Steve or no Steve.
Thanks for all the hard work Hoss!!