Tony Kinsel’s July 2010 Hossey Award Picks
I’m Tony, and these are my July, 2010 picks…
Barnstormers–Tin Roof
Barnstormers is from Doom Country, Alabama (as they say on MySpace), playing Folk, Acoustic & Indie Music. They are basically a duo, consisting of Ronald Moore, “lyrics & content”, and Chris Wilson, “arrangement & context”, but (as they also say on MySpace), they have a bass player named Daniel, and a band attorney, The Dancin’ Joey Hardy. They say they’re “on hiatus” now, but they have 2 cds available through ITunes or CDBaby, their 1st “Switchblade Serenades”, (which I’ve added to the rotation here on HTB), and their 2nd “Graveyard Town”, from which I chose the song “Tin Roof” (featuring Nathan Edwards), for their contest entry this month. For more info on Barnstormers, go to www.myspace.com/barnstormer, or to their website, www.doomcountry.com…
Brandon Rhyder–You Burn Me
Brandon Rhyder is from Austin, Texas, playing Texas Country & Rock Music. Brandon fronts his 5-man group, doing lead vocals and guitar, while Charlie Richards is on lead guitar and lap steel, James Hertless is on bass guitar and harmony vocals, Ron D’Argenio’s on keyboards, and Cody Banks is on drums and percussion. Brandon has 6 cds to his credit, the first 5 produced under his contract with Harlan Howard Publishing in Nashville, which ended in 2009. He decided not to renew his contract because he was tired of commuting back and forth from Texas to Nashville, and missing watching his two children grow up. His 6th, and latest, cd “Head Above Water” was produced in Austin by his long-time friend and mentor, well-known Texas musician Walt Wilkins. I’ve chosen the song “You Burn Me”, off that cd as his contest entry this month. Brandon & his band will be in Rockport, Texas, July 3rd, at Fulton Park on Aransas Bay, starting at 8pm, and will be here in Corpus Christi at Brewster Street Icehouse on July 22nd, starting at 7pm. For more info on Brandon Rhyder, visit his MySpace page, www.myspace.com/brandonrhyder, or his website www.brandonrhyder.com…
Chad Gosselin–Familiar Places
Chad Gosselin is from Boston, Massachusetts, playing Indie, Alternative and Country Music. After a decade of playing guitar in bands ranging from Jazz trios to bar bands, after years of formal studies in music theory, Jazz improvisation, and bluegrass picking techniques, after years as a solo artist, playing in various venues around Boston, and, after one year of composing, arranging and recording, Chad Gosselin has finally released his debut cd, an EP cd called “An Uncelebrated Homecoming”, which contains 5 of his original songs, including “Familiar Places”, which I’ve chosen as his contest entry this month. If you like what you hear, Chad is now offering that cd free through his MySpace page, all you have to do is follow the download link. Unfortunately, Chad is going through shoulder surgery early this month to repair his right rotator cuff, which has been causing him chronic pain for the last 4 and a half years, and he does not know when he’ll be up to performing again. For more info on Chad Gosselin, visit his MySpace page, www.myspace.com/chadgosselinband, or his website, www.chadgosselin.com…
Charlie Shafter & The Gnomes–Not My Girl
Charlie Shafter & The Gnomes are from Denton, Texas, playing Rock & Folk Rock Music. They’re a 5-man band, consisting of Charlie Shafter on vocals & guitar, Gabriel Pearson on percussion, Starfire on vocals & bass, Adam Cline on vocals & guitar, & Nick Groesch on keyboards. According to their website, Charlie Shafter & The Gnomes were formed in 2004, “comprised of 4 marginally educated ant farmers from Duluth, Minnesota, who shared a love of music and the 1980’s.” They have 2 cds out, 2005’s “Orange” & 2007’s “17th & Chicago”, from which I chose the song “Not My Girl” for their entry in this month’s contest. For more info on Charlie Shafter & The Gnomes, visit their MySpace page, www.myspace.com/thecharlieshafterband, or their website, www.charlieshafterband…
Heybale! is from Austin, Texas, playing Country Music. They’re a 5-man group, consisting of Earl Poole Ball on piano & lead vocals, (Johnny Cash’s legendary piano player), Redd Volkaert on electric guitar and lead vocals, Gary Claxton on lead vocals, Kevin Smith on stand-up bass, and Tom Lewis on drums, cymbals & tambourine. In their first incarnation, Heybale! was in Nashville, and played to mostly empty rooms every night. Then, in 2000, they moved to Austin, where they got a gig playing every Sunday night at The Continental, and have been packing the place ever since. They have 3 cds to their credit, “Continentalive”, “Live From 1-A”, and their first studio cd, 2007’s “The Last Country Album”, from which I’ve chosen their cover of the Willie Nelson song “Mr. Record Man” as their contest entry. For more info on Heybale!, visit their MySpace page, www.myspace.com/heybaletheband, or their website, www.Heybale.com…
Hogjaw–Rollin’ Thunder
Hogjaw is from Phoenix, Arizona, playing Rock, Southern Rock & Americana Music. They’re a 4-man band consisting of JonBoat Jones on vocals & guitar, Craig Self on lead guitar, J. “Kwall” Kowalski on drums, & Elvis DD on bass. Hogjaw was formed in the summer of 2006, and they’ve produced 2 cds, “Devil In The Details” (which I’ve added to the rotation here on HTB), and “Ironwood”, which was just released in May of this year. Their manager sent me 5 songs in April as an exclusive HTB preview of “Ironwood”, (and I added them to our rotation, as well,) and then chose the Western/Rock song “Two Guns” for their contest entry in May, which went to 3rd place that month. This month, I chose another of the songs from that cd, “Rollin’ Thunder”, and I hope to see it in the top 5, too. For more info on Hogjaw, visit their MySpace page, www.myspace.com/hogjawband, or their website, www.hogjawmusic.com…
Josh Abbott Band–She’s Like Texas
The Josh Abbott Band is from Lubbock, Texas, playing Texas Country & Southern Rock Music. They’re a 5-man band, consisting of Josh Abbott on vocals & acoustic guitar, Preston Wait on fiddle & electric guitar, Edward Villanueva on drums, Daniel Almodova on bass, & Gabe Hanson on guitar. Josh Abbott says that he first got the idea of forming a band and writing music after seeing The Randy Rogers Band on stage in 2004. He said he got together with 3 of his Phi Delta Theta brothers at Texas Tech in Lubbock, where he was studing communications and political science, and started playing the Blue Light Club. Soon, they were playing to packed houses and opening for acts like Cory Morrow, Pat Green & Robert Earl Keen. Josh Abbott has produced 3 cds since then, his debut, self-titled, 4-song EP cd; and his 1st, full-length cd, “Scapegoat”, co-produced by Drew Womack, (both of which came out in 2008), and his 3rd cd, released in February of this year, “She’s Like Texas”, from which I chose the title track for his entry in this month’s contest. For more info on the Josh Abbott Band, visit their MySpace page, www.myspace.com/joshabbottband, or their website, www.joshabbottband.com
Kyle Bennett Band–Time To Switch to Whiskey
The Kyle Bennett Band is from Dallas-Ft.Worth, Texas, playing Texas Country & Southern Rock Music. They’re a 5-man band, consisting of Kyle Bennett on vocals & acoustic guitar, John Seidler on lead guitar, Beau Brauer on drums & percussion, Rody Molder on bass guitar, & Jon Hunt on guitar & vocals. The Kyle Bennett Band has been a fixture in the Dallas-Ft.Worth music scene since 2004. They’ve come out with 2 cds; their 1st, self-titled one (also known as “the red cd”), which sold thousands of copies, and produced several songs that are still in the rotation of Texas Music radio stations today, (and is in the rotation here on HTB), and their 2nd “Grey Sunrise”, which came out in April of 2009. I’ve chosen the song “Time To Switch To Whiskey” off the latter cd for their contest entry this month. For more info on The Kyle Bennett Band, check out their MySpace page, www.myspace.com/kylebennettband, or their website, www.kylebennettband.com…
Lantana–Country As A City Girl Can Be
Lantana is from Dallas-Ft.Worth, Texas, playing Texas Country, Southern Rock & Blues Music. Lantana got its start when Biz Haddock and Lisa Underwood started singing together in their church choir about 6 years ago. The pair started singing the national anthem at various sporting events, and have worked with several different 3rd members over the years, but now say their current 3rd, Dalene Richelle, blends beautifully with their harmonies. They’ve now moved up to performing at venues like the Houston Astrodome, the Lousiana Superdome, Texas Stadium, the Texas State Fair, and in Nashville’s Wild Horse Saloon, along with their 4-man back-up band, consisting of Chris Smeaton on lead guitar, Rusty Hall on bass, Nate Coon on drums, & Brad Neher on keyboards. Lantana’s produced 3 cds now, their 1st, “Life Is Good” (2004), their 2nd, “LOL” (2006), and their 3rd, “Unbridled” (2009), (which I’ve added to the lineup here on HTB), and from which I’ve chosen the song “Country As A City Girl Can Be” for their entry in July’s contest. If you’d like to see them perform, they’ll be appearing in concert at Aquapalooza, at Lake Travis, in Austin, Texas, July 9th, starting at 4pm. They’ll be competing against 4 other bands on the LandShark Stage to get the chance to open for Brad Paisley on the main stage the next day, July 10th. For more info on Lantana, visit their MySpace page, www.myspace.com/lantanatrio, or their website, www.LantanaMusic.com…
Lucky Tubb & The Modern Day Troubadours (w/Hank Williams III)–Damn The Luck
Lucky Tubb is from Austin, Texas, playing Roots Music, Country & Rockabilly Music, along with his band, The Modern Day Troubadours, featuring Natalie Page Monson on fiddle & harmony vocals, Jericho Renshaw on lead guitar, & Casey Gill on “Doghouse bass”. Lucky is the great-nephew of legendary C/W musician Ernest Tubb, who was a fixture for years on Nashville’s Grand Ole’ Opry (along with his band, The Troubadours). I got permission to play Lucky’s music from his manager, Cindy Gallina-Hancock, the wife of Wayne “The Train” Hancock, who also gave me permission to play her husband’s music last summer. Last month, I used Lucky’s song “Hillbilly Fever” (w/Wayne Hancock) in the contest, and it made it into the top 10, but couldn’t quite make the top 5, so I promised him during our interview that I would repeat him again this month. I recently added Lucky’s cd “Live At The Franklin Theater” to our rotation here on HTB, so I chose the song “Damn The Luck” (w/Hank Williams III) from that cd as his entry this month. For more info on Lucky Tubb, visit his MySpace page, www.myspace.com/luckytubb, or his website, www.TUBBMUSIC.com…
Lyrical Bynge–Ball & Chain
Lyrical Bynge is from Corpus Christi, Texas, playing Southern Rock, Classic Rock & Rock Music. They’re a 4-person group, consisting of Edna DeLaGarza, (who calls herself Electric DNA), on lead vocals, guitar & keyboards, Miguel Davila on bass guitar & vocals, Donald Aguirre on lead guitar & vocals, and Maraca 15 on drums. (We found out during an interview last May with Edna that Maraca 15 is actually a person, not a drum machine!) (Also, while visiting Lyrical Bynge’s MySpace page recently, I found on their blog a recording from 1931 of Harry Roy & His Orchestra, doing a song called “My Girl’s Pussy”! You’ve got to check that out, not that it has anything to do with their music!) Lyrical Bynge made the top 5 in May, with an original song Edna sent me, “Rock Like There’s No Tomorrow”. I decided to use their cover of Janis Joplin’s “Ball & Chain” for their entry this month, because it’s always been a favorite song of mine, and they do an outstanding job on it! For more info on Lyrical Bynge, visit their MySpace page, www.myspace.com/lyricalbyngeband, or their website, www.musictx.com/lyricalbynge…
Mahajibee–Honey Do List
Mahajibee is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, playing Blues, R&B & Indie Music. They’re a 5 person group, consisting of Pat Tevis on vocals, harp & keyboards, Lonny Holbdy on guitar & bass guitar, Tom Garrubba on guitar & vocals, Tim Ambrass on bass guitar, & Brent McConnell on drums. Dan Ayckroyd (AKA Ellwood Blues) introduced a song from Mahajibee during The House Of Blues Radio Hour last May 5th, saying “Mahajibee is a nonsense word. It’s a word you use when the word you want to use just isn’t coming to mind. It’s also the name of a no-nonsense blues band out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They’ve been bringing their brand of hard-working blues since 2000. Two lead guitars, my friends, songs about love and money. What more do you want? Oh. They look real good in black!” Mahajibee has one, self-titled cd out, which I’ve already added to our rotation here on HTB, and I’ve chosen their song “Honey Do List” as their contest entry. For more info on Mahajibee, visit their MySpace page, www.myspace.com/mahablues, or their website, www.mahajibeeblues.com…
Moonshine Bandits–American Pride
Moonshine Bandits are from Los Banos, California, playing Country, Rap & Rock Music. They’re a 4-man group, led by Big Tex, but I don’t remember what the other 3 members’ names are. If any of you know the answer, please post a comment to let me know. Their biography says they’ve rocked the stage for a number of years, now, and sold tens of thousands of albums worldwide. They have 3 cds out, 2005’s “Soggy Crackerz”, 2007’s “Prohibition”, and 2009’s “Divebars & Truckstops”. (I’ve added the last 2 to our rotation here on HTB!) I chose their song “Big Tex” in last January’s contest, and it tied for 5th place with Rebel Road that month. Then, I chose their song “Long Black Train” in March’s contest, (about a man’s grandmother dying), but it didn’t make it to the top 5. Last month, they came out with a new single about the war called “American Pride”, so I chose that for this month’s contest (seeing how this month we celebrate the 4th of July!). Let’s vote it into the top 5. It deserves it! For more info on Moonshine Bandits, visit their MySpace page, www.myspace.com/moonshinebandits, or their website, www.shinertv.com…
Twisted Pistols–Blue
Twisted Pistols are from Sadler, Texas, playing Americana, Folk Rock & Southern Rock Music. They’re a 4-man band, consisting of Zach Hendricks on vocals, guitar, harmonica & mandolin, J. Town Walsh on bass & harmony vocals, Johnny Wilson on lead guitar, and Justin Boren on percussion. I’ve used Twisted Pistols in 2 previous contests here on HTB. They didn’t do very well the first time, when I used their song “4Warned”, but did very well the 2nd time, last month, when I chose “100 Miles” and they made it to 4th place! Both of those songs were off of their 1st cd, so their manager sent me their 2nd cd “Overheated”, so I could choose a newer song from them for this month. I chose the 1st track on the new cd “Blue”, and I hope it goes all the way to the top, this time! For more info on Twisted Pistols, visit their MySpace page, www.myspace.com/thoseguysrock1, or their website, www.twistedpistols.com…
Whiskey Myers–Hippie’s Last Lament
Whiskey Myers is from Tyler, Texas, playing Texas Country & Southern Rock Music. They’re a 5-man band, consisting of Cody Cannon on vocals & guitar, Cody Tate on vocals & guitar, John Jeffers on lead guitar, Gary Brown on bass guitar, and Jeff Hogg on percussion. When the band first started, they were playing private parties on the back of flatbed trailers all over East Texas. Then, in the spring of 2007, they were given the opportunity to open for Roger Creager at Gator’s Bar & Grill in Gun Barrel City, Texas. The club’s owner was so impressed that he got them to come back the following weekend to open for The Eli Young Band. They have 1 cd available, “Road Of Life”, from which I’ve chosen the song “Hippie’s last Lament” for their contest entry, mainly because I like songs that have the word “hippie” in them, being an old hippie myself! For more info on Whiskey Myers, check out their MySpace page, www.myspace.com/whiskeymyersband, or their website, www.Whiskeymyers.com…
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. Listen to my own dang show on the station every Sunday night at 7 p.m. Central.
My previous Hossey Music Award Picks